Select Month January February March April May June July August September October November December   Select Year 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000
Your Ad Here

"Hi Folks, my name is Abby and I would like to welcome you to this month's Harry the Horse Halloween column. I met him at the Vortex Club and took pity on him. His eyes were bulging out and he was drooling at the mouth. I do not know why he wanted my picture but just to get him off my chest I agreed to pose. I hope to see and greet the readers of Harry's column this month at the Vortex, meanwhile, herrrrrrrres Harry!" -

Alright already, I was not drooling! Well the fun month is here as we have Halloween and Oktoberfest time. Me thinks it will be a great month to visit Angeles City and the entertainment zone. I have noted that there are many comments floating around that things are getting more expensive here and that is true, just like they are world wide. But, it ain't all that bad when you consider what you get for your buck, franc, Australian dollar, whatever? Mate, you get pleasure, year round swimming, beautiful women, good food, nice hotels, beautiful women, access to the beach at Subic only an hour away, flights to Boracay, Cebu, Puerto Galera, beautiful women, access to Manila, access to the Freeport, beautiful women, Casinos, poker night at the Wild Orchid, join in at the Dog House on Saturday nights, check out the beauty contest at the ABC Hotel, and beautiful women. By the way many of those beautiful women don't care what age you are but if you are 80 or above you can go after a few of the ugly ones that are not too fussy.

I may be taking a short trip to Las Vegas, Nevada in November to join my son and others for Thanksgiving, something I have never done since retiring here in the Philippines. It is a short trip, only 9 days and I am sure it will hurt me physically but I have a close friend there who is ill and a gathering of family at Thanksgiving may perk her up a bit.

THANKS FOR THOSE MESSAGES - Tony Whelan and congrats on your 26th year in the Hotel business; Allen Ross, Denver Colorado; Steve German, Retired US Army living in ChangiRai, Thailand. Steve it is not only safe for older guys to visit AC but it can be one hell of a pleasure. Just use due care while here and you will be alright.
Noel Broscoe, Clive Knight, and Les Harris (MGLB), Williamstown boys - sorry I missed you on your visit to my stable, I was in Subic with my dart team. Keith Smith from Port Hedland, West Australia.

TIDBITS

For those of us that are waiting for the North Rail project to be completed we will have to wait until some time in 2010. For those who do not know what this project is it is to be the railway system stretching from Manila to Clark and I believe a little bit further than that. I wish I had taken so pictures of the train station that existed at the Checkpoint area when I first arrived here in 1977. It was not a very comfortable train to travel in so I hope that if ever this project actually becomes operational that the passenger cars have been improved.

Believe it or not, there is work being done on the two interchanges at Clark that will allow exit and entry to the SCTEX within Clark. One is the Panday Pira interchange that will be located in Dolores, Mabalacat and the other is the South Clark Interchange that will allow entry to Clark in the Yokohama Tire area of Clark. The word I have received is that it will be completed early next year. Now, "early next year" can be subject to interpretation but knowing how construction projects are never completed on time in the Philippines I guess that "maybe" June 09 could be a reasonable time of completion????

Bit by bit, year by year we begin to see the development of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA), regretfully, not by International flights from the US, Europe and other locations but more activity from within Asia. The other flights will come about but I believe they are 7 to 10 years away. Meanwhile, last August President Arroyo participated in groundbreaking ceremonies to set up a world-class 167 hectare Global Gateway Logistics City within the Clark Freeport. The construction of the project will take 24 months and the construction of the facilities and buildings within the timeframe of seven years. Along with all this great planning the Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) has started plans for the development of the Terminal 2 project for DMIA which aims to increase passenger capacity to 7 to 8 million annually. An In-flight Catering facility has already been set up inside the aviation complex that produces 1,500 meals per day for air carriers operating at the airport. All of this activity could be the reason that there are so many condo's, hotels and apartments being erected on every piece of available vacant land in Angeles and the surrounding communities. Initially, there may be a sense of overbuilding and a lot of speculation but if these government agencies can finally get their act together and complete these planned projects without too much corruption involved the next 10 years could be very exciting indeed.

Many people have been receiving Email messages from a site named www.centralluzoncorruption.com that uses the author name of Ray Cline. This site puts out details on alleged corruption by organizations and individuals in Angeles City. It goes into details and prints names of individuals who they suspect of corruption. Last month Sun-Star reporter Reynaldo G. Navales reported that "three separate cases of libel have been filed against an American who allegedly effected the publication centralluzoncorruption.com/SetupsAngelesCityStyle.htm website of articles about alleged corruption of public and police officials in this city and in Central Luzon. Police identified the accused foreigner as Maribel Langley Van Keulen of Apartment B, 34 Cavite Street, Mountain View Subdivision in Barangay Balibago here." The reporter went on to identify businessman Jonathan Ponce and Elpidio Lim and Chief Inspector Luisito Tan, deputy chief of police Station 4 as the individuals who filed the complaint sheets before the Office of the City Prosecutor. Charges were also brought against one Linh Wang, the alleged owner and publisher of the website. Langley is well known in Angeles City as she has played on a number of pool teams and is a frequent visitor of many of the Clubs in town. When contacted by cell phone regarding the complaints against her Langley responded "I have no idea what Tan is talking about. I have nothing to do with the website. I am suing Tan and them for unfounded false allegations and smearing my name. I am not so stupid as to get involved with such a site. I am not even computer savvy or literate." It was obvious that Langley was quite upset by what she considers ridiculously false allegations that has put her in a bad light and is willing to fight to clear her name. I will try to follow this case and bring you the end results when and if that ever comes about.

