TIDBITS

Greetings to the following folks who took the time to drop me a line: John Brant in San Diego, CA, Eugene E. Niles in the corn patch of Iowa, William (Dirtbag) Guerttman, former 1 SOS Wild Man, Al Eason who is planning to retire here in a few more years but promised to buy me many beers the next time he visits. Hate to admit this, but I don't drink beer, maybe a couple of B52's will be ok. Jim Sniegowski, Henderson, Nevada, Rob Willing who brought me some Aussie Chili for my collection, Thom Snyder, a true New York Jew, and finally Brian from Bateman's Bay who brought me a more potent jar of home made Chili from his mate Peter. I wanted to take a picture of Brian but he told me his wife Jina would not allow another picture to be published. Have to add Carlton Meyer who wrote me about the difficulty of getting to the SM Clark Mall. Carl, I did carry your letter to the Marketing folks and asked that they give you a response, suggestion - don't hold your breath waiting. 

The representative of the Mayor, Mr. C. J. Tayag has agreed to become the Chairman of the Angeles Clarkfield Tourism Association (ACTA) Board of Trustees. ACTA is going through a very difficult transition at this time as it awaits a more definite course of direction from Mayor Nepomuceno. Verbally, the Mayor has voiced full support for ACTA and indicated that he would like to use this organization as one voice for him to use in communicating with the various establishments located within the entertainment area to include Friendship, Perimeter Road and Fields Ave. The problem is that this policy has not been directly delivered by the Mayor at any ACTA meeting and there have been indications that certain officials are intent on sabotaging ACTA to promote their own personal desires by controlling Fields Ave for personal financial gain. ACTA officers are hoping that this situation will improve after the attendance of Mr. Tayag at last months Trustee Board meeting in which C. J. accepted the position of Chairman. A proposal that a bicycle patrol be established for the entertainment area has been given the go-ahead and so far ACTA Sec. Jimmy D has been able to find a number of sponsors willing to fund this project. This will not happen overnight as it will take close coordination with the City Director, the Mayor's office, Balibago Barangay Captain Attorney Flores and ACTA.

Last month President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) led the ground breaking for the Texas Instrument Company (TI) at the Clark Freeport Zone. They have a 30 hectare site but it is unique in that even though located within the Freeport Zone the administering body will be the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PESA). CDC will get the rental for the land but PESA administers the laws, import and export rules, etc. TI also insisted that they must have an all new independent power supply and lines which will cost around 2.2 billion pesos. CDC, of course, does not have the money for that and now the President of the Philippines must find the funds. Texas Instruments, Inc. (TI) might be here and there is much celebration over the expected employment of 3,000 local employees but there were a lot of perks offered to get them here. Personally, whatever it takes to get a company like TI on board in this area is OK with this Horse. Maybe we can get them on board with the Bahay Bata Street Children's Center and other community projects.

The proposed Central Business District (CBD) project involving 300 hectares of property within the Clark Freeport Zone was scrapped by President Macapagal-Arroyo last month (GMA). This was a CDC President Levy Laus project and GMA ordered the disputed 300 hectare area to be retained as part of the DMIA aviation complex. This was good news for the Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) officials. This was a a project that caused Mr. Laus to have a few debates with Ed Pamintuan, Mayor Lazatin and CIAC officials who were not sold on the idea. It was suggested that if this CBD project had gone through it would have benefited some individuals but would have detracted from the development of the Airport. Thankfully, for now, the President of the Philippines remains true to her word that she will do all she can to develop the DMIA into an International Airport.

According to a source there remains a conflict with a Korean Group that bid on the True North property located at Clark and paid half a million dollars up front to the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) but no one is sure what that money was for. The bidding was not proper because CDC used something called "Give final and Best Offer" and now, allegedly, the CDC wants to give back the half million but the contract holder refuses to take it back. This has become controversial and has been forwarded to the Philippine President for review. Over the last few years there has been various bids for this property and many expectations for development have been dashed for various reasons. Allegedly, one company that wanted to build a Casino and golf course backed off because the "under the table" payments requested were quite unreasonable and this company only wanted to negotiate openly with above board payments. Meantime, a prime property within the Freeport Zone awaits development and hopefully someone within the CDC will figure out a way to conduct a legal, proper bidding procedure that meets all Governmental requirements.

Many thanks to the "Pattaya People Weekly" folks for giving this column a nice mention in their 17 Jun 07 edition. 

ACTA President, Richard Agnew, is working with the owner of a company who has volunteered to donate four surveillance cameras to be installed at various locations on Fields Ave as a pilot program. This is the company that has installed the cameras in the gaming areas of the PAGCOR slots on Fields Ave. This is for a pilot project that allows surveillance of Fields Ave, A. Santos Street and Real Street with 7/24 recording. A monitoring station will be set up in the Tourist Assistance Center on Fields Ave and the Mayor will have a password allowing him access so that he can check on what is happening via the internet, anywhere he is in the world. The Mayor and the City Director is excited about this as it is felt it will be a great aid in crime prevention and detection. 

On 1 Sep Voodoo and Kokomo's goes back to 24/7 operating hours. That is good news for the night owls and the early birds especially those that suddenly realize at 0500 hrs that they did not get a Sheila for the night and can now have breakfast and a "nooner" with a Voodoo beauty. Another reason to visit Voodoo is because the ladies pictured on the left and right are all waiting for your arrival. They will bend overbackwards or forwards just to please you. They have been trained, personally, by Mo tomeet your every need and are perfect hostesses. So you don't need to eat or drink alone or mope in your hotel room. If you ended your evening with a lousy date don't fret over it, just get up, get dressed and head for Voodoo. Replacement parts are easy to find!

