CEBU CITY,  Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) –  Male foreigners who have the intention to marry Filipinas will have to first show they have money, according to a new bill that recently passed the Philippines’ House of Representatives.

The bill, authored by former Cebu governor and current third district Representative Gwendolyn Garcia, is meant to protect Filipino women against exploitation.

Garcia said that many so-called mail-order brides end up being battered by their husbands or worse, forced into prostitution and other degrading and dehumanizing occupations.

“Since there is no way to prove that love is the major motivation for these male foreigners in marrying their Filipina girlfriends, at least we can demand that they show proof that they have enough funds to support their future wives,” Garcia said.

Garcia stopped short of legislating a “reverse dowry” system, in which, the groom will pay cash or in-kind gifts to the bride’s family in order for the marriage to take place.

In many countries and cultures like India, it is the bride’s family that pays cash and gifts to the bridegroom’s family.

Garcia’s bill specifies the amount that the male foreigner has to have  in his bank account,  which is $100,000.  In order to prevent fraud, the bill states that the required dollar amount should have been in the foreigner’s bank account for at least 2 years. He also needs to show proof that the amount was not borrowed from someone else.