Military honors and internment for William C. Hulsey were held at the Dry Creek Veterans Cemetery in Boise, Idaho on September 17th at 1 pm. May he rest in peace.

Tony Biggs has left the country! I am not a happy camper since I think the "big guy" was one hell of a great manager at the Fontana Resort on Clark. I always enjoyed every meeting I had with him, he was knowledgeable, entertaining, a straight talker and just an all around good guy. He left for Malaysia on 12 Sep and told me that after five years at Fontana it was time to move on to other challenges. His replacement at Fontana has not been announced yet but whoever he or she might be, they will have some big shoes (literally) to fill. Good luck Tony, please keep in touch with this old Horse and come back for a visit once in a while.

Sep 12th was the day that this Horse met with Richard Agnew and Rey Lacquian (Dir of the Tourist Police) and made the decision to close down the Tourist Police office, effective 30 Sep. There are some folks in town that will say "good riddance" but they are the ones that are ignorant of how effective this volunteer force was. They have no idea of how many tourists, Expats and locals they assisted in the four years of their existence. If you want an idea, then walk down Fields Ave now at night and see the difference. See how many times you are approached by the beggars, the underage kids, the billy boys. The card hustlers are back in force, the rolling vendors are not rolling any more, instead they are parked on the street. The rugby boys sniff their glue with no fear and the one way traffic system is too often overlooked and vehicles ignore the speed limit. If you are picked up by the police with their various schemes there is no assistance from the Tourist Police or ACTA personnel who used to be called to assist. I was called out of bed many times in the middle of the night to assist a Tourist or Expat who found himself at Station Four. The Tourist Police and ACTA officers had the full support of the Mayor then but this is no longer the case. The scenario now is money, money, money, blatant greed with no regard to Tourism at all. Many Clubs withdrew their support from ACTA choosing instead to pay directly to police and City representatives for "protection". Protection from what? Take a look at the Paradise Club with the "Closed" notices pasted all over the entrance and you can judge for yourself. Talk to Paradise Club floor supervisor Annabelle and hear of her detention in Station four for weeks until she had to be hospitalized and judge for yourself. Talk to some of the Club owners that have transferred to Olongapo or have extended their operations there and learn of the super treatment they receive from the Mayor's office, City Officials and the Police. It is like day and night compared to Angeles City. Business establishments there are forming an organization similar to ACTA but they have the blessing and the cooperation of the Mayor himself. Those business owners recognize the value of speaking with one unified voice through an organization unlike the owners here who are fearful of the present City Administration and certain Law Enforcement agencies. It is sad to see an organization like ACTA slowly die because the present Mayor does not like it because it was formed under the leadership of the past Mayor. Regardless of the fact that ACTA was dedicated to support ANY Mayor in office and to work hand in hand with that Mayor to improve Tourism, security and infrastructure. Maybe someday the current Mayor will recognize the value of an organization like ACTA and quit listening to some of the "get rich" predators that surround him but maybe by then it will be too late for ACTA and those many investors who are already turning away from Angeles City.

Remember my story about Dr. Stephen Soul, a recent victim of an obvious Law Enforcement set-up? Well, the Doc is still putting himself out in the mine field of danger as he continues to fight a legal battle to prove his innocence. The Doc remains out on bail and is keeping a very low profile. One scheduled hearing was held last month that was attended by the Doc's lawyer, the press and a local TV station reporter but Steve chose to be absent. A second hearing is scheduled for 13 Nov and following are a few words from Stephen Soul sent to me via Email: "Harry, I am going to need help on 13 November to stay alive. I need to have as much support and people at the court on the day to show the police that the expats have had enough of this corruption and will now make a stand. I am the victim of course but they are the beneficiaries of my stand if we can show them that they may be exposed to and by the media. Can you think about this and put something in your November newsletter please."

There you are folks, I am sure that Steve must have some friends in town and maybe some other victims that have found themselves in same money scam that Stephen encountered. He is the first Expat I have encountered that is willing to step up to the plate to fight local police corruption and he deserves a bit of support. You better believe that his stand has become quite expensive and there is a degree of personal danger for him as I am sure that the local police are not keen on the spotlight shining on their money making activities. By the way, finally, the shameful way that tourists and Expats are being victimized in Angeles City is catching the attention of the higher echelons of the Police hierarchy and the political establishment.

Hey folks, is this one of those "only in the Philippines" stories: (reported by Vicente Labro, Philippine Daily Inquirer, first posted 05:33:00 09/19/2008)

The following announcement from the Region III Dept of Tourism office is for your information:

For those folks that know Terry Gillam, who used to own "Happy Days" Club on Perimeter Road, and wonder where the hell he is now this is the latest word I have on his location. Finally, after many years of dreaming and talking about it Terry now "swims with the Fishes". Nah, the New York Mafia has not caught up with him and he ain't exactly swimming. Instead, he is in Dagupan, living in the middle of a bunch of fish ponds raising fish fingerlings and he is as happy as a pig in slop. His Mrs, Josephine, remains in AC while managing their little Karaoke business along Perimeter Road. Only Terry could be content with such a boring existence but the way things are going in Angeles City these days, he might suddenly find more expats as neighbors. Then it would get crowded, more noisy and Terry would have to search, once more, for that isolated, quiet place to "swim with the fishes". Good on you Terry, stop by my stable on your next trip to visit the Mrs.

