Kamusta, maganda.

You clicked. Braver than most people, or maybe just very bored. Either way, you are here.

Beast has a name.

Ako si Alex.

Here is what usually happens. Two people talk for six months, or even a year. They send good morning messages every day. They learn each other slowly, carefully, and one of them is lying the entire time. Maybe both.

I would rather do it the other way. Everything at once, up front, before either of us wastes a year. So I will go first.

If your Inglesh is not perfect, do not worry. I am not grading anyone. I would rather read something honest with mistakes than something perfect that is not really you.

A long time ago I was shy too. Then you meet the right people and the shyness goes away.

Who I am

People ask me what I do. I tell them I work, I build, and I take care of what is mine.

Now I am semi-retired, in my mid-fifties. The first half of my career was spent in luxury hospitality where I learned how to truly take care of people and make them feel welcomed. The second half was in digital marketing where I learned how to get people's attention and connect online.

I do not smoke or gamble, and I rarely drink. Do not let that fool you — I am a bad boy. What I would never confess to a priest, I will tell you in private.

My schedule is flexible and nothing is rushed, whether I am at home or out discovering somewhere new. What I enjoy now is simple: slow mornings, good food, music, and interesting conversations with my woman.

Work has taken me to many countries, and I have seen beautiful places, the architecture, the way other people live. Next time, I would like someone beside me. Maybe that person is you.

What I want

One woman. For the rest of my life.

I would like to marry. If you are separated and cannot legally marry here, that does not disqualify you. It is the commitment I care about, not the paperwork.

I lead, you follow — not from behind me, but alongside me. As the man, I handle the daily decisions. For the major things, like where we live and building our future — we talk about them together.

A partner, not a dependent. A dependent needs me. A partner chooses me, every day. She could leave, and she stays anyway.

In public, we stand together. In private, tell me everything. Speak your mind, argue with me, and give me your opinion. Tell me I am wrong when I am wrong.

I will always listen. I may not agree at first, but if you are right, you are right. Give me time to think, and I will do what is best for both of us. You will never pay for being honest with me.

A woman who keeps her promises — faithful, honest, and devoted to what we build. And one who trusts me enough to be completely real with me, knowing she is always protected and respected.

Someone easy to talk to. We laugh at small things, we say what we mean, and neither of us pretends.

Faith, family, and good character matter to her, the way they matter to me.

Our home must be our sanctuary — a quiet, peaceful place for just the two of us, and we both keep it that way. No tampo, no games, no silent treatment, and definitely no shouting.

I have two disabilities: one is being a foreigner, the second is being a man. Subtle hints will never work on me. I cannot fix what I do not know is broken, and small problems ignored get bigger. Clear, honest talking solves everything.

What I offer

My attention, which is worth more than anything else I can give you. When you are with me, you have me.

The house, the food, the bills, the flights — all covered by me. Unless you are independently wealthy. Then I will be your sugar baby. Otherwise, you will never have to lie awake at night wondering how the monthly expenses get paid. That worry is over.

If you want to finish school, I will pay for it. If you want to learn to drive, I will pay for that too. Improved English, a trade, a skill — if it makes you better, I will fund it. Most people never get the chance. I can give you one.

I do not want a woman who has nothing but me. I want you to have your own work, your own goals, your own reasons to be proud. I will help you get there. Then I will be the man standing next to the woman who did it.

The part nobody says out loud

Passion matters to me. I am not looking for a roommate, or a woman who is simply nice to me. If we are going to do this, we should genuinely want each other.

There is nothing wrong with lust. Love without lust is only friendship. Years from now, I would like to look at my partner across a room the way I looked at her the first afternoon. Lust is the hunger. Love is the satisfaction. I want both, from the same woman.

I will not share you. Walang kabit. If I am with you, I am with you.

Nothing happens because I want it. It happens when we both do. Do not say yes only to make me happy. I would rather you say oo.

How will we get to know each other? One step at a time.

Keep reading. At the end you will find how to reach me. When my travel date gets close, I will come to your province — or if you are adventurous, you can come to me. Then we meet, one day at a time, and see if the spark is real.

First meetings are exciting and a little scary. I will be nervous too.

Lunch. Two or three hours somewhere comfortable and public. We find out if there is chemistry, or at least enough curiosity to see each other again the next day. If not, we shake hands and say goodbye with respect.

A full day. If there is a tomorrow, the whole day belongs to us. We do not plan it. We just spend the day together and see whether we still enjoy each other by evening.

Your family and friends. This is not pamanhikan — I am not proposing to anyone on day three. I would like to meet them, so they can see who is spending time with their daughter or friend, look me in the eye, and decide whether they trust me with you.

A short trip. After that, a few days away together. Somewhere neither of us has been.

Deciding the future. If we can imagine spending more time together, we will talk about what comes next.

What I ask of you

Born female.

Legally free to marry, or separated and honest with me about it.

No smoking. Light drinking is okay.

Happy to stay in the Philippines. If your goal is to leave the country, we want different things. We decide together where we live — most likely some distance from your family. A new couple needs space to grow. Yours will always be welcome to visit, and we will visit them.

Someone genuine, with a sense of adventure and curiosity about where life takes us next.

About children

I cannot give you children. Kapon na ako. If you already have a child, we are halfway to a family.

The biological father must be completely out of the picture. No contact, no financial support, not on the birth certificate. And your child has to be healthy, in body and mind.

A partner who can love her child and still have time and energy for the man beside her.

Now it is your turn

Two lives are going to change. If one of them is yours, here is what it looks like. Slow mornings. A house that is ours. Someone to travel with, argue with, and come home to.

A few questions. Five minutes, maybe less. No wrong answers. I read them all.

Write to me, and we will find out.

• Tell me about you