The very popular Steaks & Hoagies outlet at the food section of the SM Clark Hypermarket has introduced a delivery service that I am sure will be quite successful. You can order their delicious Hoagies, Hot Wings and side orders by calling 499-0304. There is a P50 delivery charge and a 2 Kilometer distance from the Mall maximum distance. I will have to test this service while having a few cool drinks at the Hang-out one afternoon. I did get to order as I was completing this column on a Sunday afternoon. No problem, only took 32 minutes to get the delivery which is good for coming from the base and not knowing exactly where I was located. 

Mark Smith's Christmas in August fund raiser for the Bahay Bata Street Children's Center was, again, a huge success raising P800,000 plus. As usual the place was packed, the food was great, the booze was plentiful! Can you imagine a better deal, only P1,000 for all the food and drink you could consume and the drinks could be top shelf. You better believe that Jim Sebree from Cottage Kitchen put a big dent in the Johnny Walker black. There are so many people in Mark's organizing team that deserve credit and they know who they are, it is not just a one man show, many folks help by donating prizes, auction items, etc., and just being there. The event took place on a Saturday night and the next day Neil from Roadie's Club along with Harro from Lost in Asia organized a fund raising poker run and was able to add another P200,000 to the overall weekend fund raiser. That's more than One Million pesos folks and part of that money will be going to the purchase of a new Kia 19 person vehicle that will be used to transport the kids to the many functions they participate in. The old vehicle was in its death knells and the replacement vehicle will be used for many years. The remaining money will be used for operational costs and the educational fund. Please, when in town, take the time to visit this center for street kids, two of whom have been selected to play on the Philippine team participating in international baseball. These are two lads that came from the streets and did not know what baseball was until a year ago. 

Last month I inserted a picture of Bong, the local lad who makes bar stools and other furniture for Club owners around town. Regretfully, he arrived a few days ago and told me that I made a mistake in his phone number. In case anyone has been trying to call him the following numbers are to be used: 09275039144 or 09065237027. By the way, I have ordered six new stools for the bar at my stable from Bong so I will let you know if they are delivered on time and if they meet quality standards. 

A good friend wanted me to plug his new website named: www.getrichstaysingle.com. Give it a read and see what you think. Actually it is my son's new site and like any father I try to help. How's that son, so can I stay with you and get some free meals the next time I visit you in Arizona?

I received a short letter from Richard L. Wooten outlining his step by step procedure in obtaining his $10,000 retirement visa. He started the procedure on 21 Jun and had the visa in hand by 21 Aug 07. He wrote that "the personnel were very courteous and professional and very informative. As you can see by my dates processing was very prompt, less than 10 days. The dates and actions taken were:

21 Jun - Filled out application and had doctor fill out bottom half which is the Medical Certificate portion. 27 Jun - Requested my bank in the U.S. to transfer money to Bank of Commerce here in Angeles which is one of the banks that are part of the PRA Program. 28 Jun thru 2 Aug - Gathered other documents that were required, a) Proof of Income minimum of $800 which was acquired by calling and requesting letter from VA Manila. b) Photos. c) Birth certificate which was substituted by using DD 214 (US Military Form). d) I also did a direct deposit of my VA check to Bank of Commerce, just a courtesy in case. 3 Aug - Transferred $10,000 to a time deposit account with Bank of Commerce. 7 Aug - Dropped off documents at the Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA). Was finger printed by the NPA in same office and was told it would take several days to investigate and the processing of the application would commence. 16 Aug - Was notified by (PRA) that documents processing was complete and I could pick up passport and ID at any time during working hours. 21 Aug - I picked up document and given a briefing of just what my privileges were (mission complete). Note: you mist leave passport which will get a visa stamp inserted which is indefinite or until you withdraw from program. If you would like more details and advice you can contact Richard at wootenrichard@hotmail.com.

For the second time the Angeles City Mayor decided to have a test run for a walking street along a portion of Fields Ave. This time it ran from a Friday to a Sunday night from the times of 2000 hrs to 0400. Regretfully we had a bit of rain during this period but on one of the nights I did traverse the area from Sub-delicious to the end of Fields Ave and also looked at the two way traffic system along the CDC extension road. I am sure that there have been mixed feelings about this test run but in my opinion it showed that we would be better off sticking to the one way traffic system that is already in effect. The problem is that it not truly a "walking street". My interpretation of a walking street is that no vehicle traffic of any kind is allowed and that is what I have seen in other countries that have such designated streets. Not so on Fields Ave where the tricycles are allowed to run in both directions and individuals were allowed to go back and forth on scooters and motorbikes and on occasion striking a pedestrian. The one way system was ignored by the tricycles and they flitted about without any regard to their speed. It appears that one local policeman who has visions of running everything on Fields Ave by himself, without any coordination with the Mayor's office or ACTA had given permission to the President of the Tricycle Association to ignore the restrictions normally imposed in a designated walking street. So, yes, I considered it a semi-walking street where one could walk and hope that you were not struck by a tricycle or a two wheeled conveyance. The traffic on the CDC extension road was equally unsafe as not all CDC stalls had moved their tables and chairs out of the street and some mobile vendors had their carts stationed on one side of the street. Additionally, numerous motorbikes and scooters were parked in such a way that they stuck out too far into the street. Many cars were parked along one side of the street but with the many obstructions two way traffic was a bit dicey. 

