Filipina ladies are romantic at heart. This should be your first consideration when you are planning to pop the question that would change the course of your lives forever once she says yes. For a Filipina lady, entering into marriage is a serious matter because she views this as a life-long commitment, not some experiment where she can drop everything and go home when things go wrong.

Before you propose to your Filipina girlfriend, talk about the possibility of getting married, children, relocation and other issues. This will give you a chance to gauge her reaction and see how serious she is. So when you pop the question, do not expect a Filipina woman to say yes right away.

There are many ways for you to propose and here are some ways your Filipina girlfriend would appreciate:

First of all, observe the flow of things first. Listen to your heart and your feelings and do not propose too early in the relationship. Get to know her a little more because because you can not afford to be impulsive and make a rash decision will affect your future.

Choose a suitable place to propose. It could be anywhere as simple as your living room, or you can whisk her off to her favorite beach resort, but do not propose to her while she is haggling with the fish vendor in the supermarket, when she is too engrossed in a horror film at the theatre, or when she is shouting at the top of her lungs during a basketball game.

Make your proposal a surprise. Pop the question when she least expects it. Be as creative and unpredictable as you can be. Your Filipina lady will not think you corny if you drop on your knee and take her hand when you ask her to be your wife. Women could not just resist something so charming and romantic about a man on bended knees.

Tell her why you want to marry her. Filipina ladies usually experience kilig or thrill when you tell her what marriage with her means to you, that you can not imagine living without her in the future, and that your life took on a colorful change after you met her. However, be honest with your feelings. Do not say things you do not mean because remember, she looks at marriage as a lifelong commitment. Make sure of your feelings first before you propose.

When she says yes, this is time for you to remember again that you are planning to marry a Filipina lady and her family is important to her. As a foreigner, you will be expected to ask the parents. It is a practice to ask her parents or guardians for their blessing and consent. Customarily, you are supposed to bring your parents with you and formally ask the hand of your girlfriend but this is not always possible.

Again, a word of warning, do not propose to a Filipina lady if you are not serious. You are asking for more trouble than you can handle if you do so.

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You have found your Filipina dream girl at last. She seems perfect. Your profiles and interests match and complement each other, and you think you are ready to spend eternity with her. Now comes the question- is she genuine or not?

Lara, 21, is a pretty lass who was not able to finish elementary school because of poverty. She can barely read and write but has her looks to make up for it. She is in deep trouble because her 53-year old American fiancée whom she met through the internet is coming and she is afraid her secret will be out. For a year, she had been chatting with him through the help of Manang Liz, a woman in her late forties who make a living out of girls like Lara.

Manang Liz does the typing and the whole conversation while Lara (and all her other clients) just sit beside her looking pretty, smiling at the webcam and pretending to type. She relies on Manang Liz to translate the conversation.

Joyce, 23 is facing a different dilemma. Her fiancée is also coming to the Philippines in a few months and she is afraid of meeting him. They chatted almost everyday, had been technically sweethearts for two years, and she has been receiving a monthly allowance from him. The big hitch is that Joyce is not a girl but a guy. And the problem is she had fallen deeply in love with her fiancée who thinks she is very much a female.

Lindy’s boyfriend will be visiting the Philippines to meet her soon. She is worried because like Joyce, she has been receiving regular allowance from her boyfriend. Lindy swears she is in love with him. She however forgot to tell him that she is very much married with four children and has been using her allowance from him to help defray household expenses. You might say these are made-up situations to but sad to say, these are real-life stories gleaned from conversations in internet cafes.

How can you tell if she is genuine or not? Through the course of your online correspondence, you should already have a large bank of information about your Filipina girlfriend gleaned from bits and pieces of conversation.

Why not keep track of all your conversations since Day 1 or on the day you started to get serious? Later on you can review these conversations and read between the lines. You will be shocked to unearth a lot of revelations that did not seem to matter much while you were still chatting.

Force your intuition (or whatever share you grabbed from the leftovers after the bulk was given to women…lol) to work. You should be able to sense if something is not right, maybe a line here or there that would show inconsistency that would give her away. Check her e-mails for subtle signs to make you suspicious from the start. Did she provide you with a home address or telephone number? If she did, did you try to contact her? If she comes out clean and genuine, then what are you waiting for?

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A Filipina woman is no different from other women in the world, and there is always a way to win the heart of any woman. You just have to find the way and the rest will follow. Winning the heart of a Filipina is very simple. She is after all, just a human being like you who has the capability to live, love, and gets hurt.

Chances are you had been chatting with each other through the internet, exchanged photos and huge files of email, spent thousands of dollars in long distance telephone calls and seen each other on the webcam. Through your correspondence, you should have already been familiar with her interests, her likes and what makes her tick. You can capitalize on this to win her heart and make her yours.

