How bout that, Thailand had one of their fun Coup d'etats last month.  Now, I do not degrade the seriousness of the event and its importance to this Region but I remember the couple of times I witnessed such an event during my long stays in Thailand years ago.  I always grabbed my camera, jumped in my car and went to photograph the tanks and soldiers and even chatted with them.  It was all so friendly, violence free and everyday life was not interrupted.  This latest Coup was organized so well and so very successful.  It is a shame it had to happen in a country with a democracy but then, Thailand like the Philippines, remains a third world country and their so called democratic rule can be very unpredictable.  Now, compare their Coup with the attempts by the oppositionists here in the Philippines.  Man, there is no comparison at all.  The folks here do a lot of talking, have their demonstrations, gather a few soldiers and make a lot of noise that gets them in a hell of a lot of trouble.  What is the key difference?  The military!  Army Commander in Chief Gen. Sondhi Boonyaratklin had his act together with a well planned and executed operation.  There was no fractious elements in the outlying Commands to deal with.  Another element that contributes to a no-violence scenario is the King.  You better believe that the General discussed his plans with the King beforehand and was told by Him that there should be no violence and no harm to the Thai citizens.  The King is deeply loved and revered by ALL Thai citizens and I have the greatest respect for Him as well.  Now, the oppositionists leaders here in the Philippines are no doubt envious of the success of General Sondhi but fortunately at this time the Country is fairly stable and President GMA appears to have a strong hold on the reins of the government.  It ain't up to me to say whether she is doing a good or bad job, all I know is that it isn't an easy job but someone has to do it.  But, at times "shit happens" and being a Third World Country, nothing is written in stone but let us hope that Thailand's recent "entertainment" stays in Thailand and is not duplicated here.  The tourism has really picked up in Angeles City and the construction surge is continuing at a hot pace and all is well.  We do not need any political upheaval here, besides, it would be a long drive for me to get to Manila to take pictures and I do not think, in this country, there would be yellow ribbons on the tanks. 

The following comments were sent to me by Email.   Now some folks will think this is an exaggeration, and it might be, but, after my last visit to the States I can say it is actually happening.  Even when I went to McDonalds there was an employee there that I spoke with.  She was non-Hispanic, a regular older female WASP and I told her that I was surprised to see that someone like her was able to get such a job.  She told me that the only way she could keep her job was to learn some Spanish.  That reflects the attitudes of employers in the US now so this email did not surprise me at all.  Does it make me angry, you better believe it!  I still do not understand why, when sent an absentee ballot from Las Vegas, NV to vote in our elections, it was written in English and Spanish.  To vote, one must be an American citizen, one should be able to speak english to become a US citizen so who the hell is getting absentee ballots that cannot understand English.  How come it was not written in German, French and Ialian as well?  Is there room for concern here?  Man, you better believe it! 

" Our granddaughter in Ca. was turned down for a teaching job, because she only had one year of Spanish. She got a job at a private school. She now teaches in Rancho Cucamonga, second grade.

I had an interesting conversation with a lady of Hispanic origin last week. She told me that she planned to come down to St. Mary's and get a job in Admissions (where I work). When I pointed out that we didn't have any openings, she advised me that "soon" current employees will have to be fired to hire bi-lingual employees. According to this lady, the Spanish speaking people of the U.S. are going to demand that all public facilities like hospitals, courthouses, etc. be staffed by people who read, speak and comprehend Spanish.

We hear about the silent majority, but I think we are going to have to speak up or find ourselves a conquered country. That would be an interesting historical note - greatest land in the world conquered by Mexico, without ever firing a shot!  Where's Sam Houston when we need him? Think about it.  Tammie Avara"

It was nice to get a reply from one reader of my column last month that took the time to explain the term "sod".

"Hi Harry, you asked in your September news letter is the word 'sod' an English or Australian term. Well, my initial reaction was pommy, because we aussies don't use that expression. But digging a bit deeper I discovered that it is a frog term, french for 'drunkard.' As you no doubt know many English words originate from the French but here in oz land we call a drunkard a 'piss pot.' But piss in Australia has many meanings. We have 'piss off' (get lost) & 'piss weak' (gutless), & 'pissed' (drunk -but not necessary a drunkard), 'full of piss' (a bull shit artist), 'take the piss out of someone' (to have him on - bring him down to an acceptable level) and 'pissed off' (really got the shits with someone) and 'pissy' (getting drunk). Not to mention 'are you pissing in my pocket' (having me on). O'h there's one more I nearly forgot - 'piss' (to urinate). So English is a colourful language with many meanings. You yanks refer to footpaths as side walks. lifts as elevators, fortnight (not fortnite) as 'the week after next,' boot as trunk, bloke as guy, sheila as broad (I think), chemist as drug store and 'g'day mate' as 'how ya do'en.' But there is a common word that we all know, it is 'mate' for friend. And the poms, the yanks & the aussies deep down are all good mates. Us Aussies know the poms only bathe once a week, all Yanks tend to 'bull shit' & maybe we have shortcomings (can't think of any), but if there is a fight somewhere in this troubled world, and your homeland security could be threatened, you know who your friends (mates) are that you can call on. The three amigos! God love us."

