Single Man's survival guide to Phils 1

Posted earlier on the forum.

Money still number one - Single Man's survival guide to Phils
We at British-Filipino.com are in no way endorsing or recommending the use of Girly bars, nor do we have any association with any bar, club, or establishment in the Republic of Phils, This website does not wish to associate with any act which breaks any of the laws of the Republic of Phils, these pages are for information only, and are the basis of research and information imparted from other foreign travellers who have passed on valuable inside tips and advices for anyone who does wish to travel around the various nightclubs and bars of Manila and Angeles City, If you are in any doubt as to the legal age of a hostess in any establishment, it would be wise to refrain from any further activity with that person. The safe and legal age of consent is 18 years of age. There have been recent stories circulating that Western Tourists have been the victims of under age sex scams, Police have been called and the foreigner has had to pay the parents of the girl, compensation, others have not been so lucky, they have been arrested and charged with statutory rape, this may carry a death sentence, but is often commuted on appeal to life imprisonment, If you are in any doubt as to a ladies real age, your instincts are normally correct, be careful! Whilst having made this warning, please enjoy reading further, these cases are in the minority.
Despite emphatic denials by the Philippine Government the main attraction for the Single Western male traveller is the exotic bar girl, I am still wrestling with the idea of what makes them so appealing and attractive. They are fun-loving, friendly, happy and have exterior physical beauty, but also, it cannot be denied that they posses inner qualities which at first glance you cannot see, which strike right into the hearts of Western visitors that make them greatly desire to have one of these beauties for themselves, it takes a heart of stone not to fall in love several times a day. Its not just about their fluttering eyelids, bright smiles, its been said that a Go-Go dancer on stage can give you a look that can make you think they are as innocent as a dove.
What’s a beautiful girl like you doing in a place like this? This is then a paradox! Bar Girls are among some of the most beautiful women in the world, on the one hand these girls are said to talk openly and freely about sex, and at the same time, in the privacy of a bedroom will be reluctant to undress without a towel around them because they are shy. Even Go-Go girls, who work on stage and display all of their bodies during a show, will be shy in the bedroom. They will tell you that they hate liars, but then in another moment, tell a multitude of lies at the drop of a hat; they will tell you that they reserve only themselves for one special man, but then will go with several men in a matter of days. Filipino bar girls are total actresses and should go to Hollywood, because they can put on award winning performances whenever they need to, because they are experts at making overweight bald headed 50-somethings feel fantastic and Kings for all the time they spend in their company, this is the job and lot of a Filipino bar girl. Most bar girls take great pride in their appearance and tend to wear the most attractive clothing they can afford this in contrast to the foreigner on tour, who forgets what sort of guy he is, and ends up walking around town dressed like a beach bum, some have been seen, wearing a curtain tied with a peice of string roaming around the beaches, it doesnt matter really where a man is getting grey up top, has a beer gut that starts from his neck down, it wouldnt matter what he looked like, he could come into a bar looking like Quasimodo’s brother and still end up with a Girlfriend for the night, provided of course he has the Money! remember Money is still No 1 in Phils. Bar Girls rarely concern themselves with physical appearances or age when it comes to the rich foreigner, after all, this is just a job, and the older ones normally have more money to spend, and they will spend it on the Bar Girl, also, older men are generally not so demanding in the bedroom. All part of a days work! To the bar girls working in a bar and going off with a rich foreigner is just part of every day life, just as you go to work each day so these girls go to work in the bar, at the end of their 8 to 12 hours on shift, they are just as tired, hungry and want to relax and forget about work, the trouble they had with their boss or the rude foreigner. Many Girls take to bar work pretty easily, like a duck takes to water, but in truth most would rather be living with their family or husband and working at what they deem to be a 'respectable' job. So why would a girl want to work in a Girlie bar? The answer is simple and obvious; it’s to make M-o-n-e-y. There would be no other reason than that, I can assure you, its not because she likes meeting men from different parts of the world, and wants to know about their cultures. Girls with no formal education or degree from a college or University tends to fair badly in Phils, being a bar girl is good money, and there are lots of opportunities to make money if she does well, she can sleep most of the day, and if she likes to party, can do so most of the night, she has not been sold into 'sexual slavery' nor has she been hauled into a bar job at the point of a shotgun, a bar girl is free to quit whenever she wants, if she does, there is always another to take her place, such is the amount of traffic of young girls from the provinces who head for the Emerald City at the edge of the rainbow in search of big money, so that they can send it home to their families. Most Bar Girls are bar girls because they want to be, the economic benefits to her and her family are enough to make sure she remains for most of her young life, after all it beats working for P200 a day in a local factory if she is lucky enough to get that job, there is a saying in Phils " You can take a Girl out of the bar, but you can never take the bar out of the girl."