Recently I discovered the Serenity Grand Mimosa Spa within Clarkfield. It is just past the Yats Wine Club and I can guarantee that the name "Serenity" aptly describes the ambiance of this Spa. I won't bore you with a lot of details other than to say that men and women can enjoy the full spectrum of deluxe body treatment. The basic cost is P600 an hour and that one hour of being completely spoiled is well worth the cost. Anyway, thought I would mention it since, after years of going on and off Clark, I did not know of its existence. After all Horses don't know shit about Spas, we just get our rubdowns in our old stables surrounded by horse shit. 

Regretfully, to date there has not been any meetings with various organizations, to include ACTA, to discuss this experiment and get any opinions or suggestions. Personally, this horse believes that a walking street will fail if tricycles and two wheeled vehicles are allowed to traverse the area and also, especially, when not enough traffic enforcers are on hand to enforce the rules. There is no easy solution for the tricycles because these lads have to earn a living and should not have their livelihood threatened. The bottom line is that the one way system as it is, should be retained along with the no parking zones. This will work if, again, the City will enforce the rules and assign more traffic enforcers, especially at night. As far as a walking street is concerned, if it is to be created in a half ass way, just forget it. At least with the one way system, folks can still walk the street but know that they have to be aware of errant traffic. Right now there are not enough tourists around to justify a walking street and anyway, the Mayor's office appears not to have the will to do it properly. It is an idea that needs to be tabled for now and maybe looked at again in the future when more experienced personnel have a chance to develop a proper plan. 

A new sight to behold on Fields Ave, the placement of flower pots in front of the CDC stalls and along clubs on both sides of the street. Some are even painted red and blue. One busy little local policeman is putting the pots out and, allegedly, charging establishments P550 for each pot. I would ask if these flower pots have done anything to help the traffic congestion on Fields Ave or improved the parking situation? The answer, absolutely not, in fact it has added to the frustration in finding places to park. Now you find more double parking in front of the pots thereby reducing the drivable space. I think the police would be more useful controlling traffic than placing flower pots and painting them. Traffic chaos still exists on Fields Ave, now, more than ever. 

It is hard for me to believe that there are still many foreign residents in the Philippines that have not replaced their ACRs with the I - Card but once again the Bureau of Immigration has extended the deadline until 31 Dec. The Immigration Commissioner has once again said that this is absolutely the last extension. After 31 Dec those without I - Cards will be subjected to deportation proceedings. Some people must really be very lazy or stupid because the Apr deadline already passed and late filers from then to 31 Dec will be paying a fine of P500 for every month of delay. (Credit to the What's On & Expat Weekly Newspaper, 19-25 Aug Edition for this information)

Whenever a new administration takes over the outgoing Mayor makes sure that there is no leftover money remaining in the City Treasury. The incoming Mayor then has to find ways to fill up the coffers once again. The City Treasurer in his zeal to help with this task of finding money has developed creative taxation in that he is visiting all the Clubs on Fields Ave to review their books and impose taxes going back two years. Now, some Club owners, consider this a form of extortion by the City. Hush your mouth, everyone knows that the City Government would never stoop to anything as low as extortion but they will, out of necessity, take a close look at the cash cows in the entertainment zone. Maybe, by accident, some establishments might have been short in declaring earned income over the past few years and thereby the City Treasurer can "assist" them in getting on the right track. If, in the course of this endeavor, they might bring in some funds to replenish the treasury then that is an unexpected side benefit. Naturally, everyone is so proud to be able to be a part of this replenishing endeavor and looking forward to the time when the City is financially stable enough to return the favor by instituting City construction projects that will benefit the general population. Even the City Fire Inspectors are out in force again using their age old fire extinguisher inspection routine to raise money for "whatever". Our local police at Station Four are contributing as well as one key officer is running about using whatever creative ingenuity he can to raise funds for the "City". My goodness, what a time of excitement and team work with so many people gathering together to make Angeles City a dynamic exciting place to live and work. 

SEPTEMBER EVENTS 

RSL ANGELES CITY EVENTS FOR SEPTEMBER

4 - 1400 - Streaky's Social Tues + Bar Hop
11- 1400 - Ponderosa Social Tues + Bar Hop Roadhouse 1600 hrs
17 - 1130 - Shano's Committee Meeting
18 - 1430 - Ponderosa General Meeting
24 - 1030 - Fiesta Gardens, Australia Day Fiesta Committee
25 - 1400 - Ponderosa Social Tuesday + Bar Hop Shano's 1530 hrs

20 Oct 07 - The first annual chili cook-off hosted by the Fleet Reserve Association (F.R.A.) will be held in San Antonio at the F.R.A. This is a first for the F.R.A. and the rules for the event seem to fall right in line with the yearly Chili cook-off event held in Baguio down to and including the Miss Chili Pepper Contest. I wonder if we really need two such events but what the hell, any excuse to eat, drink, watch some beauties in a contest and be merry is a great way to have a fund raiser. It is hoped that the members of the Angeles RSL will attend. The FRA will provide shuttle transport service between Barrio Baretta and Baloy Beach areas where, due to a shortage of accommodations in San Antonio, it is suggested folks stay. (I announce this a bit early since some establishments might want to enter some teams and they can plan ahead. The local RSL has all the details) 

THOSE MEMBERS AND FRIENDS WHO WISH TO TRAVEL TO THE FRA FIRST ANNUAL CHILLI COOK-OFF OR JUST TO JOIN IN WITH US FOR A SUBIC EXPERIENCE PLEASE READ BELOW DETAILS FOR RESERVATION AND PRE-PLANNING. DALLAS DRAKE WILL REQUIRE A BOOKING DEPOSIT OF 1,000 PESO PER HEAD PRIOR TO END OF AUGUST AND BALANCE OF TRANSPORT /ACCOMMODATION COSTS BY END OF SEPTEMBER. TRANSPORT FROM ANGELES CITY - BUS/COACH/ CARS/VANS LEAVE PONDEROSA 0900 HRS 20TH OCTOBER. Pick-ups will be opposite Mr.JJs,Emotions,Garfields,Ezy Rider's cafe,Cold Drop. Check into Accommodation approx two hours later at baloy Beach or Barrio Bretto. Return trip cost estimated Php500/head (includes round trip from Barrio to San Antonio FRA Chilli Cook -Off and Beauty Contest )Saturday departs Barrio/Baloy 1315 hrs. ACCOMMODATION,(note Options ) Budget below 1,000/night, Standard below 1200/night, Deluxe below 1500/night. 