Incidentally, does this answer your question as to what a sod is? (Bloody hell mate, I could not ask for a better explanation) Cheers mate, see ya  Terence

p.s. I recall that you mentioned some time back that you would like to know more about the Cities where your mail is coming from. Well, Gosford is the Central Coast in the state of New South Wales. We are about 1.5 hours Nth of Sydney (by car) and half way between Sydney & Newcastle (one word harry). We have a small population of filipino/australian families & the success rate for marriages are excellent. Most of the guys here, including me, do the annual trip to PI, send the sheilas to their province & we head to Angeles for a bit of fun. It's a win win situation. Last time there I tied to look you up - gee your place is hard to find, nobody I spoke to knew where the Blue Boar was (Angeles best kept secret?). I'll find you next time somehow & buy you a drink or two. (Just remember the Hotel La Casa, near the VFW, that will get you closer)

Hi Harry,
Hope you are well keep up the good work (your info news page) I will be over in Angles mid October look forward to dropping into the stable and having a drink with you and the girls. On a sad note John Dopper passed away last week alot of people over there will remember him as the owner of The Temple of Rock he then went to La Union with his partner Gaye in the Sunset Bay Motel they returned to Australia about a year ago (Hi Jim Spenser - my goodness, Temple of Rock, I remember it well and am sorry to hear about John.  I remember Gaye as well but never saw either one of them after they went to La Union.  They were part of the History of Fields Avenue and it is always sad to hear about previous owners of establishments passing away, kind of makes one think of his/her own mortality.  I'll be waiting for that drink - cheers)

This tidbit of information sent to me by Harry Auer and company might help a few good lads from Australia to get to AC without spending a fortune on a ticket.  Imagine how many drinks can be bought with the $ 800 savings.

G day Harry - I hope you remember me, we visit you last year Harry, Rick and Kevin from Coffs Harbour NSW Australia.Just writing to You to tell all the Assies to check out Tiger Airways. The Flying from Darwin to Clark as Cheap as $ 250 each way via Singapore to Angeles.We where Lucky enough to get 5 Tickets for Dec 16 for $1000 return fro Brisbane Cheap compare to Quantas $ 1800 for Peak season.(if You get a seat).Looking forward to have a Beer With YOU. tigerairways.com Regards Harry Auer .

That hyper Swiss Chef, Chris, at C' Italian Dining is hopping around in excitement as he supervises the construction of his new Italian deli and Wine Shop that should be opening sometime in November.  Chris told me that he will be offering a great selection of wine, salamis, hams, chesses, and many other great surprises.  I asked him to clarify "surprises" and he went on to explain that there will be freshly roasted meats for lunch everyday along with baked breads, pastries, cakes, and sandwiches.  Meat will be imported from the US and down the road live seafood and also handmade sausages.  By the way, by late November Chris will become a proud Daddy. 

I received a text message from Shane informing me that he and Tony, the manager from Cherry's Club now own the Gentlemen's Club and many changes will be forthcoming.  Jimbo will take over Cherry's.  That was a bit of a surprise and I will be looking forward to seeing what changes will be put into effect at the Gentlemen's Club.  Sure wish they would install an escalator so I can get up the stairs a lot easier. 

Things are in a bit of a disarray at the Hang-out drinking spot on Perimeter Rd. (between Thi-Hi and Honey Ko's) right now.  A couple of popular lads, Ken and John have taken over the running of the place as Dave White has moved on to Zambales for a much needed rest and recuperation.  It is doubtful that he will return to his favorite seat but who knows for sure.  Meanwhile, some back rent has to be paid and a few other bills to keep the doors open and some stock put in for the thirsty drinkers.  It is not a done deal for Ken and John because the landlord of the establishment has become a bit greedy (not surprisingly) and is asking an unreasonable rent.  That has to be sorted out.  The situation might be changed by the time I am ready to send this off to the webmaster in two weeks so will provide and update at that time.  Meanwhile, the owner of Thi-Hi is not happy because he thought he had first option on taking over the place in case Davey ever left.  So, another AC living icon has moved on, but at least, not to the cemetery.  I am sure many will miss the old bearded mad Maori warrior who was nearly impossible to understand when he spoke but I prefer to remember him as he was before his stroke many years ago when he was one of the better dart players in town.  I certainly hope he gets well rested and well enough to pop on back here for a visit once in a while.  By the way, Dave was one of the charter members of the Ass Hole Club way back in 1998.  Take care of yourself Davey! (Update - hell, I am still confused but now I see that Dave White is back on his stool and it is good to see the lad, but I'll be darned if I know what his status is.  Regardless, seeing him at his normal perch kind of makes me feel a bit more secure.  I am getting too old to deal with too many sudden changes in the routine of my life).

For those interested the Cebu Pacific Airline is now flying direct from Clark, Pampanga to Cebu!  The daily flights are:  Depart Cebu 1020 hrs, arr Clark 1140 hrs.  Depart Clark 1210 hrs, arr Cebu 1330 hrs.  You can book at cebepacificair.com or call 6256051/52 or 8925397 or visit your ATAP accredited travel agent. 

Are you interested in ordering beer sticks for your bar or for use at home?  There is only one person in Angeles City that provides the best quality and the best delivery service and that is good old Rolf Henkel.  Want a bit of wine as well, how bout some other kind of alcohol - well call on Rolf again.  It is easy, his cell phone number is 092009204064. 

I have in my possession a free drink card from a bar in Stanley, North Dakota called the "5-Spot Bar" and I have no idea where the hell this bar is nor do I remember how I got it.  For some reason I wrote in the name "Elroy" but do not know if that is the owner or the person who gave me the car.  All I know for sure is I have never been to Stanley, ND and doubt that I will ever get there but it sounds like a place and bar I would enjoy knowing more about.  Bottom line, if any lives in or near Stanley, ND and might be coming to the Philippines, stop in at the Blue Boar Inn and I will give you the opportunity to have a drink at the "5-Spot". 

