JimmyDHorse.com – Page 3 – Angeles City Information and Jimmy D's rants, straight from the horse's mouth.

Mar

2018

SO SORRY

I realize that is a strange title but I am sorry that I have taken so long to add words to this blog of mine. Please forgive me. I do not have a decent excuse other than lack of energy and at times quite busy. I want to thank those that have subscribed to this site and I have filed away all your Email addresses, thanks for your patience.

At this time though I would like to mention two good friends that have passed away recently. One, Joe Nelson was a man I knew for years, retired Air Force and a Mason. He died suddenly in Feb after an illness that drove him to Medical City. Joe enjoyed playing pool and at one time, a long time ago, played on my pool team. He was a gentleman.

Just a few moments ago I received information that another friend “Fish” passed away in California. Let me post his obituary:

Charles W. Fisherman passed away Sunday, March 11^th, 2018 after a short but acute illness. He was a Husband, Father, Grandfather, Great Grandfather and a Vietnam Veteran. He was always a very happy and cheerful man that carried a warm smile.

Charles (aka “Fishcat”, aka “Listo”, aka “Fish”) was born in Cogdell, Clinch County, Georgia, on November 5^th,1930. Charles was raised in southern Florida where he excelled in sports. He graduated from Dorsey High School in 1951. He attended Lincoln University in Missouri and worked his way through college as a Pullman Porter on the Pennsylvania Railroad in the early 1950’s. He joined the US Air Force in 1954, after originally being drafted by the US Army, and worked as an Air Policeman. On his 2nd assignment at Clark AFB Philippines, he met his wife, Irene Pineda, and they married after a formal courting process. Charles and Irene had 6 children, traveled all over the world as Charles served a 24-year career in the USAF. Most of his Air Force career, he was stationed at Clark where he played and coached various USAF sports teams. He excelled in football and track and consistently made the Air Force team. While in the Air Force in the late 50’s, he qualified for the Olympics in track but had to withdraw due to a leg injury. Charles completed two tours of duty in Vietnam surviving the 1968 Tet offensive at Tan Son Nhut AFB where he was wounded and narrowly escaped with his life. Charles was a decorated veteran and proud of his service to the country. After his retirement from the Air Force, Charles worked as a government employee at Clark AFB with merchandise control for the Base Exchange and Commissary and would take frequent space available flights around the world. During this time, Charles completed his college education obtaining a Master of Science in Physical Education from the University of the Philippines.

Charles never forgot a birthday, holiday, or an occasion for his family. He always showered his family with gifts whenever he could. He was a great story teller and often spoke of his travel and experiences to anyone that would listen. He enjoyed going to the gym and was in incredible physical shape most of his life. He ate healthy and never drank or smoked. Charles had a love for cars which was generated from a childhood experience when he saw a 1920’s style Rolls Royce. He was so taken that he had 3 cars designed and manufactured while in the Philippines. He was known to “literally” travel the world searching for car parts. He could often be seen driving around Vacaville in his white Rolls Royce-like custom car he referred to as “Lucille”.

Charles lived most of his life between the Philippines and California. After his wife’s death, he visited his children and grandchildren often sharing lots of stories and giving them advice on life. During his later years, he read his bible daily. His presence will be truly missed especially during the holidays when he cooked greens and baked his banana pudding and pound cake for the family.

Charles Fisherman was predeceased by his wife, Irene Fisherman and brother, Gerald Fisherman. He is survived by his children and their spouses: Yolanda and Andre Santana, Suzette and Victor Humphrey, Agnes Fisherman, Charles “Kenny” and Nicole Fisherman, Jessica and Darek Ochtera, Irene J Fisherman. Grandchildren: Charles J Santana, Andre L Santana, Victoria Humphrey, Marsha Wainwright, Mark C Wainwright, Cameron Fisherman, Elijah Fisherman. Great Grandson Charles K Evans. His sister and brother in-law Dorothy & Roschell Franklin. Sister in-law Ruth Fisherman and a host of other in-laws, nieces and nephews.

