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ANGELES
CITY NEWS
Feb 2008 |
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FEEDBACK! I did a shorter
newsletter in December a bit out of laziness and a bit because I had
received no comments on the Sept 2007 newsletter that featured over 100
new photos
from Clark Special Special Economic Zone (formerly
Clark Air Base). Wow, the feedback was overwhelming!
Feedback isn't necessary to keep these newsletters coming, but the
volume in December has sure motivated me to put some more time in on this one. |
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The future of Margarita Station. Lots of
reports about the pending closure of Margarita Station on some of the
local bulletin boards. At this point these are untrue rumors.
Our original lease does expire in June 2008, but we do have the
exclusive option to renew the lease for another 15 years. We are
currently in negotiations with our landlord and do not expect to close
our doors in June this year. |
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I have updated the photos in the ville section and
have included some photos sent in from several customers. If you
have some good photos from Margarita Station, please send them to
manager@theville.com
Click here for
Margarita Station photos |
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THE GREAT TACO DEBATE:
Margarita Station was recently slammed on one of the
local bulletin boards for having over priced tacos. I was pretty
sure our prices were more than competitive with other places in Angeles,
so I did a taco test from 5 places around town. All the tacos were
pretty good, but even though we used better (more expensive)
ingredients, our tacos did not turn out to be the most expensive ones in
town when we weighted them out and figured out the cost based on weight.
Click here for the Taco
Test |
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In early January we sent our dayshift manager, Tom, to Bangkok to
have some surgery for a veracious vein problem. When the
doctors were doing pre-surgery tests they discovered that he had
stage 2 lung cancer. After some additional tests he
returned to the Philippines and is exploring treatment options
with UST in Manila. |
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RICK'S CAFE IS
CLOSING Rick has tentatively announced the closure
of his internet cafe in the rear of Margarita Station at the end
of Feb. I've offered him a deal that may extend that
closure by one to two months. This is the last internet
cafe in town with private booths, but there are so many internet
cafes in Angeles City these days that there isn't enough
business to pay the bills. But, don't worry because
Rick's gift delivery service will continue to operate from his
home after the internet office closes. |
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ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT & PERIMETER ROAD NEWS |
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Once again, in January 2008, the entertainment
district was disrupted when police raided a number of bars and
made arrests, changing existing rules/directives that had
previously applied.
| 15 Jan
One day after a letter was
distributed to the bars stating that barfines were
illegal, an article appeared in the Sun Star
Pampanga. |
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Strangely, the
on-line edition of the Sun Star on the 15th had no
mention of the "No Barfine Campaign." Instead
it had this article which never appeared in the
printed paper:
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Angeles tourist belt
cleared of minors
By Dante
M. Fabian
ANGELES City policemen are
maintaining a close watch to keep minors,
especially girls, from wandering at anytime of
the day in the tourism district of Balibago in
the city.
Angeles Police Chief George Gaddi ordered
various branches of the police in the city to
conduct daily round ups of minors to keep them
out of reach of unscrupulous persons, foreign
tourists and Filipinos alike.
Since the start of the New Year, inspections in
the vicinity for minors have been conducted
continually under Oplan Sagip Bata implemented
by police officers led by Senior Inspector Myrna
La Torre, Women's and Children's Concerns
Section (WCCS) and Superintendent Pedro Ramos,
Angeles Police-Station 4 chief.
Nightly patrols have been assigned to look out
for children who may be victimized by
pedophiles.
In a recent round up led by La Torre, Senior
Inspector Kenneth DG Vega, Station 4 duty
officer, and Senior Inspector Luisito Tan,
Angeles Police-Station 4 deputy chief, resulted
in the rescue of seven minors.
Parents of the seven minors who were found
loitering the Fields Avenue area did not
accompany them and some were found engaged in
selling various items to tourists even at the
wee hours of the morning.
La Torre said the youngsters' age ranged from 7
to 15.
Ramos later sent the youngsters to the City
Social Welfare and Development Office for proper
disposition.
