Pagwawasto sa pekeng marriage record

ni PAO Chief Persida Rueda-Acosta @Magtanong Kay Attorney | June 24, 2026

Dear Chief Acosta,

Sa susunod na taon, magpapakasal kami ng matagal ko nang kasintahan. Bilang paghahanda, sabay kaming humingi ng Certificate of No Marriage Record (CENOMAR). Sa halip, Advisory on Marriage ang nakuha ng kasintahan ko. Diumano ay mali ito, kaya humingi siya ng kopya ng marriage certificate para makumpirma ang nilalaman nito. Diumano ay hindi niya kilala iyong babaeng nakalagay sa wife portion. Sabi niya, huwad diumano ang pirma niya sa nasabing marriage certificate. Ang tanong po namin, maaari bang maitama o makansela ang nasabing entrada para matanggal ito sa kanyang record?

— Candie

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Dear Candie,

Una sa lahat, ang marriage certificate ay tumutukoy sa dokumentaryong ebidensya na nagpapatunay sa kasal sa pagitan ng dalawang indibidwal. Nakasaad sa Family Code of the Philippines na ang marriage certificate ay dapat maglaman ng mga sumusunod na detalye: 

“Art. 22. The marriage certificate, in which the parties shall declare that they take each other as husband and wife, shall also state:

(1) The full name, sex and age of each contracting party;

(2) Their citizenship, religion and habitual residence;

(3) The date and precise time of the celebration of the marriage;

(4) That the proper marriage license has been issued according to law, except in marriage provided for in Chapter 2 of this Title;

(5) That either or both of the contracting parties have secured the parental consent in appropriate cases;

(6) That either or both of the contracting parties have complied with the legal requirement regarding parental advice in appropriate cases; and

(7) That the parties have entered into marriage settlement, if any, attaching a copy thereof.”

Kaugnay ng iyong katanungan, sa kasong Lizza C. Santos vs. Local Civil Registrar of Manila and the Civil Registrar General, G.R. No. 265114, 03 Pebrero 2026, sa panulat ni Kagalang-galang Senior Associate Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen, tinalakay ng ating Korte Suprema na ang paratang ng pamemeke (forgery) ay hindi kailanman ipinapalagay, at dapat itong patunayan ng partido na gumigiit nito nang may malinaw at nakakukumbinsing ebidensya. Kung walang ganoong malinaw at nakakukumbinsing ebidensya, hindi masusuri at matutukoy ng korte kung ang pirma ay peke:

“A marriage certificate ‘is an official record in the custody of the Civil Registrar… [which] enjoys the presumption of regularity and authenticity.’ Moreover, it is a public document. Under the Revised Rules on Evidence, its entries are ‘prima facie evidence of the facts therein stated,’ and it is in itself ‘evidence…of the fact which gave rise to [its] execution and of the date of the latter.’ Therefore, for the marriage certificate to be deemed a forgery, petitioner needed to present no less than ‘clear, positive [,] and convincing evidence.’

Olaybar also warns against the use of a petition for correction or cancellation of an entry in the marriage certificate as a substitute for a direct action to question the validity of a marriage. Petitioner cannot dissolve her marriage by the mere changing of the entries in the marriage certificate.”

Gayundin, pinapaalalahanan ng ating Korte Suprema na hindi maaaring gamitin ang petition for correction o cancellation of an entry in the marriage certificate bilang kapalit ng direktang aksyon upang kwestyunin ang bisa ng kasal. Hindi maaaring buwagin ang kasal sa pamamagitan lamang ng pagpapalit o pagkakansela ng entrada sa marriage certificate.

Kaya naman, kinakailangang makapagpakita ng ebidensya ang iyong kasintahan na walang seremonya ng kasal na naganap at peke (forged) lamang ang pirmang makikita sa marriage certificate na kanyang nakuha upang baguhin ang tala sa civil registry.  

Sana ay nabigyan namin ng linaw ang iyong katanungan. Ang payong aming ibinigay ay base lamang sa mga impormasyon na iyong inilahad at maaaring magbago kung mababawasan o madaragdagan ang mga detalye ng iyong salaysay.

Maraming salamat sa iyong patuloy na pagtitiwala.