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TIDBITS For anyone wanting to find some general information on the Philippines check out this great site: Visit My Philippines For expats living in the Angeles City area I suggest that you visit Jim Boyd at the RAO office and pick up the notice and application from First Provider Pharma, Inc, A Tricare participating pharmacy soon to open in the Angeles - Clark area that will cater to all our pharmacy needs. They will be opening on the 2nd floor of Savers Mall and they write that they observe Tricare rules and regulations and will adhere to the strictest standards at all times. They ask that a pre-qualification form be filled out. For further information or clarification please contact Jim Boyd. Last month I reported the hospitalization of Bretto and tried to keep up with the updates. Regretfully, the day after I submitted my column to the webmaster, Tom, in the States I was informed that Bretto had passed away at AUF Hospital in AC. I immediately submitted a revision to Tom and asked that it replace what I had submitted but I guess he did not have the time to act on it. That happens once in a while as I usually submit my data two or three days before the end of the month. Many of Bretto's friends gathered at the Honey Kos club on 4 Jun to bid a farewell to the big man in the way he would have liked, with drinks, jokes, memories and dancing girls in attendance. Yours truly presented a few parting words both at Honey Kos and at the Knights of the Brown Ring (AH Club) meeting earlier in the day and who said that Horses can't shed a couple of tears. As far as I know at this time, Bretto's will remain open for business, will not be sold and John, his mate of many years will stay on to provide his butchering expertise. This is good news for the community but that is not to say the situation will remain the same as things change rapidly in Angeles City.
Needless to say, money was discussed and Kevin's passage to jail was facilitated by his lack of available cash. This is just an introduction to explain how this Horse and Mo (Mo's Place) ended up visiting Kevin at the Station 174 facility and our reaction to the conditions there. We were in constant telephone contact with Kevin until his actual admittance to the jail facility when he had to give up his cell phone. Mo and I decided to visit Kevin to give him, at least, moral support and to allow him to see some friendly faces. We arrived after visiting hours (0900-1100/ 1400-1600), about 1115 hrs but were able to talk our way in. The guards were polite, respectful and helpful but man, what a God awful place it is. I was not allowed to go in with a cell phone or camera and I can understand why. No so called civilized government would want pictures taken of the hot, overcrowded conditions that exist in this facility. Kevin was in a cell that is about the same size at the men's room in Mo's Place, maybe smaller and the bunks were stacked three each. Kevin had the bottom bunk which means he slept on the floor, he did not have a mattress yet. Thirty three prisoners shared this cell and at around 2 PM it turns into a sauna when the sun hits it square on. I have seen cleaner toilet facilities in piggeries, there is no privacy, people are shoulder to shoulder. Kevin had to pay the head prisoner P1500 to assure that he would be "accepted". By the way, Kevin was in cell number 13 so multiply that 33 personnel by 13 and you get an idea of the total population. Bear in mind that there are separate facilities for the women prisoners as well. Surprisingly, there was no foul smell and even though the cell looked disheveled it was relatively clean. We were also surprised at the hospitality showed to us by the prisoners who were friendly, gave us a place to sit and provided Kevin with an ashtray. On the way out we did give P100 each to the head prisoner and also the "key" guy, hell, it is better to keep good relations just in case ends up there for real. These guys might have long memories. Kevin was being represented by a local attorney but when I last spoke to him he was not entirely pleased with his performance. It appeared that he was more anxious to come to a monetary settlement with law enforcement and only when everyone realized that Kevin did not have anywhere near the amount asked did this lawyer start to act like a lawyer.
The following words of wisdom was sent to me by Dave Baker - Food for Thought - Subject: Oldies vs tacos An expat that has lived in this community for many years, Joe Nelson, bought a computer last year and experienced a bit of a problem that he wanted to pass on as a warning to others that they must double check what software has been loaded into their CPU. His letter follows:
OK guys, here are a couple of incidents in which our Tourist Police (TP) were able to save a couple of foreigners a lot of grief: A certain Randy J. (intoxicated by unknown elements), American national, 51 years old, staying at xxxx Surla St., Sta. Maria, Balibago, AC, uttered insults to operatives (TP) on post at Surla in front of spectators and gave them "the finger". When invited at the office to explain his attitude, instead of apologizing he denied everything and insulted the TP by bluntly asking the Deputy Director "how much do you want for raising my finger". He was then invited over to PNP station 4 to answer the formal complaint that would be filed on him for defaming the division. This incident took place at 0100 hrs and once at station 4 I was called at 0130 hrs b the TP to ask if I would respond to a foreigner that was being detained. As a representative of the Angeles Clarkfield Tourism Association (ACTA), despite being roused from a sound sleep I elected to respond even though I was sure that Randy just had a few drinks too many but this does not excuse bad mouthing the Tourist Police, a force put together by ACTA to help protect foreigners, both expats and tourists and give assistance when necessary. After getting dressed and splashing some water in my eyes I was picked up and delivered to Station 4 where I encountered Randy who was rapidly sobering up but still had a very negative attitude. I was given a piece of paper that Randy gave to the PNP Sgt with his name and address and the words "Set Up" written on it. This stretched my patience a bit as I asked him specifically had anyone asked him for money, he replied "no" and explained that he did not even know anything about the Tourist Police. Anyway, after 30 minutes of explaining to him that I was there to assist him and that his attitude was not helping he finally saw the big picture and was able to apologize. The TP accepted his apology and I informed him that his release was predicated on his immediately going home. Problem resolved, one drunk with an attitude allowed to go home without having to pay anyone and no charges filed.