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Two Americans, Briton face white
slavery, bribery raps
Two
American nationals and a Briton were
accused of white slavery and bribery by
the police after authorities raided
their night clubs on Fields Avenue. The
raids resulted in the arrest of 57
hospitality girls, all working without
permits.
DMZ Bar owner Norvel Delbert Bostick, a
retired US Marine and a native of
California, a certain "Daddy" Kelly of
Honey Pot Bar and former UK policeman
Richard Agnew have been slapped with
criminal charges in court after the
simultaneous raids.
Except for Bostick, who was detained at
the city district jail for a direct
bribery offense, police said Kelly and
Agnew remain at large. They will still
be facing a jail term if found in
violation of Article 341 of the Revised
Penal Code or the white slave trade.
Police said Bostick allegedly offered
P9,000 to a member of the raiding team
in exchange for the release of seven
women arrested inside his bar. The
policeman turned the offer and
immediately handcuffed the American.
On Tuesday, police at the tourist belt
area raided the Blue Nile Club, the
biggest girlie bar on Fields Avenue. The
bar employs more than 500 guest
relations officers (GRO) including
waitresses and dancers. Complaints said
most of the workers there do not have
permits.
Later, policemen raided the Honey Pot
Bar and arrested five women, all working
without the necessary permits from the
city hall.
Night clubs owners employing women
without the necessary working permits is
violation under a city ordinance, an
official said.
Police said the campaign against
prostitution will continue in a bid to
prevent the spread of sexually
transmitted diseases and protect
tourists from being afflicted with
sexually-transmitted diseases.
The Angeles City-Clark Tourism
Association (ACCTA) has yet to issue
statement in connection with the fresh
crackdown by local authorities against
the entertainment business.
ACCTA has more than 300 members, these
include hotels, restaurants and bars
owners, whose business are located
mostly along the busy red-lights
district in Barangay Balibago here.
At least 30 percent of the city coffer
came from the entertainment business in
Fields Avenue alone, ACCTA sources
revealed. With a report from Jess
Malabanan |
Norvel Delbert Bostick,
aka Tick, must be one of the first guys ever
charged with trying to bribe a police
officer in the Philippines. He is now out
on bail.
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17 Jan 2008
Bar manager, 46 others arrested
By: Bernard Galang
ANGELES City — Police arrested Monday night the
floor manager of a popular nightclub here, a
suspected “mamasan” and 45 bar girls for allegedly
violating the police’s “no bar fine” policy and for
working without the necessary permits.
Senior Insp. Kenneth Vega identified the floor
manager as Engracia Camero, and the suspected
“mamasan” (pimp) as Rowena Ruiz, both of the Blue
Nile Executive Club on Fields Avenue, Barangay
Balibago.
The two, along with the 45 female employees of the
nightclub whose ages range from 18 to 39, were
arrested by members of Police Station 4 under Supt.
Pedro Ramos.
Police said a Filipino-Indian police asset paid
P1,350 to Ruiz to go out with one of the girls. He
brought the girl to a hotel and had sex with her.
This signaled the raid on the nightclub and the
arrest of the suspects.
Last Sunday, the city police launched a campaign to
stop prostitution in the entertainment
establishments, which is blamed for making the city
“the source” of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
and Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the country.
Letters enjoining owners and operators and warning
them of the consequences were distributed to
establishments in Barangay Balibago, Malabañas up to
Anunas.
NOTE:
After being processed, charged and held for over 12
hours it was discovered
that the police had raided and taken the staff from
Blue Nile, but the girl taken out by the undercover
individual had come from Blue Nile Executive Club.
Based on this all charges were dismissed. |
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In the middle of all this trauma the
commander of station 4 was transferred to
Aurora province and Major Tan was moved back
in as the commander. He was informed
last year that he would be promoted to Major
and the promotion went through with the
transfer back to Station 4 after a several
month assignment to another station near
Friendship. |
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Friday, January 18, 2008
Councilor: Angeles 'not source of Aids'
By Reynaldo G. Navales
ANGELES City Councilor Maricel Morales has
denied reports that the city is the source of
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Aids) and
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the
country.
