11 brides for 11 farmers: Philippines search begins
But the organiser of the matchmaking marathon was packing his bags last night without knowing if the path of his own true love would run smoothly after running into visa problems for his Filipino bride.
Chris Sexton, a 64-year-old farmer from Miltown Malbay, Co Clare, and founder of the East-West Matchmaking Agency, fell for 22-year-old nanny Mavric Tigbao while he was in the Philippines earlier this year making arrangements for today’s inaugural group trip.
He returned to marry her in June but had to leave without her while he organised her immigration papers. Four months on, the couple are still 8,000 miles apart as the Department of Justice refused Mavric a visa and an appeal had not been determined by last night.
A hopeful Chris was praying for a last-minute decision this morning. “The original application form went missing so they asked me to send it again but I think it must have got separated from all the supporting documentation because it looks like the decision was made without anyone seeing the documentation.
“They wanted proof that Mavric was married but I had already sent the marriage cert. I have her ticket in my hand and I just want to bring her home. She keeps telling me: I can’t wait to get to Ireland and I’ve been reassuring her that everything will be okay so I just hope it will be.”
Apart from that obvious worry, Chris was looking forward to his fortnight in the Philippines with 11 bachelor farmers who are waiting to meet up with potential soulmates who responded to local radio advertisements looking for single women interested in meeting, marrying and moving to the home of an Irishman.
The men, who range in age from their late thirties to their mid sixties and come from all over the country, including Cork, Limerick, Clare, Monaghan and Wexford, will meet women aged between 20 and 38. They have been vetted by Chris’s partner in the venture, Philippines native and Waterford resident, Bhebie Carpendale, who meets and interviews the men before they sign up to satisfy herself that their motives are genuine and their expectations realistic.
“They’re all thinking very positively of just walking down the aisle. That’s all they want. That’s what’s missing in their lives,” said Chris, who was unlucky in love himself before he met Mavric. “We’re like the 12 apostles and we’re on a mission,” he said.
The group, who are paying about €1,500 each for the trip, will base their search for a bride in Butuan city, a one hour flight from Manila.
Chris said he hoped at least half the men would meet a future bride but there would be no on-the-spot marriages and anyone who met a potential partner would travel back to the Philippines in a few months time if they still felt the same way.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