Never Forget your Place in a Bar Girls order of Importance. Some Western visitors end up in Makati City and Angeles City, after spending time in a bar, they fall in love, this does not normally take long, to a bar girl, she has her own list of priorities, these are always the same, just because you arrived in town and have been nice to her, and spent some money on her, you are deluding yourself if you think you have that much magic with her, you are low down the list on her order of importance scale, the quicker you get 'real' the better, here is the list: Money, Gold Objects, Food for Her, Sleeping, Money for her Children, Money for her Filipino husband / boyfriend, Money for her Mother/Father Grandfather/Grandmother, Siblings other relatives, Other Filipinos, The Caribou (Like a water Buffalo), Any dogs, cats or other pets. Finally YOU! Whenever dealing with a bar girl, never over estimate your importance to her, a Filipino bar girl will always choose from the top of the list down first, many a foreigner has gone to Phils and fell into this trap of thinking that his importance to a lady is greater than it really is, when push comes to shove, he usually ends up being grossly mistaken and heart broken.
The Life of a Filipino Bar Girl There is no bar girl working in Phils who is not supporting financially at least one other human being, the girls are mostly from the rural areas of the distant provinces, they choose the world's oldest profession because it pays far better than no job at all, or doing factory or menial work, such as house help ya ya (Nanny) or other menial jobs, they do this for one simple reason, Money-Money-Money! Almost every bar girl has at least 1 child, in the majority of cases the father of the child will be a Filipino, more than likely, he is not in her life anymore, he will have broken her heart, and moved on to another girl. The child will be looked after by her parents, she is most likely supporting her child and her parents who are back home in the provinces. Do her parents or family know what she is doing? more than likely they do! Do they care one way or the other? Probably not, the economic benefits to all the family far outweigh any moral concerns they might have, you can bet your bottom dollar she is sending money to someone, if she has a good month, maybe one or two generous foreigners have passed through her books, she sends a large amount of money home, if not so good a month, maybe a little, but she always sends something. She may also be supporting a Filipino boyfriend, forget any notions you might have about her telling you " I don't like Filipino men!" the concensus among Brit expats is that 80 per cent of all bar girls have a Filipino boyfriend or even a husband to support. Some Filipino boyfriends and husbands will actively encourage her to be a bar girl, as it pays good money. Most bar girls live in apartments 3 to 4 sharing, Filipinos always like to live together, then they can share the cost of living, a bar girl sometimes can just about cover her costs, living in Manila, then she has to send money home, she needs a steady stream of generous foreigners to achieve this, wages from bars vary, but some girls can make from P20,000 to P45,000 per month, the average wage in the provinces is P200 a day, or less, you can see why being a bar girl is good money and well worth the discarding of any morals she might have.
