Wedding Docs 101: Correcting Discrepancies in Church Documents

One of the usual headaches that soon-to-weds encounter during wedding preps is when there is a discrepancy in their required wedding documents, whether it's in their birth certificate or their baptismal and confirmation certificates. I swear, ang hirap mag-asikaso ng mga papeles para sa kasal.

I also had some problems regarding my church documents.. You see, I do not have a "Ma." in my birth certificate, but in my baptismal and confirmation certificates, they affixed a "Ma." before my name. Apparently, there is a rule that every girl must be baptized with a "Ma." in her name, which will serve as her Christian name. Unfortunately, Christ the King would not accept my baptismal and confirmation certificates because of this discrepancy. Sobrang strict nila sa totoo lang.

And so, I had to request for a partial change of my parish records. I tried searching for blogs that would give me an idea on how to do this, but I couldn't find one. And so, by writing this post, I hope that I can help other soon-to-weds in fixing any discrepancy in their church documents... or at least those couples who were baptized/confirmed in churches under the Diocese of Cubao. Hehe.

Here is the step-by-step process in requesting partial changes of my baptismal certificate. I also followed these same steps to fix the discrepancy in my confirmation certificate.
 

1. I went to the church where I was baptized—St. Joseph Shrine in Anonas, Cubao—to ask for a letter from the parish priest requesting for an amendment on my baptismal record. The church required a clear copy of my NSO birth certificate and Form 137, which is the transcript of my school records. Since I didn't have my Form 137, I was asked to bring copies of three valid IDs as reference. I also had to write an affidavit stating the corrections and the purpose of my request.
   
   
2. I then brought the request letter, my baptismal certificate, affidavit and  other documents to the Chancery Department for approval. It is the building in front of the Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral in Cubao.
   
   
3. Once my application for partial changes was approved, I was given a written decree issued by His Eminence, authorizing the parish priest of St. Joseph to correct my baptismal record.
   
   
4. I then brought the written decree and the related documents to St. Joseph. After a few minutes, my baptismal certificate already had the necessary changes made. Yey! :)

Actually, the Chancery decreed that they could not delete the "Ma." in my baptismal and confirmation certificates because it is my Christian name. However, they added in the "Observada" column that despite the "Ma." in my church certificates, they still pertain to the same person. Luckily, Christ the King still accepted my certificates even though my name was not officially changed. Yey again!

Of course, there were some fees involved in the changing of parish records, although I really couldn't remember how much I paid for them. So just to be safe, be sure to prepare at least P1,000 for the documents.

So now, all we have to do is wait for our wedding banns to be released and our church documents are done! Yey! :)

The Marriage Vocation Program for the Engaged

Two weekends ago, Mox and I attended the Marriage Vocation Program for the Engaged at Christ the King Church. This two-day workshop serves as our pre-cana seminar, which is a requirement for our wedding.

So why do I call it a workshop? Because it is  more interactive than the usual lecture-type seminars. First, the speakers will give a short talk and then share their experiences as connected to the topic. Then, the couples will be given questionnaires that they must answer individually, after which they will discuss their answers to their partners. Frankly, I thought that the 15 minutes given for the couple's dialogue weren't enough! Ang dami ko pang gustong idiscuss kay Mox. Haha!

At first, I was irritated because I thought the seminar was too long, but in the end, I was very happy that Mox and I took the time off our busy schedules to attend this workshop. We were able to touch on topics that we haven't really discussed thoroughly during our three-year relationship. We talked about our opinions on love, communication, religious expectations, children and even sex! Mox and I have similar views on some topics, but we also discuss those where we have different opinions.It's really refreshing to know Mox's take on the things that are undeniably important for our marriage. :)

Aside from the couple's sharing, there were also small group discussions where we had to share our opinions to other couples in our group. It's nice to hear their views on the topics discussed because it opened our minds on the different challenges that we may face once we get married. We also made some new friends too! :)

The seminar fee is P2,500 per couple, which is already inclusive of lunch and AM and PM snacks for two days. There was even an official photographer who took our couple photo and group photo, which were our souvenirs from the seminar. After a thanksgiving mass, we had a short "graduation" ceremony where we were given our certificate. Yey!

There are other similar workshops like Discovery Weekend and CEFAM that are accepted as pre-cana seminars for Christ the King. But for those who cannot afford the fees for those seminars, the Marriage Vocation Program is the perfect alternative. :)

Attending the Pre-Marriage Counseling

Early Monday morning, Mox and I headed to the Marikina Health Office to attend our pre-marriage counseling, which is a prerequisite to claim our marriage license. We only had a half-day session, so there were some topics that weren't discussed in detail, but we still learned a lot from our speaker.

