HarryTheHorse - Angeles City Expat Newsletter for August 2007

August 2007

Pictured above is the newly opened Friendship Gate which will ease traffic and provide convenience for motorists entering the Freeport. The opening of the gate was necessary to allow further construction of a portion of the Subic-Clark Expressway which is pictured here as well. I figured this is a good way to open my August column because the view from the tool road is fantastic. I really got a great feeling being able to stand in the middle of road knowing that I would never be able to do so once it is opened to traffic. This construction is so new and exciting to watch its progress as it is history in the making. Hell, 10 years from now it will so routine to travel this route to Tarlac and Subic that folks will forget how it was like before the road was built. There are so many things happening now that waking up every morning is an experience. Of course, just being able to wake up and get out of bed is an event for me but to add the pleasure of seeing so many things happening in Angeles City makes it difficult to keep up with everything. Now, for sure, not everything is positive, there are a few negatives but hell, the goodness outweighs the badness. Does that make any sense? One event I am looking forward to is when Chef Chris at the "C" Italian Restaurant introduces his oven baked pizzas. Yep, he has built a genuine brick oven just like they use in Italy and he is excited as hell over this. When he told me about the forthcoming offering I innocently commented that no doubt his pizzas would then be nearly as good as New York pizzas. Believe me folks when I tell you that this comment was not well received. His home made smoker is ready to go as well so you can look forward to some mouth watering meats being added to the menu as well. Check out the great food at the Royal Amsterdam Hotel's Emericos Cafe & Restaurant and savor the delights offered up by Rico, who also has the popular Rico Pollo outlet at the SM Clark Mall. Following the trend of contracting out hotel restaurants the ABC Hotel followed suit by bringing in the famous Batis Azul to the delight of many diners. Sadly, we will be losing the Bourbon St. Restaurant as it is being converted into a night club by its owner. See, changes, changes and more changes so who knows what will be happening in August. Maybe there will be slot machines operating on Fields Ave, maybe there will be a walking street, maybe the sidewalks will be accessible to pedestrians, maybe there will be a typhoon, whatever! As they say in those ultimate fighting matches - "are you ready?" "Lets get it on!"

I would suggest that visitors be extra careful in avoiding those evil card hustlers that like to prey on tourists and even some not forewarned expats as well. The reason I say this is that one of the PNP Police Aides (Tourist Police) was approached by one known hustler and told that they would return to Fields Ave and that they were not afraid of the PNP Police Aides because "their police protectors were back". Whether this guy was just blowing smoke or not has not been determined but it is best to be prepared then to just ignore this threat.

The new Mayor would like, eventually, turn a portion of Fields Ave into a walking street. With this in mind there was a bit of a dry run last month whereby the CDC extension road reverted to two way traffic and Fields Ave from the hours of 8 PM to 5 AM was closed to traffic. This only lasted a couple of nights and we are waiting to see the results of the test. We are hoping that action will be taken to clean up the CDC extension road as when night falls the stalls along this road continue to put their tables and chairs in the street. Additionally the area remains a magnet for drugs, underage girls, T-birds (Lesbians) and violence and definitely not a place for tourists.

There was a bit of drama one night as an Arab National was involved in an incident in which he sideswiped a couple of PNP Police Aides and also ran over an Aides motorcycle that was placed at the Fields Ave-McArthur Ave intersection in his haste to evade apprehension. When caught in Hensonville this Mr. Yahia resisted arrest and punched two Police Aides before being handcuffed. He continued to be arrogant, profane, threatened to cut off the heads of the police and spit on the various law enforcement officers. This guy should have been put in the Station 4 cell and charges brought against him but because he was able to have a "friend" intercede he was allowed to go with the promise to pay damages the next day. Needless to say, to date this individual has not made any attempt at restitution. A report of this incident to the Immigration authorities by the PNP Police Aides is under consideration. I was able to visit Station 4 and discuss this situation with the Commander and Deputy Commander and I was informed that charges are being filed against this individual since he did not keep his promise to pay for damages.

Last month a concerned expat resident of Santa Maria 1 Subdivision (Near Norma's Money Changer) came to my stable to report an incident involving a retired Army expat that has been living in Angeles City for quite some time and can always be seen riding his bicycle throughout the town. It seems, according to eye witnesses that personnel from the local police station arrived at this individuals house with a young lady who was underage and went into the suspects house so the girl could identify him as an alleged pedophile. He was taken to the police station between the hours of 7 to 8 PM 17 Jul) and returned home by 10:30 PM with no charges filed. The concerned resident indicated that allegedly his continued freedom cost between 8 to 10,000 pesos. What he and other neighbors were concerned about is that a possible pedophile is still allowed to roam around and prey on young ladies. This Horse has no mercy on pedophiles and would like to see them all in jail and deported and I hate to think that the police would allow such an individual to buy his freedom but a person is innocent until proven guilty (not always the case in the Philippines) and maybe this expat was set up by the girl with the cooperation of the police. This is a scenario that is all too common and was a big issue a year ago when Real Street was the setting for such scams and many expats were victims. That is when I wrote to stick to the entertainment offered by the legitimate clubs and not pick up ladies on Real or A. Santos Street (free lancers). I am sure that this guy with the initials E.E., if he is a pedophile, will screw up again and I will tell him, if he reads this column, that your neighbors are watching you very closely. Follow-up - During my visit to Station 4 I queried the actions taken regarding this alleged pedophile. I was informed that this was the third time this individual ran afoul of the law and sought assistance. In this matter the charges were dropped by the mother of the girl after Mr. E.E. paid her $2,000, yes folks, two thousand US dollars. I was assured by the police that this would be the last time they allowed a settlement for this individual since they are now aware of the concern of his neighbors. Normally, three strikes and one is out of the game so Mr. bicycle riding E.E. has used up his quota of strikes and his luck is about to run out as well.

