Chapter 2: My Introduction to the bars.

I looked at David and said “what do you reckon mate, how about we try out this blow job with ice, I have never heard of that before”. He looked at me and said “not yet mate there’s plenty of time for that later, first I want to introduce you to some friends of mine”. With that said we carried on walking past the dingy little blow job bars with their enticing door girls promising everything under the sun and into a bar called Firehouse.

At this stage Firehouse at least by reputation was still the number 1 bar in the Philippines and as we walked through the big wooden doors held open by the smiling door men, a feeling of coming home suddenly hit me. I remember walking in through the small corridor with the Firehouse memorabilia displayed behind locked glass cabinets, pushing aside the red curtains which shield the goings on inside the bar from the streets outside and bang it hit me. Once through the curtains I just stood stock still and looked around in awe. There in front of me dancing on the stainless steel stage were about thirty luscious girls all wearing red bikinis and white or red high heeled shoes. The song playing was touch by touch and the girls were doing a semi choreographed dance routine the likes of which I had never seen before.

As I stood there mesmerized I felt a gentle tugging on my shirt sleeve and turned around to see an absolutely stunning girl standing beside me. “Have a seat sir” she said and I responded by saying something lame like “where do you want me to sit” (I was putty in her hands already) to which she replied by opening her hand and waving it in the general direction of the stage whilst pursing her lips and pointing towards a stool in front of the stage.

This was the first time I had seen a Filipina point with her lips and at the time I thought to myself, I wonder why she is blowing kisses at the girls on stage. I must have stood there like an innocent newbie because the next thing I knew she had her hand around my arm and was guiding me to a seat. She guided me to a seat in the middle of the bar right in front of the stage where a smiling Filipino bar tender in a checkered waist coat approached me and asked “something to drink sir”? I kind of looked at him looked at the beauty hanging on my arm, looked at the thirty girls on stage, smiled and said “sure thing buddy, think I’ll go a Jack Daniels and coke”.

The Jack Daniels came within what seemed like a microsecond and as I sat back on the high back stool I just took my time to survey the scene. In front of me was a stainless steel stage slightly elevated so my eyes were almost directly crotch level with the girls. Behind the girls was an old fire truck which the girls would take it in turns to frolic upon. I kind of looked around in confusion not really knowing which girl to make eye contact with when suddenly I felt a hand rubbing against my crotch. I must have jumped a bit because when I looked at my ravishing hostess she had actually reeled back in surprise. Then it dawned on me she had been playing with my dick so I just smiled and said “Im sorry honey I didn’t mean to scare you but you shocked me so I jumped”. She looked at me with what can only be described as a lascivious look of cunning and asked in her sweetest voice “this your first time”? Eagerly I responded “yes my first time and I came here because my friends in Australia they tell me this is a great country with so many beautiful girls like you”. When she heard this, the young lady smiled and said “you give me bula bula”.

Now at this stage I had no idea what bula bula meant but judging from her reaction I assumed it must be something good and I was semi pleased that my impromptu pick up line had worked so well.

I sat next to my new found friend for about ten minutes enjoying her company and thought to myself geez I wish it was this easy in my own country. In fact now I think back on it I realize it would have been 2 years since I had actually had a decent conversation with a woman whom I had just met. Now I hear you saying, two years, what is this guy, a social retard or something but if the truth be known, I am a normal, heterosexual, average looking male and by no means a social retard. So why the 2 year hiatus, well the simple fact is that opportunities like this rarely presented themselves back in my own country and if they did the conversation always seemed stilted and contrived. Perhaps one of my favorite aspects of living in the Philippines is that even though there is a massive population here the social interaction between individuals is so much easier than in Western countries. This is especially the case between foreigners and Filipinas and even foreigner to foreigner. In the case of foreigners and Filipinas I think this ease of social interaction occurs because the girls actually want to know you because you represent something different and in the case of the bar girls, because they see you as an opportunity to improve their life. As for foreigner to foreigner the interaction occurs because the Philippines is an amazing melting pot of people from all over the world and most of us are here for exactly the same reason ……… pussy.

After about 15 minutes of my new found friend rubbing my crotch and none to subtly proffering her ample attributes I suddenly remembered Dave and upon looking around saw him in the far corner at the end of the bar talking with some other guy and both were looking at me and laughing. I couldn’t for the life of me see what was so funny so I excused myself from the girl and saying I will be back in a minute strolled over to see why I was the brunt of their humor.

As I approached them Dave said “hey Marty this is Howard the daytime manager of Firehouse”. I offered my hand and as he shook it I said “pleased to meet you sir”. He looked at me and responded “are you pleased to meet me or your new found friend Maryanne”. Just then David started laughing so somewhat indignantly I asked him “what’s so funny”, to which he replied I think you might have gotten a little excited son and then it dawned on me here I was shaking some guys hand whom I had only just met with a massive hard-on.

I quickly released Howards hand and said “shit sorry about that man it’s just that the girl over there has been getting me all revved up”. Howard keeping a totally straight face said “no problem it happens to us all first time here”. Well this was a small consolation and to be truthful I was very impressed with his ability to keep a straight face and not take the piss out of me so straight away I called the bar tender in the checkered waist coat and ordered a round of drinks. Howard said “thanks very much but mate you better get your lady friend over here to join us because at the end of the day she is a hell of a lot better looking than we are”. I called Maryanne over to join us and we proceeded to settle into a nice little afternoon session.

I have very fond memories of the Firehouse apart from all the marketing hype, this was truly an institution in the Philippine bar scene. I remember the good old days of the barber’s chair where willing and unwilling victims would have copious amounts of shooters thrown down their throats and I will never forget the massive Bose cannon speakers that when cranked produced a massive sound which would reverberate throughout the entire bar. This bar also featured functional stained wooden tables, comfortable lounges, a raging drinking and partying scene and best of all 150 plus girls some of which really were absolute stunners.

After a nice wetting of our whistles Dave looked at me and said “well mate it’s time to hit the street”. I asked him “can I take Maryanne with me” to which he replied if you want but I wouldn’t advise it. I looked at him perplexed and he said “mate there are plenty of other options we have only done one bar and trust me there is a lot more for you to see”. I gave Maryanne a longing glance then realized Dave had been around more than me and he’s probably right, so I gave her a little kiss and promised to return in the near future.

As we walked out of Firehouse the humidity, alcohol and pollution hit me, so much so, that we had to stop for a minute and take a breather. I remember standing outside the entrance to an upstairs bar, I think it was called the Delcima club, just watching the street and taking it all in. No matter what time of day or night Ermita was always a hive of activity. During the day especially between 3 to 6pm it was always inundated with traffic. Endless lines of Jeepneys spewing exhaust fumes into the narrow confines of M.H.Del.Pilar street and taxis cruising down the road at a snail’s pace eagerly searching for foreigner fares. There was always the constant pressure to hand over money from the grime covered street children who hadn’t showered for a month, and alongside them were the street vendors selling green mango, balut and barbequed chicken intestines. This montage of images is still as clear in my mind 17 years later as if it was yesterday but out of the mass of images that assaulted my senses in the first few days the one that really stands out is that of the beautiful girls.

