TIDBITS

November greetings to William Slaughter, Korea, Raymond Stehlik, USN Retired, Minnesota, Mark Johnson, Wash D.C, Alan Stiegelmeyer, Michael Baland, San Antonio, TX, Dave Heiberger, Colorado (Cherry is waiting for you), and Donald Hale, US Army, 25th ID who is heading to Iraq and has 10 years before retirement. Enjoyed reading all your Emails. (jimmy.harrythehorse@gmail.com)

The Director of Tourism for Region III forwarded an Email to me that was sent to him from the States. It was sent by a tourist that definitely does not plan to return to Angeles City any time too soon. The Director was upset that this type of activity is going on and I had to inform him that it is not an isolated incident. In fact I have written about similar incidents taking place in this column before. I have also warned readers of this column to stay away from our so called "free lancers" that roam the streets looking for foreigners who they can set up in cooperation with some law enforcement officials. Regretfully, this tourist did not notify the Tourist Police office before he left town and did not provide any descriptions or names of the police who grabbed him. There is a TV show named the "Fear Factor" where contestants have to get past many very fearful experiences to get through to the money prize. It appears that the "Fear Factor" has been refined by some elements of the local police here in such a way that they get to the monetary reward quite easily, without any repercussions, since the victims are too scared to report their experience until they are out of the country. On the morning of 11 Oct a new City Director (police chief) was sworn in and I am wondering if, once informed, he will be able to curtail the illegal activities of some of those scalawags in uniform who are under his command. This is a question that has been asked by the Angeles City Tourism Association (ACTA) for many years and now is being asked by the Dept of Tourism as well. Clarkton Hotel

"Dear Sirs,

I would be obliged if you could pass the following to the head of police in Angeles City, although the robbers in police-uniform told me their chief
is included in this scam and they called him several times to discuss how much money to take from me. The scam (sending unsolicited minor girls into guest-rooms who go straight to the shower and 2 minutes later, when the girl is undressed the police enters and demands Peso 100.000) is described by several people and institutions in the internet. This does obviously not stop these criminals from the police.

The Philipine people are one of the friendliest and most helpful one can meet anywhere in the world. Why the police in Angeles city draws such gangsters into the force and gives them uniforms and a free pass at tourists ? The harm this does to the future of tourism in the philipines you can imagine better than me. Check the internet - full of reports like this - all from Angeles City. An answer would be appreciated. Note: forwarded message attached.

Dear Sir,

I would like to report the following incident to you:

Walking Field Rd. on 15th Sept. 07 at about 3 am I was approached by a ladyboy (Monica - there in the street every night-knew her from the days before asking whether her girl-friend (room-mate) could take a shower at my room at the near-by hotel. The girl-friend appeared to be between 17-19 (I asked for her age she said 19). Both came to my hotel. While the "room-mate" girl was taking her shower (in fact she did not as I found out later, she just undressed - called her police-friends and came back with a towel around her waist). In the meantime Monica had disappeared.
The same moment the girl came out of the shower the police-friends who had obviously been waiting outside for her call from the bathroom, rushed into my room with 5 of them, saying that I had seduced a minor. I told them that I never even as much as touched the girl and this is a clear set-up. They then took a pocket knife and my medicine from the table and put it in their pocket as evidence (never got it back).

They told me to take my passport and my credit-card and go with them to the police-station. The parked outside the police-station near Field Rd.,then the police-bus-driver (the obvious head of the gang) called to what he said was his chief in the office. He told me I can avoid being put in prision against US$ 500. If not, I would be put into prision until I can prove that the girl is not a minor, which means I would need a lawyer etc. The girl then said she lied, she would be 17 only not 19 (which could be true). They then drove off to an Visa ATM they clearly knew, went inside the box with me, made me insert the card and the pin and then pushed me aside to enter Peso 30.000 (we know that is what you get). The ATM did not give it to them, they tried with 25.000 and suceeded. They took the money, told me to leave Angeles City immediately, not to talk to anyone and drove off, leaving me in the street. They called their chief several times during the process. They also told me that Peso 25.000 divided by 5 of them and the chief is nothing to talk about and I should be happy to get away that slightly.

I left the Philipines immediately and will of course never return. I know Philipine people as extremely friendly and helpful - a pleasure to be with them - So why do you choose criminals, blackmailers and rogues for the police-force ? I dont expect the money back of course, but perhaps there is one honest person who will realize the damage such criminals in uniform do to tourism to this city. The only prove it the ATM slip from Angeles for 25.000, that I was left with - and the exit-stamp from the Philipines the next day. Yours faithfully, L. V."

