Last month the ladies were special but now, this month, we men are in charge.  Now, what presents do we men want our wife's to provide for Father's Day?  Here is a wish list:  Gift certificate for 25 drinks at the Blue Nile; certificate for one free escort lady from the Gentlemen's Club for two days; ticket for two to Boracay (taking the lady from the Gentlemen's Club, of course);  Dinner for three at Bourbon Street (the lady from the Gentlemen's Club and her girlfriend, a nice threesome); Rental of a car and driver to take all three to Manila for two nights at the Heritage Hotel plus extra spending money for the crap tables; three boxes of cigars; one case of Viagra; one case of wine from Yats Wine Club; Three umbrellas since the rainy season is starting and candles because you know the electricity will go off.  Of course, the one last item that your wife will present you with is a gift certificate for a deluxe casket from the Indiongco Funeral Parlor that you will need after she shoots you!  The best thing to do is not to submit any wish list, just wait for that special lady in your life to surprise you.

ANOTHER TOURIST OF THE MONTH 

Mark Curtis, from Gosford, NSW, stopped by the Blue Boar Inn to meet Harry the Horse and buy me a drink.  What an enjoyable hour I had with him as he told me about Sydney and his moving to Gosford and then related tales about the Outback of Australia.  Mark has been coming to Angeles City for 22 years and always stays at the Fiesta Garden and would not dream of staying elsewhere.  His favorite bar in town is Emotions for its friendliness and that it is clean and tidy.  I told Mark that the Mrs. and I have thought about visiting Sydney as Priscilla the Horse has a good friend that lives there but the cost of accommodation is a bit expensive in Sydney.  We have to research to see if they have any guest houses there to stay in.  Anyway, I still smile when I remember asking Mark how long do Kangaroos live and he told me "until we shoot them".  I did not realize that Kangaroos are baby making machines and that they can be a bit of a  pest.  By the way, Mark sends his regards to "Shorty" and old Army troop from Australia that is a mainstay at the Fiesta Garden as well.  Also, wife of Mark, Annette, I want to assure you that Mark is full of praise for you and I can vouch that he never misbehaves while visiting here.  Thanks for making my afternoon a pleasure Mark and I hope we meet again.

Tidbits

"I'm watching a Jeff Goldbloom film where he's outside a high class Hotel, the cops pull up & ask him what he's doing, "In my opinion, none of there business by the constitution", he says I'm waiting for my wife to pick me up! The cop says "sir do u realize it's 3:30am? He says, "I didn't realize it was that late," The cop says sir do u have any identification? He says certainly, just then his wife pulls up!!!

I was walking home from a bar at 2:30am during my Dec 2002 visit to California, I was stopped by the cops & asked where I was going, where I had been & for my ID. I told them, from Wagon Wheel Bar & I'm going home & that I was walking because I prefer not to drive when drunk! I was let go. But told by the cop that I could have ended up in jail for drunk in public! Was I being taught a lesson? Don't drink, stay home & be in bed by10pm, work, pay Ur taxes & don't question!!

Here in the PI they show some slack, if ur not out to rob, steal, murder or do harm to anyone they don't see u as a threat!!"

I have No more comment's about the land of the home & the free. (This was forwarded to me by AC resident Mike Clark.  This incident took place 3 years ago, I wonder if Mike took this long to sober up or did he finally get drunk enough, again, to remember the incident).

I was pleased to meet the interesting character from Thailand known simply as "Jeep".  I first went to Thailand in 1966 and was able to see Pattaya at that time and Jeep arrived there in 1967.  I wanted to stay in Thailand forever but the military allowed me only five years all together with stays in Ubon, NKP, and three great years in Bangkok.  I loved the place as there was so much to do and see, and yes, the ladies were great as well.  The food was wonderful, and still is and I wish I could say the same for the Philippines but what the hell, there are good and bad points about both locations.  Bottom line is I retired and stayed in the Philippines and Jeep retired and stayed in Thailand and now owns or leases out 12 different bars in Pattaya.  He pops over here a few times a year to participate in Lawn Bowl tournaments at Hidden Vale.  I'm mentioning him because Jeep has a wealth of information about Pattaya and I know that when I get around to visiting that location I will drop him a line and ask for information on the best place to stay.  Stupid me, I forgot to ask him which one of his bars does he hang out at but I have time to Email him before this column goes to print (oops, already lost his email address).  Jeep, help, send me your email address at harrythehorse@harrythehorse.com .

It was a pleasure to meet Bob Rogers, an Australian lad from Toronto, Australia.  I never heard of Toronto that, according to Bob, is located near New Castle.  Bob was here in the old days going back to the Rhum Runner Bar that used to be a favorite meeting place for many Australian tourists and expats.  Bob mentioned names familiar to me, Billy Bates, Neal, Mark and Molly from New Castle and Lindsey from Sydney.  Bob has been reading my column for quite a few years and dropped by to ask for some information and to chat for a few minutes.   

