BUTUAN CITY (PIA) – Nineteen tribal couples of the Mamanwa, Manobo, and Higaonon indigenous peoples (IP) communities in Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte had their marriages solemnized under the city government’s Kasalan Sa Cabadbaran program.
The Kasalan Sa Cabadbaran is a program of the city government of Cabadbaran as part of the observance of Civil Registration Month.
Among them were couples Marlon Biog Subay and Flor Maayo Calinawan, who belong to the Mamanwa tribe of Sitio Lusong, Barangay Puting Bato. They had been living together for 11 years, and they had four children.
IP couples Marlon Biog Subay and Flor Maayo Calinawan got solemnized during Kasalan sa Cabadbaran after 11 years of living together. The couples were in awe with the grand celebration prepared for them by the city government of Cabadbaran. Photo of PIA-ADN.
Subay is grateful to the city government for including them in the wedding ceremony, saying, “Dako kaayo akong pasalamat nga naapil mi ani nga programa, dili namo kaya magpakasal ug ing ani nga paagi pero ila ming giapil, daghang salamat kang Mayor Judy.”
(I am thankful to the city government for including us in this program. We could not afford to get married in this way, but they reserved a slot for us. Thank you very much to Mayor Judy.)
“Bisan paman gitagaan na kami ug pagtugot sa among mga lider nga magpuyo isip bana ug asawa, importante kaayo ni sa amoa nga seremonyas kay kinahanglan kaayo ni sa among mga anak, legal na ang among pag-ipon, kasado na kami ug si mayor pa jud ang nagkasal sa amoa ,” Subay shared.
(Even if we already have the permission and blessings of our IP leaders to live together as husband and wife, this ceremony is still very important to us, because it is necessary especially to our children. Our union is now legally recognized, we are married, and we are proud that our very own mayor officiated it.)
Mayor Judy Chin Amante of Cabadbaran City , during her interview with PIA Information Center Manager of Agusan del Norte, Nora L. Molde, thanked the organizers and stakeholders for the success of the activity. She felt happy to see participants from the IP community, as most of them are deprived of this privilege due to a lack of information and because their locations are in remote areas. Photo of PIA-ADN
Together with the other IP couples, Mayor Judy Chin Amante served as the solemnizing officer of the Kasalan Sa Cabadbaran at the Cabadbaran City gymnasium.
“We want to help you get married because this is part of our obligation to strengthen our community. The family is important to us, and this is the basic unit of our society,” Mayor Amante said.
“The city government fully supports this program because we believe that if a family is happy and secure, the community where they live will also be okay,” Amante added.
She further encouraged the couples who are living together outside of marriage to visit the Office of the City Civil Registrar for them to know the qualifications and requirements of the program so they can also avail of the free and grand wedding.
For this year’s mass wedding, dubbed ‘Kasalan sa Cabadbaran,’ the local chief executive solemnized a total of 104 couples from the 25 barangays of the city. (NCLM/PIA-Agusan del Norte)
