Fewer Marriages Registered in Western Visayas in 2023

By Joseph Bernard A. Marzan

Western Visayas recorded 32,230 new marriages in 2023, a slight decrease of 2.6 percent from the 33,079 marriages logged in 2022, according to data released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The region accounted for 7.8 percent of the country’s total marriages last year, which reached 414,213. It ranked fifth nationwide, following CALABARZON (60,541 or 14.6 percent), the National Capital Region (51,892 or 12.5 percent), Central Luzon (47,684 or 11.5 percent), and Central Visayas (34,506 or 8.3 percent).

February, which includes Valentine’s Day, recorded the highest number of marriages in Western Visayas with 4,503 ceremonies. Nationally, February also topped the list with 52,501 marriages.

November 2023 registered the fewest marriages in the region with 1,286, mirroring the national trend for the same month, which had the lowest total of 20,525.

Most couples married between the ages of 25 and 29, with 10,937 males and 12,424 females in this age group tying the knot.

Among provinces, Negros Occidental recorded the highest number of marriages in the region with 10,517, followed by Iloilo (7,386), Capiz (3,366), Antique (2,605), Aklan (2,476), and Guimaras (659).

Among highly urbanized cities, Bacolod City reported more marriages (3,195) than Iloilo City (2,026).

The majority of marriages in the region (30,247) were registered on time, while 1,983 were categorized as late registrations. Bacolod City accounted for the most late registrations with 1,094 cases.

Under Article 23 of Executive Order No. 209 (Family Code of the Philippines), solemnizing officers must submit the required marriage documents to the local civil registrar within 15 days of the ceremony. Marriages registered beyond this period are considered late.

The PSA’s marriage data, released on May 26, was compiled from local civil registrars and included marriages registered from January to December 2023. The report was finalized as of Aug. 31, 2024.