Later on that night when I was sitting in the bar I remembered my conversation with Shagger and it occurred to me that the mere fact there was a word such as campanologist demonstrated how much part of our culture the simple act of bell ringing is. Now I can see you readers running for your dictionaries looking for a definition of campanologist but let me save you the trouble a campanologist is basically someone who likes ringing bells and yes there are many of them out there and probably even some who are reading this article.

Shagger and I often have different points of view and usually they result in me having to write articles such as this to make him understand mine. No matter what he says about not understanding why people ring bells the fact is a lot of people do it including many AE members and it is very much part of the AC bar scene. As such I thought it would write down my thoughts and make an article of it. I hope you guys enjoy reading it and it is at least thought provoking plus entertaining.

When Shagger said he couldn’t understand why people would ring the bell in a bar this prompted me to think about the thought process behind the action and here are the factors I have been able to identify. I think the primary reason people ring bells is because they want to make a statement. I always compare this sort of behavior to that of drinking champagne in a bar. As the old line goes “why do people drink Champagne….. because they can. In other words they are making the statement that I can afford to drink Champagne and I think much the same thought process often underlies people ringing the bell. Is it showing off yes it is but at the end of the day it’s harmless to others and the brief moment of self aggrandizement actually benefit’s the bell ringer, the bar and the girls working there.

Talking about the girls this brings me to my next reason. Some people actually ring the bell because they know all the girls get a commission on the drink and this is merely an efficient way for them to buy bulk ladies drinks.It has often amused me to see how some customers become genuinely attached to a certain bar and the girls who work there and ringing the bell is for these people just another way to express this attachment. When I have presented this argument to people some have countered by saying I would rather express my affection for the girls by giving every girl on stage a 50 piso note. I usually counter this by saying well that helps the girl but it doesn’t help the bar whereas ringing the bell helps both.

The attachment people feel to a particular bar or the girls there in is often played upon to get a bell ring. A classic example of this was Mummy Perla of Neros fame who would find out when a customer was leaving and straight away if it was his last night she would get on the microphone and tell the Dj to play leaving on a jet plane. After the song was finished the girls would go into a rousing cheer of ring the bell, ring the bell and many times gentlemen customers did exactly that. For me this was annoying but I also found it interesting to see how they would use music in an attempt to trigger an emotional response and get the resultant bell ring.

One definite reason why people ring the bell is to celebrate. On many occasions I have seen people ring the bell to celebrate a particular event. For example some guys ring the bell to celebrate their birthday, their wedding, their new relationship with a girl from that bar, the birth of a child and so on. One thing about the bell ringing in the Philippines is that the ringer gets to leave a message these are usually painted on the wall, or the mirrors, or they are inscribed on a plaque or even marked by a plastic Gecko. I have often seen guys ring the bell because they want to leave a particular message for themselves and others to see in the future. The message acts as a reminder of the good times they are having in the bar.

Believe it or not some peoples motivation for ringing the bell is to take advantage of a certain situation or a special offer. One classic example of this is the voodoo diamond bell ring which costs 7500 piso and for that you get 8 hours all you can drink, one free ewr, one free bucket of balls, a t-shirt, a bar towel, 10% off food and drinks in kokomos, free 2 hour stay in kokomos hotel, a free pizza and a tray of daily shooters. In other bars such as Lollipop they give away free merchandise including T shirts beer coolers bar towels etc .

The bell ring is in most cases inextricably linked with the bell ringers ego. Some guys do it to show of how much money they have, some do it to create the number of bell rings in one night record, some do it so they look like big spenders in front of the girls and some do it just because they want to show they can party harder than the other customers in the bar. There are of course what I call the understated bell ringers and these people will get their partner or one of the girls to ring the bell for them preferring to let that person bask in the limelight rather than themselves. This is in some ways the direct opposite of the person who rings the bell to say hey look at me but at the same time it is a kind of reverse egotism sitting back and demonstrating you can pull the strings and make things happen without even being noticed. This is in some ways the puppeteer approach to bell ringing.

Ping Pong balls first came into use in Angeles from Thailand. I have asked myself many times why people would throw ping pong balls at the girls only to find out I do not have any real answer and yet I throw ping pong balls myself. When I sit back and analyze this behavior in myself I think I throw the balls because it is a cheap way of having some fun and at the same time giving the girls a little something monetarily, simply because they get commission from each ball collected. Other guys seem to get a kick out of watching the girls scramble for the ping pong balls whilst other guys like to use the balls simply as entertainment. Many times when I worked in Lollipop we would have ping pong fights across the bar or roll the balls down the street then sit back and watch the door girls chase them down Fields Avenue. For me the ping pong balls are harmless fun and just another money spinner for the girls and the bars. These days the ping pong balls have become part and parcel of the AC bar scene and vary from small buckets of ten balls which cost 300 piso through to giant nets of balls suspended above the girls which can cost up to 1000 piso.

There are so many fellows from different walks of life, and many levels of financial security (or insecurity) around here, who, honestly, have one common bond when they find their way to this village ¬¬– that’s the lure of the Filipina (they’ll sometimes develop other reasons as time goes by, but this, with damned few exceptions, is at the root of the attraction). This place is surely as great a testament to the lure of an available, attractive woman as there is in existence. Without them, I probably wouldn’t even know how to spell the name of the country, or even know where it is!

Of the years I have lived here, nearly all of them have been spent living in Angeles City, with the exception of a year and eight months I lived in The Barrio Barretto area of Olongapo City, in the Subic Bay Area.

The Subic Bay Area, at one time a larger bar scene than Angeles City (in the days of the American occupation of the Subic Naval base) is now a substantially smaller scene than Angeles (as of this writing in 2011). Through the years, in my “tourist” days (as well as while I’ve been planted in A.C.), Subic has always been a place I thoroughly enjoyed visiting for a three-day visit. I always wanted to live there, and I finally did, from October 2008 to May 2010.

The secondary lure (everything’s always secondary to the ladies for me!) of The Subic Area was the beaches and being close to the water. I grew up on the West Coast of America, so I take to being around the beach. Leaving the women out of the equation for now, I’ll share what I liked about living in Subic, and what I didn’t.

I enjoy spending the afternoons on the various floating bars. There were three when I was last there, and they all are just fine with me. The “Arizona”, The “Blue Rock”, and “Treasure Island” are all hotels that have floating bars tethered to their beaches. The GROs working on them vary, but mostly they’re good company while hanging out on those floaters. Nothing like this in Angeles City. The most popular beach area for expats is in “The Baloy Beach Area”, though the “Arizona” is quite nice, on the main highway; it does seem a bit windy there, at times, though.

As far as restaurants, there are more of them in Angeles City (as there is more of just about everything) than Barretto, but a very good meal can usually be had at The “Arizona” or “Blue Rock”. There is a lower-budget place just up the street from the corner where Club One is situated, right across the street from the former “Marmont Hotel”; it’s called “Sit & Bull”. This location was the “VFW” in my tourist days, and is known in the area for good solid meals at a reasonable price – it’s where the locals eat. There’s a pretty good English-style fish & chips joint on the main highway called “The Underground”. The “Dryden” restaurant, which once was my favorite place to eat anywhere, unfortunately didn’t survive the transition of Tom Dryden leaving it, but is now a pretty good fast-food-style spot next to The Wet Spot bar, serving a variety of sandwiches, pizza and snack foods. Right across the street from “The Arizona” is a little Filipino spot called “The Coffee Shop”, which makes a very popular taco and taco salad. It’s not the same as if you were eating in Mexico, but it’s a pretty darned decent bite to eat. People’s tastes in what-satisfies-them- in-a-meal vary so greatly that it’s almost pointless to spend much time recommending anyplace. If you ever decide to go/move to Subic you’ll come up with your own preferences, as we all do.

I’ve often been asked about the difference between Angeles and Subic as far as renting a house or apartment. I came away with the impression is that it’s not a lot different. There are more new complexes in the Angeles area. You can pay too much, and good deals can be found in both places. One thing they both have in common is that you’re best off hitting the pavement and looking for places with a sign and phone number out front. Realties and want ads aren’t as dependable as they are in the West for finding something you’d like for a price you’d be willing to pay. Subic landlords are quite fond of having you pay your lease money up front, and will sometimes offer substantial discounts for your ability to pay them a lump sum in advance. I’ve rented in seven different locations in Angeles and one in Subic. I found all of them by word of mouth or just having a look around.

There are quite a few expats leasing in the “Baloy Beach” area, in the neighborhood of the “Blue Rock”, “Wild Orchid”, and “Treasure Island” resorts. They, naturally enough, like to be part of the expat community gathered there, and enjoy its proximity to the better beaches in the area. I, personally, wouldn’t want to live on Baloy Beach because I found it to be a poor value-for-money – you are, in good part, paying for the beach that the rental is close to, which causes the leases to be pretty high for what you’re getting, in a great many cases. I know plenty of guys who are quite happy with what they’ve found on the Baloy Road, so just keep in mind that you can likely get a nicer place for your money if you venture away from this popular area. If you’re willing to pay the price that is, of course, your personal choice. One other thing I dislike about this particular area is the horrible road leading into it. With all of these popular resort hotels in there and the large expat community, I feel it’s downright stupid to not do whatever it takes to get this road paved properly. In the rainy season it often becomes almost un-drivable! The potholes and flooded areas are formidable.

During the rainy season The Subic area is far more flood-prone than Angeles. Where I lived in the “Santa Monica” complex (in close proximity to the “Dreamland Resort” area), the whole complex got flooded for three days once (it hadn’t happened to this degree in over ten years, but once is all it takes)! The water was waist-deep outside of the house I was leasing, and I had 21” of water in my bedroom/toilet/den area on the lower floor. A couple of more inches and the whole living room and kitchen area would’ve been flooded, also. If I ever live in Subic again (which I might) I’ll definitely look for higher ground!

When I continue this subject, I’ll go over other differences in the two areas, from my perspective. I’ll discuss what it is like to shop for basic goods, where things are located/convenience of location, the differences in the bar scenes, and what one area features that the other doesn’t.

Part 2:

In part one, I outlined my perception on the living situation in Subic (primarily the Barrio Barretto area, because that’s where I spent most of my time – that’s where the bars are, mostly); shopping, and where you need to go to do it, is outlined here, as well as what it is like to barhop here compared to Angeles City.

