The 4M idea (stands for Matandang, Mayaman, Madaling, Mamataya) which means rich old man who will die soon) became a famous joke on the streets whenever a sexy 20-year old Filipina lady passes by holding the hands of a 50-year old foreigner.

Chances are he has been divorced once, twice or even thrice but she takes no notice of the joke or the speculations of the people. It is her own happiness and future she is thinking of.

The age gap actually makes older men more desirable to younger ladies because for one, they are already settled and financially stable. Filipina girls also consider older men as more mature and less promiscuous because they have had their share of fun in their younger days.

For a young Filipina lady, age is not a barrier to relationships and even marriage. Filipinas are romantic at heart and they believe that when love strikes, (or necessity, whichever it is) age does not matter.

They do not consider your advanced age to be a burden to them in the future because they look at you as a lifetime partner and will be there for you - for better or worse.

You may notice when you look at profiles of Filipina ladies in dating sites that they do not really put too much weight on a man's age. What is important for them is more emotional involvement and the older a man gets, the higher the maturity level she can expect from him.

Filipina ladies, especially those who grew up having to take care of younger siblings know what responsibility is all about and would naturally look for an older man who would take care of her when she marries.

Usually, she is forced to take the role of surrogate mother to her younger siblings when her parents have to work outside the home to earn money for their daily needs. Sad to say that for some families, the poorer they are, the more children they produce and statistics can prove this.

Families whose parents have wide age gaps and yet able to maintain harmony in the home also serve as role models for their female children, so when the girls grew up, they will naturally look for the harmony which their parents shared despite the age difference.

A Filipina does not see the advanced age or physical attributes of a foreigner as a hindrance to marriage. She will be happy to serve her husband and submit to his reasonable demands, as long as he provides, cares for her and treats her well. Her priority is to be respected her as a wife and not as an investment take care of him in his retirement years.