I recently spent a week in Manila, where I’d previously worked in 2004 /2005 and visited many times up until Feb 2007. My plan to revisit all my old haunts and sample a few new places were unfortunately & seriously derailed by a couple of things that happened, but I’ll be heading back soonish, so will try to fill the gaps next time.
I didn’t travel around much when I was living in The Philippines, so my experience of the scene is limited to Manila. But putting aside the bar thing for a minute; for those of you who’ve never been - what’s Manila like as a place to spend some time? Certainly it’s big, noisy and chaotic, the food isn’t everyone’s cup of chai and the reaction of many visitors is to get out as quickly as possible to Palawan, Boracay, etc., But IMHO they are missing out on a great city.
But hey, why take my word for it? – see what David Byrne (ex Talking Heads) had to say on his blog when his visited to research a musical based on the life of Imelda Marcos in 2005 (if you can get past the slightly turgid opening passages) http://journal.davidbyrne.com/2005/12/philippines_mar.html. Gotta love the guy for talking a fold up bike and cycling around…. But there are also some obvious pluses – it’s easy to survive on a budget, shopping is pretty good, most of us don’t need a visa to get there and importantly, most Filipinos speak very good English and basically live to have a good time.
Anyway, to business… There are maybe 3 main areas I know of where there is a significantly greater concentration of bars; 1.] Malate / Ermita, 2.] Paranaque / Pasay City and 3.] Makati (P.Burgos). I’m aware there are also places in Quezon City, so if anyone can chip in – I’d love to hear from you. But there are pickings almost everywhere you go – especially small karaoke bars catering mostly for Filipinos. Also, the freelancer scene is huge and my impression having been away for 18 months is that it’s also on the up there. And I’ve also been approached in the most unlikely of places. So the trick is to just keep the radar on, read the signals and then bring it on. Also, a quick word about barfines. The system is quite different to Thailand and although barfines are much higher they usually covers all night, and the cost generally covers both the bar and the girl so you aren’t obliged to pay any extra unless you want to. Having said that, I think the cut for the girl is often not great and so a few extra pesos - depending on the service given - is the accepted norm and always appreciated
1.] Malate / Ermita. Your tour begins on Mabini Street at the junction with UN Avenue. A few smallish bars here, including Red Ribbon (formerly Red Rooster) and Gold Coast. These places cater mostly for the resident ex-pat community, usually there are 5-10 girls sitting around and it’s generally a relaxing & hassle free environment where you’re welcome to just sit and have a drink if that’s all you want. Beers are around 70-100, lady drinks 150 and barfines around 1500 pesos (it’s currently approx 46 pesos to the dollar). The girls are attractive rather than stunners, but are warm, sexy, giggly and great fun. Moving towards Malate, we find ourselves on Del Pilar walking from Padre Faura towards Pedro Gil. First stop is a karaoke bar called Gin Tonic. In fact, you might prefer to just pass it by, but a friend and I used to go quite a bit because of a couple of girls we got to know and I think it’s typical of many bars catering primarily for Japanese and Korean clients. The interesting thing is that it’s Japanese owned and as far as I could tell, its main function is actually to produce well schooled Filipinas as inexpensively as possible to go and work in Japan as hostesses (does that happen here too?). In fact, it’s incredibly regulated with a complicated system of fines if the girls aren’t polite enough or don’t clap at the right point, etc… No bar fines, no phone numbers and no meeting clients outside (they are frankly scared to give their numbers because of the consequences if they’re found out). Beers here are 120 pesos and lady drinks 251 (…?). But it’s a fun place with some dance shows and comedy routines by the resident ladyboys. On to Butterfly (formerly) Harrys bar – largish, with ok food and a couple of pool tables. Quite a few freelancers, but not the pick of the crop. One thing I’ve found about Manila is that bars seem to have very different arrangements and it’s advisable to always ask before you order / commit to paying for anything. So here I was surprised to have to pay ladydrink prices for a freelancer (i.e. this doesn’t happen in other places). I guess this is an arrangement that suits freelancer + bar… Beers here are 120 pesos, lady drinks 250. Next stop Amazonia ; another freelancer set-up with the same owner and pricing as Butterfly. But there’s an excellent band tonight and it’s very busy. Some really nice service girls who take turns dancing on the bar, but can’t be barfined (though some happy to meet you outside of hours). Next is a Manila legend & the one place most people have heard about: LA Cafe. It’s a big place and the epicentre of freelancer activity in this part of town. You either stay downstairs where most of the girls hang out or pay a cover charge of 150 pesos to go upstairs where there’s usually a couple of bands playing on rotation (a very good all girl band the night I went). Most of the quality is here and it’s usually less crowded (often impossible to get a seat downstairs), so I think it’s the better choice. Beers very reasonable and no extra charge if you buy for your potential companion. A while since I’ve been, but this time I was quite blown away by the sheer number of lookers. A word of caution though, one girl I was chatting with told me a friend of hers had been going there since she was 16 and in the Philippines the legal age is 18. And the police will apparently not hesitate to bust you or more likely attempt to extort a huge ‘fine’ if you misbehave, get misled or just make a mistake. But she also said fake IDs are very easy to get hold of. ..