The Rich Foreigner on Tour - The Typical Mug Punter Very often the Brit mug punter on tour falls in love with the 1st bar girl that shows interest in him, its hard not to, even for seasoned travellers! so don't be offended! the bar girl will often ask you questions such as "How long are you in Phils"? or "Where are you staying"? " What you do in UK"? this is generally to gather intelligence about you the Mug punter on tour - finding out. how long she can take you for some money, which hotel she can sleep in later if you bar fine her? and trying to guage your wealth by your job and income that is if you are stupid enough to give her that kind of information, which of course so many do! Bar Girls in Phils work on different financial incentives, some are 'salaried' bar girls, some are freelancers, the difference is in the bar fines you the mug punter have to pay if you wish to have the girl to yourself, if she is a salary bar girl, you would have to pay a bar fine, for each night that you wish to have her to yourself, if she is a freelancer, she is probably working for drinks. commissions, tips, and with the hope of meeting a very generous foreighner, that is you the mug punter on tour!. If you wish to tip the girl, you must put the money directly in her hand, if you don't any tips you leave the bar, will be shared among the girls, the girls also get commission on drinks you buy, whatever drinks you buy, a slip is placed in a jar, at the end when you pay your bar bill, she will receive a commission on the amount of the bill, after all, its she who keeps asking if you would like to buy her a drink, this normally involves you buying yourself one and her, your drinks are double the price, and hers are normally employee rate, if you bar fine the girl, and stay in the same bar, which would be crazy, her drinks change to customer rate! hahahahaha, and you pay double again Don't think you can ever outsmart a Filipino bar girl – you’re not that good! Some Filipino bar girls are very intelligent and are trained in the art of extracting money out of you in the most imaginative ways, some girls make a fortune by accumulating a stable set of very generous foreigner boyfriends and some are described as greedy, selfish and cunning to the point of almost being evil. The want it all from you, and they want it now! the vast majority of decent ladies in Phils are the total opposite, most Filipino's just want to survive and get by, they want to make a sustainable living, some of the bar girls just want to get on in life, and make a living without going home and selling phone cards, or monkey nuts on the street.
The Freelancer bar girl Some girls who appear to be working in the bars are not on salary, they are not actually guest relations officers, they come in and go as they please, and usually hang out in certain favourite bars of theirs! A Bar fine is usually payable to engage her for the night and take her out of the bar, this is because a commission is payable to the bar for her to come in and tout for clients, once you have paid this bar fine, its usually only paid once, remember Money still number ONE in Phils literally anytime a transaction takes place, someone pays a commission, whether its you buying a 'lady drink' or obtaining services, guess who pays? you guessed right - its the rich foreigner on tour. Some Freelancers dont attach themselves to any particular bar, they tend to hang around the hotels where foreigners stay, like the Makati Palace, they are there in the hope of catching the eye of a rich foreigner, they also go into discos, nightclubs, and coffee shops, they walk along the street innocently appearing to be going from A to B, the benefit from picking one of these girls up, is that you don't have to pay a bar fine to release her from the bar, however that also has its own set of risks. Never agree to go to a room suggested by a bar girl, some foreigners are off guard and thinks that the best way to be discreet, in fact its always better for the foreigner to suggest going to another room in a hotel if he wants a encounter, this is known as short timing!, there are plenty of short time hotels if you look for them if you go to a room suggested by the escort, she might have her boyfriend in the room, while you are pre-occupied enjoying the fruits of horizontal relaxation, some Filipino is going through the contents of your wallet. Some Freelancers are not actually girls at all! they can be lady-boys, these are very beautiful women to look at, but actually they are boys, by the time you find out its too late, and then it costs you money to get rid of them. If you do get robbed, what are you going to say to the PNP? (Philippine National Police), the girl was short, black hair, I met her on the street" You are going to be LOL out of Phils, "Stupid ka rin!"
