Barrio Seite

Hollow Propaganda . . .

In response to Reyna Elena's uninformed, biased propaganda attempt to de-bunk my story - you will see here, how he only manages to acheive moron status - for his public display of undiluted bigotry and bias.
[My responses are blue & in brackets.]

THE CONCLUSION
Background

This is a story of Tim. A man who fell madly in love with a Filipina named, Mayen. Tim claimed that his search for genuine love and relationship in the Philippines was ruined by a real estate business who was engaged in an organized crime of extortion together with the hospital and real estate agents as fronts of a big real estate and hospital scam. (Barrio Fiesta UK 2008. These are just the new keywords that Hellumbra is using. Barrio Fiesta UK Tierra Maria and Barrio Fiesta UK 2008.)

[OK - for a start - unless you intend merely to be disrespectful, I am referred to as Ellumbra. Yes, I have branched out using different keywords, simply to keep the story in the public eye and to combat all the propaganda that people like you are spreading. What I am suggesting happened is this - in my words - and I shall set about untwisting the interpretation that you insist on - to suit your own suspect and devious motives.

I had been primed with Mayen's struggle and her poverty - although, only from her own words. It seemed a prerequisite that I understood, as she used to say "her situation."
Having accepted that - I envisioned a relationship in which we could both live comfortably - free to enjoy life, living and loving - that our love was reciprocal - and that it was love for it's own sake - not for any hidden agenda.
On my visit, I was immune from negative feelings - in denial - I wished sincerely for the relationship to work.
Not only was I extremely happy and blissful, which in itself allows for a positive interpretation of events - even though at times I was aware of sinister undercurrents, that alerted my instincts to potential trouble ahead, I succesfully managed to excuse all these feelings away - a perfect example of wishful thinking - which is a common error made by people in love.
So - during my trip - although Mayen did not share one single expense with me - I was happy. Although I was used to provide money for all sorts of things - none of the amounts were too vast - none of it caused me any complaints at the time.
Only in retrospect can I see that there was definitely a trend in behaviour being established.

A trend which changed gear on my return to the UK.
Within the space of a month - 3 requests for money - 2 of them not direct requests, but cunningly designed emotional traps - to which there is only one way out - to offer to send money. These were not honest, direct requests or transactions - but a skilled display of the art of manipulation - carefully introducing the elements of poverty, hardship and need - and balancing them against the honeyed words of a love, that was now established to be suitably deep and reliable.
All reliant on my trust - a trust that would not ask questions - would not require proof that the situations that demanded money were in fact genuine situations - only in love does this blindness occur - but it is in many ways similar to the dependency that is relied upon to increase and sustain the trade of illegal drugs - in itself, a reason to attract the interests of organised crime. But rather than be speculative - I shall stick to the known facts.
Which are - that Mayen and her boss, the marketing manager worked for Tierra Maria Estates - which is why that name is being used - without that leverage - no one was listening.]

Not a happy man

Tim admitted he’s not a happy man. His life was in a rut. His relationship with his wife drifted away. He was a musician, happy at work but tired and always financially drained. He wanted to get out of his marriage but he is tied up to the house. The mortgage of his house was his big problem and his life was not getting anywhere. He doesn’t have money. Quite possibly, financially bankrupt. He wanted out and start something new.

1st suspicion of being scammed

Tim described himself as a very cautious person. He had a Friendster account. He met a young Filipina there who started telling him that her family could no longer afford her tuition fees as a trainee nurse. He immediately cut-off any communication with her. This was the 1st incident that he suspected that a scam was about to happen to him.

[Because that is exactly how scammers operate - first they establish a loving relationship - then they introduce a need - yes - there are many "freelancers" doing this with their own styles, their own timetables, their own favourite psychologies - but underneath, the components are the same. It's simple - it works.]

Attracted to Asians (Eastern look)

He said, he has always been attracted to an Eastern look since they have great respect for elders, they are not particular about physical appearance of their partners and they appreciate more of the attributes of loyalty and honesty and they are God-fearing.

Dating in Asia (DIA)[Actually it's DateInAsia - please get your facts right.]

So he joined an Asian dating site where he met Mayen, the “Curly Hair”. She worked as a "Property Consultant" for Tierra Maria Estate’s sales office in Paranaque City. He made known to Mayen that he was extremely cautious. Indeed, there are a lot of fake people on the Internet, Mayen warned him, but that she was genuine.

Love at first type

Mayen was only 23 years old, then. One simple photograph. He got infatuated or love at first type? (My reference to keyboard). Big time.

Mother knows best

He visited his mother and asked for and was given blessing about his intent to meet Mayen, given the fact that he was still a married man. The next morning, his sister in Portugal dreamt that some guardian angel told her that Tim was in danger. He was decided. He was meeting the love of his life.[Actually it was my mother who had the dream - my sister reported it to me - again - get your facts right.]

Absolute secrecy

Tim considered his marriage as over. He was still a married guy that’s why the travel plans were in absolute secrecy. So secret that he asked his friend to purchase the tickets online that could not be traced to his bank account. As cover, he planned the trip to coincide with his 10-day business trip to Jersey.[OK - only a fool, or at least, a bigger fool than I have been - would burn all his bridges, based on a 2 month old, long distance relationship over the Internet - including one or two phone calls, but no webcam chats.
That does not mean I was not sincere in my wishes - merely that I wished to evaluate things more thoroughly, before completing plans for selling the house and my divorce - both of which had already been discussed here at home.]

1st show of doubt

Given the cautiousness of Tim, he doubted if Mayen was for real. To quell his fears and doubts, Mayen sent her phone number.
He phoned her. They talked. Mayen was real. He loved it.

[The fact is that my cautiousness, which can be understood as common sense when dealing with the Internet, was exacerbated by Mayen's apparant reluctance to share information about herself with me - I was on a drip feed - it was not what I would consider to be readily forthcoming.
Mayen was aware of this herself - later on using the fact that she had introduced me to her colleagues and family as "a way to prove that she was genuine."
As if a physical reality could be enough to prove anything - it can do little to demonstrate underlying motives - crucial to matters of trust - especially if true motives are being concealed.]

Manila, here I come.

He then flew to Manila with the help of his friend. A trip where he would come face to face with scammers. A trip that is full of deception, according to him. In his preface, he said:

"This is professional racketeering by people suffering from the impoverished conditions that unfortunately befall the vast majority living in the Philippines, constantly alert for any way to make more money for themselves. Morals don't seem to concern them. Aware of the potential in the raw power of emotions - like an untapped natural resource - they resort to a type of suburban savagery, using modern technology to wreak their havoc - destroying lives in the process - as they consciously manipulate situations to be able to take advantage of people's sincere and deeply felt emotions - yes - people's love - for their own material gain."

