44 pairs of Indigenous People participate in the first tribal mass wedding in Kidapawan City

KIDAPAWAN CITY — Forty-four indigenous couples officially sealed their vows of marriage in a traditional wedding rite held at the city gymnasium on Sunday, August 18.

The first tribal mass wedding is one of the highlights of the weeklong Timpupo (harvest) festival that culminates today.

Datu Camilo Icdang, the deputy mayor for Kidapawan said these couples have been living together for so a long time and have been blessed with children and grandchildren, but have no proof of legality of their marriage.

Photo: Williamor Magbanua

Icdang said the mass wedding will pave a way for the Indigenous Peoples (IP’s) in the hinterlands to avail government services that had been deprived to them of the national government.

The IPs have difficulties in availing the government 4P’s program as well as in getting the emergency Philhealth because of lack of documents such as the identification cards, marriage and birth certificates.

“We are happy that the city government has initiated this tribal mass wedding as part of the Timpupo Festival to give honor the tribes in Kidapawan,” Datu Icdang said.

Icdang also lauded the leadership of Mayor Joseph A. Evangelista for acknowledging the big part of the IP’s in the development of the City of Kidapawan, being the first inhabitant of the place.

This is also one way of giving importance to the tribe and to bring alive their traditions, belief, customs and religion, Icdang added.

Mayor Joseph A. Evangelista instructed all tribal leaders in the city to locate the IP couples that have no legal documents despite being a husband and wife in order to also sealed their intimacy.

Photo: Williamor Magbanua

“This is the first time that we had this tribal mass wedding. Next year we will do it again and I hope that more IP couples will be joining,” Mayor Evangelista said.

After the ceremony, Mayor Evangelista handed over the marriage certificates to the couples as proof of the legality of their being a husband and wife.

It is very noticeable that majority of the couple are already elderly.

Icdang explained that under customary laws, a couple can live together as long as there is an agreement between parties, and the groom has paid the dowry to the parents of the bride, even without any piece of document.

Icdang said not only have the couples been deprived of the government services but even their children suffer the same especially when they go to school.

“The school always look for the birth certificate of the child. This piece of document is always missing among us IP’s in Kidapawan. The official union of their parents will give them time to register their children and get the birth certificate needed in school,” Datu Icdang said. — LA, GMA News