One of the reasons I decided to move back to Angeles, after nearly two years in the Subic area, was the availability of goods that I wanted, and how spread-out things are compared to Angeles. In A.C., I drive my old car about once every two weeks, and then only to go somewhere out of walking distance, like Marquee Mall, The duty-free stores on Clark Airbase, Perimeter bars, or to the immigration office. In Subic, I depended on my car nearly every day (it’s an old car, I’m not rich, and I hate to have to depend on it). I lived in the Santa Monica complex, Subic (close to Dreamland Resort), and I was driving to the bars and hotels in The Dryden group almost daily; I also needed to drive to downtown Olongapo or onto the Subic Base to the duty-free stores to do much in the way of worthwhile shopping. I also found I needed to drive to Angeles a couple of times a month to shop at SM Mall, Marquee Mall, or some other place. I’ll give you an example of what I’m getting at: once I went on a quest to buy some local honey, which is readily available in Johnny’s Market, JJ’s Market, SM Mall, and several other places I know in Angeles. I drove all over downtown Olongapo, the Subic Base, and Subic City, and never found any at all! I did locate some imported “Sue Bee” stuff in a small jar, but it wasn’t what I needed, and the price was horribly inflated. I drove to Angeles City on my day off and picked a couple of liters up at Johnny’s.

I have other examples of things the Subic shopping area lacks, but the above one stood out in my memory. Another thing that really annoyed me was when, on two separate occasions, I needed some duplicate keys and good quality photocopies; there was no place in The Barrio Barretto area to get either, even with all the expats jammed into that area. The only place I could get keys made (that I could find) was on the streets of downtown Olongapo. For photocopies, I had to continue on to the duty-free stores on SBMA, where I found a machine at the National Book Store (unfortunately for me, their machine wasn’t very good, but it was the “only game in town; I ended up re-doing the project the next time I went to Angeles).

This situation is due to improve! Our friend “Pok Pok Boy” has informed us that there is an SM Mall being built in downtown Olongapo, and an Ayala Mall (The Corporation behind Marquee Mall in Angeles) on Subic base, right by the entrance to downtown Olongapo. Even though it’s still a bit far from where most of the expats are living, it at least means that shopping will be easier and better than before. This is bound to draw more expats to the area, which will, in turn, draw more girls. I saw these two construction sites in late November of 2011, and they’re moving right along. I was told the SM mall will be in operation in about six months, and the Ayala mall in less than a year. If you kids or girls that you’d like to entertain during the daytime hours, there is “Ocean Adventure” marine park, with a dolphin/whale show on the base that I found surprisingly entertaining, along with a sea lion show. There is also the “Zoobic Safari” zoo, but I didn’t get to see this, as our group arrived too late in the day to go in. I’m not the best person to ask about such activities available in Subic, but it’s clear the area is growing again!

As far as the bars, what expats/tourists are looking for in a barhopping experience can vary quite a bit. The fact is there are less bars, and less customers. As the area has grown, so has the number of expats, and the number of girls hoping to meet them. More action, more girls, and vice versa. You should see it when ships come in. The volume of girls seems to double, coming out of the woodwork! If you’re one of the fellows who like to “drown” themselves in a “sea of girls” (putting it politely), this is far more likely to happen for you in Angeles, at this point, than it will in Barrio Barretto. Don’t get me wrong – I’ve seen plenty of happy fellows achieve “major party time” in Barretto! There are plenty of fellows who prefer this scene to Angeles.

Back before Pinatubo erupted, it was pretty much the opposite for these two areas. After the Americans left the two bases, Angeles grew out of the ashes to become the punter’s prime destination, while the bars of Olongapo were replaced by a virtual ghost town of empty buildings. The real “death-knell” came when this was compounded by the mayor deciding to shut down all dancing bars in Barrio Barretto. This caused what little scene was left to locate in the Calapandayan area of Subic City. Obviously, this is changing.

While Angeles City is still a far more active scene, I believe we will see this becoming less the case as time goes on, particularly with the much-improved access provided by the expressway, and the large malls coming in.

I’m aware that there are punters who are on a constant “feeding frenzy” for new faces in greater volume which, clearly, the Subic area is far less likely to provide at this moment in time, but I can say for myself that some of the best girls I’ve ever met were right there in Barrio Barretto, and I’ve got plenty of company in guys that agree with me. There were plenty of beauties I never managed to get to. As a good friend of mine said to me, “Sure, there are less girls here than Angeles, but how many do you need at any one time?” … and, too, as the scene grows, so will the volume of girls, just like it did in Angeles.

One perception that I have regarding the Subic scene that makes it preferable to the Angeles scene: the Gordon family seems to have the respect of the departments who routinely attack the Angeles bar scene in search of favorable headlines and big payoffs, under the guise of enforcing morality. I’m not personally aware of how far back it goes that a Gordon family member wasn’t the political leader of the Olongapo/Subic area, but they go back quite a way, and really appear to be respected enough to run the area without federal agency interference; the different agencies don’t come in over the local government’s heads like they do in Angeles City. In Angeles it sometimes seems like nobody’s really in charge, opening the door to seemingly rogue operations aimed only at foreigners, while turning a blind eye to the many native-run establishments who are far more guilty of the charges they throw at the “visiting teams”.

I’ve always enjoyed The Subic Bay Area, and I will continue to enjoy it. I can say that I hope to live there again. Even though Angeles is more convenient for me in a lot of ways at this point in time, I look back on my stay in Subic with fondness, and would certainly go back if the opportunity presented itself. I miss those peaceful days and nights at the beach! … and, not just a few of the beautiful girls I met!

In the Philippine bar culture there seems to be various degrees of lesbianism. For example what foreigners would often refer to as a butch woman or a dyke is referred to by Filipinas as a “tom boy”. Basically a tom boy is a female who exhibits masculine characteristics rather than feminine and this includes a sexual orientation towards females.

A lesser degree of lesbianism is referred to as a T/Bird. These are girls who retain some feminine characteristics but again their sexual orientation is towards other females rather than males.

A third degree and again a lesser degree is basically the Bisexual girl. The Filipinas tend to refer to girls such as this as lesbians but in the strictest sense of the word they are Bisexual not lesbian. These girls are often quite hard to pick because they retain their feminine characteristics and have an equal sexual orientation towards both men and women.

The first and easiest to explain reason why so many bar girls indulge in lesbian behavior is because it represents comparatively safe physical pleasure with little to no downside. This is sexual pleasure without any draw backs. There is little if any physical wear and tear on either participant’s body, there is little chance of STD’s and life threatening diseases and there is no risk of unwanted pregnancy. For many women having sex with other women has only positive aspects without the negatives. It is all about sexual pleasure without the associated risks that are an integral part of heterosexual (male female) sex.

A second reason which is particularly applicable to Filipina’s working the bar is what I call the comfort level. Put simply when they are having sex with another Filipina also working the bar it is in many ways like being in a proverbial comfort zone. This occurs because the Filipinas are in a similar situation having similar experiences (both working in the bar), they have similar cultural experiences, similar backgrounds, a similar language and of course a similar sex drive achieving climax through exactly the same means as each other. The comfort level is further increased by the fact that because both partners are the same sex they can more easily understand and empathize with the feelings and emotions each is experiencing and they can understand the problems that one or both may be experiencing. When it comes to Filipinas working the bar a sexual relationship will often start off as a friendship and then over a period of time expand into a sexual relationship. With the initial friendship as the basis this makes for a very comfortable situation for both parties.

I distinctly remember a gay friend of mine in Australia arguing that homosexual sex was far better than that of heterosexual sex. Like a fool I asked him why and he went on to argue that only a man can truly know what pleases a man. I have heard many lesbians apply this same logic as they argue only a woman can truly understand a woman and therefore only a woman can truly satisfy another woman. Personally I have serious doubts about the validity of this argument as it discounts the natural desire to propagate the human species however when taken into consideration it certainly helps explain why lesbianism would be on the increase amongst the Filipina bar girls. It is an undeniable fact that man will never totally understand women and women will never totally understand men however the level of understanding especially amongst same sex partners must inevitably be increased. Indeed when I have questioned some same sex female partners they always emphasize how they understand each other much better than a man could ever do.

Another factor which should be taken into consideration especially when it comes to the Filipina bar girl is that their fellow females make better sexual partners than Filipino men and foreigner men. Let’s face it the average foreigner customer is not exactly a prime specimen of manhood and chances are he is going with the girl purely for his own physical satisfaction and the Filipino men mostly view the girls as ‘putas’ or prostitutes and their actions towards the girls will reflect this attitude. However when it comes to their fellow bar girls there is no judgmental attitude since both girls are in the same situation, each partner is most likely in prime physical shape, they share the same physical and emotional needs and each will get turned on giving satisfaction to the other.

There is an old adage which states “men fall in lust, women fall in love” in other words men have sex for the sake of physical satisfaction but women have sex to satisfy both physical and emotional needs. If this is true then it makes sense that girls working in the bar environment would be attracted to each other since they have sex for similar reasons and are looking for the same things from the sexual experience. Given they are looking for similar things from the sexual experience it makes sense that bar girls will often turn to each other to meet those needs. It is also important to note that when the bar girl goes with a foreigner most of the time she is doing it for the money and in her mind he is “just a customer”. On the other hand when she goes with another girl it is for both the physical and emotional satisfaction. For the Filipina bar girl the female to female relationship can become very important and it is not uncommon for them to develop strong emotional ties to each other.

There are numerous other reasons why bar girls experiment in lesbianism not the least of which is an anti male feeling. In the Philippines the incidents of rape and molestation are alarmingly high and a large percentage of this is from relatives. In many cases women who have experienced rape or molestation at the hands of a male will turn to other women for their sexual satisfaction. This is almost like a backlash against men and a suppression of heterosexual desires. One lady whom I was to become involved with for a number of years I met inside Firehouse bar in 1994 and it was on our initial meeting where she informed me her nick name in the bar was “tomboy”. At the time I really had no idea about the implications of this name but was soon to find out it meant she was sexually attracted to other females and take it from me she was rampant amongst the bar girls perhaps even more than I was. We became involved in a rather stormy relationship and it wasn’t until many years later when we were discussing her bisexual desires that she told me about her experience of being raped and molested by her father in law during her early to mid teens. We discussed her feelings towards this experience and both agreed that this was probably the driving force behind her attraction to women and she recognized the fact that these feelings represented a rebellion against males.

