I've never been the customer of an "introduction service" myself, though I do know some people who have. Some of those men were happy with the results, some were not. Pragmatically, these businesses serve a legitimate purpose and most are on the up and up. But I advise both the guys and gals who consider such services to be cautious.  Some of the gals are wonderful, loving girls, some are gold diggers. Some of the guys are well-meaning and caring men, some are creeps.  Be sure you know who you're dealing with before you make a commitment.

As an aside, I think it would be really admirable if a few of these services had names that reflected marriage instead of dating. For example, instead of "Filipina Angels of the Visayas," I would name my business, "Women With Mothers Who Want to Know When the Hell You're Going to Give Her Some Grandchildren!" Or, alternatively, "Filipina Gals Who Will Immediately Balance Your Checkbook and Put You On a Budget!" Or, "Filipino Women Who Will Force You to Buy Decent Clothes - Yes, You DO Need Them!" 

Anyway, there are Filipinas who want foreign husbands, and there are foreign men who want Filipina wives.  And while there are certain "interested parties" who do everything they can to slander or prevent such marriages, foreign men continue to marry Filipinas.  So until these men start living their lives according to the directives of the syndicated talk shows (shiver), I'm going to assume this type of relationship will continue, and for that reason I'd be remiss if I didn't offer a few links to introduction services. 

Note, however, that I have recently decided to omit any site that charges a fee for addresses.  This is the only way I can be certain that none of the sites listed are in violation of Republic Act No. 6955 (click here for a description), which prohibits businesses from operating within the Philippines, soliciting the names and addresses of Filipinas, and then selling them for a fee to others.  If the site is giving addresses away for free, then they are obviously not charging a fee, and thus are not in violation of the Act.  Most of these sites are operated by Fil-West couples who have been persistently asked by friends or family members to find them penpals in the west.  These sites are usually operated at a loss, once server fees and operating costs are considered, and most are not as refined and highly polished as for-profit sites. But they are usually operated by honest people with good motives.  Don't be surprised, though, if the site operators wish to swap a few emails with you to learn more about your character before providing you with any information. These people do what they do for personal reasons, not financial reward, so they tend to be a lot pickier about who they deal with.

This is not a judgment of any kind on my part regarding for-profit sites.  For-profit sites are not illegal just because there's a profit involved. I am only excluding those sites because I no longer have the time to analyze such sites on a case-by-case basis to determine if they are in keeping with Philippine law.  The only effective way for me to guarantee that I don't mistakenly direct others to an illegal site is for me to omit any site that charges a fee for addresses.  It's become a very complicated world, sadly, and I can no longer take the chance that ASAWA's good reputation might be tarnished by the unscrupulous practices of site operators with whom I had previously exchanged links.  

If you decide to use a for-profit service, however, her are some things for you to keep an eye out for:

1.  Does the business operate within the Philippines, in part or in whole?

2.  Does the business invite Filipinas to send their names and addresses to the webmaster?

3.  Are the Filipinas advertised as sexual objects?  If there are images of Filipinas on the site, are they models in bikinis or normal looking women in normal looking clothes?

4.  Are "tours" to the Philippines offered?  If so, do they sound like legitimate travel packages, providing you merely with transportation and rooms, or are you offered "companionship" or introductions? 

5.  Is the site operated by a Fil-West couple?  If yes, does the wife contribute actively to the site?

6.  Does the site acknowledge the existence of Republic Act No. 6955 and claim compliance with it?

7.  Is there customer feedback?  By the husband AND wife?

8.  How long has the company been in business?

9.  Does the site emphasize Filipinas as subservient or docile?

10. How much information regarding Filipino culture is included on the site?

Those are at least a few of the things you should keep in mind when looking at for-profit sites.  Remember, many, if not most, are completely legitimate and do act within the laws of their host nation as well as the Philippines.  But there are a handful that do not, and you need to keep an eye out for them.  Once you find them, deprive them of your business and let them whither on the vine.  There are the types of businesses run by the types of individuals that make Fil-West relationships the center of far too much controversy.

Good luck!

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