That incident took place in September but on 19 Oct I had a visit at my stable from a foreigner who wanted to tell me that he had been victimized on Wednesday night, 17 Oct 07 by the police and was made to part with P70,000 for his get out of jail card. The circumstances are nearly identical to others I have reported. Again, he took a free lancer from the Real Street area who told him she was 19. After 10 minutes in his room the police arrived and told him they had a complaint from the mother. He told me that he was kept overnight in the cell at station four which had shit on the floor and he had to relieve himself by urinating in the cell as well since they kind of left him during the night. After some negotiating process he was able to pay the next morning and was scared to death to say anything. Again, this guy was looking to save money and was bitten. All he had to do was visit a Club on A. Santos Street and spend 100 pesos more in order to be safe and satisfied. The good news is that the City Director, Col Gaddi, has assigned a Capt Aspe to Station 4 to deal with any any incidents involving Foreigners and to investigate any wrong doing. He has initiated a procedure where unannounced round-ups of free lancers operating within the tourist belt and charge them with vagrancy. Possibly by ridding the area of the free lancers they will not be able to entice foreigners into their scams in which some police elements are a part of. There is one major problem. The complainant did not provide any names of the police officers or the name of the girl that set him up. In discussions with the Commander of Station four, Col Imperial, and Deputy Commander Louie Tan they related that they would like to get to the bottom of these allegations but without names they are hampered in finding the guilty parties. Recently there have been actions taken by Capt Tan, by order of the new City Director to round up the street kids, free lancers and billy boys and get them out of the area. There is a very concerted effort underway to remove unsavory characters from the entertainment area. Col George Gaddi is a no nonsense man who is determined to bring peace and order to the entertainment area and to Angeles City as a whole. I do believe you will see some very dramatic changes taking place in the very near future. Puerto Galera resort bar and restaurant

An American named Ed came by my stable to discuss a situation he was involved in that had him puzzled all to hell. He was involved in an automobile accident while making a left turn from the road outside Police Station 4 onto Mitchell Highway and a Filipino, traveling too fast, plowed into him. Ed had full insurance coverage and did not anticipate any problems when both parties were issued traffic tickets. His insurance company paid for the repair his car but after a few months Ed found that he was being sued by the Filipino driver. The problem was that the court sent him a subponea to an incorrect address and he never received it. The next thing he knew was that a policeman came to pick him up and take him to the fiscal to answer charges of not answering the notice. He stated that at the City Hall he was told by some individual handling the paperwork that for P30,000 he could make it all go away. Ed got upset and refused. There is more to the story but I was confused because I always thought that if one had full car insurance that the insurance company would handle all aspects of the case. Ed admitted that he did not notify his insurance company of the court case and he also felt that a traffic accident should not have to involve one going to jail. I checked with Buddy McGuire of McGuire Insurance and also Dave Hamilton of Omni Insurance and they both told me that the insurance company is supposed to handle any legal problems as part of their investigation and that they would appear in court when necessary. I am passing this information on because I believe that Ed was a victim here and that he made things worse for himself by not keeping in touch with his insurance company in Laguna. So remember, if you have full car insurance and are involved in an accident just notify your insurance company and let them handle everything. They know how to deal with the police and the legal system.

"I'm Tired"

Two weeks ago, as I was starting my sixth month of duty in Iraq , I was forced to return to the USA for surgery for an injury I sustained prior to my deployment. With luck, I'll return to Iraq to finish my tour. I left Baghdad and a war that has every indication that we are winning, to return to a demoralized country much like the one I returned to in 1971 after my tour in Vietnam Maybe it's because I'll turn 60 years old in just four months, but I'm tired .

I'm tired of spineless politicians, both Democrat and Republican who lack the courage, fortitude, and character to see these difficult tasks through.

I'm tired of the hypocrisy of politicians who want to rewrite history when the going gets tough.

I'm tired of the disingenuous clamor from those that claim they 'Support the Troops' by wanting them to 'Cut and Run' before victory is achieved.

I'm tired of a mainstream media that can only focus on car bombs and casualty reports because they are too afraid to leave the safety of their hotels to report on the courage and success our brave men and women are having on the battlefield.

I'm tired that so many Americans think you can rebuild a dictatorship into a democracy over night.

I'm tired that so many ignore the bravery of the Iraqi people to go to the voting booth and freely elect a Constitution and soon a permanent Parliament.

I'm tired of the so called 'Elite Left' that prolongs this war by giving aid and comfort to our enemy, just as they did during the Vietnam War.

I'm tired of antiwar protesters showing up at the funerals of our fallen soldiers. A family whose loved ones gave their life in a just and noble cause, only to be cruelly tormented on the funeral day by cowardly protesters is beyond shameful.

I'm tired that my generation, the Baby Boom -- Vietnam generation, who have such a weak backbone that they can't stomach seeing the difficult tasks through to victory.

I'm tired that some are more concerned about the treatment of captives than they are the slaughter and beheading of our citizens and allies.

I'm tired that when we find mass graves it is seldom reported by the press, but mistreat a prisoner and it is front page news.

Mostly, I'm tired that the people of this great nation didn't learn from history that there is no substitute for Victory.

Sincerely, Joe Repya, Lieutenant Colonel , U. S. Army, 101st Airborne Division (Right on Joe, this horse and a lot of patriotic Americans share your tiredness. But, if Hillary Clinton gets elected as President we might as well just lie down for one hell of a long sleep and hope when we awaken that we still have a country and a military to protect us)

Thank you Jim Broussard for being an American patriot and having the balls to do something that too many Americans would not have the will or guts to do. I guess the ACLU, Senator Harry Reid and wacky Pelosi will try to find a way to put Mr. Broussard in jail. Following is an extract from a WorldNetDaily.com article:

"After hearing a Reno bar was flying a Mexican flag above a U.S. flag, an angered U.S. Army veteran took matters into his own hands, drove to the site and cut down the banners in front of a stunned group of Hispanic patrons.

