Photo: Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes officiating a group wedding of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
DUBAI: Some 120 Pinoy couples working in Dubai exchange wedding vows every month, making this city the busiest among Philippine foreign service posts when it comes to marriages of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
“Medyo marami-rami talaga ang ikinakasal dito sa Dubai,” Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes told The Filipino Times after officiating a group wedding of some 26 OFWs at the Rizal Hall of the consulate on Jan. 17. (There relatively many OFWs getting married in Dubai.)
A week earlier, some 30 OFW lovebirds tied the knot also at the consulate in what had been the first group wedding of Filipino expats for 2019. Those who were married on Jan. 17 had their requirements submitted last November; while at the time of the wedding, documents being processed have been scheduled for a group marriage for the third week of February — the only available schedule.
“Possibly ang Dubai ang may pinaka-maraming ikinakasal sa lahat ng mga foreign service posts around the world,” said Cortes, who takes turns with other consulate officials in solemnizing OFW group weddings held every Thursday.
“May mga 26 to 30 couples ang nagta-tie ng knot (every group wedding). Possibly ang Dubai ang may pinaka-maraming ikinakasal sa lahat ng mga foreign service posts (of the Philippines) around the world — 120 couples a month. Dubai is the most active, busiest post when it comes to the contract of marriage,” Cortes said.
Dubai accounts for half the estimated one million Filipinos in the UAE. Group weddings of OFWs are also being held on Thursdays at the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi but at a lesser number.
Aside from filled-up forms, required as well from OFWs wanting to get married are original, Certificate of No Marriage of both bride and groom from the National Statistics Office (NSO) authenticated by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) by way of a red ribbon, which is valid only for six months; and original DFA-authenticated Affidavit of Parental Consent for applicants 18 to 21 years old, among others.
A Pre-Marriage Counseling (PMC) seminar is also required. More details at the Philippine Consulate General’s website at www.dubaipcg.dfa.gov.ph