Filipino hospitality & culture, misunderstood

[Not surprising really, there is a lot of conflicting propaganda - the myth versus the inside story.]
Filipinos are well known for their hospitality. We may not be the only people in the world who are very friendly and welcoming, but our attitude towards other people, especially foreigners are always exceptional. However, foreigners find some of our culture as odd. Even my officemates would laugh at my anecdotes. But to the unsuspecting foreigner, it could be a different story.

[The same duplicity and double standards - you are hiding behind the myth. Quoting only an ideal - but in denial of the well known fact that in reality, a lot of the attitude towards foreigners is secretly contemptuous - and that a lot of unsuspecting foreigners are treated as cash cows.]

The 2 months that Tim and Mayen met online, were not enough for Tim to prepare and understand the Philippines and the Filipinos culture. I seem to believe that he made a little bit of preparation, but it was not enough. He was simply too ignorant about the culture. Here are the instances where I found that Tim seemed to have a lot trouble understanding the Filipino culture and hospitality and most of them have been taken in a really, really bad context. Take the case of the following:

[You cannot conceal, excuse or justify the sort of immoral activity that is at the heart of
this event by any mumbo-jumbo about "Filipino culture and hospitality." Morality, honesty, integrity are pretty well universal in their commonality - together with a condemnation of deceit, emotional manipulation, fraud and theft.]

Chaperone

Chaperone is a big part of our culture. It’s as simple as making sure that someone is safe especially meeting strangers.

When Mayen met Tim at the airport, with her friends, there was no indication on the Journey that Tim made a big deal of this one. Which is good.

["Which is good" - your twisted presumptions along with patronising expectations of any respect for your judgement or moral integrity make me laugh.
What is this? A simple case of "good or bad" in your opinion? As if anyone is going to value any merit that you care to apply.]

In Day 2, when Mayen brought him to his rented room and to Mayen’s home base, the people he met there treated him very nicely. According to him, he sometimes feels ashamed at the respect, near to reverence that’s being shown to him by these sweet, so beautiful people. Yet, in his mind, there are many snakes as well and it’s all about money, courtesy of the exchange rate and the appalling standard of living here. He said that these are all fake, apparently insinuating the fake respect that’s being accorded him.

[This is not something you could ever understand, not being a foreigner - but the residue of years of colonisation is still there - and it shows in attitudes.
Likewise - having observed taxis and jeepneys, skidding to a halt in a hopeful attempt that foreigner will step inside - is not an act of courtesy or hospitality.
When restaurants and hotels have a two tier pricing system it is an open admission that they are out to make money from those who they deem to have it - understandable - it's business after all - but do not try to deny it.
Neither will I deny that Filipinos are hospitable and freindly - that seems to be their natural disposition - I was generally enchanted by my whole visit - the country and the people I met, but in retrospect - obviously certain events give everything a different perspective.
How dare you twist my words to reflect your own devious motives.
I did not say that the hospitality was fake - I said that some people's perception of me as a rich person was false - that appearance was fake - and only courtesy of the exchange rate.
To generalise about everyone being similar is folly - sheer nonsense - there are snakes, I am writing to one - it was actually Sir Francis who warned me about them - he coined the phrase.]

Courtship & Pre-marital sex

In Day 3, when Mayen told him that she wanted to sleep with him, Tim got confused. Why? He was probably expecting that there was supposed to be some courtship to happen. Instead, they started to live like husband and wife.
There was no more courtship. In Filipino culture, this is such a blatant no no! Because people will immediately think that you are one "pokpok" (prostitute!). We do not expect a Filipina to tell a stranger that she wanted to have sex with him. Why? Our culture prohibits pre-marital sex.

[I presume you wouldn't be hypocritical enough to not practice what you are preaching?]
Making visitors feel at home

In Day 3 and Day 5, Sir Francis offered to tour them. This is a very common Filipino hospitality, welcoming visitors and making them feel at home. In Day 5, he was very impressed with the kindness of Sir Francis. Towards the end of the Journey, it was interesting that he gave a very bad meaning on this act of kindness on the part of Sir Francis.[So - are you trying to say that it is easy to spot a confidence trickster?
That they all walk around with a permanent scowl on their faces, are totally miserable people with no family life or social skills?
How patently ridiculous.
They are masters at deception, in throwing others off the scent.
Besides - it is only in hindsight that I came to any inevitable conclusions - not while I was there, or at any time since, when I was in his company.]

Common with our culture, especially if you are in the courtship stage is the kind of parental protectiveness with their kids.

Just like this one:

[Again - I think this is pretty well a universal trait - don't try to bamboozle me - you're just really hard pushed to find anything at all to attack.]

Parental protectiveness

1. In Day 7, Mayen’s mother quizzed Tim not only about her intentions to her daughter but she also asked him if he had any children. The mother was just trying to make sure that he was a good man.

[She concluded that I was. Which I am. So - are you disagreeing with Mama?]

People in the province and the inner barrios are not used to seeing foreigners. It might not exactly be the same when you get stared at and approached by Chinese people in China (as described by Kotsengkuba in his trip to Shanghai), but yes, people in the barrio will certainly be curious at you, like this one:

People’s friendliness

In Day 7, people in the barrio kept staring at Tim. To him, he was an oddity, a celebrity, and a source of money because Filipinos are very poor. He did not understand that this curiosity is actually a show of Filipinos friendliness.

[How ridiculous - so you are accusing me of tarnishing the little children who stared as already being corrupt?
Poverty does not always translate into greed and deception.
Only in a minority of people.
Although it has been well reported that families from these barrios sometimes move, lock stock and barrel to the larger cities to find their fortunes - having to resort to a variety of deceptive begging techniques - some quite professionaly organised - when honest work eludes them. Necessity is the prolific mother of invention - and her large family is spread all around the globe.
I am prepared to concede that I am not generalising - I am being fair in my analysis.
Denial would only prove that I am a bigot.]

In the Philippines, we have a culture to even share the family bed to the visitor and we sleep on the mat, outside of the room.

We also make sure that visitors are well fed. On the table, one would always hear “Kain ka pa! Wag kang mahiya!” (Have some more food! Don’t be shy!). Take this instance:

“Eat some more!”

In Day 7, Tim felt that people in the house don’t have any concern for him. He was describing an incident when they returned to the family house for the evening meal. He said, he was shocked that he was only offered a meager chicken wing and a small spoonful of rice while the others piled in, considering that he been asked to pay for the feast. Soon he realized, that he was just offered a taster, in case he finds it disagreeable.

[Yes - it was an uncomfortable feeling.
The situation was not imagined, it was real.
Although I rationalised a reason at the time in order to come to terms with the discomfort - I was actually ignored - and all the others were completely preoccupied with feeding themselves only.
Although in stark contrast to any other time, I felt that my presence was resented.
Again here it is not the amount of food that is important, but the underlying attitude.]

Courtship & Pre-marital sex.