Reno television station KRNV, which was there to document Jim Broussard's act of defiance, noted the U.S. code prohibits raising the flag of any other nations above Old Glory.

Broussard pulled up in his truck to the Cantina El Jaripeo near downtown Reno yesterday, cut the rope that anchored the flags and pulled them down from a makeshift flagpole." (There was more to the story and pictures were included but I did not include that here. I think it is enough to mention the name and what he did as it delivers a message that some Americans can only take so much disrespect to our flag, our country and our customs and there are a lot of American military veterans around as well as active duty troops that say "enough is enough". (Take note Hillary, you have not won the election yet!)

At a recent Tourism Summit held at the Mimosa Convention Center a few interesting items about future plans for the Freeport Zone (Clark AB) and Angeles City were mentioned. There is much talk about the DMIA airport at Clark becoming the International Gateway for this area instead of the NAIA (Manila) but when will this happen? It is predicted to be between 5 to 8 years and the fact is that the DMIA area is four times larger than the NAIA and Clark is a very open area. Kind of makes sense doesn't it but tell that to Philippine Airlines Chief, Lucio Tan.

It is planned to extend the NLEX and have an exit between Valenzuela and Balintawak that will connect to the C-5. Supposedly this will mean that travel time (by car) from Clark to Makati would only take one and one half hours.

We will told that eventually there will be 7 casinos operating in Clark.

We were told that there is 6.9 hectares available on Clark for the construction of a world class hospital and this is being actively negotiated.

When it was asked "what is the profile of tourists coming to Clark" it was determined that they are "golfers and casino" players. During all the comments from the so called tourism experts to include speakers from the University of the Philippines Clark, they made great effort not to mention those tourists coming here to enjoy the entertainment district encompassing Fields Ave, Perimeter Road and Friendship. They were finally forced to admit that they knew the amount of money brought into the country by these tourists is considerable but continued to refer to this segment of tourism as "other type" and nearly choked on that description.

It was an interesting meeting and encouraging that CDC President Levy Laus is determined to make Clark a world class tourism destination. It is something that the CDC should have been concentrating on a long time ago, even as far back as when Dr. Manny Angeles was in charge. But, it is my firm belief that the present adult entertainment area and the future family entertainment can live side by side. Clark will focus on the expansion of family entertainment and Fields Ave will continue with their expansion of clubs, hotels, restaurants and even casinos without any help from the CDC.

DMZ owner, Tick, told me that his place is still on the selling block for $500,000 and that he is determined to hold out for that figure. So far, he has been offered $435,000 and turned it down. Now, the lad "Tracy" that was supposed to be buying up the "Heartbreaker" and the "DMZ" kind of faded out of the picture. So far, big talk but no bucks! The DMZ is a hot property because of its location right at the start of Fields Ave and the fact that it is freehold. In other words, one buys the title to the property as well and that is a rare thing to be able to do in the entertainment area.

The following was extracted from the "Asia Bugle" and sent to me by my friend Tom Britt who lucked out and got a sweet heart deal of a great job in Thailand. "There has been much discussion on web-boards about prices. Bar-owners consistently ignore web-boards at their peril because almost all incoming visitors read these boards before they arrive. The idea that people will just turn up because that is where they went last year is dumb. In my mind there is little doubt that the location of the new airport has taken Bangkok off many people’s visit list because they now go straight to Pattaya. How much the inflated prices in Bangkok have encouraged this trend I am unsure: but reading the comments on web-boards about high prices, inflated bar fines and demands from the girls, as well as half empty bars and bored girls is barely going to encourage Bangkok visitors."

(Could this comment from Bangkok also be applicable to the club owners on Fields Ave? It sure does sound familiar and may be a heads up to some of the owners on Fields to not get too carried away with price increases. Economics dictate prices and necessary increases to keep up with cost of living increases is understood, but increases just to satisfy a degree of greed is never understood. Many observers will stand up and tell everyone that our women here are far more friendly than any in Thailand but all too many have an attitude problem that was not as evident four or five years ago. It is a trend that I hope will not continue. Our prices are not out of sight as they are in Bangkok but they are creeping up and only a few establishments are getting carried away with their costing. Presently, Fields Ave and beyond, up to Friendship offer the best deals for your money and that should appeal to travelers that are tired of what is being offered in Bangkok and I hope it stays that way. Pattaya is a good alternative to Bangkok but add Angeles City to the list).

Once in a while I receive an Email from some guy named Carlo who likes to send me his observations about the clubs in town. Most of his comments are negative and many I just disregard but everyone is allowed an opinion and I decided to pass this one on for what it is worth. I very seldom go into the Edellwiess as it is, in my opinion, not one of the more popular places to watch the ladies. The last time I was in there I wished the lights were darker as the ladies were not all that good looking. So Carlo, that might be the reason they switched off the lights. Maybe the guys at Margarita Station were spending too much time reading the newspapers and books and the management decided that they were not a library. I did not think the lighting at Magic Moments was all that bad but maybe the Brass Knob could take a look at their lighting but this is the first time I have heard of such a complaint. I wonder how many readers would agree with you?