PLEASE INDICATE YOUR CHOICE AS LIMITED RSL MEMBER DISCOUNT ROOMS AVAILABLE. Saturday Night MEET AND GREET RSL SUBIC BAY MEMBERS AT THE LAGOON 1900hrs to 2200hrs. SUNDAY POOL COMPETITION AT MIDNIGHT RAMBLERS STARTS 1300 HRS. BUTTERFLY ROCK Vs MAGIC MOMENTS AND ANGELES CITY Vs SUBIC BAY. Optional SUBIC TOURS - SUNDAY 21ST. 0900 HRS: Zoobic Safari Park Est Php500peso Entry, Ocean Adventure Est Php500peso entry, Subic Bay Harbor Cruise Est Php1,500peso, Allow extra for Lunch as the Cruise will be full day tour. BAR HOP SUNDAY OF BARRIO BARS 1900hrs STARTS at "THE OFFICE", Monday morning is free time for Beach activities, swimming ,Jet Skiing, Para-sailing,etc.
CHECK OUT AT NOON . TRANSPORT LEAVES AT 1300HRS TO RETURN TO ANGELES CITY. SEE DALLAS OR TEXT 09165243084 OR EMAIL YOUR OPTIONS TO rslacity@hotmail.com. (Man, that is a lot of information to put in this column but I figure the RSL lads will spring for a few drinks for me. It is a new event and I think it may be a bit of fun and should satisfy those lads and ladies that look for something to do socially) 

SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER - This is another name for what used to be the "Perimeter Bars Exposed" and has a format similar to the "Dog House" and the "SOB" though a bit tamer in order to comply with City requirements of decency. It is held every Saturday night from 6 to 8 PM that includes local drinks & meal. Show girls from five participating clubs are on hand to provide the entertainment. The cost is P500 per person. The Sept schedule is: 1 Sep - Stampede, 8 Sep - Emotions, 15 Sep - Magic Moments, 22 Sep - La Bamba and 29 Sep - Streaky's. 

This is probably too late since it is an event to be held on 1 Sep. The Fatboy's annual Rugby Tournament will be held at The Clark Freeport's Challenger Field. This event also serves as a fundraiser for the Bahay Bata Street Children's Center and the boys will play an exhibition game as well as serve as ball boys. It is a very fun day. Many thanks to Christian Ott, Marcus Fahy and Irene at Sub Delicious for their efforts in bringing this fantastic group of rather large lads to our town. They do enjoy themselves!

TAPS

This is a bit late because it happened on 29 Jul after I had sent off my Aug column to the webmaster. One Gary Price, from Carlingford, Sydney met his demise by drowning as he was swimming at Subic. It seems that he had consumed a few drinks and decided that he was going to swim out to "Castle Island" which is one hell of a long swim. His family tried to stop him but Gary could be a bit stubborn and decided he had the energy of a "Tarzan". Regretfully, after getting a bit far out he was seen waving his arms about trying to attract help but by the time a banca boat reached him he was already a floater. ( I was told after I wrote this that Gary did make it to the Castle but drowned on the return trip - not sure which version is true) Gary was an electrician and had a few working trips to Afghanistan and leaves a wife and 2 year old child behind besides a grown son in Australia. Gary had been living in Angeles City for two years and was estimated to be close to 50 years old. He was well known by the lads that water down and eat at Roy's Pub and Clive organized a fine, proper wake for Gary and this Horse passes on sincere condolences to the wife and child left behind. 

NEW AT SUBIC

The below news item was taken from the 28 Jul 07 edition of the Inquirer newspaper. It sounds interesting and may be used by folks in the Clark area interested in getting to Korea. Of course it would only work out once the Clark-Subic Toll road is completed and travel time to Subic would only take about 40 minutes. You can Google Pacific Pearl Airways and get more information and pictures. When it landed at Subic they did not have a mobile stairway to the exit door and had to use a step ladder. I suspect Coastal will improve on that procedure. 

MANILA, Philippines -- A new budget airline, Pacific Pearl Airways, announced it would start the only direct flight between South Korea and the Subic Bay Freeport, northwest of Manila, next month. Pacific Pearl will operate and manage chartered flights on domestic and foreign routes, a company official said. "The company has prepared daily flight schedules from South Korea to several destinations in the Philippines, namely, Subic, Manila, Kalibo, Cebu City and Davao City," Pacific Pearl vice president for marketing Eligio Jimenez said. "Flights will commence in August 2007," he said.

The airline will use a new Boeing 737-200 aircraft, which flew into Subic last week from San Bernardino International Airport in California. Along the way, the plane touched down at Salinas in Honolulu, Majaro in the Marshall Islands, and in Guam. The aircraft can carry 114 passengers at a time. Jimenez said Pacific Pearl had an agreement with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority to lease a hangar in the Subic Bay International Airport. He said passengers from Korea bound for Subic would gain savings and lessen travel time because they would not have to stop over in Manila.

