The city of Malaybalay in Bukidnon apparently wants to see more couples staying together — so much so that the city council has passed a local ordinance that rewards married couples who have stayed together for 50 years with a PHP50,000 (nearly US$1,000) cash prize.
City councilor Niko Aldeguer, who co-authored the ordinance, posted a copy of the decree on his Facebook page, where he wrote in the local language, “In Malaybalay, there is forever.”
Also known as the Golden Wedding Anniversary Ordinance, the law was passed “to encourage the continuity of faithful union of married couples and respect the sacrament of marriage vows” and “to promote and save family solidarity and our long Filipino tradition” (of getting married, we suppose?).
“This ordinance is in recognition of [married couples] for their contribution to the community, and also because strong families are the foundation of our society,” the councilor wrote on Facebook.
But if you think any couple who has been together for 50 years can just pack their bags to Malaybalay and cash in on the prize, only couples — or at least one of them — who have lived in the city for at least six years are eligible for the incentive.
In the case of valid Muslim and Tribal polygamous marriages, only the first marriage registered with the civil registry may quality for the prize.
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