Morales was reacting to a news report she
described as "misleading and derogatory to the
image of the highly urbanized city.
Sun.Star Network Online's coverage of the
Sinulog 2008 Festival
A banner story in this paper's January 15, 2008
issue titled "Angeles police launch 'no bar
fine' campaign" stated that the Angeles City
Police Office has launched a campaign to stop
alleged prostitution in the entertainment
establishments here, which is blamed for making
the city "the source" of Aids and HIV in the
country.
Morales said over the past five years, the City
Aids Council has recorded only 11 Aids and HIV
cases in the city.
"Misleading reports may tarnish the good image
of our beloved city," she said.
According to her, the city health officers are
in a close watch on the 11 patients.
Workers in the entertainment districts undergo
regular medical check up to ensure their health,
she added.
The councilor stressed that the Angeles police
should correct their previous statements, which
she described as "damaging to the image of
Angelenos."
She also
clarified that contrary to reports made by the
city police, there are no "bar fines" in
nightclubs here.
She even lauded the local police for its recent
campaign to rid the entertainment area of
minors.
"We fully support the move of the city police to
save the minors from prostitution and other
illegal activities," Morales added.
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Monday, January 21, 2008
Aids
report didn't come from us': Angeles police
By Dante M. Fabian
THE
Angeles City Police Office (Acpo) has clarified
the report that it is to be blamed for giving
the impression that this city is the "source of
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Aids) in
the country".
The Acpo said it did not make any statement
"pertaining to the city as the source of Aids."
It said the police just received information
from the International Concerned Community
regarding the issue.
Angeles Police
Chief George Gaddi said it is very unfair to the
Acpo to accuse them that they are the source in
giving bad image to the city. "We are, as a
matter of fact helping the city get rid of
prostitution. The information citing Angeles
City as source of Aids in the country is purely
baseless," he stressed.
"Regardless of the derogatory, misleading and
unfair reports regarding the City, the Acpo
continually execute ordinances made by the local
government. One of which is Ordinance No. 43-10
"prohibiting the charging of payment of bar fine
or escort's fee or similar activity commonly
imposed on costumers to take out women employees
or night clubs, cocktail lounges, bars, pub
houses and sauna baths, hotels, motels," the
police chief said.
Gaddi said Mayor Francis Nepomuceno even lauded
the Acpo for its intensive effort to get rid of
prostitution.
He added that: "The police will continually
pursue its operation against prostitution and
lewd shows to ensure that Angeles City is free
from unwholesome entertainment that maybe
catered to tourists."
Last Monday, a team led by Superintendent Pedro
Ramos, Angeles police deputy director for
administration, conducted raids on the DMZ Bar,
Honey Pot Bar and Blue Nile Executive Bar along
the stretch of Fields Avenue in Barangay
Balibago in the city and arrested a total of 61
bar girls and suspected pimps for allegedly
violating the city's "no barfine" policy.
According to Dr. Lucielle Ayuyao, head of the
Reproductive Health and Wellness Center (RHWC),
"Angeles City is the first sentinel area for the
prevention and control of human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV)-Aids."
RHWC is under the City Health Office that
conducts regular monitoring of this city's
entertainment workers particularly along Fields
Avenue.
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| 25 Jan
City Councilor Maricel Morales assails city
police for retracting statement that started
this crackdown. |
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Monday, January 28, 2008
Mayor's aide
says bars don't pay right taxes
ANGELES CITY -- "People have been circulating
lies about extortion among bars in Fields Avenue
because they have been affected by our campaign
to clean the collection of proper taxes. Those
profiting from the former system are the ones
circulating these rumors," Jose Humberto Tayag
of the Business Establishment Monitoring and
Registry Compliance Office (Besmorco) said.