"One thing that really annoys me is poor lighting. Go to Camelot or Champange and you will find the seats full because the stage is well lit and one can see the show. However, there are a dozen nice bars with disco type lighting where watching the stage is painful. Customers don't complain, they just leave. Brass Knob is the worst, and there are others like Magic Moments. Edelwiess recently switched off the lights so it looks like black-out conditions on a U.S. Navy warship. One can sit close enough to touch the dancers, but all you see are shadows. I write this not to put down the bar managers, but to explain why business is slower that it might be.

This applies to Margarita's too. Years ago, the bar was full of guys eating, drinking while reading newspapers and books. I guess to save a little money, the bright bulbs were removed so now no one can read so few are there. Last time I jokingly asked the waitress for a flashlight so I could read the menu. I had to walk over near a light a light to see it, and I have normal eyesight." Carlo

Richard Agnew cleared the stage of dozens of good looking dancers to announce "Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to announce the winners of the monthly slot machine point winners" and he started by introducing the current winner of a brand new motorbike. Her name was Clarisa and she was offered the choice of the motorbike or P25,000, "deal or no deal". Many in the crowd yelled out encouragement to take the bike and others yelled take the money. Clarisa, without much hesitation decided on the money. During the month mid Sept to mid Oct she had accumulated 2,066,482 points by assisting various slot machine players. She was the champ but then Richard went on to introduce 2nd place lady Rowena who received P5,000. A special 3rd place prize of a babies pacifier was given to Vanessa which was the only way Richard could think of to keep her quiet. It seems she kept complaining that she missed a day or else she would have been ahead of Rowena. In addition to the pacifier she gathered up P3,000 as well. When I last saw Vanessa she was dozing off in a corner of the Blue Nile contentedly sucking her new pacifier.

Once in a while I like to get a picture of some of the expats that are permanent residents of this town and are fairly well known. While at the Blue Nile I ran into Norman who is well known to many via the Angeles City Message Board and also in person. What inspired me to take this picture was that he was with a very attractive companion, RoseMarie, and they did look well together. One does not always agree with what Norman writes on the message board but quite often his observations and opinions are right on. To meet and speak with him in person is always interesting so I look forward to the few times that I am able to find a moment with him. Of course, on this occasion the presence of RoseMarie certainly made the meeting much more memorable than usual.

The Department of Tourism – Region III announced the staging of the 2nd North Philippines International Tourism Fair 2007 (2nd NPITF 2007) on November 23 – 25, 2007 at the Event Center, SM City Clark, Clark Freeport - Philippines, Pampanga. This is an interesting event with a lot of displays featuring items and information about the North Philippines. The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Pampanga (HARP) will have a booth there next to the DOT booth and even this old Horse will be at that booth to meet folks and answer questions.

When the ABC Hotel first opened and the prices of their rooms were announced that ranged from $100 to $400 a night many naysayers in town were quick ask "who would pay that much and no way will they be able to fill their rooms at those prices". From the beginning I pointed out that the travelers that are coming to Angeles City now are not all budget conscious and do not be deceived by the term "budget flights". Well, I am happy to say I was right and that last month it was difficult to get a room at the ABC Hotel because they were booked solid. People arriving at the DMIA terminal without hotel reservations and enquired about the ABC Hotel were not able to get a room. Folks, Gerard H. knows what he is doing and he can be found sitting in his hotel with a big smile on his face.

Last month a lucky customer playing the slots in the Blue Nile Club hit the 400,000 peso jackpot. I'd love to win one of those jackpots but it is unlikely since I only put in P500 and if I lose that I chicken out and quit. One time I started with the P500 and got it up to P2,500 and then quit as I did not want to put it all back in again. I am a lousy gambler!

SEXUAL HARASSMENT UPDATE - The City Prosecutor uses the legal term "Unjust Vexation and violation of R.A. 7877 (Anti-sexual Harassment Act of 1995) in bringing a case against Cliff Wilsey, a member of the VFW Post 2485 in Angeles City. Last month Cliff, through his lawyer sought to have the charges dismissed but the City Prosecutor, Teilo Quiambao decided the following: "Wherefore, premises considered, the undersigned recommends that the instant motion to dismiss filed by the respondent be denied for lack of merit, forthwith, issue subpoena to the parties for the preliminary investigation." Cliff had hoped to have the case either dismissed or transferred to the barangay level. The Prosecutors decision means that the case will drag on a bit longer. The female ex-employee that has accused Cliff has also filed a complaint with the labor board for unjust dismissal from her job so now this incident has affected the VFW itself, not just Cliff Wilsey. As a member of the VFW, a great post to belong to, despite on-going political bickering, I would like to see all this controversy go away ASAP and get back to business as usual. There has been some name calling from some members directed at individuals that have been assisting the complainant and this is out of line and unnecessary. It does not help the current legal situation. Right now it is an on-going drama that needs to be worked out within the legal system and it is a bump in the road that will pass with time and the VFW will continue serving the retired military community and the locals in the same professional, dignified, reverent way as they have through the many years of the Clubs existence.