A bit of a sad story - Over the years I have written about expats that have had Filipina wives and girlfriends that took them to the cleaners and was able to pass on the news unemotionally and sort of detached.  This latest incident that I learned about kind of touched a couple of emotional strings in my screwed up heart.  While sitting in the Tourist Police Office talking to Rey Lacquian, TAP Director, he told me about one older (I would say old but he was about my age and my attitude about age changes with each passing year) American that has been married to a Filipina for ten years, had two children with her and is deeply in love with her.  It seems that while he was working in Korea, she got involved with shabu and also developed a relationship with a Filipino, all of this unknown to (let me call him Mr. X) Mr. X.  As I was hearing about this from Rey L. he received a phone call from some people that were trying to help Mr. X and when he hung up Rey informed me that the wife was about to leave town, heading for Cebu, and taking the two children with her (American citizens).  Mind you before she did this Mr. X found that his house had been sold out from under him and it was padlocked and he had asked Rey L. if he could help him.  As we discussed this situation I was telling Rey that it was not something the TAP could really handle and that Mr. X should hire a lawyer, inform the police and also get the Social Welfare folks involved.  As this discussion was going on, Mr. X came into the office and sat with us.  During the discussion it was mentioned that his wife was leaving for Cebu and the man's expression turned into shock as he did not know this.  When told what was happening he broke down and cried because he still loved her and just wanted to get her into rehab.  When i watched this gentleman break down and cry it was not possible for me to feel a bit of the pain he was experiencing.  I left the office grateful that I was lucky enough to have Priscilla sticking by me despite all my faults and broken down body.  Later, I found out that he was too late to stop her departure but I hope he reported the incident to the American Embassy because maybe there is a case for abduction of the children since they are American citizens.  I don't know but I have to enquire to see how all this ended or if it still a work in progress.  What is bothersome is that this was not some lady that was only with Mr. X for a couple of years, or months, or was just a live in.  She was the mother of his children, a woman he lived with for 10 years and loved so very much.  I know it is not an unusual tale, and I am sure that there are even more dramatic stories in "sin city"  but for Mr. X his grief reminded me of a quotation from Benjamin Disrraeli "Grief is the agony of an instant; the indulgence of grief the blunder of a life".  I do not think Mr. X will ever get over his grief, and I for one, will never forget his tears of sorrow.

Meet John Flaherty, a long time VFW member who happens to have fought a battle with cancer and won.  At a recent general meeting John presented a well thought out presentation on the perils of second hand smoke which many of us are well aware of.  John's objective on this day was to make a motion to ban smoking, completely, within the VFW.  A vote was taken and his motion was soundly defeated.  This Horse did not vote, I abstained because I understood the medical perils elaborated on by John and agreed with him but then, I also realized that financially, it would be a disaster for the Post.  Of course, I would not have minded if it did pass as I was prepared to immediately advertise that smokers are welcome at the Blue Boar Inn.  It is not my intention to minimize the seriousness of John's quest, but, he was faced with an uphill battle that will have to be fought again next year, no doubt with the same results - but, by golly, I give him credit for trying.  By the way, I am a non-smoker and can't understand why folks continue to want to inhale that shit smoke but, for now, smoke continues to be served with your meals and drinks at the VFW.  John can be found on the roof!

There is an interesting Sports Bar that that has recently opened named Palito's Music and Sports Bar.  It is located at 369 McArthur Hi-Way, opposite Johnny's Supermarket, Balibago.  The reason I say it is interesting is because of the owner, Palito (Erving) who is from Switzerland.  This energetic Swiss has turned a so-so bar into an establishment that offers good Swiss food and a mixed menu at reasonable prices, local drinks only P40, good music, charming waitresses, indoor and outdoor dining, draft beer, expresso coffee (he has the 85,000 peso machine to make it), and a very unique, interesting chess board with hand made pieces from India.  Additionally, upstairs, he has a pool table, dart boards and a table for table tennis.  Talk about space utilization, Palito has made every foot of space a picture of interest.  It is still, at this time a work in progress but on 6 Oct he will be hosting a grand opening starting at 1600 hours with free snacks for everybody.  If you stop by before that day you can obtain an invitation that allows one free drink to go along with the snacks.  It may take some special effort to get folks away from Fields Ave but I think that this Sports Bar will turn into a popular meeting place for the expats living in town.  Of course the plan is to form a pool team and get in some of the local leagues and also, with the help of Paul from the Orange Lion, one more establishment can come on board to help form a darts league.  I particularly liked the design of Palaito's polo shirts, so much so that I told the boss that there is no charge for me writing up this review but I would take a shirt.  Of course, I would write my same words with or without a shirt but dammit, I had to have one shirt for myself, even if I had to lie to get it.  So, like a true New Yorker with no conscience, I lied.  Thanks Palito, and I will return to check out your dart boards once you get the proper lights for them but will pass on the table tennis.  The last time I tried to play, and I love the game, I was laid up for two days with my back. Oh yes, don't forget to add the railing to hold on to when old people like me have to climb the stairs to get to the game room.  

A follow up -  (The details here are extracted from the news report written by reporter Dante Fabian) On April 16, 2006, the Sun Star ran a story about a German being murdered during a robbery in his apartment at Clark Ave, Villasol Subdivision, Barangay Arunas.  "His name was Hans Holtz, 52, married to Myrna, a Filipina.  The police disclosed that they found no signs of forcible entry into the apartment even though the incident took place around 0400 hours.  Myrna told the police that she left Hans watching TV at midnight and went to bed.  She then explained that at 0400 hours she was awakened when several men barged into her room and hogtied her with an electrical cord.  She related that the suspects also covered her face and body with a polo shirt.  Myrna told police that when the suspects fled, she went out of the room and discovered that her husband was killed.  This led her to scream for help."  Needless to say, when I spoke with the station 4 Chief at the time, the general feeling was that the wife might have been fabricating a bit.  In any case, as usual, there was no follow-up stories in the Sun Star and supposedly the investigation into the incident was on-going.  Recently I have had the opportunity to see the complete police report of the investigation and what follows is the "rest of the story".  Naturally I am going to try and summarize as the report is very long and I only want to touch on the salient points.  I remember that shortly after the murder of Hans I spoke with the Commander of Station 4 and we both felt that the wife, Myrna, had more to do with this event then just being a victim.  But, naturally, there were no more follow-up stories in the Sun Star and over the months I had forgotten about it until a concerned citizen contacted me to allow me to read a copy of the police report that was provided to Hans' brother.