My big horse ears have picked up vibes that maybe the Divine Shephard Hospital will be accredited by the Manila VA Clinic. This would be very positive news to the many US military retirees living in the area who would welcome the convenience of being able to use the facilities of this hospital.

The newly formed Angeles City Dart League just completed its first very short season. Starting with only four teams consisting of the Orange Lion, Blue Boar Inn, Palito's and Moon's bar the Blue Boar took first place honors with the Orange Lion second. The second season begins on 2 August with the addition of two more teams, 24 Hour Massage and Streakeys. It is a beginning to bring darts back to the Angeles City entertainment zone which has seen pool dominate all the clubs for many years.

The Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) at the Clark Freeport Zone is rapidly becoming the airport we all want as more and more airlines are increasing flights and new airlines deciding to come on board. Early last month I read that Asiana Airlines (Korean owned) will begin daytime flights where before they only arrived at Clark late at night. This is good news as it will allow connections to its destinations in the United States and Europe. Hopefully this will mean one does not have to wait 10 hours for a connecting flight to the States after leaving Clark. Hong Kong Airlines is also increasing its current once a day flights to twice daily by September. Cebu Pacific, in Sept will fly to five regional cities out of Clark. Very good news is that in October, Thai Airlines will start flying from Bangkok to Clark. That is something we all have been looking forward to since it was a royal pain to have to go to Manila to catch a flight to Bangkok. Hopefully this is just the beginning. I hope to see more International Airlines landing at Clark that will offer transportation to the States, Australia and Europe. I would not be unhappy to never again have to set foot in the terminal at Manila, it would be such a relief to be able to avoid all that traffic on the way home.

A few months ago I wrote about retiring in the Philippines and that the Philippine Retirement Authority is working hard to implement programs to make it easy and attractive for foreigners to retire in this country. The retirement industry is also a flagship project of the President of the Philippines so you better believe it is time to jump on board. This Horse has lived here for 26 years altogether, four years of which was active AF duty and 22 years in retirement and despite some of the inconveniences that lead to a bit of frustration, I have no intent of ever living in the US again. It is not because I have lost my love for my country it is because I am older and my income will not let me live as comfortably in the States as I do here. For sure, I would rather grow old in a country where I am more respected the older I become instead of becoming part of the senior citizen "throw-a-way society that exists in the US. The weather is ideal year round because I have never been one of those "I miss the seasons" people and also, my family will never consider me a burden if I grow old and disabled. Naturally, the Philippines is not everyone's cup of tea but for those retired folks that might be interested and might think of moving to the Angeles City area I would recommend your getting in touch with Alex W. Stevenson who is an accredited marketer for the Philippine Retirement Authority. He can provide you with all the information and assistance you need to make that big decision to move. His address is 44-7 Final Drive, Carmenville Subd., Angeles City, Philippines 2009. His Email address is aws@digitelone.com, tel. 63-45-888-5081 or mobile 63-918-613-6267. For more information about this government program visit the gov't. website at www.pra.gov.ph. I know Alex personally, a Scotsman who speaks English you can understand, is absolutely honest, a bit tight with a dollar and will work his butt off to take care of you. Please call him as I plan to make him buy me a drink for every call he receives. How will I know? Because, as I said, he is tight, but honest!

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Argee J. Gomez, Marketing & Communications Manager for SM Supermalls, assigned to Clark and I was telling him how pleased I was with the new food outlets like Nathan's Hotdogs and Philly Cheese Steak and hoped for still more new outlets. He informed me that there were plans to add a steak house called "Steak 101" and "Bacolod Chicken Inasal". I am not familiar with with these eateries so will be looking forward to checking them out.