A message for Roger Torgeson - A US worker somewhere in Korea. Cris from Thi-Hi wants to thank you for all the good things you gave to her before and she will never forget you. Ah Roger, that message was told to me with such sincerity that I nearly shed a tear while listening to Cris' story. Isn't it nice to be remembered!

Annabelle - a very sad story. Yes folks, it is a sad story of a Mamasan that has suffered incarceration in Station 4 and also a very prolonged stay in the Divine Shepherd Hospital under guard 24 hours a day. All that are intimate with the details of Annabelle's plight are convinced of her innocence and the suffering she has encountered since she was arrested after the Paradise Club was raided and closed down. I had the opportunity to interview Annabelle while she was staying in the hospital and, regretfully, some of the information from the interview cannot be published here because they detail a trail of corruption that this horse is not brave enough to put in print, at least, not at this time. The owner of the Paradise Club, Derek Hewitt, is doing all he can to gain Annabelle's freedom and believe me, this entails a big expense for legal fees and of course, those well known "unofficial expenses". Most of the ladies that worked with Annabelle in the Paradise Club have not returned to work or have moved on to other Clubs as they are afraid to work in certain establishments on Fields Ave. All of this revolves around the "rescue" of an alleged underage girl who had two birth certificates but DID have a properly approved license to work. This license was approved after an interview with a City Hall official authorized to interview ladies prior to approving their license applications. This official approved the application and afterwards was with the raiding team that went in the Paradise Club specifically asking for this young girl by name. The raiding team was from the City Hall Vice Squad. The initial charge against Annabelle was '"child abuse" and later changed to "trafficking" and for weeks, she, along with supervisor Andrew (Filipino) were kept at Station four, until Annabelle was hospitalized. OK, that gives you an overview of Annabelle's plight and how helpless she feels but her employers and fellow workers are very supportive and this gives her the strength to go on. What Annabelle, and I am sure even Andrew, have observed during their many weeks sitting in Station four is what I cannot go into detail on. One thing I can say is that they have many, many assets that are out on the streets of Fields Ave and surrounding areas that might be all too willing to go after foreigners. Now, most police stations build up assets or "snitches" that can help solve crimes and are a valuable resource and there is nothing wrong with that. But, if certain assets are being used just to entrap foreigners then that is not good. Observe that I wrote "IF" so I am not pointing any fingers or making any accusations but it would be very wise for any foreigner to be very vigilant when enjoying the hospitality of Fields Ave and beyond. Right now, under the present City Administration it appears that there is a certain laxity in ensuring the safety of tourists and foreigners and the order that used to be present on Fields Ave at night is no longer evident. I already mentioned the conditions on Fields Ave and here are a few pictures that were taken late at night: The very young child was begging for money from me. The other two boys should have been off the streets and not in the entertainment zone at this time of night. No one seems to care!

The question is "what is to be done"? Hell, I don't know and why should I care? For 5 long years members of ACTA worked hard to improve safety and security in the entertainment zone. The Tourist Police were formed and crime was reduced to a point where three different City Directors acknowledged the work of the Tourist Police and even the Mayor of Olongapo visited and indicated he wanted to form a mirror organization in that City. The Tourist Police are no more! Such is life, what can you do when the City Administration gives no support and the local police would rather not have any organization looking over their shoulders. What can you do when so many Club owners would rather pay directly to some nefarious individuals in the hopes of buying protection rather than be part of an organization that can represent them with one unified voice. I don't know, maybe that is a better way to go, it worked for a long time in the US under gangsters like Al Capone until the demands and violence became too notorious to overlook. Regretfully, we do not have a leadership like that which exists in Olongapo, a City Hall that values the tourism trade and works with Club owners and businessmen instead of looking at them as a source for personal enrichment. Lately, I have run into more and more foreigners that tell me they are reluctant to walk the streets of the entertainment zone and this is sad to hear. More and more hotels are being built, more restaurants, more shops, when will these owners finally wake up and decide to bring attention to what is happening to this most unique and wonderful town? I think most owners would like to take the Ostrich approach and bury their heads in the sand. Good luck to them.

There is one person that is very aware of the corruption taking place and wants to do something about it and that is Balibago Barangay Captain Tony Mamac. With his help maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel but don't hold your breath.

On 29 Sep I received a message from Annabelle's boyfriend who was able to be here with her for a short visit - it reads as follows:

Gerard is on the move again. This man has to be one of the most exciting investors in Angeles City, he never runs out of ideas and so far he has experienced huge success. This time around he is well on his way with plans to expand the ABC Hotel by adding 34 Suite Rooms and extending the pool area. He is doing this by taking over the site now occupied by Dindo's, a local SMB distributor. How did he get Dindo to move? Easy, he owns a property just up the street from Dindo that and is in the process of building a new building for Dindo to occupy that will be bigger and better than the one he now occupies. It is a great deal for the Dindo family and one that is a winning plan for Gerard. You better believe that the new Suite Rooms will be first class and will no doubt be reserved way before they are even completed.

NBI Clark officers strike again - Based on "a complaint" a Clark NBI team raided the Cherry Club on Perimeter road around 5 PM, 22 Sep. They carted off two jeepney loads of female workers and one Expat was escorted to the Clark office. After many hours the Expat paid P400,000 for the privilege of his visit. Oh yes, during the raid all the cash from the cashiers cage was removed by members of the raiding team, around P50,000, which included the commissions and was never returned. The lesson here is that when any establishment is raided by any law enforcement agency for whatever reason and they tell everyone to vacate the Club make sure that the cashier takes all cash with her or has a good hiding place for it. Is it any wonder that the owner of the Cherry's Club is now considering selling out as the price of doing business in the entertainment area is becoming a bit too expensive to deal with.