City Director George Gaddi said there are people
from the City hall allegedly extorting money
from the bar operators and their employees after
the local authorities have implemented the "no
bar fine" policy.
Tayag said the "rumors are baseless". He said
there were no more extortionists in the current
system in ensuring that the bars in the area
follow the "rule of law".
"Our job is to ensure that employees of these
bars are protected," Tayag added.
He said the rumors surfaced after his office
began looking on the "real" income of bars along
Fields Avenue and the strict implementation of
no extortion policy among city hall employees.
"What we discovered is that most of these bars
are not declaring their real income and somehow
evaded paying the proper taxes," he said.
"They have been in 'vacation' for so almost
seven years, now I told them to pay what is due
do that they will not have problems," he said.
Some journalists present during the previous
press conference also said bar owners were
threatening to "pull out" because of the "no bar
fine" policy.
However, Tayag said the policy was the
implemented by the local policy.
In the past bar owners charge customers who
avail of "take out" service from commercial sex
workers usually amounting to P1,500 or more.
The transaction, however, was not documented in
receipts making it hard to trace.
The local police have implemented the ban hoping
to curtail the threat of the spread of sex
related diseases and regulate prostitution in
the city.
"If they are pulling out they are doing all of
us a very big favor," Tayag said.
Records gathered by this correspondent show that
there are around two hundred establishments
along Fields Avenue with small to medium bars
employing commercial sex workers as well the
usual employees.
Some bars with big number of employees only
report a marginal amount that if computed is
"impossible" to maintain such lucrative bars,
according to Tayag.
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Monday, January 28, 2008
Sumulong era
collections back in Angeles City
By Dante M. Fabian
ANGELES
CITY -- Despite the support pledged by businessmen
in the tourism industry here to increase tax
payments to the City Government, establishments here
are now seriously considering moving out of the city
as they allegedly face harassments and "underground
collections" allegedly perpetrated by some City hall
officials.
Old-timers in business here said the alleged
"protection racket" seen to kill the tourism
industry and affect even other peripheral industries
"is reminiscent of the 60s to 70s when Faustino del
Mundo, then feared as Kumander Sumulong, exacted
fees on businesses in the city and province."
They said the tourism industry is the backbone of
the city, including its real estate business,
supermarkets and most other businesses in the city.
They said Sumulong's activities were opposed by then
governor Francisco Nepomuceno.
The goons employed by Sumulong were hunted and
killed by armed group called the Mankis said to mean
Mang Kitong's.
Bar managers here said their investors are now
looking for properties to build new establishments
on in La Union, Tarlac and Zambales.
According to the managers, their investors can no
longer afford to come across with the alleged
underground collections estimated to reach P15
million a month.
They said harassment techniques, including the
rumors that Angeles City is the source of Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome (Aids) in the country and
accusations of prostitution in bars are now employed
by an alleged group at the City hall.
A "mamasan" here said lately, a City hall official
at the Sanitation division of the City Health Office
stopped the releasing of work licenses of
entertainment workers.
Another mamasan said a member of the Business
Establishments Monitoring and Regulatory Compliance
Office (Besmorco) has informed some mamasans that
the licenses will be delivered to the bars and a
"fee" of P1,500 will be collected in addition to the
P850 that the employees have spent for these.
Managers here have strongly rejected a scheme to
collect P50 per day from each of the employees in
the entertainment establishments here numbering
about 5,000.
They said: this was relayed to officers of the
League of Angeles City Entertainment Managers (Lacem)
by certain members of the Besmorco headed by
Humberto Tayag Jr.
A bar owner here said in December, they have agreed
to increase the gross annual sales to be declared
this year to support the administration of Mayor
Francis Nepomuceno in attaining an executive budget
for this year set at P1 billion.
They said this was upon the request of the city
treasurer Juliet Quinsaat.
Managers claimed that the group at City hall seems
to be determined to collect the alleged "underground
fees" from the entertainment workers.
They said their superiors have been trying to
contact City hall officials to resolve the mess but
to no avail, as Tayag their connection with
Nepomuceno and who was chairman of the Acta, had
gone on an indefinite leave.