Once again the Rotary Club of Clark Centennial has moved to a different location for their weekly meetings. After spending a few years at the Four Seasons Restaurant on Clark AB, then a year at the Cottage Kitchen they are now back at Clark's Freeport Zone. This time the venue is at the very nice Stotsenberg Hotel and the first luncheon/meeting took place on Tuesday, 3 July. This Club meets every Tuesday at noon and they welcome visitors that would like to consider joining their Rotary and participating in

their major project, the Bahay Bata Street Children's Center. Victor Torres is the newly elected President with a strong objective to increase membership during this new Rotary year. Our meetings are exciting and holds everyone's attention from beginning to end - just ask immediate past president Jim Sebree, owner of Cottage Kitchen Restaurant, pictured here in deep thought as current President Victor gives a speech ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

No, I am not adding this picture because he is handsome, dynamic or anything like that. I am introducing "Bong" who I met at a number of Clubs that he was making chairs for as well as many other designing duties. He has worked with the Ugly Coyote, Klub Class, Roadies and many others. He is good at what he does so I figured I would provide his name and contact numbers for anyone that would need his services. I was impressed with the bar stools he made for Klub Class and I know he is getting ready to assist with the big transition of Ray's Bourbon Street Restaurant to a night club. I figure if he can work with Kelly more than once he must be good and thick skinned as well. His cell phone numbers are: 09275039144 or 09065239027.

Many are aware of the new four story hotel that is under construction on Perimeter Road next to the church but I was surprised to see the ground clearing operation going on next to the construction site for the new hotel. I heard that this is to be another hotel, this one being funded by a Korean group and will have 100 plus rooms. Why all the new hotels? Believe it or not the Department of Tourism has indicated that this area needs many more rooms to accommodate the future growth of this area and investors are jumping on board to meet this need.

Some bad news! The CEO of the Angeles Electric Company has sent out a message indicating that we can expect frequent rolling 2-4 hour brown-outs in the days to come because of NPC and the water level being low and a few other problems. This will be a royal pain in the ass and will remind me of what it was like in the 70's when we suffered daily brown-outs of 7 to 8 hours duration. No doubt it will benefit those in the business of selling generators. One of my fears each year is the possibility of a drought during the rainy season and its consequences. Hello, wake up, here we are only a few months into the wet season and we are suffering from a lower than normal rainfall that is leading us into a season of daily brown-outs. For three years now I have spoken against the planned golf course additions at the Clark Freeport Zone because of the possibility of a drought during the rainy season. I even mentioned this at a meeting attended by the current CDC President Levy Laus and my fears of a drastic reduction to the Angeles City water table level was met with a "do not worry" answer in that there was more than enough water access within the Freeport to sustain 7 golf courses. Could this answer be coming from a man that is only concerned with profits coming from Japanese and Korean golfers without any consideration to the environment? Golf courses use huge amounts of water and I think additional construction of additional golf courses requires further environmental studies. Remember, Horses need water and I am one Horse that does not want my well to run dry. I wonder how many Angeles City residents really care at this time. Two hour brown-outs are just the beginning, if we don't get a hell of a lot more rain before the dry season we are in deep poo-poo.

The dynamic VFW Membership Chairman, Cliff Wilsey, informed me that the annual membership fee, for those that are eligible will go for the low price of $20 from 1 Jul to 30 Sep. This is an early bird offer and your membership would be good through 31 Dec 08. During this period you will be able to go to 6 membership nights and eat for free and that deal, if you attended each membership night would be worth around 70 to 80 dollars. What a deal for only $20! Get over to the VFW, see Cliff, and sign up, you will be glad you did.

Yats Wine Club - for now has started featuring every 2nd week food from different countries/nationalities. So far they have had Greek and Spanish nights but I have not been informed of future plans. If you are visiting Angeles City just ask your hotel staff to contact the Yats Wine Club on Clark to get the latest schedule. I was informed by Brian, the manager of the Royal Amsterdam Hotel that he attended the Spanish night offerings and was very pleased with the offerings. Chef Philip created a delicious Paella with wine for P650 each and at least 30 people were on hand for a delightful feast.

At no surprise to anyone it looks like retirement was short lived for Mo. He's taken over the management of Lollipop, Ziggy's and Treasure Island and they've taken on a new life. In taking over, he moved his long time Voodoo mamasan over to TI along with his long time GM, Pete and brought Brendan back to Lollipop. I'm sure the new owner is a very happy guy. The question is; how long will Mo want to run the bars? The answer to this would probably be until he can't breathe anymore because if not these bars, he will end up with some other bar.

Speaking of Mo, Voodoo seems to be the bar dejour. Rumor is that Kokomo's may go back to 24/7 and Voodoo will keep the same hours. Long time GM, Steve, has rejoined Dave. He's in charge of facilities and operations and has been a tornado. Steve was formerly Dave's GM when he had AC Bars with 11 places scattered throughout Fields Ave and Real St. He's an amicable and fun guy and a very welcome addition at Kokomo's.

I would like to see more clubs, hotels and restaurants sending me their info on scheduled events. Just Email me at jimmy.harrythehorseatgmail.com.