As an example of how more expensive it is becoming to have a Club in the entertainment zone, recently, a couple of local City Hall officials created a list of 88 establishments and the monthly payments they wanted each club to pay (It has been nicknamed "The extortion list"). All the fees were different, supposedly based on number of employees, or some other vague tabulation. The payment was to be made to some "collector" each month, and of course, no receipt issued. The highest figure I see on this list is P195,000 a month for the Doll House down to P7,500 a month for smaller clubs. In between those two numbers are a variety of other numbers. I have even heard that there are some payments being made from the smear fees again. One Club owner told me that he was told if he did not pay some requested monthly payments that they would place some vice squad people in front of his Club and question any customer leaving the premises accompanied by a female employee. The question is, can any Mayor be blind to such things going on around him? Many wonder what is going on. It seems that no City official cares about Tourism here or maybe they just want to wipe out the Tourism that exists now and change it into a Korean enclave. Do they want to force out the Australian, American, German and other investors? Are they just interested in filling their pockets before the next elections? Something is very, very rotten and there seems to be no clean up crew available, only garbage collectors!

On top of all the negative experiences many are experiencing in Angeles City lately one horrific bit of news reached me on the night of 24 Sep. It was reported that one Ivan Brown, Australian resident and a resident of Timog Park was driving home along the Friendship Highway, Barangay Anunas, when he was attacked by unidentified gunmen as he was passing near the Seramonte Lodge. He was shot six times and killed. Brown was the President of the Outback Company located on Clark. You know, I wonder how much of a police investigation will take place? Usually, when a foreigner is involved the police are less than energetic in trying to solve a crime unless there is someone that comes forth to pay the expenses. The news media will report the crime initially but then do not expect any follow-up articles. In a murder case like this, especially in the Philippines, the wife is looked at as a possible suspect or maybe even a jealous husband/boyfriend and finally they look for business problems. The method used to kill Ivan is all too common here in the Philippines. The use of a motorcycle with two men on board drives next to the vehicle and shots are fired at the victim. The police at this time are looking at work related motives. One bright side of this incident is that it does not appear to be a random shooting aimed at killing foreigners so there is no need to worry about the general safety of foreigners. It will be interesting to see how this investigation goes and if they ever find out who was responsible and why.

For many years now Tick of DMZ fame has been trying to sell his Club. He was asking $500,000 for this freehold property that occupies a very prime location on Fields Ave. On far too many occasions Tick would tell me it was sold only to end up telling me a few weeks later that the deal fell through. Suddenly, a couple of days ago (Sep) Tick sent me a message that the sale was a done deal and that he got his price. But, the son-of-a-gun would not tell me who came up with the big bucks. Now, when Tick says he got "his price" he could be talking about a lower figure than the half million, who knows. He did tell me that he did not sell it to Derek of Doll House group or Gerard. So far he is being tight lipped about it so now I have to use my big ears to try and find out. Anyway, good on you Tick, it was a good time for you to get out of Fields Ave and let someone else deal with the heat. I wonder if it could be a certain lad that has one of those CDC stalls at the start of the CDC extension road?

CAN YOU GUESS?

Steve, a reader of this column sent me the pictures featured here. It was the last night of work for a rather rotund, happy manager of a very popular Club on Fields Ave that has changed ownership and name. Can you guess the name of the manager and the name of the Club? No rewards for doing so but I will mention your name or names in my Nov column. I love getting pictures of the "old days" as there are a lot of memories out there. I think that there are a lot of folks that enjoy them as much as I do.

Steve Ellis writes: I note there have been many more responses about the high price of pizzas in this country when compared with say, Australia. Well yes, this is true. At the Pizza Hut where I lived in Oz you could have the lunchtime special ALL YOU CAN EAT (choice of about 6 types of Pizza, plus the salad bar and ice cream, cake, pasta and soup for about 300 pesos...that was a couple of years ago). Last year, I could get large pizzas on special for $4.99 at Eagle Boys, Domino's and other outlets. And they taste REALLY GOOD! Seeing I started all this, it is time for my mea-cupa. I have investigated why pizzas are so expensive here. One of the reasons is quality CHEESE, pepporoni, olives, good leg ham, olive oil and other ingredients are expensive and have to be imported. Ever tried to buy these things here?~Near on IMPOSSIBLE! Good cheese is THREE times the price as in Australia and ditto for the other additives...and that is if you can find them! Even decent flour to make pastry is hard to come by in this country. I was talking to the manager of the Pizza Hut here asking him why his fare was so expensive compared with home and he told me EVERYTHING that goes into making their pizzas has to be imported. Yes...everything! So that is why pizzas are so expensive here. Sorry to cause all this trouble Harry! If you wanna live in The Peens there are just some things we have to do without or pay the earth for them. Good coffee is another sore point...very hard to find. But that is another story!

A friend forwarded me a copy of a letter from the MARS Candy company assuring one and all that their chocolate candy products are safe for consumption and that recent scientific tests affirm this.

Cebu Pacific again - Dig this from a first time visitor to the Philippines: Kevin McGrath, 29 year old TV cameraman from St. Jon's, Newfoundland, Canada arrived in the Philippines for his 1st visit on the 22nd of September hoping to see a lot of the Philippines. Since July he had been trying to make a booking with Cebu-Pacific to go to Cebu from Clark. He could never complete the booking on line with his credit card. They never responded to any of his email inquiries. The fare was quoted at P3200 for the round trip airfare.