On 10 May I was able to speak with Mayor Lazatin about the completion date for the Friendship Bridge.  He told me, emphatically, that it would be completed by the end of June.  This surprised me as I had been told by a City Hall source that the DPWH had, once again, run out of funds and construction had stopped.  The bridge itself is passable, it is just the approaches at both ends that are not finished.  Right now, tons of dirt have been moved into position and packed down so many are wondering, will some type of topping be put on top of this earth to get it open by the end of June?  Then, after a few days of heavy rain will the bridge be closed to traffic because the sand has been washed away?  Somehow, I just don't have a warm fuzzy feeling about the Friendship bridge.  There is a request from another town to have the temporary bridge transferred to them after the Friendship bridge is open to traffic.  My suggestion would be to leave the temporary bridge in place until after the rainy season is over, just in case!

Out of the kindness of his heart, Commissioner Alipio F. Fernandez Jr, Bureau of Immigration has sent out a memo extending the deadline for issuance of ACRI-Cards to 31 Dec 05.  Of course, he makes it sound as if he is doing everyone a favor but I wonder if he is aware of the delays caused by his own Agency in the completion of the cards and their issuance to individuals who properly applied for the cards months ago?  The Commissioner has stated that this is the last extension and that permanent foreign residents not having the card after 31 Dec will be in deep trouble.  Well, I have my little $50 jewel of an I-Card and it will not help me at all when I depart for the States in Sept for, surprise, surprise, the computers required to read the cards have not been installed anywhere yet.  I am willing to bet that the Bureau of Immigration will not be capable of issuing all the cards to applicants by 31 Dec but I guess as long as an application has been submitted prior to that date then one is covered.  The card is a fancy little piece of identification and I am so pleased that I can look forward to paying $50 a year for a $8 dollar card that I can't even use.  Gee Commissioner Fernandez, thanks a lot!

Even in Iraq some of the Aussie lads get together to celebrate ANZAC Day but barhopping locations were quite limited.

BEELINE travel has a new website and if you book reservations through them you can get up to a 3 months free membership with that entertaining membership site, Go2Phil.com. Check out www.beelinetravel.com .  Want to send them an email?  No problem, their address is beeline@beelinetravel.com . 

The following comments about the Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur were submitted by Rotarian John McCulley.

A lot of people have asked me about flying to KL from Clark on Air Asia so I've thrown together the following note. If you want, feel free to include it in your column. Make any changes, deletions or additions your feel like.

In early April my wife and I flew to Kuala Lumpur from Clark using Air Asia. Since the service was so new we were surprised to find the plane going out about 2/3 full and coming back it was close to half. Almost all the passengers had bussed out from Manila, apparently to take advantage of the 2000 peso fare each way. Taxes bring the round trip fare to KL up to about P5000 and Clark airport tacks on another P350 when you leave.



There are some downsides to Air Asia: Seats are unreserved and food and drink have to be purchased on board and when we flew they weren't taking pesos. All tickets are electronic and can be bought on line using a credit card at AirAsia.com. Some travel agencies sell Air Asia tickets but might insist on a surcharge because their commission is only 120 pesos. When using KL as a hub you have to spend the night at the airport since the plane from Clark arrives late in KL, at 8:30 PM, and returns early, 7:20 AM. The five star Pan Pacific at the airport is about $95 and the run down Concorde Inn is just under $50. We were happy with the flight to KL and are now planning on going to Bali in the middle of May for $190 each. Three year old Air Asia has a fleet of about thirty aging but clean 737s.
 

I just read a trip report on the AC Message Board about Rio de Janeiro and it was a horror story.  I had no idea it was so bad there and after I read it I went out on Perimeter Road, walked around, headed for Fields Ave, walked around and thanked my lucky stars that I decided to live in Angeles City instead of Rio de Janeiro. 

Those nasty NBI guys from Manila are at it again.  This time the two foreigners that own the Doll House joined the long list of foreigners that have been "invited" to make a trip to Manila late at night.  A search warrant was issued by Judge Bernardita Erum RTC Angeles City Executive judge based on the alleged charge of running a cyber porn site.  Derek Durbin, 47, Canadian and Clayton Haumes, 61, American, affectionately known by fellow Club owners as "the Pirates" because of their energetic efforts used in recruiting ladies to work in the Doll House were the latest investors to come under the scrutiny of the NBI.  According to Doll House Mamasan Corazon Pedrallvez Derek and Clayton were kept overnight at the NBI Manila compound for questioning but were released late the next day for lack of evidence; usually this does not mean that one got a "get out of jail free card".  There has been a big drive in Manila and Angeles City this year to close down internet chat rooms when pornography is suspected and in many instances, the allegations have been made on shaky grounds.  In this case the agents took with them a wireless external antennae allegedly used in its internet operations.  Corazon indicated that she had no idea what was taking place on the third floor of the Doll House since she never had any need to go there.  A house mother is assigned to the live-in girl's quarters and communication is through use of radios.  In the story written by Dante Fabian for the 28 May issue of the Sun Star he failed to mention that the search warrant was for the Doll House only but Corazon indicated that there were two teams and that a second team went directly to the residence in Plaridel 2 that housed live in workers and searched the premises.  Regretfully, the ACTA office was not notified immediately when the NBI officials swarmed down on the Doll House so representatives of this organization could have been present to assure transparency and that proper procedures were being followed.  The Doll House is a member of the ACTA and if notified right away then assistance could have been rendered to Derek and Clay, even to the point that they might not have had to make that trip to Manila.  There are a few questions hanging in the air that may never be answered, the foremost is, was this a case of extortion against two foreign investors or were the charges legitimate?  Further investigation into the causes of this incident is necessary. 