I have related these two incidents here to show how effective the Tourist Police and ACTA are and the fact that we can work hand in hand with the PNP. I guarantee that before the creation of the Tourist Police both of these incidents would have been handled differently and some bank accounts would have been dramatically reduced. Additionally, the City Director, Col Segubre (PNP) is determined to change the image of the police officials assigned to Angeles City and has his men training and working with the Tourist Police to increase security and safety in the entertainment district and to assure that any tourist or foreigner involved in any incidents requiring police presence/apprehension is treated fairly following due process and complete transparency. The ACTA and the Tourist Police are looking out for you, but please, try to stay out of trouble, I hate to miss my full nights sleep. INSOMNIA - One night last month customers who entered the Insomnia Club must have thought they fell asleep and was transported ten years back in time. Dennis and company put on their first annual "Roll Back" party and it was a huge success. Imagine, drinks at P25, Imported only P55, ladies drinks at P55 and the old EWR at P600. The place was packed by 7 PM and there was hardly room for the Horse to see the 35 new girls dancing on the stage. The booze was flowing, the atmosphere reeked of fun, fun, and more fun. Even at 0300 hrs it was still crowded and the last customer, dragged himself out at 0520 hrs. Needless to say the event was a huge success and all who attended are waiting for the next one and those of you that missed it - well, wait for this time next year and put it on your "need to attend" calendars. Dennis, well done, this town needs a bit of a shot in the arm once in a while with some original entertainment and I am sure, even with the reduced prices, the Club made enough to pay for a couple days of electricity. I know that the reason for this special event was not to make money but to give something back to the customers that have supported Insomnia over the years. It was a damn nice gesture, a public relations coup and it was the talk of the town the next day. You know folks, there are so many pitfalls to watch out for when visiting the Philippines, i.e., underage ladies on Real/Santos Streets attempting to set up foreigners, traffic police on Perimeter road adding to their meager income, , vendors selling fake Viagra, hustlers that love to play cards with unsuspecting tourists and now a new one at the NAIA. The comments below were sent to me by a friend who extracted them from the AC Message board. This individual was smart in that he did not allow them to intimidate him in any way and knew he had them by the balls. It was so good to be able to read that the Australian Embassy friend of his was there and also followed up and got these guys suspended. This is something you would never see from the American Embassy. Extract follows: I just had a good new scam pulled on me at terminal 2 and i was not the only one...two other guys, American, copped it as well.. Upon departure at immigration my passport which actually expires on 5 december 2006 this year was pointed out to me that i need a new passport..i know that already and said i was to get a new one upon my return to Australia.. I didn't make a fuss during the entire event, just sitting calmly and basically ignoring them as, stupidly, the immigration guy at the counter had already stamped my passport and officially I was out of the country and with my luggage already on board the plane I knew it would not have been long before someone was looking for me as flights don't depart anymore with luggage and passengers not matched up at the boarding gate... This item was forwarded to me and the fact that the Philippine International Hospital was closed down is of interest to all personnel living in Angeles City but the message about the closing down of the VFW Service Office is applicable to US Military Veterans only.
