(February 14, 2012) – A total of 40 couples tied the knot today during the annual Valentine’s Day Mass Civil Wedding of the City Government of Butuan. The ceremony was held at the City Hall lobby at 9:00 A.M. with Hon. City Mayor Ferdinand M. Amante, Jr. as solemnizing officer. It was also attended by Vice Mayor Lawrence Lemuel H. Fortun, City Administrator Leah A. Mendoza, city councilors, department heads and punong barangays. 

        In his welcome remarks, Vice Mayor Fortun emphasized the legal definition of marriage, that it is a special contract of permanent union between a man and woman. He also relayed the story of his own marriage to Ms. Therese Fontanilla-Fortun, which inspired him to become a better person. 

        Mayor Amante’s message focused on marriage as a spiritual obedience and as a way to strengthen the family as a basic unit of society. He added that families are the building blocks of the community and that parents must lead their children by example. Mayor Amante further said that being wed, even through civil rites, is one step towards sharing a morally upright union. 

       Prior to the ceremony, the couples were required to plant trees , in line also with the Grow a Million Tree program of the Mayor.

        The Valentine’s Day Mass Civil Wedding is an annual activity of the City Government through the Office of the City Civil Registrar headed by Madam Judith Alvizo-Calo and the Moral Recovery Program. The city government has been vigorously campaigning for common law couples to legalize their union in order to legitimize their children and for spouses to enjoy benefits, such as PhilHealth and SSS, from their partners. – CMO-PIO