There are many subtle psychological and sociological reasons why Filipinas will partake in lesbian behavior. Firstly there is the control factor which often goes hand in hand with the corruption of innocence. When a woman is having sex with a man she is normally the subservient partner however when it comes to having sex with another woman she is at worst in an equal position and many times in a dominant position. For example in the bar world it is common to see the more experienced girls sexually pursuing the less experienced girls or even the cherry girls. In this scenario there is definitely a power factor where the experienced girl gets a sense of power from corrupting or at least bringing the less experienced girl to their level. It’s a way of saying you are exactly the same as me even though you may have less experience. Lastly when they have sex with a less experienced girl the more experienced partner is in control and as such assumes dominance.

Recently I asked Drummer to cite a few reasons why he thinks Filipina bar girls so often experiment with lesbianism and the following is one of the points he bought up. It’s psychological thing…they are told from birth that they are worthless and nothing and their only purpose in life is to help the family financially, and that if men cheat on them, that it is expected. So now that they have found themselves working in a bar, they succum to what they have been told and “act” like a bad girl, so as to be the “best daughter” in the family. Everyone turns a blind eye as long as the money is coming in. Now that they consider themselves to be “bad”, they are free to do anything badgirls do. including lesbian activities. Its kinda like “see how bad I am now?” Much as the bakla makes everyone wrong by acting over the top, after a failure with women he “becomes” one

Other reasons why lesbian like behavior is on the rise in the Philippines girlie bar scene include the fact that women have less psychological barriers towards same sex sexual experience. You will often see women kissing and hugging in a much more intimate way than men will ever do. For the Filipina bar girl it is just as natural and acceptable to kiss hug and have genuine feelings towards your fellow bar girls as it is to engage in the same behavior with a male.

When the girls from the province first enter the bar life it is a somewhat radical change from their existence in the province and they find themselves in a strange world where they are lonely because they have few to no friends and they are existing in an unfamiliar world with unfamiliar rules. One effective way to relieve this loneliness is to develop a friendship or a sexual relationship with another girl working in the bar.

So far I have given examples of how the lesbian or bisexual behavior is seen as being natural and accepted but there is also an element of taboo that surrounds it. The feeling of doing something taboo or just slightly naughty appeals to the teenage sense of rebellion that seems to be an integral part of all teenagers throughout the world. This feeling of flirting with a form of behavior that is not socially acceptable is summed up by the Katty Perry song “I kissed a girl and I liked it”. This song highlights the titillation that comes from engaging in a form of behavior that she has been taught to believe is unacceptable. It is the thrill one gets from breaking the rules. This feeling of excitement and titillation definitely plays a role in the Filipina bar girls world and makes the lesbian experience exciting and enjoyable. Lesbianism represents a breaking of the rules and rebellion against predominant social mores which is why it is exciting and therefore attractive to many bar girls.

The Filipina have a reputation worldwide for pleasing their man and in bar girl terms this may well take the form of engaging in whatever sexual behavior they know turns the man on. Many bar girls know that if they please the man sexually they increase their chances of receiving a bigger tip and at the same time they realize many men get turned on by the girl on girl experience. As a bar manager nearly every second day I am asked does such and such a girl play well with others or will she do the girl on girl experience or Martin I want a girl who eats pussy. Some guys will even bring in their girl friend or wives and ask for a girl who will “play” with their partner. Bottom line here is that the lesbian like behavior is being not only condoned by the customers but actually actively sought after by male customers.

Often the lesbian behavior and the lesbian relationship will develop as a result of emotional rebound. On many occasions I have seen bar girls become emotionally involved with a male only to have that relationship dissolve and in a type of emotional rebound they have fallen into a lesbian relationship. There is definitely an anti male aspect to this behavior but more importantly I think it is just a safe way to fill in the emotional void that is left after a relationship dissolves.

As in most aspects of life there is the inevitable factor of money. Many of the so called tom boys or full on lesbians who adopt the masculine characteristics will become involved with the bar girls because they know the bar girls have access to foreigners and therefore have access to money. Often the tom boys will use the bar girls and pimp them out worse than the real Filipino male and of course a large percentage of the girls earned money will always be kept by the TomBoy . I am glad to say this aspect of lesbianism is getting less and less and only exists in the main part around the fringes of the bar scene.

Lastly there are several other more superficial reasons why lesbianism is on the rise in the Filipino bar scene. It is good harmless fun, it is a way to pass the time with little to no downside and very often it is just a manifestation of the desire to experiment and have some fun, it is an expression of sexuality and most importantly it is easy sexual satisfaction and gratification.

I distinctly remember working in Visions in Manila in 1992 and there was this cute petite little girl named Lyka. I remember how she had a cherubic face with a dazzling smile and a mixture of flirtatiousness and beguiling innocence. She was a little dark skinned beauty so after spotting her for the third time and making eye contact I decided fortune favors the bold and invited her down for a drink. As she walked off the stage to come and join me I observed how she grabbed a shawl and put this around her. She had a delightfully sexy walk and I remember thinking as I watched her cute little hips swaying provocatively how nice it would be to nail this one and I felt an old familiar swelling just anticipating the action.

Lyka sat down and then dazzled me with that beaming smile as I mumbled something to the waitress about a ladies drink. We sat and talked for a while and I remember thinking how this girl had a kind of childish innocent appeal which was really attractive. Everything seemed to be going well and after 3 drinks Lyka was subtly flirting with me so I decided to pop the question, Hey Rosie I think you are a really pretty girl and I was wondering, would you like to come back to my hotel room”? Rosie looked at me with another beatific smile giggled and replied, “I go with you but I am cherry girl”.

Well talk about shot down in flames, I had been rearing to go, I had this beautiful firm bodied young lady who seemed to be into me and everything was looking really good until those dreaded words came out of her pretty little mouth. I was literally dumbfounded and didn’t know what to do. My perplexed state must have been amusing for Lyka as she simply smiled and said, “no problem Martin you get 2 girls but other one no cherry girl”. At the time I thought all my Christmases had come at once and I must admit I ended up taking one of Lykas friends as well as Lyka and had a very entertaining night.

In the end the situation turned out to be very advantageous for me but the point of this story is the disappointment and frustration I initially felt when confronted with the simple truth that the girl I was interested in was a virgin. I remember thinking at the time these damned cherry girls should be banned from the bars what a waste of time and money they were. As time passed I was to come into contact with many cherry girls and with many people who couldn’t stand them and many people who were ambivalent about them and others who swore by them and dedicated tremendous amounts of time and money to procuring that elusive cherry.

Cherry girls are observed by different people in different ways with some swearing by them whilst others find them frustrating and a total waste of time and money. The purpose of this article will be to examine the cherry girl phenomena and highlight her role inside the bar as well as examining what they mean for the customers. Hopefully through reading this article, visitors to the bar will gain a better understanding of the cherry girl/bar girl and develop an effective approach towards them.

When it comes to the bar there are actually several different types of Cherry girl and they can be categorized as follows

1. The true virgin.

2. The girls who have lost their virginity but still claim to be cherry girls for a variety of reasons.

There are a number of reasons why a non virgin girl working the bar would claim to be a virgin and these include

She has lost her cherry but has never been with a foreigner so for foreigners she claims to be a cherry girl. This is generally referred to by mongerers as the strawberry girl.

A girl who has had a bad experience and this has put her off sex so to avoid having sex with bar customers she claims to be cherry.

A girl will claim to be cherry because it gives her greater leverage in deciding who she goes out with.

A girl who lost her virginity in what she considers a “bad” way, (for example a girl who was raped or lost it by engaging in lesbian activities) and rather than confront the painful emotions she now convinces herself and others that she is still a cherry girl

A girl who is genuinely lesbian or frigid. To avoid having sex she will tell you she is cherry.

A girl who restricts her sexual encounters to Filipino men and /or Asians only. Rather than tell you this she will simply say she is cherry and use that as a convenient excuse not to go with you.

A girl who thinks your penis is to big so rather than admit she cannot handle it she will say she is cherry and avoid you and herself losing face.

A girl who has a boyfriend or a regular customer coming soon and she wants to be “tight” for him.

A girl who knows you and who you are involved with (for example your wife or girlfriend) and as such does not want to go with you. Rather than just state the truth many girls will simply make the I am a cherry excuse which in her mind is a nice way to decline your offer of sex.

A girl who knows your reputation and is afraid if she goes with you she will be critiqued by you. Rather than admit this fear she will once again look for the easy excuse which is normally claim to be a cherry girl.

A girl who has only recently lost her cherry but doesn’t want to admit it. She is still in denial and as such will try to convince herself and others she is still a cherry girl.

A girl who knows you well and realizes she cannot play you for money, love support or whatever. Rather than admit this she will simply make an excuse not to go with you and one such common excuse is claiming to still be a cherry girl.

For all of these categories I would like to extend my thanks to Drummer who was as always an invaluable source of information when I was writing this article.

Moving right along it is now time to look at the real virgin and examine her role in the bar. The Filipina virgin in the bar looks like a contradiction in terms but in fact the truth is far from that. The simple fact is that whilst the bar is selling sex the virgins who know nothing about sex often fit in very well and earn good money for both herself and the bar. In a business that is selling the promise of sex I have always found it ironic that virgins should be employed but from personal experience I can positively state that cherry girls, for the most part, make money for the bar and themselves.

Ok, so the question must now be asked how do cherry girls make money in the bar environment. The most obvious answer is they become very proficient at getting ladies drinks. Whilst the normal girl has two options at her disposal, (the promise of sex and her ability to communicate with the customer) the cherry girl only has her ability to communicate with the customer. In many cases it is almost as if they compensate for their lack of ability to offer sex by becoming proficient at communicating with the customer.It is not unusual to find cherry girls among the ranks of the top drink getters in the bar.

In most cases cherry girls working the bar regard their virginity as an asset which when sold will bring them a large amount of money. Whilst working in the bar I have heard negotiations for a girls virginity from as high as 100 thousand to as low as 30 thousand. It is important to note here that normally the mamasan’s will get a cut of the cherry girls money which partly explains why mamasan’s regard cherry girls as profitable propositions. On another level the point to realize here is not how much the customer has to pay but rather that the girls themselves and others in the bar regard virginity as a precious possession which in the bar has an actual economic value. The girls themselves realize this and it is often the need to make money by selling their virginity that drives a cherry girl to work in the bar in the first place.

