ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT & PERIMETER ROAD NEWS |
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Chris from C'Italian
Dining suffered a minor stroke early one morning
while getting his day started at the restaurant.
Fortunately he recognized what was happening and he
was taken immediately to AUF. There, Doctor Froi
Canals and his staff treated Chris and he was able
to return to the restaurant only about a week later.
Welcome back, again, Chris.
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A new ATM machine has been installed in front of ABC
Hotel |
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GAMBLING seems
to be a new and growing attraction in Angeles City.
The Wild Orchid Hotel has had Texas Hold'em for well
over a year. Now, both the Blue Nile Hotel and the
Bangkok Hotel next door have poker rooms. There have
been gambling machines in Blue Nile, BNE and Nero's for
a long time. This month the first two floors of the
Golden Nile are being filled with slot machines.
And word is that the new owners of Shanno's will change
the format there to include a poker room. |
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NEW BARS
Construction is going fast on the new bars that Gerard
is putting up between Mc Donald's and the Walkabout
Hotel at the end of Fields Avenue. Scheduled
completion for the first one is mid to late May 2009.
The Body Shop is going to have two
new clubs in this complex (
SHOOTERZ and CAR WASH). Our Russian friend, VR,
(Sky Bar in the ABC), is planning a club on the main
floor with two karaoke rooms & two jacuzzi hotel rooms
on the 2nd floor. Chef Franz (Azzura) will open a
restaurant/disco in one of the units. Last, but
not least, George (Gecko's) will be doing a Pattaya
style open air bar in front of the other clubs. |
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He is at it again!
Gerard has decided to build still another
building in Angeles. This time it will be a
condo project. These spacious
units will be made with the best
construction materials. Additionally,
he has incorporated some of the latest high
tech devices to insure the security of all
tenants.
Constructed by the ABC
hotel project management group, this
building will feature 19 units, two
elevators, secure parking, energy saving
windows and lots more.
Situated on the Field's
plaza, on the corner of Field's Avenue and
MacArthur Avenue, these units are walking
distance to the action.
Click for >>
FLOOR PLANS
For more info, visit
www.fieldsplazacondos.com |
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MASSAGE PARLOR
Construction is under way for a new massage parlor on
the corner lot that Gerard owns near Checkpoint. A
Mini-Mart has leased the corner portion of the lot to
the left of this photo. No idea when they will
begin construction. |
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STARGATE
This club is located several miles down Perimeter
Road. Neil is
the "Cal Worthington" of Angeles City. he
often has so many promos going on that nobody can
keep track of them. Right now he has FREE
local drinks every Mon, Wed, & Friday from 6 pm - 7
pm. No catches, your drinks are FREE! He
also has an Aussie BBQ Bash every Friday from 4-6
pm. Sausages & steak sandwiches for only P100.
Stargate and Roadies are also the
only two clubs with a belt system to help you
determine the status of the staff. |
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PHOTOS OF THE
MONTH |
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Do you think OSHA would approve of this
elevator ride at the Lexus construction site? |
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Great new medicine in Thailand. Probably work good
for Angeles girls too! |
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OPENINGS - CHANGES - ETC |
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This one snuck up on me. Pussy Cat
Dolls is located next to Bar Hoppin. |
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CHEERS Bar on Perimeter Road has closed. The owner has
returned to his country of residence and
is not expected to return to the
Philippines. I don't think many
people will notice it is gone. |
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Lots of clubs in the
entertainment area are changing their
operating hours.
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NEW
HOURS |
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opens |
closes |
REMARKS |
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Body Shop
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4pm |
1am |
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KOD |
3pm |
midnight |
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Lollipop |
2pm |
midnight |
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Tropix |
2pm |
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50p local
drinks till 7pm |
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Treasure
island |
noon |
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Happy hour until 6 pm |
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Typhoon |
3 pm |
3 am |
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Doctor
Holms
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2 pm |
2 am |
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Bourbon Street &
Viper room
was recently sold to
the
La Pasha group. Word on the street is they will rebuild
both. The Bourbon Street location will be reopened
as a bar.
Viper Room will be
renamed
Passion. |
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TEQUILA REEF
After some construction delays, Tequila Reef
is expecting to open in early April.
The cooks have been training on the menu for
several weeks and the service staff has been
moved from Margarita Station to train
together at the Reef. More photos and
info at:
http://www.angeleseyes.com/trc/
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Castilla
La Mancha is a new
Spanish Restaurant restaurant that opened during the
third week of March. It is located
between the Savannah Hotel and Wee
George's/Roadies. Reports from one
friend, that has spent a lot of time in
Spain, was that the food was good and he
will go back soon.
Below is a review
from Chef Chris @ C'Italian: |
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Castillia la
Mancha much has been written about this new
Spanish restaurant, once again the Charlie’s
are out in force predicting their immediate
demise!!! I know a little about opening a
place that only few believed to be around
for long! Always in search for a great
meal at a new place I visited Castillia last
night and now here are my five cent’s worth
about the restaurant and the quality of the
food, service and more.!