Honestly, I was so sleepy during the first half of the talk that I couldn't really remember much on the topic that was discussed. But I was awake during the most important part of the counseling: the family planning seminar! Haha! Everyone knows that Mox and I want to have a baby as soon as we get married, so all the ideas that we could get about family planning will be very helpful.

We learned about the different methods of contraception, from the natural method to the condoms, IUDs and injectables. The speaker even helped us calculate our possible "fertile" days, which can depend on the length of our menstrual cycle.

But one important tidbit that we learned was how to have a baby boy or baby girl. Yes, apparently you can have a say on your baby's sex, if based on this scientific explanation.  You see, the male carries the chromosomes that can determine the sex of the baby. The female chromosome swims slowly but can live for three to five days, while the male chromosome swims faster, but can die after only 24 hours. Now the female egg also lives for only 24 hours, so if you want to have a baby girl, you may have intercourse a few days before your ovulation period. If you have intercourse a day before your ovulation, then the chances of having a baby boy are higher. Ang galing diba? Of course, we're not entirely sure if this is reliable information, but there's no harm in trying right?

After the counseling, we were finally handed our pre-marriage counseling certificate. So now, we just have to wait for February 3 to get our license. Yey!

Our Pre-Marriage Counseling Certificate

Wedding Docs 101: Marriage License Application in Marikina

After our canonical interview, we decided to make the best of our day off from work by applying for our marriage license. We had a choice between Marikina (where I live) and Pasig (where Mox lives), but we decided to apply in Marikina instead because the Pasig municipality requires the certificate of attendance of the pre-cana seminar, and we haven't attended any seminars yet.

Aside from the personal appearance of both parties applying for the license, here are the other requirements for the marriage license application:

1. Birth certificate or baptismal certificate (for both parties)
2. Cedula (for both parties)
3. CENOMAR (for both parties)
4. One valid ID (for both parties)

You can submit photocopies of all these documents, so no need to order another copy of the CENOMAR and birth certificate from NSO. You can also submit a 2x2 picture in case you don't have any valid ID with you.

At the city hall, we proceeded to Window 19, where the person-in-charge handed us four forms to fill up. The left column is for the groom, while the right column is for the bride. The city hall has tables and chairs set up so we were very comfortable in filling up the forms. Plus, they also have free Wi-Fi and coffee! Parang nasa Starbucks lang kami. Relax na relax. Haha.

After filling up the forms, we got a number from the cashier and waited for our number to be called. When it was our turn, we proceeded to the cashier at Window 9 and paid P50 for the forms. Then we went back to Window 19 to submit the forms, the official receipt and another P100 for the processing of the documents. The person-in-charge gave us a slip of paper indicating the date of release of our marriage license, which is 10 business days after application.

We have to present our family planning seminar certificate before claiming our license though, so we went to the Marikina Health Office, which is the pink building near Savemore, to schedule our family planning seminar. The seminar is held every Monday and Tuesday only, from 8:00am-5:00pm.

At the health office, we first went to Window 9 to pay P150 for the seminar, then proceeded to the Population Management Office on the fifth floor, where we were each given a questionnaire that we must fill up. The questionnaire was in Filipino, and had really deep terms that were a bit difficult to understand. It was a good thing that we already had our canonical interview, because the questionnaire that we had to answer for the seminar was the same questionnaire that we answered for the interview, only in Filipino. Since we already knew our answers to the questions, it only took us a few minutes to fill up to forms.

After submitting the questionnaires, we were asked for our preferred schedule for the family planning seminar. We chose Monday, January 27, because Tuesday is my coding day, and luckily, the schedule was for half day only. We can still go to work afterwards if we want to. At least hindi masasayang leave namin diba?

Overall, the application process in Marikina was smooth, speedy and hassle-free! It took us an hour and a half to apply for our license, and only because we took some time filling up the application forms since we were enjoying the free Wi-Fi too much. Haha! Once we attend the family planning seminar on Monday, we can finally claim our license on February 3. Yey!

Canonical Interview: Done!

Mox and I took a whole day leave from work yesterday to do more wedding preps. The first thing on our agenda was our canonical interview at Christ the King Church, which was done by one of their resident priests.

I was actually a bit nervous about this interview because I didn''t know what to expect. Some couples say that they were asked to recite the seven Sacraments or the 10 Commandments, while others say they were merely asked personal questions about their relationship. I was really hoping that our interview would be like the latter as I could not recall any lessons that I have learned from my Christian Living Education classes. Baka ibagsak nila kami pag di namin ma-recite ang "Our Father." Katakot lang.