7th August 1400hrs Magic Moments Social Tuesday
7th August 1600hrs SUBIC BAY RSL meeting at The Lagoon, Baloy Beach
13th August 1130 hrs Mo’s Place ,Committee meeting
14th August 1400hrs Ponderosa Social Tuesday PLUS Bar HOP Starts Garfields, 1600hrs
18th August 1045 Clark Cemetery Vietnam Veteran’s Day
18th August 1145 Ponderosa Vietnam Veteran’s Day
20th August 1130hrs Roy’s Bar ,Committee Meeting
21st August 1430hrs Ponderosa General Meeting
27th August 1039hrs Fiesta Gardens ,AUSTRALIA DAY Fiesta committee.
28th August 1400hrs Ponderosa Social Tuesday PLUS Bar HOP Mirrors 1600hrs

Kokomo's will be holding a monthly pool event. The tentative title is poolside with the girls and will feature the Voodoo girls. They are still deciding which other bars to invite, but it looks like Lollipop, Treasure Island and Wet Spot are likely. The next 2 events will be August 4th and September 2nd. Admission is P850 for guys and P400 for girls (if you want to bring your own) and the event goes from 12 noon till 4 PM. The price includes all you can drink and eat.

Just above this picture is the ad for the Medgar Executive Apartelle and by clicking on the Ad itself you will be able to access their website that will give you all the information you need to get an idea of what the place is like and how much the rooms are, etc. If that is the case then why am I writing additional information? It is not because the owner, Ed, has placed an ad here, and it is not because he and his family are friends of mine. It also is not because my friend Chuck and his wife Helen are in the picture and it is not because new Mayor Blue Boy Nepomuceno is in the picture and was on hand for the ribbon cutting (the guy in the middle) even though I did enjoy meeting and having a short chat with him. It is because pictures are not enough to get the whole story of the high quality of work that has gone into this Apartelle. Ed is one of those guys that is precise and a stickler for perfection in all that he does and he spared no expense in making this establishment an example of high quality work from the smallest detail to the largest. The furniture in each room is comparable to big name hotels, maybe even better. The mattresses on the beds are quality, the curtains, the tiles, the light fixtures, everywhere you look, one is impressed. The location is convenient to the checkpoint, about a five minute walk. The staff are well trained and all, even the cleaning staff, had to take extensive written tests and interviews to get the job. Ed is a fanatical Ohio State football fan so there is even a Woody's Lounge on the second floor. I often asked him why he was spending so much on this project and he always answered that "I want the best for my tenants, I want them to stay and I want them to come back" so he went the extra mile to meet that objective. So, don't be fooled by the word "apartelle" and think that the low rental prices translate into less than the best, instead, take the time to visit this new medium size hotel and see for yourself. If you agree with me, fine, if not, drop Ed an Email and tell him why because he is already looking at a new project and your input will be taken quite seriously.

The American Legion Post 123 sadly announced that Maria Allegado passed away on Monday, 2 Jul 07. Maria was a waitress with the Post's Canteen for ten years. She was also the Secretary of the American Legion Auxillary Unit 123. She passed away just after the birth of a son and was just 38 years old. She is survived by her 7 children. Anyone that knew Maria knew that they would always be greeted with a smile and a kind word. Maria will be missed by the many members of Post 123 that knew her during her 10 years of dedicated service.

On 2 Jul 07 the Board of Directors of the Hotel Stotsenberg had their grand launching (Inauguration) of the world-class Hotel and CasaBlanca Casino located inside the Clark Freeport. This old horse received an invitation so I put on a decent pair of long pants, nice short sleeved shirt, and comfortable shoes which Priscilla the Horse made me change because "comfort" did not relate to "looking nice". Anyway I trotted on out to this rather up-scale hotel with one hell of a nice looking, modern Casino and found myself surrounded by many of the Angeles City aristocracy who fortunately did not know who I was (I wonder if they noticed my "nice" shoes?) The event was to start at 2:30 PM and I arrived at 3:15 but was still very early and I was sorry I did not bring my book along to read. The guest of honor was President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who you better believe did not even come close to getting there at 2:30 but managed to helicopter in at 4:30 PM to the delight of the many anticipating her arrival. After the ribbon cutting and a tour of the Hotel she was escorted to the VIP dining room at 5:15 surrounded by many representatives of the media. I managed to get a good picture of her as she started to pass me. I wanted to shake her hand but could not do that and take the picture at the same time. It would have been my second time to do so as the first time is when she visited the Bahay Bata Street Children's Center and it was a special moment for me because I had never in my life been close enough to a President of any country to shake their hand.

When I first entered the Casino area the staff were lined up waiting for the President's arrival and all I wanted to do was find a seat in the dining room so I could be near the food line when it opened and I needed to sit down because my bloody knees hurt. I wanted to take a picture of the staff, especially the ladies for there were a lot of beauties lined up but I was not allowed to do so. Now, pay attention guys, there are some very pretty ladies working in that CasaBlanca Casino and here is your chance to meet some educated, single beauties. OK, it might cost you a few pesos at the tables and who knows, you might win but this is a good location to find that special lady, eh, there is also a possibility that you might lose all around as well. You might win, you might lose, but hell, that is what you are there for, to take a gamble. By the way, it was my pleasure to have my picture taken with the newly elected Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio, first time I got to shake a Governor's hand! It's funny, afterwards they never seem to remember me. I am thinking about getting one of those gadgets that buzz when you shake a hand, maybe that would make a lasting impression on those folks. I can just see the bodyguards beating the crap out of me before I am arrested and then deported, but, of course, they would remember me around cocktails for a year or so as they related the story about the crazy American. I think I would be better off remaining anonymous and just enjoying those free meals I get once in a while. You know, politics aside, that GMA is kind of cute for a President, if Hillary looked half as good she might win the next US election. So, I mixed with the big wigs, ate some good chow, enjoyed visiting that very nice Hotel again and then put my tail between my legs and got the hell back to my stable and a return to reality, but for sure, it was a very nice afternoon adventure.