Again and again I will remind visitors to please, not pick up street girls in the Real/Santos Street area. On May 23 a frequent visitor to this town, who should have known better was taken for P100,000 with the underage scam I wrote about last month. Now I have been told that there is another thing to look out for and that is picking up a lady that is older but when she gets in your room, she pulls out her roll of shabu and then the police suddenly arrive on the scene. The item that follows really upset the hell out of me. This is something that O'Reilly on Fox news should be jumping on. The ignorant TSA assholes that conducted these searches should be fired and you can bet that this did not get much coverage in the left wing media. This item was extracted from an official Marine incident report submitted to higher authority. "AT APPROXIMATELY 1200 20060503, WHILE ESCORTING THE BODY OF SGT MILLS, LEA R. (OIF 05-07 USMC DECEASED) FROM DOVER AFB TO THE FINAL RESTING PLACE IN GULFPORT, MS, SGT STOCK, CPL BIGALK, CPL SCHADEBURG WERE STOPPED BY TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION (TSA) IN THE PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND TAKEN INTO SMALL ROOMS SET ASIDE FOR SEARCHES. THEY WERE FORCED TO REMOVE THEIR BLUE DRESS UNIFORM BLOUSES, BELTS, AND SHOES. THE SECURITY PERSONNEL SCANNED ALL THE ITEMS AND ALSO PATTED DOWN THE MARINES. TSA ALSO TOOK SGT STOCK'S SHOES OUT TO THE X-RAY MACHINE AND THEN DIDN'T RETURN THEM; HE WAS INSTEAD REQUIRED TO FIND THEM HIMSELF. ALL THE MARINES SAID THEY FELT HUMILIATED BY THIS TREATMENT. THE MARINES HAD ORDERS IN HAND THAT TASKED THEM TO SERVE AS OFFICIAL CASUALTY ESCORTS. SGT STOCK WAS CARRYING SGT MILLS PERSONNEL EFFECTS, AND CPL SCHADEBURG WAS CARRYING THE FLAG FROM SGT MILLS' CASKET. THESE ITEMS WERE IN HAND AND IN PLAIN VIEW." TAPS: It is sad to announce that Lawrence J. (Larry) Gill, U.S. Army Veteran passed away in his sleep on Saturday, 17 Jun 06. He was only 45 years old. He was buried at the Clark Cemetery on Wednesday, 21 Jun. This was a man that should have had many more years of life and his early demise was a bit of a shock to one and all. May he rest in peace. TOURIST OF THE MONTH
THE E-Z RIDER CAFE
NEW SPORTS BAR
More and more folks are drifting over to the Angeles City Sports Resort (Hidden Vale), some for the first time and many members that, in the past, had nearly given up hope of ever seeing anything positive coming out of this on again, off again sports facility. Then the team of Pineda and Smith rode in and tackled the momentous task of turning this club around. They ran into a few obstacles, mostly financial but still stuck with the program. Rather than give up they looked high and low for someone with the management skills, experience and financial backing that could take the bull by the horns and bring the ideas of the P & S team to fruition. Entering the arena was Richard Agnew who quietly, efficiently and monetarily took a dimming light and saved it from burning out. One of the first welcome changes was the menu changes to include food selections and price changes that now allow for decent meals at affordable prices. The sometimes unhappy lawn bowlers are all smiles now as their fees were reduced and there was no more talk of discontinuing this sport that has brought a bit of fame to the Club. A new I WOULD IF I COULD
RODIZIO
The Mrs and I finally had the chance to check out the Rodizio Brazilian Bar-b-q at the top floor of the Holiday Inn Clark last May and I must say it was a very unique experience. We started off with the soup accompanied by a bread basket then headed for the salad bar that offered a nice variety. I opted for the Greek Salad and Priscilla loved the mixed seafood offering. Then came the famous meat offerings with a choice of baked potato or rice. The waiter arrived at our table with a stainless steel kebob device offering some delectable sausages and so began the steady arrival of various meat choices to include chicken teryiake, baby back ribs, beef top sirloin (my favorite), vegetables and dorado fish and squid. The only way to stop the arrival of more meat was to turn our green and red block to the red side which I was happy to do so I could leave some room for desert. I indulged with a custard cup with a brandy topping, apple pie, cheese cake with cherry topping (another favorite) and finally assorted fruit for Priscilla. The newly renovated room was a big improvement from the past and the outdoor seating around the exterior of the room provided a beautiful view and the chance for a romantic setting if one so desired. This was a great dining experience but, and don't take this the wrong way, we kind of missed the Mongolian Bar-b-q which we used to visit at least once a month. Now, the present offering is fantastic, loved it, but we found that our visits would not be as frequent mainly because of consuming so much meat. I especially missed the crepe suzette desert with ice-cream and strawberry sauce but then the cheese cake comes in a close second. GM Michael Wilson always turns up his nose when I mention the Mongolian Bar-b-q but he has class and what can he expect from an old horse like me.