I remember in particular the mass of beautiful girls working the clubs throughout Ermita. During the day they were invariably dressed in hip hugging skin tight jeans and skimpy tops. Riding on top of their hips extending half way down their ass would be extra large belts which had nothing to do with holding their jeans up but rather seemed to accentuate that swinging sensuous gate which so many Filipinas have perfected. A second look more predominant in the evening was the skimpy thigh length dress which hugged the entire body and emphasized the so called ‘coca cola body shape’. These dresses always reminded me of scenes from sixties movies and like their predecessors they would emphasize all the right places of a woman’s body. The hips, buttocks, flat tummies and pert little breasts were all accentuated whilst any flaws would remain discreetly hidden only to be found out later by the unwitting customer.

This display of sexually charged womanhood was in my opinion unparalleled by any other red light district in the world. Ermita was a dizzying display of flesh and fantasy. Rose red lipstick, cheap perfume, clicking high heels, hair spray, swaying buttocks, petite facial features, flawless brown skin, copious amounts of cheap alcohol and even cheaper drugs, all combined to make Ermita a totally unforgettable experience enjoyed by people from all corners of the globe.

After about two minutes I had recuperated somewhat and we proceeded up M.H. Del Pilar to a bar named Bubbles. As we walked into bubbles I remember thinking this bar has seen better days and I was just about to ask Dave if we could go and have a look at another bar when suddenly I caught a glimpse of this long legged lovely who like a contortionist was doing the splits then touching the back of her head with her foot whilst maintaining the split position.

Dave ambled over to talk with some Jabba The Hut look alike who was sitting at a table by the doorway whilst I stood transfixed by the flexible nymph. After watching the impromptu show for about three minutes I caught Daves eye and he motioned for me to come and join him at the table. I strolled over and was introduced to the Jabba The Hut look alike, a man called Ryan. Ryan was a crusty, rough around the edges Australian- Yugoslavian who was the owner of bubbles and had literally been there done that. Whilst we were sitting there I saw Ryan put away at least four beers in the time I had done one. I noticed also the waitresses always bought his wrapped in a beer cooler along with a cold glass, they would then poor his drink and take the bottle away. At the time I thought this was just privilege of rank being the owner and all but later on I found out he was served this way to hide the fact that he was drinking NAB a brand of non alcoholic beer. Many months later I asked him why he bothered disguising what he drank and he replied “Martin these bars make a lot of money through selling drinks. If I have some guys who are drinking with me they wouldn’t buy a round knowing I was a cheating bastard drinking NAB.”

After a while Dave and Ryan were deeply involved in a knowing conversation about certain individuals around town which of course meant nothing to me so I excused myself and made a beeline towards the front of the bar where my intriguing contortionist was now rubbing her female parts against a big black pole.

At this stage I had only been in the Philippines for 3 days so I had virtually no idea about ladies drinks or any other form of social communication with the Filipina bar girl but luckily for me this was the Philippines and over here social interaction between foreigners and Filipinas always seems to follow a natural course, no matter how inexperienced or naive you may be.

I sat and watched her perform her acrobatic dances for about 5 minutes then finally managed to catch her eye and received a dazzling smile which decided me then and there, this was the girl for me. After her dance shift was finished she literally jumped on my lap, planted her luscious ruby red lips on mine and with a cheeky impish grin said “Hi handsome what’s your name”? Mmmm-martin I nervously stammered to which she said “you Martin Rivera” and then proceeded to giggle. I of course had no idea who Martin Rivera was but figured it was obviously someone famous so I just said sure “that’s me Martin whatever” and gave her another kiss on those inviting lips”. With that she started rubbing her crotch against mine whilst instructing me to hold her tight little ass and gently push. After about two minutes of this the waitress magically appeared and said “hello sir would you like to buy her a drink”? I replied “yeah sure” and received yet another longing kiss and a round of crotch rubbing.

We must have stayed like this for about 16 minutes when I felt a presence behind me and turned round to see David who smiled at me and said “how you going there son”, I replied “pretty good thanks mate really can’t complain”, “well pay your bill and finish up mate because I gotta get back to the hotel, I’m expecting one of my regulars to drop by for a short time”. I was just about to respond when baby said “I like short time to I go with you”. Of course I had no idea what a short time was but it sounded good so I stammered something like ok with me and looked at David imploringly. David smiled once again and said to the girl, “darling go get mummy he pay barfine”. With this baby literally squealed in delight jumped of my lap and disappeared into a room of to the side of the stage. Next thing I know there was a rather plump masculine looking Filipina by my side who introduces herself as Mummy Josie and whilst rubbing my arm with one hand proffered the other hand in the universally accepted gesture of give me money.

Once again I turned to David with a perplexed look on my face to which he replied just give mummy 3 hundred piso and the girl goes with you. Excitedly I reached down into my pockets, pulled out my wallet and counted out three one hundred piso notes. I then placed them in mummies sweaty palms and next thing I knew the lovely baby was back and with a lascivious smile for one so young, looked at me and said “lets go honey it’s time for a short time.” With this said she grabbed my hand and proceeded to walk me out of the bar with a grinning David following closely behind.

Memoirs of a Philippine Mongerer

At the risk of becoming introspective and boring everybody to death with stories of excessive indulgence, I thought the life and times of a Philippine expat would make an interesting column for AE members to read. I envision that this article will be somewhat of a work in progress divided into chapters. By definition it will largely be about my own experiences but wherever possible I will try to extrapolate the lessons learned and give my personal feelings and reactions to the situations as they occurred. It is my hope that this article will work on three separate levels. Firstly it will provide an easy reading narrative, detailing some of my experiences over the last eighteen years of living and working here. Secondly, it will provide an enlightening insight into the world of managing bars and day to day survival in the Philippines. Thirdly it will be simple light hearted entertainment for all to enjoy.

As a wise man once said the best place to start any story is at the beginning and the beginning for me was at my best friends flat in Australia, September 15, 1990. We were sitting around his dining room table quaffing down copious amounts of Jack Daniels and coke whilst playing black jack, when suddenly from out of nowhere my mate Tim piped up “ guess what guys, just came back from a great trip to the PI”. I asked him “from where” and he replied “the Philippines mate, you wouldn’t believe it”.

I looked at him somewhat aghast and said, “why would you want to go there? I mean what is there to do in the Philippines?” Tim had thrown out his line and like a big fish I had taken the bait. To answer my question Tim simply smiled, looked around to make sure his live in girlfriend was nowhere in ear shot and replied “mate they have little brown girls there who dance on the pole, speak English and love to fuck.” At this point you could have knocked me down with a feather. In the past I had heard of General MaCarthurs "I shall return" and I had heard about Filipina mail order brides but that was about as far as my knowledge of the Philippines went.

At this stage in my life I had been to Thailand several times before so I wasn’t totally green and I felt compelled to ask,“so you mean it has a bar scene like Thailand” and he replied “exactly, except the Philippine girls speak English and they fall in love with you”. After hearing this, my curiosity was now tweaked and I made a mental note to myself to secretly learn more about this mysterious country Philippines and its girlie bar scene.

Time slowly trundled on and in May of 1991 I found myself retrenched from my job as the advertising manager for a major Japanese computer company along with a healthy redundancy check and thoughts of the Philippines revolving in my head.