They were here last year at the Wild Orchid Inn and on 1 July the Hongkong Welsh Male Voice Choir returned to Angeles City and provided their beautiful voices to a fine evening at the Sydney Hotel. The night before they gave a very long performance at the Santa Maria Church but despite some of them getting in at 0500 hrs their voices were still strong by their evening performances. These guys are good and they travel extensively giving free performances and on this trip they were raising funds for the Bahay Bata Street Children's Center. I did announce ahead of time that they would be at the Sydney Hotel so if you missed them, please, next year around this time they should be back and you will have the opportunity to attend. It was fortunate

that this year it did not rain and even if it had, they were under cover so could still continue. The entrance fee was only P300 and I took Mrs Horse along with baby Horse who told me he would be bored. I was surprised the next night when this 8 year old told me that he was not bored and enjoyed the singing. To get that comment out of little Horse means that the Welsh Singers outdid themselves this year. Well done lads! Many thanks to Dr. John, RC Clark Centennial member who devoted a lot of time organizing this event.

The following information came from a letter submitted to a friend of mine who wrote to the Dept. of Immigration, Philippines asking for information about the requirements required for a retirement visa. The Philippine Gov't. is actively promoting their retirement visa program for foreigners wanting to retire here. I thought this might be helpful for those of you that considering retiring in to this country.

Thank you for your interest in the Retirement Program of the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA). PRA is a government-owned and controlled corporation that accepts, evaluates, and processes all applications for the Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRVisa). The SRRV is a special non-immigrant visa with multiple-entry privileges, open to foreign nationals and former Filipino citizens who are at least 35 years old. Qualified SRRV principal applicants under the PRA Program are required to remit to any of our accredited banks, namely, Allied Bank, Bank of Commerce, Bank of China, Export Bank, Equitable PCI Bank, East West Bank, Korea Exchange Bank, Malayan Bank, Maybank, PS Bank, RCBC, RCBC Savings Bank, Robinsons Savings Bank, Security Bank, Tong-Yang Savings Bank, and Union Bank, the deposit/investments below:

Pursuant to Board Resolution No. 150 , series of 2006 otherwise known as the Modified Special Reduced Deposit scheme, the required deposit was further lowered to US$10,000, provided that the applicant is at least 50 years old, and he/she is able to comply with all the other requirements and fees and show proof of his/her monthly pension remitted to the Philippines through the PRA accredited bank, as follows:

1) A Certification of Retirement Benefits issued by the concerned government and/or private entity from the retiree pensioner’s country of origin translated into English (if applicable) and duly authenticated by either:

a.) The Philippine Embassy/Consular Office of the country where the applicant is residing then confirmed by the Authentication of the Department of Foreign Affairs; or

b.) The applicant’s Embassy/Consular Office in the Philippines if the applicant is in the Philippines then confirmed/authenticated by the Authentication of the Department of Foreign Affairs. The Certification must clearly state the pensioner’s identity, date of effectivity of the payment of pension and amount of monthly pension; and

2.) A remittance advice from the concerned entity or bank institution abroad confirming that the remittance of the monthly pension directly to the account of the retiree will be effected as scheduled. The advice in details, as follows:

Account Name, Account Number of the retiree and name and address of the Bank in the Philippines where the pension is to be remitted

A retiree-applicant may be joined without additional deposit, by his spouse and a legitimate or legally adopted child, who is unmarried and below 21 years of age ( except for the with pension scheme – dependent children may not be included ).

Additional qualified children may also be allowed to join the principal retiree-applicant with an additional deposit of US$15,000.00 per child. The US$15,000.00 additional deposit is subject to the same terms and conditions as the principal’s deposit but the same is waived for former Filipino citizens.

The aforesaid Dollar Time Deposit, in the name of the retiree and tagged as PRA Account, may, after thirty days (30) days from the date of issuance of the SRR Visa, be withdrawn with prior written clearance from PRA (partially or in full) strictly for investment/s allowed under the PRA program such as:

b. Long-term lease of house and lot, condominium or townhouse which should not be for a period shorter than 20 years;

d. Investment in shares of stocks of corporations duly traded in the Philippine Stock Exchange

If the retiree does not want to invest in any of the above investment areas, he/she may retain the Dollar Time Deposit in the bank. It shall continue to earn interest in US Dollars and the same is withdrawable, either in US Dollars or in Philippine Peso, upon maturity of the deposit.

While foreigners are under our Constitution not allowed to own land in the Philippines, except through hereditary succession or through corporations which were organized primarily to purchase and/or acquire real estate properties subject to equity restrictions, prescribed by law, they are, under existing laws, allowed to lease a parcel of land for 50 years, renewable once for another 25 years.