A viewing will take place on Sunday March 18^th from 12:00-3:00 pm at Vaca Hills Chapel 524 Elmira Rd, Vacaville, CA 95687. Services will take place at St Joseph’s Church, Monday March 19^th at 10:00 AM at St Joseph’s Catholic Church, 1791 Marshall Rd, Vacaville, CA 95687.

Fish was one of a kind. He was always very fit, happy and proud of his family. I met him at the Clark AB Gym when the USAF was here and he was amazing. He loved traveling space A and when I would meet him he would regale me with stories of his travels to Germany, England and whatever other points on the map that he could get “Hops” to. He was so proud of the custom car he had built here in Angeles City shipped to the States. He was 8 years older than me and physically, looked 25 years younger. I am sure, in heaven, he is already traveling the world and is probably peeking into the Space Station. I am so proud to have known this man.

On 25 Feb I celebrated my 80th birthday and enjoyed the company of my family and many friends. My sister flew in from Florida and my son Jimmy flew in from Arizona. Regretfully, my son Jason was enjoying a bit of Army basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Tomorrow, Sunday, Vina and I will fly out of Clark on Emirates Air line to attend his graduation from basic training on 22 Mar. After graduation he will be heading to school to learn the plumbing trade.

ENVY SPORTS BISTRO SUITES – located at the entrance to walking street is the newest place for those who love sports and good food at affordable prices. The four owners who gave you 7 years of service at Phillie’s Sports Grill have taken their experience to bring you a superior dining experience and an excellent venue for viewing sports of your choice at a high degree of comfort. They have only been open one month but already have been declared as the place to go for great food, great service and great viewing pleasure. In the near future they will also be offering 7 furnished suites at the same prime location.

Not too long ago I read in the Sun Star paper that officials of Porac, a town adjoining Angeles City, have been confiscating and destroying modified noisy mufflers from motorcycle users. The use of improvised mufflers is a violation of the Republic Act (RA) No. 4136 or the Land Transportation and traffic code of the Philippines which makes me wonder why we have to suffer from the noise forced on us by these motorcycles. I commend Porac Mayor Condralito “Carling” B. Dela Cruz and board member Fritzie David-Dizon. My question now is why can’t Mayor Ed Pamintuan do the same for Angeles City?

PONDEROSA HOTEL: The Ponderosa Hotel (new name “Hotel Fenson”) has had a make-over since a new owner (British National) has taken over. Before there were a number of owners now it is under single ownership. I have been told that the swimming pool area has had a complete upgrade and I am looking forward to taking a look see. Will do that when I get back from my trip. I want to meet the new owner.

SWAGMAN – The Swagman has been a mainstay in this town for many years. Remember the old wet shirt contests, a great picture taking event. Anyway, I have heard that the Hotel is closed but there is someone that is keeping the bar area up and running. Another place I have to look at. In the old days I would drive there myself but I can no longer drive or walk that well so I have to depend on my brother in law to help me, another reason I have not been so active in writing. I am determined to change all that (I hope).

JOSIE-HI – AKA Thi-Hi has brought on board an Australian manager, Ken, to try and breathe some new life into the place. It has never been the same since the American owner passes away. Josie has been doing her best but finances have been a bit hard to come by. Anyway, Ken was able to erect a cover for the frontage and place some tables and chairs so that now the 3 bars (Honey-Ko’s and Hang-out) all have outside seating. The interior of Josie-Hi, I believe, remains the same. The problem is getting the girls to show up for work every day. It remains my favorite neighborhood bar and I have high hopes that Ken will be able to brighten the place up a bit. I do not get there as much as I used to and I sort of miss
that.