Croquette: good quality, golden
brown, freshly prepared, well spiced loved
it, the dipping sauce they serve on the side
is no match and not required!
Chorizo: very good they used good
quality chorizo and good oil, one plate is
almost not enough!
Gambas: nice fresh shrimps, good oil
used, well prepared authentic!
Chicken salad: strange mayo based
salad with oranges, not really Spanish if
you asked me, made a pass on it after one
bite, my better half liked it
Pumpkin soup: powder based soup with
a twist, nice but not good or great!
Paella (para dos): huge serving with
seafood, chicken, pork, prepared fresh, with
fresh ingredients, local rice was used but
over all, very good and will simply return
just for that!
Ox tail braised with olives: very
good, huge serving costing next to nothing!
Calleos: same as for the ox tail,
just loved it!
Interior functional but not
more, the bench is tiny loved to see some of
the larger guys fit on it. The flowers
should be gone, better none than these dead
pieces that were displayed!
CR needs to be addressed
ASAP.
Service and more mostly male
service staff, one female around! They
service staff know the menu can make
suggestion are alert for the guest needs but
give you room to enjoy the meal without
being overly attentive! The chef preparing
the meal stays in the background, one the
service staff may actually gives him a hand
in the prep/ finishing work! I had the
impression that the whole restaurant is a
family run business, were they actually care
if you like the meal or not and take pride
in it to make you happy! Will this assure
they survive!! NO, but I do hope they will
stick around for a while, the meal over all
was VERY NICE INDEED and I have finally
found a new Monday destination to relax and
enjoy a meal by someone that seems to cares
if a guest returns after there first visit!
PS: the sangria is great to! |
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The Silly
Hat Club opened in late March.
It replaces Studebaker's, which was short
lived. The club is located about a
block east of Wee George's & Roadie's.
The new layout is a great improvement
and the prices are reasonable. Take
your sun glasses with you because the
lighting is such that you will have very
bright lights flashing in your eyes from
every angle. The rope lights under the bar
surrounding the stage are very bright and
intense when they are flashing. And the
spotlights for the stage are such that they
hit you in the eyes if you are facing them
or if you glance at the mirrors. Once
they fix these lighting problems I think
this club might survive. |
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Casi Cielo
(Spanish
for Almost Heaven) is a new bar where the old Wet Spot
was located. This bar is between
Roy's Bar and the church next to the Orchid
Inn. Reportedly they have several
air-conditioned rooms in case you want a massage or need
a quick shower to cool off from the tropic heat. |
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Shanno's pub
has been sold. George from Gecko's says they will
close for about 2 weeks starting Sunday 5 April for renovations which will
include a Texas Hold'em poker room. When he
reopens he will be 24 hours-a-day. |
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Tender Touch has been
renamed to
STUNNERS.
A great name, now if they can find a bunch
of stunners to staff the bar with.
Actually, the same owners and same staff as
the old Tender Touch so I'm not sure what
drove the name change. |
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Work has started on a new bar on the
vacant lot between Typhoon and the Welcome
Inn. A reliable source says
Lewis (from Lewis Grand Hotel) is building a
club/disco on this site. |
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BARS FOR
SALE: As with any deals in the
Philippines, check the paperwork before you
hand over any money to an individual selling
the "rights" to a property.
It appears that
Crazy Horse Saloon is for sale again.
The add to the left was posted by someone in
the March Blue Book Magazine. I
suspect this has something to do with the
property being stole from an owner over a
year ago.
There are four other bar locations currently
being advertised for sale in various forums.
Two are turn key operations. Rumor is
that both of these clubs may have multiple
years of unpaid rent that would transfer to
the new owners. There are two more
bars for sale that are building shells that
would require significant funds to turn into
operational clubs. Several people have
questioned the validity of the lease on
both these properties. I have no firm info,
but I would suggest potential buyers do
diligent research before paying hefty key
money and renovating the property. |
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CLUB
68 has finally opened on lower Fields
Avenue between Emerigo's Hotel (formerly the
Blue Nile Executive Hotel) and the Bangkok
Hotel. Reports are that the staff
hasn't changed a lot from the staff of the
old Club 68 on perimeter road. |
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GOLDEN
NILE The slot machines have arrived
at Golden Nile and are expected to be
operational in early April. Also,
according to the Golden Nile Group,
CAMBODIA
will reopen before the middle of April. |
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The Euro-Phil Hotel has undergone
renovations and reopened as the Euro Asia
Hotel. I have seen a few pictures
of the renovated rooms and they do look
better. Rooms start under P1600, so if
they are as good as they look, it is good
value. |
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Roy's Bar has reportedly changed
hands again. Word is it will go back to being an
English/Aussie pub. As of 27 March Roy's was closed for
renovations, but it looks like they may be open again within
days.
