Author Archives: Marjorie

Marriage Certificate

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For some time, I had been confused on how will the National Statistics Office (NSO) get to have in their records that I’m already married. We were married in Japan and our marriage certificate is in Japanese. Now, if I were a different kind of person, if we didn’t report our marriage in Japan, I could very well get married again here in the Philippines, with another person!

So, how does the information trickle down to our government statistics office here? As I am worried over the confusion that might happen when I renew my passport in the DFA tomorrow, I asked the NSO a couple of days ago on how and when can they have a copy of my marriage certificate.

Says NSO and I quote:

———————-

Dear Ma’am:

Thank you for your e-mail.

For events that occurred outside the Philippines, registration is done at the
office of the Philippine Consulate located in the country where the event took
place.

Thereafter, the said office will forward the copy of the civil registry record
to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) here in Manila.  In turn, it will
be DFA-Manila who will be providing a copy to the National Statistics Office
(NSO).

Upon forwarding of the DFA to the NSO, the record is assigned reference
numbers. Please provide us the following information in order to assist the
NSO in the search and retrieval of your marriage certificate:

1. DISPATCH NUMBER
2. DISPATCH DATE
3. REFERENCE NUMBER

The above information can be obtained from the DFA in Manila. It is also
suggested that you verify first with DFA-Manila if the marriage record, sent
by the Philippine Consulate, had already been received by the  Records
Management Division, and if DFA-Manila has already forwarded a copy to  the
NSO.   Kindly get in touch with DFA-Manila at (632) 834-4000.

Thereafter, you may submit your request for marriage certificate through our
website (www.e-census.com.ph).

Thank you.

Yours truly,

e-Census Operations

—————-

So there. First step is made by the couple which is the ROM (Report of Marriage) in our case which was applied by Hubbie more than two weeks ago. We’re still waiting for the ROM certificate up to now though. Albeit the question is if at this time, when all documents are in transit, I’d be able to get a CENOMAR (Certificate of No Marriage) from NSO if I request for one. 

Anyways, if there’d be some election on the BEST PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT AGENCY, I would highly and proudly vote for the NSO’s e-census. So far, they’re the only government office that I am really impressed with the service. Superb customer service, they have. I wish all other government agencies would emulate them.

KUDOS, NSO!

Wishlist: Pasión for Wedding March

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Wifey: I loved Sarah Brightman’s Pasión ever since I first heard the song, which was around the time that Hubbie and I were just starting as a couple ^_^. Learning the translation made me love the song even more. Oh how I so wish I can get to find people (and afford one at that!) who can get to sing this song for us for our wedding march…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFWaj3yABFA&NR=1

(embedding is disabled hence, the link)

For easier reference, herewith are the lyrics which I found in THIS website.

You dream of a love
Which is pure, with no conditions
Strong, eternal as the sun
With which you draw a passion

You dream of a love
Which is clean, with devotion

Be free, spread the wings of the heart
And fly where passion nests

Chorus
Passion is like a restless wind
That turns into freedom
It is knowing that there’s someone else who lives
Wishing to be able to find you
It is travelling with no fear through the stars and the immensity
It is crossing through fire, walking on waters
Making dreams come true
Passion is that great force
Which moves all creation
It is knowing that someone is waiting for you
Beyond that place where the sun sets
It is forever erasing the word loneliness
It is two souls that join together to reach eternity

You will never need
Someone in whom to trust

An angel who will take your hand
And will lead you to discover a world of passion

(Repeat chorus)

You live with a love
That is strong and with no conditions
Be free and put wings to your heart
Fly where passion nests

Oh, Passion.

Updated: Church Requirements

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Called both Lipa Chancery and Xavier Parish this morning and finally steps have been nailed down.

What the Lipa Chancery needs is for us to submit copies of the following:

  1. my Baptismal Certificate
  2. my Confirmation Certificate
  3. Marriage Contract – translated copy attached
  4. Copy of my CENOMAR (certificate of no marriage)
  5. Groom’s Certificate of Singleness – Koseki Tohon (Family Register) and the translated copy will suffice
  6. Certificate of Freedom to Marry for the Groom – Item 5 will suffice since Hubbie is non-practicing Christian
  7. Photocopy of the Groom’s passport

Since I’m now in Manila, they agreed that I can send the copies to them via LBC. They will then assess our papers and if cleared, and granting availability of the priest, they will schedule us for an interview on January 4 (to be confirmed) . Depending on the interview results, they will issue a clearance certificate to Xavier Parish, informing the Parish of the “go signal” for us to marry.