When he arrived he called them and was told that he had to go a booking agent at SM Clark to make the booking, at this time they quoted him P4100 for the round trip. He went to the agent and they would not take his credit card also but told him he did not have to worry because he could just go to DMIA and pay for his ticket there on the same day that he wanted to travel. He again called Cebu-Pacific to try to book his flight for the 26th of September and again he was told that he only needed to show up at the airport and pay P4100 for the round trip ticket to Cebu.

So on the 26th he checks out of his hotel room and proceeds to the airport (DMIA) to take his flight to Cebu, surprise surprise now the ticket will cost P3600 one-way. He explained that he had been previously quoted 3200 and 4100 for round-trip and why was it almost double now. After a futile discussion with the Cebu-Pacific clerk he grabbed his bag and proceeded back to the hotel with the firm resolve to never, ever fly with Cebu-Pacific again. He is not disillusioned, just disappointed that he did not get to see more of the Philippines.

Check out this site for some humor. It is kind of clever. http://www.thescambaiter.com/ ScamBaiting - ( Scam Baiting ) involves tricking internet scammers into believing you are a potential victim. The Nigerian scammers being scammed by the Scambaiters.

I would like to thank Bruce Smith, from somewhere in Australia, for the gift of two very nicely packaged hot sauces. They were delivered to me by Doggy Dave who left a note telling me that Bruce is a reader of this column. It was a great thought Bruce and I am more than pleased to add them to my collection which I consider the biggest in the Philippines. I especially liked the Zulu one from Capetown, Africa

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OCTOBER

Who could say there is nothing to do in Angeles City as far as partying is concerned? There is something nearly every day. Look for Monday Madness, Terrific Tuesdays, Wicked Wednesdays, TGIF (fridays) and the Dog House (Saturdays).

• Monday Madness - 6-8 PM, P550, 6 Oct - La Bamba, 13 Oct - Blue Nile Executive, 20 Oct - Stampede, 27 Oct - Rhapsody
  
  
• Terrific Tuesdays - 5-7 PM, P450 - Battle of Bars, for now, always at the Voodoo Club
  
  
• Wicked Wednesdays - 6-8 PM, Free admission, 1 Oct - Nero's Forum, 8 Oct - Bunny Ranch, 15 Oct - Cambodia, 22 Oct - Rhapsody, 29 Oct - Nero's Forum
  
  
• TGIF - Roadhouse, 6-9 PM, free admission, then 9 PM to 1 AM @ the following Clubs - Treasure Island, Lollipop and Angel Witch
  
  
• Dog House - Saturdays, 5-7 PM, P550 - 4 Oct - Cambodia, 11 Oct - Cherry's Club, 18 Oct - Rhapsody, 25 Oct - Blue Nile Exec
  
  
• 4 Oct - Saturday - 7 PM - Maganda Filipina night at the ABC Hotel. Beauty contest with 24 beautiful contestants.
  
  
• 10, 11, 12 Oct - The 13th International Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) Fall Round-Up 2008 Philippines will be held at the Marlim Mansions Hotel, McArthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City. Registration and fellowship will begin at 3 PM with the convention starting at 6 PM. Registration is P2,000 and covers banquet including 3 snacks, coffee.
  
  
• 10 Oct, Friday - Palito's Music & Sports Bar will be celebrating their second year anniversary. They will present famous comedic movie actor Reynaldo Alvarez Hipolito Reyes, better known as Palito and his N'D Gang Quintet. Besides being an actor this 75 year old funny man is an accomplished drummer and will be performing with his band. Doors open at 5 PM, entrance fee is P100, reservations recommended. Call 0926-614-6551.

TAPS

ROGER "BUCK" SCOTT, RETIRED USAF CMSGT- DIED 13 SEPT 2008 HERE IN ANGELES CITY. HIS BODY WAS CREMATED TODAY (14 SEPT 2008). HE SUFFERED A STROKE ABOUT 19 MONTHS AGO, AND WAS PARTLY PARALYZED SINCE THAT TIME. HE LEAVES BEHIND A WONDERFUL WIFE AND A VERY HANDSOME YOUNG SON. MANY THANKS GO OUT TO BOB ZAHER FOR THE MANY HOURS HE HAS DEVOTED TO ASSISTING THE WIFE AND SON IN GETTING THROUGH A VERY TOUGH BUREAUCRATIC MAZE OF LEGAL PROCEDURES.

THE MYSTERY LADY

Many of you might know that I consider the Thi-Hi one one of my favorite watering holes because the manager, Josie, is one of the nicest folks you can hope to meet. Usually she has a big smile to greet customers with and I also have to acknowledge the friendly bar tenders and cashier as well. I enjoy sitting at the bar rather than the tables for this reason. Another big big plus is that there are no dancers, no loud music and the GRO's are good looking. OK, there are a few that are marginal but that is true in every Club you enter in Angeles City and one does not expect more. In the past I have featured a number of ladies from Thi-Hi as my "I would if I could" lady for the month and each one has been pleased with the queries Emails and customers that have shown up to meet them. Well, last month, one of my past ladies talked a very good looking, friendly, fellow worker into posing for me. Regretfully, later, when she realized that she would appear in this column she begged me not to put her picture in for whatever reason. I reluctantly agreed but then I realized she was only concerned about her face being shown so to me, the solution to my disappointment in not being able to use a wonderful picture was simple - Just cut the face out! So, there you go, a body (very nice one) without the face. Your challenge, dear reader, is to visit Thi-Hi and see if you can match the face to the body. The first one to do so will be entitled to a hamburger and local drink at my stable, the Blue Boar Inn. Believe me, she is very attractive!