Contrary to this in the Philippines we also have what is referred to as the “professional cherry girl”. These are girls who work in the bar for a long period but maintain their virginal status. These girls survive mainly by hustling ladies drinks but they have also been known to go out with customers accompanied by another non virginal girl who will perform the sexual acts whilst the cherry girl watches without physically partaking. In my experience as a customer this can be fun but overall it is a waste of money since normally the cherry girl does absolutely nothing when it comes to sex.

Communication is a major factor in the cherry bar girls world. On many occasions I have seen male customers just spend time chatting to cherry girls whereas for other girls they tend to cut to the chase and make the EWR proposition almost immediately. The cherry girls learn how to communicate with the customer more effectively because this is their major tool used for earning money and the customers seem to find the cherry girls more friendly and in some ways less imposing. It’s almost as if the customers feel like they have less expectations put on them by the cherry girls plus they find the innocence attractive. I remember one Asian Escapades member who would bar-fine a cherry girl quite regularly and buy her drinks in the bar. When I asked him why he replied, “it’s a bit like being a teenager again and having a summer camp crush”. When sex is taken out of the equation, as is the case with cherry girls, communication seems to flow more easily and this is combined with the attractiveness of innocence making the cherry girl a very inviting proposition.

Another factor which explains cherry girls presence in the girlie bars is their physical attributes. It is a commonly held belief that a virgins body is tighter and firmer which are attributes that many male customers of the girlie bars look for. One major advantage that the cherry girl has in her favor is the fact that she is seen as being non threatening by the other girls. On many occasions I have seen customers together with their girlfriends bar fine cherry girls and the girlfriend will allow this because she finds the virgin girl non threatening and less likely to steal her boyfriend.

In bar terms the cherry girls are almost like a trainee or an investment. At first they cost the bar money but in most cases after a short period of time they produce far more than they cost and when they lose their cherry within a short period of time they are often the most prolific bar finers in the bar. On many occasions I have seen guys come into the bar and buy the cherry girls a few drinks just to maintain contact so as they can be the first man after she looses her virginity. Some other advantages for the bar are the fact that cherry girls only have to attend hygiene once every three months and the fact that they are less likely to “sneak out” with customers. In short they are not time consuming and less of a hassle for the mamasan’s.

The cherry girls can actually add a lot to the bars atmosphere simply because they have a child like sense of fun and normally the other more experienced girls enjoy playing with them and teasing them and most importantly they tease the cherry girls about sex. Last but not least the Filipina cherry girls are renowned for engaging in sexual activity without losing their virginity. I am talking here about cherry girl blowjobs something which I always found a most pleasant experience because it combines sexual gratification with the sense of innocence. To many being a cherry girl and engaging in oral sex may seem contradictory but in the Philippines it is simply seen as maintaining ones valuable asset whilst being practical and earning money. For the man it is great because it is sexually pleasing and secondly it is gratifying to know the girl cannot have sex with you but she is doing her best to make sure you are satisfied, without as they say, “going all the way”.

As always there are two sides to every story and this is certainly the case with cherry girls in the bar. On the downside cherry girls can be an exercise in frustration. On many occasions I have seen people come into the bar, take a fancy towards a girl, buy her a ladies drink only to find out she is a cherry girl. The result is invariably disappointment as they know nothing will happen and they feel like they have wasted their money buying the girl a drink.

Another bad thing about cherry girls is if they give up their virginity they will inevitably fall in love and will be more like a limpid mine than a pleasant companion. If a Filipina is in love with you this will in the vast majority of times cramp your mongering and you will normally find you are expected to meet some serious obligations that go with taking the virginity. In the Philippines it is never as simple as taking a girls virginity there will invariably be numerous hidden strings and expectations attached.

Even though I have never made it with a virgin I have talked to many girls and many customers about the experience and from what I have heard it is not a particularly pleasant experience. It is painful for the girl and painful for the man. It is messy and generally there is no sexual satisfaction for either party. Worst of all there will always be substantial expectations attached to the giving up of the virginity and these expectations can be very expensive both economically and emotionally. Last but not least the taking of virginity leaves you open for a variety of problems and pressure particularly from the girls family to the extent where you may be forced to marry her or at least provide a substantial monetary payment.

In the end we can say what we want about cherry girls but love them or hate them they are here to stay and it is my sincere hope that this article will help readers understand the concept of cherry girls in the bar, give an insight into their world and furthermore help readers formulate an effective approach towards them.

Looking down Blow Road towards Honky Tonk bar.

The Angeles bar scene has changed dramatically since the times when small back to basic blow job bars proliferated however given their history the blow job bars on A. Santos Street with their back to basic style and promise of sexual gratification to some extent represent the beginning of the commercialized bar business and their continued existence 40 years later demonstrates that they represent the hidden heart of the Angeles bar scene. The Blow Job bars are basically the cheaper end of the Angeles bar scene, the drinks and the bar fines are also cheaper with an emphasis on instant sexual gratification in the form of an on premises short time. In a way Blow Road represents the cheaper sleazier side of the Angeles bar scene and it primarily attracts people who are either on a budget or seeking a no nonsense blowjob by an accomplished performer. Having said that here is also an element of wealthy patrons who regularly visit blow road simply because it represents great value for money and they like the no nonsense, results orientated, approach. There is also a certain element specifically amongst the wealthy patrons who are attracted the more simplistic sleazier side of the bar business. Here in the iconic Blow Road its back to basics and what you see is what you get its cheap sex in cheap surroundings and in its own way an essential part of bar business that attracts us to Angeles and makes us refer to this little dust bowl as paradise.

The Black Pearl still remains the quintessential blow job bar.

Another bar, the name of which now eludes me, used to specialize in “sample blow jobs”. This involved the customer walking in and sitting at a large table with a curtain underneath it, the girl would then crawl underneath the table and proceed to perform oral sex on you. The sample blow job would last for 3 minutes and would cost a massive 100 piso. If you ejaculated during the sample the cost would be 300 piso. Whilst this may seem cheap it was in reality a clever marketing ploy since 90% of the time the male customers would pay for the girl to finish what she had started which would involve an extra 300 piso payment, for the short time, on top of the initial 100 piso for the sample.

Another thing I really liked about the old days was the bar lingo that evolved around the blow job bars. Back then they almost had a type of secret language to describe certain actions. For example it was common place to hear lines like, “Honey ko I give you Colgate BJ” (This was a blow job with toothpaste which would cause a slight tingling especially when a menthol flavored toothpaste was used) or “it’s nice with ice” (this was a blowjob where the girl would be halfway through and suddenly put ice in her mouth causing a sudden chill). In today’s blow road these sayings seemed to have faded into obscurity and have been replaced by a more direct parlance where the girls will simply offer you a blow job straight out and not bother with quaint little expressions.

The Blow Road Bars are very much the antithesis of the bigger, higher profile, commercialized, girlie bars that seem to be proliferating in the modern day Angeles bar scene. The A. Santos Street bars unlike their bigger sister Fields Avenue bars are small and epitomize the no frills approach. In these bars you can expect to find a small balcony area overlooking the street. This area will traditionally have comfortable chairs where patrons can mingle with the girls who work in the bars and enjoy a cool drink while they watch life on the street go by.

Shagger and his new found friend at Shadows.

Shagger happily ensconced on the balcony of Gobbles.

Mvpimp surrounded by a newly found fan club on the balcony of Shadows.

The Honky Tonk girls are unique in that they actually wear a Honky Tonk bar uniform.

Two new little spinners at Honky Tonk looking good in the red Honky Tonk uniform.

One major difference between Blow Road Bars and Fields Avenue bars is the type of girl you will find and how they are presented. In the bigger Fields Avenue bars the music is louder and the girls are presented in bikinis as they gyrate their bodies on a well lit stage. Typically these girls will have their hair done, their nails polished and will wear makeup along with high heals or even boots. The Blow Road bars are a far cry from this, here the girl’s wear little if no makeup, and there is no commercial presentation of sexuality. These bars place an emphasis on the no frills approach where the girls wear little if no makeup, flat heal shoes, no lipstick and very basic clothing such as shorts and a t-shirt. The girl’s sexuality in these bars is raw and uncompromised, in most cases they know exactly what their job is and how to perform it. Do not expect fashion sense or cultural erudition from these girls, they are here to perform a job and in most cases they are extremely skilled at it.

Two of the little hummers from Shadows bar

One interesting aspect of the Blow Road bars is that the girls receive no salary but instead survive on “commission only”. In Fields Avenue it is not uncommon to see salary hikes as the various bars compete to attract the hottest girls and the cost of these salary hikes is passed onto the customer in terms of higher prices. This is certainly not the case in Blow Road where all the bars neglect to pay the girls working there any salary. The no salary aspect keeps the girls keen to get a customer and to perform well. The blow road girls rely on the customers tips as much as they do the commission from the bar. It also has the pleasant effect of helping to keep costs to a bare minimum which is passed onto the customer in terms of lower prices. When I first discovered this back in 1996 I was working in Illusions and several girls from a blow road bar came and worked there. The girls lasted for two weeks then slowly but surely began to drift back to the blow road bars where they came from initially. I was perplexed by their disappearance figuring that since they received no salary in the Blow Road bar they must be making more money in Illusions. After they had left I posed this opinion to Wolfy the owner and he promptly contradicted me saying in actual fact the girls could make more money in Blow Road even without a salary than they could at Illusions. I asked him how is this possible and he replied “do the math’s”. “A productive girl in Blow Road can do 3 or more short times a day followed by a long time” At this period in time the short time was 500 peso of which the girl got half as commission and the long time was 1000. In short she could earn 750 piso commission on the short times plus whatever the customer tipped her then on the long time she could earn a further 500 plus whatever the customer tipped her when completed. With the average tip in those days being 100 for a short time and 300 for a long time the girl could earn 1850 piso for a days work. On the other hand in Illusions she had to dance and would get a salary of 100 piso. The bar fine in those days was 1000 piso and the girl would get 500. The average tip was 300 piso which would mean earnings of 900 piso for a nights work. The money may be better and the work less physically strenuous in the BJ bars but there is also a downside and that is the fact that in the normal dancing bars the girls work a 9 hour shift but in the BJ bars they work a 12 hour shift.