In Day 7, the mother agreed for them to sleep in one bed. At the later part of Tim’s journal, he said that this was weird considering the Catholic upbringing of these people.
Tim was correct. This was very un-Catholic considering that pre-marital sex is not acceptable to our culture.
Another sign that guests are welcome or that Filipinos enjoyed your company and that you are considered as one of them is an invite that you come back or visit them again. We consider it as an honor if you accept the invitation and we only accord these to people who we consider as one of us. It was obvious that the family considered Tim as part of the family already. Like:

[There is no denying that I was welcome - there is no denying that to invite a return visit is another universally accepted thing to do. However - I do ask myself - why was I welcome?]

We are family.

1. In Day 10, the mother wants Tim to come back while the father was already comfortable with his son-in-law and is already thinking long-term business for his son-in-law. As a matter of fact, both of them were ushered by the mother to the chapel, lit candles and said prayers. I think Tim appreciated this one gesture.

[Yes indeed - the seal of religion ensured that everything was legitimate, assured me that I could trust these people.
Symbolic - yes - spiritually sincere? Perhaps.
However, the father's business idea was for me to buy some land for him to administer for the copra trade.
So who's interests were really at the heart of that idea?]

Overseas Filipino remittances, let me tell you, it’s one of the economic drivers in the country but let’s not discuss that here.

There’s also barrio remittances and our culture has it that if you work in Manila, that you must send money to the barrio. The more it is true in the smallest social unit called Family. We help one another. Sending money is one that my American officemates do not understand even my ex-boyfriend Hugh who was from Dublin, Ireland. Let me show you one instance where Tim saw this happening. Disregard the fact that Mayen doesn’t have money because people in the barrio always believe that you have money. Agree?

Sending money

1. In Journey 16, Tim was describing an incident where Mayen received a call from a sister telling her that there’s supposed to be a family festivity in the barrio that she must send money. This, according to him, transformed Mayen to a cold, hard, completely impersonal attitude to him.

[There is no denying that money was being handed over, that it was being requested, being used to purchase all manner of things.
This is not the issue.
The issue is the possibility of usery - an abuse of the trust present in a relationship to conceal other motives - a willing and conscious usery.
You do not know Mayen - you have never met her or any of her family.
You are in no position at all to detect any devious ulterior motive simply from reading my story. I find it hard enough and I have met them all.
These motives can only be deduced by what seems to be a trend in behaviour - and this trend is supported by all sorts of lies, excuses and deceit.
However, your complete lack of impartiality belies your own biased motivation. That is plain to see.
You have gone too far - you are refusing to admit to signs which should certainly alert to suspicion - but you have your head stuck in the sand - and that same sand blinds your judgement and decision making.
You are so obviously doing this simply for propaganda.
It has nothing whatsoever to do with any concern you may have for finding out the truth.]Convenience stores, although they are already getting swanky in some parts of the country, you’ll find them all over the place.
Any corner in the Philippines there is a sari-sari store. But he has a completely different explanation of this one.

The Sari-sari store

2. In Day 4, he explained that Sari-sari store was a repository of smalltime crime of shoplifting. This happened when they went to Mayen’s sister in Quezon City where he was privately bewildered and amazed to see an array of all sorts of general household goods hanging around, as if on display - cards full of small shampoo sachets, plastic tubs full of lollipops, cans of this, cans of that.

[I explained nothing of the sort - before I realised that I was actually in some sort of a shop - it was a lighthearted idea that briefly entered my head - but go ahead - make a meal of it - use it to score some urgently needed points on your scoreboard.]

“I am being scammed” Theory

It was the incident on Journey 16 (sister asking money from Mayen to pay for some family festivity), which Tim thought seriously – way too seriously that this was all part of the plan, part of the reason why he is there and everything else were a sweetener.

[Do you think I would want to stay in the relationship if Mayen acted in any way that was not sweet? Not in compliance with my dream?
There were certain moments which alerted a deep instinctive part inside me - which only responded with a very gentle whisper - drowned by the din of my bliss, immediately dismissed by my overpowering desire for Mayen.
But these moments remain - and can only be interpreted later - in suitably reflective moments.
I was aware of a certain business like way in which Mayen conducted herself during our time together.
As if much of it were mere formalities.
At times the holiday atmosphere, the joyful feeling of a holiday romance, a new romance, seemed to intrude into moments when perhaps we should have discussed more pertinent subjects about oursleves.
Not that it ever occurred to me at the time - I was blissfully happy - but it is an atmosphere that is ideal for concealing deceit.]

His mind started to work. As proof, he offered the following explanations:

1. Mayen acted like a bad humored terrier to him when he accidentally banged into the top of her shoulder.

[She admitted to me that she thought she possessed a dreadful temper - would throw things about when displeased - this was maybe just a glimpse - that briefly shattered the mood that was being worked for.]

2. Mayen wanted new shoes, he said: "it is not the amount of money that is the issue here - it touches on trust and moral behavior and shows a very unfamiliar angle to them."

[Well, never before has someone I have given charge of my money, gone ahead, walked into a shop and proceeded to spend it, no matter on what, without even asking.]

3. The first night's meal with the family, he was waiting to see if his prematurely empty plate would catch anyone’s attention or an invitation for more. No one. Obliviously, “like a family of crabs in a feeding frenzy”.

[Yup - by the way, you've already mentioned this.]

4. "While on the picnic at the seashore - again - in a perfectly graphic depiction of what was happening - I felt the deep fear pass over me once more."
There was this incident when they were in a small fishing boat on the ground. Mayen was showing Tim some various fisherman’s implements stowed on the boat, a catch net, a cleft stick for picking up sea urchins and a giant gaff hook that she posed with him as the big fish and her as the successful fisherman. Everyone laughed and she muttered something in Tagalog to which they all erupted in laughter. He felt so mocked and was extremely unsettling for him.

[OK - any ideas on what she might have been saying?]

5. Mayen had originally told him that the hotel room would be P800 per night - "I had forgotten this detail - but on checking in, the price I was quoted per night was P1, 800." Lost in translation? No. To Tim, this was part of the plan.

[So you're providing excuses now as well? Lost in translation - rubbish - that is a hard fact.]

6. Even all the negotiations that Mayen was doing, he now thinks that Mayen was earning commission here:
He said, "I'm sure that from the moment I stepped off the plane Mayen was probably earning herself percentages of all the deals she struck with these people - who themselves were only too happy to make more than the going rate - all at my expense."

[Can you prove that she wasn't? Is it unheard of then, for taxi drivers, hoteliers, restaurants to overcharge? Is it unheard of for a hotel to pay a small commission in return for bringing in clients?]

7. There is no question that Tim is in love with Mayen. But there is no question that doubts to Mayen is now engulfing him:
"How much of her behavior had been simply a charade?
How much had it been disguising a far less amorous motive - just giving dear Hansel sufficient sweets to lure him in?"

[Obvious concerns to have - but only in retrospect - after I detected that a trend in behaviour seemed to be revealing itself.]

