A TOTAL of 180 "fake marriages" are now subject of investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), said Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas on Monday, August 19.

Treñas said the City Hall received complaints about fake marriages recorded in the Office of the Local Civil Registry (LCR).

He said he immediately referred the complaints to the City Legal Office to probe them, and the case was then submitted to the NBI.

"Nakita sang City Legal basi may criminal liabilities, gindiretso nila dayun sa NBI (The City Legal Office saw that there may be criminal liabilities so they forwarded it immediately to NBI)," Treñas said.

LCR head Juncae Manikan said fake marriages can only be proven by regular courts.

"Only the regular courts makahambal (Only the regular courts can say)," he said.

He said that in his 12 years of working at the LCR, he was not able to receive any complaints regarding fake marriages.

"In my 12 years, there was no formal complaint of a fake marriage," he said.

Manikan refused to comment if the alleged complaints are politically motivated.

Before Treñas was elected as city mayor, Manikan was accused of campaigning for former mayor Jose Espinosa III.

Treñas and Espinosa are political rivals. (Carolyn Jane Abello/SunStar Philippines)