2.] Paranaque and Pasay City. Our next stop is a place called Miss Universal, 2374 F.B Harrison Street, corner of Libertad. Without question, this is a hidden gem. I say this partly because it’s the only place I been where there is always full on-stage nudity (ok, nothing compared to here – but unusual for Manila); but also because on the four occasions I’ve been there, I’ve only once ever seen a white face sitting at another table; most tourists and expats just don’t seem to know it exists. It’s a big place with a fishtank on the left as you walk in, a huge stage, seating at tables and VIP lounges on an upper level overlooking the show. The majority of the clients are Filipino, with quite a few Japanese and Koreans. The girls rotate from the fishtank, usually coming on stage clothed at first – bit like a fashion show, then the same set comes back either topless or naked. In between there are strip shows that sometimes end up with audience participation (e.g. front row guys playing with the dancers underbits). And also, somewhat bizarrely a strong man show (I was invited up to throw darts in his back…)! Pricing is also a bit strange with beers costing a bargain basement 59 pesos, whereas having a girl sit with you is 450 per hour (though this includes her drink) and barfine a hefty 6000 pesos. But if any of you have any doubts about how stunning the Filipina can be – this is the place to come. Wow! Without question, the best looking girls I’ve seen in a bar / club in Manila. There’s also a couple of places in this area I didn’t get to this time round. Firstly, there’s the International Entertainment Complex on EDSA (the main road heading from Roxas Boulevard up towards Makati, Mandaluyong etc.) not that far from the Roxas Boulevard end. These bars were all co-located in a single Entertainment Zone following a previous clean-up and I always found it a pretty dreary, soulless place compared to most other bar areas - with bored girls shuffling around being gawped at. But maybe ok if you’re an aficionado of the point and shoot game. Lastly, there a few big clubs strung along Roxas Boulevard itself, most of them reasonably close to Traders Hotel and catering (so I believe) to the wealthier end of the tourist trade. Taxi drivers always want to take you there, which is a bit of a red flag for me and I’ve never visited any of them; though I had planned a field trip this time before my schedule went tits up…
to be continued…
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Thanks for the summary. I’ve always like Filipinas but never have been to their country. I knew many in Hong Kong and Singapore and always thought they were a fun contrast with the Thais.
The biggest drawback for me is that I have never found any Phillippine food that I like. I asked a girl in Singapore her favourite food and she said “hot dogs”. I thought she was making an oral sex joke but no, she was serious. I guess it’s part of the legacy of American occupation.
What do you think of the Philippines as a place to live? If things become too problematic in Thailand it could be an alternative with many of the same advantages.
Looking forward to Part 2.
View all comments by Artful
Excellent piece. Nothing else to say.
View all comments by Pants Elk
Good read i spent 7 months in Manila last year before my first trip here, and i think Thailand beats Phils hands down in everyway , its nice more of the girls have a better grasp of English there as a rule, but in terms of lookers Thailand is leagues ahead. Food no question you would not want to eat on the street there for sure. Traffic in Manila makes Bangkok look like a free flowing place, i lived 30 mins away from EDSA area in a taxi at 4am going home time but times that by 3 getting there before hand.Crazy traffic
But always very nice ,friendy people (apart from taxi drivers.. Cunts)living there is ok good fun ,alot more 3rd world sights are seen every where you look and i think the country is just a bit lost, no real culture,mixed from Spainish ,USA.few others and nothing stands out as theres apart from the smoke chucking ” Jeepneys”.the church had fucked them up in the head big time 15th century style Catholic goings on they all feel they have to suffer in this life to go to a better place at the end. And i would say its even more crock than here i as you arrive at the shit airport you see the shell of the one that was being built until some one fucked off with the money so you land at a airport with cattle grid on the runway and a shed to collect your bags and are asked to part with 700 peso fro the use of it…day light robbery i was expecting to see Dick Turpin on his fucking horse outside..is like in in many ways but dragging behind some what..