"On 15 Apr PSSupt Segubre created a team to lead the investigation ( A certain PSInSP Marciano Martinez Banola, Chief IDMS was the chief investigator) and the investigators indicated that Myrna was evasive in answering any questions put to her.  The police received an anonymous call in which the caller informed them that a security guard, named Ronald who worked at the Hole in One KTV Club on Friendship Hi-Way contacted him to offer money to kill the husband of his girlfriend, a foreign national living in Villa Sol Subd.  Allegedly he refused the offer but when he learned that the crime had been committed he felt obligated to report the call.  Investigation disclosed that one Ronald A. Garcia, former security guard of Armor Security Agency assigned was assigned to the night shift and that his last duty had been on 16 Mar 06. It was disclosed that Myrna was enrolled at the AC-1 Fitness Ctr from 1 Jan to 1 Apr 06 and that she attended the night sessions.  This Center is next to where Ronald worked.   

On 3 May, the brother of Hans appeared at the police station to tell them that Myrna refused to meet with him and did not even attend the cremation on 29 Apr at the Manila Memorial Park. 

Myrna when shown a photo of Ronald A. Garcia became nervous and pale but swore she never saw the man in her life.  Ronald lived in Mabalacat and when the investigators interviewed witnesses they recognized pictures of Myerna and that Ronald had introduced her as his girlfriend.  One Amando Cabrong indicated that when drinking with Ronald he bragged of having a despondent girlfriend of a foreigner and before Holy Week she gave him P20,000 to redeem his house which had been pawned to a Beth Mendoza. 

On 4 May 06, an investigator was sent to Mabalacat to invite her (Myra) to the police sdtation as they had no communication with her since moving to her sister's house.  When they got to the apartment it was empty.  The caretaker disclosed that the occupants hauled off their house hold appliances and properties on 27 Apr, at midnight and transferred to an undisclosed place. 

Going back to the actual murder, the police report indicated that neighbors heard screaming and saw Myrna run out of her house.  When they approached her the apparatus supposedly binding her was easily removed as there were no knots at all and it was quite loose.  The shirt over her head was thin and could easily be seen through.  In fact Myrna easily removed her hands from the cable binding by herself. 

A day or two later, despite yellow tape indicating a crime scene and prohibiting anyone from entering the area, Myrna hired a people to clean up the scene.  Her excuse to the police was that it smelled bad.  But she made sure that everything was cleaned up and that utensils, including those with blood were put in the outside garbage.  Evidence indicated Hans was murdered in his bed while sound asleep and could not defend himslef.  The police indicated it was clear that Myrna concocted lies and different stories to cover up the gruesome murder of her husband.  They established her relationship with Ronald Garcia through statements of two people from Barangay Sapang Biabas, Mabalacat but she vehemently denied even knowing him on 3 May at the police station.  Her refusal to meet with the brother strongly indicates her guilt and bothered conscience.  The sudden disappearance of Ronald and Myrna including their families is suspicious and the P20,000 given to Ronald by Myrna is believed to be the pay off money to kill Holtz.  The murder took place in the bedroom and not in the sala as claimed by Myrna.  The knife wounds to the back and neck of Hans was the cause of death.  There were no signs of struggle despite the fact that he had martial arts training when younger and was a bouncer in Germany (at night clubs).

Indications are that Myrna knew Ronald and was deeply depressed.  She hated her husband for being strict to her and that he was a womanizer craving for younger women and bringing them home where he allegedly forced her to do sexual orgy with her as shown in the pictures found in their room.  Myrna defied the instructions of the police investigators not to move, touch or clean the crime scene for further ocular investigation.  She let others cross the police line on the night of 15 Apr to clean up."

"Premised on the evidence and statement at hand there is a strong probable cause to believe Myrna O. Holtz, Ronald A. Garcia, AKA Elvis and Roberto Villegas, AKA Nonong, were responsible in the gruesome death of Hans Holtz after conspiring and confederating together and mutually aiding and abetting each other in the commission of the crime."

"On or about 24 May 06 a case of MURDER was filed before the Angeles City Prosecutor's office against Myrna, Ronald and Rovberto docketed under I.S. Nr 06-E-1512. 

This was a terrible crime but the question is, after 5 months why haven't these murderers been found and apprehended?  I have not had the chance to speak with Col Segubre about this to find out if the investigation is still active or buried in some back room file.  I hope to be able to get an answer to that question prior to my Nov column. 

Hey, does anyone remember Barry Edwards, the accused British pedophile facing a death sentence for after being found in bed with an underage girl?  Someone sent me an article from a daily paper in England reporting that he was set free.  It was reported that the case against Barry collapsed after the 14 year old girl failed to turn up at court to testify against him.  I wonder if he is still in the Philippines and if so, I certainly hope he will be staying away from Angeles City?

Richard Rehm, a dart master from Las Vegas has confirmed that Paul Lim will be in Manila sometime in November to demonstrate the use of electronic dart boards and the format for the Medalist league. 