The Language of the Bar Girl! The main language spoken by all bar girls will either be Filipino (The cultural language derived from the Tagalog speaking regions, also she may speak cebuano, or Bisaya or Ilongo (Hiligaynon), whatever she speaks I can guarantee you won't understand it, seasoned travellers to Phils tend to learn some basic Tagalog its not a hard language to learn if you take the time, however, even if you understand some basic Tagalog, you will not be able to read the girls in conversation as they speed up to an incredible level. You will always be referred to as the foreigner, its not meant to be a derogatory term, its just the Filipino way, everyone is not Filipino is a foreigner by virtue of not being Filipino. All Bar Girls pass themselves off as Guest Relations Officers, or Cashiers, they will say that no bar girl ever has sex with a customer, she is only with him to entertain and sleep with him, every bar girl always has a problem at home with the family, that can easily be remedied with a huge cash injection of yes you got it - YOUR MONEY! The main language of the bar girl is money then money and still money! that usually means your money! if you go to a bar and are looking for a girl you met up with the previous night and you are told, "Oh she sick, she gone home as not well" this is generally a total fabrication, the fact of the matter is, she has gone off with another rich money bags Joe she met up with 10 minutes before you arrived, no bar girl is ever going to give up the money you are going to spend on her, unless she has calculated that she can make more money from another unsuspecting rich kano! ( short for Americano, or U.S. Guy) you will hear that phrase used quite alot, if its not foreigner, its kano! again I keep stressing, money is still number 1 in Phils, in my view Filipino Bar Girls should get business awards for being terribly innovative and efficient, their organizational skills are second to none, take this story: A Bar Girl says goodbye to her kano boyfreind she picked up in Makati 2 weeks earlier, she has been his companion for 13 nights, been out to dinners, had expensive gifts, nice plush buffet breakfasts at the Makati Palace and the Intercontinental, new bags, shoes, designer jeans, money for expenses, after going in a taxi to the airport she wheeps for her kano who is leaving for U.S.A. after her honey goes through to immigration, she goes straight around to arrivals to meet kano no 2 who is arriving in town from the States, his flight is arriving in 2 hours, so she has time to get lunch, before waving from the arrivals area, I don't know what you think of that, but that girl is well organized! she should be given a business award dont you think, for excellent guest relations.
Who is entertaining who? Expressions you will hear very much in bars, are "Hello sexy man you are so gwapo!" or "Would you like a drink" this immediately puts you in a mood to sit down and order drinks, you will always pay of course, why else are you there, if its not to pay, the only thing that can be annoying is when you strike up a conversation with a bar girl, many contacts have told me when I did some research about bar girls, that the most frustrating thing, is that you are continually being told tsup to you! If you want the opinon of a bar girl you are interested in, it’s frustrating when they answer every question you like with, "Tsup to you"
Where would you like to go tonight? answer "Tsup to you"
How much money shall I give you? answer "Tsup to you"
What is your name? answer "Tsup to you"
Do you love me? answer "Tsup to you"
Anecdote A Foreigner arrives in Phils and goes downtown looking for a female companion, he expects to meet up with a beautiful Filipina and does so, he starts off by buying her drinks all night, then when the conversation runs out, he cannot get rid of her, he finds they have nothing in common, why would they have anyway where does he think he is? Asianeuro.com? he finds he doesn’t much like her really, she suggests they go to a disco, he goes reluctantly, and then finds its not to his liking, when he gets to the end of the night, he is minus about USD 200.00 and cant think how he spent so much.
Tip You can make many costly mistakes when you forget the most important thing, you can pay a small fortune to do something that you do not want to do, with people who you do not want to be with, you would not dream of doing that back in your own country, why is that you suddenly go brainless and do it in Phils stupid ka rin! Never forget who is entertaining who? if you’re paying a bar girl for being your companion, if you don't like her, get rid of her before it costs you even more.
Filipino Bar Girl v’s Stupid Mug Punter from West Most foreigners on tour go out to Phils with pockets full of money, sometimes they have more money than sense, they believe with their awesome spending power and the availability of young beautiful women, that they cannot possibly go wrong, and will have the time of their lives. Then if that is true why do so many go back to freezing cold pissy weather and arrive back at Heathrow Airport scratching their heads wondering where all the cash went? Sure they had a great time! but why is it, in a country which is so much cheaper than their own, did they end spending so much money? The answer is simple, they underestimated the supreme intellect of the Filipina professional bar girl! Filipina Bar girls are great mind readers, and most foreigners have been played a merry tune before they even know about it. The Filipino bar girl is the master of deception, she would make a superb intelligence agent, and she is the master of reassurance and flattery! When the foreigner steps out of the safe sanctuary of his hotel, he is in her kill zone, her cheeky smile and sweet mouth are her most lethal weapons
Stage 1 - The Bait Filipino bar girls are well aware that foreign men find them irresistibly attractive. The ones with darker skin learn that foreign men find them more attractive than their own Filipino men do, they use this to their best advantage. Once a bar girl spots the mark ( the target of her approach) she uses the phrase "Hello sexy man! " this always goes to show that they will try and stroke the ego of the mark, every man's achilles heal, the one thing that he finds hard to ignore, is a beautiful woman suddenly telling him he is sexy, even when he has tattoos up his arm, 3 earrings in each ear, a beer gut as big as a beer barrel, and a big fat wallet full of cash in his back pocket. Of course its a shock to the system when the mark is continually told he is a sexy man, the danger is, he starts to believe it, when he is told it enough times, maybe back in his own country the females he knows in the local pub are completely short sighted, maybe the mirrors are distorted and his Doctors are commenting on the way he is so healthy and keeps in shape, "Hey maybe I am a sexy man, all 300 pounds of me, a lovely bald, big sexy man.