For a guy who made it clear that he wanted out of the bar business and even maybe out of Angeles City, Mo seems to be having second thoughts. First he re-opened Voodoo back in May. In mid-Sept, he removed the bar and kitchen area from the front of Kokomo’s and announced that he was adding a sister bar. In June, the Wet Spot group took over Angels and in September they hired Mo’s group to handle their finance and administration. When Mo announced he was going to put a bar in front of Kokomo’s, they approached him about moving Wet Spot over to Field Ave. and they struck a deal. The managing partner of the Wet Spot group all of a sudden was transferred to Singapore and he asked Mo if he’d be interested in taking the entire operation. After some negotiations, Mo agreed. In a sight to see, Mo closed Wet Spot on the 20th of October and had a parade of the girls over to Angels. Now Mo has Voodoo and Angles and soon to open King of Diamonds.

There have also been some management changes in his group. His long-time bar general manager (when he had 11 bars), Steve is back running the entire Angeles operation. Steve’s been here for 10 years and is well liked by everyone. Mo tasked him with getting their maintenance and purchasing in order. The first thing Steve did is hire Mo’s old purchasing manager, Cozma who immediately started terrorizing all the vendors in town. At the helm of Voodoo is Brett from Wet Spot. Brett is no stranger to the AC bar scene or to Mo as he managed Treasure Island for Mo for over 4 years before moving over to WS. Sloppy will handle the chores at King of Diamonds and Tom (Tomcat on the boards) will do the honors at Angels. For AC regulars, you’ll remember that from 2000 to 2003, King of Diamonds (KOD) was one Angeles’ most popular bars. Some top managers started their careers there; TXWLDCHLD, Jung, Allan (from Lollipop), Jinky (of the La Pasha Group) and even John Beeline was there. KOD’s scheduled to open the 1st week of November.

Mo’s hitting 65 this year. For the last 8 years, he and a lot of other AC regulars have celebrated their Scorpio birthdays with a weekend party. Each year they try to outdo all the previous year’s events. This year the festivities start on November 8th with SOB at Voodoo, the Aftermath at KOD, a small crazy party from 7 to 9 at Treasure Island on the 9th and a similar party at Voodoo, KOD and Angels on the 10th and the birthday pool party at Kokomo’s on the 11th. Even at 65 it appears that Mo is still pretty light on his feet. It should be an interesting week and I will NEVER, NEVER believe Mo when he says he wants to get out of the bar business.

While passing through the Bed Rock Club I happen to see a familiar Scotsman sitting in a corner with a beautiful young lady. Lo and behold, it was that lad, Peter Clyde from Edinburgh enjoying a bit of an anniversary with his favorite lady. Peter an Chona were happily celebrating one year of togetherness and were looking to many more years together. I would have stopped and bought them a drink, maybe a bottle of champagne but decided to wait until their 5th Anniversary instead. Congrats Pete and Chona, am glad I ran into you on your special night.

ALASKA CLUB Last month the Alaska Club, during their closed door party were visited by law enforcement personnel from station four by order of the new City Director, Col George Gaddi. The visit was prompted by reports to the Col that some people were alleging that personnel from the Alaska Club had bribed Station Four to assign personnel to protect them from any incidents. This upset the Director and then when the police entered the Club they found an on-going bold show in progress where one lady was naked and one customer was kind of feasting in a delicate area. Some personnel, including top management, some employees and the tasty naked lady were taken to Station four (of course the lady was given time to get dressed) and later in the night they were taken to the fiscal and charged with a violation of an ordinance that prohibits bold shows and then released. The fine under this charge is from six to twelve thousand pesos and possibly some jail time. Now, the problem is that the person in charge of the club was warned not to have any bold shows and also, ACTA, the month before had told all ACTA members in attendance at their general meeting not to conduct bold shows during their closed door parties. This advice was ignored but the report of an alleged bribe is what set this all in motion and also the blatant advertising of the forthcoming party on the internet and message boards was not well received. Regretfully, the next night after the incident the Mayor decided to have the Alaska Bar closed down and this action was accomplished at approximate 7 PM, 25 Oct 07. This is not the end of closed door parties in Angeles City, the SOB, Dog House and Saturday Night Fever events will continue because the people in charge of these events are complying with restrictions on what can take place. Sometimes people write things on message boards or put pictures on display thinking that details will not get out but this is not the case. There are officials about that make it a point to have access to information being bandied about on the message boards and the internet in general. One can announce certain events without going into details and one can control who is taking pictures. The event at the Alaska Club was regrettable but it would not have happened if a certain individual had used a bit of common sense. ACTA has appealed to the City Director to allow the Alaska Club to open again so its employees can go back to work but at the time of this writing no decision has been made in this regard.

