PORKY’S BAR – Has added a bit of Irish to this popular watering hole as the new management is a happy Irishman and his lovely Filipina partner. I hope I can get there to take a picture and see what changes, if any, are planned.
PHILLIE’S SPORTS GRILL AND BAR – Will see two Australians, Joe and Phillip, take over ownership on 1 Jun. These are two great guys who will not be making any immediate changes but once they get their feet wet, stand by for news.
Wednesday, 24 May 2017
Greetings dear readers, old and new. You might remember me as “Harry the Horse” and know that Jas
on Collins took over the newsletter from me a couple of years ago. He purchased the domain names Harry The Horse.com and .asia. Regretfully, he ran into a bit of bad luck and had to give up the on-line edition and the newspaper. There is a good chance he may be able to recover and return to the printed page again. I could not use those domain names again and I wondered what I could name my new venture. Many people know me as Harry, Jimmy D and yes, even “Asshole”. I answered to all, after all I was the President of the Asshole Club for 7 years. Over 500 people will remember the 1st Saturday of each month during that time. I thought about it and thought of JimmyDHorse, I kind of liked it, and well, here is my first attempt at returning to my keyboard, again writing about the City I love, Angeles City and the foreigners who visit and live here. As usual I will write about the good, bad and ugly.
I am not physically able to write a monthly blog so this new format will allow me to write something whenever I want and people who register will be able to see whenever I write something new. Yes, my political rants will continue, I just can’t help myself. I can no longer drive or walk that well but I will try to get around to bars with no stairs so I can meet the owners/managers and give them a bit of publicity. What amazes me is how many new names have cropped up, for example, Fire Pit has change their name to Diamond Bar and I suspect I will try to visit them first. I will also depend on friends who will feed me some information and keep me up to date. Folks, the bars and Clubs played a big part in bringing tourists to this City and they deserve to be recognized, despite efforts by many officials who think differently. Yes, Korean ownership of establishments are spreading from Friendship to Fields Avenue and beyond. That is a reality and it sure as hell is not going to change.
Who knows, President Duterte might open the door to Russian tourists and hell yes, Chinese too. Will Americans still be welcome? Good question.
That is my long intro, give me time to get used to this new format and I will get help from my friends Alex and Chuck, maybe even Detroit Al. I have missed my many readers, local and worldwide, and I know I will not please everyone but hell, I just like writing to whoever takes the time to read this, even if I am the only one to do so.
Alex will help me fact check some of my political rants so Bill Campbell gets off my ass for not doing so.
HONEY-KO’S BAR CLOSED – I was saddened to learn of this closure. It has only been a few months that the previous owner, Damien, sold his interest and new owner Mark spent a bit of money making interior improvements that improved the ambiance. He was looking forward to a long lease and to settle down to enjoy his years here. This all ended when certain law enforcement personnel visited him and made him realize that it would be better to close shop rather than risk a raid and get him and his wife arrested for some trumped up charges.
It is rumored that the owner of Josie-Hi was also approached and a sum of money was discussed. The owner, truthfully, advised these personnel that her establishment did not have any funds to spare. This was truthful for this bar is operating on a shoe string, especially now during the slow season.
This Horse is happy that the bar remains open as it is one of my favorite watering holes in town.
THE GREEN BOTTLE CLOSED – Located along Perimeter road in the Clarkview area regretfully closed its door because of the serious illness of popular owner Elmar. He is presently confined in a hospital in Okinawa. For a long time he was trying to sell the bar so he could move to Okinawa. I hated to see the closure as it was located just a short distance from my “Stable”
PHILLIE’S SPORTS GRILL and BAR – This remains one of the more popular establishments in town with 24 hour sports coverage, great food and nice viewing areas. Every Friday night they host a Joker-Poker drawing as well as 4 to 5 raffle draws. Recently a young lady was overwhelmed with happiness as she won a jackpot of P300,000. Needless to say the house was filled to capacity. The jackpot now stands at P105,000 and P5,000 will be added each week until a customer finds the elusive but not hard to find Joker. Starting at 7:30 PM each Friday for every drink purchased one ticket is given and for a meal 2 tickets are added.