CHANGING TIMES

Things keep changing in Angeles City, sometimes for the better and sometimes not. Starting from the left the Tourist Assistance Center, after four years is no more. Reluctantly, we had to close down the office before the end of September due to lack of support from many clubs, especially those on Perimeter Road, lack of budget and lack of support from the Mayor's office. There in the center is the declaration that the Korean businessmen consider the Friendship area their domain as they have put posts up on both sides of the street declaring the area as "Korea Town". The last picture is that of what used to be the "Midnight Rodeo" and regretfully, I have not been able to find out what the plans are for this building but I do know that a historical site of country and western music has disappeared from the Fields Ave landscape.

THREE NEW CLUBS

Lets see now, last month the Vortex opened its doors, the old Caddy Shack was transformed into Peanuts and Club 68 was taken over by new owners and will soon be renamed. I met the new owners Harrison and Tezza and they are two imaginative, energetic owners that have put new life into this little bar located on Perimeter Road right in front of my stable. I did not have the time to take pictures inside but I certainly will for my Nov column. I had enough pictures for this month and I have to save a few ideas for later. I like having this bar so close to my Hotel as it means my customers do not have to walk very far to enjoy the company of some friendly ladies and inexpensive drinks.

I did take the time to go in and take pictures of the the Vortex and Peanuts and neither Club disappointed me. You already saw the picture of Abby from the Vortex at the beginning of this column so let me add a few more to give you and idea of what it looks like. I am not going to go into pricing and layout other than to say pricing is normal for Fields Ave, pool table in good location and it will be nice when the pool is finished and you can enter and exit the bar from the pool area.

Now we get to "Peanuts" - I really like what they did to the place. Remember when it was Pecos Petes? Dirty, crowded and a lousy location for the pool table. Then it became Caddy Shack and there was an improvement in cleanliness and friendliness, a nice place to stop in for a chat but the pool table was still in that lousy location. Now, no pool table, a complete makeover and it is amazing what has been done to the place. You have to see it to believe it. It is now one of the better small clubs on Perimeter road and Shane has promised to keep the music at a level that encourages conversation and no headaches. He has installed plenty of exhaust fans to help the non-smokers and the air-conditioning is up to speed. Perimeter clubs just keep getting better and better.

MEET GINA - While I was visiting the Walk-a-Bout Hotel to check out the progress being made on the swimming pool area I found myself engaged in a long interesting conversation with Gina, the owner of Majika Travel and Tours located in the lobby of the Hotel. During the course of our conversation I discovered that she is 42 years old and separated from her husband for a number of years. This is not unusual in the Philippines where husbands decided to go off in search of that youthful experience and one cannot get a divorce, instead, annulments, if one has the money, is the way to go. Anyway, Gina has a boy 16 and a girl 12 that she is supporting on her own as well as running a business. She is hard working, very personable and is a pleasure to talk to. I spent a bit of time at her desk because I was curious to see how long it would take the gentleman in the picture to successfully change an Air Asia reservation and I was impressed with the patience shown by both this frustrated traveler and Gina. After hours of working the phone, waiting, and trying some more I think he finally was able to get what should have been a fairly simple task accomplished. So, I guess what I am trying to pass on is that Gina will go out of her way to help one and all with their travel arrangements, especially those staying at the Walk-a-Bout, and she ain't bad looking either. I think she would make a good dinner companion if you could get her away from the job and the kids for a few hours. Stop by and say hello to Gina, tell her the "Horse" sent you.

GO ARMY - KICK SOME ASS - It was my pleasure to meet TSgt Jeff Larue, an active duty soldier stationed in Iraq. He had written me a few months ago and I promised him a free drink if he got around to my stable. I was able to keep my promise but I do think that Jeff needs a bit of training from some of my hard drinking Australian mates that can go two weeks straight with long sessions in the clubs and very little sleep. Jeff told me that he had hit AC hard and for three straight days ran the clubs on Fields Ave. When he got to me he was ready to regroup and slow down a bit. Since he was already on Perimeter Road I advised him to check out Honey-Ko's, Hang-Out and Thi-Hi before heading on back to Fields Ave. It was a Sunday night and my place was a bit too quiet, well, it is kind of like that every night. Anyway, Jeff is a transportation man and he heads up some of those convoys as they travel all over Iraq, not one of the safest jobs over there. He's been in six years and plans to be a lifer (20 year man) but is planning to have his college degree by the time he gets out and maybe even a Master's degree. You better believe I wish this young man all the luck in the world and hope he stays safe over in Iraq. He is pushing his luck though as this is his third tour of duty over there.

TOURIST OF THE MONTH

It was a pleasure to meet John Sullivan from Sydney Australia last month while the Mrs and I were attending the "City of Angels" newspaper beauty contest held at the Lewis Grand Hotel. My wife was one of the judges and I was there just to "horse" around. At the end of the event John came over and introduced himself to me and claimed to have been reading my column for 10 years. I was flabbergasted to learn that someone would have read my gibberish for 10 years and also was wondering if I really had be writing about this town for that long. I did a bit of research and found that the first appearance of "Harry the Horse" came about in the Jul 98 issue of the Cable City Monthly Cable Guide magazine and the last article to be published in the periodical was April 1999. A few months later the folks who ran the Go2Phil internet site picked up my column and I have been with them ever since. So, if John has been reading my column for 10 years then he must have read it for the first time in the Cable Magazine and not on line. But that does answer the question of how long Harry the Horse has been around. Anyway, as usual, I kind of drift so let me get back to John. He has been here since Apr of 07 but is getting ready to go back to Sydney in November. He has been coming back and forth for years and right now, the Gentlemen's Club is his favorite watering hole. We did not have time to talk too long so I hope that on his next trip we can get the chance to sit down and chat for a while.