UPDATE: The bar was up and
running within 1-2 days and looks fully operational (as a
English Pub) as of 1 April. |
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NEWS
CLIPPINGS
From multiple
sources (Not necessarily in chronological order) |
Daniel Smith is a US Marine that was convicted
of raping a Filipina in 2005. He was sentenced to 40
years in a Philippine jail. In the last few months there
have been some interesting developments in his case:
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CIDG reviews Mexican chef's death
CAMP OLIVAS -- The regional third Criminal Investigation and Detection
Unit (CIDU) is still reviewing documents gathered by
Angeles City Police Station 4 and National Bureau
Investigation (NBI) on the death of a Mexican chef at
the Fontana Leisure Park inside Clark Freeport. The Mexican Embassy requested police authorities to
reinvestigate the alleged suicide committed by Elisa
Gutierrez, 25, a Mexican national employed as chef at
Fontana Leisure Park.
Last December 26, police reported that Gutierrez was
found dead hanging from a metal brace in an abandoned
office in Fontana.
Senior Superintendent Marvin Bolabola, regional
officer of 3rd CIDU here, said Wednesday that his men
are still reviewing the pieces of evidence and the
results of the DNA and fingerprints of the victim. "We have already started reviewing the documents we
gathered from the NBI and Police Station 4," Bolabola
said.
He said his men will investigate if it was a homicide
case since the victim reportedly had superficial neck
and wrists "stab" wounds. "Everybody on the place are suspects but as of
Wednesday we are in the process of eliminating some of
the people around the area during the time of the
alleged suicide," said Bolabola.
Last December 26, Erwin Paras, a waiter, and driver
Marvin Kim discovered Gutierrez after they smelled foul
odor from the said office.
The victim was employed in Fontana on September 15
last year.
Bolabola said he is optimistic that the case of
Gutierrez would be solved as soon as possible.
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Mayor orders intensified anti-crime drive
ANGELES CITY -- Mayor Francis "Blueboy"
Nepomuceno ordered Wednesday the Angeles City Police Office
(Acpo) to increase police visibility and intensify the
campaign against crime in this city.
He also particularly directed the
Acpo to speed up its investigation into the murder of
Barangay Captain Edilberto "Flay" Cayanan of Pulung Maragul
village.
Nepomuceno gave the order to Police
City Director Pierre Bucsit after Cayanan was shot at close
range by a lone gunman near a makeshift carnival about 8:30
p.m. last February 28.
"We sympathize and condole with the
family and constituents of Barangay Captain Cayanan and will
do the best to the relentless manhunt for the perpetrators.
The government will apply the full force of the law against
all groups and individuals involved in the crime," said
Nepomuceno.
The mayor said he will "strongly
recommend" in the next Peace and Order Council meeting to
immediately draw a plan for the city in eradicating
suspected criminals operating in some areas of the city.
"The help and assistance from all
sectors of the society is needed to gain an upper hand with
this lawless element. The government will not be cowed and
will pursue this campaign at all cost, to give the city and
Angeleños a lasting peace and order they deserve," he added.
He admitted that the series of
killings happening these past months only manifest that much
is yet to be done to maintain peace and order, which is one
of the platform issues of his administration.
Nepomuceno, who is set to convene
the Peace and Order Council here in the next few days, also
directed the Acpo to deploy mobile checkpoints against loose
guns and motorcycle-riding criminals. |
Village chief shot dead
ANGELES CITY -- The village chief of Barangay
Pulung Maragul here was shot dead by a lone
assailant around 8:30 p.m. last Saturday. City
Police Director Pierre Bucsit identified the
victim as barangay baptain Edilberto Cayanan,
39. Cayanan was having a drinking session with
Councilman Dominador Gerilla, 50, at Mel's Store
along Cruz Avenue corner Marcela Street in Don
Bonifacio Subdivision, Pulung Maragul when he
was killed. Investigation showed that the unidentified
suspect approached Cayanan from behind and shot
him twice on the head with a handgun at close
range. The suspect, according to police
investigators, was wearing a black T-Shirt,
maong pants, and sports cap. He fled towards a "perya"
(makeshift carnival) after shooting the victim
where he disappeared among the crowds. Cayanan was rushed to a nearby hospital where
attending physicians pronounced him dead on
arrival. His body was brought to Funeraria
Indiongco here for autopsy. Two live bullets and three empty shells of
9mm pistol were found from the crime scene. Bucsit said "Task Force Cayanan" was already
formed to look into and immediately solve the
murder case.
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Cayanan's alleged killer bared
ANGELES CITY -- The Angeles City Police Office
(Acpo) identified and filed appropriate charges
against the alleged gunman who killed Pulung Maragul
barangay captain Edilberto Cayanan. In a press conference at Shanghai Restaurant
here, Acpo director Pierre Bucsit named the suspect
as Harrison de Leon, an alleged gun-for-hire
believed to be involved in a spate of killings in
Pampanga. Bucsit said the suspect was identified by another
gun-for-hire who became an asset of the local
police. "This suspect is part of a group that
operates here in Pampanga. They usually accept
money, around P20, 000, just to kill somebody." Murder charges against the suspected gunman have
been filed, he added. "There were initially five angles that we
initially looked at but we finally zeroed in on the
angle of personal vendetta and politics. Our
witnesses have said that the (suspected) mastermind
was seen immediately after the shooting. The
mastermind facilitated the escape of the suspect,"
Bucsit said.
