Kabayan party-list Representative Ron Salo filed House Bill 7042 at the House of Representatives that aims to allow the conduct of “virtual” wedding rites using digital devices amidst coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.
Salo said that marrying couples were forced by the health crisis to postpone their wedding ceremonies due to quarantine protocols such as prohibition on mass gatherings and guidelines on social distancing.
“It is respectfully proposed that the term presence and personal appearance provided in the Family Code be broadly construed to include virtual presence,” Salo said.
The bill amends Articles 2, 3, 6 and 10 of Executive Order No. 209, of 1987 Constitution or Family Code of the Philippines.
Under the proposed bill, the couple to be wed must be together in one location but their presence before the solemnizing officer may be remote or virtual.