I now had plenty of time on my hands plus the necessary funds so it was fairly obvious that this was the perfect time to travel. Thanks to the Lonely Planet’s ‘guide book to the Philippines’ I now had a basic idea of where this country was and what it was like so I decided a two week stopover in the PI would fit the bill and from there over to Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and then over to England to try and find some gainful employment.

On July 1, 1991 I said goodbye to Australia at the grand old age of 31 and headed towards what would become my new home, the Philippines. I was sitting on the plane just minding my own business when all of a sudden the guy in the seat across the isle from me said “gooday mate, your first trip to the Philippines?” I answered “yeah is it that obvious” and he said “yes mate but don’t worry about it, it’s me and me mates first trip as well.” "But you guys look like you do this shit all the time" I said to which he replied “nope this is our first trip”. “Me mate Terry over here his brother has shares in a bar in Manila so we thought we would get over there and check it out”. I asked my new found friend "what bar is that" and he said “it’s called superstar mate, see you there about 9pm.”

Later that night I hailed a cab from my hotel and asked the driver do you know Superstar Bar he replied “sure Joe, Superstar I know” and 200 peso later for what must have been approximately a 2 mile journey I was at the doorstep of the biggest club in Ermita.

For those of you who were here back then or at least visiting you will remember Superstar as being a big bar with a raised circular stage in the front and various stages of elevated seating slightly resembling an ancient roman amphitheater. The night I walked in through the stainless steel doors my senses were literally assaulted by a barrage of sound, a plethora of gorgeous girls and drunken revelers as far as the eye could see. I stood in the doorway for about twenty seconds when all of a sudden I made eye contact with a long legged brown skinned beauty who winked at me and I remember thinking ‘thank you Tim, I have died and gone to heaven’.

I made my way through the crowd of partiers to the upper section of Superstar only to find my buddies from the plane engaging in copious rounds of shooters with the manager, a Corsican gent named Claude. Now I am not one to say no to a drink and next think I knew the shooters were coming by the tray full. In those days it was common practice for the group of guys to raise their glasses in the air shout in unison at the top of their voices and then drink the shot in one gulp. We did this about eight times within the space of one hour when suddenly Claude ambles over to me and says “hey buddy it’s your round”. I tried to explain to him that buying a round is not a problem I just didn’t realize that it was expected of me. With that he calls a waitress over and says "just tell her what drinks you want to order and let’s get this party rolling".

Lesson number one; when involved in rounds of shooters with a bar manager make sure you reciprocate by buying a round back. If you don’t want to play the game simply do not drink the first shooter when it is offered to you and this way you are never obligated to buy back.

Well as you can imagine the night went downhill from there on but I did manage to eventually pick up a girl (or did she pick me up) get back to my hotel and get the deed done. Her performance was not exactly mind blowing but then again I am sure mine wasn’t either.

The next day I moved to the APP, Manila, Mayfair Hotel which had been recommended by my friend Tim and another long term Philippine visitor Graham. The Mayfair was not exactly plush but the air-cons worked albeit loudly, the bed sheets were cleaned regularly, the beds were comfortable and big enough to fit one foreigner and two Filipinas, the food was always decent, it was priced correctly and every afternoon the management would offer guided tours of their favorite bars.

When I first checked into the Mayfair I decided well there’s no point coming all this way just to sit in my room so I decided to grab something to eat and maybe a quiet little drink in the hotel restaurant. The hotel restaurant was in fact a far cry from what in a normal country would be called a restaurant. Basically it was composed of a small open air courtyard with four plastic tables, some plastic seats and a small bar area which specialized in SMB, Red Horse, Tanduay Rum and Ginebra Gin all for a massive 30 peso. Behind the bar was a smallish kitchen featuring a nippa hut roof, sheets of plastic to protect one from the elements when it rained and the distinctive aroma of vinegar laden chicken adobo.

I wandered downstairs through the reception area where the receptionist was busy self administering a manicure whilst jabbering away in Taglog on the phone and into the hotels courtyard / restaurant. I asked for a menu then ordered a coffee to drink and chicken adobo to eat.

As I was sitting there enjoying my second cup of coffee I happened to catch snippets of the conversation going on at the table next to me. Now I am not one to eavesdrop but this conversation was just too good to be true. Here were two Australian guys discussing the merits of having sex with a young woman versus having sex with a slightly older, more experienced woman. I tried to tune off but the subject matter had me hooked and it was very obvious these two veterans had been around and were speaking from personal experience. I turned around and said “sorry to interrupt guys but I just couldn’t help overhearing your conversation and I was wondering if I could join in. My name is Martin, it’s my first trip and I reckon I can learn a lot from guys like you”. They both stopped talking looked at me, then the taller one of the two said “sure thing mate pull up a chair and let’s hear your point of view”.

Pretty soon we were all comfortably sitting around the plastic tables throwing back a few cold smb’s and thoroughly enjoying the easy going banter that is so common amongst expats in the Philippines.

Prior to arriving I had asked Tim and Graham for some contacts in Manila and they had given me the names of Ken Carbry and David Goldshaft. After about half an hour of a serious discussion on the subject of sex I asked the guys “by the way guys I don’t even know your names” to which they replied Ken and David. At this point I broke out in a big laugh and said “that would be right I was told to ask for you two by my mates in Aus”. We discussed mutual acquaintances and common friends for a while then David looked at his watch and said “geez it’s almost 2, time for a bar hop son”.

I had no way of knowing it at the time but throughout my first few years in the Philippines, David Goldshaft and Ken Carbry were to be major influences in my life. David was a 50 year old accountant bought up in Australia but had been residing in Manila for the last ten years. He was a tall skinny man whose trade mark was his horn rimmed bi-focal glasses through which he would scrutinize any and every girl that came into his field of vision. When it came to girls David always reminded me of a horse breeder at a yearling sale. Ken was a small, diminutive, 60 year old Aussie who was in many ways totally the opposite too David. When it came to the women Ken was a quiet achiever and he could most often be found in the steam rooms, saunas and massage parlors sampling an afternoon delight from one or more willing Filipinas.Both these guys were fountains of knowledge and like a sponge I absorbed their wisdom so readily given.

No sooner had David uttered the words bar hopping and I was ready to go. My eagerness must have been clearly apparent to both of them because David looked at me through his thick bi-focal glasses and said “hey Ken look at the youngster he’s like a bull in a china shop, just can’t wait to get stuck into it”. Ken then smiled at me saying “hey boy you’re eager, slow down a bit the pussy isn’t going anywhere. I asked him "where are we going" and he replied “don’t worry about that son you’re in good hands now”.

We walked out of the hotel turned left and headed up Mabini street towards the bar area of M.H.Del Pilar. To this day I can remember clear as a bell the oppressive humidity, the pot holed pavements with seedy looking Filipinos and hawkers eyeing me from dingy street corners. I remember the numerous electricity lines all dangling down in a gigantic bunch from termite ridden poles. I remember the yellow Toyota cabs with their little non effective fans placed on the dash board. I remember how the cabs would follow you up the street with the driver hailing you through his window “I give you good price joe” “where you go joe” “hey Americano me number one driver you want girl”. Most of all I remember the poor sleeping on filthy sheets of cardboard with a mass of grimy kids all holding out their hands saying “hey Joe you give me money”. Imediately my heart went out to them and I found my wallet rapidly becoming considerably lighter. To this day these images are as fresh in my mind as if it was yesterday.

