Island Bum wrote:This is my first post here. A buddy told me about the site and I figured I could learn a lot from it.
I have been following this thread with interest. I must say that I am disappointed in Winston in that he has created a real mess for himself. I thought that he would be a teacher for us, something like a monger guru, but now I’m not so sure. I’ve been married to a Thai woman for over 30 years now, and I have lived and worked in Thailand, Philippines, Korea, and Japan, so I have some knowledge of the issues you are facing.
I don’t know how or where you found Dianne, and that isn’t really important. However, I will say if I were single, still in my 30’s, and looking for a relationship, that I think I could have found a nice smart girl with a college degree who could have made a real good lifetime companion. The Internet and Manila newspapers are full of personal ads from decent middle class Filipinas, and a casting of the net would have eventually brought in a keeper. Bargirls are fun to play with, but I think a reasonably educated, mature and sober American male should know better than to get heavily involved with them.
The most significant fact is that you have had a baby with Dianne. This creates serious legal implications, as a court in the Philippines can assess child support just like a court in the USA. And child support lasts roughly 18 years. If you break up with her over money issues, I do not doubt for a minute that she will seek advice from friends and eventually try to get you in legal trouble if you continue living in the Philippines.
Someone wrote a post near the beginning of this string that suggested you get some legal advice. I certainly agree with that advice, as you are going to be facing a lot of trouble if you try to break up with Dianne. It’s probably too late to enter into a binding “palimony� agreement with Dianne, as the baby has already been born. However, perhaps it would be possible to enter into a “prenuptial� agreement with her in the event you might wish to consider getting married to her at some point. However, I am not certain that the Philippine courts will recognize these types of agreements, and that is why you should hire a lawyer. Anyway, a prenuptial agreement could stipulate that you do not have to give money to her family members, and stipulate the size of the monthly allowance you will give to her for all her shopping and other personal requirements. More importantly, it could stipulate that, should you later divorce, that she will not be entitled to any alimony, or any percentage of any pension plan, 401K or other asset that you have. You may even be able to stipulate as to the size of the monthly child support, how it would be paid, and your right to visit your child for a certain period or periods each year.
The alternative is to keep paying out money for Dianne’s clothes and other extravagances, and to support her family. Based on my experience, having many friends married to Thai and Filipina women, they will never stop pressuring you for money. And as time goes on, they will become more jealous and more demanding to the point that you will feel like a prisoner.
Anyways, to summarize, I recommend that you contact a Philippine lawyer for damage control. Good luck, as you will need it.
Island Bum
W: I met her in an internet cafe and bar. I don't think legal protection or involvement is necessary here. None of my Filipino friends say that it is. I think you are thinking of the worst, and you do not know Dianne or Filipino mentality. FYI, she does not like to involve outside sources in family or personal conflicts. In fact, she prefers to deny the problems. And hates even discussing them. Filipinos are not the suing type like Americans are. And Dianne is not a suing type either. She hates involving outside parties in personal matters.
More than half the bar girls here have babies, but they never sue the fathers of their babies, even if they are foreigners. They just give up on them and live separate lives and that's it. It's very common around here. I do not hear about the girls here going to court suing for child support. But just for safety purposes, I'll consult my close Filipino friends here, including this intellectual that I met here who is almost a mirror image of me.
I already wrote several times here that Dianne is willing to accept it if I just provide baby supplies for her to pick up, rather than any kind of monthly child support in the form of cash. You must have missed that. Why would I give them an allowance? That would be stupid. And I don't even trust them, for many reasons I'll elaborate on later.
Besides, they can't afford a lawyer, and can't even afford food on the table right now. So Dianne has to work part time, but she hardly ever goes to work cause of her low energy level and tolerance. And even if they did, I can bring up theft charges against them for things they did in the past, including attempted violence, scams, etc. (which I'll get more into in another post later). So I have a lot on them too. And believe me, it is not true that the courts here will always side with Filipinos. Me and my friends have won cases and disputes here involving law enforcement. If it is a simple matter, they will usually side with the people who are right. And don't forget I have some powerful connections here too. And in addition, I am very persuasive and convincing person who speaks very honestly. I'm the type of person that people BELIEVE when they hear. No one who listens to me doubts the truth of what I'm saying. Truth is everything to me, and my passion for the truth shines through. I come across as an honest educated intelligent persuasive person who argues very well and skillfully. That's why I always do so well in job interviews.
Also, believe it or not, deep down inside, despite her insatiable greed for materialistic things, she does love me deep down at the core. This is demonstrated by the fact that no matter how big the fight between us, she always wants to try to work things out, and even when we don't see each other for a week cause we are on a "break", as soon as she sees me again, there is a smile of joy and happiness the moment she sees me again.