There are unique values and traits that make and bind a Filipino family. Prominent among them is the way Filipinos address each other. There is, for example, the traditional use of “po” and “opo” as a sign of reverence to older family members by the younger ones.

Similarly, younger siblings address an older female sibling with “ate”, and an older male sibling with “kuya”. Kissing the hand of an elder is also a common greeting and considered uniquely Filipino. Respect for elders is manifest wherever there are Filipinos, even abroad.

Other Filipino values worth noting are seen during Sundays. Household members wear their best dress as they attend church services together. Most families later take leisure time together, like relaxing at the park, malling, watching a movie, eating out or just playing the favorite family game or sports, all in the spirit of fun and bonding. Many adult males are also cockfight aficionados.

While the fast-paced life has made it more difficult for the family to spend time together at the dinner table, some parents still believe this is one valued practice that should never be lost. Having meals together provides opportunities for interaction among family members. Here they discuss and share daily experiences, like updates on the parents’ work or on the kid’s school activities.

Children are not expected to leave home even in their early adulthood. Because Filipino families put great value in education, older children who earn incomes are expected to help pay for household expenses, including the education of younger siblings. Children try to keep the company of their aging parents even when they have families of their own. Being clannish is a common Filipino family value. Special occasions like weddings, fiestas, Christmas, baptism or death in the family usually bring families and clans together.

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There is nothing significantly peculiar or odd in the scene of Filipino romance, but being natural romantics, the Filipino men and women have exceptional and even unique ways and habits of showing their affection for someone they sincerely desire.

In the not-so-distant past, Filipino men would serenade their lady love either alone or in the company of friends on any given night, although a serenade when the moon is full was deemed most romantic. Men normally choose kundiman or local ballads for these magical occasions. They belt them out with gusto and emotion right on the doorstep of the lady’s house. If she and her family consent to the wishes of the serenading prince, he earns the good graces of her home and may propose from there.

These days, however, pre-occupied by a fast-paced life and uninhibited by a less conservative society, Filipino romance has taken on new dimensions. While serenading no longer exists, at least in the urban areas, Filipino romance has applied variety in its approaches. Dating is fashionable and displays of affection are publicly flaunted. With faster means of communication via mobile phones and the internet, Filipino romantic relationships can now grow from a whirlwind courtship.

Filipino romance flourishes when sustained by loyalty, commitment, trust and open communication. Filipino women are sensitive and fiercely loyal to their partners. They expect their partners to be re-assuring and provide emotional security to their romantic relationship. And with these they offer enduring bond of a partnership based on love.

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Generations past–the Filipina wife was the typical docile, sweet and unassuming person behind the hardworking, conscientious and more dominant household figure that was her husband. In those simple days when life was less hard and households were typically patriarchal in nature, the Filipina wife and mother took the roles deemed supportive of that of her husband. Filipino marriage that defined a couple then seemed uncomplicated, ordinary and down-to-earth.

Several decades later, transformation in the household became more and more apparent. Stemmed by the increasing recognition of the talents and skills of the Filipino women, the subservient wife evolved and so has the Filipino marriage customs and landscape. Two things gave rise to the evolution. One is basically economic in nature.

The wife took on the role as an equal partner of her husband in providing for the basic needs of the family, such as by engaging in livelihood herself. The other is the growing attention given to her as a potent force, not only within the confines of the home but as partner in community building as well.

While we can still see some of these women dutifully performing their roles as wife and mother at home, they now occupy better positions as working professionals and as co-provider for the family. Her role in the Filipino marriage now expands from being a mere cook, dishwasher, moral and spiritual mentor to her kids, as well as supporter of her husband as he seeks his fulfillment. She has emerged as an empowered person aware of her own talents and dreams.

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Filipino friends are often considered extended members of a typical Filipino family. Since Filipinos are known for being friendly and clannish, friends of any member of a household are always welcome in most family occasions like dinners, parties and outings or vacations.

It then becomes natural for friends to call each others’ parents “tita” and “tito” or even Papa or Mama or Tatay or Nanay as if they are their friends’ parents own children. Children also have no qualms about sharing or seeking advise from their friends’ parents on varied matters whenever they feel uncomfortable telling their own parents about them.

Filipino friends normally maintain close association. They spend a lot of time together. The young ones, after school, often spend more time after school to play games or just hang around the campus or at each other’s homes either to study together or play video or outdoor games. Weekends are often spent together as well.