Stage 2 - Intelligence Gathering Firstly its important for the mark to be identified to not just the girl who is gathering the intelligence, but to other bar girls, so they know who each of them is talking about, so they ask his name, then they can say oh " John from U.S.A. Jorgen from Germany, or Mike from UK, its also good to ask the country he is from, they know what he is likely to have on him, for currency conversions, Dollars or Euros or Pounds, the girls can then check the exchange rates so they have some idea of how much he will spend. also another set of questions arises, "How long are you in Phils or How long have you been here, or Have you been here before, this is really to guage if he has lots of money left to spend, or is he at the end of his stay, this of course is the Golden Goose, the best prey for the bar girl.
Foreigners seem to be classified into Class A, B, And C's and are marked as such, if its the first time a mark is in Phils he is not Filipino wise, nor is he bar wise! he is easy pickings for the bar girl, if he has only been in town for 1-2 days, then he has plenty of money to spend and if he is around in the same hotel for a week or so, there is plenty of time to get the money out of him, he is a Class A Golden Goose and any bar girl is going to hang on to him, so that she can get what he has. The bottom feeders on the scale is the C Class, they are classified as a total waste of time, he is the bar wise multiple visitor, or he is a long stayer, has got used to the system, he very rarely tells the truth about his situation, he doesnt seem to have much money either so he is not worth much effort. Between these two marks is the Class B He might have been in country before, but he still is worth questioning further, girls like to take him a bit further to see if he is a bankable commodity worth investigating, body language is sometimes the key, girls who are smart, can often within a few minutes, know how much money a mark has, where he keeps it, whether he is kuripot (stingy) or a spender, and of course how much he is likely to part with for the evening to be with her. After the intelligence and evaluation period is over, the mark is tagged and pidgeon holed, its now up to each girl to determine how much effort they will put into earning his favour, the next stage is Reassurance and Flattery, and starts with pleasing comments about herself.
Stage 3 - The Reassurance This is always down to a fine art! it often makes the mark wonder why the girls always seem to have the same lines! the mark often hears the following: "I no like working in bar" "I only work for 1 month" " I am not like the other bar girl" this is to reinforce the fact that they are somehow different from the average bar girl that you will see, they are distancing themselves from the 'rest' as they see it. The mark may also hear " I am working here as cashier or hostess or I am only guest relations officer" of course Guest relations officer is a very broad term and can mean almost anything! and invariably does. Most Filipino bar girls are well aware that foreigners do not really trust Filipino men, to ingratiate herself with the mark she would say " I no like Filipino man" this of course is total bollocks since its more than likely she has a Filipino boyfriend, lover, or husband, The Filipino race has not expanded at a rapid rate simply because Filipina's cannot stand their male population. By this time if the mark is still seated and has eaten all the bullshit and bollocks she gives him, she will have reassured him that she is not like other girls and only does this work for economic reasons.
Stage 4 - The Flattery Convincing the mark that she is a 'nice' girl, and different is part of the act she goes through, but he is not ready just yet? to get him to like her, and of course desire her, she needs to take it a bit further! Now the total bullshit starts, she starts to slowly convince him, that he is sexy, good looking, and that she suddenly like him above all others she has seen, a woman knows that a man's ego will not allow him to reject a female that professes to be attracted to him, its very hard for the male not to be attracted back when this happens, a Filipino bar girl is well aware of this, and uses it to her best advantage. If he looks younger than 35, she will say, "I like younger man" " I no like older man" if he is older and bald, she would say, " I no like young man in here, I prefer older mature man" if he is from the States, she would say " I no like man from UK" if he is from UK she would say " I no like kano!" only English man, English man very nice" if the mark is very fair, she will express how she like to be white like him, not dark skinned like she is, she will stroke the marks ego, by stating "What nice skin he have, and how she wish also, she had it" She will insist that his combination of nice accent, good looks and nice body, will make him the ideal man for her. by this time the Bar Girl has won the battle of the sexes, the only thing now that will happen is the mark saying ' So How much is your bar fine '?