The Horse is arrested! -  That's right folks, on the night of 26 Sep I was grabbed by the NBI inside the Angel Witch bar, goose-stepped outside to a waiting vehicle and transported to the NBI office located on Clark.  I was kept there the entire night but released the next day.  How, you might ask, did all this come about?  Well, that night, about 10 PM I received a call from a contact that the NBI was in the Angel Witch Bar and in the process of searching for one lady which they could not find and were now detaining some of the ladies and three Mamasans.  He indicated that the Tourist Police were not on the scene.  I contacted ACTA President Rey about the raid and told him I would check it out.  He asked that I keep him informed of the situation and see if I could learn the reason for the raid.  Priscilla dropped me off in front of the Angel Witch and I entered the bar, met with the manager and started to interview him about what had happened and why.  During the interview the NBI suddenly returned with around six to eight men, arm with weapons and ran through the bar and two went to the back stairs to check the live-in area.  I approached one of the armed men and asked what the situation was and he directed me to the team chief.  I went to that person and introduced myself and explained that I was the Exec. Vice President of ACTA and then had to tell him that it was the Angeles Clarkfield Tourism Association.  I asked if there was a mission order issued for this raid and the reason.  He explained that a mission order was not required and that it was a rescue mission to find a girl listed as a minor and employed at the Angel Witch.  They were also looking for a "Scott" and at first thought it was me.  They asked why I wanted this information and I told them that the ACTA President wanted to be advised so that we could monitor the situation and act accordingly.  He asked me for the name of the President and when I mentioned the name "Rey Pineda" he went ballistic.  He started yelling that Rey was nothing, he could not tell the NBI what to do, he could not stop anything, he is not in charge of anything, and so on with a bit of profanity thrown in as well.  I thought he was going to foam at the mouth but instead he took his frustration and anger out on me by yelling, "you are under arrest for obstructing justice, call your damn Rey, have him come here" and two of the agents grabbed me and goose-stepped me out to the waiting vehicle.  I was shoved into the back seat and the team chief continued his tirade, telling me to call Rey.  Now, in the back seat I was trying to call Rey even as I was sitting between two agents but for some reason, my fingers would not cooperate too well.  Then the "Chief" who was in the front seat, still yelling, grabbed my cell phone and smacked me in the face.  The vehicle took off and proceeded to the Base and things were a bit quieter.  Then we are on base heading for the NBI office and the damn car started to run out of gas.  I was glad the gas stations were closed as I figured they would ask me to pay for the gas.  Anyway, they went through a few stop and go motions and finally the car was able to coast to a stop in front of the NBI office.  Now they gave me back my cell phone and again told me to call Rey and tell him to go to the office.  It was after 11 PM now but I tried to call and there was no answer.  In desperation, I called Presidential Advisor Secretary Renato Diaz and was able to reach him and tell him that I had been detained by the NBI and that I could not reach Rey for assistance.  He took my information and told me he would see what could be done.  When I hung up the NBI agent asked who I called.  I told him I could not reach Rey, so I called Secretary Diaz.  He got mad again, accused me of name calling and asked the full name of the Secretary.  When I told him he responded "oh, that fat guy from Zambales, see you are name calling again, we don't like that."  Shit, by this time I thought, hell, if I had a direct line to GMA (President of the Philippines) I would call her too.  But they confiscated my cell phone again. 

When I entered the NBI general room with various offices I was told to sit.  At that time I also saw the three Mamasans from the Angel Witch Club plus one door girl and three of the dancers who the NBI agents suspected of being underage.  One must remember though, that the original mission was to rescue one specifically named woman who they could not find.  Now, I was without any means to communicate with anyone, arrest paperwork was prepared and I was fingerprinted.  They kept asking for identification papers and all I had was my drivers license and they asked why I did not have copies of my passport or visa on person.  I kept telling them that they were at home and that I did not carry that kind of documentation on my person.  I think, technically, I am supposed to do so but I have to check on that.  Hell, none of that stuff will fit in my wallet anyway.  After all the paperwork I was escorted to the back of the room, led down a hallway to a cell and placed in that.  The light was turned off and it was dark as hell, but I figured I might as well try to sleep.  But, within three minutes, the door opened and I was let out and suddenly, everyone was pretty nice to me.  The good thing is that the team chief was no longer around and those that were still on duty were being rather decent.  I was surprised at the sudden turn-a-round and did not find out the reason for many more hours.   I was told that they needed my help with the ladies in custody in that the Mamasans, one in particular, was not cooperating and maybe if I could talk to them and convince them to cooperate in finding the lady that they were trying to "rescue".  If I could help, and they were able to find the lady, then I could be released.  OK, I agreed to talk to the two ladies and explained the benefits of not lying, or at the very least, getting their stories to agree with each other.  In any case, the one girl indicated that a friend of (let me call her Roselle, not her real name) Roselle was still in the bar and might know where she was staying.  So, they formed another team and went with them to the bar again, but, of course, were not successful in finding Roselle.  Naturally, I am sure, that by this time, enough people had informed Roselle what was going on and that she was well hidden.  Also, at this time, my cursing, slapping buddy popped his head in and wanted to know the last name of "Scott".  When I told him I did not know it he did not believe me and asked if I thought he was dumb.  Needless to say I resisted the urge to tell him what I really thought, but instead, explained that many of the people I know in town are by first name only or nicknames and that all too often I even forget those first names and rely on "Hi buddy, hi pal, hey guy" and other shortcuts to cover my bad memory. 

After all this I was now allowed to sit in the general area where there was a long table and allowed to watch TV with the three Mamasans trying to get some sleep in their chairs.  Around 2 AM one agent, Larry, sat with me and chatted for quite some time and he allowed me access to my cell phone so I could at least call my wife who was quite worried by this time.  After my conversation with her and also responding to others who had sent text messages Larry once again collected my cell phone.  Again, I was incommunicado.  But, I was told that I would be released in the morning once the mission was over.  Believe me, it was a very long night.  As I sat there, I thought of all the expats that have been guests of the NBI or Immigration officials and how they related their stories to me.  I remember visiting Kevin Halloran at the station 174 jail and what a horror that was.  For the rest of the evening I was treated OK but could only doze in my chair once in a while.  Around 8 AM the Agents, including the Director gathered for breakfast which one of the agents prepared.  I was invited to join them for sausage, scrambled eggs and rice and managed to eat enough to ease a bit of hunger I had.  Once the place became active and they woke up the individual that was assigned to prepare my release paperwork I was happy to see that I would be released shortly.  But, first they asked me to agree to a prepared affidavit which absolved them of any wrong doing, one of those "cover your ass" documents.  Since I did not have my cell phone yet I was not able to seek advice but in retrospect I guess I should have asked to speak to the ACTA lawyer first.  Instead I signed the document and finally was given my cell phone back.  After another couple of hours I was officially released. 