Within 5 minutes of walking and having my senses bombarded I was at a loss about what to think and the ashen look on my face must have said it all because David turned to me and said “yeah I know what you’re feeling mate I was exactly the same on my first trip”. Whilst this was not really a consolation it did make me feel a little bit better if only because I realized we all go through this ‘culture shock’ when we first arrive in the Philippines.

Once we hit M.H.Del Pilar street I looked over at Dave and as the door girls tried to entice us into the individual bars with promises of free blow jobs and cryptic lines like “I give you best honey ko”, “it’s nice with ice” and “come inside sir, to many sexy ladies”, I saw a wry smile on Dave’s face then he turned to me and said “now that’s what I’m talking about and that’s why I call this place home”.

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.

Shaggers remark caused yet another round of guffaws from the guys but at the same time it got me thinking about some of the dishes that are symbolic of Philippine cuisine and an integral part of Filipino culture. When spending time with the Filipina it is almost inevitable that you will be exposed to Filipino cuisine and if your anything like me you will have probably been curious about certain dishes and wonder what the heck they are composed of and why are the girls so fanatical about them.

At first glance Filipino cuisine seems basic and bland but it is in fact quite the opposite. There are numerous dishes and even more variations in their preparation and cooking so much so that a simple dish such as Chicken Adobo will vary from region to region throughout the Philippines. There have been numerous influences on Filipino cuisine including Chinese, Spanish, English and American. These influences have all in some way been fused together along with local produce to create the unique cuisine of the Philippines.

Perhaps the signature dish of Filipino cuisine is Chicken Adobo. What curry is to Indian cooking adobo is to Filipinos. Pinoys and pinays have been known to wax lyrical about their chicken adobo to the point where it has become an iconic symbol of Filipino culture. Bands such as the Black eyed peas have paid homage to adobo in their songs and there are numerous websites and cook books dedicated to the different recipes’. Chicken adobo is nearly always associated with fond memories of childhood or happy times and Filipinos all seem to have a personal experience with this dish.

Although there are numerous variations in the adobo recipe’ they basically all include vinegar, soy sauce and pepper corns. These are the three ingredients that can be found in all adobo recipe’s and combine together to create the unique adobo flavor. Adobo is often referred to as the Filipino national dish and all Filipinos seem to know how to cook it.

Adobo

Like most dishes in Philippine cuisine Adobo is always served with rice.

Adobo

Sinigang na Hipon

Sinigang na bangus

Pork sinigang or sinigang na baboy

Beef sinigang or Sinigang na baka

Beef Kaldereta as the name implies is basically a beef stew and is a result of the Spanish influence on Filipino cuisine. The main flavor is created through stewing the beef and extensive use of tomato paste. Just as in adobo Filipinos will sometimes use vinegar which acts as a meat tenderizer and also gives the stew a slightly sour tang. Other common ingredients in the Kaldereta are carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions and garlic.

Kaldereta

Kare Kare

Pancit Canton

Pancit Bihon

Tinapa or smoked fish is sometimes referred to as food for the masses or poor peoples food. Tinapa are small salt water fish which are smoked. The Filipinos buy them and them fry them in oil creating the fried fish smell that permeates throughout so many of their houses. Another way of cooking them is on the grill and many of the poorer Filipinos will purchase the Tinapa in bulk, grill them then resell them right of the grill in a kind of street side operation. Tinapa is often eaten with rice using tomatoes and lettuce leaves as the vegetables accompanying it.

Tinapa

Tinapa

Bicol express

Pork sisig

To make sisig the ingredients are chopped up into small pieces then marinated in water together with pineapple juice, salt and black pepper corns. This mixture is then simmered for about one hour. This mixture is then put onto a hot grill and combined with chopped up ginger, garlic onions, calamansi, salt, pepper and of course some chopped up chili to add that extra bit of zing.

Sisig is not restricted to pork and for those who are watching their diet sisig can be made from chicken, fish and even tofu. When you know what goes into sisig it can be a bit off putting but the end result is truly delicious and the crispy pork really does make the perfect accompaniment to a cold beer.

For lechon kawali pork is once again the meat used. To make this dish the Filipinos use pork belly (liempo) which is broiled in water with salt, pepper, garlic and laurel leaves. This is done for 35 minutes then it is deep fried in oil until crispy brown and served with a sauce composed of vinegar soy sauce onions and garlic. This is not exactly a healthy dish but it is truly delicious and like sisig can be enjoyed while enjoying a cold beer or two.

Lechon Kawali

Kilawin Tanigue

Kilawin Tuna

Shanghai Lumpia

Beef tapa or tapsilog are basically the same thing. The word tapa refers to salt cured meat which is normally beef although they use pork as well and the tapsilog is the name for a particular dish incorporating the beef tapa. Tap refers to the salt cured meat, si refers to the sinangag or garlic flavored rice and log which refers to the egg or as the Filipinos pronounce it Itlog. Tap-si-log. Tapsilog is primarily recognized as a Filipino breakfast dish although to be honest they seem to eat it at all times of the day especially when traveling. Tapsilog is also convenient and a number of fast food restaurants exist whose primary dish is tapsilog or other dishes utilizing beef tapa the classic one of these that springs to mind is Tapa King which has branches all over the Philippines. The Tapa especially when it is beef is usually tenderized but for me this is a bland dish and I am yet to find any what I call decent beef in the Philippines.

Tapsilog

Tapa King advert

Longanisa

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!

Some have claimed double ladies drinks represent the changing face of the new Angeles and to some extent they are right. The double ladies drinks are indicative of a more commercialistic attitude from the bar owners, a more businesslike attitude from the girls and the fact that they are being purchased with such frequency clearly shows there is a wealthier breed of customers visiting AC who are less conscious of the amount they are spending or how they spend it.

For me the double ladies drink has always been paradoxical as I see both disadvantages and advantages to them depending on which hat I am wearing be it the bar managers hat or the bar customer hat. As a bar manager I see definite advantages for the bar and its personnel and when considering them I always find myself thinking back to a conversation I had with the then manager of Blue Nile Executive bar when he said “ the one customer who complains about double ladies drinks is more than made up for by the 20 customers who buy them all night long without so much as a single negative comment”. Viewing them from the customer stand point I dislike them and see them at best as a waste of money and at worst a blatant rip off.

In this article I will look at the development of the double ladies drink and examine how it started and how it became so common place. I will also outline some of the advantages that are normally overlooked as well as reiterating the commonly discussed bad points. At the end of the day I hope to give readers both sides of the double ladies drinks debate as well as giving them some new points to consider together with some light hearted entertainment as well.

