Who May Solemnize Marriage?

In the Philippines, majority of us would have an issue on who has solemnized the marriage.  According to some, if the marriage was just solemnized by the Mayor of either the municipality or the city for that matter the marriage was something inferior than that was solemnized by the priest.

Is there really a legal requirement that suggests that the marriage shall only be solemnized by the church leader?  

There is no such requirement that the marriage shall be solemnized by a specific person to enjoy more legality as compared to other person solemnizing it.

As stated in the Family Code of the Philippines, marriage may be solemnized by:

1.  Any incumbent member of the judiciary within the court's jurisdiction or more particularly the judge of the court of the place.

2.  Any priest, rabbi, imam, or minister of any church or religious sect duly authorized by his church or religious sect and registered with the civil registrar general, acting within the limits of the written authority granted him by his church or religious sect and provided that at least one of the contracting parties belongs to the solemnizing officer's church or religious sect;

3.  Any ship captain or airplane chief only in a marriage by articulo mortis between passengers or crew members while the ship is at sea, or the plane is in flight, but also during stopovers at ports of call.

Articulo Mortis -  means in the article of death; at the point of death (http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/In+articulo+mortis).  Thus, it is marriage at the point of death.

4.  Any military commander of a unit to which a chaplain is assigned, in the absence of the latter, during a military operation, but only in the cases of articulo mortis between persons within the zone of military operation, whether members of the armed forces or civilians.

5.  Any consul-general, consul or vice-consul between Filipino citizens abroad.

6.  Mayor of a municipality or the city (The Local Government Code of 1991)

References:  The Family Code of the Philippines, The Local Government Code of 1991

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