Once I had my cell phone and was contacted by various people I found out that Secretary Diaz, after receiving my call the night before, called a contact in Manila and that person contacted the Clark NBI Director right away and was told to release me that night.  It was agreed that I would be released but that information was withheld from me and I was kept the entire night.  Secretary Diaz, when he learned this was upset.  I also found that the Mayor was making enquiries as well as Rey Pineda.  Marlon Llauder, the ACTA lawyer arrived from Manila and was instructed by the Mayor to get a list of the names of the Agents that were on duty the night before.  Later in the day, I attended meetings with Rey, Sec Diaz and also the Mayor to get to the bottom of why these agents arrested me.  The NBI director was summoned to the Holiday Inn as well and was questioned by the Secretary and also Rey.  He was very apologetic and indicated that I could submit a complaint against the Agent who slapped me in the car.  It was decided that this was not necessary but both Sec Diaz and Rey wanted to see some sort of action against the agent who assaulted me, was cussing out Rey and was disrespectful to the name of the Secretary.  I was very grateful that I was able to get through to Sec Diaz the night before as I am sure that my treatment would have been far different, even to the point that they would have left me in that cell.  I have no doubt that at some point they would have asked for money as they had started talking about pressing charges and notifying the American Embassy and that I could lose my military retirement pay, which of course is hogwash, but was an attempt to intimidate me. 

So, I was able to go home but what of the three Mamasans and the entertainers that were still being held?  I thought that they would be released but found out that later in the day, the three entertainers were slapped around, knocked down and forced to sign affidavits admitting that they were involved in going out on "barfines" and with this admission, the three Mamasans went before the fiscal with the charge of trafficking which is a non-bailable offense.  At the time I am writing this they are incarcerated at the City Jail.  One of the girls that was abused reported to work and was taken to Ona Hospital for an examination and for a doctor to record her injuries.  So far, she is willing to make an official statement as to the treatment she received and that she was coerced into making the affidavit that pointed to her being a prostitute.  The other two have not reported to work and are fearful of the agents.  Various meetings have been held with certain officials to ascertain what actions are to be taken to bring these abuses to the attention of the public. 

Well, this Horse experienced first hand what many foreigners have had to go through and I was fortunate to have had a good support base to assist me.  Others have not been so lucky.  I have no desire to be put in such a situation again, it definitely is no fun and it is very stressful.  Possibly the ACTA and LACEM will be able to bring pressure on certain people to address certain human rights violations committed by some law enforcement officials so the ladies who are working to survive can be do so without physical abuses being heaped on them by their fellow countrymen who want to use them to facilitate extortion of foreigners.   By the way, the request from the CSWD asking for the assistance of the NBI to rescue the girl Roselle, was three months old and in fact, she was rescued in June and her Aunt was arrested and charged with trafficking since she is the one that brought her to the bar and presented all the necessary legal documents.  Let us hope that sometime in the near future that a new team will be assigned to the Clark NBI office, one that will work with the various agencies, including ACTA to rid the entertainment of underage girls but in a more unobtrusive and legal manner.  Rifles and guns are not necessary, history has shown that there have not been any gun battles between the police and Expat Club owners so why all the firepower?               

The Cybercare Clinic that existed close to the Friendship Gate on Don Juico Ave (Perimeter Road) is dead and buried.  The demise came about for extreme abuses of the Tri-Care system used by American military retirees.  The closure of this clinic left a void in access to medical care for retirees and also for the general public as well but now there is a bright light shining in the form of the newly opened "Flightline Clinic" and the dedication of two individuals determined to bury the image of Cybercare and bring forth a Clinic to meet the needs of the community and to adhere, strictly to the Tricare Pacific standards.  This new clinic is established under current American medical standards and procedures which include downloadable computerized medical records.  They offer complete outpatient services and have several options for inpatient hospital needs.  Thier costs will be less than 30% of Tricare (CMAC) allowable rates which will reduce cost share considerably.  They will make arrangements for you to pick up your medical prescriptions through a local Tricare pharmacy.  They offer emergency medical assistance through one of their selected hospitals.  The good news is that the clinic is open to everyone, therefore, any non-eligible Tricare patients that use their facilities will receive the same high level of care at the same low price.  Stop by and visit and get any questions answered.  Their office hours are Monday-Friday, 0800-1500.

A few days ago i had the opportunity to run into Pabs Flores, the manager of the China Bank located in Clark SM, just opposite the Hydromart.  Pabs used to be with the Clark Centennial Rotary Club until he was transferred to San Fernando and had to resign.  I was pleased to see him and happy to learn that he was at the China Bank.  The information that I want to pass on is that checks deposited to the China Bank dollar accounts only take 15 banking days to clear.  This is shorter than the Bank of Commerce and other banks in town that keep your money for 25 banking days.  To open a dollar account one will have to deposit a minimum of $500 cash.  Another advantage is that it is a lot easier to park at SM then to fight traffic on McArthur Hi-Way to get to the Bank of Commerce.  This Horse will no doubt open an account at SM but will also keep the Bank of Commerce account since I have dealt with them for so long. 

AT LAST - RAFFLES OPENS

After 10 long years of wondering if the unfinished hotel that had started out to be a Marriott managed establishment and then just sat for so long with no discernable action would ever be finished, finally on 28 Sep, the Raffles Hotel opened its doors to the public.  The President of the Philippines blessed the event with her presence and ribbon cutting.  I was there, by invitation, but my interest was not the food, the guests or the speeches but to see if the long wait produced a first class hotel.  At this time it is not completely open as out of 250 rooms 54 are available but they do portray luxury and comfort.  There are three styles of room, the deluxe suite that features a recreation room, large bedroom, beautiful bathroom as well as a smaller bathroom; the deluxe twin room with, of course, two double beds and third, the deluxe room which is very spacious and features a king size bed.  Throughout the hotel wi-fi is available at no charge and the ground floor features an enormous coffee shop and a large Chinese restaurant.  The restaurant will have set theme nights offering a various types of food.  A business center is and a sauna is available and the pool is first class.  Raffles reeks of class but at this time they did not have a price list for me so I can't tell you how much the rooms will cost.  When I spoke with the General Manager, Danilo Licardo, he informed me that the rooms will be in the neighborhood of what the Holiday Inn is charging but, initially, some exciting promotions will be offered that will feature competitive prices.  By mid October 150 rooms will be ready for occupancy and by Dec the entire 250 rooms will be on line.  The lovely Joann, finance manager, escorted me and I asked if there would be transportation laid on for guests to get back and forth from the hotel and downtown.  I was told that a no charge service would be available.  For reservations and further information you can call 63-45-599-7888 or 599-7878.  (I included a picture of the PNP security force on duty at the Raffles.  Usually it is only the VIP's that are shown so why not give a bit of publicity to those that protect and serve.  Also, it did not hurt that some of the police women were kind of cute.)

