As a well-respected and prominent Australian Migration Agency in Philippines, we at Down Under Visa were just asked to participate in an Australian current affair program on the topic of “romance tourism” in Philippines.
We refused! We politely declined!
Firstly, “romance tours” or any agency or business promoting introductions of Filipinas with western men (aka foreigners) is illegal in Philippines, under Republic Act 6955 of 1990. Harsh? Didn’t know that? It may seem that way, but it was brought in due to the exploitation that was taking place, and because it was seen as an affront to the dignity of Filipino women.
Secondly, even if this practice were not illegal, my wife and myself have always found the idea of basing a marriage on picking out a girl from a selection whilst on holidays a demeaning and dehumanizing act. How insulting to a girl who may become your wife to choose her in such a manner! Marriage is a sacred union, and is the basic building block of the family. When my wife Mila and myself chose each other, there were no others waiting in a lineup. We had enough respect for each other to devote whatever time it took to each other, and almost two years later we were together in Australia. Watch this space over the next number of decades and we’ll still be together.
Most of our clients met via Internet chat sites and dating sites. They noticed something special about each other, and their relationships blossomed and developed. It’s been our honor and our pleasure to have played a supportive role in bringing so many fine couples together in Australia via the migration process. In probably 95% of cases we can see that these couples have chosen each other wisely, and we expect they will mostly remain together in contrast to the high divorce rates in the general populace.
So if you do see a current affairs program on Australian TV in the next few weeks, rest assured the only contribution Down Under Visa gave it was to steer them in the direction of the Law. We’re happy to just keep on doing what we’re doing, providing visa advice and assistance to sincere couples.
Jeff Harvie MARN 0959797
Registered Migration Agent
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My past experience with Current Affair Programs are that they are only after a Story that will be a sensational revelation bringing them top ratings for the week. In my case; I declined to be interviewed, my ex-wife and her female friends agreed to their request of a ‘woman’s point of view’ on the topic they were covering. They tried gaining incriminating Film footage with out the girls knowledge that I blocked by walking past their Camera, then that night when the article aired, it showed the girls from our City (Ipswich) as the interview began, then immediately cut to well known Hoon footage from the Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Brisbane areas showing footage of unknown drivers performing illegal acts of Drag racing and Burn outs on public roads.
The Station that portrayed what these ‘mature middle aged women supposedly carrying out pathetically *dubbed* offences’ is owned by a Media Mogul well known in World circles for under handed tactics to gain a story. Never believe what you see on a Current Affair program unless you have witnessed it personally with your own eyes as they will never stand for the truth getting in the way of a good story… Unfortunately, the ‘Average Joe Public’ could not tell that the footage was dubbed from other areas of the State, so there was an uproar!
Good call Jeff! I can guarantee your reputation would have been torn to shreds and reduced to that of a seedy Brothel operator had you agreed to do their low brow interview!