What steps would I need to take in order to bring my girlfriend from the Philippines to live with me in the states?

As there are no particulars to your girlfriend's background, it is impossible to state whether a fiancée visa is the last resort. There are other types of nonimmigrant and immigrant visas available if your girlfriend qualifies. There are visas like F-1 student, H-1B worker with specialized knowledge, etc., in the nonimmigrant categories and in the immigrant categories, visas such as EB-5 immigrant investor, EB-2 advanced degreed or exceptional ability individuals, and EB-3 professional workers or those requiring two years of experience to do the offered jobs.Due to the limitations of the Lawyers.com Forums, Alan Lee, Esq.'s (the "Firm") participation in responding to questions posted herein does not constitute legal advice, nor legal representation of the person or entity posting a question. No Attorney/Client relationship is or shall be construed to be created hereby. The information provided herein by the Firm is general, and requires that the poster obtain specific legal advice from an attorney. The poster shall not rely upon the information provided herein as legal advice nor as the basis for making any decisions of legal consequence.  

If you don't want to use the fiance visa, the only other visas that would allow her to come to the US and stay under these circumstances would be a dual-intent visa, such as an H-1B visa.  That is a specialty occupation visa that generally requires a college degree.  H1B visas are currently unavailable and won't be available again until next spring.