am wondering if any members in AC can confirm the following story!!Extortion and Pay-Offs: A Way of Life for Americans or Foreigner in Angeles City

Does corruption exist? OF COURSE! But it can be minimized. Stand up for yourself when you're right, but give an opponent a face saving "out."

Gentleman, you are probably wondering the reason behind this subject. Simple, the mighty hand of extortion has shown his face once more in AC. Election time is coming around and all sorts of things will happen. Murphy's Law! is the order of the day in PI and probably other cases as the one I'm going to mention will come to light.

Richard Agnew face was all over the prime headline news last night in PI and now they are closing all his clubs and canceling all his licenses, the immigration commissioner promised to deport him immediately on prime-time news, so I guess if he has already been found "guilty" the trial is a formality, sad the poor guy is fucked bigtime, the department of Social Welfare and Department of Labor are also going after him according to the news report.

Those that know Richard - I know that many of you guys and in the Thailand thread have met him before, knows that this is a very sad situation right now and know that Richard always has the best interest in mind when it comes to AC Area. He has come to Love this Country and Care for it's people.

I believe that everyone should be aware that guys like us who are there for more than a couple of weeks or so are subject to this same type of Filipino extortion which is in part due to the fact that these clubs operate in a sort of twilight zone of legality where bribes are constantly being paid to local officials. And you bar owners there in Balibago, don't even try to deny that this is the case. So, guys pay attention to all of this; it could be another Barreto all over again!

The Full Story!!!

Gentleman and fellow AC whorists, I don't know if you guys have heard yet, but a couple Clubs in Angeles have been closed down. Here is an article explaining what has transpire this past week in AC:

Many friends, like myself, have spoken to Richard Agnew via cellphone during the last few days from his detention cell. If you didn't know, he is the owner of the Blue Nile group of Bars in AC. Here are the facts about his arrest and bar closure(s).

During the month of December of last year a long time and well known head waitress in Neros named Theresa approached Richard and requested a cash advance claiming her daughter was in the hospital and she needed money for her care. Richard gave her money but apparently the amount was not enough. Richard had just opened the Executive Club and was limiting cash advances.

Later, in March of this year Theresa returned to Richard's office and told him that her daughter, Wendy, had contracted the HIV virus and needed money for medicine and treatment. Further, it was revealed for the first time that Wendy had been working in Neros as a dancer. Richard checked the employee records and discovered that Wendy had worked a total of 21 days over a 9 month period. Her health permit and license were in order and up to day.

Sometime in April of this year Theresa and Susan Pineda - a local women's rights advocate, pay a visit to Richard's office and demanded that he pay the amount of P1.5 million due to the fact that Wendy, her daughter, had contracted the HIV virus while being an employee at Neros. Richard was sympathetic because of the illness but wanted to know more information before making a decision. Negotiations went on for about a month. Over the next few weeks Theresa's representatives went to Richard's office in what was becoming an attempt to extort money from him. Theresa then threatened to go to the media and report the matter if he did not give her the money. Richard, based on advise from his legal counsel, had no choice but to terminate Theresa for her constant threats. She was terminated shortly thereafter. At the time of her dismissal she again threatened to go to the media over the issue in an attempt to close all of Richard's Bars and other interest in AC.

In June of this year a friend of Wendy's and fellow Neros worker - another waitress, decided to seek the help of a man that is known for helping girls with problems. The situation was explained to him that the girl had AIDS and that her family had no money to pay for the medication. The man knew the waitress but had never met Wendy. He immediately took Wendy to a close friend of his who is an OB-GYNE. Wendy was interviewed, examined and tested, at his expense, from head to foot. The following day the test results showed Negative. That in fact Wendy did not have HIV at all! A second test followed and confirmed the first results!

When the results were reported to Richard and subsequently to Wendy's mother everything changed suddenly. Richard was very happy for Wendy; the mother was a bit more than irate! Immediately, word spread out that Wendy did not have HIV or Aids but did have Tuberculosis which is common and treatable in the Philippines.

Here is where the case turn quite ugly! The hunt was on for the records from the first hospital that allegedly had diagnosed Wendy with HIV. No such records were to be found! In the Philippines all HIV diagnosis must be reported to the Department of Health and other government agencies. Private doctors are not allowed to treat HIV. A crazy rule but all so true! When no record could be found that an HIV diagnosis had been reported Wendy was questioned regarding who have told her she had HIV. She promptly said "her mother." She admitted that she had never seen personally any paper or record showing the test results nor had any doctor or any other medical professional made such statements to her! A thorough search was performed by the Mayor's office and other agencies. No medical record was found for Wendy!

The focus now shifted to the mother. It was appearing more and more like extortion and blackmail. It quickly spread out throughout the Clubs that Theresa had concocted the entire story in a botched extortion attempt. People were now beginning to back away from Theresa and her story! Political leaders who had once been sympathetic to her cause were now angry and pulled their moral and political support from her.

Theresa then decided that the negative results were bogus and had Wendy re-tested at the Department of Health testing center in Manila. NEGATIVE AGAIN!