Recently, after a shopping trip at Johnny's grocery store, I decided to stop by the Wild Orchid Inn to see how the construction was going.  I did not take my camera, did not make notes, I just wanted to get a feel for the place.  This was a Sunday afternoon and the work was going full blast on each floor as well as the roof top and I was able to peek in and check out the nearly complete rooms, and with great effort my old sore knees even got me all the way to the roof deck.  I was impressed!  When finished this Hotel will have to stand out as one of the best in Angeles City.  Now, I hate to use the word "best" for anything because there will always be folks that will have a different opinion, instead, I will just say that if I was visiting AC, I would want to stay at this Hotel.  One thing I liked about it is the perception of space, and the openness that allows plenty of natural light to embrace the building.  Personally, I would love to have a room on the third floor because I like the view, especially if I could grab a room overlooking the pool area.  I liked the balcony with the lattice dividers that afford each occupant a bit of privacy.  I liked the idea of two rooms having a connecting door for those families or friends that like to be able to have easy access to each other.  The pool is very nice but only a maximum depth of five feet which is good because there is an area where one can sit around the bar which is part of the pool and it would be difficult for someone who has sampled too many San Miguels to fall and drown.  The interior decor of the lobby and the reception desk will be impressive as local Marble man, Mark Gillen, is working on some very beautiful graphite rock designs for the desk, bar and some of the walls.  I did not ask the price of the rooms and their website for this hotel is not up yet but my recommendation is that as soon as reservations open up, get on line and book a room because I am sure there will be a waiting list. Eh, by the way, this is NOT a paid advertisement, I personally feel that this hotel is a wonderful addition to the Fields Ave area as, I am sure, will be the new hotel to be built on Perimeter Road, next to the big church.  I heard that it will offer 200 rooms but then someone else told me they had heard it will only be 100.  Guess I will have to check with Gerard to find out any specifics.  I sure hope the big plans for this area is able to keep up with the optimism of all the investors that are pouring millions of pesos into the construction of hotels, apartments, and clubs.  It would be nice if the Government would improve the availability of electricity and reduce the amount of brown-outs suffered all too frequently.  I keep suggesting that the power companies send their experts to Thailand so they can learn how to operate properly.  The Philippines has the highest rates for electricity in SEA but the Philippine Government, in some kind of warped wisdom, has decided to eliminate the VAT exemption for power producers as they plan to increase the VAT from 10 to 12%.  This, of course, will be passed on to the consumer who will pay more for substandard service.  It will be many more years before anyone building a hotel like the Wild Orchid Inn will be able to do so without having to install a monster generator in order to keep occupants from sweating to death during the many brown-outs. (1445 hrs 28 May, suffered another brown-out while typing this column - Shit!!!).

Some foreigners just don't know what the word "No" means.  One day, at the Orange Lion Hotel, a naked young lady ran through the lobby out to the street crying and trailing a bit of blood from the old "bung hole".  She claimed that she was raped from the rear and was not very happy about it.  In this case the foreigner was quite lucky in that the incident was kept quiet but not without an exchange of money.  Folks, we have some very lovely amenable ladies here in Angeles City but it is not right to be abusive.  Be kind or be in jail!

After a bit of a cash flow problem the bad checks issued to Big Bill for 70% of his share for the Winchester Club were redeemed and one investor was able to retain his good reputation, just in time.  The good news is that Bill still retains a 10% share and will not disappear completely from the Club he built. 

The Blue Boar Inn will welcome the Stampede dancers for the Jun meeting of the Knights of the Brown Ring (AH) Club.  Additionally, the only female initiated into the AH Club, Jasmine, will make a return visit this month.  We are also hoping for a return visit of "Lovely" who proved to be quite an energetic addition to the meeting last month. 

The well known man about town, Harro, has started working at the Stinger Club.  I am wondering if this is good news of bad?  Now, Harro has been around for many years and has been well known for creating some off the wall pool rules for the local leagues and is apt to move around quite a bit.  My suggestion is to get to the Stinger, quickly, so you can enjoy some vintage tales from Harro before he decides to move on to another location or the Club closes down again.  Harro has a rather "large" personality that draws a lot of attention and his presence usually means that a customer will be royally entertained.  Welcome back Harro!

There is so much speculation about the bars on A. Santos Street and what will happen to them.  After talking with one of the owners of the Orchid Inn he confirms that all the bars on the East side of the street, from Caddy Shack to the new Wild Orchid Inn have been given notices to vacate their premises , BUT, and this is a very big but, there are no plans to require them to move right away.  Management is offering the present genuine lease holders a month to month lease until the land is needed for development and right now, there is no definite date for that.  Rumors have been circulating that the Orchid Inn has bought up the opposite side of the street as well and all the bars will be required to move.  This is not true, only Honky Tonk, Cock & Bull and the Blue Parrot bars have been purchased.  Those three Clubs have to move by 31 Dec unless things change.  This is a bit of bad luck for Ken Edwards and the other owners as each of them have spent a bit of money in renovations this year.  But, Ken is looking for a suitable location to relocate and that is not an easy task.

