Regina Hechanova of Ateneo de Manila University's Center for Organization Research and Development (CORD) told UCA News that 75 percent of the website visitors are men.

"Typically the profile for counselees is predominantly female," Hechanova pointed out. She added that it is unclear whether the discrepancy reflects a situation in which male overseas workers have greater access to the Internet than women counterparts.

She suspects, however, that the anonymity of the service attracts men who would otherwise feel "threatened" or "ashamed" to seek counseling.

Hechanova, a psychologist, designed the OFWOnline website, which was developed by Ateneo's Department of Information Systems and Computer Science.

The site, mainly in Tagalog, the northern dialect and basis for the Philippines' national language, allows a registered visitor to chat for up to an hour with a counselor of his or her choice. The counselors are all trained at Ateneo.

The professional profile of those seeking help has been another surprise.

"We are not getting many domestic workers ... but mostly professionals -- architects, nurses, programmers -- with a few blue collar workers," Hechanova said. "This makes sense since professionals have the access to computers."

An estimated 8 million of the Philippines' 91 million people work abroad, or about 20 percent of the workforce.

Since the online counseling service began in July, it has had a steady flow of visitors, 60 percent coming from the Middle East. The others are based in Asia, Africa, Australia or North America, aside from a few who have returned home.

Loneliness is the most common issue followed by marital infidelity, homosexuality, financial concerns and sexual harassment from bosses, according to Hechanova.

"There are many relational problems," she noted, with men often complaining that they are growing apart from their wives and worry about infidelity.

"They complain they are under pressure from home and they don't know what is expected of them," she added.

Scalabrini Father Edwin Corros, executive secretary of the Philippine Catholic bishops' Episcopal Commission for Pastoral Care for Migrants and Itinerant People, is pleased by the success of the service but says it has limitations.

Those "who may need the service most, like domestic workers, vulnerable or isolated workers," may not have Internet access, he told UCA News.

Hechanova hopes to solve this through a publicity initiative aimed at domestic and other workers. CORD has signed an agreement with the Philippine Association of Service Exporters to involve the Ateneo group in the association's pre-departure seminars for OFW.