Teman tapi mesra (TTM) is a bahasa indonesia term which literally means friends (teman) but (tapi) intimate (mesra).
When I first went to Indonesia, I thought it was a very conservative country because as we all know it is a Muslim-dominated country. I even asked my dad if I can wear sleeveless here. Haha! :D After living here for a year and a half, I proved myself wrong. It's basically just the same with the Philippines or sometimes maybe even more liberated due to suppressed feelings kept inside.
TTM is a very popular acronym especially amongst teenagers. The setup is just like flings. Though I cannot think of an exact term in Filipino. If you say you are TTM with each other, it means that you can act just like how couples act - kiss, sweetie tweety stuff, or maybe farther than that. I got a friend who got a bunch of TTMs but I would usually call it his FUBUs (fcuk buddies) and he would say nah, it sounds dirty and he prefers to call it
friends with benefits in English. What's the diff? Fine, you're still friends after doing it.
Hmm.. In my opinion, usually at the end girls lose the game. Why? Cause girls are generally emotional. Once they became close with a guy there is a tendency that they would like the guy even if they have a no commitment arrangement. I actually thought about getting a TTM but I realized that I will just be getting myself another pain in the ass.
There are a lot of reasons why people nowadays tend to enter this kind of setup. I can just think of some, maybe you can add some more.
1. They are afraid to commit. Most people has their share of stories regarding heartaches and traumas on serious relationships that is why they just want to have fun and at the same time enjoy the "benefits" of having a partner without worrying too much.
2. They got no time for a serious relationship. I don't really agree with this because when you really like the person, no matter how busy you are, you can always find time. It shows that you're not really into him/her. Again, you just want the "benefits".
3. You are just so horny and don't want to worry about
apa-apa (whatever). You are sick of demanding relationships, hate responsibilities, or maybe just want to have pure fun.
I got more reasons but I'm starting to get lazy. It is a sad reality but with this happening I could say that most people's values are really deteriorating nowadays. Sex is nothing. You can do it with whoever. The sanctity of marriage is no longer as precious as before.