Fewer Filipino couples tie the knot amid worries over financial pinch — CPD

Concerns over financial security and the price tag of a wedding celebration have discouraged more Filipino couples from exchanging "I do's," the Commission on Population and Development (CPD) said Tuesday. 

Mylin Mirasol Quiray, chief of the CPD Information Management and Communications Division, said some couples choose to get married as the next step in their relationship, or as a practical setup if the woman gets pregnant. 

"Sa study po ng Commission on Population and Development, we found out that 'yung Filipinos po talaga they prefer na 'yung economic well-being muna nila 'yung kanilang priority bago magpakasal. So nakikita natin doon sa cohabitation study natin, nakikita ng ibang Pilipino it's a next step for a committed relationship o kaya nabuntis na po, so they see it as a practical arrangement; at nakikita po nila na mahal po magpakasal, kita naman po natin," Quiray said in a public forum. 

(According to the study by the Commission on Population and Development, we found out that Filipinos really prefer their economic well-being to be their priority before getting married. So we see in our cohabitation study that some Filipinos see it as a next step for a committed relationship or because the woman is already pregnant, so they see it as a practical arrangement; and they perceive that getting married is expensive, which we can see.) 

The number of registered marriages dropped by 10.2% in 2024, falling to 371,825 from over 414,000 the previous year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). 

More children out of wedlock

Further, the CPD said more children were being born out of wedlock, suggesting that some couples are building families even without marriage. 

"At the same time, 'yung mga pinapanganak out of wedlock, mas madami po sila, more than 840,000 compared to those in formal union, which is more than 640,000. So from there pa lang, kita natin na mas maraming pinapanganak na Pilipino na hindi nasa marriage 'yung setup ng mga magulang nila,” said Quiray.

(At the same time, more children are born out of wedlock, over 840,000 compared to those in formal unions, which is more than 640,000. So from that alone, we can see that more Filipinos are being born where their parents' setup is not marriage.) 

However, the commission said getting married does need to be costly—if the couple decide to keep things simple. 

"Pero actually, if we really look into it, actually mura naman talaga magpakasal. Mahal po kapag with the frills. Pero in fact, kapag gusto lang natin magpakasal, 'yung license lang babayaran, 'yung mga LGUs (local government unit) fees, pero other than that, mura naman talaga," said Quiray. 

(But actually, if we really look into it, getting married is actually cheap. It gets expensive when it involves the frills. But in fact, if we just want to get married, only the license and the LGU fees need to be paid, but other than that, it is actually cheap.)

The CPD earlier noted that some Filipino couples nowadays prefer to take care of pets rather than having their own children due to economic reasons, noting that couples want to be financially stable first. — VDV, GMA Integrated News