Social media linked to rise in Pinoys marrying ‘Afams’

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MANILA, Philippines — The government has noted an uptick in Filipinos marrying foreigners mainly due to the influence of social media, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) said on Tuesday.

In local street lingo, there’s even a term for these aliens: Afam, an acronym for “a foreigner assigned in Manila.”

CFO chair Romulo Arugay, in a Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon” television interview, said that marriages with Americans remain at the top of the list, followed by Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians.

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“The level of marriage migrants in our country has been high since 2007 and it only slowed down during the pandemic. In 2022, we have seen an increase of 20 percent to 30 percent, or up to 6,500 of our compatriots marrying foreigners,” Arugay said.

Of this number, about 6,000 or 90 percent were women while the rest were men.

The CFO sees the rise in the use of social media as the main factor for the increase, as well as the “matchmaking” efforts of relatives and friends.

Deterrent vs trafficking

Through its guidance and counseling program, the CFO aims to protect the welfare of Filipino spouses, fiancé or fiancee and other partners of foreign nationals, former Filipino citizens, or Filipino dual citizens who plan to migrate overseas. This is to prevent trafficking in the guise of marriage.

“The CFO has to make sure that before they leave, they have completed all the paperwork, and they already have their visas regarding their marriage abroad. They will also go through the guidance and counseling program under our office,” Arugay said.