The Angeles, Clarkfield Tourism Association, Inc. (ACTA) has been successful in negotiating with the new CDC management team at Clark and progress is being made to get CDC assistance is obtaining an additional 47 street lights for the Fields Ave entertainment area.  Once installed these lights will eliminate those dark areas where rascals tend to congregate and will improve the security pictures considerably.  Speaking of security, the newly formed ACTA Tourist Police (TP) have been successful in identifying and removing from the area many of the foul characters that prey on the tourists by using their card playing scam.  Last month, at least four predators were pointed out to the TP by some of the Tricycle drivers on Fields Ave and with the cooperation of the police at station four they were rounded up, pictures taken and stored in the TP office computer then banned from Fields Ave.  These are the very dangerous individuals that work their con game in broad daylight on Fields Ave and surrounding areas.  The Director of the Tourist Police, Richard Agnew has vowed to reduce criminal incidents in the Tourism Area by 50% before the end of the year. 

One of the major problems on Fields Ave is the traffic congestion, speeding, and parking.  Hopefully, starting this month there will be an improvement as ACTA has requested one way traffic flow, no parking areas, speed limits for tricycles and designated parking areas for the tricycles.  The president of the Tricycle Association has promised complete cooperation and the head of the AC Traffic Division, Major Mallari has promised strict enforcement of the new requirements.  This is a compromise to the proposed Fields Ave walking street plan which could not be implemented at this time until the Fields Ave Master Plan has been completed.  Well respected architect Felino "Jun" Palafox has been contracted with to prepare this plan to include the Clark Economic Zone (CSEZ) and the Subic Bay Metro Authority (SBMA). 

Earlier in the year I announced the opening of the Last Drop Inn along the Friendship Road and business was quite brisk as many of the lads that consumed their daily drinks at the Hang-out followed Kenny Mac over to the Last Drop. As luck would have it the lad with the overall lease for the stores at the location ran into a bit of a financial problem where bills were not being paid.  Ken hung in there for a while but finally ran out of patience and this nice little watering hole is no more.  Too bad, there were a few very charming waitresses working there and it was good to see a business other than Korean along Friendship Highway.   

SEAIR charges P8,400 (includes departure tax) to fly to CEBU, guess what, it is cheaper to fly to Singapore out of Clark.  There is a question for SEAIR, why when you fly out of Clark to Cebu you have to pay another departure tax out of Manila?  Dear oh dear, double taxation!

The Department of Tourism (DOT) maintains an office in Room 104, Marlin Mansions Hotel located on MacArthur Highway, Diamond Subdivision.  Now don't ask me why the hell I inserted this bit of information e other than maybe, one out of 100 people might have a need to know.         

Change of subject:

I forgot it in my last message to you but that one review about Mville and Kokomo's - my take is exactly opposite of the author of that article.  There are no five-star restaurants in AC to my knowledge.  Having said that,  I find the food satisfactory in Mville.  I can't say at Kokomo's because I almost never eat there. 
As for the service, I find Mville to be at least equal and most of the time better than anywhere else in town.  Often times when I go to Kokomo's to sit and chat with people, especially out front, it's hard to find a waitress.  Too often they're inside yak-yakking with the other waitresses or customers.  That's not always the case however.

As for Mville changing, it really hasn't.  The town has changed.  I don't know or can't recall what time-frame the reviewer was referring to when he said Mville was a great place but he probably meant the pre-1997 era.  Before 1997, almost all the bars on Fields closed at 2 AM.  From 1 AM on, Mville would be packed.  It would be shoulder-to-shoulder, guys and girls from the bars joining the melee there every night.  It was truly wonderful!!  Then if memory serves me correctly, Mo came to town and I believe it was about April-May of 1997 bought Xanadu and changed the name to Voodoo.  Voodoo stayed open until 5 AM.  Of course, it wasn't long afterwards that the rest of the bars followed his lead.  Since the girls were working until almost the sun came up every morning, they weren't going to Mville anymore, the guys weren't following them, and hence things quieted down in Mville.

As for the prices in town, are they high now?  Yeah, I think so but I would do the same, charge what I can get guys to stand still for - whatever the market will bear.  It's the same for the bars.  If most of the tourist guys were not willing to pay the current prices, they wouldn't come here.  If enough of them stayed away, the hotels, bars and restaurants would lower their prices to attract the guys back to AC.  Is 70 pesos for a soda, mineral water or local beer too high?  Yeah, I think so, but then I'm an expat.  For tourist guys with totally different perspectives, they don't think it's too expensive here, at least most of them I know and meet on a regular basis don't.  You know of course that the old-timer expats always grouse about prices, the quality of service in restaurants and bars, the weather, the girls and everything else, no matter where they're at.  We'd all like to go back to 1955. 

I think the guy that wrote the article that said AC would be a ghost town if the bars closed here, probably meant the Fields Avenue area not the entire city.  But yeah, the Fields area would be a ghost town for a while but it would eventually recover ( True, but without all the tons of money that the tourists spend here it would never completely recover, just like the money that was put into the local economy by the GI's that were stationed here has never been equaled since the US Base closed.  Without the Clubs, and restaurants Fields Ave would just be another street hardly worth visiting).  Wouldn't be a fun place for the expats anymore however.  As you said in your newsletter, Angeles is changing.  Those days of yore, the "good old days" are gone forever.  AC is growing.  It's becoming a large city, and as such, we'll get everything that goes with it, more traffic, more rules and regulations - AC doesn't have that wild-west flavor it had a few years ago, that's already gone - more cosmopolitan girls working in the bars and yeah, worst of all, higher prices for everything.

