JORDAN, Guimaras – Despite the coronavirus pandemic, registered marriages in Guimaras during the first quarter of 2021 increased by 47.7 percent compared to the recorded marriages in the same period last year, the Decentralized Vital Statistics System (DVSS) of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) in Guimaras showed.
A total of 381 couples married from January to March this year, higher than the 258 pairs that tied the knot in the first quarter of 2020.
“The 381 pairs who exchanged vows in first quarter of 2021 is the highest recorded marriages for three comparative quarter of the years 2019-2021,” said Provincial Statistical Officer Nelida Losare.
The bulk of the total registered marriages in Q1 came from the municipality of Jordan with 170 pairs (44.62 percent of the provincial total), followed by Nueva Valencia with 73 couples (31.16 percent) and Sibunag with 68 pairs (17.85 percent).
The least number of marriages were from Buenavista (55 or 14.44 percent), and San Lorenzo (15 or 3.94 percent).
The DVSS data also revealed that the recorded marriages in the five municipalities during Q1 2019 to Q1 2021 showed an erratic trend except for Buenavista and Sibunag that exhibited an opposite direction in three comparative quarters (Q1 2019 to Q1 2021).
“Registered marriages in Buenavista during Q1 of the years 2019 to 2021 consistently decreased, from a drop of 30.5 percent in Q1 2019 to 16.7 percent in Q1 2021 with 55 pairs, while Sibunag showed a rising trend, from 26 registered matrimonies in Q1 2019 it swayed up by 3.8 percent with 27 unions in Q1 2020, which also noted an increment of 151.9 percent in Q1 2021 with 68 solemnized bonds,” Losare said.
Losare also explained that the 170 registered nuptials of Jordan during Q1 2021 showed a 174.2 percent increment from 62 pairs documented in Q1 2020 recovering from a decrement of 22.5 percent in 2020 over its 80 filed bonds in Q1 2019.
The 73 solemnized union of Nueva Valencia also exhibited a growth of 17.7 percent compared to Q1 2020 with 62 recorded weddings, lower by 15.1 percent compared to the 73 wedlock in Q1 2019.
“San Lorenzo Municipality got the lowest number of nuptials in Q1 2021 that posted a slump of 63.4 percent from the 41 registered matrimonies in Q1 2020, the highest figure for three comparative quarters,” Losare said.
On monthly registered marriages during Q1 of 2021, the majority preferred March as their wedding month, 202 couples recorded to comprise the bulk of 53.02 percent of the provincial total, while February and January accounted for 30.7 percent or 118 ties and 16.01 percent or 61 solemnized vows, respectively.
In Q1 2020, the highest wedlock was in February with 95 couples or 36.82 percent of the total nuptials, followed by January with 91 weddings (35.27 percent) and March with 72 matrimonies (27.91 percent).
“The same trend observed in Q1 2019, wherein February still recorded the highest documented bonds with 143 pairs or 45.69 percent, followed by January with 86 weddings or 27.48 percent and March with 84 couples or 26.84 percent of the total recorded unions,” Losare said./PN