Moreover, SRRVisa holders under our program ,are, under our existing laws, permitted to engage in an employment subject to compliance with the Alien Employment Permit (AEP) of the Department of Labor and Employment.

Should you need further clarifications, please contact us at telephone numbers (632) 848-1412 to 16 or fax number (632) 848-7106. You can also visit our website at www.pra.gov.ph or e-mail us at inquiry@pra.gov.ph. Again, thank you and welcome to the Retirement Program of the Philippine Government. Very truly yours, E RLINA P. LOZADA, Department Manager - Marketing

There are so many events in one's life that is inspirational! Many are inspired by work, many by going to church, many by reading a book, even many more by Viagra and Cialis. For the many visitors to Angeles City inspiration comes from the many very good looking women that one can meet in the many clubs in town. Of course, that inspiration could cause an investment in Viagra and Cialis but one must not overlook the pure, simple joy of barhopping. I know there are many critics out there who are frequent visitors to Angeles City and like to judge various Clubs by the number of beauties on stage or serving as waitresses. Admittedly, there are a lot more McDonald Hamburger Tubbies on stage then in years past, and many that are borderline ugly but they are outnumbered by the sheer beauty, cuteness, charm, friendliness and pure inspirational desire than anything you will see in the U.S., Australia, Siberia, etc. Now, you know I hate the task of getting out and searching for my monthly "I would if I could lady" because I would rather be with Priscilla the Horse but duty calls and I owe it to the readers of this column to search out these "pearls of the orient". Sometimes it is easy sometimes difficult but when I spotted 18 year old Mariel in Honey-Ko's I told owner Des, "I have to take this lady's picture - I am inspired". Des called her over and believe me that is not a phony smile from Mariel, she was continuously smiling, friendly, bubbling with personality and well, damn cute. She is a High School graduate, from Samar and has a half brother. For a permanent relationship Mariel indicated that in the age bracket she would go no higher than 45 years old but, of course, you know, that could always be negotiable. For those temporary liaisons, well, age is not a problem! That is why, for many seeking "inspiration" Angeles City beckons and Honey-Ko's is a good spot to begin your search.

It was Richard Short's 42nd Birthday and he organized a bash at his Klub Class. This was to be a fun day for Richard and when he awoke in the morning, instead of sunshine he was greeted with heavy rains. This put a bit of a damper on events because one of those squealing fat pigs was due to be roasted that day. Somehow, the evil deed was accomplished and then Richard found that he had to carve up the critter himself and had no idea what to do. He got by that problem and knew that the rest of the day would be smooth sailing. No bloody way mate - it was not to be. Around 6 PM, still pissing down rain, he takes off with the Mrs and kid to pick up the mother-in-law at the Dau bus station. While fighting the heavy traffic on McArthur Ave he suffers a blow-out and has to stop in the middle

of traffic. Now he has to get the tire changed so while organizing that, what do our friendly coppers decide to do? They pull up behind him and try to give him a ticket for obstructing traffic! This is it - the last straw, Richard's blood pressure rose to 200 plus, face gets red, he sputters, he argues, he is near a heart attack and might miss his own party. The bent cops take off and leave him be but it is suspected the only reason the did so was that they were getting wet standing in the rain. After all that the rest of the evening went well but he was a bit later arriving at the party then he intended. I was there waiting for him after taking 10 minutes to get up the stairs and being early found a great seat at the counter. I always enjoy Klub Class and was pleased to see the informal dancers in mini-skirts this time and I was absolutely mesmerized by one of the dancers who I later found out was 19 year old May, from Manila, who had been working at the Klub for only one month. This lady radiated energy and personality and I wanted her picture but I already had my "I would if I Could Lady" and I did not want to wait until Sept to feature her. So, I got Richard to pose for his birthday photo along with his wife Liza and insisted that one of the dancers be included, which, of course, was May. OK, the good looking lady to the right of Richard is his wife and to the left is May and both ladies are darn good looking but May is available. The food was good and Richard did a good job carving up the pig, the music was lively, plenty of Richard's friends were on hand for the festivities and with my full stomach plus visions of May I slowly made it down the steps and called Mrs. Horse to pick me up. It turned out, in the end, to be a very happy birthday for Richard.

Those expats living here and tourists that have become regulars are no doubt familiar with A. Santos Street the one that Real St. runs into, just where Kokomos is located and also runs past the Wild Orchid Inn. If you have been down this street then you no doubt are familiar with the WOW bar, one of the last run down little hole in the wall places featuring, in the day time a few ladies that are willing to participate in very short conversations. Now, you won't find any raving beauties here and most people pass it up but it did not pose any danger whatsoever unless you happened to pass there at night time, say after 9 PM. At that bewitching hour the place was taken over by Billy Boys

(Bakalas) and it was difficult to walk past the place without someone grabbing at you or even trying to pick the pockets of the unaware. In the last few months the presence of these "ladies" became very aggressive and they became stars of more and more police reports and they were even becoming more evident on Fields Ave to such an extent that bar owners were complaining about them. Well, I took this photo at the WOW bar at 10 PM one night last month and the ladies you see out front are actually ladies. The Billy Boys have been chased away by the police from Station 4 and the area is now, completely safe to traverse. When Mrs Horse dropped me off to take a picture there were around 8 ladies on board but only three volunteered to pose for this picture. Folks, this is history for it is the first time in many, many years that A. Santos St. has been Billy Boy free and should now be a crime free zone. I have to give our law enforcement folks at station 4 a high five for this accomplishment. One question lingers, like what took so damn long to accomplish a job that should have been a priority years ago?