LUV EM OR HATE EM

After four years of paperwork, many meetings with PAGCOR and various game machine companies plus a very large monetary investment gaming has finally arrived on Fields Ave to very mixed opinions. You better bet that there are many naysayers who will bitch and moan about the presence of the slot machines in the Clubs and of course the local expats are the ones who will cry the loudest. This is to be expected, especially when first introduced but there are also those who enjoy the game of chance and welcome this new arrival to the entertainment belt. It is too soon to get any sort of feel as to whether this new program will be successful but the PAGCOR folks are optimistic as are the local investors. It will take time to get off the ground but in the long run the revenues collected could go a long way to contributing to the overall improvement of Fields Ave. A certain percentage of funds will be set aside for community projects dedicated towards the upgrade of Fields Ave and the surrounding area. More tourists will flock to Fields Ave as international entertainment is made available along the lines of the lounge shows in Las Vegas. The combination of entertainment, gaming and lovely ladies will be hard to resist. Like in Vegas, those that play the slots in the slot machine room of the Blue Nile will be able to drink for free and also will be offered free snacks. After the first couple of weeks the slots have been adjusted to offer more liberal payouts and soon poker games will be added to the machines. Improvements will be ongoing during the first few months until the newness settles in and customer playing patterns are noted. Completion of the five story Golden Nile has been delayed for three to four months but once that magnificent building has been completed it will offer entertainment, dining and gaming on a level never seen in Angeles City before or for that matter anywhere else in the Philippines. Even then, there will be those "hate it" folks and "love it" folks but this old horse looks forward to the new exciting Fields Ave and am very grateful that the Golden Nile will have a very nice elevator available for my up and down trips. (Since I wrote this, the slots have been adjusted to give a better percentage pay out and an Australian tourist, named "Ron" was the first to win the Progressive Jackpot of P134,000 and also had P40,000 left on his VIP card as well.) 

1ST ANNIVERSARY BRASS KNOB 

There are some celebrations that are more memorable than others and on the night of 11 August one of those special events took place at the Brass Knob. Roy was dressed all in black and had on his best cologne while wife Tess was gorgeous wearing a very smart blouse with a golden necklace around her neck and a smile worthy of a toothpaste ad. Balloons were floating all around the Club, the dancers were showing extra energy, the waitresses were busy serving the many guests and the entertainment was wonderful. There was singing, dancing, cultural show and a demonstration of the Filipino traditional Tinikling. Please do not ask me to describe what I can't pronounce but it is a bit of a dance involving two people slapping two bamboo poles together in a rhythm and two dancers that put their feet in and out between the poles while trying not to get their feet smashed between them. Is that clear? So, after one year booze, food, and song provided a very memorable evening for one and all who attended the Brass Knob one year anniversary. One of the best shows in town on one Saturday night in August. 

EARLY EROSION

The rains came in full force and once again the the mess from the Freeport zone (Clark) seeped onto the Perimeter Road causing flooding, mud to seep through the fence and the flowing water brown with the dirt. The pictures above give you an idea of the mess but it also shows a bit of erosion along the new Subic - Clark Toll Road that runs along the base connecting to the Tarlac part of the project. I am definitely no engineer and am pretty ignorant of how a construction project should go but somehow, I kind of lose confidence when I see this degree of erosion along a section that is newly paved and is shored up with dirt banks. It is sights like this that undermine the confidence level held for Filipino construction projects, even if the contractors are Japanese. No doubt I am worrying too much because I am sure someone will tell me that this was planned for and it is normal. Not to worry, the rains will stop and all will be well, except that there are still two months to go for the rainy season and then November can bring on some typhoons. Bottom line, plenty of time for a lot more shitty water and mud to be deposited along Perimeter Road by courtesy of the Freeport zone. 

I WOULD IF I COULD

Yes, yes, yes!!! Man, three delicious ladies, I just had to put all three in this month. Two are from Fire and Ice Club and man, they are fantastic. Of course I could only look and imagine what I would do if I was in my 20's and still single. To the far left is Gretchen, hailing from Manila. She is 22 years old, has not finished high school but still wants to pursue studies as a nurse. So, whoever latches onto this gal will have to get her through high school and then come up with the big bucks for nursing school. This could be a good investment for young and old. Young, you have a nurse that could get a good job abroad and for you old guys that are already drooling over her picture, she could nurse you when you really get old and feeble and waits for you to kick the bucket and collect from your will. But, hopefully, she would have been with you for enough years to help you pass on with one great, grateful smile. Now, the middle picture is of Madeline, 23 years old hailing from Mindanao, a high school graduate with four sisters and 3 brothers in the family. This lady is not ambitious at all, she told me she only wants to raise a family and stay home to care for her husband. She would like a permanent partner in the 30 to 40 age bracket but in the meantime, for those temporary liaisons she could be flexible. Now for the last picture - gentlemen, I have no idea who she is. I took her picture when attending a special event at the ABC Hotel and everything was so busy that I did not get a chance to do a follow-up interview. She looked fantastic, sexy, cute, and well, I am sure I was not the only one who had lascivious thoughts when looking at her. There were ladies from different clubs at this event so maybe some reader will be able to tell me who she is and where she works. I am sure there will be a few readers of this column that would like to know this coquettish young lady. Additionally, I need a boost to my morale to eliminate my feelings of abject failure for failing to complete my mission in obtaining the necessary information pertaining to this lovely lady. So, go forth old and young men of Angeles City, search the Clubs and fill in this void in my life - WHO IS THIS LADY? 