The Shanno's Irish Pub has added a cultural female model dance review to cheer folks up along with a live band that performs on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and weekends from 9 PM to late. I did not take a picture of the band because the girls were more interesting to look at. This new Pub is so large and well appointed that they could bring in a circus act and still have room left over. It is a great place to hang out, play darts, play pool, dance, cuddle up in a booth with a cutie, have a meal and meet your friends because the place is never crowded but never overcrowded, does that make any sense? In other words, in any other establishment hosting the same amount of customers you would feel crowded but at Shanno's you still have room to be comfortable. Aw hell, it just never get uncomfortable OK? Also, one can talk and not have to shout to be heard because the music is kept at a comfortable level where even old farts like me can tolerate the music. I know that the management will be coming up with innovative special events that will bring extra life to A. Santos Street. I still can't get over the transformation of this street and the genius of Ron Wakely and company. You better believe me when I tell you that there is more to come, these guys never stop to rest on their laurels.

BICYCLE PATROL COMES TO FIELDS AVE

It was an idea that ACTA Secretary Jimmy D had two years ago. He saw how effective the police bicycle patrol was on Fremont St. in Las Vegas, NV and visualized such a concept on Fields Ave and along Perimeter Road up to the Friendship bridge. It was slow getting off the ground despite board approval a year ago but pass City Director Sonny Cunanan liked the idea as did Mayor Nepomuceno and all that was left was to get the funding, the uniform design and the training. Thanks to the following personnel who believed in the idea enough to contribute their personal funds to the project the ideal is now a reality. Hats off to Gerard Heinan (P13,000), Dave Fisher (P26,000), Neil Meeker (P26,000) and Jimmy D (P17,000) for their generosity. Col Cunanan arranged a four day extensive training course and issued completion certificates to those who completed the course. The graduation ceremony was attended by Regional Director PRO 3, Police Chief Superintendent Errol T. Pan who expressed a desire to see this new force multiplier expanded in the future. The presence of the newly formed Police bicycle patrol along with the newly installed surveillance cameras on Fields Ave has increased security tremendously in the entertainment area and highlights the efforts of Angeles Clarkfield Tourist Association (ACTA) to create a safe environment for tourists and residents of this area.

THE NEW DOG HOUSE

I always enjoyed visiting the Dog House when it was on First Street because I always felt at home there. Man, you go in and see familiar faces and shake hands with everybody and then sit down for some great ice-tea and shoot the shit for an hour or so. It is down right friendly and the gossip is first class. Then they got all those wives sitting around playing cards and they take their game very seriously so do not disturb them. Another reason I like it there is that so many of the members are in my age group, old and older. Well, they moved further into Balibago, a few blocks down from Johnny's and around the corner that would take you to the Flamingo Hotel. Now that I made my visit I expect that Don Lee will quit getting on me for taking so long to get my sorry butt over there. I am looking forward to my next visit and hope that I can do so more often. My schedule keeps me so busy that I don't get as much time to relax as I would like to. For any visitors to town or those expats moving here if you want free advice on nearly any subject get on over to the Dog House. They have amateur lawyers, dentists, VA advisors, health advisors, social security advisors, aches and pain advisors, travel advisors, passport advisors, where to eat advisors, where to shop advisors, and advisors that will advise the advisors and the entertainment is listening to Mr. Harris and Mr. Donaldson having one of their quiet conversations. This Horse loves the Dog House!!

HARP AT THE DMIA

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Pampanga (HARP) has established an information counter at the DMIA arrival terminal at Clark. Two lovely ladies are manning the counter and are there to give out information to incoming travelers that arrive at Clark without reservations to a particular hotel. The ladies received training from the DOT and also visited each hotel that shared the financial costs of the counter and are members in good standing with the HARP. This is a first for the HARP and the results have been very positive for the first month of operation. The ladies do not solicit passengers but are there to display the brochures from the hotels and answer any questions that the traveler might ask. Once a hotel has been chosen then the HARP representative will contact that hotel by phone and arrange a reservation and possible hotel pick-up. This service was an idea of Airport management who decided that they did not want multiple hotel desks at the terminal and wanted one counter that would represent the majority of the Hotels on Clark and downtown as well. It was decided that HARP would be the ideal organization to provide this service. Not only are member hotel represented but restaurants as well are displayed in a common HARP brochure. When you enter the arrival terminal at the DMIA stop by the HARP counter and say hello to our ladies and get your first taste of Philippine hospitality.

TOURIST OF THE MONTH

The gentleman on the right is Christian from Jasper, Indiana, a community of only 12,000 people and a lot of factories. You better believe that there is nothing exciting happening in Jasper and the women, according to Christian, are nothing to brag about. But it is a small friendly town with that small town atmosphere that can make a single guy choke. Christian is an ex Navy man and he last visited Angeles City 21 years ago when he was assigned to the Midway. He got out at 8 years and is now a truck driver for Kimball Int'l. He is 52 years old and has 13 years to go before retirement. While here he stayed at the Clarkton Hotel. You might have guessed that Christian loves it in Angeles City and always looks forward to his trips here. Now, who the hell is that on the left? That happens to be "call me Baba" and he is a steady customer at my stable. For months he has been asking me to put his picture in my column and I always refuse. This time I told him the only way he could his picture displayed was to donate P500 to the Bahay Bata Street children's Center and he immediately slapped the money down on the bar. When Christian found out where the money was going he donated P1,000 without hesitation. That is how Baba, from Hamilton, Bermuda got to share this picture with Christian and I finally got Baba to shut up about his picture appearing in this column. The P1,500 was donated to the Street Children Foundation's Educational Fund and the word from Baba is "I love you Aida so be nice".