This month we have two well fed lads hailing from Los Angeles, Calif., Ken and Dave. They are both teachers in Orange County and I can imagine what a difficult job they have in dealing with the students there. Regretfully I forgot to ask them what grade they were teaching. They were staying at the Clarkton Hotel for two weeks and both of them are divorced. Dave was here for his first trip and Ken, the slightly liberal bearded one was on his second trip. You better believe they were enjoying themselves and did what all divorced men should do, check out Angeles City before they even think of dating any American women. They stopped into my stable the day after arriving in country so did not have time to indicate any favorite bar but they planned to check out as many as they could before their two week holiday was up. Both have a lot of teaching years in front of them before retiring but you better believe that the Philippines is on their list of places to retire at. They did not make it back to my stable after their first visit so I am sure they found plenty of time to check out many Clubs on Perimeter Road and Fields Ave. I just hope that Dave did not fall in love during his first trip and follows Ken's example of just testing the waters. Imagine how hard it is going to be for these two lads to concentrate on lesson plans after spending two weeks here. The Blue Boar Inn ladies anxiously await their return.

That jolly Music Man Howard McKay made a return visit to the Anchorage Inn last July 14th and this time I made sure to sit through the entire evening of song and jokes. I noticed that there was a larger attendance than the last time and most said that they appreciated the opportunity to enjoy something a bit different on Fields Ave. It was not only Howard that entertained but we were treated to duets and solos by the incomparable "Doggie" Dave. Now Dave had some original unique songs to present but at one time Howard had to turn off the microphone as old Davy forgot that there were children in attendance and a few ladies as well. It was a fine evening of song, merriment, plenty of cold beer and some good food as well. The Anchorage Inn is located just off Fields Ave on Real Street, opposite the basketball court. It is easy to find as you can usually see a bunch of rowdy Hash House Harriers sitting outside reliving some of their exciting runs of past months and years.

History was made in Angeles City as, for the first time, the prestigious 33rd Pony Baseball Asia Bronco Division Championship was held at the Maria Wright Field Park, Angeles Bahay Bata Center, Bgy Cuayan, Angeles City. Participating teams were Hongkong, Japan, Taiwan and Team Philippines, Manila and Central Luzon. This was a joint project of Rotary Clubs of Clark Centennial, Pasay Silangan and Mabalacat spearheaded by Boy Tingzon. This tournament is a venue to choose the Asian Representative to the 11-12 year old Division at the PONY World Series held annually in Monterey, California on August 4-10, 2007. This event is only the 4th PONY tournament hosted by the Philippines since its introduction in 1974. The Maria Wright Field Park was built, completely by the efforts of the RC Clark Centennial and particularly Rotary member Bill Wright who promised to build a first class multi-purpose sports field. It has indeed turned out to be a "field of dreams" and many came to see this Pony Baseball competition and included in the Philippines team were two resident children of the Bahay Bata Center. One must understand that our children at the Center came from the streets of Angeles City and up to a couple of years ago had no idea what a base ball game was all about. Then, Rotarian George Watson volunteered to be the coach for baseball and Rotarian Lionel Clayton volunteered to be the coach for rugby. Since that auspicious beginning our street kids have won awards in rugby and now achieving great things in baseball. George has worked so hard, devoted so many hours with very little outside help. The field is first class and has caught the attention of little league officials who now use it as a venue for intra-barangay competitions with officials like boy Tingzon lending his advice and support. It was so exciting to watch these 11to 12 year old kids play baseball with such skills that they should have televised the games.

Special thanks go out to the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) and the Clark Investors & Locators Associaiton (CILA) as partners in this event. The SM Clark management team extended their helping hand to the community by sponsoring the event launching on 21 Jul and the awards ceremony and farewell party on 25 July at their activity center where a very fine meal for all participants was served up by the Batis Azul Resort. . We also enjoyed the participation of Angeles University Foundation, Holy Angel University, JF Kuzma School and Westfields school. At the end of three days the Chinese-Taipai team took the championship by defeating Japan 9-0.