One thing I always found amusing was the seemingly contradictory advent of the cherry girl blow jobber. For me a girl who maintains her virginity yet is adept at oral sex is a contradiction in terms yet in blow road this is a common occurrence. Many times I have met girls who in line with the moral traditions of Philippine society have maintained their virginity yet these same so called good girls are more than adept at performing oral sex. Once again I think this boils down to economic reality juxtaposed against societies moral expectations. The girls get a job performing oral sex to meet economic pressures yet to stay in line with moral expectations she remains a virgin. I have always found the idea of young innocent cherry girls performing oral sex for a living contradictory and at the same time intriguing. They are definitely one of the contradictions that make blow road such an interesting and unique place. For the experienced mongerers whose taste veers towards the ‘fresher” inexperienced girls then the Blow Road bars should certainly be checked out periodically.

A cute cherry girl in whose mouth butter wouldn’t melt yet she can perform oral sex in the blink of an eye.

When it comes to teaching the new girls how to perform oral sex several methods are utilized. Firstly there is the practical demonstration using a banana or zucchini. This is normally conducted by the mamasan or by the resident bakla, (the baklas or gays are a fact of life in the Philippine blow job bars), or by one of the more experienced girls. The banana demonstration will normally be accompanied by a running diatribe from the person instructing and the more experienced girls who always seem to want to put in their two cents worth whenever these instructional events occur. A second method will just be word of mouth where a mamasan or older girl will take the new comers aside and simply answer any questions the new girl may have. A third method will be the new girls just keeping their ears and eyes open. Often they will listen in to the conversations of the other girls or the baklas both of whom will commonly swap graphically detailed tales about their experiences and techniques utilized. Lastly they have what is certainly my favorite teaching method where a new girl is invited by a more experienced girl to actually watch and sometimes participate, in a real life blow job.

Over my years of managing bars and living in Angeles I have been asked many questions and in regards to blow road some of the more common are what is the average age of the girls that work here, do they do threesomes and do they have to go to social hygiene like the girls working on Fields Avenue. To be truthful I have no idea what the average age of the girls working in the bars is but I can state that it is always worth checking out the blow road bars because there is nearly always some new recruits arriving from the provinces and being part of their learning curve I have found to be a very pleasurable experience. We also asked the girls what were the peak times for customers and they told us from 5 to 8 and then again from 2 to 4 in the morning. From this we hypothesized that many customers will come down blow road to get their rocks off prior to starting their bar hop and then later in the early morning hours there is the second wave of customers who having failed to find anything that takes their fancy in the mainstream Fields Avenue bars will visit the Blow Road bars for quick sexual gratification.

There are also a number of other commonly asked question and two of the most common are do these girls go to hygiene and where NOT to go on Blow Road or more accurately what bars not to frequent. The answer to the first question is yes the girls on Blow Road have to go to hygiene once a week just like the girls who work the Fields Avenue bars. In regards to the second question when people ask this they are generally referring to the Baklas or the lady boy bars. Up until about 2 years ago the Lady Boys were a constant on Blow Road hunting for customers day and night but thanks to a police crackdown these days they are less prevalent and only really come out at night time. What’s more when they do come out you will normally find them on the left hand side of the road (looking down A Santos Street from Kokomos). As the night progresses the lady boys gets bolder and make their way to Fields Avenue where they normally hang outside La Bamba Rhapsody and Lollipop all bars which are closed by 3AM.

Other commonly asked questions include are the girls photo friendly and do they do threesomes. When it comes to photographs on the whole I have found the girls approachable and photo friendly except when performing oral sex activities. They will always draw the line at this point, in fact none of the bars would let us take a photo of their short time rooms for fear of repercussions. In regards to threesomes well I have managed to do this twice with blow road girls but on the whole it has been my experience that they are not so much into it. They will easily do two girls performing oral sex but when it comes to “playing” with each other they tend to play shy and decline. It has been my experience that these girls learn very quickly to regard sexual activity especially blow jobs as a job and not for pleasure. Many people have asked me is this area safe at night and are there mamasans or bar managers in these bars. In regards to the safety question I have never encountered a problem here but my advice would be to stay away from the Baklas as consorting with them in the early morning hours will invariably lead to trouble. With the advent of the new up market hotels such as the Pacific Breeze and the Wild Orchid this area has indeed by cleaned up, street lights put in and the sleaze element is much less pronounced than in days gone by. In regards to the Mamasan and Manager question the answer is yes for both. All Blow Road bars will have a Mamasan who will often double up as the manager or even head waitress. This is a prime example of multi tasking in order to keep the operating costs down. One bar Honky Tonk has a well known manager/owner named Ken who is always ready with a yarn or two shared over a friendly drink.

Wow cocktail lounge which is frequented by both lady boys and real women.

Despite the numerous detractions of the Lady Boys they are not all bad and do indeed perform a valuable service when they teach the girls how to perform a blow job. I have heard it said many times that only a man can truly know what another man wants and I have come across several guys who swear by the lady boys saying that they give the best blow jobs they have ever had.

As in all things change is inevitable and over the last five years with the coming of the up-market hotels on A. Santos Street (Blow Road) has certainly seen some changes. With the coming of hotels such as the Wild Orchid and the Pacific Breeze the area now sees a more up market clientele walking on the street as opposed to the less financially flush locals or long term tourists who are bargain hunting.

The outside of Honky Tonk which greets customers as they walk out of the Wild Orchid hotel.

The Honky Tonk managers table. Note the chairs great for relaxing in with some good friends.

Ezindebar enjoys the company of a new found spinner friend at the managers table in Honky Tonk.

Some Honky Tonk girls in uniform. All of whom have well honed oral skills.

Shagger enjoys the company of two Honky Tonk girls.

The well stocked bar at Honky Tonk sets it apart from other BJ bars.

The comfortable lounges where the Honky Tonk girls willing to chat and have a few drinks with you.

Behind the balcony area overlooking the street is generally a small area which includes a wet bar area, a basic sound system, normally a cd player with a limited selection of musical cd’s, one or two small tables and chairs, occasionally a pool table, overhead fans, a single overhead light bulb and some very basic kitchen decorations. The range of alcohol on sale is normally limited and in some of the bars they do not stock imported Whiskeys, Vodkas, Bourbons or other imported drinks. On the positive side the drinks they do serve are very reasonably priced and make a refreshing change from the Fields Avenue bars.

Inside the black pearl.

A sign of the times. The Black Pearl diversifies and installs computers.

The very limited range of alcoholic beverages in Shadows Bar.

The drinks price list in Shadows, notice the limited number of imported alcoholic beverages.

Gobbles and Honky Tonk bars
Local customer drinks 50p
Imported customer drinks 150p
Local ladies drinks 120p
Imported ladies drinks 180p
Short time 700p
Long time 1200p

Other bars in this area include The Black Pearl Shadows and Heaven Bar. Their pricing is as follows.

The Black Pearl
Local customer drink 50 piso
Imported customer drink 120 piso
Local ladies drink 120 piso
Imported ladies drink (Tequila) 120 piso
Short time 700 piso
Long time 1500 piso

Shadows Bar
Local customer drink 50 piso
Imported customer drink 120 piso.
Short time 700 piso
Long time 1300 piso

Heaven Bar
Local customer drink 50 piso
Imported customer drink 120 piso
Local Ladies drink 120 piso
Short time 700 piso
Long time 1300 piso

Blow Road is in many ways an anachronism and harks back to the old days of sexual gratification on the premises. With the new hotels and condominium developments moving into the area people have prophesized that Blow Road cannot last in its current form. Whilst the logic behind these prophecies was sound the Blow Road bars seemed to have defied logic and they continue to carry on much as they have always done offering cheap customer drinks cheap ladies drinks and blow jobs in short time rooms out back. It is true to say that many Blow Road bars have increased their prices but these have only been marginal increases and it is still markedly cheaper than most Fields Avenue bars. Another change is in the physical appearance of the bars. The owners of bars such as Honky Tonk have spent a little money sprucing their establishment up but this is only a surface level change and once you get passed it and into the short time rooms out back the game is much the same as it always has been where licking and sucking are the order of the day.

Now for me who has lived and visited Angeles for many years Honey Ko’s is just another bar but very obviously for Charles this was something new. After seeing his reaction it was then that I realized there are probably many people in the same boat as Charles and maybe a basic guide to the different sorts of bars would be handy for tourists. So without further ado it’s a quick thank you to Prince Charles for the inspiration and on with the guide.

Directly after Mount Pinatubo exploded the bar scene in Angeles was fairly basic and there was very little difference between one bar or another. Most bars featured a basic sound system, a solitary air-conditioning unit, a minimum number of dancers and a limited range of cheap booze. The bars ranged from basic hole in the wall blow job bars through to what (judging by today’s standards) can only be described as very basic go-go bars. The main customers back then were Americans and Australians as was shown by the vendors and street sales people who would hail you as “hey joe” or alternatively would say “gooday mate”. The expat community was decreasing in size as the Americans prepared to leave and the base was virtually out of commission due to the large amounts of volcanic ash (lahar) scattered everywhere. Occasional tourists seeking a cheaper venue than Manila would come up but mostly it was a very basic and some would say a dying bar scene.

From 1991 through to 1997 the bars slowly developed and eked out an existence but then a major player in the form of the Blue Nile group moved in with the building of Neros.

After Neros and founded by the same company came Blue Nile Blue Nile Executive.

I have called this article From Golden Nile to Gobbles because apart from the alliteration aspect these two bars in my opinion represent totally opposite ends of the bar spectrum.

A second type of medium size bar as exemplified by Carousel, La Pasha and Fantasy are what I call the new breed medium size bar. These bars are slightly larger in area to that of Roadhouse or Angel Witch and they have what could best be described as a more commercial ambiance which is reflected by their clientele.

There is also a third type of medium size bar and they are bars such as Owls Nest, Eager Beaver and Honey Pot. Physically they are much the same size as the La Pasha group of bars and they have much the same pricing structure. But that is where the similarities end. These bars represent for want of a better term the old school. All these bars have been here under one name or another for over 15 years and in the case of Owls Nest for over 20 years. In these bars you can expect to find fewer girls and less razzmatazz. The pricing is slightly less than other Fields Avenue bars and the main type of customers are those who like to monger but shy away from the glitz and glamor of the more mainstream bars. Mostly the customers here are people that know the Angeles bar scene well due to the fact that they have been coming to Angeles or living in Angeles for many years. Generally speaking these customers are the ones who gravitate to the older style bars which represent the fond memories they have of yesteryear in Angeles.