Theresa began bragging quite openly to friends and family that she was going to get even no matter what and no matter how it will take to do it. Her own daughter personally attested to these remarks. The rumors of Theresa's blackmail attempt quickly circulated throughout the Clubs.

After a period of quiet, the raids began! Theresa personally accompanied the NBI into Blue Nile and Neros and began pointing fingers at girls who she believed were under age. She had determined that since she couldn't get any money from Richard she would do the next best thing! Revenge!

During the raids, 14 girls were initially arrested! 11 were set free when it was determined they were properly licensed and of legal age. There were three girls, that are know of, that were detained. Two of the girls signed affidavits stating they were under 18. The other girl papers are being examine as I'm writing this article.

Richard has gone to great length to insure that the girls are of legal status. He has hired a representative from the Mayor's office to personally inspect the documents of the girls prior to hiring! So, much for Filipino help! He employs nearly 700 girls and it is impossible for him to be personally aware of each girl's legal status. If the documents used to obtain employment cannot be trusted even after review and close examination by government officials who is to blame?

As of Monday, August 11, Nero's was temporarily closed. Till Wednesday, August 13, Misty's was closed by Richard due to renovations at Tropicana. It was not closed by the Mayor's office.

The issue in a practical perspective is exclusively about money. The bogus legal issues are another story. But the reality of the matter is that he could be charge with the following:

Section 5 of the Republic Act N°7610, which is an "Act for Stronger Deterrents and Special Protection against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination, Providing Penalties for its violation and for Other Purposes ", defines ‘children exploited in prostitution and other sexual abuse’ as "Children, whether male or female, who for money, profit or any other consideration or due to the coercion or influence of any adult, syndicate or group, indulge in sexual intercourse or lascivious conduct."

...c) Those who derived profit or advantage therefrom, whether as manager or owner of the establishment where the prostitution takes place or of the sauna, disco, bar, resort place of entertainment or establishment serving as a cover or which engages in prostitution in addition to the activity for which the license has been issued to said establishment."

Believe me, in the Philippines those are serious charges.

HERE IS THE CURRENT STATUS ON RICHARD'S CASE:

He is being held in an immigration holding cell pending a petition for bail! He has a lot of support from a number of high officials. However, this being election time and the large amount of media attention given to this issue has scared a number of the individuals who can order his release. Andrea Domingo is running for mayor of San Fernando and she is the primary individual that must sign the release papers.

The bottom line is that Angeles City bars not only represent employment to thousands of Filipino's but also money to unscrupulous government employees on the take! This is unlikely to change. Further, some sources have mention that more raids are imminent. One prominent police official said that raids will continue to insure immigration compliance by owners and managers of bars and the health, safety and welfare of minors. There are a number of other facts supporting Richard's defense that cannot be discussed in this forum due to the nature of the ongoing legal case. There are also a number of facts supporting criminal charges related to Theresa's involvement in an extortion attempt that also cannot be discussed since that investigation is separate and ongoing as well.

Richard is currently awaiting a response to his petition for bail today. It remains to be seen as to his fate it concerns.

On thing is for sure: This lively town will soon turn into a ghost town. For a while I hope. What do you think, another Barreto and Subic Bay in the Making? I leave you with that thought in mind.

Last news from AC.

I just got the latest out of AC and it's a sad time in AC and as of last night there were upwards of 18 major bars affected, and now there are two expats in custodial care "in jail." Neither of them will be remaining in PI and can be deported anytime that it will have the most political impact, expect several more detentions and bar closures.

AC is in a delicate balancing act at the moment, and the wise heads (2 of whom are in PI prisons by the way) are keeping their mouths shut and a lower profile than the proverbial snakes belly. For us travelers and residents it is a time to be super careful about what we take home to play with, be very, very fucking circumspect or you will find yourself on the way home in ignominious style...bet your life on it!

That is a discouraging report coming only a week and a half before I arrive. I am glad I am aware of the facts anyway. I am sure it will not stop me from enjoying my trip to the fullest but it still sucks.

I took a quick trip to Boracay to see how the stuff unfolds. As of now, Blue Nile and other bars are not even allowing girls under 20 to work there. No more hot 18 year old bunnies. One of the results is that girls are stuck in AC with no money and lazy parents who rely on them. As such, many girls have taken to freelancing in the streets. Late at night looks like Sukhumvit Avenue in Bangkok. Another good reason to keep in contact with girls is that many of the girls have quit the bar scene or were victims of bar closures and they are now freelancers who you can order to go. I used to always go for the young-looking farm girls but now I am scared and demand to see documentation from the club. What angers me is that the root of this entire problem is that the economy in the provinces is very dire because of the corrupt Chinese-Filipino businessmen and their government cohorts on the take. Many girls have emailed me saying they want to know if they can eat with me because they are hungry and I had to take one girl to the bus station to pay for her trip back to Samar..she was so embarrassed to ask for money that she couldn't look me in the eye. They need to stop voting for women in public office with Chinese blood...that's the worst of both worlds. Totally corrupt and inept at what they do along with the righteous feminazi bullshit that goes with it. I will update you more on this topic later.