Many Filipinas marry foreigners for money, not love

MANILA, Philippines- The inability of the Philippine economy to produce high-paying jobs especially for women has pushed Filipinos to marry foreigners as a way to provide for their families, the study Country Gender Assessment by regional lender Asian Development Bank said.

The number of Filipinos marrying foreigners have also tripled in just a span of eight years from 7,819 in 1998 to 24,954 in 2006.

It is also estimated that currently, 300,000 Filipinos, 92 percent of whom are women, are married to foreigners mainly from the United States, Japan, Canada, the United Kingdom and South Korea.

"(I)n the Philippines (as elsewhere), the phenomenon of 'mail order brides' is not uncommon. In the absence of employment prospects and with families to care for, many women view marrying a foreigner as an easy ticket to an overseas life with steady remittances. With the advent of the Internet, chat rooms, and text messaging the marriage migration numbers are on the rise," the ADB said.

Data from The Commission on Filipinos Overseas showed that Filipino women marrying men from East Asian countries tend to be younger and less educated. These foreign men also usually are at least 40 years older than their Filipino brides.

"Reports indicate that more women apply for 'marriage visas' to Japan as a result of Japan reducing its official demand for entertainers," ADB said.

In 2005 Japan has imposed a stricter immigration policy following Tokyo's inclusion in a US watchlist of high incidence of human smuggling.

ADB said Manila should undertake measures to protect Filipino women as those who marry foreigners that they do not know face enormous risks.

"Many of the men live in remote areas and are unsuccessful with women from their own culture, who they feel are spoiled and have too many freedoms. Instead, they want women with 'traditional' family values who, once in the country, have nowhere to turn and are completely at their mercy," ADB said.

Among the recommendations of the ADB was to tap remittances from overseas Filipinos for productive investment and sustainable livelihood opportunities for women so that migration becomes a choice rather than a necessity. - GMANews.TV