Since I am one of these Filipinos who married a foreigner, I tend to have a positive opinion of people like me.

I’m well aware of the reputation we have. People, even fellow Filipinos, don’t always have nice things to say about those who marry foreigners, and I know some of those rumors are true.

But that doesn’t mean I don’t get hurt or angry about how easy it is for some to judge my life choices based on unfair stereotypes. They don’t have the right, and they certainly don’t know all the details.

So what are my thoughts on Filipinos who marry foreigners? I think we need to stop assuming that Filipinos only marry foreigners for money. That’s absolutely not true.

I think we need to accept that sometimes, someone just finds the love of their life in a person who came from another country, and that kind of love is just as valid and beautiful as all the others.

I’ve been married to my husband for over a decade now, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. There’s nothing any detractors can say that will make me regret or be ashamed of the life I’ve built with him.