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Despite
changes in the police commander, the clear lack of
direction from the city has resulted in one of the
worst January's that the entertainment district has
seen in years. Some clubs have much reduced
staff as many employees are not reporting to work
for fear of spending time in the Angeles jails.
Some of the bars are reporting sales off as much as
40% when compared with previous years. Hotels
that never have vacancies unless you book 3-4 weeks
in advance all have rooms available today.
Rumors are running wild. As with previous
crusades, I predict this one will pass and
business will soon return to some semblance of
normalcy.
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WHAT'S HOT |
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For me, more than ever, it's
Perimeter Road
that's hot. They are not taking much of the
heat from the current crusade, which is concentrated
pretty much on the Fields Ave area. A few weeks
ago I did my ever so often visit to Fields Ave and found
lots of customers disguised as empty seats and lots of
girls that had made a few too many visits to Jollibee.
All that and the drinks were only 50-70% higher than my
favorites on Perimeter Road. |
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LOST IN ASIA
currently has a good
lineup and good drink prices. Probably the worst
seating of any bar in Angeles, but the staff makes it
worth a stop for 1-2 drinks. |
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HONEY KO's
is still one of the best clubs on Perimeter Road.
Although it has it's slow days, like any bar, most days
here are great. Good drink prices and largest rum
& cokes on the strip. |
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FIRE AND ICE
has been one of the better Perimeter clubs since mid
2007. Currently a bit under-staffed, but still
always on my bar hop as I'm sure they will restock the
pond soon. |
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MIRRORS:
Yes, Mirrors in the Clarkton hotel is alive and kicking
again. I found no where near the 70 girls I've heard
about, but there are enough staff to make it worth a
stop.
And a surprise,
the drink prices are not higher than the other Perimeter
bars. |
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OPENINGS - CHANGES - ETC |
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CRAZY HORSE:
Opened in December where Magic Moments was
located (very close to the old wet market near Checkpoint).
Lots of controversy about how the new owners acquired this club
from the previous owner, who was a pretty nice guy. |
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CLUB ATLANTIS:
Had a soft opening on Thursday 10 Jan and
then the Grand Opening on Friday the 11th of January 2008.
Hands down the most spectacular club in Angeles City. The
club features 3 floors with a view of the dance floor.
Plenty of good seats on the first two floor and the third floor
has two "VIP PODS" which require a set fee (which I heard is
P3000) in consumables. Time will tell if Angeles
City is ready for a club of this size. I enjoyed my first
visit and will definitely stop in on my next Fields Ave bar hop.
Congratulations Derek!
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GOLDEN
NILE: Was scheduled to open
before the 26th of Jan, but the opening was delayed. The
best guess on the opening date that I can get from the group is
.... "soon na lang." |
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Not sure if they stepped on
some toes or what happened, but after years in the same place
the city recently made
Nifty's and
Club Rio cut 8-10 feet off the front of
the two bars. These places were small before, but they are
on their way to becoming closet sized. Still, it doesn't seem
to be effecting business too much. Still, it doesn't seem to be effecting business
too much. Note the Sweety's hasn't made any changes yet.
If they cut back I think they will have to close as it isn't
much deeper than 10 feet. |
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ERUPTIONS:
This bar opened in early December in the same building as the
Gentleman's Club and Dr. Holms. Pretty good sized club
with pretty active pool tables. Dancers start in
mid-afternoon. |
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BC Momma and Dragonstar have announced the
rebirth of the
Byrd Cage
The NEW Byrd Cage will be located where Confetti's used
to be. SOFT OPENING was in mid-January.
BC Mama and Dragonstar plan to recreate the bar that still
remained in their hearts and look forward to seeing all their old
Byrd Cage customers there as well as introducing new customers
to the Byrd Cage Experience! |
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STARGATE:
As a general rule I avoid New Years Parties
but this year I decided to go down to Stargate and watch the
fireworks. For a small club Neil went all out.