The double ladies drink first came to prominence in approximately 2003 under the well known mamasan of Neros Mummy Perla. They had been in existence before her but she was the first to introduce them and bring them to prominence in a mainstream Fields Avenue bar. At the time Perla had strong customer base of Korean and Taiwanese clientele all of whom would buy Perla a drink in return for her introducing them to a girl. Invariably these drinks were non alcoholic and were charged at double the price of normal ladies drink. It wasn’t long before the girls working in Neros realized the benefits of double ladies drinks this being a double commission and very soon the practice was established throughout the Blue Nile group of bars especially the Executive which was a high end bar and supposedly attracting a more affluent clientele. In fairness to Perla her rational for the double price tag was based on the quantity of the drink. When she would order a coke they would use a can of coke which holds enough liquid to fill two of the ladies drink glasses therefore her logic was the customer is in effect buying me two ladies drinks in one. For the customer this logic is clearly flawed since he only ordered one drink and is expecting to be charged for only one, however, I can also see the Filipino mind set this being that the amount of liquid contained in the can or bottle is enough to make two drinks so why not charge accordingly.

Perlas habit of getting double priced ladies drinks was a genuine double edged sword. On the upside it would gain increased sales for the bar in the short term and it would enable her and the girls to earn more money in the form of commission. On the downside it would also cost the bar money because it would cause disgruntled customers who would vote with their feet and take their business elsewhere. Also Perla would have various little scams going such as when she ordered a drink, lets say a coke, the customer would be charged for a double and yet she would only have one glass of coke saving the other half of the can for the next customer who bought her a drink. In effect this meant one can of coke was the equivalent of purchasing 4 ladies drinks. And here’s the twist. Every time a customer would order her a drink this meant a new can of coke even though her drink was poured from the already open can. At the end of the night Perla would often have cans of coke that had been put aside for her and she would then take them home no doubt to resell them at a reduced price. Some may see this as stealing however technically speaking the drinks had already been paid for by the customers so therefore in her mind she was entitled to take them home and do with them as she wished.

The amount of liquid in the can or bottle justifying the double price tag was soon applied to the dancers as well. Somewhere along the line someone figured out a bottle of San Miguel light if used together with ice could fill two ladies drink glasses so as a result they could charge for two drinks rather than one. A dedicated beer drinker would cringe at the thought of putting ice with the beer but for Filipinos this is common practice and totally natural. Generally speaking they do not drink beer for the taste but rather as a refreshment or simply for the effect of the alcohol contained within it. As such it was simply an extension of this logic to drink beer in the bar utilizing ice and therefore being able to make two glasses full out of one bottle which in turn led to the double price tag.

The alcohol content of beer also acted as a sort of justification for charging double. On many occasions I have heard the waitress or bar staff claim “ she ordered San Miguel Light sir” as if this automatically justifies the double charge. The logic here is that by drinking San Miguel Light the girl is going to get drunk and will therefore be unproductive for herself and the bar so as a result the bar is somehow justified in charging double which acts as a sort of compensation for the loss of her productivity. This is what I loosely refer to as the quick kill mentality and it is very common in Filipino culture. As a customer I expect to pay more for the privilege of getting a girl drunk however the alcohol content does not justify charging double. If I am being charged for alcohol then the price of Gin and Tonic or Rum and Coke should also be significantly higher when they are purchased as ladies drinks and yet in all bars they are only charged as singles.

Seems like all the hot ones go for the SML option these days.

In terms of the bars operational aspects the double ladies drink helps it operate more productively. On many occasions I have seen girls “milk” ladies drinks simply because they do not want to dance but when they do this with a double ladies drink they are at least still making money for themselves and the bar whereas when they do this with a single ladies drink they are making less money for themselves and the bar. The double ladies drink increases the profitability of the bar and at the same time allows the girl to get a larger commission. This is important because at the end of a day the bars are a business and if we as customers are to enjoy their continued existence they need to make a profit. It is also important that the girls make money because this in turn will encourage more girls to come and work in the bars which of course is beneficial for us as customers. Lastly the more money the girls make the more they will spend which in turn supports the local economy and infrastructure that surrounds the bars.

The single LD is ideal when initially interviewing prospective dates.

A lot of customers like to get the girls intoxicated thinking that this will lessen the social barriers between them and the girls and here again the double ladies drink comes in handy. The girls knowing they will get a double commission from the drink will play along with the game as well because of the double commission. If your aim is to get the girl a little drunk and lessen her inhibitions then I would recommend the vodka cruiser. This is charged as a double ladies drink and it is sweet and easily consumable even though it is 5% alcohol which is stronger than most beers. As a result the girls can drink it quickly without realizing its strength. Many guys view the Vodka Cruiser as a rip off because in terms of volume it does not equal two glasses full of drink however for a customer such as myself who likes the girls to get slightly drunk and looser the Vodka Cruiser is an excellent means to an end and I have no problem purchasing them providing they drink them in their entirety.

The bottom line for the both the customers and the girls is more often than not money and by purchasing a double ladies drink you are demonstrating that not only do you have money but also that you are not afraid to spend it. A girl working the bar soon learns the importance of money and she soon learns how to read the signs telling her whether the customer has money and is prepared to spend it. By buying a double ladies drink the girl will often interpret this as a signal you have money and are willing to spend it.

There are a number of negative aspects to the double ladies drink but the one that is most vigorously voiced is that it is a scam or a rip off. Customers call it a scam for a number of reasons not the least of which is that the cost of a ladies drink is advertised as that of a single drink and not a double. This argument states that if the customer is charged for a double then he should be made aware of its existence either by some sort of signage or at least by the waitress telling him. Many guys have said they don’t mind the double ladies drink as long as they are informed prior to purchasing it. A second argument against the double ladies drinks states that if they are going to pay the prices of two drinks for the girl then the girl should receive two drinks not just one. In my opinion this is a valid argument unless of course the customer has been informed of the double ladies drink price and has been given the chance to order a single ladies drink only. And this is where a third problem occurs because due to limited English and a lack of training the waitresses are often vague as to the exact cost of the double. They will tell customers “ she ordered San Miguel Light sir is that ok or sir that is a double is that ok with you”. Vague lines such as this are not fully informing the customer what is happening prior to purchasing. When it comes to this situation it is verging on deception.

One of the biggest problems regarding the double ladies drinks is that it represents an easy way for the girl to make money and therefore can act as a disincentive for her to go out with the customer. An attractive girl working the bar these days can make a good nights earnings just by getting the commission from double ladies drinks and as such has no incentive to go out with the customer. The term “drink sluts” has been coined to describe this situation. When it comes to the drink slut scenario the double ladies drinks is in fact empowering the girls which for the customers can be either a good thing or a bad thing depending upon your perspective.

One costumer being overwhelmed by drink sluts..

On a personal level one objection I have to the double ladies drink is that as it becomes more and more widespread it will become the norm which in effect is merely raising the prices making the mongering experience more and more expensive. I can see in the near future a situation in the major Fields Avenue bars where the single priced ladies drink will become a thing of the past and all ladies drinks will be doubles. So far competition has kept this from becoming the case but every year as operating costs rise it gets harder and harder for the owners to keep the prices down and the double ladies drink is a tempting partial solution to maintaining the bars profitability.

As I hope this article has demonstrated there are several sides to the double ladies drink debate but one thing is for sure, like them or hate them it would seem they are proliferating and it would seem are here to stay. It would also seem they are destined to become a standard in the Fields Avenue bars which will possibly replace the single ladies drink. Currently the majority of Perimeter Road bars do not have double LD’s but as the economic pressures come to bear it is my prediction they will be forced to slowly adopt them.

