Very unsavoury the whole thing. Just read it and no-one comes out of it with any credit.
By the way, I know many people who met their current partners on the web. Not necessarily Filipina either. My best mate met his wife on the net - and he had no problems pulling the girls. I don't think he had any visa problems in getting her from Birmingham to sheepshag village though.
Maybe ShamrockDave found his girl in a catalogue, and was upset that delivery wasn't included.
The net is as much a part of the real world as anything now. Try going a day without Google.