Simply put, AC is becoming a "Little Manila."   I don't like it.  Most expats I know don't like it.  However it's inevitable, unless Pinatubo (or Arayat) starts erupting again.  There's still no other place I'd rather be though.  And that's my two cents worth.

Oh, for what's it worth, I met this young lady working at Stampede yesterday afternoon when I was out bar hopping with friends.  We hit it off immediately.  She was friendly, sweet, very enticing and alluring.  In thirty minutes we were on the way back to my place - screw my friends, I'd found something better to do.
All in all the chick was wonderful.  She left me several hours later with a smile on my face and totally depleted.  Just an example that there are still some great girls in this town.   (Once again I have been asked not to reveal the name of this person and I know JC from Margarita Station hates that.  But, I will go so far as to say his first name is Joe and the rest you will just have to figure out). 

The following Email was sent to me and I felt it deserved a public reply just in case my opinion is way off base:

Dear Harry the Horse,

I had a drink in Misty's bar last night. The beer was 70, I paid with a P100 note, got back 30, and left 5 for the waitress. As I was leaving and close to the door, an angry waitress came with the change tray and said; "Sir, you left your change." I was a bit taken aback and said: "No, that's the tip. You don't want it?"  She said no so I took it and left. I am actually a reasonably good tipper and sometimes leave a twenty when the waitress has been helpful, for example pointing out if a dancer is a cherry girl or is just pleasant. When I go barhopping I want to have fun, not a problem. Do you think I just ran into a bad apple or has tipping changed to where anything less than 10 peso for a beer stamps you as a "Cheap Charlie"?

Maybe you would want to mention the incident in your column to see if this was an isolated incident or is it more common.

Dr. Lutz Hoernecke, VP & Gen. Counsel, Schiller Int'l. Univ. Duneden, Florida

Well Lutz, I could not stop chuckling at your story as I am not sure if you are serious or not.  Do you realize that P5 pesos equates to around 9 cents in the States.  Now, I am a borderline cheap charlie when it comes to tipping and very seldom do I give less than P20, especially at a bar I have been drinking in.  Even a P10 tip might get you by, but P5 does sort of put you in the cheap charlie category.  Now, despite that I feel the waitress at Misty's was wrong in chasing you down in a fit of anger and I don't think Management would approve of that.  I would suggest that you try leaving a 10 cent tip at the next restaurant you eat at in the States and see what kind of reaction you get.  Come on Lutz, level with me, it was a joke, right???

PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL HOSPITAL (PIH) UPDATE  - My Australian readers can skip this part

This is the latest update from the Philippine International Hospital (PIH) Hospital Administrator regarding medical treatment for US retired servicemen living in this area.  The news remains grim!

"The TRICARE reimbursement situation has not improved since my last status report.  We recently have made some substantial changes in our procedures to facilitate the flow.  PIH is now submitting it's billing directly to WPS instead of via HVC.  We will know in about two weeks if this improves the situation.

Our original Patient Affairs Officer, Mouse left PIH two weeks ago for new duties as assistant to the HVC President at SBMA.  His replacement is Bob Hartzell, retired E8 USN Corpsman.  As one of the local wags put it, PIH is now mouse-free.

In addition to the cutbacks previously announced, effective May 3, 2005, all laboratory procedures require payment in cash.  This affects both inpatient and OPD patients, and includes "HVC" (TRICARE) patients.  TRICARE-eligible patients will have to file their own claim to obtain their 25% reimbursement.  If the laboratory cannot perform the specific procedure, the patient will be given the option of paying for the procedure at PIH.  We will arrange for the testing at a suitable facility and provide the results.  If the OPD patient prefers, he or she can go to a suitable facility on their own, obtain and pay for the test and provide the results to their doctor.  TRICARE-eligible patients again can file their own claim for 75% reimbursement.

Exception : The one exception to this policy is VA patients.  They will continue to be covered by VA; cash payment for laboratory procedures is not required. 

Here are the answers to some rumors that were passed to me about PIH.  My answers are in (parentheses).

a.  PIH is up for sale and if sold then HVC will revert back to pre-PIH.  Doctors would send patients to whatever TRICARE-approved hospital is in the area.  (PIH is not up for sale.)

b.  Claims that are sent to Las Vegas for forwarding are being held or not sent in a timely manner.  (HVC hired a billing company located in Las Vegas to process and encode claims.  That is an art and a "cottage industry" in the US where doctors have neither the time nor knowledge to do it properly and to their advantage.  More so in the US, the way a service is encoded determines how much is paid.  HVC was happy with the progress the company made but will probably not extend the agreement.)

c.  Some doctor(s) at PIH are advising patients to come to their clinic, then the doctor will schedule an operation at another hospital and have the patient pay up front or bill through Tricare.  (Unfortunately, true.  We also have doctors telling patients in PIH to pay up front.  These should be management decisions, not the decision of the attending physician.  We are working to resolve these types of situations.  If it occurs to you, do not hesitate to request assistance from the Patient Affairs Officer or myself.  Please provide it in writing -- a handwritten note is fine.  The real problem of course is that the doctors have not been paid in some time due to lack of reimbursement.) 