Before getting involved with a Filipina I think it is important to realize the obligation she feels towards her family. The simple truth is if you get involved with a Filipina then 99.9 % of the time you will also inherit her obligations to her family and trust me when I say these obligations normally take the form of financial support and they are never ending. From day one the Filipina has it drummed into her that it is her obligation to support her family and this is a stigma that will generally last most of her lifetime and she will instill the same beliefs in her offspring.

As the old saying goes the best place to start is the beginning and the beginning in this case is why the Filipina feels the need to support her family in the first place. Like in India the concept of the extended family is alive and well in the Philippines and the logic is have as many kids as you can which increases the chances of one of your kids growing up to become affluent and therefore able to support the family. As has been shown in both India and the Philippines this logic is severely flawed as it results in rapid population growth without the ability to sustain it however far from seeing it as worsening the situation the average Filipinos simply look at it as their lot in life and carry on striving to have big families. Another reason for the large families is the Catholic belief that abortion and contraception are bad and thirdly because of simple boredom. As my Filipina wife once said to me hey martin do you know why they have so many kids in the province and when I answered no she replied it’s because there is nothing else to do.

As I stated in my opening premise the pressure on the supposedly affluent child to support the family is non relenting and it is passed down from generation to generation. From a very early age it is instilled into the children especially the females that when they grow up they will support the family financially. This belief is effectively instilled into the girls in a multitude of different ways throughout their developing years. The end result of this is that the girls learn the economic realities of life, they will go to extreme measures to get money and they will even feel a strong sense of guilt when they cannot supply money for the family. This is part and parcel of the Filipinas psychological makeup and when she cannot supply the financial support she will feel guilty because she is not meeting her cultural obligations.

For most foreigners this way of thinking is exactly the opposite to the way they are bought up and as such they will have trouble understanding it but for the Filipina it is totally natural and this is how the world is. I remember when I took my wife to Australia and she could not come to terms with the fact that I never sent money back to them in Australia. I explained to her that my culture was the opposite to hers and that they did not need money from their offspring and certainly did not expect it. I went on to explain that the parents support their children for most of their lives. This was a totally alien concept to her and it took her three days to come to terms with it, at which time she said, “mahal you are so lucky to have family like this, in Philippines we don‘t have. In Philippines it is our job to look after the family not family look after you.”

I also remember my first long term girl friend in the Philippines named Lisa whom I met in Rosies Diner in M.H.DelPilar Manila. At the time I had been schooled by veterans who had impressed upon me the fact that if you got involved with a Filipina you would inadvertently inherit the responsibility for her family as well and as such I was weary and determined not to get trapped. I started off with resolute promises to myself but within 1 month I had Lisa living with me then 1 month later I had her mother as a maid then 2 months after that I had her two sisters living in the house as well and Lisa was sending money down to Samar for her father and two brothers on a monthly basis. When I asked Lisa “how come your brothers or father cannot get a job I was curtly told “don’t be stupid there are no job in Samar”. In response I grimaced and thought to myself , welcome to the Philippines Martin”.

Throughout my years of living in the Philippines I have heard Lisa’s statement expressed in thousands of different ways and coming from girls with totally different social backgrounds and the sad truth of the matter is that she is absolutely correct there are very few decently paid jobs in the Philippines and this is especially the case in the province. I have often heard foreigners complaining about the lazy brothers or idle father who just sit back and wait for the money to come in while playing cards and drinking alcohol. Many foreigners grow up with the so called “protestant work ethic” so for them they see the non working, support dependant family members as lazy unmotivated bums and to an extent they are correct however the sad fact is throughout the Philippines there are very few decent paying jobs and in the remoter provincial areas there is often no job at all. As a result of the lack of opportunity to work and earn a decent wage the Filipinos have developed a sort of support dependant culture where the more affluent members support the remainder of the family.

I have often heard people say it is human nature to take the easy way and this is certainly true when it comes to Filipinos and this is a very influential aspect of the support mentality. Filipinos can very easily become dependant on the support and after a period of time they begin to expect it, they see it as their money and regard it as their right to receive it.

When it comes to support it is important to remember an old truism, “the more money you have the more ways you find to spend it“. This logic is certainly true when it comes to money and just as applicable in terms of support. What is seen as a decent amount initially will in a short period of time become inadequate and the demands for more money and pressure on the girl to provide it will increase exponentially. When it comes to support there is no such thing as enough, as the old saying goes “enough is never enough” and the more money you send the more the dependant family expect it and find ways to spend it.

Support can take many forms and it isn’t always a direct infusion of cash. For example when you live in the Philippines you can bet your bottom dollar your girls family will try to move in with you. Most Filipinos believe that foreigners are rich and therefore must have a better lifestyle with many benefits that they would not normally have. Secondly the Filipino family is a close knit unit so for them it is totally natural that they should all live together since this is what they have always done and it may as well be in as good as conditions as possible.

There are many downsides to letting the family move in with you but the two most prominent are the lack of privacy and the fact that you as the foreigner will be expected to pay for just about everything. You will become the support mechanism or the proverbial “cash cow” for the entire family. Having said that, there are also definite advantages to becoming part of the Filipino family and I have met many foreigners who regard themselves as a member of the extended Filipino family and they can often be heard extolling the benefits of this situation.

When it comes to the girls working the bar the support mentality actually becomes a justification for what they are doing. They can often be heard saying they are sacrificing themselves for their family which in turn makes their chosen occupation of working the bar morally acceptable. This is a classic case of the ends justifying the means.

Many people will claim they are supporting the girl but not the girls family however the simple fact is 99% of the time the girl you are giving money too will in turn use that money to support her family so indirectly you are indeed supporting the family. When it comes to support it will always be a balancing act with you on the one hand trying to minimize the amounts sent and them on the other hand trying to maximize the amount sent.

In summation the bottom line is that the Filipina will nearly always be tied to her family and will see it as her duty to support them. This is instilled in her from a very early age and handed down from generation to generation and has become so entrenched in Philippine society that a whole culture of support has developed. Secondly Filipinos see all foreigners as being rich and as an extension to that they see it as the foreigners duty to share some of his wealth with the Filipinos who are less fortunate than him. Thirdly there are several psychological aspects to the support culture including the fact that those receiving it often come to expect it and see it as their money. The Filipino family will often see it as their right to receive the money and your obligation to provide it. In their world this is the way things have always been and they can see nothing wrong with it. Fourthly, there is no such thing as enough, the more money you send the more ways they will find to spend it. Lastly support can take many different forms but in the end it is to some extent inevitable and no foreigner who becomes involved with a Filipina can avoid it.

For as long as I can remember there have been door girls proliferating throughout the Angeles bars and from the few people whom I have talked with who are familiar with the early days, this was even the case back in the late sixties and early seventies when the bar scene first begun to flourish in AC. In comparison to today’s glitzy high tech bar scene the bars back then the bars were a lot simpler being composed mainly of hollow blocks a ‘nipa’ roof or corrugated iron, a juke box in the corner, very basic seating, 5 to ten girls maximum, very limited stocks and 99% of their business was from enlisted personnel residing on Clark Airbase. Most importantly there was very little to distinguish one bar from the other as all were similar in appearance and the only difference was in the signage and sometimes the bars size.