Essential Filipino-English for the BarsHello sexy man !................Hello Rich Kano !
Hello Sit down please !................Bring on the latest sucker !
You gwapo! ................You look like you have lot of money
Where you come from ?................What currency do I need to check the exchange rate for ? Pounds, Dollars or Euros ?
Is this your first time in Phils................Just how much of a sucker will you be ?
I have no Filipino man with me ................I have a Filipino boyfriend/husband he needs your support
I am legally separated...Husband at home with kids, play majong, drink Tanduay smoke Hope, scratch Itlog! chase women.
How long you stay in Phils................How many days do I have to work on you.
Which hotel you stay at ?................Where will I be sleeping tonight
I have no other foreign boyfriend................I have lots of other gullible foreigner boyfriends, they all send me money
I love you !................I love money !
You very good man for me ................You can spend a lot of money on me, you are good for my financial health
You have a good heart................You have a big wallet.
I no want money from you ................I want all your money - sucker !
I no sleep with lot of men................I only sleep with Filipino boyfriend and any other foreigner who pay my bar fine !
I only work as hostess................I am lying.
I will be true unto you till you come back................I will wait for you until you safely on plane back home.
We go to xyz bar tonight ! ................I have Utang to re pay, you can pay it for me
I need 4000 pesos to give mama, she is sick so bad................My Filipino boyfriend needs new tires for his motorbike
You give me 10,000 pesos, I stay only with you for your stay..........You give me 10,000 pesos, you never see me again
You cannot come to my house, it not nice ...you cannot come to my house, because my lazy Filipino boyfriend is in bed
Ikaw ang Number ! ................ rich kano ! you have money.Money still One - Single Man's General Advice with Bar Girls of Phils Experience has always proven to be the best teacher, I don't care how many guide books you read about Phils, you will never get the quality of information that is available on this website, this information is the product of talking to many Foreigners who travel out to Phils, its a compilation of anecdotes and long nights of story telling, for what it is worth, the following tips may just save you money, whilst being on tour in Phils and dealing with that very smart and cunning creature, the Filipino bar girl. Remember! no matter how beautiful a bar girl looks, some other poor mug punter has come before you and has been putting up with the **** she spins you, you are not the first! you will not be the last. Filipino bar girls do like to have fun. They like to laugh, play games, joke, mess around and generally be happy, they will avoid the company of men who appear miserable. If you are a fun loving person, they will be drawn to you, generally speaking, most regular travellers agree, if you treat them well, and they enjoy your company most of the time, they will look after you, and as long as you take care of business, (paying them properly) they will make sure you are not ripped off, of course why would they want to see you ripped off? That’s less for them, treat every girl you are with as your only girlfriend, don't discuss another bar girl with the one you are with, its not liked, its ok for them to have lots of foreigner boyfriends, but for you to have lots of bar girls is considered bastos, or rude, after saying all of this, don't let your emotions get the better of you, business is business and money is no 1, therefore do not let your guard down. After you have decided that you would want to go with a bar girl, always ask her first if she wants to go with you, if she verbally agrees do the following: Pay her bar fine! Settle the check bin. Leave the bar immediately and take the girl with you, if you do not want to go back to a room, then go to another bar with her, do not under any circumstances stay in the bar where she is working, I have a very special reason for advising you not to do this. (listen and learn) When you are in a bar, you will be hassled to buy 'lady drinks' lady drinks are at a premium price around P250.00 to P300.00 per drink, these are drinks that are specially loaded with extra money to pay for the time you spend with a particular 'lady', if you want her company and want to chat, generally mess about, frolic at the bar, then you pay...! These drinks are as much as 75 per cent higher than if you bought the drink for yourself, this is common in bars where bars have salaried bar girls, the bar girl has a commission on each lady drink, once you have paid a bar girls 'bar fine' she effectively is no longer a working lady, she is off shift and is a customer of the bar she is working in, when you bar fine a girl, you probably won't stay in the same bar, you will be heading back to your hotel for horizontal Olympics. Beers can cost between 35 Pesos to 75 Pesos per beer in some bars, cocktails generally between 50 and 95 Pesos, in some bars again no names I am afraid, such as those off the International Centre near Roxas Boulevard, (that’s the only clue you will get from me) charge heavy prices, a cocktail can cost you P250.00 to P300.00, although some of the bars have happy hour from around 6pm to 9pm, prices are much better, but when the action hots up so does the prices, you’re paying roughly about the same as a UK Bar, maybe slightly less, but in Phils these prices are considered expensive.