d.  TRICARE changed contractors again and that is why claims are being held up.  (Not true.  Wisconsin Physicians Services -- WPS is still the overseas contractor.  WPS now has the contract for all TRICARE for Life -- TFL.  This happened about the time our claims stopped being processed.  Coincidence?  Maybe not.)

e.  Claims are being sent back by TRICARE stating the patient's signatures are not consistent.  (Not true.  Claims have to be signed twice by the patient in Blocks 12 and 13 of the claim form.  We have returned some claim forms to patients because only one block was signed.)

f.   Some services in the physical therapy department will be cut back due to lack of supplies or equipment not working and funds not on hand to repair.  (Not true.  There is no lack of supplies or non-working equipment.)

g.  If PIH closes then the HVC doctor will send ambulatory patients to SBMC or TLC for any operation or care.  (There is no plan to close PIH, but if that were to occur, this would be a logical result.)

h.  An individual called the toll free number for TRICARE in Hawaii to ask advice on claims.  He was told they receive calls from CyberCare referencing claims but never from the HVC offices on claim problems. (I have personally visited TRICARE Pacific in Honolulu twice, and other company representatives from the Philippines have visited on at least two other occasions.  The office is worthless, accomplished nothing, and does not answer correspondence.  We stopped talking to them.  At one time we hired a retired one-star consultant on Oahu to deal with them.  He resigned saying we were wasting our money.  There is a new branch of the office which just started up in Okinawa.  To date they have been responsive, so hopefully that will provide an avenue of information.)

i.  TRICARE is thinking of having retirees in the PI be on a TRICARE Prime program whereas the retiree will pay the doctor's fee, the 25% fee and copayment for meds.  (Dream on.  I have never heard of such a plan for the Philippines.  This would require formation of an HMO, which is the basis of TRICARE Prime.)

j.  Today (5/9) HVC will receive a memo from TRICARE Okinawa officially disaccrediting (sp) it and its four hospitals (TLC, SBMC, PIH, and SJBMH) retroactive to June 2004.  (TRICARE Okinawa disavows any knowledge about any such memo.  My guess: perpetrated by a competitor who want our patients.)"

John J. McDonald, Jr.
Administrator

The situation is still not good for TRICARE recipients in Angeles City but I have heard that some billings submitted by CyberCare and PIH are beginning to be paid to these health providers.  There is still a long way to go.  At a meeting held at CyberCare recently it was suggested that U.S. Retirees write to their Congressman and complain about the TRICARE problem being experienced here.  It was also suggested that those ex-servicemen who are quite ill and cannot get their medications necessary to keep them healthy or alive because of the expense gather together at the VFW for a taping where they would tell their stories.  There would be no mention of the private companies who are offering health care because it would be presented as a TRICARE issue only.  Of course it was hoped that the VFW would stand behind these veterans in making the tape.  When VFW Life Member Steve Massie presented this suggestion at the monthly general meeting the VFW Commander did not endorse the idea.  This was a disappointment but Steve is working to produce a tape on his own that will highlight the problems, i.e., one retiree fighting cancer having to pay P100, 000 a month out of pocket to pay for his cobalt pills.  Steve has indicated that he would like to hear from any U.S. Veteran that is finding his health being severely threatened because of lack of TRICARE support.  Steve can be contacted at steve65massie@yahoo.com . 

ACTA

For the last six months the Angeles Clarkfield Tourism Association (ACTA) and the Tourist Police have become familiar to many residents of Angeles City and Tourists to Fields Ave.  There are many that have heard about the ACTA but are still a bit mystified as to what it is all about.  Quite simply, it is an organization that was formed at the request of Mayor Lazatin who had taken a hard, long look at Fields Ave, its history, future and its contributions to the economic well being of the City Government and local merchants.  He consulted with his City Tourism Advisor and passed on to him the task of organizing the Fields Ave businessmen (Expats and locals) into an organization that would work together to dramatically increase the number of tourists visiting this City.  The Mayor foresaw the shaping boom in development of the tourism industry and the opportunity for the City Government, the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) and the Fields Ave businessmen to work together to create a safe, clean, attractive environment on Fields Ave.  The first step in implementing the Mayor's plan was to schedule a special meeting between City officials and representative Fields Ave businessmen.  This historical meeting took place on 28 Jul 04 at the City Hall resulting in the "birth" of the ACTA. 

The ACTA was duly incorporated on 23 Nov 04 and the major milestones reached since that first meeting were:

    a)  4 Sep 04 - A Fields Ave clean-up day was organized with direct support from Mayor Lazatin and the City Government. 

    b)  Real Street, A. Santos Street, Rosario and Oak Streets were paved with well over a million pesos donated by Club owners and the remaining cost borne by the City Government. 

    c)  Club owners and the City have pledged to provide 47 additional light posts to be placed in various locations in the Fields Ave area to increase safety and security.  CDC officials agreed to assist in the financing of this project and the new CDC President, Mr. Tony Ng is working hand in hand with the ACTA to see this tasking completed.  Coordination with Angeles Electric is ongoing at this time and installation of these lights should be a reality within a few months. 

     d)  A Classification and Assessment list for Fields Ave establishments was approved on 13 Jan 05 with minimal voluntary monthly payments to the ACTA.