EATING OUT – A friend of mine treated me and Vina to dinner recently and took us to a new Japanese restaurant, Namari, located at the Saver’s Mall building on MacArthur Hi-way. I had not been to Saver’s for a long time and I was absolutely amazed at the change. I could not believe my eyes as drove into the parking area in the back of the building. The restaurant was on the 1st floor and as we entered the entrance way I wondered if I was in the right place. The restaurant was to the left and to the right was another restaurant under construction, darn, forgot the name. Namari featured a long table with a right angle that had cooks standing behind ready to cook the food in front of you, like Beni-Hana’s only without the fancy show. There are two sittings that you have to reserve in advance, 6 to 8 and 8 to 10 PM. We sat for the 8 PM session and the chef started right away preparing the food and serving it up one item at a time. This went on for the whole 2 hours because to my surprise, once the selections had been consumed he asked up what seconds we wanted as it was not 10 PM yet. Naturally I asked for the pieces of tenderloin and a second dessert. It was a wonderful experience and I think I would like a repeat evening but the price at P888 per head is a bit steep but considering the menu, especially the tenderloin maybe not so bad.

I was surprised to see that a Best Western Hotel has been installed on the 3rd floor. I have known the Uy brothers for years, back when they started with a small store across the street from Johnny’s. That is when you could see Jack or Alan behind the counter chatting with customers. This newly renovated building is a monument to their success which took a lot of hard work.

AQUA PARK – There is a newly opened water park on Clark which has generated a lot of excitement. This definitely has to be on your “got to visit” bucket list when you visit Angeles City. The kids or your favorite lady will really appreciate the treat. I have not seen it yet but my friend Dave Crowe has checked it out and given it high marks. Beware though, the entry prices are not cheap. A full day with food, drinks, tickets, etc., could set you back a fair amount of pesos. But the love and joy in the eyes of the kids and your lady will be reward enough (I think).

I still have lots of thoughts running through my head but it is getting late. I wanted to write a few lines before I hopped on the plane tomorrow. If the trip does not kill me I will rest up a bit when I get back and write some more words. One thing I have to mention is that it certainly has been peaceful in AC with no bar raids, killings, shake-downs, etc. The tri-cycle drivers are not happy with the appearance of “Grab Cars” but the Expats and tourists love them. The fares are fair and you do not have to negotiate. Ride in comfort instead of squeezing into a tri-cycle where the driver charges double what he is allowed to charge by regulation.

Along the Perimeter fence you should stop and look at the enormous parking garage that is under construction. This is part of the ongoing commercialization of certain areas of Clark under CDC control. Every month new plans are revealed and the biggest plan is for the Clark Green City which I am not sure I will be around to see its completion much less the beginning of construction. It is so exciting. OK
Jimmy D (Harry the Horse), give it a rest, I have a plane to catch.

Nov

2017

TOURISTS TO MEXICO – BEWARE

If you ever decide to vacation in Mexico and stay at a fancy resort when you order drinks it would be advisable to have the bartender or waiter take a sip of the drink first! Why? Read the following:

Nearly a year since a Wisconsin woman died at a Mexican resort after she became the State Department and Office of the Inspector General on Monday to conduct additional investigations into Mexican resorts serving bootleg alcohol.

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wisc., the chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland severely ill from drinking what is believed to be tainted liquor, officials are calling on Security and Governmental Affairs, sent the letter to Inspector General Steve Linick urging investigators to examine how the State Department “monitors, records and reports overseas incidents involving physical abuse or death after the potential consumption of tainted alcohol,” the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

The call came after Wisconsin college student Abbey Conner, 20, died on a family vacation at Iberostar Paraiso del Mar, just north of Playa del Carmen, in January. Conner and her brother were drinking tequila, believed to be tainted, at the resort’s swim-up bar when they became ill. She was found unconscious in the pool and died in the hospital several days later. Her brother, who was also found unconscious next to her, survived the horrific ordeal.

WARNING ISSUED OVER POSSIBLY TAINTED ALCOHOL IN MEXICO

In early September, a Missouri woman also said she was hospitalized after taking two shots of tequila at an all-inclusive Playa del Carmen resort that caused her to collapse.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel received more than 100 travelers’ accounts of experiencing similar events — drinking a minuscule amount of alcohol and blacking out or becoming violently ill moments later. Some people reported being robbed and raped because they were unconscious. Johnson and Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., have been pressing the State Department for more action and answers following Conner’s death.