He closed Roadie's early and had the staff from both clubs at
Stargate. He had no cover charge and he laid on a pile of
free food. Then it was free drinks from 11 pm until
midnight! Boy the "balloon chasers" showed up for that.
Then at midnight he had 60,000 pisos of fireworks for a
rockin display that lasted over 40 minutes. Anyone not
driving got a free trike ride home after midnight. Great
job Neil!
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CLARK SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE NEWS |
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25 Jan 2008 Construction on Terminal 2
will begin on Clark in the second quarter of this year according to
Bienvenido Manga, the General Manager for DMIA. He says this
terminal will be capable of handling 8 million passengers per year (vs.
the 1 million pax that Terminal 1 is capable of handling).
Additionally, he says the in-flight catering facility which is under
construction by Miascor and Gate Gourmet will be capable of providing up
to 4000 meals per day. |
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Fontana - Six illegal Chinese workers in a massage parlor on Fontana
Resort were recently reported to be
giving "sex under the table." Fontana management
said the paperwork was being processed for these employees and it is looking
into the reports on inappropriate behavior. |
| MORE KOREAN'S Article about more
investments on Clark by a Korean firm. |
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The US Dollar has continued to
weaken. With the drop in the dollar, many hotels have
switched their rates from US dollars back to Pesos. At the
end of January the rate was $1 = P 40.0. |
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I can't remember how many times all the stalls have
been demolished along Real Street. But this week (Late
January 2008)
permanent stalls were under construction again.
How long will it be until these wooden shacks are
replaced with cement block stalls?
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In December I was unhappy to see the construction of
a permanent amusement park behind the stalls, just
across the street from Margarita Station. This
park has a spinning "disco" where the floor
drops away, a roller coaster, and a huge boat that
swings back and forth. I was sure when I saw the
speakers that we were going to have a severe noise
problem. But, it turns out that the Filipinos don't like
the roller coaster because it "throws you around and is
not comfortable." In other words, it is too
good! Almost like a real roller coaster despite
the small size. Not like the kiddy roller coaster
at Boom-na-boom. The lack of customers has kept
the volume down where it doesn't effect business. |
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TEQUILA
REEF |
Coming Soon,
TEQUILA REEF,
Angeles. The final details have been worked out
for the construction of a new restaurant in the heart of
the entertainment district. This project is going
to bring three EXPATS that have owned three different
Angeles City restaurants over the last 15 years,
together with the owners of Tequila Reef in Pattaya!
More details in future newsletters.
http://www.tequilareef.com/ |
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AMERICA IN CONCERT
ON CLARK: This should have been
in the last newsletter but I misplaced the photos. In
early December we were lucky enough to have the group AMERICA
perform a concert on Clark. The weather was perfect and my old
friends Dewey &
Gerry put on a good show.
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ONLY IN THE PI: Build
a nice parking area and then post a NO PARKING sign |
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I recently received some photos taken by some
motorcyclists checking out the almost completed expressway to
Subic. One EXPAT friend took a look at the photos and said
"Just think about how much rice they can dry on that roads!"
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Gerard's next
project in Angeles is the construction of an 11 story
building on the corner of Don Juico and .....
