The purpose of PMOC is to provide would-be couples with information they will need in performing their roles as husband and wife, and prepare them for the challenges of married life and their responsibilities as spouses, family members, and future parents. It will also give them a better understanding of what marriage is so that they can affirm their decision to get married based on sufficient knowledge and clear expectations. Marriage is a major life decision and a lifetime commitment. It is a legal contract that will bind a man and a woman not only for a life of togetherness but also for sharing resources and forming a family. On marriage will be founded, not only the life of the couple, but also the life of their children and their future. The decision to get married, therefore, must be well thought out, and must be jointly made by the couple only after careful consideration, thorough understanding, and ample preparation. This is why the PMOC is a crucial first step prior to getting married. 

The PMOC Session consists of two (2) phases – the Pre-Marriage Orientation (PMO) and the Pre-Marriage Counseling (PMC). All couple applicants for marriage license have to undergo the Pre-Marriage Orientation (PMO), which is conducted by trained PMOC team members. The orientation session is conducted for a minimum of four (4) hours completed in one day. The session is usually conducted in a designated pre-marriage counseling room at the city or municipality where the couple applied for marriage license. After the PMO, couples with one or both partners who are 18-25 years old, and those whom the PMOC team may find, based on the couples’ responses on the Marriage Expectations 9 Inventory (see explanation below), to have issues that need to be addressed more closely, have to undergo the Pre-Marriage Counseling (PMC) session. Couples who voluntarily want to get counseling may also attend the PMC session. The PMC session is conducted on the same day and in the same venue as the orientation session, for a minimum of three (3) hours. The process guide, the key messages, and pertinent topics for discussion for the PMO sessions are provided in Module 1 of this manual, while the guide for conducting the PMC sessions is provided in Module 2. 

The PMOC Protocol 

The services of the PMOC Program are provided to couples applying for a marriage license following the protocol below: 

1. Couples who want to get married and are required to get a marriage license must first apply at the Local Civil Registry Office (LCRO). 

 2. The LCRO then refers the applicant couple to the City/Municipal Population Office, which is the local PMOC Secretariat.

 3. The applicant couple registers with the PMOC Secretariat and accomplishes the Marriage Expectations Inventory Form (MEIF). 

4. All marriage license applicants are required to attend the Pre-Marriage Orientation conducted by the PMOC Team on the designated date. The PMO session should be at least four (4) hours.

 5. Applicant couples with at least one member of which is 18-25 years old, and couples who have issues that require counseling based on their MEIF responses, must also attend the Pre-Marriage Counseling conducted by a PMOC team member who is an accredited pre-marriage counselor. The PMC session should be at least three hours. Couples who are both above 25 years old and do not show any critical issues in their MEIF may also attend the PMC session if they so desire. 

6. The PMO and PMC sessions for the same group of couples must be conducted on the same day. 

7. During the PMO, the couples are given adequate information and instructions on responsible parenthood, family planning, breastfeeding and infant nutrition, and marriage and relationships. During the PMC, the couples are given more focused counseling on specific issues of concern to the couples. 

8. To couples who have completed the PMO session, the City/Municipal Population Office issues a Certificate of Compliance signed by the PMOC Team members who conducted the orientation. 

9. To couples who attended and completed the PMC session, the City/Municipal Population Office issues a Certificate of Marriage Counseling signed by an accredited pre-marriage counselor.

10. After receiving their certificates, the couples return to the LCRO and present the signed certificates. 11. The LCRO issues the marriage license to the couples upon receipt of the certificates. 

The Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office is the lead agency in the implementation of R.A 8972 or the Solo Parent Welfare Act and is task to issue the Solo Parent ID Card to those who are entitled the programs and services offered by various government entities.

CLIENT:

• Solo Parent

REQUIREMENTS:

• Barangay Certification from the Barangay where the applicant is residing stating that the client is in any cases is a solo parent, no live in partner or whatsoever.

• Death Certificate of Spouse- in case of widow/widower

• Declaration of nullity decreed by the court in the case of annulment/separation

• Child’s Birth  Certificate in case of illegitimate children.

• Income tax return to determine the income level of the family.