Hi Mike and welcome to the forum
Familiar story I too was separated with 2 children and disillusioned with what was on offer in the UK. Then along she came and changed my life.
It's early days for you yet but I wish you well and wouldn't be bothered about small sums of money. Read some of the threads on here about people who've been scammed and you're get a feel of what to look out for.
The Philippines is a long way away but if you pick the right time it's not that expensive to go. I'm off myself next month and the tickets were less than £500 return. Hopefully it wont be that long before you maybe fancy taking a trip.
Hang around and keep us updated