When you decide to visit the Philippines and meet your Filipina girlfriend in person, how you adjust and fit in her environment will add to your plus points. A Filipina girl’s family is very important to her. If scruffy children (could be her relatives or siblings) with runny noses creep up on you and climb on your lap, do not shoo the kids away or show you are offended because your Filipina girlfriend will think you feel too superior and can not accept her family.

Once again, you must remember that blood is thicker than water, and if she has to make a choice between you and her family, you will be left out in the cold. Remember the street joke about how she can find another husband but not another parents or family.

How you respond to these curious relatives and family members count a lot for your girlfriend. Honesty may not be a good virtue at this time especially if your girlfriend lives in a crowded neighborhood filled with gawking neighbors and you could not find anything good to say. Try to find something nice to comment on and be creative about it, too.

Bring along small gifts for your girlfriend and for her family if you can. These gifts need not be expensive but simple ones. You must have known by this time what your girlfriend is interested in. If she loves to read, books would come handy. Little things like this count and your girlfriend will feel you really care.

Little things like opening doors or pulling out her chair, lightly touching her elbow to assist her when you cross the street and pulling pleasant surprises are surefire ways to win a Filipina’s heart. Treat a Filipina like a princess and she will be yours for life.

Another effective way to win her heart is to complement her on her looks. Now be careful about this, she may not look like Miss Universe but just find something at her what you really think is special about her. Do not by any means complement on something that is not true because she is very sensitive when it comes to her personal attributes. Make no comments about her being absent when nice legs or flawless skin were distributed! That would be suicidal.

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A Filipina in her early twenties, clad in a tight-fitting pair of jeans, a body-hugging shirt walks on a busy street in the Philippines. She attracts attention not only because of her looks but because she is holding hands with a foreigner who is old enough to be her grandfather.

Two blocks away, a woman in her late forties is hanging on to the arm of a 65-year old foreigner. Both women will be marrying their boyfriends soon and each had her own reasons. Every year more Filipina ladies are leaving the country each year to marry a foreigner. Here are some of the common reasons for these marriages:

The search for greener pastures.

It is undeniable that a big percentage of the Filipina girls who marry foreigners look at their husbands as a “visa” for them to go find better opportunities abroad. Filipina ladies have a mission to support their family as soon as they are able to, like help send younger siblings to school or take over the responsibility as the head of the family.

Travel and adventure

A foreigner husband is a ticket to exciting worlds beyond the desolate place she may have grown up in. She looks at him as the realization of her childhood dreams of traveling to far places.

Status elevation

As ironic as it seems, majority of the Filipino women prefers American love stories over Philippine films and they get all dreamy eyed and instantly fall in love when they see a caucasian man.

Age factor

While a woman in her late thirties is considered in the prime of life in other countries, it is not the case for a Filipina because when she is past 30 and is still unmarried, eyebrows will start to rise and her chances of getting married starts to get slim and meeting a foreigner for a prospective husband online is one of her few choices. Usually, a Filipina marries in her late teens or early 20s and should already have a child in college by the time she is 40 years old.

Failed marriages

Failure in her marriage could also push Filipina ladies to look to foreigners for a second chance. Some of these Filipina ladies are unwed mothers, while others are victims of abusive husbands, forced to do menial jobs for a meager pay just to support her children.

Average looks

An average looking Filipina (meaning not the beauty queen material) may feel she does not have to go to lengths and pay huge amounts to augment her physical features to attract a foreign husband-to-be.

True Love

You may find it hard to believe this but despite the perception that the Filipina is taking a risk marrying a person with a different set of values with a different cultural background, love could be the reason why she will marry a foreigner.

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So you are ready to take your relationship with your Filipina girlfriend to the next step, that is to have her permanently in your life. You are sure of your feelings, and the next thing to do is to pop the question. You do not have to be nervous, or afraid of getting your proposal wrong. You also need not spend sleepless nights and acquiring wrinkles to come up with ways on how to best do it or spend a fortune and live on bread and water for the next 20 years to spend on a lavish gift or pay for a five-star resort.

When is the right time? Anytime is the right time as long as you are 101 percent sure of your feelings, and you sense she feels the same towards you. Your Filipina girlfriend is someone you have known for sometime now. You have spent long hours chatting with each other through the internet, exchanged miles and miles of messages through email, and spent thousands on those phone calls.

When you finally meet each other, and if sparks flew just as it did during your cyber dates, it should not be too hard for you to propose. Just do not propose to her as soon as you meet her on the airport. She would be with a thousand relatives, neighbors and friends for sure. Choose your time carefully and make sure your Filipina girlfriend is in a happy frame of mind.

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As any other normal human being, each Filipina girl has her own ideals or qualities that she looks for in a man who will be her partner for life. She would not expecting a very wealthy Mr. Universe to come pounding on her front door to offer her the whole world on a platter, but undeniably, she is on the lookout for that special someone who shares her interests, understands her and who can fill the void in her life. Here are some of the qualities that a Filipina female generally looks for in a man:

A man who shows respect. You can easily win the heart of a Filipina if you show her respect. She will feel loved and cared for and get a feeling that she matters to you.

A well-groomed man. Most Filipina females are not very concerned about a man’s looks, but it is important for her to see her man clean, and well-groomed. It will not hurt if you take a daily bath and pay attention to clean your fingernails!

A good listener. Growing up in a patriarchal society where men take center stage, the Filipina women often play the second fiddle and sometimes, men just do not listen to them or make their opinions count. Women want men who treat them as their equals, men who listen and hear what they want to say, and somebody she can talk to.

A loving and giving man. The need to be loved is inherent in everybody, and Filipina women are no different. They want to be loved, cared for and appreciated for who they are. A woman wants a man who lets a woman be herself, who gives her freedom to think and act as she wants to. She wants to feel that she is giving as much as you in the relationship and that you are giving as much as she is.

A man who is honest and loyal. This may seem like a tall order but due to her conservative upbringing, a Filipina woman will not turn deaf and blind if you flirt with other women or worse, get involved in extra-marital affairs. Do not expect her to understand if you tell her the affair was just a fling because for her, that is cheating.

A principled and romantic man. A Filipina female wants a man who has a firm set of principles and will stand by what he believes in no matter what. As a Filipina woman is romantic by nature, she is also looking for a man who is not predictable and is full of surprises. This is one secret that keeps the romance going in the relationship.

A stable man. All women want a man who is willing to support his family. Filipina girls grew up in a culture where men are the breadwinners of the family. This does not mean they require a man to be rich but they need to be reassured that you are there for them, and they can rely on you. Finally, women are drawn to nice, interesting and self-confident men who carries a good dosage of sense of humor with them.

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“I clicked on the mouse, and my life changed…
Six minutes ago, I was a friendless creature who did not have any inkling that my lifetime partner is the result of a click of a mouse.”

You could be the one saying this after you produced an attractive, online profile that would be the first thing girls will look at. Writing your online dating profile is one of the most important steps to successful online dating.

Here are some tips to build an attractive online profile.

Choose an eye-catching user name, something that is intriguing but also suggests your personality. Attach a recent clean-cut photo of your self will add your chances of getting more replies from ladies. One word of advice, discard photos where you look like a robber, Filipina ladies see plenty of that in the Wanted Persons sections in police stations.

Honesty is still the best policy. Do not pretend you are someone you are not, because no secrets will remain a secret forever. List your interests, hobbies, wants and indicate the type of Filipina females you particularly want to meet.

Describe yourself as clearly as you can but do not over-color. Allow a Filipina woman to feel attracted to you because of what you really are, not someone you projected yourself to be. You may also have an exact vision of what the woman you are looking for look like, but do not look for perfection. Remember you also are not perfect.

Don’t rush through your profile. Read and re-read it before posting because it would be like opening a store when your merchandise are not yet arranged on the display shelves.

From the very beginning, state in your profile what kind of relationship you are exactly looking for. If you are looking for marriage and relationships, say so, but if you only want somebody for friendship or someone you can talk to, be clear about it. You would not want to raise false hopes.

Putting humor into your online profile is sure-fire way to attract Filipina females with sunny dispositions. The women who will reply to your humorous online profile are usually those who look at the bright side of life. The idea is that you have to be funny but serious at the same time. This will trigger a Filipina lady’s curiosity and she will want to know more about you. What are you waiting for? Go and write that prize-catching profile now!

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As incidents of Filipino citizens flying to the United States or other countries and not returning home pile up, government and the foreign embassies were prompted to implement stricter measures in issuing visas.

When a foreigner crosses cultures just to acquire a Filipina bride, he has to go through numerous hassles, like complying with mountains of paperwork, spending hundreds of dollars and waiting for a long time before he can finally take his Filipina bride to his country. Processing the requirements for a fiancée or spouse visa takes time and the length of the waiting time depends on where you live.

You can either apply for a fiancée visa (K1 Fiancee Via) or a spouse visa (IR-1) for your Filipina bride, but you still have to comply with several requirements. There are many specialized lawyers that can help you with this. The law requires that you and your Filipina girlfriend must have been legally free to marry and if your girlfriend is granted a fiancée visa, you have to marry her within 90 days after arrival in your own country.

You may need to show documents to prove your relationship with your Filipina girlfriend so keep track of those emails you exchanged with each other, letters, photos, plane tickets and any other proof that you have a relationship going on.

