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It's around 1 a.m.
on a hot, tropical night in the Philippines. The phone rings. I can tell
from the tone of my neighbor's voice it's going to be one of those nights.
"Mac, I've got a problem."
I've heard that line before. It means trouble. His girlfriend has unexpectedly
showed up and she's knocking at his front gate. No big deal, except for
the fact that he already has another girl with him in his bedroom. Knowing
how jealous Filipino women can be, if his girlfriend discovers he's a "butterfly"
(someone who likes to have sex with many partners), the shit's really going
to hit the fan. My neighbor proposes a solution. "Here's what we do. I'll
send the girl I have upstairs over to your house. I'll sneak her out the
back door and help her climb the wall into your backyard. Then she can spend
the night with you." Now, any single guy on a lonely night in the States
would jump at such an opportunity. However, I'm not living in the States.
I'm living in the Philippines, so spending the night alone is rare. I also
have a girl in my room and I'm not about to kick her out the door. "I'd
like to help you out," I tell my neighbor, "but I already have someone here."
"So what? You have two bedrooms. Just put my girl in your other room and
you can fuck them both." I glance over. My girl is fast asleep. I think
to myself: Hmmm. This could work. And my neighbor has helped me out on numerous
occasions when 1 was in a similar bind, so I should offer my assistance. |
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Nice guy that I
am, I finally give in. "Okay, I'll meet you in the backyard in a minute,
but next time, tell your girlfriend to call first before showing up. "After
I lead my neighbor's girl upstairs to my second bedroom, I think back to
how difficult it was to meet women while living in California. Since I moved
to the Philippines, all that has changed. The girls are chasing after me
now, literally by the cartloads. Where else in this world can a guy go and
receive so much attention and affection from so many young and beautiful
women? For me, it all started back in the '80s. I was watching a TV special
on sex tours to the Philippines. I'm sure the intention of the show wasn't
to promote sex tourism, but when they flashed all those lusty bar girls
frolicking in their skimpy bikinis, I knew where I would be spending my
next vacation. In March of '91, I finally boarded the plane to Manila. From
there, my destination was Angeles City, where, believe it or not, an estimated
15,000 women were anxiously looking forward to my arrival. (In the States,
I think the women were looking forward to my departure!) When I first arrived
in Manila, the streets looked like a war zone. The blazing fires and smoke
weren't from gunfire or bombs; the locals were in the habit of burning their
garbage on the streets. |
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It was a scary sight.
Luckily, a friend of mine I had met while living in Thailand advised me
not to hang out in Manila, but rather take the two-hour bus ride to Angeles
City, the home of Clark Air Force Base. He also suggested I go to Olongapo,
where the U.S. Navy had dropped anchor at Subic Bay. Angeles City, according
to my friend, had the best nightlife. He was more than right. The town was
teeming with available women. Imagine a cluster of 200 bars, all of them
jam-packed with literally thousands of single women. When I say thousands
of women, I'm not exaggerating. Case in point: In 1987 and 1992, the U.S.
Census Bureau conducted an HIV study among the bar girls in Olongapo and
Angeles, respectively. They tested (get this!) 31,710 women in Olongapo
and 12,560 in Angeles. So, between the bar girls in Angeles and Olongapo,
there were more than 44,000 hospitality girls! The results of the testing
are interesting. Of the 31,710 women tested in 1987, 99.06% were found HIV
negative. Of the 12,560 tested five years later in Angeles, 99.99% were
found HIV negative. So much for the theory that Filipino prostitutes spread
HIV!
These thousands of bar girls were not natural residents of Angeles or Olongapo.
They had migrated from all over the country in search of the Filipino dream:
to land an American boyfriend or husband. As I now look back, I wish I had
paid a return visit to Angeles before Mount Pinatubo erupted on June 15,
1991. |
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Santo
Street (aside street off of Fields Avenue.
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Behind Kokomo's
Restaurant
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STILL
HAS THE INFAMOUS "BLOWJOB BARS"
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As the U.S.
military called them, where you can
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get a
BJ for, Believe it or not, $7
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Pinatubo nearly wiped out Angeles
and forced the closure of Clark Air Force Base (June 1991). When I returned
to Angeles in March of '93, it was a grim site. All the Americans were gone
and most of the bars were shut down-temporarily, that is. So what's become
of Angeles since the shutdown? When it comes to nightlife, and chasing women,
the party is far from over. At present, there are at least 45 bars (most
of them walking distance from each other) in Angeles City (see the list
below). Each bar employs anywhere from 20 to 60 girls, so I would guess
there are roughly 2,000 girls working as dancers, waitresses, entertainers,
hostesses and door girls in the area. Now here is the key, gents: Each and
every bar girl is there for one purpose-to hook up with a guy just like
you or me. Alas, some anti prostitution groups-many of whose members have
never even been to the Philippines-have made several (fortunately) unsuccessful
attempts to shut down the sex industry in Angeles, allegedly to "protect
the children" from working as sex slaves in the bars. The credibility of
these groups was diminished, however, when it was discovered that the organizers
included former wives of several bar owners. |
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Said organizers
were suspected of making trouble for their ex-husbands by spreading stories
about underage "sex slaves" working in the bars. We haven't heard from
these groups since, and the nightlife in Angeles City continues to grow
and grow. Along Fields Avenue, the main strip, which runs parallel with
the old Clark Base site, there are Misty's, Top Hat, Valentines, Bubbles
2, Thunderstruck, Happy Hooker, Champagne, Welcome Inn, Cockatoo, Pappion,
Panama Jack, La Bamba, Cozy Cleopatra, y Bar, DMZ, the new Ziggy's &
Love Boat (formerly Titanic), Roadhouse, Illusions, Butterfly, the new
Jungle (formerly Connections), Tahitian Queen (indoor and outdoor), the
new Bird Cage (behind Tahitian Queen), Voodoo, Private Dancer One, the
Club, and Archie's (now renamed Bronco's). Santos Street (a side street
off of Fields Avenue, behind Kokomo's restaurant) still has the infamous
"blowjob bars," as the U.S. military called them, where you can get a
BJ for, believe it or not, $7. This area is growing! Check out Charlie's
Place I and II, Queen Teller, the new Shadows bar, and Body Massage bar,
which has some truly cute and very friendly girls. Beware, however, as
Santos Street also has a handful of transvestites. If a very tall "woman"
with a falsetto approaches you, it's probably a guy.