The number of reported incidents prompted the State Department to issue a warning to American tourists staying at the resorts. However, some senators, including Edward Markey, D-Mass., say the State Department is downplaying the risks of ingesting the potentially fatal liquid.

Mexican authorities have taken some action. Regulators raided 31 hot spots in Cancun and Playa del Carmen and seized 10,000 gallons of tainted alcohol from a manufacturing company in early August following Conner’s death.

LESSON – STAY AWAY FROM MEXICO – VISIT THE PHILIPPINES INSTEAD – YOU GET BETTER TREATMENT HERE!

Nov

2017

CHEAP FLIGHTS TO SYDNEY

Many thanks to Dave Crowe for sending me this information. Cebu Pacific is offering a good deal for those living here in the PI who would like to visit Sydney Australia. I suspect you better book right away if interested.

Booking Summary:-

DEPARTURE

SYDSydney

MNLManila

SYDNEY to MANILA
FLIGHT NUMBER: 5J 40
Departure
30 Jan 2018, Tue • 1300 H (1:00 PM)
Arrival
30 Jan 2018, Tue • 1810 H (6:10 PM)

FLY (Class TD)

RETURN

MNLManila

SYDSydney

MANILA to SYDNEY
FLIGHT NUMBER: 5J 39
Departure
06 Mar 2018, Tue • 0010 H (12:10 AM)
Arrival
06 Mar 2018, Tue • 1130 H (11:30 AM)

FLY (Class TD)

Admin, Taxes and Fees

AUD 168.55

FLIGHT BOOKING TOTAL

AUD 371.81

GRAND TOTAL

AUD 371.81

Oct

2017

PAL HAS NEW FLIGHT

https://www.thepinaysolobackpacker.com/catanduanes-unseen-beaches-virac/

Philippine Airlines (PAL) has started flights three times a week to from Clark to Catanduanes, a very beautiful location with many beaches to explore. The above link will give you a good idea of why it is appealing to many tourists. Now, when visiting Angeles City PAL offers easy access to this location. If I was a bit younger and my legs worked a bit better I sure would book a flight to explore the Island. I am sure backpackers and surfers have already discovered the place.

If only PAL or Cebu Pacific would offer flights from Clark to Bangkok. It is a pain in the butt to have to get to Manila for this flight.

Oct

2017

WISDOM

It has been a while since I passed on a bit of humor but when my friend Dave C sent it to me I thought it contained very good medical advice. Read and enjoy:

Pauline, a local Angeles City lady boy goes into the doctor’s office and has some tests run.

The doctor comes back and says, ‘Pauline, I’m not going to beat around the bush. You have AIDS.’
Pauline is devastated. ‘Doc, what can I do?’

‘Eat 1 curry sausage,
1 head of Cabbage,
20 unpeeled carrots drenched in hot sauce,
10 Jalapeno Peppers,
40 walnuts and 40 peanuts,
1/2 box Of All Bran,
And top it off with a litre of prune juice..’
Pauline asks bewildered, ‘Will that cure me, Doc?’
Doc says ‘No, but it should leave you with a better understanding of what your ARSE is for.’

(See, I told you, words of wisdom)

Oct

2017

COOL STUFF

For this old fart, one not having a Smart phone, I think these two items I am going to mention is cool. The first one is GRAB CAR. When you get to Angeles City, or land at Clark Airport, get you smart phone and add the app “grab car” and then if you have not arranged transportation to your AC hotel or house, contact Grab Car and you will be told how long it will be for them to pick you up, how long to your destination and the price. In fact there is a Grab Car booth outside the airport or in the terminal, not sure of that. Even in town use this service on a daily basis. travel in comfort instead of trying to squeeze into a tricycle and having to pay more than you should. I have a dumb phone so I can’t get any apps but many locals and tourists have told me how great this service is; of course the tricycle drivers are not happy. Man, I might have to buy a smart phone and then take lessons on how to use it.

Oh yes, #2, at the Clark Airport they now have contracted with the Genesis Bus Company to have bus service leaving Clark and going to the Manila airport for P350. You can get the schedule at the airport when you land. The plans are to keep adding more routes to include Subic and other destinations in Manila.