The professionals, on the other hand, often seek one another on weekends or specially-designated get-together weekdays after work. Special occasions like birthday parties are also venues for catching up on missed stories about how other relatives or friends are doing.

Filipino friends are fiercely loyal and protective of one another. They are generous with time and resources. They share intimate secrets and often have the same interests or level of intellectuality. They are likely to come from similar social backgrounds, family and individual orientations, sets of values and beliefs. Their friendship goes beyond physical borders and distances.

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Filipino food culture comes as part and parcel of Filipino life. It speaks both about their uniqueness and diversity as a people. Most regions or provinces are known for one or several types of food or for the distinctive taste of their home-cooked food.

Bicolanos for example are known for a variety of food preparations that go with lots of chili and other spices. People from Northerm Luzon take pride in pinakbet (mixed vegetables) and in their exotic menu. In Central Luzon, delicious confections and kakanin (snack foods and sweets) are hard to resist. The rest of Luzon and Tagalog region are known for their spicy kaldereta and kare-kare (meat and entrails with vegetables and many other spices), paksiw and adobo (fish and meat boiled with vinegar, among other ingredients).

In the Visayas and Mindanao, food preparations with coconut milk are common. Also in many parts of the country and Visayas in particular, occasions like birthdays, weddings, baptisms, family reunions and the like do not seem complete without lechon or roasted pig or roasted chicken.

Statistics have been shown that the more well off people are, chances are higher that wheat-based bread, instead of rice, becomes the staple food. But in the Philipinnes and wherever Filipinos may be found abroad, an ordinary Filipino meal would basically still consist of fish and rice. The essence of this menu has sustained Filipinos for generations after generations. A dish with rice and fish, along with other sets of menu perfected in various parts of the country, is what makes it Filipino.

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The rising popularity of online dating has drawn thousands of Filipinas to internet sites and programs that allow them to connect to foreigners. Male foreigners are likewise apparently attracted to Filipinas, if the number of on-going online relationships is any indication. Hundreds of thousands of Filipinas are believed chatting and exchanging emails with male foreigners in the hope of finding the dream partners, possibly as future husbands.

The ease by which they communicate with foreigners is unfortunately making it also easy for some Filipinas to victimize foreigners. These scammers and cheaters chat with their online dates and use an innocent front to win people’s hearts, so to speak. When the unsuspecting foreigner begins to show a sincere liking for them, they begin to ask money for the cost of chatting with them.

The amounts being asked are bound to increase, until online chatting grows to become a livelihood with hordes of online friends coming forward as willing victims. This may not be a problem at all for the foreigner, but it becomes so when he visits the Philippines to seek out her online Filipina friend, only to find out that she is as committed to other foreigner male friends.

These cheaters are professional chatters. Although they represent an insignificant segment of Filipinas who are looking for foreigner males as future friends or husbands, they succeed in blemishing the general reputation of Filipinas loyal and trustworthy persons. If there is anything good, however, that can come out from them, it is in alerting males from all over that the charming, beautiful and cheerful Filipina may not always be good as tagged.

Online Filipina dating has made romantic matching easy and convenient for all interested parties. But it also has its dangers. Elders advise that there is no substitute for honest to goodness courtship. This requires effort on the part of foreigners, like visiting the Philippines to seek face to face the Filipina they desire before committing anything deeper especially if that is going to cost them money.

The Filipina wife has many beautiful facets that many husbands can attest to. She is the devoted partner and loyal ally of her husband in all aspects of their marriage. While she remains the hands-on parent for her children, she also often helps her husband earn needed income to meet the family’s daily basic needs.

This was not the case some decades ago. Before, the wife was totally stay-at-home. She had to ensure that the family home was neat and tidy; the meals ready at the table; the clothes clean, crisp and dry; the children did well in their studies; and the general order at home was maintained. The Filipina wife used to be a reserved and religious woman; a good housekeeper and budget planner; a devoted and loyal partner to her husband; and a doting mother if strict mentor to her children.

Even as most of these characteristics of the typical Filipina wife remain manifest especially in the countryside where people are generally conservative and families are patriarchal, these days the contemporary wife is almost co-equal in social status with that of the husband. The Filipina wife now shares the burden of providing for the family needs by engaging in livelihood or getting regular employment.