Mayor Francis Nepomuceno, who was also present
during the briefing, assured that the local police
is doing all they can to bring the perpetrators in
the Cayanan killing, as well as in other high
profile killings in the city, to justice. "The PNP (Philippine National Police) is doubling
up efforts. We also urged our local communities to
help in solving these cases by urging witnesses to
come out and help in providing vital information,"
Nepomuceno said.
The mayor said the tourism industry in the city
has been unaffected, even recording steady increase
in tourist arrivals, despite the reported killings.
He said the City Government will launch Tuesday a
citywide anti-criminality campaign. "In this campaign, we are increasing public and
private sector participation in making the city a
safer place to live in," Nepomuceno said. (With
reports from Reynaldo G. Navales)
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At approx 4:30am a foreigner thought to be American stumbled
bleeding from the chest onto the Lewis Grand premises. The
Lewis Grand
staff immediately put him in the hotel service car parked
directly outside the entrance and rushed him to hospital.
The victim, identified as
Jerry Melton, later he died from his wounds.
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Speedy justice for slain American sought
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
ANGELES CITY -- Relatives of slain American
national Jerry Melton have criticized the Angeles
City Police Office (ACPO) for the "slow resolution"
of the murder case. The relatives said the local police should be
"more serious" in its investigation. In an interview Tuesday with Richard Bennett, a
cousin of the victim, he said the ACPO has still to
make a lead on the case. Bennett, a former US soldier, said investigators
seem to be not serious in their investigations.
"One of the investigators who came to us was not
serious in conducting the interview. We have heard
about the public official who was also killed and
now his case is already solved. We hope that we
could also be given the same swift service by the
local police," he said. Bennett said there are also "inconsistencies" in
the investigation based on accounts by other
witnesses they have talked to.
The 51-year-old Melton was shot by two men on
board a blue motorcycle at a vacant lot between
Euro-Asia Hotel and Lewis Grand Hotel last March 5. The victim suffered a bullet wound on the chest
but was able to walk to a nearby hotel to seek
assistance. He was rushed to the Angeles University
Foundation Medical Center but doctors pronounced him
dead on arrival.
"The police are saying that there is not enough
information on him. What information do they need?
We have given them everything they need to know, but
still nothing is happening," Bennett said.
Bennett is asking the American Embassy here to
request the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI)
to intervene if the ACPO could not efficiently solve
the case. He hopes the ACPO would soon identify the
suspects before he returns to the US with the body
of Melton. "We are desperate, we need justice," he
said.
Meanwhile, ACPO chief Pierre Bucsit said they
have been doing all they can to solve the high
profile killings in this city. The police official said lack of witnesses has
been one of the major hindrances in solving the said
cases. "We are doing our best. Our people are
working double time and are doubling their efforts
to solve all of these."
Among the murder cases that have yet to be
resolved by the city police were those of
businessman Arwind Ting in December; trader and
part-time disc jockey Heherson Punzalan on January
18; and 21-year-old Joven Pineda Deala, younger
brother of International Rapper Allan Pineda of
Black Eyed Peas, on February 3.
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Use of sidewalks, pedestrian lanes urged
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- "We're now conditioning
our fellow Fernandinos to use our cleared
sidewalks, side streets and cross streets on
pedestrian lanes. This is the beginning of a
long term, no 'ningas cogon' we at the city
government of San Fernando are programmed to
do."
So said lawyer Ramsey Ocampo, head of the Legal
Office and Project Habitat, on many major changes
being implemented in the city's major districts and
thoroughfares.
Friday morning, city folks plying
their daily routine found temporary steel fencings
and improvised "straw" barricades delineating street
parts and sidewalks. Folks were being guided by "yellow boys" to
pedestrian lanes and permissible areas where they
could cross, walk and for motorists, where to park.
"Our Oplan Habitat has been well-planned. We are
prepared with all options, angles covered and
interventions in place. Since last January 13 to 31
to its full implementation on February 2, we have
been up on our toes to ensure our vision of a clean
and orderly City of San Fernando would be realized,"
Ocampo said.
The lawyer and former high-ranking police officer
added that they are meeting thrice a week to
evaluate developments and address concerns. "You know, we want to be there to cushion all
these birth pains. They should be overcome," Ocampo
said. For some time since the implementation of the "a
la MMDA" move to regulate illegal sidewalk hawking
and parking, many of this first class city's
residents were surprised and confused with the
changes.
People at jeepney terminals were being asked to
line up for their rides to avoid overcrowding and
pedestrians being guided by city traffic aides on
where to cross and walk along, pointing to cleared
and now spacious sidewalks which were recently
occupied by sidewalk vendors hawking a variety of
wares from peanuts to pirated CDs.