OMSG - BUSINESSMEN WITH A HEART

The Overseas Military Sales Group (OMSG) employs personnel that are sent all over the world to man sales offices that work with the Military Exchange System (PX and BX) and these professional businessmen have built up, over the years, a reputation of honesty, reliability and hard workers who work under all types of conditions. They are also known for their kindness and willingness to reach out a helping hand to those less fortunate individuals thereby improving their quality of life. These wonderful men and women under the leadership of Tim Daniels and Don Schloff have for the past few years adopted the Bahay Bata Street Children's Center and have provided financial donations as well as clothes, and various gifts. Last month they had a gathering of about 30 of their managers from various world wide locations here in Angeles City. They took this opportunity for a fund raiser for the kids at the Center that brought in $40,000 and also went to the Center to challenge the kids to a three inning softball game which was so much fun to watch. It was really touching when the kids lined up and then the OMSG men lined up in front of them and each man presented the child in front of him with a beautiful back pack that had a variety of toys in each one. Many of these guys were a bit out of shape, some had memories of when they were young and really into sports and all of them played, laughed, got some hits, made some good catches and for three short innings were young again. But, the OMSG first baseman temporarily forgot where he was and found himself engaged in a cell phone conversation while the game was ongoing. The folks in the stands enjoyed the event so much that they were disappointed it lasted on three innings but, believe me, that was about the limit for this short resurgence of youth. The kids played hard, had fun, and were so happy to see so many men who came from so far away to enrich their lives. No one knew who won the game and it did not matter because it was not a competition, it was a time of bonding between the kids and a bunch of generous, wonderful father figures. Thank you so very much guys, these few words are not enough to express the full appreciation from the Rotary Club of Clark Centennial and the Street Children's Foundation Directors.

I WOULD IF I COULD

I promised La Pasha manager, James (formerly with the Blue Nile) that I would stop by and say hello one night. It had been a while since I stopped for a drink there and I thought it would be a good opportunity to look for my special lady that night. When I entered, the place was packed, around 10 PM on a Saturday night, so I fought my way to the back bar, ordered a drink and had a chat with James. After a while I told him I had to find my girl of the month and he told me to wait, that he had two charmers in mind. A few minutes later he introduced me to Marisa and Rose and they did meet my criteria of good looking, good personalities, no children, no boyfriends and at this time both were very innocent in their sexual education. They were so much fun to talk to that I forgot who was who. All I can tell you is that one is Marisa and the other is Rose. I will take a wild guess and say that Marisa, 19, is on the left and Rose, at 20, on the right, of course. Marisa is from La Union, has 4 sisters and one brother. Rose is from Samar, has 3 sisters and 4 brothers. This is the first time that I have met a dancer coming from La Union. When I took the picture they both looked great and they still do but now, at a closer look, I kind of lean towards Marisa. I asked what age should the man be if he was a serious suitor and and they both said between 30 and 50 years old. This is why Priscilla does not mind me looking for these ladies to feature in this column because not one has said anything about looking for a 70 year old, especially not in my income bracket.

OK, enough with ladies, they are not the only reason to go to the La Pasha, I think! There are plans to bring in a dance group and also feature body painting. On every second Sunday they will feature a party with a different theme each time. They will be installing a 6' x 6' big TV screen for viewing pleasure and they are now offering a variety of sparkling wines from France, Italy, and Germany with prices starting below P1,000 and they will also offer a variety of beers. For every person who buys 3 or more shooters at P130 the Club will create a shooter of your making and will name it after you. Now pay attention to this one - for every 5th person that goes into La Pasha you can get a free ladies drink if you find James and mention that Harry the Horse sent you. This offer is only good for the month of November. James told me he will not cheat and will keep track of the number of people that approach him. This offer is good every day for the entire month but the catch is you have to find James. OK, that is it for La Pasha and I just wanted you to know that there is one Club that is trying to be creative in bringing in customers and providing them with a fun evening. They have 100 plus girls to choose from and are open from 1900 to 0400 hrs. I nearly forgot, they are going to have a Halloween party on 11 Nov as well. Why not? If Roadhouse can have Christmas in August then why not Halloween in November? That should be fun!

SOON TO OPEN

Ralph Meeker of Roadhouse fame should have his new bar open for business sometime this month. It is located on Perimeter Road heading towards the Friendship area. I stopped by to take a couple of pictures so you can get an idea of what it will look like. The pool table is a bit strange and it is not built for league play, just for entertainment and a few laughs. My bad back would not allow me to bend down that low to play. It is a bitcramped but they have a special small cue to avoid the walls at either end.