SUNDAZE FURNITURE

While attending a pool match at the Cold Drop last month I spotted a new look in chairs. I thought they were rattan but then found out they were made of fiber glass. As luck would have it the owner of IGRI, a fibre glass manufacturer and mould making company, Lance W. Collins was there to explain things to me. It seems that this is the latest thing in chairs to hit Angeles City. This was the first time I had seen them and Lance told me that he has already provided chairs and tables to not only the Cold Drop, but Wee George's Bar, Palm Trees in Subic, the Blue Rock's Floating Dock in Subic and many private individuals. I must admit that you can add the Hotel La Casa to the list as I bought a beautiful octagon shaped table with 8 chairs for my front outside area. These tables and chairs are indestructible and have a life time guarantee. As you can see the Cold Drop lady on the right is quite comfortable in the chairs. Lance has opened a display shop in Hensonville. Just as you pass the Divine Shepherd Hospital and make that right heading towards Hensonville, it is just a bit further up the road on the right. The furniture is great for indoors or outdoors, very light, strong and beautiful to look at. You can order in any color you like and the designs are very flexible as well. It sure beats the hell out of rattan furniture and no bugs to worry about. You can contact Lance at igri_inclark@yahoo.com.au, tel: 45-499-0946 or mobile: 0919212-4207.

MARK SMITH'S LAST HURRAH

Mark Smith had his good-bye get together at the Roadhouse last month prior to his heading out for Las Vegas, Nevada. Mark has settled in, is renting a house and has purchased a car, as expected, he got a good deal. No one can out deal Mark, not even a Las Vegas car salesman. I do believe he will return in a couple of week for a short visit to tie up some loose ends. I will be going to Las Vegas on 21 Nov and return on 30 Nov. A short trip to visit a sick friend who I am very concerned about. For the first time in years I will be able to Thanksgiving with my son. Priscilla the horse will be with me to nurse me through the ideal of such extensive travel. OK, more pictures of attendees at the party, lets, how many can I name. We have Carl and his Mrs (very beautiful), Hank, me, Randy and I think, George Watson behind Mark and I forget the name in blue. Charles and Frank from Garfields, Peter Bellamy, Ray Kelly, Richard Scholey, Joel Dungca and Carl again. Dennis the Menace Mitchell, Pete Kurth, Mo, and the very wonderful Girlie. Sorry if I forgot a couple of names, I was surprised to remember as many as I did.

THE SAVANNAH RESORT HOTEL

The Savannah Hotel, located along Perimeter Road (Don Juico), Malabanas, had their soft opening on 26 Sep and while a bit of construction is still on-going they are open for business. I was able to visit the next day when things were a bit quieter and fortunately I was able to meet the owner, Benedict, who hails from Singapore. You can check out their website - savannahresortangeles.com and by now their Email should be operational so you can make reservations by savannah_manila@yahoo.com. The managers name is Girlie and she hails from Manila. The Hotel offers 7 different room styles ranging from a low of P2,500 to P6,500 for the Presidential Suite. Regretfully, I did not check out the rooms because the elevator was not operational yet and you know how I feel about climbing stairs. In their brochure I see that they offer all amenities but what I would like to check out are the satin bed sheets. They have one humongous generator that takes up one whole special room on the ground floor. This monster can provide complete electrical power to all 61 rooms and the rest of the Hotel. It cost over two million pesos. Since it is around the corner from my stable I know where I will head to when we have another one of those 0700 - 1900 hrs brown-out. We had to go through two Saturdays in a row of no electricity recently. I really liked the lobby and the idea of the open window into the kitchen that allows one to watch food being cooked. Benedict told me that he believes in having a first rate clean kitchen and the way to assure customer confidence is to allow them to see for themselves how clean it is and how efficient and professional the kitchen staff are. The food menu is extensive and I appreciated the light meals section that had offerings from P100 to P150. Generally speaking, for a hotel, the food prices are very reasonable and there is enough variety to satisfy any appetite.

What is the deal with the Grandview Tower Condos?

It appears that construction has slowed down considerably. Up until a few weeks ago the workers were going full blast 24 hours a day. Now, one can see only a hand full of workers and the rumors are beginning to come hot and fast. I was taken by surprise and have not had the time to find out what is going on. I am hopeful that the slow down is only temporary because this was scheduled to be a first class residential project. I will have to trot on over to the main office and see what my big ears can pick up. I am pretty sure that there have been quite a few investors that have already put some deposits down, but then, maybe not enough?

THE DOG HOUSE

Each month you see the schedule for the Dog House, one of the oldest continuing special events taking place on Fields Ave. Over the years it has changed very little except that recently the day was changed to Saturdays, the initiation has been toned down considerably as has the actual entertainment. The shows are not so risqué now because of the need to stay within the standards set down by City Hall and Law Enforcement personnel but it is still a fun event to attend (They have not objected to topless men, at least not yet). After all, the beautiful ladies are still plentiful and they are charming to look at and to talk to and the dinner served during the evening is filling and delicious. We realize that there are many who would like to see a bit more skin displayed but those activities are part of the past so we leave a bit more to the imagination. Can you still have fun? You bet and the pictures here show a few of the very happy attendees at a typical Dog House event.

