The number of registered marriages in the Philippines declined in the first five months of the year, based on recently released data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

A total of 136,588 people got married nationwide from January to May 2022, 9.5 percent less than the 150,998 who got hitched in the same period in 2021, according to PSA.

Of the figure, 15,734 marriages were registered in the National Capital Region during the period, 1.6 percent less than the 15,983 marriages registered in the same period in 2021. Among NCR cities/municipalities, Quezon City recorded the highest number of registered marriages at 4,560, or 29 percent of the total marriages in the region.

Meanwhile, the CALABARZON region recorded the highest number of registered marriages in the country from January to May 2022 at 21,310, or 15.6 percent of the total marriages. The provinces of Batangas, Pangasinan, and Cavite registered the most number of marriages with 5,422 (4 percent share), 5,225 (3.8 percent), and 5,063 (3.7 percent), respectively.

The PSA did not mention the reasons for the decline in marriages. Perhaps, the Covid pandemic is a factor even if it is subsiding and life is returning to normal. The coronavirus had caused a lot of travel restrictions and loss of jobs that made couples planning to get married postpone their wedding.

Fortunately for some, they got married earlier or before the pandemic and this period of the increased cost of living. One of them is Gabriel Tabon who recently told the "Sumbungan ng Bayan" public service program of GMA News that he was married in 2017.

A former co-worker arranged Tabon's marriage, he claimed. The only problem is that Tabon didn't know it.

Tabon shockingly learned he was already married when he applied for a "certificate of no marriage" in 2018 to marry his girlfriend. Their marriage did not push through but that was just one of the problems that arose.

The apparent victim of identity theft did know to whom he got married in Iloilo. Worse, the person he suspects of using his name for marriage also allegedly used it to commit estafa, so he now has a pending criminal case, according to "Sumbungan ng Bayan."

Tabon was advised by a lawyer of the show to cancel his registered marriage at the civil registry through the legal process. Aside from the time and hassle that will take, he will have to spend on the process of undoing his marriage.