NERO'S CLUB had its 7th year anniversary last month and the place was packed, so much so that the air-cons could hardly keep the place cool enough. I did manage to get there and get once picture and I have no idea who these two ladies are but I think they are worth a bit of research. They look damn good to me but then my eyesight is not all that good and I might be wrong. I like the idea that one can go from the Blue Nile, to Neros and on through the Bed Rock without going outside. The thing about Nero's is that you can a bit closer to the dancers than those at the Blue Nile and it is easier to make eye contact with your selection of the night.

NOVEMBER 2006 - Wow, how things change in one year. How many of the ladies on the left do you remember? This picture was taken as they waited for a meeting with the Mayor that was to take place on Fields Ave itself. This was a first for Angeles City and many of those who attended might say it was not all that successful. The Mayor showed up late and did not stay all that long butit was a good effort.Would you believe that the picture on the right was taken just a year or so ago and now those old club fronts is where Shanno's Irish Pub is situated. Quite a change.

A GREAT BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION

Last month four young boys from the Bahay Bata Street Children's Center celebrated their birthdays with their four sponsors from the Rotary Club of Clark Centennial. They were 9 year old Ryan Padilia, 17 year old Limwel Banaag, 13 year old Albert Talosig and 18 year old Joe Smith. Each month a birthday party is held for the Center residents who have a birthday during that month and for each resident a Rotary member is assigned as his Rotary sponsor. Last October there were four celebrants and Mark Smith, Bill Wright, Jim Dale and Fred Brunton joined forces to provide a gift for each boy, cake, pizza, spaghetti and soft drinks plus music and a bit of group dancing. It was a fun event with all the kids joining in. Jim Dale ordered a party pizza from Sub-Delicious and I must give special thanks to Manager Irene who donated an extra pizza as she was afraid one would not be enough for all the boys. I hate to admit this but she was absolutely correct, one was not enough and her thoughtfulness was really appreciated.

A GOOD IDEA

Recently a group of investors took over an established bar on Perimeter Road that had a full contingent of dancers and staff. The new folks had their lawyer draw up an affidavit form to be signed by all the staff affirming that they were of legal age. It turned out that three dancers would not sign the form and admitted that they were under age. In fact, one had recently turned 17 and had been employed for two years. This revelation resulted in the girls being dismissed after being paid a salary and a bonus and their names reported to LACEM. Regretfully, the new owners did not know that they should have retrieved their ID's and permits to be turned in as well. Additionally, the Mamasan admitted that she knew the three girls were underage and the manager admitted to knowing that one was underage. Both did not force the issue to the previous owner as they were afraid of losing their jobs. Folks, hiring girls that are underage could lead to a hell of a lot of trouble and expense for, not only management but for the Mamasan as well. They could land up in jail for months and legal fees would be extensive. Having each employee sign a legal form affirming their age is a wise thing to do and there are a few other Clubs in town that are doing this.

THE WESTIN PLAZA HOTEL

One of the newest hotels in town is the Westin Plaza Hotel which is due to open in December and will add 70 rooms to the community. It is Korean owned and its manager is Kim Hyo Cheol (Patrick Kim), a very pleasant, energetic young man who is very fluent in English. It was a pleasure to meet him and to take a few minutes to look at the interior of this very handsome hotel. They will offer suites, deluxe and standard rooms but the prices have not been set yet. A large, beautifully landscaped pool is available and the hotel will have a souvenir shop, travel agency, massage service and a 24 hour restaurant/bar offering international meals. It is located on Clark Ave, Villasol Subd. with Email contact philpat24@yahoo.co.kr. I am sure that the majority of its guests will be Korean but Patrick indicated that he is hoping for international occupancy as well and I believe that he will achieve this objective. As soon as Patrick provides the room prices I will post them in this column.

A CHANGING VIEW

The first two pictures show the property at the end of Fields Ave and MacArthur Highway where Gerard is getting ready to build a first class 10 story hotel. If you remember, until recently this area was occupied by a small plaza that was occupied by various businesses. This is another example of how quickly the entertainment area landscape is changing. Here today, gone tomorrow to be replaced with high end clubs, hotels, restaurants, etc. The picture on the far right is downtown Angeles City along the road in front of Holy Angel University and this street is usually packed with traffic. On this day I was able to stand in the middle of the street as traffic was diverted for the arrival of the Mayor as he was scheduled to present his State of the City address after his first 100 days in office. I could not resist the opportunity to get this picture.

For sure, October was an interesting month and as usual I was quite busy. I am trying to figure out my schedule for November and December as there will be many functions to attend, especially around Thanksgiving. December will just about stretch the limitations of my energy and well being but I look forward to it each year. We are so close to the end of another year and I am so happy to still be around to communicate with all of you. You know, if you sit around and chat with many of the expats that live here quite often you will hear them bitching about something or other but the bottom line is that you never see any of them packing up and leaving. Why? Because, bottom line life is good here and getting better all the time. Sure, there are legitimate things to complain about but the positives far outweigh the negatives. The new City Administration is getting their feet on the ground and they are working on plans to make life even better around here. Are you getting close to retirement? Think about retiring in the Philippines, your life can be very comfortable and remember, old folks are respected here and the ladies quit counting when you get past forty. Again, happy Thanksgiving to one and all and remember, be kind to horses.