8. More of “I am being scammed theory” and this is what he has to say:
"When there is a determination to deceive, the illusion is very easy to achieve in communicated material alone - depending on its perception - which the scammers believe has been preconditioned - emotionally - by love - to accept that everything can only be how it appears."

[Exactly - well that's it in black and white - the base model. Everything else is just variable disguises - but in essence - the key ingredients are all the same.
There is no denying that everything so far, can be seen either way - unless you are biased, but there is certainly adequate room for suspicion - unless you are firm in your denial.]

He offered this as proof:

a. "Bear in mind that in the Philippines, as no doubt in other areas of the world subject to poverty, some people will sell their integrity, compromise their honesty - "truth" can be purchased - by threat, by favor or by pesos."

[Do you deny that statement?]

b. "I am no longer prepared to accept what information I am given as true. Viewing the history of our relationship with this same suspicion throws absolutely everything into the shadow of doubt - how does one decide where to draw the line between fantasy and reality - once complete trust has gone - it is probably gone for good - the boy who cried wolf was never believed again."

[Why should I take at face value what is being told me? It is important to discover whether or not someone's basic motivation for a relationship, for the promise of marriage - can be trusted. Vitally important. Do you deny that?]

9. To this point, his fears of being scammed, of being fleeced are getting real, yet Tim offers that explanation that:
“ Let me please emphasize something crucial here - this is not an issue about money - far from it - it is all about trust, honesty, respect and integrity - essential ingredients, surely, for me to concern myself with - planning, as I was, to spend the rest of my life with this girl.”

[Exactly.]

“The stage was being set” Theory

While reading through his journals, I wanted to find out what part did he discovered that Sir Francis was one big actor in this scam? Journey 17 is another case of culture shock for Tim. This is where he concluded that they were all part of the scam.

[When he phoned me up and corroborated all that was going on, followed by continued collaboration in emails and SMS messages.
Now - you decide - if it is a scam, then he is definitely a part of it.
Obviously that decision was arrived at in retrospect - if I had seen it all unfolding, do you think I would have let it continue?
The decision was made by evaluating the sum total of all that has come to pass - up to and including your involvement.
Everything has been weighed up - over a year's worth of events.
You be the judge.
But hold on a moment - you've only recently come onto the scene - you obviously haven't read my story very thoroughly at all (proved by your errors) - and yet you have the temerity, the transparent cheek to challenge my serious considerations of a whole year, with your half-baked, instant mumbo-jumbo-propaganda - which is basically trying to excuse it all behind a smokescreen of "cultural misunderstanding."
Not only that, but you have managed to coerce others into colluding with your ridiculous scheme - demonstrating that none of you are taking this at all seriously - you're not interested in the truth - you're just trying to win a propaganda war - you haven't even read it properly - and some of you admit to refusing to read it.]

There are so many things happening here which to Tim signs of the scam were:

Tim was always being asked: Why you don’t have children? Even Mayen asked the question. Even the mother asked the question. Filipinos are just used to asking these questions. I wonder if they asked Tim about his salary.

[Correction - Mayen's mother asked IF I had any children, she wanted to find out if I had any committments. Mayen however asked, more than once, WHY I didn't have any children. Perhaps I'd had a vasectomy.]

2. Two people in love, having no protection was not on the table. The fact that they were permitted to share the same bed in the province, with Mayen’s mother approval runs counter to the strict Catholic morality.

[You're absolutely right, it wasn't on the table - it was in a bed. Because I was naive, I had not once thought anything about possible complications arising from abuse of my trust, or from a pregnancy, imaginary or otherwise. I was in love with Mayen and I assumed that this love was reciprocal - I was determined to honour this love - I was totally committed and sincere.
Accuse me of being stupid, of being irresponsibly naive, of being blindly in love - but do not for a moment suggest that my actions are anything other than a search for an important truth.]

3. When Mayen requested money to pay for Internet café fees then turned into hospital check-up thinking that she might have catched dengue fever because her friends’ brother has been hospitalized. He sent money. 160 pound. To Tim, he believed that Mayen now knows that he is an easy prey.

[How do I know where the money went? But all the ingredients are there - an emotionally weighted need.]

4. That Mayen was a liar because Friday 13th of July – Tim learned that Mayen thinks that she’s showing signs of pregnancy. But Tim continues to doubt. To make sure, Mayen went for a 2nd checkup. It was false alarm.

[Again, get your facts right - Mayen didn't go for a second checkup. I didn't call her a liar at the time - I was full of pride and even greater love when I heard the news. But nothing has ever been shown as proof that she was ever pregnant.
You see - unless you are predetermined to have a bias, like I was, because I was in love - like you are, because you are trying to protect someone or something with this propaganda - unless you are biased - it all becomes perfectly clear - there was no real proof of anything.]

5. Mayen got a fever. Could it be STD? Tim went bananas. He had himself checked-up because the cause is herpes.

Many things playing in his mind. Throwing away his marriage, his house, destroying any vestiges of trust with wife, he’s got STD, a pregnant girlfriend whom I love so deeply. Is this all true, he said? I shall have to go underground - change my identity - I envisioned a horde of machete wielding Filipino men coming after me to avenge their family honor, he said.

[Yet again, incorrect detail - it was me that first suspected that I had Herpes - because I was showing symptoms. The fact that it was inconclusively diagnosed at my first visit to the clinic does nothing to change the fact that Mayen was lying when she denied having the disease - because I know 100% - that I caught it from her. You cannot argue with that fact.]6. That Mayen was a "dirty woman, loose morals, infected with an STD. Mayen cried, locked herself up in the bathroom. To Tim, this was part of the charade.

[Quite - hoping that an emotional barrage would be enough to prevent it ever being brought up again. Well it succeeded - but this episode might have had a part to play in the timing of things, for if Mayen secretly now knew that I had caught Herpes from her, then sooner or later, I would know it as well - highlighting all my latent suspicions.]

7. The more it got stickier when Mayen informed Tim that her boss has decided that all 3 girls should now share a room. Mayen wants to find another place to stay. Questions on Tim’s mind: will he pay? To Tim, the stage was being set for a scam and it’s the work of Sir Francis.

[Again, only in retrospect - I believed it all at the time - but again, all the classic ingredients are there. I was ignorant of any truths about Mayen. Telling lies is so easy at a distance - how could I prove anything? It was all playing itself out in my mind - yet it was hoped that my mind was being influenced, completely, by my heart.]