The 10th and 11th floors have already been sold as
deluxe condos. Some of the units will be used for
overflow units for the ABC Hotel. Other units will
be for sale for individuals wishing to reside in the
building or to invest in property that will be rented by
the building management. Construction should begin
soon now that the soil samples are back. |
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Construction continues on the
monster hotel near the Iglesia ni Cristo church on
Perimeter Road. |
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Construction has begun on the
Savannah Hotel. It is located between Honey Ko's
and the Clarkton on Perimeter Road. This is the
first building I have seen in Angeles with steel beam
construction. Wow, proper cement pumping equipment
too. Construction is going pretty fast in January. |
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DISCRIMINATION
IS ALIVE AND WELL IN ANGELES CITY! I
recently stopped into this small hotel in KOREA TOWN
(Friendship). A Korean man got all excited and was
running around looking for his Filipino manager. Finally
the manager showed up and told me I had to leave as this
hotel was for Koreans only. I told him I ran a
website that booked hotel rooms and yes we had some
Korean customers. He said "Koreans OK, but you go
now! No Americans. KOREANS ONLY, YOU GO NOW!" |
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Charlie's Apartelle opened in
late December. It's located on Malabanas Road just off of Don Juico
(Perimeter Road) near the Phoenix hotel. |
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ABC
NEWS: In 2007 the Angeles Beach Club Hotel
went from a hotel that many said would never work in
Angeles to one that is setting the standards for new
hotels. Since they first opened, the junior suites
are always 100% booked and the other rooms are not far
behind. We have moved the ABC onto our list of
hotels that we recommend you book 30+ days in advance if
you expect to get a confirmation for more than 1-2 days.
Some significant changes at the ABC Hotel this month.
First, the Filipino that had the contract for the Food &
Beverage has been replaced by Franz from Azzuro
Restaurant (over Lancelot). This should
drastically improve the quality of the meals at the ABC
and, if possible, make it even more popular. Also,
another big change is Dennis (from Insomnia) has moved
in as the General Manager. |
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RED TULIP
This is a Dutch owned hotel 4 blocks behind the
Gentlemen's Club in Josefa Subdivision. They have
pretty big rooms, but the location is not ideal for
tourists without their own transportation. If you
have transport or don't mind trikes, the rooms are
pretty big for the price (Big TV with DVD player) and
they have a nice quiet patio restaurant. Although
this hotel is not on our list we will be glad to assist
in making reservations at no charge. Just send
your request to:
reservations@theville.com |
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THE BANGKOK
HOTEL is located close to the intersection of
Fields Ave and Mac Arthur Highway. This boutique
hotel has 22 rooms, but they were fully booked when I
visited in late January, so no room photos.
Although this hotel is not on our list we will be glad
to assist in making reservations at no charge.
Just send your request to:
reservations@theville.com |
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JACK'S
is another boutique hotel being built off the beaten
path. With all the new hotels being built around
town there is bound to be a surplus of rooms in the near
future. This will be good for the local EXPATs
looking for a place to hide from their wife. |
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The
WALK-ABOUT HOTEL will also be located on Fields
Ave close to Mac Arthur Highway. Based on the
current construction it looks like this hotel should be
open in the summer time if they don't hit any hidden
Filipino snags. |
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SERVICED
HOUSE FOR RENT Still in the trial phase,
but we have had good feedback on this place. 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. You'll
probably want to rent a Balibago Buggie or a motorcycle,
but trikes are available close to the house. For more
details see
http://www.margarita-station.com/house.html |
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MISC |
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All old timers
from Angeles City will remember the
POWDER KEG.
Well, I recently found out that there is a NEW Powder Keg!
This Powder Keg is owned and operated By Paul And Mercy Bruno.
Paul along with his ex Army buddy Wayne, were both responsible
for the setting up and managing of the original Powder Keg in
Angeles City, Pampanga many years ago. It was a favorite
of my military unit back in the early 80's.
Alas the original Angeles City Powder Keg
is no more. But, Paul has recreated the atmosphere and menu that
made the Keg so special. The new Powder Keg is located on
Alona Beach on Panglao Island just off Bohol . They specializing
in authentic Italian pizza, subs and home made chili.
For their website, click on the Powder Keg
logo on the left. |
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That said, December didn't end well in our area. |
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LONG TERM EXPAT MUGGED AND ROBBED:
December 25th.
