Despite Noemi Dado's protestations about the perception of the Filipina as portrayed on the Internet - both herself and her colleague in arms, Jepoy, have upon their own webpages a link to . . .
Cebu Nightlife Forum
. . . apparantly containing some relevance to the situation regarding my blogs - about my experience in the Philippines.
Now, I haven't become a member, so I have no idea what lurks beneath the index of forums - but a quick read of what I can see there is enough to tell me that it appears to be almost entirely related to sex & prostitution.
I have read enough on the Internet to realise that this is BIG BUSINESS.
Sites like this - confirm that opinion . . .
International Sex Guide
. . . and this particular one mentions DateInAsia many times. However - prostitution is much more honest than the type of deceit I have encountered.
Of course, prostitution is despised as a label - preferred is the euphemistic phrase "entertaining a foreigner."
I added a comment after a post discussing the commodification of the Filipina on dating sites - by Lauren Dado - on her website site . . .
Intellectual Wank
. . . daring to suggest that the situation regarding their perceived image will never change as long as there is money to be made - individually and corporately and while they are aggressively marketed as a commodity.
The comment was promptly removed.
Here it is - do you read in it anything offensive or untrue?
Anything that shouldn't become common knowledge?
Something that should be hidden away from the public eye?
QUOTE
A dating site is a dating site.
In order to avoid portraying itself as having any bias or particular attraction, it should not advertise itself as being "Asian" or "Filipina."
Truly, a Filipina is a mixture of many wonderful character traits, including - strong, intelligent and ambitious - the spectrum is as broad as it is long - surely it would be folly to generalise in any way - but dating sites will only contain a more representative selection of people when the sites themselves stop being nationality specific.
Any form of "branding" will increase the risk of attracting specific types of people - of either sex - it's easier to change a brand name than it is to change a deeply engrained myth.
There again - while these risks do still exist, perhaps it is safer to contain the "risk" within certain known, "branded" sites.
Unfortunately, because of the myth perpetuated about the Philippines the world has got the image completely wrong, for the most part - and is ignorant of what can lie just beneath the surface.
Many Filipinas and many of these dating sites purposely hide behind the mask of the myth - that they themselves promote - because it suits their aim. There are sites and tour operators who promote the Filipina as a commodity, emphasising only those characteristics that increase the lure. There are some Filipinas who are just out to scam people - to "better" themselves, or their families, financially.
Of course there are the innocent who fall prey to the unscrupulous - and this occurs both ways between the sexes.
A lot of these sites, inevitably, pander to the lowest common denominator and do attract a disgusting type of man - which creates, in turn, a feedback of contempt - which is self-perpetuating.
One cannot only stand on the side of the "Innocent" Filipina - ignoring the fact that many a western man has been pricked by a poisonous needle while fumbling amongst the hay.
There are all sorts of gold-diggers - some relatively harmless - some who simply and honestly want to better themselves.
But there are those who use deceit and manipulation as well.
Not all have the luxury to afford a conscience in this matter - there are many who see the Internet as a quick fix to financial deprivation - ignoring the morality - ignoring the deprivation of their soul.
There is nothing at all amiss about charity - it is the deception that often accompanies the requests for money that puts them in a different & unacceptable league.
Any form of regulation on dating sites can realistically only happen "post-trauma" - by whistle blowing and banning - but perception - the word on the street - is a far more powerful deterrent than the promise of merely piecemeal, punitive measures - and will keep genuine people away - thereby intensifying the ratio of undesirables who will remain.
This perception will only change when shameful activities by both western men and Filipinas are minimised.
They bring the shame upon themselves.
A paradoxical situation that cannot be resolved while there is money to be made from Filipinas - and while they continue to be selectively and aggresively marketed as a commodity.
The Philippines, both fiscally and socially, seems prepared to turn a blind eye - as it brings money on to the streets, into the shops.
There seems to be a defensive, protective attitude - which goes beyond simply a national pride - it's almost as if the reputation of a business is at stake.
Just how many people have got their fingers in this pot?
The variety of ways that Filipinas can be "marketed" - is endless - they seem to be regarded - and there are some who seem to imagine themselves - as a natural resource.
After all, beautiful women - are never going to go out of fashion as an attraction, a lure - there's a good, constant supply - and it's easier work than selling coconuts or mangos.
So the myth is protected - the shopfront is kept nice and clean - as it were. That shopfront is right here on the Internet, where it appears to be on an industrial scale.
While there is money to be earned, individually or corporately, I fear that any attempts to adjust the situation will be purely cosmetic.
Ultimately, as usual, it is the government who hold all the cards in this and many other matters. Until it sorts itself out, cleans itself up and truly becomes a democratic government with the people's interests at heart - with true freedom of the press - a judicial system that is untainted by partiality & corruption - nothing will happen.
The poverty will remain - criminal and dubious activities will continue to be encouraged in its shadow.
The enormity of the above challenge is the most serious and daunting concern for the majority of the population - most especially the impoverished.
But there are too many people, all the way up the ladder, who are self-satisfied and content with the staus quo - "I'm alright Jack" - for anything to ever happen.
UNQUOTE
The Internet is the shop window - efforts have to be made to keep the image sparklingly clear. The Philippines is by no means challenged or deficient when it comes to the Internet - a fact that Jepoy himself boasts about - on his own website HERE.
" May I remind you that the virus that crippled millions of computers, including the computers of your "1st World" government, came from my Alma Matter."
Apparently - people with his talents are highly sought after when it comes to cleaning the shop window - when the BUSINESS MODEL is threatened.
I'm certain that a large amount of profit from this sort of business activity goes straight into the pockets of those personalities who defend the image of the Innocent Filipina - in such a biased way. Such is their duality - their corrupt hypocrisy.
It is no surprise at all that the Real Estates Business wants a slice of these profits - after all - westerners cannot own land - and are unable to buy anything other than a condominium without the name of a Filipina wife - so teaming up with dating sites is an obvious answer.
So it appears to be one giant web of deceit - real estate firms, dating sites, nightclubs, bloggers, tour operators, forums, HTML gurus - all after western money - supporting and promoting the myth - painting a nice, glossy, innocent picture - what chance has a man of finding a genuine, honest relationship amongst all that lot?
It appears that this is the web that I got tangled up in.
Great caution is needed.
But of course - everyone there is in denial - or living in fear.