Who’s behind this scam theory

When Mayen was brought to the hospital, the ectopic pregnancy solidified his scam conclusion. To Tim, ectopic pregnancy was just a perfect vehicle for extortion from a loving boyfriend because it’s worth quite a bit of money. He suspected all along that he will be scammed and this is it. They were all in it. The more his scam doubts were coming true because he could not talk to anyone at the hospital. And to prove that this is a scam, he has these to offer:

[Again - attributing your lies to my words - I did not say this was proof of anything - I said it was cause for suspicion.]
1. Mayen's behavior regarding money during my trip and since [Explained above.]
2. Her denial of having an STD is later proved a lie [Correct.]
3. Mayen's confusion over the dates suggesting to her that she was pregnant [Correct.]
4. The pregnancy itself [Not everyone is "lucky" at the first attempt.]
5. The rarity of Ectopic Pregnancies [Correct.]
6. The time scale of the Emergency operation - pains at 4.00am - operation at 3.45pm [It seems a long time to me.]
7. Ruptures of Ampullary Ectopic Pregnancies normally occur at 8 to 12 weeks. This is 6 weeks, 6 days from the earliest possible date of conception (23rd June) - very early [Correct.]
8. The fallopian tube was not removed - very unusual after a rupture [Correct.]
9. Mayen is only expected to be in hospital for 2 to 3 days [Correct.]
10. That this is happening just 5 days prior to my scheduled visit.[Coincidence or part of the plan?]

Tim’s conclusion: This was a scam. Who’s behind it?

"The real estate business, the team of girls luring westerners into parting their money, small amounts by western standard – but multiply that by the “number” of girls involved and the amount of potential clients they can have at any one time and it adds up to quite a business."

[Right - so you deny that it is possible?
No - I cannot prove where the idea came from, I cannot prove that it has ever happened before, I cannot prove that it is run on anything like an organised level - but - neither can anyone prove to me that it is not so.
Looking at the "trend" - all the events, all the information, all the lies, all the deceits, the subterfuge, the inconsistencies, the excuses - it is more statistically likely that I am correct - simply from the point of view of numbers, rolls of the dice - how many coincidences, indescrepencies, excuses do you have to accept - before it becomes improbable?]

The Golden Goose Theory

What’s interesting about Tim, based on his journals was that, the scam was ever present. There was already a scam from the moment he met someone on Friendster. There was already a scam at the hotel. In other words, it seemed to me that the scam theory was already finished even before it started and everything that happened were just proof about the scam. I am left wondering, what could have happened to Tim in the past?

[Don't be so ridiculous - it's just common sense - you cannot undo awareness - and I was aware that scams do happen - especially in and from the Philippines.
So you expect me to forget about them?
You really are absolutely devious in your insinuation that using common sense is indicative of a past trauma - or as you have tried to paint it, at it's worst, signs of a mental illness. You are pure, unadulterated nonsense.]

We may never know if he had a very bad childhood or a traumatic experience in the past. We may never know how bad the marriage was, and how deep did it contribute to his very negative view of everything.

[Actually - my journey to the Philippines indicates how hopeful and full of positivity I was - that I dared to have a dream - that I was proposing for myself a plan of action to change my situation. It does not indicate anything negative.]

True he admitted having an unworkable marriage. Just what could it be that happened in his life such that he must always be and constantly be reassured that red is red and white is white and here are the valid pictures? Tim does not trust anyone.
He’s scared like hell about somebody milking him. In his mind it’s called the Golden Goose Theory.

[In your mind only - because you see a particularly biased and twisted version of who I am, of what was happening - it is convenient for you to portray me like that - and that is all - it does not mean it is true. You are simply trying to inspire your imagined followers, your army of warped minds, who you are hoping will emulate yourself - kick someone when he's down - take advantage of a perceived disadvantage - a blatant, unashamed display of crab-mentality.]In Day 4, Mayen bought presents for her family. It was clear in Tim’s mind that although he enjoyed the feeling of generosity but he didn’t enjoy feeling like the golden goose. Nor will he wallow in his new role as a benefactor, courtesy of the exchange rate. He has his own financial problems in the UK. He was insinuating that he would not enjoy being Mayen’s Golden Goose.

[I take it you wouldn't mind someone using you, through deceit and abuse of trust. Yet I have read, in a post by you giving words of caution about trusting anyone - especially in business dealings. So you are nothing but a hypocrite - a multi-faced, social glitter ball, reflecting only the opinions that you consider will elevate your status at the time - no consistency - no honesty - no perspective or opinion that is of any value at all.]

In Day 8, he explained that Mayen was the Golden Goose of her family. This was the day that Mayen cried because hesaid; she’s fed up with some of her family members trying to fleece the golden goose.

[I think you're over using the Golden Goose bit here - & getting into a bit of a muddle - it doesn't make sense. Consistency - at last.]

In Day 11, even though he was the one who bought Mayen a new cell phone since the old one was giving up he admitted that he doesn’t care if Mayen drains him of all his money since they have a genuine love. In his mind, the Golden Goose Theory is real because of so much poverty in the Philippines

[Of course - where else, other than in poverty, would there be an environment conducive to
this sort of behavior?]

Tim needs continued reassurance

Tim is such a fragile person, very insecure, very scared. Continued reassurance that everything is ok. That’s what Tim needs. He has doubts about everything. In Journey 16, Tim was still having some serious doubts about Mayen and I don’t think Mayen understood that Tim continually needs assurance that she was for real, that this was not a scam and that she was not fleecing him, that the world was not out to con him. This was where Tim described himself:

[Have you heard the phrase "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is." You obviously do not know me - I am far from fragile - very resilient and very determined.]

"Despite numerous requests for her to be more illuminating about herself - all that followed were harmless, day-to-day remarks - generally positive - to keep the wheel spinning - as it were. But - being ever the cock-eyed optimist, perhaps a good choice of phrase in the circumstances, not simply for its musical theatre location, I managed to blind my vision at the time."

Cock-eyed, which means, cross-eyed, absurd, foolish, completely wrong – and optimist. More of the cock-eyed probably.

But optimist? And this is where I beg to dis-agree with Tim. An optimist is a person with a positive outlook on life. And that always finds something positive in any situation. All throughout the journal, the entries were full of doubt, scam and fleecing him. Based on his journals, he showed how seriously negative he was and gave me reason to believe that there must be some serious incident that happened in his life why he is like this.

As a matter of fact, he admitted that he was trying to do something about it. He admits that there's something wrong with him. Let me show you:
Tim was doing something about his negative thoughts

[All you are doing is showing how I liked to read books that resonated with my own positive thoughts - people who are negative of mind, don't necessarily have the initiative to do anything about it - I have always enjoyed books like these - since I was in my teens.]

In Journey 2, he admitted of doing quite a bit of uplifting, inspirational reading recently - The Secret, Conversations With God, The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari - all telling him the same thing, the same message. The world is abundant, have faith, create your own future by attracting it towards you - keep the thoughts clearly on target, be thankful - it so much makes sense - I am changing, day-by-day. This he does because of a lot of negativities in his head.

[No - I am changing because I am starting to see an end to the prison I was in with my marriage - a very liberating prospect.]Tim’s fears proven wrong. By him.He always fear about something and interestingly, how many times his fears proved him wrong? Let me show you.