Santa Maria 2
Terry Coogan, a long term
resident EXPAT was mugged and robbed in Santa Maria 2 at
7:00pm on Christmas Day. Amazingly enough, Terry
was sober at the time. He was leaving his house when
two guys on a scooter came up behind him and clubbed him
with pipes. He says he did not see them
until he was laying on the ground. When they tried to
grab his wallet he held on until they beat him some more
with the pipes. |
Korean couple
found dead in Porac:
December 27, 2007
PORAC
-- Two Korean nationals were found dead at Go-Yhang Ville in
Barangay Manibaug Paralaya on Wednesday. Pampanga
Police Superintendent Rolly Mendoza, identified the
fatalities as Oh Young Kwan, 38, and his wife Lee Hyen Koung
of the Manibaug Paralaya village. Investigations revealed
that at 7:17 a.m. on Wednesday, the lifeless bodies of Kwan
and Koung were found beside their residence. Mendoza
said Kwan sustained a bullet wound on his left cheek while
Koung was shot in the head. The Porac police station
received a text message from a security guard at Go-Yhang
Ville, about the lifeless bodies of the two Koreans lying on
the pavement beside their house. Police found the
bodies and recovered three empty shells of .45 caliber
pistol. The children of the victims, aged 9 and 10
said they saw from their room two men wearing camouflage
pants, black jackets and black bonnets stabbing their
father. Mendoza said Koung was an educator in a Korean
school in Angeles City. The couple, along with their
two children, was residing in the village for 10 months now.
Police investigators have yet to establish the motive behind
the killing of the Korean couple.
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Robert Earl Priest, 51
a US Navy veteran, Bob was best known to many of us
as Bob from Bob's Mongolian BBQ (that use to be downstairs
from Dominos.)
Bob had cirrhosis of the liver and to make matters worse, he
got hepatitis. In May Doctors gave him 6 months to get a
liver transplant in order to live but alas, he never
found a donor. Bob died
died Monday, Dec. 21, 2007 at the Vanderbilt University
Medical Center. Bob met his wife,
Jocelyn, here in Angeles City.
he is survived by his wife Jocelyn Priest; children Steven
Michael Priest, Kier Formanas Priest and Stephanie Michelle
Priest; parents Michael and Mary Priest. Also surviving are
sisters Michelle (Bill) Robertson and Debbie Jones; two
grandchildren and several nieces and nephews. He is preceded
in death by his grandparents and sister Sandra Shillings.
Bob will be missed by many friends in AC and also
Barrio Barretto. |
| Nicolaas (Nico) Krabbendam,
51 On Christmas Eve Nico Krabbendam passed away in
his sleep from a heart attack. Nico had Foxy's Club in the old Southern
Star and later moved to the Field's Ave area and took over Butterfly Rock's.
He will be missed by his many friends in this town. |
| Bill Pond
On new years eve I was in Fire & Ice when word came in that
Bill Pond had passed away.
Bill was on the Fire & Ice pool team and most thought he was
in good health. He will also be missed by many
friends he had in Angeles. |
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I have been a
fan of Christopher G Moore's novels since I picked up my
first one many years ago. Most of his books are fictional
stories about the interactions between EXPATS and the locals
in Asian countries. His latest book, The Risk of
Infidelity Index is IMO his best novel, but Pattaya
24/7 was a great read too!
As his
writings have become more popular, his books have been
translated and published in other countries around the
globe. Currently his books have been, or are in the process
of being translated into, German, Japanese, Chinese,
Norwegian, French, Spanish, Turkish, Italian, Hebrew and
Thai. Additionally, he has sold the movie rights to several
of his books. In Thailand, his novels have been published by
Heaven Lake Press, and this publisher had done a lot to
improve the quality of the books and to reduce the price for
the readers. And now Atlantic Monthly Press in New York and
Grove Press in London have committed to publishing four
books in the Vincent Calvino series in the USA, Canada and
the UK so you don't have to get a trip to Bangkok to get his
latest novels. Look for the USA/English editions of Spirit
House in May 2008.
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You can see
reviews of all his books on his website at
http://www.cgmoore.com/
You can also order any of his books on line through his website,
or for people not in Asia, you can order his books through
Kagi or
on
Amazon.com
This month the
Italian edition of Pattaya 24/7 will hit the stores in Italy. |
Italian Version |
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