GUY TO THE RESCUE

On 16 Aug 07 The Sun Star Pampanga had a headline reading "Aussie guest, Central Park Hotel boss nabbed". The reporter, Dante M. Fabian, went on to relate that an Australian guest of the Central Park Hotel, one George Bruce Mitchele, 72, single was detained and charged by the Angeles City Police after police found him allegedly performing and filming sexual acts with under-aged boys in one of the hotel's rooms. The police at Station 4, acting on a tip proceeded to the hotel and together with hotel security personnel entered the room occupied by George and two young looking boys (later established at being 17) engaged in some filming activity that kind of seemed a bit naughty. Anyway, when Guy Breckenridge got wind of what happened, while having a few drinks at a local Club, rushed to Station four to question the procedures used by the police in entering a room at his hotel and detaining a guest. Now, most hotel owners would not take this type of action without forethought but Guy wanted to protect the rights of a guest at his hotel and with good intentions was determined to find out if proper legal procedures were followed by the arresting officers. During the course of Guy's enquiry the officers decided that they did not like Guy's attitude while asking if they had a warrant of arrest and also a legal search warrant to enter his hotel and the room of the suspect. In fact they got so upset with Guy that they detained him and placed him in the cell with Mitchele, the charge, "obstruction of justice". So, a Hotel owner acting with good intentions finds himself in the slammer and having to call for legal assistance. Beautiful wife Roselle was able to respond and brought about a bit of stability to the situation. Guy was finally released many hours later and charges had to be dropped when the City Fiscal found that there was no merit to the charges filed by the Police. Mitchele was also released by the Office of the City Prosecutor after his case was recommended for preliminary hearing on 27 Aug. The very next day old George checked out of the Central Park Hotel and has not been seen since. 
This old horse always get suspicious when the police catch someone in a hotel room engaging in questionable activities based on a report by "a tipster" because it smells of a setup. That does not mean that this is the case in this incident because it appears that George might not have acted wisely. It is alleged that three boys were involved in this incident. Allegedly, one boy had been with George the day before and on this night wanted George to take two of his friends along with him to the room. The story is that George said no, only two could go and not the one he had already been with. The possibility could be that the rejected boy went to Station 4 and popped the lips on George thereby leading to this shit pot full of trouble for George and ultimately dragging Guy into the mess. 

For those planning on staying at the Central Park Hotel or even the Pacific Breeze you can be assured that Guy can be depended on to stand up for your rights if you find yourself in a bit of a problem, but he may decide not to do so personally until he has met with legal counsel first. Also, for any tourists planning to come to Angeles City to start an amateur film career, please make sure the actors or actresses are of legal age and also, try not to piss one of them off. Remember, the lads at Station 4 are trying to raise money for the City! 

WET AND WILD BOXING

What can I say except that Gerard Sr and Gerard Jr, head honchos of the ABC Hotel along with dynamic manager Noel came up with one hell of a dynamic promotional gimmick that drew a very large crowd to witness a very unusual boxing extravaganza. It seems like so long ago, July 29th to be exact but the event missed my Aug column and I had to wait until now to throw in some pictures of the action. Gentlemen, it was one hell of a fun evening and the cost was only P200 to add a wonderfully delicious buffet by the Batiz Azul folks. The two main attractions was the three round boxing event between "Big John" and another aged expat combatant. OK, I lost my notes again, but not my fault completely. I left my notebook in my pants pocket and the pants were dumped in the water to be washed. I got upset, threw the notebook in the trash because my notes were messed up but I did not take the time to dry out the pages and try to rescue a few words. Anyway, the boxing match John was in was a bit one sided but his opponent did manage to land a kick to John's leg that had him moaning a bit after the conclusion which had his opponent dumped in the pool. It went two rounds with john winning by a majority when his opponent refused to come out for the third round. It was a lot more interesting to see the two ladies go at each other and their assets were quite revealing as they attempted to pound each other with enormously oversized boxing gloves. Anyway, it was a fun night featuring very funny boxing, bikini fights, drinking games and plenty of good looking ladies in attendance. I am adding a bunch of pictures to give you a feel for the action and hope that the ABC folks will hold a similar event again in the near future. 

OK, hope the pictures were able to give you an idea of the fun atmosphere that existed at this event. The entire evening was continuous action filled with laughs and some sights that made it to my private file. No one was bored, the women, food, booze, boxing and even some audience members made for one hell of a night of entertainment.

THE REAL STUFF!

Chef Chris at the "C" Italian Restaurant was proud to announce last month that he now offers authentic wood fire oven baked pizza just like they make them in Italy. He offers classic's like marinara, a simple combination of tomato garlic and oregano or margherita, the all time favorite with tomato basil and buffalo mozzarella. You can also sample the pizza salciccia with home made Italian sausage or pizza fruiti di mare with clams, prawns, salmon and arugula. All ingredients from the flour, the mozzarell to the virgin oil and tomato have been imported from Italy. All pizzas are hand tossed and range from P350 to P550. You can enjoy the pleasure of dining in or order for take-out but absolutely no delivery service. Now, I stopped in for a picture just at the right time when Chris could offer me and John "Beeline" a couple of sample pizzas. I must admit the crust was perfect and the taste was absolutely fantastic. OK already, I still like a true New York Pizza but this one had a unique flavor, I could have eaten another one. I really hate to admit this but it was damn good and the cooking time only took a few minutes. The oven is tucked away in a separate room but you really need the treat of watching it being baked. Get someone other than Chef Chris to demonstrate as he still needs a bit more practice in the technique of using the long paddle to retrieve the pizza. Believe it or not, Mark Smith is an expert and has to teach the Chef and his staff. I am so happy to see this new addition to "C" because I was getting very tired of the Panizza and believe me, this new Pizza is something I will never get tired of. I liked it so much I will treat Priscilla the Horse to a night out to sample this marvelous treat. You know, now that I am thinking about it, I might even treat Mrs. Horse to lunch today. Update: I did end up taking Mrs. Horse to lunch and she did enjoy the pizza but having never been to New York, she could not make a comparison. I had to go for lunch because I screwed up and deleted, by accident, the three pictures I had taken a few days earlier. On this occasion the Mrs and I were able to watch Chris at work, with Mark alongside making sure everything went well. The very young baby pictured above is Paolo, the future Chef who will follow in his Dad's footsteps. I hope his Dad will save this part of the article so he can show his son, many years from now, that ole Harry the Horse knew that he would be famous and received a bit of publicity at an early age. The attractive lady to the right is one of the hard working cooks at the restaurant and she is a beauty. Chris calls her "Miss Panizza" and I just call her desirable! She is tall and attractive and I am sure she is rapidly learning all of the Chef's secret recipes so will make a good wife for someone. 