MYSTERY TOURIST

This is a first for me.  I call this my "mystery tourist" as he sent me an Email indicating he did not want to appear in this column.  Not that he was shy or anything, but I did not want to waste such a good picture of dear "Monique" who happens to be the best part of the picture.  So, by erasing the face of the tourist I have complied with his request and at the same time can introduce readers to Monique who happens to work at the Blue Boar Inn.  As it happens, during the renovation of the bar/restaurant Monique holds court at the outside bar and is one of only three ladies that has stayed on during this very slow period.  For you guys that like your women a bit sturdy without being fat, well, this is the lady you want to meet.  Good personality, excellent conversationalist and amenable to making anyone's lonely nights or afternoons into moments of pleasure while you enjoy the very good food offered by the La Casa cooks, at very reasonable cost.  Oh, yes, our mystery tourist - now, he could be Australian, Canadian, American, Italian or, well, anyone.  What he will remember is the fine time he had at the Blue Boar Inn and since he reads this column, he will be able to remember his moment with Monique without anyone else being the wiser.  By the way, he is single so no problems in that area.

TONS OF FUN

I finally had the time to get to an SOB party and it certainly was an entertaining event with plenty of ladies to look at, flirt with and share a few laughs with and all the time following the rules of decorum set forth by City officials.  But, for the first time, I made it over to Treasure Island for an after SOB event and that was even more fun.  Mo provides games and prizes, and the ladies are even more fun than at the SOB.  Some of the games are really amusing and a few lads were a bit shy when tasked to withdraw their prize tickets from various locations on the lovely models.  Once again, nothing X-rated but a good "R" rating would suffice.  Who says you can't have fun without going overboard.  In any case, many readers look forward to checking out the good figures and good looks available and it seems to me that Treasure Island does a good job on both counts. 

AMERICAN STEEL

They came from Okinawa, Huntsville Alabama, Korea and of course, the Philippines to celebrate their 2nd yearly conference for one whole week of fun and meetings.  You better believe that when the American Steel Motorcycle club members get together it is a week of business, eating, drinking and maybe even a bit of barhopping but they do know how to party.  Now, once again I messed up and missed Garth's famous Bar-b-q but I am determined to get there on time for the next event.  Their headquarters is at the Hole-In-The-Wall Club and that is one great place to eat, drink, play pool and just enjoy yourself.  Do not be put off by the lads in their motorcycle garb, beards, tattoos, and intimidating looks as they really are friendly as hell.  What caught my attention that night in early October was this very cute lady that had the longest hair of anyone I have seen recently.  It was fascinating as it went all the way down to her ankles.  I have no idea who she was, maybe the wife or girlfriend of one of the American Steel members but I knew that I had to get a couple of pictures of her on the dance floor.  This lady should be one of those "Pantene Shampoo" ladies.  I can imagine the amount of work she must put in when washing her hair every day.  Anyway, enough of that just enjoy the pictures. 

HER NAME IS LEILANI

OK, here I go again, introducing a fine single lady that would make someone a great wife and homemaker.  She is educated, has her own CPA business, is a Government consultant, drives, owns a car, no children, never been married, fantastic personality, can cook, can bake, can garden and likes dancing.  She lives in Angeles City and has no desire to live out of the Philippines.  She is 44 years old but looks 35 and has a ton of energy.  This is an ideal woman for someone in his 50's that is looking for that perfect woman.  Leilani Galvez has experienced a few disappointments in the romance department but remains optimistic that a special guy is still out there for her and I agree with her 100%.  If you would like to communicate with Leilani then send a message to galleani_ph23@yahoo.com . 

I WOULD IF I COULD

OK, I know that some of you out there might not be interested in an older woman or have the patience to court a good woman following Filipino customs so I will now introduce you to 18 year old Jhing who hails from Boracay.  She has worked at Honey Ko's for two months, has no children and for now, no boyfriend.  This lady has a bubbly personality and a great smile.  On the dance floor she is active and still has that "new at the job" energy and enthusiasm that will no doubt fade after a year on the job, but for now, she lights up the stage.  I have to thank Des for helping me out as I was not able to search for my special girl of the month until the afternoon of 29 Sep so I ran into Honey Ko's which is close to my stable and asked Des to help me.  It always helps to have the cooperation of management but when we spotted Jhing on the stage, she was more than happy to pose.  I was ready to snap her picture when I realized that I had left the memory card at home.  I was going to call to have someone bring it to me but then I realized I had forgotten my cell phone as well.  See, one night in jail and the mind starts to slip right away.  Anyway, Jhing has two sisters and five brothers, is a high school graduate and likes to dance (of course).  To marry, her preference is a man no older than 35-40 and would like to have two kids.  Old Horses like me, well, she could deal with those very temporary liaisons.  Stop by and check out Jhing at Honeyko's before she takes up residence elsewhere.