So after submitting our church documents to the parish office, we were both given questionnaires to answer for the interview. The form was four pages long, with multiple-choice questions and some essay questions too! Daig pa ang entrance exam! Haha!

We took quite some time in answering the form. Some questions were easy to answer, but the others were actually thought-provoking. Mox and I had to discuss some of the items to make sure we were on the same page. Fine, nagkopyahan kami, pero ang hihirap naman kasi ng mga tanong eh!

Here are some of the more memorable questions:

1. "If your partner is not in the mood for sex, you will:"

              a) get angry
              b) go to sleep
              c) watch TV
              d) try to seduce him/her
              e) others: ______________ 
  
      2. "The husband should:"

              a) keep a "secret" account
              b) keep a separate account
              c) give all his salary to his wife
              d) give enough to pay for the household expenses
              e) others: _______________

Oh diba, ang hirap sagutin? But honestly, this gave us the opportunity to learn more about each other's opinions on sex, finance, religion and other important topics.

After finishing our questionnaires, we gave them to the parish coordinator again and waited for our turn to be called. I was called first into the counseling room, where this young priest asked me to swear by the Bible that I will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. He then asked me a few simple questions like my age, Mox's age and if we will be getting married on our own free will. The questions became a bit more personal afterwards; he asked me how Mox and I met, how long our courtship was, and how did I know that I was ready to get married and that Mox was "the one". I was actually getting a bit teary-eyed while answering; I guess the questions really made me think on why I decided to say "yes" to Mox's proposal. And I'm happy to know that I have definitely made the right decision. :)

Then it was Mox's turn, and afterwards, we were both called in together. I thought the priest was going to ask us more questions about our relationships, but he just asked us if we wanted to say something to each other before we get married. Sort of like saying our pre-wedding vows to each other. Then, the priest congratulated us on our upcoming wedding and gave us his blessing. The whole interview was done in less than 15 minutes! Mas matagal pa paghihintay namin at pagsagot namin ng questionnaires.

Whew! Finally, we can finally check another church requirement off our list. All we had to do now was to attend the pre-cana seminar in February, submit our remaining church requirements, and we're done!

Some tips to remember:
1. Bring a pen to fill up the forms. Also, stretch your fingers and prepare to do some heavy-duty writing. Ang sakit sa kamay promise.
2. Bring snacks to munch on while waiting. 
3. Just be honest. :)

Wedding Docs 101: Obtaining the CENOMAR and Birth Certificates

We know that obtaining the needed documents and papers for the wedding can be one of the most stressful parts of the preparations, so as early as now, we decided to get a move on our paperworks.

We decided to request for our CENOMARs (Certificate of No Marriage Record) and birth certificates first, since these documents have a six-month validity period. These documents can be secured from the National Statistics Office (NSO).

There are three ways to get your CENOMARs and birth certificates:

1. Obtain the documents personally at the NSO office in Manila
2. Apply online through www.e-census.com.ph
3. Request for them at SM Business Centers in SM Malls

Obtaining your documents at the NSO office is actually the cheapest way, since you only have to pay Php140 for a copy of the birth certificate and Php195 for a copy of the CENOMAR. Plus, you can get your documents on the same day! However, you would need a lot of patience for this because you would have to wait in line for your turn. Do try to come early for this unless you want to spend your whole day waiting for your documents.

Now for those who don't have time to go to the NSO office, you may request for them online. Just accomplish the online application form at www.e-census.com.ph, and deposit your payment through BDO. The documents will then be delivered to your doorstep after three days or eight weeks at the latest. It's simple and hassle-free! But this can be more expensive, as a copy of the CENOMAR will cost Php415 and a copy of the birth certificate will cost Php315 if requested online.

I didn't have the patience to line up at the NSO office, but I didn't want to spend too much for the online application, so I did the next best thing: I requested my documents at a SM Business Center, more specifically, in Savemore near the Marikina Health Office. But you can request for your documents at any SM Business Center. It was relatively hassle-free; all I did was fill up the forms then pay the cashier Php 215 per copy of the CENOMAR and Php160 per copy of the birth certificate. SM added only Php20 for their processing fee, which is a lot cheaper than the Php200 additional for the online processing. Diba, tipid moves for the win!

 I would be able to get my documents after two to three weeks, so last week, I went back to Savemore and viola! Our CENOMARs and birth certificates are now here!

So that's one item off our checklist! More to go!