View all comments by Fish
@ Artful. I’ll be saying something on my impressions of the character of the Filipina in part 2. About the food, I’d have to agree - I think the Philippines is the only national ‘cuisine’ I really don’t like - and I’m a bit of a foodie and will eat most things. And most of the stuff I do like is clearly of chinese or spanish origin. They also seem to screw up other peoples food too, either by adding too much sugar or by deep frying everything they can. But there are good restaurants too. As a place to live, it took me a while to feel at home, but I’d be happy to go back. Basically all your creature comforts are there, but getting to places (and getting most stuff done) can be hard work until you know your way around. Incidentally - as an aside and for anyone interested in food; while I was there I also read probably the best book on cooking I’ve ever come across “Sharks Fin and Sichuan Pepper” an autobiography by Fuschia Dunlop on her training at a chinese culinary institute in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.
@ Fish - also agree that the Philippines is a bit lost. When I was there I visited the Ayala Museum, which I can also highly recommend(attached to Greenbelt 4 in Makati) and which has a permanent exhibition on the history of the country and I also went on a walking tour in Intramuros - also great and very illuminating. Certainly the Spanish did a great job of controlling and indoctrinating the masses whilst excluding them from most opportunities to empower or express themselves. But one sad thing was that when the Americans took over, even though it seemed a much more enlightened form of colonialism it also seemed to effectively remove almost any trace of the unique spanish-filipino culture that had developed up till then (throwing out the baby with the bathwater?) - a process which was not helped by the almost total destruction of the city of Manila taking it back from the Japanese. Apparently it was officially the second most devastated city after Warsaw. And apparently, there was no compelling tactical reason to re-take the country, but MacArthur felt obliged to fulfill his “I shall return” promise! So as you say, what’s left is an odd mixture of 15th century catholicism and 20th century America culture on top of some basically Asian sensibilities. Also crippling corruption. Apparently after WW II, the Asian countries everyone expected to be the regional superpowers were Burma and the Philippines, but how wrong could they be…
View all comments by K1ndofblue
Great report. I have always been one to skip Manila and run directly to Angeles City.
I used to go to the Philippines about 6 yrs ago before i went to Thailand because of the whole language barrier, then once i went to Thailand i forgot about their Filipina sisters.. This past July i went to AC again on a whim, I planned to stay only 3 days then return to bangkok… well i ended up staying in the PI the whole trip until the day before i had to leave Thailand to come back to the US… So things have changed a bit.. is it still a pit hole? YES but its a better Pit hole these days.
I have booked a PI trip for Nov. Hopefully i can get some thoughts together and pictures an do a TR for Angeles…
I know the Mango boys want to come and slut it up in AC.. ha ha ha.
View all comments by GoodLife
I’ve noticed a trend from some monger buddies.
Spending more time in PI and less in Thailand.
The Thai are killing the golden goose if you ask me.
View all comments by Kilgore Trout
Are you a chef K1ndofblue ??
View all comments by Fish
great report! have enjoyed quite a few ladies from EDSA and LA Cafe. Have you noticed what seems to be a major trend (as of 3 months ago) and i had NOT noticed when i was posted there 5 years ago? nearly every girl u see at LA Cafe (and i would suppose other P4P venues), no matter how hot and how young has a small belly. for example, in GENERAL, pull a super cute 19 year old girl who anywhere else in the world (cept the US i guess) would be an ALL AROUND 10. in the Phils, there’s a very good chance she’ll be completely hot but for a few (often just 2-3) extra kilos at her waist. i still have a great time with the girls there and just tend to grab the hottest few i can find. regardless, 9 times out of 10, these 18-21 year olds will have that little belly flab. i’ve seen what kind of food these girls eat (100% crap) and their ho-lifestyle, so im guessing that’s to blame. such a shame.
View all comments by jonbanger
@ Kilgore Trout - I actually had the impression that Manila, especially Burgos (see part 2) was in danger of pricing itself too high (standard price for ladies drink there is now 350 pesos). I asked my mamasan friend and it seems it’s a combination of rent, fewer customers and kickbacks to the pulis. But as people have commented on this blog about Thailand, I think it just tilts the business towards the freelancer scene
@ Fish - I’m not a chef, but enjoy cooking and reading about food
@ Jonbanger - YES, you’re right!! Body shapes eh..? I think the average Philippines diet is pretty dire and I gyms haven’t caught on quite the way they have here (Filipino national sports = eating, watching TV and sleeping), but I think the propensity to a belly must be genetic. And I’m not sure I’ve seen anywhere else the ability to maintain a cute ass and slim legs with a bit of an overhang! Thai women just seem to get more chunky - while Western women seem to have the monopoly on developing a body like a sack full of ferrets…
View all comments by K1ndofblue
yeah. only wish more flippers took it in the pooper. something they can learn from their thai sisters fo sho
View all comments by jonbanger