THE RE-CONQUEST OF THE PHILIPPINES:
Angeles City, November 2003

Or at least of Angeles City by those we thought were vanquished in WWII...the Japanese, Germans, and Italians. One of the most pronounced changes one notices after an absence of a couple years is how the complexion (intended of course) of those in town has changed. Another big change is that Filipino men (and a few families) are present in the bars and restaurants on Fields Avenue than were seen in the past.

As mentioned briefly an earlier report, in the past, one feature of a trip to Angeles was running into a large group of fellow Americans, comprised of both fellow tourists and retired and semi-retired expatriates. The retired American military were there in force. There was also many Aussies, Kiwis, , Brits, and various slumming Continental Europeans. Rounding out the mix was the odd Japanese salaryman drop-out resident, factory manager, or tourist. This demographic profile of Angeles appears to have totally changed. In fact, it can be hard to hear a word of English sometimes in many of the bars and restaurants around town. It appears that many of the new restaurants and gogos are owned and managed by Europeans (Germans) and Koreans. Whatever the case, all one can say is that there are lots of these folks in town. One would suspect that these new owners are heavily promoting their new entertainment businesses and the vacation venue of Angeles City heavily on whatever internet sites/boards and other media outlets that cater to their home market “extreme sports” tourists. The fact that the new mega-gogos are full of Koreans, Germans, and other Euros seems to confirm this observation. There are still the old restaurants and classic small-time gogos run by Americans and Aussies but these are small and dingy. Nothing like the gogo-palaces setting the pace of things now…Blue Nile, Nero’s Forum, Cambodia, and Camelot.

The other interesting change is seeing Filipinos drinking at the bars and eating at the restaurants Fields Avenue. This has some interesting ramifications it would seem. First some history, in the past, it was very rare to see a Filipino man having a cold one and viewing the stage at a Fields Avenue a-go-go. The assumption made being that they had their own [i.e., cheaper] venues in other areas of town and that they preferred to keep their own company. It being likely the average Filipino male could not afford the prices for drinks and other entertainment offered on Fields and for those that could, there were many other venues that were more suited to their tastes. Bar owners may have also discouraged patronage by Filipino men...certainly the lower/labouring class ones anyway because of their reputation for short-tempers, drinking cheap drinks, starting fights, and probably scaring the Filipina dancers as well. This could be easily be done by pricing drinks for a foreign clientele. Well, that too has changed. In the bars and gogos there are now often seen Filipino men drinking and partying along with the foreigners. There are not huge numbers to be sure but they are there and noticed. It is surely greater than basically zero one used to see. I don't know the reason for this. It could be that with what limited economic growth the Philippines has seen the past couple of years has put some extra pisos into the hands of the locals or Manila crowd and that they are spending it on a night out. Or if it's just that those local men who always had the wherewithal to indulge their more basic instincts have discovered the joys of Fields Avenue. Whatever the reason, it is interesting to see locals enjoying the sights along with the tourists and expats.

There are also a few families wandering around Fields Avenue and making use of the new restaurants and "family" type eateries and service establishments around the area. This too is somewhat of a change as though there were always women and children working and walking in the myriad of legit service businesses on Fields, one normally didn't see them holding birthday parties for kids on Fields. The Strip being somewhat of an area of ill-repute.

These two developments, local men in the gogos and families in and around the Strip could have the effect of providing "protection" or cover for the entertainment venues. In Thailand, the farang oriented nightlife venues are always easy whipping boys for xenophobic politicians and up and coming police who can shake down the businesses or threaten to shut them down as they are seen as nothing more than low-class sex-businesses that cater to foreigners and degrade Thai womanhood. The fact that local men are to some extent partaking in the scene in Angeles would make it harder for anyone to claim that the whole scene is nothing but a bunch of debauched foreigners preying on poor Filipinas. If both foreigners and Filipino men are doing the preying together, well, it seems the future of the Strip is more secure.

Finally, the general atmosphere is party, party, party. There have been reports of crackdowns and the like on the nightlife in Angeles. However, it seems to be going as strong as ever. In fact, as strong as at any time this reporter has been visiting Angeles over the past 6 years. There is no showing, but that has always been the case. All the dancers also have to prominently display their ID tags on their persons, but other than that, all seems like it has always been. There is definitely a maximum sanook atmosphere, and the fact that several the restaurant venues are 24 hour and that several of the gogos are open till 5 a.m. (yeh, that's right folks, none of this 2 a.m. (possible 1 a.m. after January 22) bar closures that is currently the norm in Thailand makes for a great party scene.

The only problem I see is that the Filipino local men are in full force at Blue Nile Exec sometimes(right after payday) and the girls hate it. They dont hate it because they dont like Filipino men as boyfriends(many do). The problemd is that the guys dont like to buy LD's and like to claim the girl as their girlfriend after one LD. These guys are notorious for getting all machismo in their Napolean ways and stalking the girls or threatening them when they see them with other kanos. These men have a deep resentment for other foreigners sometimes and this is a dangerous when mixed with alcohol at one of these venues. I like Filipino in America but the Filipino men in the PI are a different breed and I walk right out of the bar when I can see a majority of Filipinos in a bar and that how they like it.

A nice reflection on the past.
Its a shame Jonnieh coudnt put this on somethink like Stickmans guide to the Philippines

B,

I hear you. Resentment, possible envy, local girls, and alcohol are surely a combustible mix. I would give them a wide birth too. It is somewhat understandable, however, their attitude towards us foreign men. except for the tiny money class, these guys never get to party in much of any venue. to see foreigners whooping it up in bars and having their way with lots of the local girls must grate on them (or some of them anyway). sure the girls are considered low-class and many locals are banging them as well (as GFs and wives) but many i am sure are not and would sure like too. i always think how it would be if the shoe were on the other country so to speak. if the usa was some piss-poor country and the philippines (LOLOL) or let's say Japan was the world richest and most powerful country. there are special "entertainment" districts in most usa cities with lots of young and pretty girls who "service" all the working class and low-class tourists from the phils of japan who are still 10x richer than i was and come to the usa to play with the girls because it was so cheap. and i couldn't even step into one of these clubs because I hadn't the wherewithall.

i am surprised things are as easy going as there are in A/C and that there is not more tension with the locals. i guess that's just the way it goes when your country has been stepped-on by others for the past 500 years.