    e)  A Tourist Police (TP) organization was formed under the supervision of the ACTA.  Initial membership was 26 volunteers and on Apr 05 32 more personnel underwent training and were certified on 17 Apr.  An office for the TP has been established on Fields Ave, next to the Blue Nile Executive Hotel.  This volunteer force has been well received by the local community and they have been effective in reducing the crime rate on Fields Ave as they work in coordination with the Philippine National Police (PNP).  Regretfully, as they become more and more effective in assuring transparency whenever a foreigner is involved in an incident that requires PNP presence and also in their campaign to remove the hustlers that prey on unsuspecting tourists with their card playing scams there has been a few repercussions from the low life thieves that frequent Fields Ave.  One Tourist Policeman had his motorcycle stolen, then the thief called the TP office and reported its location.  It had been burned in retaliation for the removal of the hustlers.  Additionally, a threatening call was placed to the Filipino director of the TP that he was being watched and that additional theft and burning of motorcycles would take place.  These thieves have been entrenched on Fields Ave for over 20 years and they are not happy about the aggressive action being taken against them now.  In the past the PNP at station four on Fields Ave would not chase these individuals away unless forced to do so and then they only told them to move to another location.  Now, with the TP and the PNP working together in a common objective the heat is on these scalawags and they are not happy about it.  Remember, the TP are volunteers and, so far, despite threats, they have stayed on the job.  That is dedication!  As an added note, the individual that had his personal motorcycle stolen and burned had just purchased it a month ago and paid a  P47,000 down-payment with a contract that required him to pay P2,000 a month for 2 years.  He only had liability insurance so it was a tragic loss to him.  Despite this, the individual is still pulling his volunteer shifts and walking the beat!

    f)  Two bomb sniffing dogs along with their trainers/handlers have been added to the TP organization at a cost of P450,000 each.  The ACTA Tourist Police organization works hand in hand with the PNP and has the personal interest of the Mayor and Secretary Rene Diaz.  Mayor Gordon, Olongapo, visited in Mar 05 and was so impressed that he is taking steps to form a mirror organization in Olongapo. 

Hopefully, this will give you a better idea of what the ACTA is about.  I will not list the names of the Expat Club owners that have worked hard and also put in a lot of money to achieve the objectives listed above but, believe me, there are many, especially those from some of the bigger clubs on Fields Ave and they continue to be a strong part of the ACTA along with the Mamasans, vendors, photographers, trike drivers, flower ladies, and every business located on Fields Ave, A. Santos Street, Real Street, Oak Street, etc.  It is a team effort to make the Tourist Zone safe and attractive for one and all.  There will be a major push to make the area drug free and crime free.  Eventually, there will be a walking street, but first, the traffic and parking situation is being studied and changes will be forthcoming in the near future.  The ACTA has not been established to circumvent any laws or to prevent Clubs from being closed if found to have serious violations of various ordinances.  The intent is that members of the ACTA will police themselves in that each member Club will be asked to comply with City guidelines and the ACTA will be available for guidance and to assure that if a Club is accused of being in violation of a City Ordinance or any Republic Act by Law Enforcement Agencies, that ACTA will be on the scene to request proper procedures are followed and that there is transparency in all actions.  This applies to any tourists or residents that find themselves accused of misbehavior while in the tourist zone, contact the TP and they will be present to ensure that everything is above board when dealing with the accusers and the police.  We hope that every tourist coming to Angeles City will become familiar with the location and telephone number of the Tourist Police office on Fields Ave.  You never know when you might want to reach out for that helping hand.

BOURBON STREET

The Bourbon Street Bar and Bistro is located on Fields Ave, right next to the Viper Club.  This building has undergone a few name changes in the past but prior to Bourbon St it was known as the El Coyote Mexican Restaurant.  As a Mexican restaurant it never really got off the ground but then an innovative Club owner with a bit of imagination took over the lease on a monthly basis and after months of renovation has come up with a restaurant that I think will be a winner.  They had their grand opening last month and it was a busy night filled to capacity with diners and those just there for a drink.  The Club features a three piece combo with a female singer that adds a beautiful touch to one's dining pleasure.  The level of the music is just right and the songs are, well, mature, just plain pleasant.  There were a few glitches on opening night, in fact the appropriate song would have been "Don't let the Smoke Get in Your Eyes" as the kitchen ventilation just could not handle the load; the meals, once ordered took over an hour to be served.  But, hey, this was opening night and problems were identified that would be corrected.  It really was crowded and I did not try to eat but on 27 May, when Priscilla and I were trying to figure out where to eat dinner we decided to check out Bourbon Street.  Let me say this, I sure am glad that we made that decision as the evening was perfect.  The food was excellent, the music great, the ambience perfect, and the host, manager, Major-domo Jim was extremely helpful and attentive to each patron.  Jim was extremely proud of the "wine cellar" that held a few hundred bottles of Australian wines in a temperature controlled climate.  I doubt that any other restaurant on Fields can brag of such a varied and plentiful collection at affordable prices.  I enjoyed a perfectly cooked 400 gram rump steak and Priscilla hungrily finished off a half slab of spare ribs, of course two side dishes were included with the dinners.  We spent just over P1,000 and considered it money well spent.  This is a restaurant that was needed on Fields Ave and Jim pointed out that it is also a drinking bar as well with local drinks priced at P70.