So far I have only dealt with the mainstream bars on Fields Avenue but there are many bars in Angeles which are in another league all together. The majority of these bars are in Don Juico Ave or Perimeter Road as it is colloquially referred to by the locals. Like Fields Avenue bars there is a variety of bars here ranging from the more commercial larger type bars as exemplified by Eruptions and Stargate through to the smaller hole in the wall bars that offer the very basics and nothing more such as Niftys and Rio’s.
The bigger bars are perhaps best exemplified by Stampede, Cherrys, Emotions and Eruptions.

A prominent feature of nearly all Fields Avenue bars is the so called managers table where a number of regulars will sit around and swap tall tales while watching the girls and the goings on of their favorite club. The managers table is important in that it sums up the approach of these bars and the market they appeal to. There are of course many tourists who visit these bars because the price is less but on a day to day basis these bars depend on and cater for the expat or regular visitor.

One hole in the wall bar that is an exception to the rule is the Hangout. This, as the name implies, is basically a small outside drinking bar where many long term expats from all over the Philippines gather to have a drink or ten and basically hangout as they swap tales and watch the world go by. The emphasis here is on a social gathering with heavy consumption of alcohol this really is Angeles cheaper equivalent to the pub.

There are a number of different types of bars in Angeles and this article no doubt only scratches the surface. Indeed it was not my intention to do an in-depth report on all the bars of Angeles but rather just to give readers a broad overview of what to expect when visiting the different types of bars in Angeles city. For more specific information on some of the bars mentioned here please feel free to refer to the Asian Escapades bar review section.

Now some of you may ask what the heck is mjibbo doing utilizing famous quotes about the seasons. Well I must admit it is an unusual way to start an article but when Shagger suggested the topic “Seasons of Angeles” for my next column I just couldn’t resist it.

The seasons have always influenced man-kinds existence and it is no different when it comes to the Angeles bar business. Technically speaking Angeles only experiences two seasons, the rainy season and the sunny season, yet despite this these seasons influence the bar business quite dramatically. In fact the influence of the seasons is clearly shown by their alternative names. The rainy season is referred to as the quiet season or the slow season and the sunny season is referred to as the peak season or the busy season.

The seasonal variations in the weather have a direct effect on the Angeles bar business for example the months June through to October are officially considered the rainy season and are alternatively known as the quiet season because this is the time when there are less tourists in Angeles.

Traditionally these months are the summer time in Europe and America so as a result there is always less customers during this time period. Conversely these months represent the winter time in the Southern hemisphere and during these lean months visitors from the Southern Hemisphere countries have provided the bulk of tourists for the Angeles bar business.

During the so called rainy season the Southern Hemisphere customers are also joined by customers coming from Asian countries and by a healthy number of eternally horny expatriates who have made Angeles their home. The main Asian countries that supply the customers include Korea, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and mainland China. Together these two distinct groups keep the Angeles bar scene alive during the slow season.

There are a number of advantages to visiting Angeles during the slow season not the least of which is the number of girls. During the slow season the number of customers goes down and the number of good looking girls goes up. Many of the girls who during the peak season find a supporter and leave the bar now find themselves in the position of having no support and as a result come back to work in the bar. This creates a situation where there is a large number of girls and a low number of men. The bottom line is; lots of girls and less competition for their services.

One of the things I have always liked about the rainy season is the girls attitudes. All of a sudden the average customer in the eyes of the bar girls can go from Quasimodo, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, to Brad Pit the object of woman’s desire.

This does not occur because of any change in the customers appearance but simply because due to the lack of customers the girls are finding it harder to make money and as such are getting less choosy who they go out with. Secondly there is less competition (customers) for their attention. Because there are fewer customers in the rainy season the girls tend to exhibit less “attitude” and generally speaking they are friendlier. They are also keener to go bar-fine and perform well because they need the money.

During the rainy season the girls outnumber the guys and their attitudes towards the customer tend to be a lot different. In short it is a “buyers market”.

Christmas in July party at Neros

Of course these are generalizations and there will always be exceptions to the rule however over the years I have certainly found these generalizations to hold true and the rainy season for me has always been a great time to visit Angeles.

Nothing is ever perfect and there are of course several negative sides to visiting Angeles during the rainy season. Firstly the very obvious point that it is raining and the resultant complications this causes for customers. The infrastructure of Angeles is haphazard at best and when it starts to pour going bar hopping or just about any activity can be time consuming and not really a pleasurable experience. Most visitors to Angeles travel by the cramped trikes whilst this is not a particularly comfortable means of transport at the best of times it becomes dam right inconvenient during the rainy season. What’s more it is during the rainy season that the flu’s and colds seem to proliferate and invariably you will be exposed to them as you mingle in the bars having close contact with the girls and other customers.

In the hedonistic environment of cheap booze and beautiful available young women it is only natural that many bars act as a sort of party venue where people let their hair down and enjoy life to the fullest. During the rainy season the number of people in town is less and there is a sort of dampening of the party vibe simply because there are less people in the bars and therefore less interaction with the girls. If you are looking for social interaction and a raging party scene then the rainy season is not an ideal time for you.

Because the town is quieter the locals have been known to become more desperate so as a result the vendors are slightly more aggressive and some bar staff will resort to little scams in order to make that all important extra piso on the side.

The Angeles bars often act as a sort of party venue which is only natural when yare somewhat unique in that they offer act as a sort of social gathering place Mention downside of rainy season if you like to hang round the guys there is not so much comradeship the bars are more prone to hustle you and perhaps push for the easy money such as ladies drinks or little scams. There is an air of tension almost palatable fewer parties or fun events attended by a large number of people less outside activities such as pool parties can get a cold easily wet then air-con the vendors and beggars are slightly more aggressive less pool parties and things simply because it is raining and there is less people in town to attend them hard to travel anywhere especially by boat or to a coastal destination and why would you want to do it anyway when it is raining.

The so called managers table at Vortex. There was a time when this table was one of the busiest in town.

Watch out Tiger Woods here comes Shagger and mjibbo. Please note mjibbos intense concentration as he prepares the perfect pitch and put.

Pool parties at the Lewis Grand.These can get pretty raunchy and are a classic example of the sort of fun one can have outside the bar during the On Season.

A busy bar during the On Season and noticeably there is a large representation of AE members.

The DogHouse always a popular get together for just about everyone.

Normally during the peak season there are more customers but less girls available. Often visitors will come for a period of 2 or three weeks and rather than bar fine a different girl every night many will just take one girl out of the bar and have a sort of short term relationship with her. Every year the good looking girls or the more experienced girls will find somebody who is willing to support them, albeit for a short period of time, and as such they will stop work in the bar. The chances of this happening increase dramatically when there are more visitors in town.

Another very basic disadvantage of the On Season is that it is more expensive to travel here because the air fares are at peak rates. In the rainy season you will be able to purchase tickets for as much as 20% less than during the peak season.

All in all each season has its advantages and disadvantages however one thing remains constant and that is Angeles and the bars are always a great place to visit no matter what the time of year. This is the town of sexual adventure and total hedonism. As my opening quote so eloquently stated “Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.”

#1. Make sure you have cellphone numbers of lots of local friends in your phone. I can’t stress this enough, as you will need someone who can speak for you to arrange transport, tell the doctors what is wrong, and oversee EVERYTHING, including admitting, diagnosis, treatment, drugs, tests, and thru to the point you pay the bill. If you don’t have many friends locally, befriend and get the phone numbers of every bar manager, bar owner, hotel owner and restaurant owner and manager that you can. They live here, they will know what to do and where to go.

#2. Familiarize yourself with the local hospitals so you can tell someone where to take you quickly, in case time is of the essence.

#3. Keep a paper in your wallet that states if you are allergic to any antibiotics, or other medicines.

#4. If possible, get a 2nd opinion. Many persons have noted that unnecessary operations can occur locally so that the resident surgeon or hospital can make extra income.

This is a 3rd world country and you will not be admitted to a hospital unless some form of guarantee can be given that you have the ability to pay or someone else can.

Ambulances are old, slow, stocked with old or almost zero equipment to help you on the way to the hospital. Common emergency items are surely lacking including a gurney, resuscitator, IV drip, heart monitor, and all the things you have seen on television medical shows and movies.

Tell the emergency room staff (or have your friend tell them) that you are a patient of
Surgeon Dr. Noel Yamzon from Angeles University Medical Center 045-625-2999, local 2205, or Cardiologist Aristides Panlilio from Accumed Diagnostic Center 045-887-1198, or General Medicine practitioner Dr. Esmeraldo De Guzman Jr. from Community Medical Services 045-893-3329

Don’t worry if you have never met any of the above. They all have so many patients, they won’t remember if they have seen you before or not, and will treat you if you call them (during office hours). Just tell the emergency staff you are under their care and they need to call them ASAP. This will ensure the hospital staff are on their toes, as now they will have to answer to someone in case of a mistake, and now you have a REAL doctor that has dealt with foreigners before…

Since you are a foreigner, you will be charged more for medical services, so ALWAYS negotiate your final bill, ask for a discount. You can save money and they will do it when firmly asked.

In general, the Manila based facilities are MUCH better equipped and better trained, so if time is not an issue, get to one of the better Manila locations.

Network…any GSM phone that operates on 900/1800 mhz will work. This includes many models by Nokia, Sony/Ericsson, Motorola, and HTC and even Chinese models. If your phone simply has the name of your carrier on it, such as Cingular, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile,Vodaphone, O2, etc…check the actual model number of the unit first to verify coverage. CDMA only phones will not work here.

Providers….Smart, Globe, and Sun. Each company has certain benefits and drawbacks so just pick the one you like. Both Smart and Globe support data services so you can access the internet, email, video calling and more, using GPRS, EDGE, 3G, UTMS, HSDPA. This guide will answer most of your questions about using a cellphone with Smart or Globe. As I have never used SUN, I will simply post a link here for you to read about their services: SUN Cellular

Can you use your phone from your own country here?
if it is already network unlocked, meaning you have verified that it can be used on a telcom provider, other than the one you bought it from, YES
if not, one can usually get it unlocked in one of the many cellphone shops along Fields Ave, or at Savers Mall, SM Mall, or Nepo Mall.