TOURIST OF THE MONTH

By the 24th of Aug I suddenly realized I did not have my Tourist of the Month yet and figured I was going to have to search the Clubs on Fields Ave for a candidate. Imagine my surprise when I started to get in my car around 1030 hours and saw and individual eating his breakfast at my stable and after a few words discovered he was, indeed, a true tourist. In fact, Manfred Christall was the first Austrian Tourist that I have seen in my off-track establishment. He is from Salzburg, Austria and visits Angeles City three times a year and stays at the Kokomo's rooms and, of course, indicated that the Voodoo was his favorite bar. That was a coincidence since I had already written about Voodoo and taken some pictures of the ladies for this month's column. Manfred is single and runs a few self service laundry shops with internet access and always looks forward to his two or three week holidays in the land of many women. I was very to see that he enjoyed the breakfast at my joint and had no complaints at all. I wondered what he was doing so far away from Fields Ave and he indicated that he had his scooter and wanted to explore locations away from Fields. I sure was glad that he did and that he might return for another visit some day. 

U & I MASSAGE

Lani would like to invite you to the U & I Massage just off the corner of MacArthur Ave and 1st Street, pass the gas station. I have to be quite honest about this place, it is not first class both in and out. In fact it is rather run down and it definitely cannot be called a "Spa". Nope, it is just a place for guys to go to for a decent massage with a bit of "sensation" thrown in. I have known about this place for years as the Filipina owner is a friend of mine and I used to play darts with a male friend of hers. Over the years, guess I should say many years, the female staff has come and gone and a few had stayed for years before moving on. I remember a 19 year old "Racquel" who was 22 when some old geezer took her out of the place and disappointed many customers, the darn guy went and married her. There was Marisa who stayed a very long time but I still run into her once in a while at the Mall of shopping somewhere. She got a bit too old for the business. Now, there is Lani! Sure, there are a few other ladies working there but Lani is the one with the bright smile that is always bubbly and friendly and she has that "magic touch". There is a very well known personality at Kokomo's that relaxes at this establishment at least once or twice a month and Lani is his favorite for massage service. She knows how to get the body relaxed after a day of stress. It is not expensive, about the norm for a massage parlor but the owner most definitely does not put much money back into the rooms. The place could use a good painting, the showers could be upgraded, etc., but what the hell, they have Lani so the hell with the interior design. Most folks will never get to that part of town and most will give it a pass because "it ain't class" and maybe not as clean as you would like, but, (smile), under the right circumstances it can be so "sensational". 

CHICKEN IN ASAL

This is the newest eatery to open at the SM Clark Mall. It is a well known family owned business that originated in Bacolod, in fact they are known for the unique Bacolod Chicken flavor. Inasal means in Ilonggo, Bar-B-Q. The restaurant was Dad's (Jun) idea and it started out 14 years ago and now they have 14 outlets. Mom (Baby) can't decide if she is more proud of the restaurants, her children or her grandchild but I think the little one might have an edge. The three children are terrific and a joy to talk to. Together, they worked hard, learned on thejob and built one hell of asuccessful business. You have brother, J.M who is in charge of operations, Bing, food production and Rose, marketing. Bing is still single and very available but I suspect she is too busy for courtship, but you never know. The restaurant is located just outside the first floor food court so take your lady there for a nice, inexpensive meal, she'll love you for it.

TWO BEAUTIFUL HOUSES FOR SALE

OK already, I AM NOT in the Real Estate business. I do not even know the owners of these houses but I did get to go through the one pictured on the right. I just happened to be looking for a friends in the far end of the Villa Sol Subdivision and happened to see these two houses listed for sale. The were directly across from each other. They are both listed at P8.5 million each with the one on the left owned by a locator on Clark Field. The telephone contact number was posted as 09063229653. The one on the right had a bit of a sad story connected with it. The wife or I should say, widow of an American, Mr. Glenn Jacobson, came out and offered to take me on a tour of the house. This was her husband's dream house but regretfully, he only got to live in it for one year when he suffered a heart attack and passed away. She is selling the house simply because it is far too big for her and the son. She wants to sell and buy a smaller place. The telephone number is 09185561169. Quite often I get queries about houses for sale so I figured I would feature these two as I was impressed with them. The prices, of course, are negotiable. 