SM MALL CLARK It is nice to have the SM Mall at Clark but I have to give a very serious warning - BEWARE OF PICKPOCKETS! Damned if this old Horse was nearly a victim of some shady ladies engaged in the act of thievery. I was with Priscilla, at the food selection counter of the Sbarro Italian fast food eatery when I noticed that the lady next to me was crowding against me. I was going to say something but let it go. Suddenly I felt a tug in my left hand shorts pocket and I immediately felt my pocket and turned to the lady next to me. I saw her flick my wallet to the floor and I grabbed her and yelled "pick pocket" and called for the security guard. We took the lady to the Mall security office and then, in our car, we had to transport the guard and the suspect to the Station Four police station located near the Roadhouse. I submitted my statement and then the investigator told me to get 15 Xerox copies of the report and bring them back to him. While at the Mall security office we were told that two days earlier another American was a victim and he lost P60,000 under the same scenario as I encountered. He also was wearing shorts with his wallet in the large side pocket which seems to be an easy target for these ass wipes. There is definitely an open season for pick-pockets at this Mall and foreigners are not the only victims but the presence of a large foreign community and tourists at Clark seems to be a draw. My incident took place on a Saturday afternoon at 3 PM and the suspect is in jail and I have received a subpoena to appear in court on 5 Jul 06. I will attend! GORDY TURNS 51
I had been trying to find the time to visit the Typhoon Club (previously Bananitas) ever since it opened and thanks to Gordy becoming one year older I made sure I was on hand to witness this momentous event and to enjoy a few hours in one of the finer small clubs on Fields Ave. Gordy was wondering how much Social Security he would receive in 11 more years and after reviewing his work record we came up with one big zero. It is not that he has not had any jobs it is just that over the years he has had many, but only for a few months at a time. He just can't stay put in any one place too long. At least that was the case before he came to the Philippines but then, who needs Social Security in the Philippines - well, eh, all of us I guess. If you missed stopping by the Typhoon on 17 Jun to greet Gordy, no problem, he is there every night, working hard, so say hello to the "old man". Oh, by the way, all that hard work is still not earning him any points for social security! YOU ALL COME TO THE BIG EASY NOW, YOU HEAR!
TOURIST AUXILARY POLICE (TAP) IN ACTION
On 27 Jun at 1055 hrs TAP operative Catalino Mendoza who was manning the area of Mr. JJ Supermarket was called by the saleslady named Archie Sumilhig Y Batayola of Jazz.com stall #10, Field's Ave., Balibago, (The CDC stalls) to chase persons who allegedly stole 2 units of cellular phones from the stall. In response Catalino Mendoza caught the two suspects but the three others (a child about 13 yoa, and 2 men) boarded a tricycle and sped off. Upon seeing that, Mendoza alerted other operatives and motorcycle patrols for back-up and to chase after them. Area Supervisor Jaime Flores and Chief for Traffic Fausto David came over and took the suspects while other operatives and Catalino Mendoza conduct follow up operation to chase after the others. Suspects were brought to TAP office for investigation. The follow up operation to catch the other suspects failed so Fausto David and Area Sup. Jaime Flores persuasively asked the two suspects cooperation to reveal their companions identigy and their next move. Eventually they agreed, and disclosed to the TAP that their three companions were waiting for them at Dau Terminal. Deputy Director Rey Lacquian, Chief for Traffic Fausto David, Area Sup. Jaime Flores with the suspects turned assets, in coordination to COMPAC 42 Commander, PCI Medardo Manalo and other TAP personnel developed an entrapment operation. At 1230H the three other suspects were collared and were brought to COMPAC 42 for proper disposition. Recovered evidence from the suspects were: One (1) unit Nokia 3230, silver and brown color with SN: 359362/00/372121/5 worth Php. 11,500.00; Samsung D-500 color black worth Php 11,000.00 with SN: 355893/00/2378/3/0. Complainant was identified as EVANGELINE GUTIERREZ Y DINIO, 40 yoa, married, businesswoman, and a resident at 1-07 E. Mallari St., Agapito Del Rosario, Angeles City.