"It's a matter of putting every structure into
place. This would now be a permanent undertaking of
the City Government. We will see to it we would
eradicate congestion, pollution and see to our
constituents' safety and security," Mayor Oscar
Rodriguez told Sun.Star.
Under Project Habitat, Rodriguez said people are
encouraged to walk since it would be good for their
health and that motorists park at designated areas
to lessen traffic, congestion and contain risks
brought about by these nuisances.
"This is not for the city's central district
alone. We are moving towards bringing these
developments as well Project Habitat to the farthest
of our barangays. The program is permanent. We mean
what we say a 'habitat of human excellence' for the
Fernandino," he said.
Task Force Habitat Team Leader Alvin Reyes was
more than happy about the Fernandino's responses,
saying folks were more than willing to abide by the
new regulations.
He told Sun.Star that the long line of "straw"
barricades along yellow-painted sidewalk gutters
were temporary and just to "condition" people on
where to traverse and cross.
According to him, six pedestrian lanes have been
strategically located by city officials to see
through safety and security.
"Of the more than 100 people we guided and
advised yesterday morning alone, only about two
complained and told us they know nothing about these
recent regulations. But most, like the sidewalk
vendors and especially elderly persons, told us they
appreciated the move to make the city disciplined
just like in the older days," Reyes said.
Of the more than 30 sidewalk vendors reached by
Sun.Star, all of them said they trusted Rodriguez's
decision and plan to have them relocated to a better
site where shoppers would get to their goods.
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Subic sees last flight from FedEx
Friday,
February 6, 2009
FEDERAL Express (FedEx) has finally called it
quits in Subic, landing its last flight at the
Subic Bay international Airport Thursday
morning.
The move came after 13 years of operation of the
Subic Bay Freeport. The closure of FedEx
however meant a beginning of its operation in
Guangzhou, China where it has relocated.
The last flight came past 3 a.m. Friday after
which, according to an employee of the company,
all courier service to and from the Philippines
will be loaded up in Manila. Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority
administrator Armand Arreza during a press
conference early Friday morning said: "Last
night was the last full operations. They will
still have standby operations up to the end of
April. They have been testing their hub at
Guangzhou for the last two months." Arreza also explained that FedEx can still
divert flights to Subic if they decide to do so.
The move to China was made public by FedEx
officials since 2004 before the current crisis. "Losing FedEx, and any business is never a
good time. We want them to stay but business
conditions are a factor," he said. He added that the Subic Bay International
Airport has generated from Fedex alone some P150
million for landing fees and warehousing.
"The market in China is bigger than the
entire market of Southeast Asia. China also gave
FedEx rights to handle its domestic cargo, which
is huge," Arreza added. Some 500 employees of Fedex in this Freeport
will be affected.
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Council to probe 'irregularities' at Fields Avenue
ANGELES CITY -- The City Council here on
Tuesday said it will investigate the
complaints of local businessmen and
concerned citizens on the alleged
"corruption and irregularities" along Fields
Avenue in Barangay Balibago here.
Councilor Willie Rivera issued the statement,
adding that he had been plagued by reports about
"extortion" being committed by organized groups
here allegedly under the patronage of two
"prominent names" in this city.
During Tuesday's session, Rivera went into a
head-on collision with administration Councilor
Agapito del Rosario on the issue of the
institutionalized pap smearing of women
entertainers among bars in Fields Avenue. Rivera lashed out at the administration's
move to have private doctors conduct pap smear
among entertainers and sex workers here, saying
such practice is open to corruption and improper
monitoring of hygienic procedures. "There is this doctor who has been disgusted
by this practice. He said he gets goose bumps on
how these women are treated. They came here to
earn a living but the city government wants to
turn a fortune out of their lowly occupation,"
Rivera said. He added that they have been receiving
reports of unhygienic practices and unclear
procedures on how the money is collected. "This is just fraction of the total issue
along Fields Avenue. There are also these
reports on organized groups victimizing
businessmen in the area, asking for protection
money," Rivera said during the regular session.
Rivera said two "prominent Angelenos" are
behind these illegal activities. Whether they
are city council members, River did not say
directly but rather said he would wait for the
opportune time to reveal their real identities. He challenged the administration councilors
to conduct a total investigation on government
policies and issues in the city's red light
district.
Del Rosario, on the other hand, argued that
there is nothing wrong in the policy of the city
government in pap smearing. Del Rosario said the
move is more beneficial now for the city
government. "The city is collecting more now in the pap
smearing," Del Rosario said, threatening that he
would also reveal illicit activities he know
along Fields Avenue once the investigations
pushes through.
Rivera said that he expects the people
affected at Fields Avenue to be brave enough and
expose the people behind the alleged corruption
in the area.
The council will conduct its investigation on
February 10. (IOF)
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| Security discussed at Tourism Summit.
Click on articles on the right for full story. |
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Pampanga kids get gift of smile
LUBAO -- A world with all children smiling is
fast becoming a reality, thanks to the kindness of
medical volunteers of Helping Children Smile
Incorporated (HCSI). The group's president Vonnie Burton told Sun.Star
Pampanga that the group has been conducting free
surgery, such as lip revision and palate operation,
since 1997, where medical volunteers from Australia
have given their time and expertise for the yearly
mission to the Philippines.