NATIONAL DUTCH DAY

It was 30 Apr and the energetic Orange Men (Dutch) were out in force and so was the damn sun.  Boy, was it hot but that did not deter the Dutch Nationals, participants and onlookers from having one hell of a fun afternoon.  The Dutch know how to party, even without an excuse so you can imagine what they got up to on Dutch National Day.  These guys even brought a ton of sand to Fields Ave for some contests that should be played on snow.  They had a contest over the pool at Mo's Place where two ladies took position on a pole and tried to wallop each other until one fell overboard.  There was an egg catching contest where as soon as one egg hit the hot pavement and broke, it was fried in two minutes.  There was a contest that had someone being pushed around in a wheel barrel trying to snare some rings from a high wire; a soccer ball kicking contest, and my favorite was watching some guys in bathing suits, some in shorts, some fit, and others with a bit of flab on them try to climb up the wrong way on a big wide slippery slide by grabbing a rope and pulling themselves up; to me that was the event of the day and there were many contestants of this event that were sore the next day.  The Orange Lion hotel was the headquarters for this event Pasqual and company doing a bang up job in organizing all the events.  Hey fellas, will it be even bigger and better next year?  It sure is something to look forward to!

INSOMNIA CLUB

This guy, Dennis (The Menace) Mitchell gets around a lot.  Remember him from all the years he helped Mo (Kokomo's) stay out of trouble?  Well, I popped in to the Insomnia and to my surprise there he was, managing this popular little hot spot on Fields Ave.  Dennis is one of the good guys that has been residing in the Philippines for quite a few years, dividing his time between Olongapo and Angeles City.  I always like running into managers that are helpful in letting me take some pictures of their ladies and the Club in general and Dennis was very cooperative as he realized the value of free publicity.  I was doing OK until he introduced me to some special drink of his named the "reptile special" at P150 a pop.  You have to see the bottle and what is in it to appreciate this blending of some potent liquid delights.  I asked Dennis to pick out a lady for my "I Would If I Could Girl" for June and he selected Gina, 22 years old from Tacloban.  She has one boy, 3 yeas old and has worked at Insomnia for eight months.  Now, normally I would like to pick out my own ladies and try not to feature one that has children already, but I bowed to Dennis' judgment.  Personally, after looking at the group photo shot of the dancers I realized that I might have made a different selection on my own but then, maybe Dennis knows best??  As long as I have been working the Fields Ave beat I never got around to checking out the rooms in the back of Insomnia and Dennis was kind enough to give me a quick tour of the Jacuzzi room that is available for P3,500 a day.  That is a long way from the simple room at the Hotel La Casa for P600 a day but it was impressive.  I asked Dennis what was the longest anyone stayed in the room and he told me two weeks.  Believe me, that Jacuzzi is big enough for one guy and 10 or more women at one time.  I was surprised at how quiet the rooms were in that no music could be heard from the bar itself.  Nice place Dennis, thanks for the hospitality.

YATS INTERNATIONAL WINE CLUB

Now, I have already mentioned the wine cellar that the owners of Bourbon Street are proud of, but I must admit I would have been more impressed if I had not visited the Yats Wine Club and met Chef Philip John Golding.  I hate it when I mess up my notes and can't find where I wrote down the name of the dynamic chef that is in the picture with Philip, just stop by and say hello to Philip, the short one, introduce yourself to the chef in the white jacket and then call me right away with his name.  Anyway, I was totally surprised to find out that the Wine Club has 14 wine cellars in various locations on Clark and stores over 30,000 bottles of wine, one of which costs one million, seven hundred thousand pesos, now that is a tidy sum.  My friend Chuck is watching me type this and pointed out that I did not mention where the Wine Club is - picky, picky - OK already, it is located on Clark, just past the Holiday Inn Hotel.  I want to write so much about this Club but the most important item is that it has become a lot more affordable to dine at because of some of the innovations introduced by Philip.  How about the Happy Hour every Friday from 5 to 8 PM, all you can drink wine for just P350.  Reservations required and seats are limited, call 0917 520 4401.  There will be some finger foods provided as well.  Check out the new La Fresco Barbeque Buffet served at the La Terrace Garden.  There is so much more and the wine choices are unlimited and the prices range from affordable to out of sight.  This is a fine dining experience that you have to visit to believe.

CARTOON TIME

Last month a guy came by to see me about inserting an original cartoon into Harry the Horse each month.  I forgot his name but he said if the readers like it he will provide more.  Naturally, I forgot his name and I have not seen him for a while.  I like to keep my promises so here goes, you readers can be the judge.  Just email me and let me know what you think.

Let me close this before the damn electricity goes off again.  Hey, the webmaster introduced me to a new format for Harry the Horse that he is working on and it looks to be pretty interesting.  I liked it and I hope you do to.  He also told me that he has hired a guy that can get this up and on line in one day.  Can this mean it will be out by the first of each month?  Oh, please remember that the Knights of the Brown Ring will be meeting on 4 Jun and the Stampede ladies will be back with, I hope, the special guests that were present last month.  Some readers asked that I provide my Email address so here goes:  harrythehorse@harrythehorse.com.  Don't forget to be kind to horses!