Before she would deliver her baby, 27-year-old Evelyn Ruelan and her 28-year-old partner, Reylan, of Cadiz City in the Province of Negros Occidental decided to get married in December 2024.

The couple is on a two-year domestic relationship.

In Otober 2024, Evelyn had her Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR) secured by a friend of her partner’s relative from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) Negros Occidental office in Bacolod City.

She said she sought the help of a relative as she could not travel to Bacolod City herself because of her delicate pregnancy. But when she perused the document, it gave her the shock of her life. 

Instead of a CENOMAR, she received a Marriage Certificate. The document indicated that Evelyn is married to an Indian national. The date of marriage was said to be on November 16, 2023, in Valenzuela City, Metro Manila.

“Nang nalaman ko na kasado ako, nagulat ako. Sabi ko, bakit? Ano ba ang nangyari? Hindi naman ako ikinasal?” Evelyn said.

She added that her “married status” confused her as it is the only incorrect information on the document. She confirmed that the rest of the details provided in the document are all correct.

Evelyn added that her planned marriage to Reylan in December 2024 will most likely be postponed because of the expected lengthy process of verification to be done at the PSA and in coordination with Valenzuela City.

According to John Campomanes, chief statistical specialist at PSA Negros Occidental, there is the possibility that someone could have used her personal information, or that Evelyn could have refused to acknowledge a previous marriage.

“May posibilidad na may gumamit or baka ang party mismo hindi nagsabi na ikinasal siya previously. Nangyayari kasi iyan minsan. Baka, laro-laro lang,” Campomanes said.

However, Evelyn said how could she be married to someone she does not know, and in Manila which she has not been to yet.

“Paano ako ikakasal sa taong hindi ko kakilala? Hindi nga ako nakapunta sa Manila,” Evelyn pointed out.

The complainant is set to appear at the office of PSA in Bacolod City to undergo the procedure leading to an investigation.