This year, in memory of the late Guagua councilor
Jerome David-Tulio, the HCSI has tied up with the
local government of Lubao and Sta. Rita to help some
60 children coming from indigent families to avail
of this rare opportunity. Burton said the memorial mission held at the
Escolastica Romero District Hospital here was a
success, adding that not only children from Pampanga
towns received the free operation but also from the
towns of Bataan and Zambales.
Dr. Frank Kimble, one of two surgeons who
administered the operations, said patients ranging
from five months old to 24 years old were treated
from February 23 until March 3. Kimble said the operations would last for almost
two hours depending on the extent of work to be
done. "We love to help and we love the Filipino people.
We do this every year and the greatest reward we
could ever have is the feeling that we made a child
smile, he or she will not only look better but will
also feel better inside and out," Kimble said.
Sta. Rita Mayor Yolly Pineda thanked doctors and
nurses who headed the medical mission, saying her
municipality and other towns are truly blessed for
the kind hearts and generosity of the medical
volunteers. She also thanked former Guagua councilor Devine
David-Tulio, mother of Jerome, who co-sponsored the
medical mission together with congressman Mikey
Arroyo, local government in the second district and
staff at the said hospital. The HCSI also donated medicines to patients.
Others members of the medical team are organizer
Lorie Rowe, Witin Sharma, Richard John Scolaro,
Damian John Castonelli, nursing staff Lindy Patten,
Glenn Cartwright, Erin Elizabeth Mc Intosh,
Catherine May Rogers, Nichole Margaret, Johnson,
Bernice Alwyn Mc Lennan, Craig Adrew Walsh, Aileen
Veronica Burton, and Tracey Lee Madden. (Chris
Navarro)
|
ANGELES City --
Vice Mayor Vicenta Vega-Cabigting filed administrative and
criminal charges against Mayor Francis Blueboy Nepomuceno for
alleged fraudulent misrepresentation.
In the complaints she filed before the Office of the Ombudsman,
Cabigting said Nepomuceno forwarded the city's 2008 executive
budget to the Department of Budget and Management without the
necessary documents and approval from the City Council.
She asked the Ombudsman to charge Nepomuceno with grave
misconduct and grave abuse of authority, among others. In both
administrative and criminal complaints, she also asked the
Ombudsman to place Nepomuceno on a six-month preventive
suspension.
The charges were filed after Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya,
Jr. ordered the setting aside of the DBM regional office's
review after learning it was not the city council secretary who
forwarded the 2008 annual budget to the regional office of DBM
for review and approval.
The city's 2008 budget was P986.218 million.
The minority bloc, led by Cabigting, has been at odds with
Nepomuceno allies in the City Council over the 2008 budget. The
Nepomuceno camp had argued that seven votes, which they held,
were enough to approve the budget.
But Cabigting's camp claimed that eight votes, not seven, were
needed.
Cabigting said Nepomuceno's act is a stark manifestation of bad
faith.
Earlier, Nepomuceno told the DBM that the delay would undeniably
affect the flow of services within City Hall, in particular, and
public service, in general. |
Men in cop uniforms try supermarket robbery
MABALACAT -- About six men armed with high-powered guns and clad in
police uniforms attempted to rob a big supermarket
in this town at dawn Monday. The robbers were able to disarm the two security
guards of Jumbo Jenra Supermarket but their plan to
rob the establishment was foiled. Police Officer (PO) 2 Robert Lurzano said the
suspects introduced themselves as police officers
assigned at the Security and Guards Supervision
Division (SAGSD), said to be a special unit of the
Philippine National Police (PNP) in charge of
security agencies and guards. After the two security guards were disarmed and
hogtied, the suspects forcibly opened the padlock of
the establishment’s backdoor using a bolt cutter. Fortunately, the supermarket’s security alarm
sounded off, prompting the burglars to scamper,
board their vehicle and flee towards the North Luzon
Expressway. The security guards told police investigators
that the suspects had alighted from a black Honda
Civic car without any license plates before
introducing themselves as police officers.
Chief Inspector Angelito Esteban, Dau Community
Police Assistance Center commander, said a concerned
citizen had reported to them the sounding off of the
supermarket’s alarm system. Esteban said he and his men immediately responded
and eventually rescued the hogtied security guards. The suspects, however, managed to escape and
carted away the two shotguns of the guards. According to Lurzano, they were manning a
checkpoint in front of the Dau police assistance
center when the concerned citizen made the report.
|
Mayor to sue village chief over 'extortion’ issue
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
ANGELES CITY -- Mayor Francis “Blueboy” Nepomuceno has
decided to sue Balibago village captain Rodelio “Tony”
Mamac for what he tagged as unfair accusations over
alleged extortion operations among bars at the
entertainment district here. Nepomuceno told Sun.Star
Pampanga Monday that he had instructed his legal counsel
to prepare appropriate charges against Mamac over a
published report that he allegedly “knew of extortion
operations” done by “Jojo Group.” The mayor said he
will file the case against Mamac and Jim Dale, an
American who operates a hotel here, within the week.