There is only one reason that I do not get to the Gentlemen's Club as much as I would like to, The Stairs! I must admit that the last time I was there, my goodness, well over a year I guess, it was not all that exciting a place to go to. It had some dark corners where one could sit and grope your lady of choice and there was a dancer that could do some painful looking splits but that was about it. Then two lads took the place over, Shane, an Aussie and Tony, an English lad and not long afterwards I began to hear some positive comments about the place. Two months ago Shane contacted me and asked that I make a visit and see what they had done to the place. Well, I mentioned that the stairs were a bit of an obstacle for me and Shane volunteered to carry me up. Even with that it took me a long time to make it there. So, on 25 July, as I was heading back to my stable I remembered my promise to Shane and stopped just before I passed the place. I called Shane to see if he was there and told him that I would be up in two minutes. Now, no one was there to carry me up so I slowly eased my way up, sweating, puffing and nearly slipped when the rail on the right side of the wall ran out before the top and I was not looking. I saw some sweet lady at the top of the stairs looking a bit concerned and she started to come down to help me. I thought about faking a collapse so maybe she would give me a little mouth to mouth but no, I continued to the top and rested a minute of so before entering the Club. When I entered I was surprised to see a pool table just to the right where at one time the bar stood. Then Shane saw me and gave me a bit of a tour while he explained the make-over. I was pleasantly surprised, what a great big difference and everyone was so friendly. This was in the middle of a hot weekday afternoon and the place was crowded and the room was pleasantly cool as they have installed insulation in the ceiling and six air-conditioners (five 3 tonners, and one 2 tonner) for one great comfort zone. The seating was comfortable and the dancers and waitresses were absolutely friendly with great personalities. I got a kick out of seeing Ria, a 26 year old midget dancer. She really stood out not only with her shortness but her balloon buttocks and she had a great personality. When I called her over and told her to turn around so I could get a picture of her ample rear end she not only turned around but bent over and dropped her dancing costume to reveal a hefty rear end attired in a T-back. She caught me by surprise and we all laughed and I had her repeat the performance as I was laughing too hard to take the picture. Now, I have a great shot but not sure if I should include it here, it is not X-rated at all, just R but you can get an idea from the top center picture. So, even if you are not into midgets, buy Ria a ladies drink because she is one hell of a good sport.

Have you been in various Clubs when some customers toss coins on the floor and all the girls scramble to the area and get on their knees to pick up the coins and everyone has a good laugh. Well, at the Gentlemen's Club they do this with a different twist that I thought was pretty clever. You can purchase a tray of ping-pong balls for P300 and toss them to the dance floor and the ladies go for the balls and each one is worth P6. They then go to the cashier to turn them in and a record is kept next to their names and they will collect the money at the end of their shifts. Shane explained that it is more fun and less demeaning then grabbing coins off the floor. He gave me a demonstration and I had to agree with him and I might even steal the idea for my bar.

The bar was moved to the rear of the club, a new stage was put in and new flooring, and I must say that space utilization was maximized. The music is strictly rock and roll and 27 dancers jump to the beat and even throw in some choreographed routines. There are 17 cute waitresses and I saw a lot of happy customers passing out ladies drinks to some cuties as they sat and chatted with them. There is still a very nice room available for those more private conversations away from the sound of the music. Outside dinner dates only cost P1,000 and indoor snacks go for the same price. In fact, by the end of August a kitchen will be installed that will offer bar foods. Local drinks run at a very reasonable P50 with imported drinks at P130 and up. The doors open at 1500 hrs and close at 2400. Now I want to go back to the Gentlemen's Club just to enjoy myself but who is going to carry me up the stairs?

A Filipino Food and Beverage has been hired at the VFW and this is a departure from past practice of hiring Expats to fill this position. He is 50 year old Federico Bernardo who brings to the job years of experience. His past positions have been with the Oasis, Mimosa, Greenville Resort Dau, Spensers and now the VFW. He hails from Conception, Tarlac and is most definitely single as he has not met that special lady yet and no doubt never will. I was impressed with his work ethics and energy. I was surprised, when I entered the VFW to see him conversing with the diners, checking their orders, checking food presentation and even clearing away some plates when the waitresses were busy. He brings discipline to the job, has the kitchen staff tasked with an extensive clean up task, improving service and a number one priority is to control expenses which he says right now are too high and he will take steps to bring them down to a more realistic level. I mentioned that he may have to adjust to a few old time personalities in the Club but he indicated that he could deal with that quite easily. So far I have heard quite a few positive comments regarding Federico in the short time that he has been with the Club so maybe we can expect to see him around for quite some time.

That's it folks, time for me to hook up my calesa and hit the road. There have been some folks asking about the Knights of the Brown Ring (AH Club) as to when it would start up again. Sadly, it may lie dormant for for quite some time as Mrs Horse is not keen on seeing it reactivated. I am thinking though that I might be able to come up with reunion get together a couple of times of year. Even I am a bit hesitant until we see what approach the new City and law enforcement officials will be taking as they settle into their new jobs. We will just let the folks that host the Dog House and SOB parties test the waters and set the standards for the rest of the town. I am happy to have been able to complete this month's column this morning without the electricity going off but I'm not sure about the rest of the day. I've instructed Mrs Horse to fill up our water containers so we have spare water on hand for showers and the toilet. Horses stink if they don't get showered once or twice a day. Meanwhile I will get my sweet smelling ass out of here and remember, be kind to horses.