At the same time, I will also send copies of the following to Xavier Parish via LBC:

  1. Marriage Certificate
  2. New Copy of Baptismal Certificate
  3. New Copy of Confirmation Certificate
  4. Name/License No. of Officiating Priest
  5. Name of Sponsors
  6. Wallet size picture

If in case I still don’t have with me Items 4 and 5, no problem with them, says Sally. They will then issue the request for the publication of the wedding banns which I will publish in my hometown in Davao.

Xavier Parish will adjust our Canonical interview schedule depending on our interview schedule with Lipa Chancery, granting availability of Parish Priest. So if our schedule with Lipa Chancery is morning of January 4, they can schedule us on the afternoon of January 4 (to be confirmed).

So happy!

At the time of publication, the following are the helpful contact details of both Lipa Chancery and Xavier Parish:

Lipa Chancery: 6343.7562572; 63917.3545163; Archdiocesan Chancery, Archdiocese of Lipa, Cathedral Site, Lipa City, Batangas; Contact: Ivy P. Vilela

Xavier Parish: 6343.4160564; St. Francis Xavier Parish JP Laurel St. Nasugbu, Batangas 4231; Contact: Sally Dastas

doing it the right way

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Weddings ain’t cheap. It comes with a hefty deduction on your savings. Hence, soon-to-weds make a real effort to think of creative ways to make their wedding beautiful yet not that pricey.

In all my dealings with our suppliers, I get really happy when I get to negotiate a discount from the usual package. Because it would mean we can have a budget for the additional items that we haven’t foreseen that may come up later during the detailed design phase (yeah, talk about EPC business, hahaha!).

Hence a certain encounter I had last week brought us to a really tricky situation. We would be able to save from the VAT if we will not ask for the official receipt. And with VAT, we’re talking about more than 20,000pesos here. I can do a lot with additional 20,000pesos. I can have 2 lechon with that. Or one additional dessert. Or pay our musician/strings ensemble. Or pay our hair & make-up. Or pay the entourage flowers. Or have a mobile bar. Or pay a one-way ticket to Japan. Or book the hotels for the entourage.

But not paying the VAT would be tantamount to tax evasion. As an employee, I’ve been paying enough tax as it is since it is immediately deducted from my salary. And well, knowing that a major portion of my salary only goes to greedy politicians really aches me and can be motivation enough not to pay for the VAT.

But the Philippines needs some change. And we can contribute to that change by starting the change ourselves.

It has been a difficult decision. It’s easier to be selfish and just think of the amount we will be able to save. But we want to do it the right way hence we decided to pay for the VAT, even if it costs us. Something will just have to be given up (the mobile bar, for instance). As Hubbie pointed out, it is important that we start our new life as husband & wife in the right way, in the just and correct path.

And I can only hope that all couples, when presented the same situation, would also take the same course. Our country needs our help guys.

swatches!

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I got all hoity-toity when the swatches for the entourage gowns were handed to me for my approval (from Rey’s mom).

The lime green one will be for the maid-of-honor, the orange will be for the bridesmaids and the cream/pale brown one will be for the 2 mothers.

I’m even more kilig with the flower girls’ cloth!!! They’d be very cute in their yukatas with these colors!!! ^_^

For the little boys, still on the look for the most suitable cloth. =)

Church Requirements

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NB: Please read as well updated Church Requirements post here.

Getting married in the Church here in the Philippines certainly just doesn’t only involve getting a priest to bless your marriage – although I think it would mean more meaningful that way. It doesn’t only involve gathering around and saying our prayers and asking (and receiving) the blessing. How I so wish it’s as easy as that! But no, there are a lot of bureaucracies involved and we have to comply with it all so that we will be allowed to get married in the Church.

Normally, for couples who are both Filipinos and are both Catholics and haven’t been married yet, below are the documents you need to submit to the Church and the process you need to go through:

  1. Marriage License – can be obtained from the municipal hall of either the bride or groom
  2. New Copy of Baptismal Certificate – secured from the Parish where the person received the Sacrament of Baptism and annotated with “For Marriage Purposes”. Must be requested no longer than 6 months before the wedding.
  3. New Copy of Confirmation Certificate – secured from the Parish where the person received the Sacrament of Confirmation and annotated with “For Marriage Purposes”. Must be requested no longer than 6 months before the wedding. I had Mama request for Items 2 and 3.
  4. Name/License No. of Officiating Priest
  5. Name of Sponsors
  6. Certificate of Freedom to Marry – for those who stayed abroad for more than 6 months
  7. Wallet size picture
  8. Pre-cana seminar – For Caleruega weddings, the pre-cana seminar can be taken from any parish anywhere in the Philippines. The couple just need to secure a certificate of attendance. This may not hold true for other Churches though.
  9. Wedding Banns
  10. Canonical Interviews

Once you have Items 1 ~ 7, submit the documents to the Chancery (in our case Lipa Chancery). Lipa Chancery will then issue us a letter of endorsement for Xavier Parish (parish incharge of Caleruega). Xavier Parish will then issue the letter for the request of the publication of wedding banns. The wedding banns need to be published in the couple’s hometown or place of current residence for 3 consecutive Sundays.