When you get to Clark try to get a feel for the place and see how much construction is taking place within Clark. It is mind boggling. Oh, wait, one other tidbit I picked up is that the Philippine Air Force will be moving out by 2020 and that will free up a whole bunch of prime real estate.

That’s it for now, just finished watching a great Tina Turner concert on my TV and time for bed. Vina, Mrs Horse, has told me we will be going to the farm tomorrow so have to get up early. By the way, I am still recovering from my knee replacement surgery and taking physical therapy at Clark Medical City. I also use the Kandi Tower gym which is fantastic. It is located on the 11th floor and the view is spectacular. Membership is P2,500 and personal trainers are available. Check it out. Construction of a final tower is in progress and I hear many of the units are already reserved. If you are interested in retiring or spending a lot of time here, you can’t go wrong with Kandi Suites. Look it up!

Good night!!

Oct

2017

THE BALMER MURDER CASE

Time for me to go back a few years to bring up a bit of an update on the David Balmer murder case. I have just received information that John Santos was finally sentenced to 8 years in jail. Who is John Santos? He was the Filipino who drove the car for murder suspects Tim Kaufman and Joe Tramatano. He ended up being a key witness in the case for the Prosecution. Unfortunately, there was never a prosecution. Tim Kaufman (American) was extradited from the US and put in the City jail awaiting trial. Regretfully he died in jail by taking taking some sort of medicine that he had put together himself. He claimed he was innocent of the crime but never made it to trial. His accomplice, Joe (American) was able to skip the country after attending the funeral of Balmer and his girlfriend. The were both shot to death as they were sleeping at David’s house early in the morning. It was a horrible murder and many questions as to motive and who else was involved still exist. Joe has been reported to have been seen in Thailand and Cambodia over the years but the trail has gone cold. He is wanted by the FBI and Interpol but by now no agency appears to be actively searching for him. We can only hope that he might make a mistake some time in the future and will be caught. It will be a shame if John Santos is the only person paying the price for this murder. It is also a shame that Tim Kaufman never went to trial and could not defend himself. Too many questions.

It is sort of like the many questions about what happened to Lewis, the owner of the Lewis Grand Hotel. Just like magic, he disappeared, never to be seen again. Lots of theories, lots of questions. The local police never exerted too much effort on this case. His name crops up off and on in local conversation from those who knew him and the question is always the same “Gee, what happened to Lewis”, a question never to be answered??

Jul

2017

EATING OUT

The Crown Thai Restaurant – Located on Perimeter Road not far from the new middle entrance to Clark. It has a large interior that not too long ago hosted a Japanese restaurant. For history buffs this building was occupied by Marylou’s beauty salon when the US Air Force Base was located at Clark. For the record I am a big fan of Thai food having served in Thailand for 5 years and have eaten in various Thai restaurants in Angeles City over the long years I have resided here. Needless to say I was excited to learn that a new Thai restaurant had opened within s short distance of our residence and a few days ago accompanied Mrs Horse and our son for what we hoped would be a great Thai feast. Sadly, our experience was less than satisfying no doubt because we might have chosen a few items from the menu that were not to our taste. One was the soup and the other was the Papaya salad. The Thai fried rice was excellent and the Thai noodle dish was good. The cook is Filipino so maybe he like to deviate from the Thai recipe and be a bit creative. If we were to go back I would order the Papaya salad without the addition of tiny pieces of shrimp as it gave the salad a very strong fish taste, so strong we could not eat it. The spicy Thai shrimp soup came with noodles in it which is the first time I have seen this in any Thai restaurant. For now, we will stick with the more traditional Thai restaurants here such as the Siam, the Chiang Mai and the Purple Pad Thai.