Should I bring my phone with me or just buy one here?
Well, that depends. If you think you need to have all of your foreign contacts with you while here, then yes. If you just need a basic phone for calling and texting, one can be purchased for as little as p1500 brand new. That being said, your phone might have lots of bells and whistles that a cheap local phone won’t. But, many use a dedicated phone, just for the Philippines, so they reduce the risk of getting their foreign, expensive phone lost or stolen.

Basically, you buy a pre-paid SIM card, which costs anywhere from 80 pesos to 150 pesos and add load balance to it. This will now be your local Phils number. You will place it (usually underneath the battery) in your new phone, or the phone you brought over with you. Load can be added by buying a reload card and following the instructions on the card, which consists of scratching off a hidden pin number and sending a text message or making a free call to reload, or by purchasing Eload (electronic load) from one of many roadside shops or going into the telcom provider’s business office.

Texting Messaging and Predictive Texting
Get ready though, as filipinos have an interesting way of abbreviating their words, and sometimes use phonetic spelling, or "TAG-lish" so you’ll have to ask a buddy to read and decifer your incoming messages.

English speaking persons have the option of using their phone’s built in dictionary while composing text messages. Sometimes called T9, it can be activated in the phone menu, and it can really save a lot of time. Words, next letter and even next sentence choices are spelled out in advance of the word being completed, and can be chosen while typing. So instead of typing the word HELLO with 13 key presses, it can be done in 5 key presses. Be careful when spelling new words when in T9 dictionary mode, as if you mis-spell a word, it will be offered as a word choice every time until you enter so many new words as to overwrite your custom words.

To Check your balance with SMART
CALL 1515, you will hear some beeps then be disconnected. You will then receive a text message with the balance.
TEXT 1515 and send to 214
You will then receive a text message with the balance.
Use the SMART menu and select Buddy Balance.

To Check your balance with Globe
CALL 222 You will then receive a text message with the balance. This costs 1 peso.
TEXT bal and send to 222 You will then receive a text message with the balance. This is free up to 8 times a day.

To Reload Smart using a reload card by calling
CALL 1510fourteendigitpinnumber
using the pin number you have revealed by scratching off the hidden section

Reloading Instructions for Globe Call & Text Card
For GLOBE Handyphone local [Philippine] subscribers
1. Dial 223 and press Send
2. Follow the voice prompts
3. Enter the first 10 digits [Call Card Number] then press #
4. Enter the last 6 digits [Call Card PIN] then press #
5. A voice prompt will then confirm if the load attempt is successful

For GLOBE Handyphone US Roaming subscribers
1. Dial *123* + call card number + PIN + # sign. Do not put spaces in between this sequence.
Ex. *123* 1234567890123456#
2. Press SEND.
3. Wait for this confirmation message to flash on the screen. “Please wait while we process your request.”
4. You will receive a message shortly after. “Reload successful new balance is Pxxx”

International Text Roaming is really great, as you can keep in touch with persons in the Philippines and it costs them one peso to send a text message to you, as if you were still in the country. Many persons use two phones when back in their home countries, one with the SIM on roaming to receive messages, and their local foreign phone for replying. Roaming can also be used to deny incoming calls while here in the Philippines, to ensure your privacy, location, and/or help you get some needed sleep or continue with your business meeting, uninterrupted. In this case, although you can send and receive text messages, you will be unable to make or receive calls.

Roaming with SMART…
Activating International Text Roaming
Simply text "ROAM ON" and send to 333. Roaming activation will occur within one (1) hour, usually instantly. (Important: Remember to activate pre-paid roaming before leaving the Philippines.)

When your Buddy Roaming service is activated you will be able to send and receive text messages in over 100 countries in the world, anytime for only P20 per send; enjoy zero-charging for receiving text messages while roaming; and disallow all outgoing and incoming calls (even while you’re in the Philippines).

To deactivate the roaming feature upon your return, simply key in "ROAM OFF" and send to 333. De-activation will occur within one (1) hour, usually instantly. (Remember to deactivate upon arrival in the Philippines to restore voice calls.)

Once overseas it is free to receive texts as long as you maintain a 100 peso balance.

Checking your pre-paid peso balance while roaming
To check your PESO balance while roaming:
Type in ?1515 and send to 214
You will receive a text message stating your latest available balance.

To check your FREE text balance:
Type ?1516 and send to 214
You will receive a text message stating your latest available balance.

To Reload using a reload card thru text:
Through text, you can also reload SMART Buddy with a few simple commands:
a. Lightly scratch off the protective ink on your Call and Text Card* to reveal the 14-digit PIN.
b. Type in "RELOAD <’14 digit PIN’>" and send to 1510. NOTE, there is a space between reload and the pin number.
c. If you wish to load another phone number than the one you are texting the reload command from, type in "RELOAD <’14 digit PIN’> <’phone number’>".
d. You will receive a text message confirming that the reload attempt is successful

Roaming with Globe
Just text GROAM ON [Start Date] [No. of Days] and send to 2884.

For example, if you want to activate your roaming on September 26, 2009 for ten days, just text GROAM ON 09/26/2009 10 send to 2884.

Make sure that you have P500 balance before activating your International Roaming. You also need to maintain P500 daily load while abroad to ensure continuity of your roaming service. You may request for roaming activation 7 days before departure or at least an hour before departure. Maximum number of days for activation is 180 days.

P100 maintaining balance while roaming is permanent.

RATE
Required Activation Balance Php 100
Required Maintaining Balance Php 100

The following grace periods will apply after completing your requested roaming days.

No. of Requested Days and Grace Period*

* Roaming service will remain inactive while under the grace period.

Reminder: You can only request for activation while you’re in the Philippines. If you go below the required maintaining balance, Globe Telecom will give you a text notification to reload within 24 hours, otherwise your Roaming service will be deactivated.

How to apply for extension of the Prepaid International Roaming Service:
To request for extension of your Prepaid International Roaming, just text GROAM EXTEND [no. of days] and send to 2884 before your roaming request ends. Maximum number of days for extension is 90 days.

You can extend as many times until you reach the 180 days maximum allowable roaming days.

Regular roaming text charges apply. Make sure that you have P 500 balance before making a request. You also need to maintain P 500 daily load while abroad to ensure continuity of your roaming service.

Reminder: You must request for extension at least a day before your roaming service ends.

How to make calls while roaming with Globe:
1. Dial *131* + country code + area code (or operator code) + called party’s number + #sign. Do not put spaces in between this number sequence. (e.g. *131*6327301000# ). Press SEND.

2. A confirmation message will flash on your screen.

"Please wait while we process your request."

3.Then wait for your phone to ring and you’re automatically connected.

Reminder: Maintain P80 in prepaid credits to avoid getting your call cut off due to insufficient balance.

Maintain P95 in prepaid credits to receive calls.

How to check your balance while roaming with Globe

1. CALL *122#

2.You will receive a confirmation message "Your balance is Pxxx", stating your current balance.

Checking your balance while roaming in CANADA, just by text BAL send to 2215

*Balance inquiry is free of charge and is available to you 8 times daily. On the 9th try, you will no longer receive a balance update.

For HELP while roaming, you can call Globe’s 24/7 Customer Service Hotline * Prepaid clients can call *131*6327301212# from your mobile (toll-free)

You can also email Globe at "custhelp@globetel.com.ph" for help on your roaming. You can even request to reactivate your SIM’s roaming feature thru this email.

SMART PASALOAD
The world’s first service that allows your friends and relatives in the Philippines to send load for as low as P2.00 from their SMART cellphones.

To send load to your roaming SIM, they just have to text < your roaming sim#> space < amount> and send to 808.

Ex: Text 09182211333 2 send to 808
Available PASALOAD denominations: P2, P5, P10, P15, P20, P30, P60

SMART Ask 4 load
With Ask4Load, you can now ask for load and pasaload from anyone subscribed to the SMART Network.

How to Ask 4 load with your Smart account:

dial *808 followed by the 11-digit mobile phone number of the person you are asking.

Example: if your friend’s mobile phone number is 0917 123 4567, just call *80809171234567

They will receive a text message asking them if they want to send YOU 5 pesos load, by replying with YES or NO before midnight. If one does not wish to, the request can simply be ignored as well. You can request askforload twice a day.

GLOBE ask-a-load
Globe Prepaid subscribers can Ask-A-load from another Globe Prepaid or Globe postpaid subscriber.This service is NOT available for Touch Mobile subscribers.

How can I Ask-A-Load?
Ask-A-Load by simply texting the (amount) to (26+10 digit handyphone number). NO need to register.

Example, to ask P25 pesos from 09176660353:

Step 1: Text in the amount, say 25

Step 2: Send to 269176660353

The person you are asking load from will receive a text advise asking for load. If the person who received the request agrees, he/she simply reply by texting his Share-A-Load PIN. If the person you are asking from doesn’t have a Share-A-Load PIN (first time users of Share-A-Load service), he/she can simply text YES and the P25 load request will be transferred. To accept succeeding requests the Share-A-Load PIN is required. To register, go here: Globe Share a Load

SMART Person Finder
Ok, so you have children or a wife girlfriend that you wish to be able to locate their general location. If you were told someone is in the province, you can do this search and if it shows Balibago, Angeles City, well, you’ll know something is amiss…

This only works with SMART so both phones must have a SMART sim card.

First make sure you have access to the cellphone of the person you wish to trace. Then using YOUR cellphone, type WIS

For example WIS Karl 09181111111 and send to 386

This costs 2.50 pesos per text

The person you want to locate will receive a text message asking for your permission to locate him/her on THEIR cellphone. Using THEIR cellphone, you can authorize yourself as someone allowed to trace them. You can also password protect this feature so it cant be turned off without the password.

Once you’re authorized, you can locate the cellphone by sending either WIS (name) or WIS (registered number) to 386. This costs you 5 pesos.

I don’t know about you guys but the social hygiene department is an aspect of the bar life that I have always taken for granted and never really looked into. In fact whilst researching this article I was forced to realize just how little I knew about the whole system. Writing this article and doing the associated research was in many ways an eye opening experience for me, as I hope it will be for you the reader. Whilst on the subject of research I would like to send a massive thank you to Mark Hollywood for his undying support, patience and of course his willingness to give me the vast amounts of information he has accrued over his many years of living in the PI. Without his help and guidance this article would never have been possible.

Social Hygiene is located on the corner of A. Santos street and C. Surla street.