As the number of personnel living on and visiting Clark began to expand so to did the number of bars and with this expansion came competition for the customers pesos. All of a sudden bar owner/managers were scratching their heads trying to figure out how to draw the customers into their bar as opposed to a competing bar and this is when the door girls gained a whole new level of importance. Basically the belief was put your best looking girls outside to catch the customers attention and entice them inside. Of course once one or two bars were successful at this so very soon all the bars placed an emphasis on door girls.
Once the door girls had become commonplace their effectiveness at drawing customers to one bar rather than another was diminished so the door girls had to then develop new tricks to draw the customers. This is when the standard lines which have now become part of the door girl lexicon came into being. For example the ‘hey Joe come inside’ line, is a direct left over from these days.

The verbal virtuosity of door girls was soon not enough to draw customers to one bar rather than another so bar owners and managers then progressed to dressing them up in provocatively sexy clothing or anything that would get the customers attention. In the old days the emphasis was on overt sexuality therefore the door girls were always dressed in provocative clothing. In recent times the emphasis has changed somewhat to simply attracting attention which is why bars such as the DollHouse group have a number of girls standing outside the bars on both sides of the street dressed in uniforms or fancy costumes and wearing colored wigs. Again the logic here is draw the customers attention to your bar but do it by utilizing means other than overt sexuality.

The Atlantis door girls where the emphasis is placed on getting the customers attention through use of large numbers of girls and gimmicks such as colored wigs rather than overt sexuality.

In a recent conversation with DollHouse upper management we discussed the image of the DHG of bars and I was informed that they strive to present an “entertainment package with an emphasis on shows” rather than just blatantly selling sex. This approach is shown by their door girls who try to get customers attention by wearing fancy costumes and colored wigs whereas in other bars they are still selling the promise of sexual fulfillment and as such the door girls who work here try to attract the customers with overt displays of sexuality. The door girls in many ways reflect the attitude of management. In days gone by it was all about attracting customers via the promise of sex but with relatively recent pressure from the city administration and new directives regarding door girls the emphasis is now slowly shifting to means other than displays of sexuality.

The La Pasha door girls are excellent and combine many of the required attributes that make up a good door girl who is proficient at her job.

There are a number of advantages and disadvantages to having door girls. As always I prefer to start with the positive so first of all I will outline the advantages. The first advantage is purely an economic one. A good door girl can be a real draw card when it comes to getting customers through the door. Normally the best door girls will be the ones with good looks, a slightly better than average grasp of English and an outgoing personality. Best of all her salary is minimal and if she is any good she can produce far more money for the bar that what she costs.

When it comes to the number of customers in the bar the door girls often have a direct influence. For example in the bars which are upstairs or slightly hidden the door girls play a pivotal role in enticing customers inside the bar. A classic example of this is Golden Nile which is upstairs on the third floor and only accessible by an elevator or by walking up two flights of stairs. If the customers do not have prior knowledge of the bars existence then the door girls are the only way in which they would ever know there is a girlie bar there.

Another advantage to door girls is that they provide a sort of regular contact with the customer. Many of these door girls will get to know the regular customers which in turn encourages the customer to adopt a particular bar as one of his regular stops partly because he is friends with the door girl. When this happens the door girl in question will remember the customers name which equals instant recognition and a feeling of being welcome in the customers mind. For want of a better term this is what I call the “Cheers” effect.

The voodoo door girls literally have the street wired and know many customers by name.

Every girl has what is loosely referred to as her “shelf life “ in the bar. In other words she can only be a dancer for so long and then she becomes past her prime so to speak. Many of these girls who have been working the bar for an extended period of time still retain their good looks, they generally have a good grasp of English and they are not shy to flaunt their sexuality as such they often end up as door girls. The position of door girl in this respect helps the girls extend her tenure in the bar.

The ability to converse in English is a definite advantage both for the door girl and the customers. Many times I have seen customers bring the door girls inside buy them drinks and just engage in conversation. The door girls provide good companionship as well as acting as a sort of host. Often they will give the customer valuable information about the bar and the individual girls working there and on occasions they can even help should a problem occur as a result of miscommunication.

The AC bars for many people represent a social occasion as much as they do a mongering opportunity and here the door girls play an important role. Generally speaking the door girls have the street ‘wired’ and they will know people by name and know where they are. Many times if I am looking for a group of friends and they are not answering their phones I have asked the door girls of their whereabouts and most of the time they have told me exactly where my friends are.

Last but not least for people who are in a hurry the door girls represent a quick and easy bar fine. I have often seen customers pay a bar fine only to be left sitting in the bar for another half an hour while the girl goes to get changed, put on her makeup etc. With the door girls there is really no need to get changed as they come ready to take out.

Of course there are two sides to every story and so it is with door girls. Just as there are many advantages to having door girls there are also several disadvantages and primary amongst these is that sometimes the door girls become possessive and will actually ‘cock block’ you. It is not uncommon for the door girls to form a sort attachment to their customers and once this happens they will often give you a hard time if they see you with another girl, in fact sometimes they will even give the girl you are with a hard time.

Generally speaking there are minimal social barriers between Filipinas and they can form friendships very easily. In some ways this is an attractive feature but in others it is a distinct disadvantage. For example if a door girl befriends your girlfriend she will not hesitate to report your activities to her. There is an old saying which says, “there are no secrets in Angeles and this is certainly the case when it comes to door girls. Whilst a door girl may be your friend if she is also friends with your regular girl be aware that her priority will be to her fellow female and she report on your activities in a heartbeat. To be on the safe side I tend to categorize all door girls in the same boat. Generally speaking everyone of them is a blabber mouth and incapable of keeping a secret.

In terms of the bar there are several disadvantages to having door girls. As stated previously the door girls easily form friendships and this includes with Filipino men. It is not uncommon for the door girls to spend a large percentage of their time talking with the Filipino guys rather than calling the customers. Often the door girls will block the entrance to a bar without even realizing they are doing it and I am yet to see a reliable door girl who doesn’t spend a lot of time eating smoking or chatting in an internet café when she is supposed to be calling customers.

There are several elements that combine to make a good door-girl but the primary one is her ability to flaunt her sexuality and entice customers to enter the bar. Other attributes which are essential for a good door girl are an outgoing personality, the ability to approach customers, the ability to converse in English and of course a curvaceous body. Love them or hate them the door girls are very much part of the Angeles bar scene and will no doubt be so for many years to come.

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 gave the matter much thought drawing on my years of experience and decided since we are all primarily interested in the fair sex (even gay BamBam) the subject of recruitment and general information as to how the girls come to work in the bar would indeed make for an interesting article, what’s more, since there are so many new bars opening the ability to recruit good looking girls is becoming of paramount importance and is a bigger factor in determining the success of a bar than ever before.

“Recruitment refers to the process of screening, and selecting qualified people for a job at an organization or firm, or for a vacancy in a volunteer-based some components of the recruitment process, mid- and large-size organizations and companies often retain professional recruiters or outsource some of the process to recruitment agencies. External recruitment is the process of attracting and selecting employees from outside the organization”. Definition from Wikipedia.