TAPS
Just last night (Tuesday) after a rather long absence I decided to treat my wife and son to a nice Indian meal. Of course an excellent establishment for this is the Risoi Authentic Indian Restaurant in Hensonville. The owner is Richard, an excellent cook of this exotic cuisine who I had known for 21 years. I first met him when he was working in a bar at the old Clark Terminal building near the Checkpoint. His right hand waitress was Lisa who now, so many years later was still working for him at his Hensonville restaurant. It had been a year since I visited Richard so I looked forward to seeing him again. After the meal I asked Lisa if Richard was in the back cooking. To my utter shock and sadness she informed me that he had passed away in March this year. I don’t know if the tear in my eye came from this news or the Vindaloo dish I had just consumed. I sat there in disbelief. He had suffered from lung cancer and had gone back to India twice for treatment. After the second time he returned to tell everyone he had been cured. That was not true. Over the years Richard became known to many expats in this town. He and his food will be remembered. His stepson is cooking now and the restaurant remains open in his memory. Stop by for a great meal and say hello to Lisa. I was not able to meet his stepson. He was busy, maybe next time.
DENNIS MITCHELL – passed away this month after a long illness. He was a dear friend to many, well respected and one hell of a good Club manager. During the years I wrote “Harry the Horse” I could always go to Dennis for advice and to get tips as to what was going on in the bar scene. I had not seen him for months and did not realize he was ailing. I received an Email from John C. (Margarita Station) and could not believe the words I was reading. He will be missed and I pass on my condolences to his wife, his hard working partner who stood by his side for so many years. I wrote the following words about Dennis in my Dec 2000 HTH newsletter. Believe me, he earned that respect and kept it to his last day with us.
“Last month Dennis Mitchell left employment at Kokomo’s and moved over to the German connection at the Volcano. I predicted that he would return to Kokomo’s but was assured that this would not happen. Upon returning from Vegas I was very pleased to see that, indeed, Dennis has returned to Kokomo’s where his many friends felt he never should have left in the first place. Dennis indicated that money is not everything and that peace of mind and respect counts for a lot.”
WHAT ARE THE ODDS?
For the first time in years I had to undergo root canal treatment for one tooth. I damn sure did not look forward to it even though I had complete faith in the dentists at Smile Makeover. I did not get to use Doctor Tey this time but, instead, the always smiling Dr. Irene. All went well the first day of treatment but on the second day it was found that my tooth was not going to cooperate, things got difficult as one canal or nerve was curved and not easy to deal with. On my 4th appointment, Monday, I was being treated, had my pain killer shots in my mouth, temporary cap removed, Doc Irene working away with some kind of file in my tooth and I was trying to watch the overhead movie. Suddenly, no electricity, brown out! They got me out of the chair to sit in the waiting area but, no luck the juice was not coming back on. Back in the chair, fill in the tooth, put cap back on and make an appointment for the next day. Everyone laughing, joking around, including me except that I wished it had happened before the shots.
Next day, 11 AM appointment, made me miss the rest of the Golden State basketball game. Got there on time but informed Dr. Irene had an unplanned patient with an emergency. Could I wait? How long? Unknown! Told them I would go to Phillie’s Sports Grill and have a cup of coffee. Call me when ready. Got a call, return at 12:30. No problem. Got in chair, got the shots again, cap off, fill in tooth again, different movie. Then the damn electricity went off again. Did not get out of the chair this time; we knew the routine except this time I uttered the polite word “shit, not again, what are the odds”, two unfinished movies! Wednesday, I have an appointment for 4 PM. Will it happen again, stand by for news! UPDATE: The 4 PM visit went well. The bad news is that I still face at least 2 more appointments to finish up (hopefully). Oh yes, I was able to finish the movie.
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I‘m back, and I’m crankier than ever. Subscribe if you’d like to be notified of new posts…Or don’t…It’s a free world, or it used to be.-JD
There will be a lot of pros and cons over this new executive order from President Duterte. I am sure our Angeles City Mayor will be sending out specific enforcement procedures. For sure, there will be many violations and one hell of a lot of unhappy smokers.-JD
Duterte signs nationwide smoking ban into law
POSTED BY: M G MARTIN MAY 18, 2017
After months of apparent prevarication, President Duterte has signed an executive order banning smoking in public throughout the Philippines.