So what exactly is this organization referred to as Social Hygiene? Basically this is a local government run organization that employs doctors and nurses to conduct weekly and monthly medical checkups on the girls working in the Angeles bars. The primary check up is for Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD’s) in particular Neisseria gonorrhoeae. This procedure will take the form of a visual examination and a vaginal swab which is then placed on a culture slide and examined under the microscope. When conducting the visual examination they are looking for rashes or other signs indicative of infections such as the fungal infection Candida. With the swab they are examining, solely for gonorrhea. According to my sources they do not conduct specific checks for Chlamydia, Syphilis, UTI’s or any other sexually transmitted diseases but rather they tend to rely on observation of the physical signs associated with these diseases.

The testing for and treatment of gonorrhoeae is as follows. “A urine test & a swab test – collecting fluid from the penis or vagina by placing a swab in the opening of the urethra; this causes brief discomfort. Early treatment of Neisseria gonorrhoeae is simple & effective, & involves a single dose of antibiotics. In addition, the treatment of Chlamydia is also advocated. (It is common to have these two STD infections together – 50% have both)”.
In terms of the medicines used to treat gonorrhoeae the most common are as follows

Treatment of Gonorrhea:
“Cipro® XR 500 mg a single dose, or
Levaquin® 500 mg a single dose, or
Tequin® 400 mg a single dose;”

Treatment of Chlamydia:
“Doxycycline 100 mg 2-3 times a day for 10-14 days, or
Zithromax® (azithromycin) 1.0 gm a single dose, or
Zithromax® Z-pak® (azithromycin) – 500mg on day 1, followed by 1 tab (250mg) once a day for 4 more days
To avoid re-infection, any sexual partners should be treated too”.

The girls can get the treatment from a private medical doctor or from Social Hygiene doctors but either way in order to get their health card back and to work in the bar again they must be treated and proven to be negative at a smear conducted by at Social Hygiene.

The Social Hygiene Department works closely with City Hall to control and regulate the bar industry in Angeles. Basically there are 3 important documents issued by Social Hygiene and/or City Hall and these are The Pro Book,

The Pro Book,

The License Card

The Health Card

The blue Card costs 300 piso and represents a one off payment to city hall. This money is normally given by the bar and then deducted from the girls salary which contrary to popular opinion becomes the property of the girl not the bar. This means that should a girl wish to transfer bars she is legally entitled to her license as it is not owned by the bar. On many occasions I have seen mamasans extremely reticent to hand the girl’s license over but the fact is the girl has paid for it and it is legally speaking her property. This is an important fact because many times a girl wants to change bars and the mamasans realizing how important to the bar a productive girl is, will often try to hold her by holding the blue card license.

The Blue Card basically provides official recognition that a girl’s identity is recognized as is her age and as such she is now registered in the system. It also serves as a type of official ID verified by the official system. The Blue Card is issued on a yearly basis and as the next year commences it is automatically renewed without the girl having to undergo the interview process again. Once the Blue Card has been issued the girl can now apply to get the white health card.

The Blue License card serves several important purposes. First and foremost it is a form of ID which states that the local authorities to the best of their knowledge recognize this girl as being of legal age to work in the bar. Secondly it serves as proof that she is registered within the official system governing the bars operations. Thirdly it is a means of keeping track of the girls as they work in the bars. Fourthly it acts as a sort of official ID. Fifthly it represents a sort of go between for the LACEM association and city hall officials working in Social Hygiene. Lastly it is a handy revenue raiser for city hall and the bureaucracy.

The next important card is the White Health License. Each week on a specified day the girls from all the individual bars must go to Social Hygiene for a smear which is examined then and there by a social hygiene recognized doctor. Upon completion, the girls attendance and the fact that they have undergone the smear is recorded on the white health care card and in their Pro-Book.

The entire procedure is conducted in conjunction with a Mamasan or other senior personnel from the bar together with the girls. The process of a physical observation and the actual smear is done at the Social Hygiene building and the girls will wait while her swab is examined. This is normally a fairly quick process and if she is negative for any STD’s she will be given her health card and Pro-Book back appropriately marked and will then be free to leave. The actual results are not recorded on the Pro-Book or White Health Card as this is considered private information between the girl and the doctor only. The Pro-Book and the Health card merely indicate that she has attended smear and since they are kept by City Health Officials if she fails smear then the fact that she has them on her person implies that she was negative when tested.

If a girl tests positive for gonorrhoeae or is observed to have physical symptoms of another STD her White Health Care card is confiscated by Social Hygiene and she is not allowed to work until she has another smear and tests negative. The girl is then prescribed the appropriate medicine which is sold at a reduced price within social hygiene. The girl is allowed to work but not allowed to go EWR once she has undergone smear again and it is negative she is given back her White Card and Pro-Book.

The white card and pro book are very important documents to official doom and Social Hygiene together with City Hall employs teams of personnel to periodically check the health cards of the girls in the bar making sure that every girl has a card and every girl has undergone the smear and physical observation check at Social Hygiene. The White Card and Pro-Book are numbered and this becomes the girls official number within the system.

The smear costs around 120 piso per time per girl which in turn pays for the Social Hygiene service and contributes to city hall coffers. The majority of bars will incur the expense and this will then be deducted from the girls salary however some bars pay for the smear and do not deduct it. These bars are very much in the minority and most owners consider this a cost that should be passed onto the workers. Given the quantity of girls now working in the Angeles bars and given that the common practice is to get numerous bars to attend at the same time, the smear process can be time consuming and often they will commence proceedings at 7am untill 3pm Monday-Thursday and until noon on Fridays.

The smear is not conducted when the girl has menstruation. When menstruation occurs, the girls is given a waiver coupon and she is instructed to return in a week’s time for the smear. The girl is also allowed to work during this period even though she has not undergone the smear. In the case of virgins they must go to social hygiene every 90 days and there the vagina is inspected to make sure the hymen is still intact.

There is currently a sort of splinter group circulating the bars offering to conduct the smear in a quicker time for the price of around 120 piso. There are also a number of private doctors that will conduct the smear but these are not recognized by social hygiene as firstly the private doctors can be bribed to issue a false report and secondly if it became a common practice this would represent a significant loss of income for the social hygiene office and for the mayor.

The smear and physical observation system are designed to minimize the spread of gonorrhoeae and other Sexually Transmitted Disease. On a slightly different level they also serve as a means for the city health officials to control people and regulate the bar business as a whole. For example if the girl is working in a bar and fails to attend smear the mamsan is supposed to surrender the health care card to Hygiene and the girl is not allowed to work. Often the social hygiene will send their personnel round to the bars to check this procedure is being followed. The card also serves as a sort of unofficial recognition that the girl is of legal age (18) to work in the bar because in order to get the card in the first place she must have a license card which means the documents showing her age have been presented to and inspected by the Licensing Department of the Mayor’s Office. Last but not least the smear process and physical observation serves as a revenue raiser for city hall and the mayor’s office.

Both the blue and white license cards are in many ways like a work permit and if you don’t have it you can’t work. The no license no work rule is enforced by City Hall and Social Hygiene personnel conducting random spot checks on the bars. The licenses creation will invariably necessitate direct co-ordination between LACSUM the official mamasans association and City Hall Licensing Department. For example in the case of a girl new to the system her mamsan will present the birth certificates and other forms of ID which are necessary to prove a new girls age and get her a license.

To get a girl who is already in the system her license her previous blue card, white health card and Pro-Book are presented to City Hall licensing Department who have an office inside the Social Hygiene building where they are inspected by officials and new license cards are then created and signed by the licensing officer or sometimes even by the mayor himself and counter signed by the President of LACSUM the Mamasans Association.

For the new girls the mamasans must bring an NSO certified birth certificate and other forms of ID to prove exactly how old the girl is. As in the case of the health card the license is a must have for any girl working in the bar and going out with customers.

The license is an important document but must be presented when requested by a City Hall Official and must be surrendered upon request.

With so many girls working in the bars in Angeles the granting of the licenses can often be a time consuming and arduous business with no set time period before the license is granted. The government bureaucracy in just about any country is slow and inefficient and in this respect the Philippines is no different. The creation of the license may take anywhere from one day to one week depending on how busy the licensing department is and depending on what influence the mamasan has within the department. Because of the time delay City Hall will often issue a temporary license or at least a piece of paper saying a particular girls license is “under processing”.

The rule is no license, no work and there is a group of personnel from the mayor’s office who periodically visit the bars and inspect the licenses. If a girl is working in the bar and has no license or at least a temporary license or a note verifying that her license is being processed, then the penalties can be quite severe and may even result in closure of the bar.
In today’s modern society the major disease associated with sexual activity is HIV-AIDS. As far as I can ascertain every six months as the girls go to smear a number of them are selected on a random basis and blood samples are taken and examined for HIV-AIDS. The mamasans will normally be notified that on a prescribed day whilst at smear random blood samples will be taken from the girls to test for HIV/AIDS. If a girl is found to be HIV positive her license, health card and pro book are revoked and she is turned over to the Health Care Department for treatment. The Government does supply some minimal funds for HIV sufferers but as a friend of mine wryly stated “if you contract HIV in this country you won’t last long”.

The prevention of HIV/AIDS is paramount amongst everyone working in the bar industry and as such there are a number of AIDS awareness programs running continuously and a concerted effort to promote safe sex practices throughout all levels of the industry. One very common sight you will see in most of the bars is the poster showing a white or red ribbon. This poster serves to remind people of the existence of HIV/AIDS and at the same time reminds them that the risk of catching HIV/AIDS is considerably lessened when practicing safe sex. The poster does not represent any specific organization but is merely a reminder of the diseases existence and to practice safe sex.

There are also regular seminars conducted at social hygiene and sometimes within the bars themselves (find out from cel how often seminars are conducted). These seminars are conducted by social hygiene officials along with the mamasans from various bars and the main subject discussed is practicing safe sex. Often the seminars will involve physical demonstrations where the girls are shown how to put the condom on using an egg plant or a vibrator.

The social hygiene and healthcare topic literally represents a vast ocean of information which in this article I have merely scratched the surface of. However my purpose was not to thoroughly examine all the issues but rather to just give a general overview thus increasing readers understanding of the current system that is designed to protect both the working girls and their partners. Writing this article has given me a better understanding of the system and the regulations that govern the bar industry and it is my sincere hope that by reading it you will gain useful knowledge and a better understanding of the system as a whole.