Jun

2017

PORKY’S UPDATE

Porky’s – I can’t figure out what is going on with Porky’s. I was hoping to get by and see the new owner but was informed that it was closed and now it looks like it is under renovation. What is interesting is that

they just opened a restaurant above Mischief, same menu and cooks as Porky’s, and girls from Porky’s are now working in the restaurant above Mischief. there are 2 stairways to access, but the outside one outside is a bit sketchy. They have the Porky’s menu, very limited seating, and a pool table. Probably better to sit in 1st floor Mischief and order the food from upstairs. Porky’s has a sign up that they are remodeling, and all their old kitchen stuff is on the curb. I sure hope I can get more accurate details soon.

Station 4 – Commander’s seem to change on a frequent rotational basis at this Post. The newest is a Major Mercado who was assigned there once before. I guess he misses all of us residing here and no doubt, even the innocent tourists. I think all foreigners visiting Angeles City should be required to receive a briefing at Station 4 so they can learn how to avoid encounters of 3rd kind.

FAKE NEW HITS ANGELES CITY– Recently I read the following: INFO: From the office of the Angeles City Hall, at this moment please avoid staying at any malls, bars, sidewalks or parks due to the investigation of the higher authorities they occurred. They identified a group of Muslims here in Bargy Pampang from San Isidro Magalang. Please be safe anyone. Thank you. After reading this I figured all the Muslim vendors hanging around the Fields Ave area were being recruited to attack all those Expats and tourists drinking and lusting for women in all the bars in the entertainment area. Naturally I jumped into my motorized wheelchair with cane in hand and camera to catch all the action. Of course, I went to the bars, malls, sidewalks and parks. I figured I would find empty venues! Nope, it was business as usual like it always is in Angeles City. This morning I pick up the Sun-Star paper and read the headline that “Pamintuan orders probe on “fake terror warning”. The mayor appealed to the public to verify reports first before sending or posting it on the social media as it will cause panic among the people. I bet you someone will blame Pres. Trump for this and say he sent out a 4 AM tweet by mistake. Mayor Ed went on to say “We appeal to the public not to believe rumors on security and safety circulating through text messages and Facebook allegedly from city hall. Any such announcements will be done through official channels and Facebook accounts as well as the city government’s website.” Pamintuan added “NO SUCH THINGS EMANATED FROM ME, CITY HALL OR ANYONE FROM US IN ANGELES. I will be conducting an investigation on this fake warning.” (This info obtained from the Sun-Star 10 June newspaper).
This Horse believes that this terror business is not something to joke about or to print any mis-information. I certainly hope that the Mayor’s investigation will have positive results. For me, the most tragic event I witnessed today was Golden State Warriors getting their ass kicked in game four. Shades of last year?

Jun

2017

ANGELES CITY UPDATE

ANGELES CITY – BUSINESS AS USUAL – Despite the imposition of Martial Law in the whole of Mindanao while the Government military forces are battling terrorist gunmen belonging to the Abu Sayyaf and the Maute Group who have besieged the predominantly Muslim City of Marawi, in Angeles City we enjoy peaceful days.
Additionally the lone gunman attack today at the Resorts World Manila has not affected everyday events in Angeles City. The Philippine Government has declared this was not a terrorist attack and it would be nice if CNN got their facts right.

On Friday, June 2, 2017 9:55 AM, VA Manila (RO&OPC) <VAManila@va.gov> wrote:

Security Notice:

Visitor Laptops and Larger Electrical/Electronic Devices Are Now Prohibited into the Mission Facilities including VA Manila. The security personnel is not authorized to store any of these devices while you complete your VA appointment.

This VA Manila notice was posted after the Resorts World Manila incident which indicates a bit more security procedures at this facility. Over reaction? Maybe, but what the hell, easy enough to comply with.

The reason I am posting these comments tonight is so I can assure those many tourists that have already booked tickets to travel to Angeles City through Manila that there is no reason to be concerned with your safety. These incidents in Manila and Mindanao go nearly unnoticed in Angeles City.. There is great distance between the two locations mentioned.

SO SORRY

TOURISTS TO MEXICO – BEWARE

CHEAP FLIGHTS TO SYDNEY

PAL HAS NEW FLIGHT

WISDOM

COOL STUFF

THE BALMER MURDER CASE

EATING OUT

PORKY’S UPDATE

ANGELES CITY UPDATE

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