Feared Mayen was not real. To quell his fears and doubts, Mayen sent her phone number. He phoned her and found out she’s real. He loved it.

[What a ridiculous statement - I've no idea why Mayen gave me her phone number at that time - I was in no doubt that I was communicating with somebody, who was obviously real.
Seeing a picture, reading words of messages and emails, hearing the sound of a voice that I found powerfully seductive in tone - all these things do very little to reveal the true motives of anyone's actions.
That was what I feared - that her motives might perhaps not have been as innocent and sincere as they appeared on the surface - as she would like me to have imagined.]

Feared that the hotel was a scam because it was newly built and it has no Internet connection. The British Embassy could not confirm the location; he confronted the girl with his fears, angry and upset because he feared for his life, being kidnapped, extortion and entrapment.

[Well, I'm glad I checked it out anyway - so the misgivings I had about this were wrong - I didn't have any concrete ideas about why this was odd to me - but I am thorough. Besides - I needed to leave word with my friends where I would be staying.]

In Day 7, during a family meal that he paid for, he was given a meager meal that shocked him where soon after, he realized he was offered a taster.

[You mentioned this earlier on - are we trying to create padding here?]

In Journey 17, he went for an STD check-up nothing confirmed. He thought he got STD from Mayen. Although in Journal 33, he now claims that third return of Herpes symptoms occurred. This time - the tests brought a confirmation.

[More padding.]

In Journey 26 and Journey 29, Tim questioned Mayen about the Php44, 600 that he sent to her for the wedding ring.

He accused her of lying on this one. But for some reason, there was an entry on Journey 24, indicating that his telephone was being fixed that day which was the reason why the transfer was not transmitted.

[Just read it thoroughly - it's all there - this was a trick - to see if it would entice Mayen back into continued communication - as it stands - it was inconclusive - but her motives for returning are suspected of being either to get this money, or to work on me to remove my blog - or indeed - both.]

Tim suffers from never ending worries, doubts and fears

In Journey 18, I was particularly struck by this incident when he was trying to sell his story and make profit out of it.

"I try to think of ways to raise some money - I phone the Sun newspaper - a human interest story - but no interest from them and the phone very tersely slammed down on me after a brief explanation. I phone another "Sell-your-story" contact - ask her to read the story so far on this blog. She is interested but cannot help financially at such short notice. Now I am becoming extremely worried about my security when I arrive in Manila - if this is a scam - they are all in on it - including some people at the hospital - they already know that I'm suspicious - and determined to deal with the hospital through the proper channels - who will in fact meet me at the airport, where will I be taken?"

[In fact I was much more absorbed with trying to get somebody to accompany me on my journey - it seemed like a good idea - in the panic of the day prior to my flight - not to go to Manila on my own - under the circumstances. If these people had bitten on the story - thought it news-worthy, it might have worked. I was desperate - I would have tried anything.]

Tim, the over-cautious person, wanted the hospital to deal with him directly. He doesn’t trust anyone. Not Mayen, not Marivien nor Sir Francis. Only the hospital. There was just one big problem. Fiancée relationship does not count in releasing some patient information in the Philippines. This is very much true in the West. Stuck – he could not get any help. From the embassy. From the authorities. From the hospital. The more the “I was scammed theory” was getting real. To him, this pregnancy is not true. The hospital through the help of the real estate business was extorting money from him. Mayen, his love made a fool out of him.

[Listen - patient confidentiality is in place to protect the patient. They can always persuade a hospital to communicate with whoever they choose - especially when there is money involved. Even this feeble excuse was never mentioned at the time - only as an afterthought. Are you trying to tell me that in the urgency before my flight, the hospital refused to accomodate Mayen's request, the concerted efforts of all her relatives, work colleagues, Sir Francis?
Far easier to believe that no effort in this direction was ever made - far easier to believe that rather than actually involve the hospital anymore at this stage, by supplying directly incriminating written material - far easier to believe they wished that this was something that would pass - that I would actually just send the money, or appear in Manila with it.
But again - more to the point - WHAT CAN YOU POSSIBLY KNOW ABOUT IT - YOU HAVE ONLY BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS, YOU WERE NOT IN PARANAQUE AT THE TIME, YOU INSIST YOU HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH EITHER THE GIRL OR THE REAL ESTATE FIRM, YOU HAVE NOT READ MY STORY THOROUGHLY, YOU HAVE NO MATERIAL EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT YOUR VERSION OF EVENTS - SO TAKE A HIKE - EVAPORATE - NOBODY IS GOING TO TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY - OTHER THAN AS A BIGOTED, CONSPIRATORIAL LIAR.]

Mayen, the good side

There were several instances in the journal where Mayen was actually very protective and caring to Tim. I’m not sure if this was in fact a show of love by Mayen or was just the nature of Mayen. Let me show you:

[So what? It wouldn't have done her cause any good at all to be hostile, abusive or unpleasant. She wanted me to continue to fall deeper and deeper in love - which is what did happen. Again - you are trying to paint a totally unreal portrait of what confidence tricksters are like. They do have friends, families - they can smile, they can be sweet - especially when it is part of their business plan.]In Day 6, Mayen was simply trying to be frugal. She was doing all he can to negotiate better pricing for taxicabs and in Tacloban, tricycles. There have been so many instances of this already with Mayen trying to negotiate pricing for taxicabs.

You see, it’s a known fact in the Philippines that if you’re a stranger, a balikbayan or an OFW who’s not very familiar with the city, chances are you will always be overcharged. Why do I know? This has happened to me and my family many times when we go home to Manila. Now, is this only happening in the Philippines? I have been to Prague; in Budapest they’re even worst.

[Well, there you go then - your very own Golden Goose theory - I thought you were in denial? Besides, thrift and frugality on essential items of expenditure - leaves more in the pot for the luxuries, doesn't it?]

In Day 7, they were in Tacloban and he was he was crossing the street to go to Mercury Drug for some Imodium for his stomach, when he noticed as he was weaving through the traffic crossing the road that Mayen, with a towel wrapped around her head, was peeping out of the hotel window at him to see if he was safe - he waved at her.

[Go on then - give me your myopic, exclusive answer to why she did this.]

In Day 7 still, another demonstration of Mayen’s caring attitude: when they went to the shore they tried to shelter from the rain underneath the roots of a coconut tree. Mayen, concerned that he might get his shorts dirty on the rock I was about to sit on, as it was covered in ash from a recent fire that someone had lit there, placed the fan down for me to sit on.
Simple things.

[Yes - well the idea was for me to believe that we were in a relationship - besides - we were happy people - I think we genuinely did get on very well - complicated isn't it?]

In Day 8, when they went to the beach to eat sea urchin, it was hot and his feet were gradually getting extremely sunburt, Mayen advised him to go and sit in the shade - suggesting that he don't sit directly under any of the coconut trees, for obvious reasons.