Dale was reported to have issued statements that
Nepomuceno knew about the extortion done on women
workers and bar owners along Fields Avenue in Barangay
Balibago here. “The mayor has knowledge of the
extortion. If he wants he can stop this,” Dale was
quoted as saying in one published report. Mamac also
reportedly hit the mayor's inaction to address the
issues and complaints of women workers and bar owners in
the city's entertainment belt.
Nepomuceno said he has been working to stop extortion
activities in this city and never knew anything about
the alleged extortionist groups.
He urged Dale to report to the Mayor's Office the
people behind the alleged extortion activities here.
“It’s not right that they would say the City Government
is part of these extortionist activities. We are part of
the move to solve these alleged extortions,” he said.
Nepomuceno said complainants of the alleged extortion
activities here should be coordinated with the proper
authorities and not to use the public as forum for their
complaints. Mamac denied, saying the mayor was
part of the extortionist groups. “When we said the mayor
knew of the extortionist groups in the city, we meant to
say he has knowledge of them because we, in the
barangay, have notified him of such illegal activities
here.”
Asked about his reaction to the mayor’s plan of suing
him, Mamac said: “If he wants to sue us that is his
right,” adding that his personal relationship with the
mayor will not be affected by the impending legal
action. The village chief defended himself and
Dale, saying they only meant to call the attention of
the City Government to solve the extortion reports in
this city. Mamac even showed a barangay resolution
last year wherein they asked the mayor and the City
Council to act against the “organized syndicates
operating along Fields Avenue.”
However, Nepomuceno said how Mamac had presented his
allegations in public was different from his alleged
intention. “The statements are unfair and not balanced,”
he said. (IOF)
|
This should be a
warning to guys that take a local bus instead of one of the
two non-stop tourist busses or a private car. Attempts
to save $45 could cost you a lot more if you loose your
cash, cameras, etc.
Robbers cart away P600T in bus
heist
MABALACAT -- Some P600,000 worth of cash and
valuables were carted away by six armed individuals
who hijacked and robbed a passenger bus bound for
Angeles City Thursday night. No passengers
were injured in the heist, which transpired between
6:30 to 7 p.m. but the suspects were able to get
some P600,000 worth of cash, cellular phones,
jewelries, shoes and other valuables.
Jose Sonny Pangilinan, conductor of Philippine
Rabbit Bus Number 8519, said the suspects declared a
hold-up about an hour after leaving the Avenida
terminal in Metro Manila. "We were at
the Bocaue area when the suspects declared the
hold-up and started divesting us of our money and
other valuables," Pangilinan said. One
of the suspects armed with a .45 caliber handgun
even fired at least three shots after shouting
"hold-up!" according to the passengers. "I saw
one of the suspects holding a hand grenade," a
passenger said.
After robbing the passengers, two of the
suspects, about 6:40 p.m., alighted from the bus and
headed toward the San Fernando Exit of the North
Luzon Expressway (NLex), bringing with them the
looted money and items. Upon reaching the
Angeles Exit of NLEx, Pangilinan said the other four
suspects ordered the driver to stop the vehicle and
ran towards the Magalang area. One of the
passengers believed the suspects used a getaway
vehicle, which tailed the bus throughout the time of
the bus robbery. The passengers were taken to
the Dau police station here for investigation.
PO2 Robert Lurzano, officer on the case, said the
victims positively identified the suspects who were
posted in the Rogue Gallery of the Dau police.
One of the suspects was identified as Eliseo Magtoto
Jr., the alleged leader of the hold-up syndicate
victimizing passenger buses. Chief Inspector
Angelito Esteban, Dau police station commander, said
the group is also responsible for a series of
robberies in October 2006. Esteban said they
referred the case to the Bulacan police for the
filing of robbery charges against Magtoto and his
companions.
In 2006, Magtoto and his members were arrested by
elements of the town police after they tried to rob
a passenger bus bound for Manila. Policemen
were then able to seize at least two handguns from
the suspects. One of the passengers then identified
two of the suspects and immediately called the
police.
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OTHER NEWS |
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VFW ROBBED The night Security Guard
and an accomplice allegedly robbed the VFW early Monday
morning. According to reports, the "alleged" thieves
took a small safe containing the weekend's receipts and
a few other items. They were seen getting into a trike
by another guard in the area. The trike driver later
reported he dropped them off at a bus station and was
not considered a suspect. The guard was armed with his
company's revolver at the time of the incident. The
company that employed the guard, along with the
insurance company, agreed to pay for all losses
including cash.
|
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ABC-Maganda Filipina
was a all night party at the ABC hotel in mid-March.