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On Real Street,
you'll find lollipops, Cuddles (part of the Park Chicago hotel), Kosmos
(temporarily closed for long-needed renovations), Confetti's (formerly Nightout),
the new King of Hearts, Duke of York Tavern (blowjob bar), Wanton (blowjob
bar), Cleopatra, Golden Gate, Black Jack and Car Tunes. Raymond Street has
Private Dancer Too, Abbey Road (recently closed, thank God!) and Stingers.
One bar not to be missed is the new Diamond and Gold, located in Dau, the
small town next to Angeles (take the free shuttle from the Tropicana hotel;
it's a five-minute ride). Diamond and Gold is one of the few bars that features
full nudity. All the other bars have a restricted dress code for the dancers.
(In January of 1999, the dress code changed from full uniform to bikini-style
outfits. Occasionally, the girls will flash some tits and ass, but that's
not so common.) So what will a single guy find in Angeles that he won't
find in the good of USA? First and foremost, the ratio of women to men in
the bars is staggering. Even during peak tourist season (December to February),
there are usually three times as many girls as guys in each and every bar.
During the slow season (May to October), the bars are jam-packed with girls
and virtually void of men (my kind of place!). Second, Filipino women are
very relationship-oriented and many are looking to marry a foreigner, especially
an American. Although the girls often joke about it, saying, "Tonight we
get married, tomorrow divorce," if you are seriously looking for a Filipino
bride, this is the place to come. Third, sex with a young, beautiful, English-speaking
Filipino is a given. When you vacation here, bring one suitcase full of
condoms and another full of Viagra. |
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All girls working in the bars
are 18 years or older and licensed by the city. Granted, you will find some
underage girls with fake IDs, but such is the case anywhere in the world,
including the U.S. The arrogant assholes who point their finger at the Philippines
would do well to look in their own dirty backyards first. Fourth, the girls
actually favor older men (because younger guys tend to be unfaithful and
less giving). It is not unusual to see a bald-headed, overweight tourist
in his 50s or 60s walking arm-in-arm with a beautiful Filipino in her 20s.
Fifth, the bar girls are extremely affectionate and romantic (must be that
Spanish blood). Don't be surprised if even on your first night in town you
meet a girl, fall madly in love, and find yourself spending the rest of
your vacation with her. The Philippines are truly the islands of love. Which
isn't to say that there are no complexities involved. Many foreigners fall
in love and end up supporting a bar girl. Most of these girls continue to
work in the bars while being supported, either because they enjoy it, or
because of their own financial ambitions. I know there are guys out there
reading this who are fed up with the whole sex and dating scene in the U.S.
Some of you may have just gone through a divorce and are seriously bummed.
You no longer need put up with all the bullshit and hassle of trying to
get laid or find companionship in the States. Come to the Philippines, where
you'll encounter women who will meet your every need. Whether you're looking
for a Filipino wife or just a romantic fling, this place is happening! Although
Tagalog is the national language of the Philippines, English is widely spoken
and even heard and read on many TV programs and local newspapers. Here is
a small list of words (and some unusual English phrases) you'll find useful
during your visit: Malibog means "sex addict" and is used to describe someone
who's very horny. |
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Supladai means "stuck up" or
"unfriendly." If a bar girl eyes you and uses her index finger to flick
her nose two or three times in a row, she's indicating that you're being
supladai. In other words, she's upset because you're staring at all the
other girls and not paying attention to her. Give her a smile and, if you
like her, wave her overto sit by your side. Buy her a ladies' drink and
she'll treat you like a god. that you're very malibog. When a girl tells
me I'm malibog, I say, "Of course I'm malibog, because you're so beautiful
and sexy!" That'll get you a kiss and usually another round in bed. Flattery
is equally appreciated in Asia. iloco? means "I don't want it." Occasionally,
you'll meet a girl in the bar who doesn't want to spend the night with you.
Even if you tell the mamasan (bar manager) you wish to take a girl home,
if the girl says iloco?, pick another. The fact that you will occasionally
meet girls who will refuse to go with you raises serious doubts about the
anti prostitution groups' claim that all bar girls are sex slaves. Since
when do sex slaves have the option of refusing customers? Mahal kitaf means
"I love you." When you encounter the girls of the Philippines, it is inevitable
that you will fall deeply in love. Butterfly is an English word that describes
someone who likes to have sex with many partners. If your Filipino girlfriend
catches you with another girl, she'll call you a butterfly. When a girl
calls me a butterfly, I smile and say, "No, I'm not a butterfly. I'm a helicopter!"
Helicopter is the god of butterflies. |
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mac Horn is the author of A Gentleman's Guide:
The Erotic Women of Southeast Asia and Producer/Director of Travel
& Erotic Videos to Thailand, Philippines and Cambodia. |