[I'm not going to deny that Mayen has a good heart - but goodness can be over-ridden, when necessity knocks at the door.]

In Day 9, they went to the seashore that morning and he saw a big fish (maja-maja) that he wanted to take a picture but forgot his camera. When they went back home, he was reloading his camera with film when there's some activity going on in the kitchen - Mayen, realizing his wish to have taken a photo of the fish has asked the fisherman to come up to the house - there he is, busily reconstructing the pieces of fish on a plate by the kitchen sink. How amenable is that? That’s what he said.

Mayen, the ugly side.But there was also the ugly side of Mayen. It’s definitely not one Filipina image that could be proud of. Carefree, bahala na. It’s obvious that she also wanted out. Out of poverty and have a good life. If the letter was real, as written by Sir Francis in Journey 32, Mayen, being an unsuccessful agent had the opportunity of her life to get out of the poverty she was in, had she played her cards right. Here are the instances where it showed Mayen’s indiscretion and lies:

[You are such a two-faced, inconsistent hypocrite - earlier on, when it suited you of course, I "had no money" - now - "Mayen had the opportunity of a lifetime."
In Day 3, Mayen surprised him when she said that she wants to sleep with him. From then on, they have had several unprotected sex, almost every day. Tim was right, what Mayen did was not very typical of a Filipina, which was why he was taken aback. All throughout Tim’s stay they were having sex and they were not even married yet. This was a big no, no to a Filipino Catholic family.

[Of course the letter is real - can you not comprehend honesty? Unlike yourself, I am simply stating what happened - I have nothing to gain whatsoever by trying to manipulate other people's opinions.
Catholic or not - not really the relevant point - which is that for any relationship - I would expect more reticent behaviour than this - I am not the sort of person to force my desires upon a woman - I think Mayen sensed this - and for what ever reasons - felt that she needed to take control of the situation. I travelled to see her because I was in love - foolishly or not - a more supreme love than I had ever felt before. I am not going to deny that I enjoyed our physical intimacy - for it was a dream come true - but I was much more concerned with the long term.]

In Day 7, when they were in Mayen’s barrio, Tim asked her if they were sleeping in one bed. Even the mother did not complain. Tim was also correct here. This was not very Catholic for them and for Mayen.

In Journey 26 and Journey 29, I don’t know who’s lying here. Did Tim sent Php44, 600 to Mayen and Mayen did not received it? There was no more indication on the journal what happened to this amount. Tim could have checked WU who received the amount. Instead, he gave Mayen a wrong reference number. When Mayen went to pick up the money, she never received anything because there was no match. But for some reason, there was an entry on Journey 24, indicating that his telephone was being fixed that day.
In Journey 28, Mayen lied about her mother’s stroke.
In Journey 29, Mayen lied about being in Sogod.
In Journey 30, Mayen accepted the Sogod lie.
The father’s visit was also a lie.
The stroke was also a lie.
I have a feeling that Mayen do not have any feelings for Tim in the beginning. She was a small-time money-asking girlfriend who was trying to enjoy the little money she could get from Tim.Tim’s theory on the hospital involvement1.) It’s in the invoice.

Mayen was admitted on August 10, 2007. When did she checked out of the hospital? On the 22nd. The dates on the invoice indicated that she was admitted on the 10th and checked out on the 13th. That’s three (3) days. If you look at the details of the room charges, it was for 10.5 days. There was the nail in the scam button as far as Tim was concerned. Could this be a result of panic invoicing?

[Panic invoicing?
What - eleven days after admission?
It's really got nothing to do with the details on the invoice - which I'm sure would have been checked.
The discharge date could possibly been the 13th - and she was kept in hospital until the account was settled - standard practice - which would not alter the date of her "Medical discharge."
There is an unexplainable discrepancy in the fact that the original figures for professional fees quoted in the email from the sales office on the 13th are slightly different, but have the same total.
What caused more suspicion than the arrival of the JPG of this bill, which only appeared at all after I began pressuring for some sort of official proof, is the fact that although the letter of 13th August from the sales office states that they had "difficulty in scanning the bills from the hospital" - why - knowing as they did that I was so desperate for proof - why was no further effort made to transmit a copy of the bill to me, before my flight the following day - or in fact at any time in the ensuing week.
All this activity revolved around the accounts manager in the hospital.
He was the one who never replied to my emails.
He was the one who confirmed the figures to the nurse when I phoned up for verification.
He was the one who instructed the British Embassy what to say in response to my email to them. He was the one who must have supplied the information about the telephone system in the hospital, in order for the Embassy to try to appease my suspicions.
I only ever spoke to Mayen, while she was allegedly "in hospital" on her cell phone.
OK - that can easily be excused away - but excuses do little to remove doubt and suspicion.
He was the one who eventually sent me the JPG of the bill - twice - the second occasion being after Mayen had already informed me that her family were dealing with the account - and that she had left the hospital.
It only takes one person to be involved in a key position - and an accounts manager is the obvious choice in this sort of situation - for the illusion of a whole hospital to appear real.
Are you going to deny that these simple things are not possible?]

2.) And all because of this.In Journey 23 and in Journey 24, he was sure that it was the duty of the hospital to get in touch with him urgently on the Monday 13th August. They failed to do so - and as a direct result of this inaction, they corroborated the evidence that there was a fraud-taking place, preventing him from flying to the Philippines. To Tim, that was conclusive evidence.

[No - not on it's own - but in conjunction with a whole string of suspicious, ambiguous events - it merely continues the trend - which points more and more in that direction as time goes on.]

3.) As well as the Legal letter without the address

In Journey 23, the more it solidified his doubts because he received a letter from some attorney without any return address that later he would discover to be a writer for the Philippine Daily Inquirer - Efren C Carag.

[Not only did it not have a return address, it was sent using the hospital's email account, it was unsigned, it was over florid in it's quasi-legal-sounding language and was written in the third person, so as not to be incriminating to whoever did write it. Clever - read it again.]

Tim’s theory on the real estate involvement

In Journey 17, Mayen informed Tim that her boss has decided that all 3 girls should now share a room. Mayen wants to find another place to stay. Questions on Tim’s mind: will he pay? Eventually, he sent money to pay for the room. But to Tim, the stage was being set for a scam and it’s the work of Sir Francis.
This was the part where he tied Sir Francis to the “scam”.
The rest that happened with Sir Francis paying for the deposit, assisting Mayen, communicating to the hospital, instructing Marivien, including the invitation to tour the real estate were just proofs of the scam.