THE DEJA VOO CLUB The Deja Voo Club at Mo's place will be replaced by an open air beer bar that should be up and running some time this month. Why this change? Well, it was something Mo had been thinking about for a while but late last month he had some visitors from the City Government and the police with an order to shut down the Club. It seems that the paperwork for the business permit was still being processed and that the Deja Voo should not have opened until the permit was issued. Mo had been told verbally that since he had only changed the name of the club from Voodoo and the DTI had approved the change that he could open while the license was being processed. This was definitely bad information because one cannot open a Club until the business permit has been processed and issued. Normally this does not take too long, usually a couple of weeks and Mo did not realize that after more than a month the license had not been issued. A few key people in his organization did not pass this information along. The problem was that when the police arrived with the closure order ACTA officials went to Mo's defense as they were under the impression that Mo had all the necessary permits. An ACTA official was able to contact the Mayor and the Mayor directed that the closure order be cancelled since it was not signed by him. Additionally, the ACTA official was called by a PNP Major who was not happy with the situation and indirectly issued a veiled threat to him. Regretfully, the next day, it came to light that Mo did not have the business permit and a few ACTA folks were embarrassed and, of course, the Mayor and the ACTA official was quite upset. It was an oversight on Mo's part and he accepted full responsibility and sent a strong apology to the ACTA official and, wisely, decided to close Deja Voo and reopen later as a simple, non-controversial beer bar that will be part of Mo's place. This was a regrettable incident but it also serves as a reminder to the local businessmen, make sure you have your business permit in hand before opening any type of business here. If you are using a facilitator to process your paperwork, and he tells you that someone at City Hall told him that you can open while the paperwork is being processed - DO NOT BELIEVE HIM! Double check everything or at the very least make sure you have a reliable staff that is experienced in these matters.
Oh by the way if you want to drop me a few lines just click on my opening clip-art or my steed.
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Wow, would you believe that I nearly forgot about the fourth of July until Mo, from Mo's Place dropped me a line to mention that he would be having his famous pool party on 2 July and a massive, spectacular fireworks display on the 4th starting at 9 PM. I know that I have been extremely busy lately but that is bad when I start to forget a special day like that. I am sure that there will be quite a few of the Clubs and Service organizations in town putting on some specials that weekend so it should be a fun time to be in town. Of course, on 1 Jul the ladies from Honey Ko's will be the guest at the Knights of the Brown Ring (AH Club) and it is always a bit of a pain when the first Saturday of the month falls on the first, no time to put the word out. Regarding the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Toll Road, I have been told that the Clark-Tarlac portion will be completed and operational in Aug 07 and the Subic-Clark portion will follow in Dec 07. That definitely is something to look forward to. More good news is that Cebu Pacific Airlines will up again in July with its Cebu - Clark flights again. That is further evidence that tourism traffic into Clark is rapidly increasing. Believe it or not, presently there are 43 passenger flights a week arriving at Clark now, bringing in 140,000 passengers and by the end of 2006 it is anticipated that arriving flights will increase to 70 a week. Could this account for the dramatic increase in the construction of Clubs, apartments, hotel rooms, etc.? That is the future but right now it is July and hopefully, by the end of this month Priscilla and I can move into our new stable above the carport of the Hotel La Casa and the hotel will have two additional rooms for rent. Imagine, we are going big time, from six to eight rooms! On 5 July I have a court appearance but I will explain that later in this column. 
Early last month Kevin Hallaran, an investor in the T-Times Club found himself incarcerated in the Angeles City Jail (Station 174) located not far from the Land Transportation Office going towards San Fernando. How he got there is a long story that involves the officials from the Clark NBI office and the quest of a Mamasan going to that office with an applicant for employment seeking the required NBI clearance. It involves intimidation, threats,questionable procedures, and the underage girl factor again that drew Kevin into the picture and his subsequent arrest while awaiting an investigation into his case by a Fiscal before deciding on the merits of the case. It also highlights the lack of care or interest of the American Embassy to assist or even meet with an American citizen who finds himself, unexpectedly, a guest in a Philippine penal system (We were told that Embassy regulations require that they visit Americans in jail within 48 hrs, 24 hrs if in Manila). We were told on Tuesday, 13 Jun that they were short of staff and could not visit and that maybe they would do so next week - what a load of shit that is! My feeling is that these overpaid career Embassy employees are too lazy to get off their asses to help an American in trouble. They are more interested in their high salaries, overseas pay and benefits to care about anything other than their nine to five jobs and when is the next holiday. I believe the only Embassy here who reacts positively to the plight of their citizens is the Australian Embassy, the American Embassy would be at the bottom of any list illustrating the assistance given to citizens finding themselves in a bit of a jam with the law. 
As of this writing Kevin has been in jail for six days which believe me, has to be pure torture. We have heard from a source that on Thursday, the case may be dismissed because of an illegal arrest. I still have time to update this story as it unfolds so maybe I will have the final outcome before press time. Update 1 - Another hearing was scheduled for 23 Jun. Update 2 - On 23 Jun Kevin was released from confinement, all charges dropped after appropriate "fines" had been paid to the court. The monetary cost for release was much less than was originally asked for by the arresting authorities but the many days Kevin spent in jail was pure torture. 
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