CONGRATULATIONS TO IREN DORNIER AND MANAGEMENT OF SEAIR ON THE OPENING

OF THEIR NEW TICKETING OFFICE AT SM CLARK LAST 22 SEP 06

KOREAN, JAPANESE AND NOW A BIT OF MEXICAN

We all know that the Friendship area is dominated by the Koreans and the Japanese businesses but now a couple of Yanks have snuck into the area with a bit of Mexican food to add to the international flavors.  This Texas sized restaurant is called "El Mexicana Grill and Pancho's Bar.  When you walk into the restaurant you are overwhelmed by the size of it.  There is a very long bar cutting the restaurant in half with each side able to accommodate 50 diners with room to spare.  This place is big enough not only for great parties, weddings, meetings but mini-conventions as well. By the way, the owner wanted me to inform anyone interested that the upstairs which is just as big as the downstairs space is available for leasing.  The kitchen is quite large and absolutely first class and it is glassed in so that customers can look in as the cooks do their thing.  OK, already, you are going to ask me about the food, right?  Well, to be truthful, before I went there I heard from various sources that dined there that the food was not all that good and they were disappointed.  I made up my mind to check it out for myself and I must say that Peter Bellemy, a long time businessman in this town told me that he had the burrito meal and it was terrific.  So, I went there at 2 PM one afternoon and had the whole place to myself and ordered the burrito.  I am not a Mexican food fan nor am I into Gourmet so I am probably not a good reviewer for food.  I am a no class New Yorker that looks for three things when I eat out.  Is the price reasonable, does it taste good and does it fill me up?  For Mexican I only know burritos and enchiladas so I ordered the burrito, and it is pictured above.  Hell, it met all my qualifications so no complaints on my end so I will take Priscilla with me on my return trip and see what she thinks.  My meal cost me P200 which included the VAT and service charge.  Maybe the next time I will try the Texas Burger (P160) or the steak durango (P290).  They do offer a bit of variety on their menu to include a few Filipino dishes.  They are open from 1100 - 2300 but the kitchen closes at 2230 hrs.  They will stay open longer if there are customers at the bar and the beer goes for P60.  If you do visit, take the time to walk around the place and look at the decorations.  You can tell that a lot of money was sunk into decor and I sure hope that the investors see a bit of success.  They have a good deal on the price of their lease and I think that after they are open for a while the customers will start drifting in.  I have to check it out at night and see how the bar is doing. 

SMART BRO

Many of my readers have been asking me to comment on Smart Bro. For the last few weeks I have been searching out customers of this service and have received mixed reports regarding the service. (Smart Bro is an alternate internet provider owned by SMART (PLDT))  Following is an extract from a letter that my friend Chuck wrote to the SMART company.

"Most of your initial customers are very happy with the service until they need on-site customer support which according to almost all who needed it did not get it in a timely manner. One specific case is Mr. Jim Boyd of the RAO. I was there on two occasions when he was trying to get some support from your office over the phone and everything that was suggested from your office was done and the result was still negative. This went on for almost two weeks before you finally sent someone to the site to correct the problem.

I have a friend in Manila that is a webmaster and he said initially the bandwidth was as advertised but later on it kept getting less and less until finally he had to stop using it. He and I feel that this is an indication of over subscription which is a common practice in the Philippines.

The following questions were sent to the Smart Bro. Their reply is underlined .


   1. What is the normal time a customer should have to wait before you send someone to the customer's location?

Our customer can immediately seek help by calling our hotline, which is avilable 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There needs to be an assessment of the nature of the customer's concern  because not all technical support issues require on-site troubleshooting.  Most customer concerns can be resolved remotely by simple system configurations. Those that  would require physical inspection,/troubleshooting on the other hand,  will be scheduled for field support the following day or on the next available slot. (Gee, I wonder why the hell it took them two weeks to visit Jim Boyd).

    2. What is the guaranteed minimum (not burst) down and up load speed?

The Smart Bro package is a shared access that has the capacity to reach up to 384kbps. On the average, doing simple browsing and email activity will give between 80 to 150kbps. Speed may vary depending on the Web site you are trying to access, the  files  you are downloading and the time of the day you're accessing it. Note that high-traffic Web sites such as Yahoo! and Friendster tend to have  slower page load times . Also there are certain files that are bandwidth-hungry, as such, these may take longer to download/upload .  

    3. What is the normal QoS for your system during peak hours?

Can refer to the answer on previous question.  (I wonder if she knows what QoS is?)

    4. How long after a person applies can they expect to be connected to your service?

Application processing starts the moment a would-be client pays the one-time install ation fee. If  the  location is within a Smart Bro serviceable area,  you can begin to avail of the service within two weeks. However,  in the unlikely event that a Smart Bro applicant's area is not covered,  the applicant will immediately be informed and the installation fee will be fully refunded.

    5. What are the operating limits for your system, maximum distance from the cell site and still get a good connection?

More than the CPE's (customer premise equipment) distance from the nearest Smart base station, a DIRECT LINE OF  SITE is  a prerequisite in ensuring a 'good connection'.  As long as the CPE is positioned towards the BTS, without physical barrier such as buildings, trees or billboards, subscribers should have no difficulty getting a good connection

You can read more about Smart Bro here: http://www.smart.com.ph/SMART/Services/SmartBro/About.htm

Grace Sarmiento-Clavecilla, Public Affairs Group, 8F PLDT Tower I, 6799 Ayala Avenue, Makati, Tel: 511 3104

JUMP ON BOARD

The good news is that construction is underway on the first four units of townhouses.  Would you believe that one individual has purchased and paid for three and a friend bought and paid for the fourth one.  There are others doing the same and the reason is INVESTMENT!  Yes, one for residential but when they buy more than one it is because they plan to take advantage of the prices going up and also for rental purposes. 

Well, it really has been a different month for me.  My overnight stay as a guest of the NBI was not something I would want to repeat and thank goodness I had a few people I could turn to in my time of stress.  Priscilla the Horse wants to keep a closer eye on me now and whatever stress I had it was double for me.  She did not have any idea what had happened to me until I was able to call her at 0200 hrs and when I was not home by 0900 she really became worried.  Oh well, a few lessons were learned and life goes on, thank goodness.  Oh, sometime in the near future Tiger Airlines will be flying from Clark to Guam and also from Clark to Okinawa.  No date for that yet but it was mentioned when both Cebu Pacific and Tiger Airlines signed agreements increasing their flights and destinations with President Macapagal Arroyo in attendance.  I am a bit late this month because of losing two days with the NBI and also a couple of days with the typhoon that hit us on 28 Sep. That is it, remember, be very, very nice to Horses.  See you around the town.