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2024-07-30 Β |Β β±οΈ 24:28 Β |Β ποΈ 402.4K views Β |Β π 14.4K likes Β |Β π¬ 2.9K comments
Pea interviews "May," a young Filipina tour guide in the Central Visayas who books foreign clients through a website. What starts as a conversation about legitimate tour services quickly reveals how the lines blur between professional guiding and paid companionship, with May candidly sharing specific stories of falling for clients, negotiating through a locked bathroom door, and turning down a group request from three men at once.
How the tour guide business works β
- May finds clients through a website where foreigners post what they want to do, where they want to go, and what they'll pay
- Average rate is about 10,000 pesos per week
- Clients cover her food, transportation, and accommodation as part of the deal
- She screens clients via video chat before accepting and requires a 50% down payment to avoid flaky bookings
- She's done this more than 20 times
- Key advantages for the foreigner: she speaks the local language, knows the area, can negotiate prices (foreigners get charged more β the "skin tax"), and prevents them from getting lost
Story #1: Falling for a client who had a girlfriend β
- A foreign man hired May to tour him and his Filipina girlfriend around β the girlfriend was from Mindanao (General Santos) and it was their first time meeting in person
- The girlfriend wasn't fluent in English, so May had to translate between Bisaya and English, which she found draining
- The foreign guy was a gentleman β caring, always checking on May, asking if she was hungry or okay
- May started developing feelings and became jealous of the girlfriend, forgetting she was "just a tour guide"
- Because of the language barrier, May and the foreign guy were the ones actually connecting and enjoying conversation
- The guy eventually invited May for drinks at his place β the girlfriend was present but started giving them the silent treatment out of jealousy
- May and the guy ended up leaving the hotel together, ditching the girlfriend β they booked a separate hotel
- The guy told May he didn't actually like the girlfriend
- The ditched girlfriend was left with the guy's other credit card to get home
- May didn't charge the guy for the rest of the tour because she genuinely liked him β they just went on dates together
- He insisted on paying her at the end of the trip anyway
- He had to leave and go home; they didn't become an official couple β one of her regrets
Story #2: The hot client and the bathroom negotiation β
- A different client hired May not for touring but just for companionship β he was alone in the Philippines and wanted someone to talk to and hang out with
- She describes him as "so hot"
- They checked into a hotel, went out for food and drinks at a bar, partied together
- At night they shared a bed; he started cuddling her, which she thought was cute
- He progressively got more physical β "going down, down, down" β and she stood up and confronted him: "What are you doing?"
- He said "relax" and she ran to the bathroom and locked the door
- He knocked on the door, apologized, then offered to pay extra "if you want to do the thing"
- May stood in the bathroom weighing it: he's attractive, it's money, win-win
- She asked through the door: "How does 7,000 sound?"
- She paused, thought about it, opened the door: "Let's do it"
- Next morning they had breakfast and a coffee date together
- It turned out to be his last day β she was sad
- They exchanged contacts and messaged for about a week before he ghosted her β "The One That Got Away"
The money and the gray area β
- May does NOT demand extra money for sleeping with clients β it's not part of the initial deal
- Clients voluntarily give her large tips after the fact
- Biggest tip she ever received for sleeping with a client: 15,000-20,000 pesos
- She frames it as: "I get what I need and he gets what he wants"
- She spends the money on her family and is saving for college
- She acknowledges it sounds like escorting but says "no one gets hurt, it's a win-win"
- She always requires clients to wear protection
How the transition from tour guide to companion happens β
- It's not pre-arranged β starts with small talk, then an invitation to come to his hotel in the evening
- She can read the energy and "see it coming"
- Most (but not all) male clients are looking for something beyond just touring
- If she doesn't find the client attractive, she has an easy out: "I'm just a tour guide, that's not part of the deal"
- If she likes the guy: "Maybe we could talk it out"
The craziest situation: three men at once β
- Three foreign guys hired her for a week-long trip to Oslob to see the whale sharks
- On the third day, all three of them approached her and said they all wanted her β at the same time
- She suspects they discussed it among themselves beforehand
- She said no and stuck to being just a tour guide
- It was extremely awkward for the remaining four days of the trip
- They apologized and didn't ask again
Her personal situation and future plans β
- She's the sole breadwinner for her family β second of five siblings
- She doesn't know her father; her mother is sick
- This is the best income she's found so far
- Her friends and parents only know her as a tour guide β only her cousin knows the full truth, chosen because there's "no judgment between us"
- She felt guilty at first but rationalized it: she's been in relationships where she gave everything for free and got nothing β at least this way she benefits
- She wants to finish college and eventually find her "prince charming"
- She says she'd tell a future partner about her past because she doesn't like keeping secrets β and if he can't accept it, he's not the right one
- No boyfriend, no partner, no children currently
Pea's commentary (end of video) β
- States clearly she's not passing judgment β she's presenting the truth about what goes on
- Acknowledges many tour guides are completely legitimate and don't offer companionship services
- Poses the moral questions directly to the audience: Is what May does immoral? She once accepted a specific amount for a specific act β that's "clearly over the line" β but is it wrong for a tour guide to have consensual adult activity with a client? Does it matter that she doesn't ask for money? What's the difference between May and a woman who sleeps with a wealthy man hoping to benefit financially?
- Leaves it with: "If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck"