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Article 1: by Jason Scott of Manila Beauty

City Filipinas vs. Filipinas from the Provinces

Many men seek foreign brides with little knowledge of what they are getting themselves into. This especially true of the Philippines where the populations are very diverse over selected geographic areas. Most men go to a random introduction site and purchase the addresses of the first handful of girls who catch his eye without too much thought in the differences he will encounter with the girls. And there WILL be differences…I guarantee it. The vast majority of Introduction agencies recruit girls from all corners of the Philippines. This is perfectly acceptable since there is a large range of character traits and values that a man will seek. But to be efficient and practical, you should choose an agency that specializes or has a large number of quality ladies from specific areas rather than randomly throughout the Philippines. There are less than a handful of agencies out there that admit to the differences that I will outline here. This article is an attempt to educate the reader so that he may make an educated decision in which type of lady is best for him.

Many of the readers of this article come from North America and more specifically, the United States. If you are from the U.S., you know there are dramatic differences in people from the large cities and the countryside/deep south. This is even more pronounced in the Philippines due to limited technology and methods of communication. If you ask Filipinas from the North who live in the cities, they will be quick to point out these differences to you much like a city person from the U.S. would do if a foreigner asked them.

The most noticeable difference is in communication. Most Filipinas from the cities speak very good English. Often you will come across some ladies who speak it so well, that you would swear that you are talking to an American girl. This is in contrast to the provinces where English is written, but almost never spoken. Therefore, most younger ladies from the provinces or southern areas can barely speak and have a hard time in understanding English. This ties into the telephone availability that many agencies offer. Yes, you can call the ladies, but expect to have a VERY "painful" (and lengthy) conversation where every other word is "What?" or "Could you please repeat that?" due to their very thick accents. By the time you get off the phone you will likely be very frustrated after getting next to nothing accomplished and you will realize that you should seek a better method of getting to know her. Keep in mind that it is fairly easy to talk on the phone with the city girls however. The next option offered is the standard letter. I wrote a few letters at one time a couple of years ago. Each letter had a minimum turn-around of 7 weeks! And these ladies made every attempt to reply as quickly as possible. It is unrealistic to think that you can fall in love, or her fall in love with you with only a couple of letters. Of course you could use express mail, but that gets expensive quickly…and you still will need to wait a month for her reply on the reply mail. The final option, and the best in this authors opinion, is e-mail, Yahoo, or MSN messenger. However, I would estimate that only 1% of the ladies in the southern areas/provinces use e-mail or even know how to use a computer. So even if you suggest it in your letter and leave her an e-mail address, you can be pretty much be guaranteed that she will not use that option. In cites most, if not all, ladies have easy access to e-mail. Often when a city girl does not list having e-mail in her profile, she will likely have an address that she will give to you after your initial letter or phone call. These ladies know just as well as you do how convenient e-mail is, and often they do not give it out immediately as a test of your character. She often wants to see if you will take the time to write or type out a letter to her. For the Filipina, this is a good test of your sincerity. But then again, many readily will give out their e-mail….you just have to find the agencies who go to the extra trouble to get it from her.

So now you know a little about communication differences. But what about basic personality traits and differences in sophistication? Again, we see large differences with respect to the geographic areas of the northern cities and the southern areas/provinces. Most ladies from the provinces tend to be very quiet, shy, and typically not very aggressive. These ladies typically seek a man who wants a traditional housewife. They are not very fashion conscious and act very backwards with respect to what you are likely used to. While sometimes witty, they often have a strange sense of humor. In contrast, girls from the cities are very modern and a lot of fun. They spend much of their free time doing "American" activities like going to the mall, the movies, bars, concerts, clubs, and coffeehouses. Most if not all carry cell phones and are very fashion conscious and take good care of their appearance. While very shy and passive compared to an American girl, they are still relatively aggressive and bold. Most of these ladies are in college or recent graduates. They seek a man overseas who will respect and love them, plus they often seek a man who will support them in their careers. They will still be able to run circles around American girls when it comes to "traditional" female roles, but make no mistake in that these girls do not fit the "submissive" stereotype.

Finally there is the travel issue. I recommend that you see at least two girls when you finally take a trip to the Philippines. There are no real guarantees in this life, especially when it comes to love. Take a moment to consider what would happen if you arrive there, and you find that you two just don’t have that "spark". It can happen to either of you. In any event, you will have wasted a substantial amount of money on your journey. But if you have a "backup plan", you can always go and see another girl with it being unlikely that you will experience the same situation. But it is very unrealistic to have one girl living in the north while the other lives in the south. If this is the case, I hope you have a lot of vacation time available, because you will have to do many days of arduous travel. For example, if one girl lives in Baguio City, north of Manila, it will take you 7 hours on a bus from Manila. This is not too bad….especially if you already know another girl in Manila or Quezon City. But if you know a girl from Baguio City and another from Dumaguete (deep south) expect to spend a total of 5 days travelling to see the two girls, after you get off the plane. These days could obviously be better spent enjoying your vacation vs. being stuck on a bus or boat. A final note to mention is that once you get away from the cities, it is much more difficult to find the amenities to which we as Westerners are so accustomed. So if there is any advice you take away from this article, please let it be this portion.

In seeking a plane ticket, the best advice is to look at the various travel agencies. Most of the big on-line agencies claim the best rates. But they are AT LEAST $300 more than what an independent agent can offer. In any event, expect to pay around $650 for a ticket from the West coast and about $850 for a ticket from the U.S. interior. When you get to the Philippines, demand that the cab drivers charge you the meter rate. If they refuse, get out and just find another cab. A typical cab ride should cost $1 or less. The typical cab driver will try to charge you a flat rate of $2-4 just because you are a foreigner. Expect to pay about $30 per night for a decent hotel. You will get off the plane and people will try to sell you on the 5 star hotels. These hotels are very expensive and the rooms are not much better than what you can find at the hotels that don’t advertise at the airport.

Other miscellaneous advice when contacting the girl: The best advice is to write a letter first. Just as you do not like to get phone calls from people you don’t know, a lady will not appreciate being called by a man she does not know anything about. If you write first, then she will at least have an idea with whom she is talking and will appreciate you letting her hear your voice. In your letter, just tell about yourself and be as honest as possible. Do not be boastful, as Filipinas usually are not impressed with material wealth in the same way that a Western or European woman would be. In fact, boasting about your accomplishments will likely turn her off. For example, if you own a small business, say just that. Do not tell her how much you make, as that is a sign of being boastful in their eyes.

I’m sure that you as a reader can see my bias toward the city girls. But that is from my own personal experience in my multiple trips to the Philippines. I’ve been all over, and I can honestly say that a city Filipina is realistically much more compatible for an educated and intelligent Western man. The girls from the provinces and southern areas are very nice women indeed. But make no mistake in that the compatibility differences that you will experience can be very frustrating and difficult to overcome.

Good day and good luck!

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