Prior to examining the actual methods of recruitment I think it is important to note that the word recruitment in the Philippines tends to conjure negative connotations and is often associated with human trafficking. In Act R.A.9208 “Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003″ the word recruitment is contained within the definition of Human Trafficking. Because of the link between recruitment and human trafficking and the harsh penalties associated with these activities recruitment for many people, especially those involved in the go-go bar business, is a taboo subject and one they are very wary about discussing.

Human trafficking in the Philippines is defined as follows “Trafficking in Persons – refers to the recruitment, transportation, transfer or harboring, or receipt of persons with or without the victim’s consent or knowledge, within or across national borders by means of threat or use of force, or other forms of coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or of position, taking advantage of the vulnerability of the person, or, the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation which includes at a minimum, the exploitation or the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor or services, slavery, servitude or the removal or sale of organs”.

Personally I see the definition as being fairly general and I can easily see how this could be twisted to suit an individual’s separate agenda especially when it applies to the recruitment of girls to work in the go-go bar environment.

There are several ways the girls come to find out about the bar but by far the most common means is by word of mouth and actual recruitment. For the girls in the province they mostly hear about the bar and life in Angeles through a friend who has experienced it and returns to the province to encourage her friends to join her living in AC and working the bar. Often these friends are sent to the province by the mamasans with funds and specific instructions to recruit girls. This method of recruitment makes perfect sense because the girl has family and friends in her provincial area, she knows the lay of the land and is in a better position to avoid the pitfalls associated with recruitment, she knows the type of girls that will be successful in the bar environment and she knows the families that are in need of money. Lastly but by no means because the girl is seen as a province member she has instant access to certain social circles that would normally be closed to an outsider.

When recruiting there is an instinctive understanding for both parties that this is all about the money. The girl doing the recruiting will often wear jewelry or other ostentatious displays of wealth designed to draw attention to the fact that she now has money. Of course her jewelry is noted by those who have nothing and their first question is invariably how did you get the money to buy the jewelry followed by how can I get the money to buy myself some jewelry. This of course is the perfect opening for the recruiter to sell the concept of working in the bar. It is interesting to note here that very few recruiters will actually spell it out that the girl is supposed to have sex with foreigners rather it is always couched in phrases like you will be a dancer with a nice salary or it’s a nightclub where you will dance and get ladies drinks or you will be a waitress. The fact of having sex which is where the real money is made is in most cases not mentioned until the girl is actually working in the bar and then it is up to her to decide her course of action. This whole process is done through word of mouth and at times as a monetary transaction but there is never anything in writing due to the obvious ramifications from the various local authorities. People involved in recruitment for the go-go bars run the risk of having their activities misconstrued, misinterpreted and misrepresented to the extent where they are at risk of being charged with illegal recruitment and at worse human trafficking.

Some mamasans when recruiting clearly define the jobs parameters making it clear that the girls will only make the real money by having sex however these mamasans are few and far between and in most cases the more realistic aspects of the job are glossed over with the promises of easy money. Another key factor that recruiters utilize is the promise of security. Many of the girls growing up in the provinces automatically equate foreigners with money and they see foreigners as a means to earn money for themselves and their family as well as offering them security through giving them a means to escape from the grinding poverty most often associated with provincial life. Many girls grow up with the dream of marrying a foreigner so they can escape to another country build a future for themselves and help their families stuck in the Philippines by sending financial remittances back home. The recruiters will often play on this desire by pointing out the best way to meet a foreigner is by working in the bar in Angeles.

As I have pointed out this is primarily about the money and it is not uncommon for the girl’s parents to ask for a cash advance in lieu of their daughters salary. In many ways this is common practice and it is not unusual for the mamasan or whoever is doing the recruiting to give up to 5000 piso to a girl’s parents. This money is then taken out of the girls earnings on a regular basis. When you consider that the recruiters pay for the initial trip to the province for themselves this can run to as much as 3000 piso one way, then for food and accommodation, then for whatever cash payouts need to be made, then for transportation back to Angeles the recruitment process becomes a time consuming and costly business with no guaranteed returns.

A good mamasan realizes that she is only as good as the girls she can produce and as such she is constantly engaging in a pro active recruitment program. Some mamasans will conduct the recruiting themselves or will conduct the process together with a friend or some sort of relative. In this scenario they will normally recruit from a provincial area known to the mamasan where she has a social network and knows the lay of the land as well as the power players within the local community. A third means of recruiting is to utilize a professional recruiter. In this scenario the mamasan will give the recruiter a minimal down payment enough to cover the basic expenses and the rest will be paid when the girls are delivered. Normally the money comes from the bar or the mamasan or a combination of both. Most bar owners realize the importance of maintaining the correct level of girls and as such will have a certain amount put aside specifically for the purpose of recruitment. The professional recruiter will normally work on a slightly different level from mamasans and girls and place a more defined emphasis on money. They will promise the girls this is a “good job” with a “nice salary” and very rarely will they mention what the job actually involves, preferring instead to skirt over the means and just emphasize the end result, financial gain.

A proactive mamasan will always be on the lookout for girls to work as part of her stable and many times she will approach girls from other bars when they are bar hopping with their customers. The normal approach will be talk to the girls and tell them what the salary is and what are the other benefits. Typically this will include mention of things such as a higher commission on ladies drinks, or lack of fines or incentive programs for regular attendance or number of bar fines or number of ladies drinks. They will often mention the stay in and things such as a regular supply of food from the staff canteen, they will claim there are more customers in their bar and more big spenders and most importantly they will promise financial help when it is required. One mamasan who works for a well known smaller bar on Fields Avenue engages in an active recruitment by befriending girls from other bars when they come to visit and even lends them money. This works well as the girl feels obligated to pay back the loan and of course the best way she can earn the money is to come to work for that mamasan in her bar.

Another way of recruiting is to encourage the girls to do it themselves and often this will mean the bar conducting an active recruitment program where cash is offered as a reward for recruiting a friend to work in the bar. Typically this will work on an incentive basis, for example, programs I have run in the past give a girl 500 piso if she brings a friend in to work and the friend stays for two weeks if she stays for two weeks more the girl who recruited her then gets a further 500 piso. Programs such as this are common place but will differ slightly in the rules applied and the amount of money offered.

A subtle means of recruiting girls will be to promise an ex dancer who is now too old to be able to compete on the dance floor a job as a mamasan but before she can work she must have a minimum of ten girls. The requirement of ten girls puts pressure on the potential mamasan to actively recruit. Normally these girls will make excellent mamasans because they have been dancers themselves and are aware of all the tricks the girls will try to pull and all the problems the girls will face.

Another subtle means is to befriend people who have regular contact with the girls and are perceived by the girls as being knowledgeable or people seen as being an authoritative figure. A classic example of this is the social hygiene personnel who have regular contact with the girls and are seen as being credible because of their position. I once worked with a mamasan who was strongly connected with city hall and social hygiene personnel and she would actually give her contacts a healthy remuneration should a girl apply to work with her as a result of the contacts recommendation.

Because it can be loosely associated with human trafficking, recruitment of girls to work in a go-go bar is always a risky situation however as the number of bars continually expand and the demand for girls expands correspondingly, recruitment has become an extremely important factor throughout the entire bar business. In fact many bars financial well being can be directly linked to the effectiveness of its recruiters and I confidently state that this will be the case for many years to come.