In some cases a domestic helper takes the housekeeping role of the wife, but often the wife still has her say in organizing the entire household. And while Filipino children are normally trained to help get the household chores done, the overall responsibility for managing the household still rests with the Filipino wife and mother.

It is therefore not surprising that the Filipino wife came to be known as “multi-tasker” and “superwoman” here and abroad. And even if her multi-roles can sometimes get overwhelming, the Filipina wife remains generally strong and a proud woman. She draws her strength from her love for the family. After all, she is the one and only “ilaw ng tahanan” (light of the home).

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This is a time when people connect people fast and easy. Through the internet, information gets transmitted and received over long distances at the speed of light. And with it people easily find a global audience with whom they share ideas, make decisions, reach agreements, close deals or find romance. Today, the cyberworld teems with Filipina dating sites and have opened counless doors for Filipinas who are searching for romance.

Philippine dating sites normally feature stories and photos of Filipinas or Filipino females. Beginning in the early 1990’s, more and more Filipinas with ages ranging from 16 to 50 years old have met men from Europe, the United States, South Korea, Japan and the Middle East countries through these sites. The common belief is that more than half of these Filipinas intend to marry, and often do end up in marriage, with their online dates, email mates or chat mates. These sites are thriving and have given occasion to the growing phenomenon of inter-racial marriages in the country.

The other side of why Filipina Dating Sites are catching on world wide is largely due to the charm, inner beauty and cheerful disposition of Filipinas. They live up to everyone’s expectations. They are as excellent as Filipina dating sites tell people they are. One American male who ended up marrying a Filipina once commented that aside from their unique Asian beauty, Filipinas are sweet, sexy and really love their men with passion.

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When somebody says that motherhood makes a woman complete will likely find it more apt in the Philippines than anywhere else. Filipina motherhood is a serious yet a very special attribute and gift to a woman. While the role can be difficult sometimes, the sense of fulfillment it gives a Filipina can be a truly amazing experience.

From the birth of her children to the time they become adults and begin to spread their own wings to face the world on their own, children at their various stages test the natural strength and nurturing ability of a typical mother.

Filipina motherhood is also about being the first spiritual guide, moral advocate, primary mentor, a child psychologist, an artist, fierce protector, nurse, doctor and front-line cheerleader all rolled into one for and because of her children. The tasks and responsibilities which motherhood entails make her a better person.

For despite having to wake up in ungodly hours to nurse her child, she learns patience. A child with difficult eating habits forces her to be creative. An engagingly inquisitive child on the other hand, enhances her mentoring skills. An impatient child transforms her into a child psychologist.

And for all the little frustrations, fears and seemingly unending responsibilities of motherhood, the overwhelming and unconditional love for her children is at the core of a Filipina mother’s heart. Filipina motherhood is a never-ending story between a Filipina mother and her children. One’s existence defines and nurtures the other’s. Filipina motherhood indeed makes a Filipina woman complete.

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Decades ago Filipinas who dreamed of having a foreigner male for a partner went through a long process. The common route was through referrals, like foreigners who have Filipino/Filipina friends, acquaintances or partners themselves.

Pen pal pages carried by magazines and newspapers also provided avenues for inter-racial connection. Filipinas then had to communicate to their future foreign mates through the regular mail. Other communication facilities, like telephone and telegram, were scarce, costly and impractical.

As in other countries, brokers later came up with ideas of making remote romantic matching more efficient. They introduced the mail-order-bride packages. Like recruitment agencies, mail-order-bride agencies advertised a pool of Filipinas seeking foreigner partners to their offshore market. In the same manner, these agencies advertised for a fee their foreigner clients to their Filipina mail-order-bride prospects. An undisclosed number of matches, no less than tens of thousands, culminated in Filipina-Foreigner marriages through this route.

But when the Philippine government later noticed that mail-order-bride matching became a convenient facility for male foreigners to “own” Filipina women as nothing more than their domestic helpers, it enacted a law in 1990 that criminalized the scheme. Filipinas who ended up having foreigner partners via the mail-order-bride route eventually decreased in number and the practice continued only under covert procedures.

But the idea of mail-order-bride continues to thrive in the Philppines and may have in fact flourished with everyone’s relatively easy access to the internet. On line dating sites and services serve the same purpose of matching Filipinas seeking foreigner males for a mate, and vice versa, only that the process has become faster and easier for everybody to use.

However, whilst the concept might thrive in some men’s minds, describing any lady as a “mail order bride” is insulting to say the least.

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