To obtain a spouse visa for your Filipina bride, first of all you must get married so you can petition your Filipina wife to migrate to your own country. If you get married in the Philippines, you must comply with all the requirements of applying a marriage certificate and getting married whether in the church or civil ceremony.

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Your first date went smoothly, and you want to see more of her. But just because things clicked on your first date does not mean you can relax and take her for granted. In the romantic and sentimental mind of a Filipina, each date is an exciting and thrilling event, so try to make your dates as memorable as ever.

Here are some tips to keep the excitement level going up on your dates:

Smell nice for her.

Nothing turns a woman off so fast than unpleasant body odor. It is not the manly sweat your body exudes (for some it adds more appeal) but bad breath and body odor which could be the result of sheer neglect of soap and water. She has probably spent the whole afternoon in front of the mirror and would be disappointed if her date turns up unshaven, looking dirty and smelling.

Listen, listen and listen.

Listening to your date can help you get to know her better (vice versa). Ask casual questions, but do not prepare a long sheet of questionnaire and tick off the ones she already answered. If you are at ease with each other, conversation should flow naturally and without strain and effort on both sides.

Compliment her

When you are out on a date, your Filipina girlfriend will still be very nervous and self-conscious, make her feel relaxed and compliment her honestly. Remember she has gone to great lengths to please you and complimenting her will add to her self-confidence and she will feel comfortable with you.

Be a gentleman.

Coming from a conservative culture the Filipinas expect to be treated like ladies. Be a gentleman, open and hold doors or pull her chair out for her. She will value and appreciate these simple gestures. Filipina ladies like the special feeling they get if you treat her like a princess. Going out on a date with a Filipina should be fun and relaxing. She would be eager to hear stories about your growing up years, your family, hometown, your place as this is a whole new world for her, a fantasy place she has not seen.

Time allowance

If being on time is a big issue from where you come from, make a little adjustment when you are dating a Filipina. Do not holler at her ear or walk out if she turns up later than scheduled. Have you ever heard of Filipino time? Stretch your patience if she is a few minutes late because if she appears on the dot she is afraid you would think she is over-eager. Even if she is already in her 50s and has been married before, she will still be playing “pakipot” or hard to get.

Pay for the date because she expects you to. Except for the highly-educated ladies who will offer to split the bill with you, conservative Filipina ladies would think she would lose face if she pays for your date. To her it would be tantamount to spending her own money just to have a date.

And most important of all, bring a big dosage of sense of humor with you. It comes in handy especially during this stage when you are putting up the foundations of a future relationship.

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There are many ways to send money to your loved-ones in the Philippines, and some methods work better for others. You just have to choose which service is more convenient to you and your recipient in terms of security, availability, remittance charges, and the speed of delivery.

Sending Online

With the advent of the internet, sending money online is now very easy, and your recipient receives the money in seconds. One example is the Xoom Money Transfer where your debit or credit cards (Amex, Visa), US checking account or Paypal can be used to fund your transfer. Your recipient will be informed through a text message when the money is deposited or available for pick up.

Through Banks

Sending your money through banks is another secure way but this option is better if the recipient has a bank account with an Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card. This makes it convenient for the recipient to withdraw cash anytime, and they are spared the trouble of having to wait for banking hours but you can still send money through banks even if the recipient does not have an account.

The banks can either deliver the money door to door or let your recipient pick up the money from their branches or pick up locations. You can avail of the services of the following banks: BPI Remittance, Citibank, Equitable PCI Bank Express Padala, PNB Europe, PNB Rapid Remit, RCBC Telemoney, Security Bank, and UCPB.

Money transfer agents

To date, the most popular way of sending money to the Philippines is through money transfer agents like the Western Union Money Transfer, LBC pick up and MoneyGram. These agents have their own web sites where you can send money online, or you can go to the nearest outlet and send the money through their offices with very minimal charges.

Claiming the money is quick and easy. With Western Union, the recipient does not have to spend precious time waiting for the bank to open because Western Union outlets have sprung up almost everywhere, even pawnshops on a 24-hour basis. The recipient can pick up the money the minute you send it by presenting even one valid identification card. If sent through LBC, recipients can also pick up the money in LBC outlets during office hours.

Other ways to send money to the Philippines are Allsafe (Australia), Atlas Xpress Padala, Forexworld.com, FX Remit, G-Cash (provided by Globe telecommunications), iKobo Lucky Money, MegaPadala, Moneygram International, MyAyala, Paystone, Philsend,Remithome, Smart Padala (provided by Smart telecommunications), Technocash (Australia), UK Moneygram, Uniteller, Wells Fargo, Xoom, and YesPinoy.com. These services are available in different areas.

One word of advice: You must be careful in sending money to the Philippines. It is better that you use the existing services and not send the money through a person or individual only to find out that somebody else is enjoying your money and your loved-one did not receive a single cent.

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