Dating vs Courting In The Philippines

Since love happens to be everyone’s favorite language, dating and courtship feature heavily in many cultures. When is it appropriate to marry? Who should a person be with? What are the dynamics of a relationship? All these questions relate to dating vs courting in the Philippines. 

The Philippines, like many other countries around the world, has developed its own set of interesting, exceptional, and unique dating traditions and practices. This diverse culture makes it more attractive to both locals and tourists to find love. Despite numerous innovations and cultural changes, the Filipino community has stayed faithful to its heritage from pre-colonial times to the present. 

Although there have been significant changes in Filipino dating practices, it cannot be denied that they still lavish a great deal of love and affection on the people they care for, whether the romantic engagement is traditional or modern.

There are some unique differences when it comes to dating vs. courting a lady in the Philippines. If you’re a man looking to pursue someone from the Philippines, you may be inclined to do it your own way, which can be overwhelming to a gorgeous young Filipina. But don’t sweat it! On TrulyFilipino, we offer a wide range of articles and blogs on all kinds of topics.

Due to a range of influences and facts, the conventional courtship system is changing every day. If you’re interested to know about dating vs courting in the Philippines, you’re in the right place. 

10 Major Differences Of Dating vs Courting

Dating has progressed dramatically in the era of social media and more accessible internet. Parents and family members are less engaged, and couples can date without their parents’ permission, though those are not the only things that have changed:

1. Asking Someone Out On The Phone Is The New Norm

In today’s dating scene, you may ask someone out on a date through a quick phone call. In the past, asking someone out was a special occasion that had to be carefully planned and executed. But, in a country today with fast-paced technology, you do not have to wait forever! 

If you like somebody, you can ask them out right away. You don’t even have to see their face for you to go out with them! You can arrange a date over the phone, and some people even go on social media or online dating sites, like TrulyFilipino, to search for somebody to go out with. And this doesn’t concern them because the people in today’s generation are free-spirited and open-minded.

2. It’s Not Unusual For Unwed Couples to Move In Together

Live-in relationships are highly common in the Philippines nowadays. Despite this, cohabiting without the marital bliss of marriage and the family’s blessing is still looked down upon in the Philippines, where marriage is practically a religious rite. 

In the old days, you had to court the lady in various ways to win her heart. Things like serenading her and sending her love letters or presents were crucial before you can get her parents’ blessings, get married, and live together. 

However, couples today tend to live together because of the expenses involved in a wedding, particularly when they are further along in their relationship and want to move it to the next level. Living together with your significant other in today’s generation is seen as a way to get to know each other under one roof. As people would say, you can never really get to know someone until you have lived with them.

3. Dates Aren’t As Formal As They Used to Be

Filipinos did not “date” in the traditional sense back in the day. Men courted women, or “ligaw,” as we call it. Before, a gentleman would have to ask the lady’s parents’ permission before going on a date with their daughter. 

To prove their worth to her parents, they would serenade their love interest and perform acts of service. This tradition has been overshadowed by the emergence of online dating and social media today. 

Couples today can simply go out to watch movies, enjoy hobbies together like trekking or going to the beach, and eating their meals together. We consider all these things dates. Some don’t even need to ask permission from their parents, as they can easily call or chat with each other and arrange the date, and you’re good to go. To say that things have changed dramatically would be an understatement.

4. Ghosting Is Very Common

In today’s modern dating world, ghosting is nothing unique. 

Ghosing refers to the act of abruptly stopping all interaction within a developing romantic relationship for no apparent reason. The “ghoster” in this scenario disappears entirely into thin air, avoiding the other person’s text messages, phone calls, and emails, cutting off all communication. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence among couples who have been going out regularly but have not yet labeled their relationship as girlfriend and boyfriend.

The worst part about ghosting is that it leaves the other individual utterly bewildered and puzzled as to where it all went wrong. Regardless of whether you’ve been seeing each other for some time or you’re still in the early phases of a heartfelt connection, ghosting is an abrupt and total end to whatever you both had going on, it’s as if it never actually occurred in the first place. Unfortunately, it’s also a commonplace experience on online dating sites.

Recommended reading: 8 Ways Dating Apps Are Changing Society

5. Hooking Up Doesn’t Mean You’re Dating

Despite religious practices that continue to preach to people that sex should only occur within the sanctity of marriage, the Philippines is slowly moving towards a more pervasive hookup culture. 

In today’s generation, with easy access to the internet and online dating sites and applications, you can easily meet up with potential partners for all kinds of purposes—whether it’s for a serious relationship or just a casual hookup. This was certainly not the case in the Philippines in the past, when sex was a taboo discussion, far away from young couples’ courtship.

So if you’re casually hooking up with someone, you have to be sure of your relationship status. Because hooking up with someone doesn’t necessarily mean you’re both dating, and it certainly doesn’t mean they’re courting you.

6. Women Need Careers, Too

Traditionally, a man would do substantial labor in the woman’s home to show his ability to provide for her, but that was many years ago. Cutting wood and tending to their farms would no longer be important if you can show that you have a stable career and a decent salary. And the inverse has become true, as well.

In older days, women didn’t have to prove that they could be moneymakers, too. Being able to look after a home and birth children was enough to make you marriageable, but in today’s more competitive dating scene, you’ll need to show your man that you’re a worthy ambitious catch.

7. You Don’t Have to Meet In Person to Date

With the emergence of online dating sites and applications, you have the choice of dating before even meeting each other in person. Online dating sites like TrulyFilipino allow you to meet with potential partners, depending on your match preference. 

Once you find an ideal potential partner, you can get to know them, their hobbies and interests, and you even do a video call within the site’s messaging platform. You will eventually meet after exchanging messages and video calls, so you have to make sure that you’re both on the same boat about the relationship.

8. You Won’t Get Dates If You Don’t Have A Profile Picture

When courting a Filipina in the past, men didn’t always need to see what his woman looked like! Most Filipina women would cover their faces with large fans, also known as abaniko, to display modesty. 

But today, people would say you’re a con, married, or on the run, if you don’t have one single photo of you on your online dating profile or on other social media platforms—no photo, no date. Also, if you’re looking for a genuine relationship, your photos can’t be basic either. You’ll need to invest some serious time into getting it right!

9. Your Date Might Be Dating Other People

With the prevalence of online dating and dating applications, the person you like is possibly dating several people simultaneously. If this makes you feel uneasy, it’s time to brace yourself mentally. 

In the Philippines’ traditional dating and courting traditions, men would only seek one woman—the woman with whom they would spend the rest of their lives. 

Technology has changed the modern dating scene by allowing people to “date” multiple people at the same time. It’s difficult, particularly if you’re used to only seeing one person at a time. On the other hand, many people use this dating approach to screen potential partners before deciding who they would like to be exclusive with.

10. You Don’t Have to Reply to Messages You’re Not Interested In

Back in the day, the gentleman would ask his desired lady’s close friend to deliver a letter on his behalf. Whatever the woman’s answer is, whether she embraces or refuses the gentleman’s affection, she will, in return, write a response to the letter and request that their mediator redelivers it to the gentleman.

Guys nowadays expect a response when they send you messages on online dating sites. Non-response is the most effective way to demonstrate disinterest. This isn’t a polite response, but it does help avoid creeps.

Conclusion

Courting vs dating in the Philippine culture definitely have their differences. But if you’re open to accepting these differences, you can avoid constant disagreements and have a fruitful relationship instead! Hop on to TrulyFilipino today and search for your ideal Filipina!