The ban, which could see persistent offenders jailed for four months and fined 5,000 pesos, covers both indoor and outdoor smoking — making it one of the most stringent anti-smoking laws in the world.
The new order announced today (Thursday, May 18) also absorbs existing bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship — which can see offenders jailed for three years, fined 400,000 pesos and have business permits revoked.
Over the past few months, we have reported on contradictory announcements about the timing of the ban. (Read more here and here.)
For many years, the president was himself a heavy smoker but gave up after he was diagnosed as suffering from Buerger’s disease, which can cause blockages in the blood vessels.
The new ban is based on the ordinance that then-Mayor Duterte slapped on Davao City in 2012.
Designated smoking areas not larger than 10-square-metres are permitted, but must be at least 10 metres from building entrances or exits. Police-led anti-smoking task forces will be created in towns and cities.
The ban also covers the use of electronic cigarettes.
There are about 17 million Filipino smokers, or nearly a third of the adult population, one of the highest rates in the region. Experts say the habit costs the economy nearly $4 billion in annual healthcare and productivity losses.
Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea described the ban, saying: “Public places means all places, fixed or mobile, that are accessible or open to the public or places for collective use, regardless of ownership or right to access, including but not limited to schools, workplaces, government facilities, establishments that provide food and drinks, accommodation, merchandise, professional services, entertainment or other services.
“It also includes outdoor spaces where facilities are available for public or where a crowd of people would gather, such as, but not limited to, playgrounds, sports grounds or centres, church grounds, health/hospital compounds, transportation terminals, markets, resorts, walkways/sidewalks, entrance ways, waiting areas and the like.”
All forms of public transport are also covered by the ban.
It remains to be seen how widely implemented the new order will be. In March, we reported how the president’s daughter Sara, the current Mayor of Davao City, was launching a “vice squad” to crackdown on her father’s anti-smoking ordinance, due to widespread breaches.
DENTAL PART 4 – I decided to add a new post about my dental drama. Went today for a 4 PM appointment to have the final canal cleaned out. Sure enough, in the middle of the job the brown out occurred again. That is 3 times, BUT, surprise, they got the generator up and running and finished the job. I left SMILE MAKEOVER with a big smile. Only one appointment left to fill it in and put on the cap. I hope I never have to suffer a root canal again. What great patience Dr. Eileen had and her assistants as well. (Dr Tan, no need to change)
NO PARKING – Everyone knows how difficult it is to try to get a parking space in front of Phillie’s Sports Grill and all of us living here were hoping that the CDC park area would eventually turned into a paid parking area. That dream went out the window as the CDC police came and got rid of the squatters, cleaned up the area and then declared the place off limits. I was informed that CDC will turn that whole area into a market. No word on what kind of market yet. There are so many areas in Angeles where parking at business establishments is difficult or non-existent?
BARRIO BARRETTO: Driving to Subic is a pleasure due to the Expressway and the very short driving time. It is also very convenient to drive through the Freeport Zone and then head to the popular entertainment spots in Barrio Barretto. I have not been there this year but I have spoken to some lads here in Angeles City that have related as to how the prices for entertainment have become a bit expensive. Like in Angeles City prices have risen over the years but what has changed as well is the attitude of many of the ladies and even some owners. The Barrio is no exception as reviews reached me about bars such as Hot Zone, The Office and TRose places where the prices surprised those who had been customers for many years. One bar mentioned, Mango’s was reported to have stable, easy to understand pricing. This is not to be critical of these bars because times have changed and many Expats living here remember the old days but sometimes forget inflation and how much harder it is to make a Peso. The surprise was in the differences in price for entertainment from bar to bar. Isn’t that sort of similar to the principal of free marketing. Shucks, shop around until you find a place with prices you can afford, or, simply go home and put on a movie and dream of the “Old Days”.
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