BARRIO BARETTO DARTS

Somehow my old van is still able to make the trip to Subic every Wednesday and our Angeles (Down Under) team is still hanging in there competitively despite the absence of two of our players Graham and Gary. Fortunately, our mate Kevin stepped in to shore up the team. Our team member Malou had a birthday last month and we want to acknowledge that. Am also including a picture of the members of Kinky's team and the Bring It On Team. It is really great to meet so many new folks and to get to know members of all the teams in the Barrio. I must remark that Kinky's is a very unusual Club located in Subic City and the ladies there are a lot of fun as well as the odd mix that contributes to the name "Kinky's". It is well worth a visit if one wants to drive that extra distance to Subic City. I am wondering who they will bring along when they have to play us at home?

THOSE FAT BOYS WERE HERE AGAIN

Yep, they came like a herd of elephants, nearly caved in the 2nd floor of Sub Delicious during the weigh in and scurried around the football field faster than a lot of lads that weighed much less. The beer was oozing from the pores of one and all but yet they were game to the end and called for more! Eh, more beer of course. That Saturday night they brought joyous life to the streets of Fields Ave and beyond and raised lots of money with the wave of the Fat Boys wand. It was all in fun and for charity with one of the recipients of extra cash being the Bahay Bata Street Children's Center. They are a great bunch of guys and their presence was appreciated by so many, especially those kids that have been rescued from the streets of AC and have a place to live and be educated. Well done lads, see you next year.

KOREANS TAKE OVER FRIENDSHIP

It was a strange sight, to see a large portion of the Friendship Highway closed to traffic as the Koreans, who have designated Friendship Highway as Korea Town, closed the area to traffic for an annual Korean Festival. Actually, it was not all the inconvenient to motorists as there were a number of alternate routes one could take to get to the Friendship bridge. In was much less of a hassle than when MacArthur Ave is closed down each year for a special event that is really irritating to motorists and business owners. It was obvious that this Festival was for Koreans only even though there were a few other Nationalities in attendance but not in any significant numbers. I took the time to watch some form of a Korean wrestling competition but I was the only American sitting there and, of course, none of the Koreans offered any explanation of what was going on. It was fun to watch though as the Blue and Red teams went at each other in the sandy circle placed in the middle of the street. These were regular Korean folks and there did not seem to be any restrictions to age or weight. It was enjoyable to watch but next year I will try to find a Korean willing to go with me to some of their events so I can learn what is going on. The problem is finding a Korean who gives a damn if any non-Korean understands or not. But thank goodness there are still a couple of businesses on Friendship where one and all are welcome, i.e., the Cold Drop, Simple Asia and yes, I have to mention the AC 1 Gym for those fit enough to work out. Oops, I nearly forgot the Petline Animal Clinic where even the Korean dogs talk to all the other dogs, now ain't that nice.

CITY OF ANGELS COVER GIRL CONTEST

City of Angels editor Pascal VanAanholt and the Lewis Grand Hotel worked together to host a search for the November City of Angels cover girl. There were 12 charming contestants that 6 judges were had to work together to find the best of the best. I am proud to say that Mrs. Horse was one of the Judges and she was right on with her picks. She not only selected the top four but also chose correctly, the toppick. She was a local young lady named Icee. Cosa, #7 came in second and third place went to #8, Rose from Manila (Rose was one of my favorites). The ladies ranged in age from 19 to 22 and there were a few that were quite easy to eliminate. The first place winner was awarded P5,000 and one night at the Lewis Grand Presidential Suite. I did not ask who she would share that with. The judging criteria covered beauty, sexual appeal, body shape, body language, pose and confidence. I really liked the lady who when asked if she could fall in love with a 70 year old man answered "yes, age does not matter". I submitted that question but Mrs. Horse would not let me pursue any further details after the show. Being a truthful guy I have to say that I think some of the best looking women were in the audience. I am not fabricating here, man, there were some hot ladies and each one had a husband or boyfriend hanging on to her. By now, you might have guessed that I like to present pictures of the audience or customers and this is no exception. I realize that I might have gotten carried away but these are the folks that spend money in town and should be featured. So, sit back and try to find out how many folks you recognize.

Wow, finally I made it to the end of this column. I have been delayed by two all day Saturday brown-outs, unscheduled meetings, Rotary meeting today, and another unscheduled meeting at 5 PM as bar owners from Perimeter Road are trying to figure out how to deal with the latest problems affecting their businesses. Enough said about that, it is all too depressing. Lets look at happy things. I am looking forward to being a judge at the ABC beauty contest this Saturday. It should be fun and the Mrs and I will be staying overnight at the ABC Presidential Suite courtesy of my birthday present from Gerard. He gave me the certificate in Feb but I held off using it until Priscilla had her birthday this month. See how nice I am! We are looking forward to the in-room Jacuzzi. We will not pack a bag, will just stay naked all weekend and pretend we both still have the bodies that we had twenty years ago. All it takes is blindfolds and lots of imagination. Priscilla will be 54 years old and still looks a lot younger and by golly, she is a good dart player. She is looking forward to our very short visit to Las Vegas, it has been over three years since we last went. I used to go every year but have become too busy to do so and I can't travel by myself anymore, my knees and back kind of mess me up. But, I can still get around Angeles City and check out all the action and meeting so many of the tourists coming here keeps me young. I just had a traveler from St. Louis, Missouri, Mark, drop by to say hello. He works in the Post Office there and reads this column. Like many of you, he is dreaming of retiring and living her permanently. Well, time to get on out of here, have a fun Halloween and remember, be kind to horses.