Here we have the New York Condo's, 12 Town Houses that are being built on New York Street, Villa Sol Subdv. I am plugging this place because Roy, who is one of the owners, and also owns the Brass Knob, asked me if I could give it a look see. I will not be getting any money for these words and no commission but I might be able to hit him up for a few drinks and maybe one lunch. I checked out the location and the site and went through the one completed unit. The location is convenient and I was pleased to learn that a swimming pool was included in the plans. When the construction is finished and folks start to move in I think they might be pleased with their investment. Each town house is 120 sqm with a clear title and the price is $95,000 each. Lets see, at today's rate that is P4,437,450 so if you add another four million you could own one of the houses above so it all depends on what you what you want and how much you want to spend. A town house is great for those folks that are single, want to travel in and out of the country and do not want to mess around with maintenance costs. With the way the town is growing and real estate prices keep rising it might be a good investment. Anyway, call 63-45-892-5475 to get further information and maybe chat it up with Roy. 

WHAT'S NEW AT YATS WINE CLUB

My goodness, I can't keep up with what is new at the Yats Wine Club. A conversation with Chef Philip Golding is like listening to a machine gun going off. He talks fast, non-stop and ideas, projects, flow like a burst dam to a point where I have to drop my pen and yell, STOP! I just can't keep up. His newest creation is the 20 seat Burgandy Room, a small intimate dining area that used to be used as a conference room. It is ideal for private dining, business groups and private parties. It really is a very nice comfortable room, ideal for small gatherings and just dining alone with your favorite gal. Before I could get my thoughts straight on this new room Philip had me out of the Club and walking across the street to where they are just beginning to construct what will be the "London Pub". The vision here is to have a down to earth Pub where it attracts a melting pot of customers who want to relax over cold beer, chit-chat, enjoy a game of darts, maybe pool, and enjoy some Pub grub at a reasonable price. It is not fully owned by Yats as there are a few local expat owner's as well. There will be slabs of meat cut up and placed on the grill and bit of a taste of lamb on a Sunday morning. This will open some time in November. Now, back to the Burgundy Room (I am writing this the way I had to listen as Philip skips from subject to subject and then back again). They offer prefixed menus ranging from P350 to P1000 with the theme of "discovery" in that you can discover gourmet flavors at a reasonable price. A sample offering at P380 is a soup, main course (choice of baked chicken breast fillet or cream Dory fillet) and a cream chocolate cake for dessert. For P980 you get a soup, salad, sorbert, Australian Sirloin Steak, and dessert.

Then Philip took a short breath and told me about the Yats gourmet coffee served as nespresso for P120. He explained that they have 12 different types of coffee brought in from Hong Kong, packed in individual packets that are put in the expresso machine, add hot water and then pressed through, all automatically. Would you believe they even have the cook come out in suit and tie to talk with the customer and explain about the meals offered. Shucks, I was tuckered out with writing notes, listening, walking, and trying to remember which subject we were on. This man is a dynamo of energy and after a few hours with him I went home and took a nap. Naturally I dreamed of Philip still talking and telling me about something called Black Berkshire Pork that is on the menu. In the dream he was telling me that it is a kurobuta-class pork from Snake River Farms in Boise, Idaho and then he got mad at me for not knowing what it was, tied me up and was forcing this pork down my throat while washing it down with a cheap wine (I guess in dreams Yats does not waste the good stuff). I woke up gagging, but and asked the wife to make me a gourmet hamburger with a vintage coke, so much for class, my home boys in New York would be proud of me. 

IN APPRECIATION

Garth, an esteemed member of the American Steel Motorcycle Club, Philippine Chapter, sent me a very long letter of appreciation to the many members of the Angeles City Community that reached out a helping hand to assist a fellow member, Slick (Mark Domning) who suffered a very serious motorcycle accident two years ago. Over the two years since the accident time and money was donated by many people and businesses in the entertainment area. He is still in bad shape but recovered enough to try and get back to the States to take his medical situation to the Social Security System in the States and seek legal action. The problem, of course, was lack of funds to pay for the necessary expenses to make the trip but the extended "AC family" came through once again as the American Steel lads organized a Poker Run and enough money was raised to be able to send Mark on his way to the U.S. to stay. Garth wrote that the businesses that supported us seem endless and yet the individuals who gave when they could not afford to is truly endless. Garth wrote much more and included a long list of establishments that donated but it was just too long for me to retype and put here. I sincerely apologize Garth but hopefully each of those 39 on your list will know who they are and appreciate your words of appreciation, I know I did. As I have said before, we are a mixed community of rascals but we reach out to take care of our "family" when the need is there. We all wish Mark all the best in all his endeavors. The letter from Garth will be posted on the Blue Inn Bulletin board for one month.

Yep, I'm out of here. My computer expert Chuck is still out of town taking care of his Mrs who is quite sick and had to be hospitalized in the States. Helen, Mrs Horse and I hope you will recover and make your way back to the Philippines so we can celebrate your recovery together. It's been one of those hard news months, first Helen Guinn and then my wife's sister has been diagnosed with breast cancer and both breasts may have to be removed. She is a fine lady and of course the whole family is worried about her. Some year they may discover a cure for all these cancer bugs but I guess I won't be around to see it. It is one hell of an evil disease, striking with no notice and making friends and relatives feel helpless. But, a new family member was added as my wife's nephew and his wife brought in a baby girl to be added to the annual family picture on Christmas Eve. They try to call me Grandpa or Lolo but I say no way. Just have the rugrat call me "Grumps" and that will fit the bill. I have to get this column out a couple of days earlier than normal since Chuck is not around and I am calling on another expert to help me out. I sit here on a Sunday afternoon watching the sky darken and no doubt will see some rain around six PM. The rain is welcome and the cool weather is so pleasant. Time for a nap, but remember folks, be kind to horses!