[No - it is not the part where Sir Francis is "tied to the scam" - you haven't read it thoroughly at all have you - either that or you are hoping to get away with how you are twisting my words to suit your own purpose. It is simply in retrospect - that he has constantly endorsed and helped to provide the camouflage that the operation really did happen.
But then in this particular scenario, someone was needed who could feesibly be capable of paying a deposit - and because my flight had been previously arranged, I needed to be convinced before I would fly.
I'm sure Sir Francis himself would not have been visibly involved other than for this reason.
My return trip to the Philippines caught them on the hop.
He has been silent and invisible for a long time - preferring other people to resolve the situation for him. He has known of the existence of my blog since Mayen supposedly left the hospital - when he proceeded to give her the sack - and she pretended to be visiting the province, to heal from the operation.
Yet none of the proof that they have insisted on possessing has been offered. None of the hospital bills and receipts that Mayen says she had, none of the photographs that were allegedly taken while Mayen was still "in hospital" - no material proof whatever - it was hoped that Mayen would convince me on her own, now conveniently distanced from Sir Francis & Tierra Maria Estates.
This is how it has all been steered, by the people in the Philippines - I have been on the receiving end of it all - this is precicely how it has appeared to me.
You cannot take isolated events as any form of proof - it never happens like that - isolated events are cunningly crafted in the hope that they appear legitimate & genuine - just like the fake scar - but all these events interact with each other - the picture that is created, in its totality, ultimately vindicates suspicion.
Yes - it is all in hindsight - apart from an instinctive sense that was alerted early on.

But the voice of instinct is just a whisper - what followed on was an ever increasing crescendo of vindication.
That is why I continued - to hear that voice loud and clear - only that voice had the power to evaporate my doubts completely - and dispell the guilt that I was being induced into feeling - that inducement was such an easy task - for I have never loved anyone as deeply before.
That is the reason why what you are doing is so evil, so ruthless, so deserving of being exposed - for you have mercilessly picked at that wounded heart - in your sadistic hope that it never be allowed to heal.
Purposely allowing it to steep in the doubt and unknowing that you deliberately bring about.
Consciously denying the light of truth to shine - out of your own shame, your own tragic defensiveness - deceiving and concealing, hiding and blinding - but only revealing the weakness that is at your very core.
That is evil, despicable and inhuman - to do that with full knowledge and will.
For whatever reason - it is pure evil.
The very same evil mind-set that can attempt to twist my genuine affection for the Philippines into a racist attack. You are quite thoroughly repugnant & revolting - this will be a wonderful insight to "your readers" as to the true nature of Reyna Elena - and her merry band of cronies.]

CONCLUSION

I do not believe that there was scam at the hospital. The inability of the hospital to return the calls to Tim could well be because of the doctor-patient privacy rules. If it was the hospitals inability to return the calls to Tim nor was it a refusal on their part was not conclusive enough that there was a scam. The mistake on the dates on the invoice could very well be just that – a mistake. After all, if you’re an accountant in such a pressured situation where you were just accused of scamming, I wonder how the accountant was feeling preparing and printing the invoice. Panic invoicing?

[Absolute tripe. Look at the whole picture.]Although I disagree with the insinuation of Filipina Images blog to the effect that a scam won’t happen because somebody is Christian, which is not only ridiculous but outright outlandish, I do not believe that there exists a real estate scam. There was no evidence to prove that Sir Francis and his real estate agents were acting as fronts for a real estate scam simply because Sir Francis made some re-arrangements as to how many girls will be sleeping in Mayen’s room.

[What are you waffling about - stick to the point. Call it what you will - I don't care - it could have happened anywhere - but this one didn't - it happened in the Philippines - and that is number one reason why you are so defensive.]

What is this all about then?

This is a story that’s done, finished and the characters involved – convicted, in the minds of Tim. He has already made up his mind that new stories coming out and bloggers writing about this will just repeat everything without offering any new evidences, but rather, just denounce his story as hoax.

[Truth at last - that is exactly what you are doing - only you know your motives.]

This is a story about two colliding cultures and personalities. Mayen was the victim of her own doing. She was a small-time money-asking girlfriend that was not in love with Tim in the beginning which is why she was enjoying asking small amounts of money from Tim and enjoying it with her friends. Tim was madly in love with Mayen. Because Mayen could not offer “protection” to Tim (reassurance that the world is not against Tim), he created his own “I was scammed theory”.

[No - ultimately, Mayen could not offer me any convincing proof at all that the operation really happened, that she was ever really pregnant. It was an opportunity created out of a folly - because I was foolish enough - and not encompassing enough in my imagination to ever conceive of such an outcome.
Don't try to assess or sum up - not with your twisted approach - leave it to someone who is impartial.]

This is a story about two people who wanted to get out of a ridiculous situation both wanting to have a perfect life.

[We all have dreams - that was mine - ambitious, but not ridiculous.]

1. Tim who at his age wanted out of his dysfunctional marriage and life in the UK and start a new life while the twilight years are still just a few years ahead of him.

[You'd be surprised how young at heart I am - and , yes - I did want to start a new beginning - any complaints?]

2. Mayen who wants desperately to help her family and herself out of poverty.

This is a story about love that can’t seem to overcome and conquer some serious personality and cultural differences.

[No - it cannot overcome deceit or an abuse of trust - it could have done - had there been any remorse shown - but the absence of remorse indicates conclusively that it was all a ruthless lie. Don't try and deceive with your cultural mumbo-jumbo. It could have worked, personality wise - it has certainly worked for others, culturally wise - but - someone had a hidden agenda.]

This is a very sad story of utter ignorance. Ignorance about the Filipino culture. How each act of kindness, friendliness and even smiles were met with some insane explanations like snakes, hungry crabs and small-time shop-lifting.

[Oh please - come on - you're much better at blogging about the latest offer from Jolibee or McDonalds - don't try and get profound - you can't handle the strain.]

This is a story about a personal, a very personal problem of Mayen and Tim that has become so public and that only they could resolve.

[Why are sticking your nose in it then? Blog traffic?]

This is a story that is a product of Tim's doubts and fears and escalated into a mix of fantasy/reality that’s already imbedded in his mind. A story that was already hatched in the UK even before it started in Manila and everything that happened in between were just proofs of those doubts and fears.

[Oh please - when are you going to stop - padding, padding - more padding?]

This is a story about a person who believes and continues to believe that the world is against him, that the world ruined his dreams and shall therefore suffer his internet wrath. We may never know what kind of traumatic experience he had in the past nor how bad his marriage was, that contributed to this unbelievable rage of negative opinion of everything and anything.

[No - the world didn't do that - two or three people at the most set the events in motion - the rest of them got sucked into it as it grew & grew & grew - until finally - Reyna Elena gets sucked into it. I'll tell you what contributes to this rage more than anything - it's people like you.]

This is a story about a person who does not have faith in himself and in anyone, a person who is not thankful for what he has, and a person who believed that everyone around him is out to con and scam him.

[Thank goodness - the end at last - "everyone around him" indeed - what utter, flimsy, transparent and twisted propaganda.]

Barrio Seite

Tim Cumper - King Canute?

Tim Cumper - Reyna Elena - Hollow propaganda