Gerard's friends helped him celebrate his birthday in
conjunction with the final round of the Maganda Filipina beauty
contest. The winner of the contest, Kate, received
P250,000. Click here for photos |
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Balloon Festival
The 14th annual balloon festival was held 12-15 February on
the Clark Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
In addition to the balloons there were a variety of
aircraft flying around and 2-3 days of
parachuting.
Click on the photo on the left to see more photos
from the balloon festival. |
|
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This condo project can be seen
about 5-6 blocks straight behind Margarita Station.
Construction has already reached the point where
they are putting the roof frame on this week.
This is one of at least seven condo projects that
are under development or recently completed in
Angeles City. Many of the condos are
much more expensive that similar units in prime
locations in the USA. Additionally, some units
have clear titles and others are built on leased
property and have a limited lifetime. |
|
The Father Ray Foundation website is:
www.fr-ray.org |
My favorite charity is Bahay Pag-Ibig
in Angeles City. Here I can see 100% of my donations
going to the people in need. Sadly, so many
charities have high overhead costs where a huge
percentage of donations go to the over paid staff
personnel.
One great charity is the Father
Ray Foundation in Pattaya, Thailand. I encourage
anyone with a little money to spare to look into and
then support this great charity. There are
many great volunteers trying to continue the work of
the late Father Ray trying to feed, clothe,
education, house, etc. more that 850 young folks.
But, times are tough and they need contributions to
keep taking care of these needy children.
They have produced a small DVD,
narrated by
TOM MINTIER,
the retired CNN BANGKOK BUREAU CHIEF. For
a copy of the DVD or more information contact
vincentfoundation@Yahoo.com
Again, I don't support many charities, but this is
one of the good ones! |
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KOREAN FOOD:
I'm not over fond of the impact the nationalistic Korean's are
having on Angeles City. But, one of the good things about their
presence is the abundance of Korean restaurants. This
month four of us decided to start checking them out to see which
one is the best. We started with the Halla Hotel
restaurant. We all felt this one will be hard to beat.
If we find any place that beats this restaurant I'll report it
here.
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BOURBON STREET CONDOS FOR
RENT: The Wild Orchid does
manage the Bourbon Street Apartments. You can rent a
two bedroom unit for your next vacation. For more
details see: (http://rovimarrentals.com/).
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Neville "Niffty"
Neville was taken to hospital in mid-March 2009 in a serious condition with a blood clot on his
brain.
Further tests revealed 3 tumors in his brain and cancer in
his kidneys, liver & lungs.
Neil from Roadie's
stepped up to the plate and hosted a fund raiser
so Neville's daughter could be flown to Thailand
to say good bye to her father. The
fundraiser was well supported by local
businesses, but unfortunately it was not well
attended. Still, Neil managed to raise
enough money for airfare, hotels &
transportation for Stephanie & her mother. Good
job Neil. |
Margarita
Station provided some finger food |
Neil ran a great fund raiser!
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NEW PRIVATE TRIKE
SERVICE: This has been promoted on
several of the local bulletin boards. In my
opinion, the
rates are way too high, but it might interest some
tourists to have a dedicated driver.
www.angelescitytrikes.com
|
Daily Rate < 15 hours >
1200.00 pesos
|
Weekly rate < 15 hours per day for seven days >
7.700.00 pesos
|
|
They accept Visa, Master card and
American Express for
Daily and Weekly rates that are booked 7 days in
advance. |
If you prefer to use are trike services on a as when
required basis the Angeles City bylaw regulating trike
prices will be in affect .
The response time is approx 15 minutes
Text 0929-457-4690 or call landline at 045-625-8654
|
 |
I recently reported that the ABC Hotel had a
helicopter that could be chartered for flights
around the Philippines. I was as skeptical as
anyone that many tourists would use this service.
I was amazed to see how popular this service has
become. People are booking it almost every day
and recently they had three different trips on the
same day. For more info
CLICK HERE |
|
Southern Cross Shuttle
All
passenger should be advised that departure time is
not
pick up time.
| Dep at 9 am for Subic |
Pick up time approx 8.30am -
8.50am |
| Dep at 1 pm for Manila |
Pick up time approx 12.30pm - 12.50pm |
Also their new bus is now repaired and doing our
normal schedule . |
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Ashley Bray (aka Gator) succumbed to his cancer at the
end of January. |
|
Jerry Melton, an American, was shot while walking from
somewhere on Perimeter Road back to his hotel EuroAsia. |
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B.K. "Hub" Hubbard died from a massive heart attack on the
28th of March. Hub was a retired Senior Chief (USN)
that had been living in Pattaya, Thailand for years.
Before that he lived in the Oasis compound for years.
He was the a former commander of the VFW post 2485 (Angeles)
from 1999-2000 and
the VFW post 9876 (Pattaya) Vice Commander. |
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SERVICED
HOUSE FOR RENT We only have one,
so book early. You can rent one bedroom and
have the entire house to yourself, or a group of 3 guys
can have a party house much cheaper than 3 hotel rooms. For more
details see
http://www.margarita-station.com/house.html
Booked from 15 May thru 15 Sept
2009 |
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