Once done with Items 8 and 9, a copy of the signed publication of the wedding banns and the certificate of attendance in the pre-cana seminar has to be presented to the church you’re marrying in to have a schedule for the Canonical interview which shall be conducted by the parish priest of the Church you are marrying in. For our case, Xavier Parish (in behalf of Caleruega) will only schedule us for canonical interview after we’ve had the pre-cana seminar.   

It doesn’t end with the Canonical Interview. After the Canonical interview, the (1) signed publication of Wedding banns, (2) certificate of attendance in pre-cana seminar and (3) result ot canonical interview has to be submitted to the Chancery Office. Depending on results of the Canonical interview, the Chancery may schedule the couple for an interview with the Canon Lawyer.

Once done with the Chancery, the couple has to wait for a 3-day processing period before the couple can receive the signed Clearance from the Chancery Office together with all the original documents submitted (NB: couple must make sure to secure photocopies of all the original documents you submitted just in case such documents might be asked for by other entities). Once all documents has been received from the Chancery, the couple must then submit all the documents to the Church the couple is marrying in. Done.

BUT oh! Didn’t I say above process is only for couples who are both Filipinos and are both Catholics and haven’t been married yet? Yes, even when you’re civilly married, it still doesn’t save you from needing to submit the documents required by the Church. More so, it still doesn’t save you from needing to undergo seminars. Hence the only requirement we need not submit in above list is Item 1.

Our case is a little extra special. We have been civilly married already and my groom is a non-practicing Christian and of a different nationality with Nihongo as a national language (to which it follows that all documents issued by his government is in Nihongo). Hence as expected, we have to submit ADDITIONAL requirements on top of those listed above.

  1. Marriage Contract – true, we eliminated Item 1 in above list but then it got replaced with this. Our Marriage Contract is in Japanese hence it has to be translated first. The Japanese priest who usually helps Japanese nationals with their marriages here in Philippines recently died last August. At the moment, they haven’t found any replacement for his post hence the Chancery can’t advise us yet their accredited translator. At the moment though, they would accept Hubbie’s translation (whew! yey!). We need to provide the official translation from the accredited agency later, though.
  2. Copy of my CENOMAR (certificate of no marriage) – the one used during your application for civil marriage. For my case, the Philippine embassy in Tokyo required it be authenticated by the DFA here hence my CENOMAR has got a DFA red-ribbon with it.
  3. Groom’s Certificate of Singleness – the one used during application for civil marriage. For our case, this is Hubbie’s Koseki Tohon (Family Register).Thankfully, the Phil. embassy required us to pay for the translation of this and also gave us the original copy after our CNO application so I already have this.
  4. Certificate of Freedom to Marry for the Groom – this is a letter or certificate signed by the groom’s pastor that says that the pastor knows that the groom is free to marry, and has no record of previous marriage in his church. Yes, even when we’re already married, they still requested for this since, as they say, “in the eyes of the church, we’re still not married”.  This got me scratching my head. Aren’t government papers enough? Anyways, since Hubbie is non-practicing Christian, Item 3 will have to suffice (thankfully!!).
  5. Photocopy of the Groom’s passport

Depending on Fr. Nishimoto’s replacement, there may be additional requirements on top of above 5 requirements.

 Quite a tall order eh? In any case, as it is said, when you’ve worked really hard to get something, then that something will be of more value to you once you have it. Getting past the obstacle will make a sweet victory. Gambatte to us Hubbie! =)

————

2 hours after:

Thanks to Erika, my question on why our processing is more complicated than usual was answered. To quote her:

The Clearance at the Chancery Office is only required for couples where one of the marrying party is either of the following:
1. Non-Filipino citizens
2. Filipino citizens who have lived abroad for more than 6 years
3. Non-catholic individuals
4. Individuals who were previously married and whose marriage was dissolved

Otherwise, if you are both single, Filipino and Catholic, there is no need to seek clearance at the Chancery Office. All requirements will be processed by the parish where the marriage will take place – or in your case, the parish who handles the Chapel.

Thanks Erika! =)