If you are drinking in a Girlie bar, you will have two ways to pay, you can either pay as you go!, the safest method, or you can use the Check bin system, this is a small bin on the bar with coloured stubs in, each girl has her own colour, lets say your girls colour is red, every time you buy your lady a drink at lady drink price, then a stub is placed in the jar, when you settle your check bin, the lady has her commission totted up and it goes on her slate for that day. If you bar fine a girl, it could be somewhere around P900.00 or more, then she would become a customer, then if you decided to buy her another drink, it will be at customer price, sadly, some mug punters are unaware that they are still being charged lady drink rate, if you remain in the same bar, the lady will often not advise you of this, and you will be paying a higher price for the drinks all night, again another highly imaginative way of extorting the maximum amount of money from you. Most foreigners on tour really fail to understand the extortionate culture of Phils when it comes to Girlie bars, night clubs and beer bars, its well known that there are some bars off Roxas Boulevard, that know you are unlikely to ever set foot in their bar after one visit, the bar owners are really smart, they know the statistics for their crowd, they understand that you will probably visit them once, and it that time, they work out the most imaginative ways to get money out of you, and that is of course the maximum amount of money per foreigner mug punter, is this reasonable? Think about it for a moment - British Airports Authority runs most of UK's airports, if you saw the merchandising business plan they use, you would understand that its not really any different, the plan is to get each customer to spend at least £30.00 or more whilst waiting for their flight, that is why, merchandising is a very valuable slice of the money taken in at UK Airports, its good business!, so why should anyone be surprised, when Filipino night club owners or girlie bar owners, take the same approach, that’s why the Foreigner mug punter has to even up the game by being wise to ways in which they can be fleeced out of their hard earned money. The best way to avoid being fleeced is to leave the bar you are in, and take the girl to another one, by doing this, you can avoid a higher bar bill, it may not seem much, but when you work it out, you are saving lots of money every week, your spending money starts going down rapidly, if you get caught out like this, another tip is not to bar fine a girl you like until you are ready to call it a night, unless you are using a upstairs cubicle bar and want to disappear for a 'massage' for 15 minutes and then come back to drink in the same place.

Long paragraphs are very difficult to read.

Who was the author, anyone we know?

Part 2.
The Filipino custom of mutual favours! Utang na Loob! Filipino bar girls are very interdependent and belong to strong small social groups, these small social groups are a protection for the individual, the whole Filipino nation works just like that, they are very interdependent, your girl may owe a few favours, or have “debt of prime obligation,” debts of prime obligation cannot be ignored, if a Filipino bar girl or any Filipino accepts a gift of help, no matter how much the gift, at some stage in their life, this debt must be repaid as a matter of honour. Borrowing money is a integral part of Filipino social groups, there is always a need for one Filipino to borrow from another, it could be an urgent family situation - roof blown off house, medical emergencies, Filipino's who cannot pay, will simply borrow money from either moneylenders, friends or family members to put right the urgent situation, in many cases, the money is to help out some other family member in difficulty, very often the money is not legally required to be paid back, however Utang na Loob is not anything to do with legal matters, its a moral debt of prime obligation, its a matter of honour of the person who owes the other, therefore, your bar girl may have Utang na Loob to be settled, just be aware of this when you are told stories of woe and betide.
Selecting bar girls and bar girl etiquette. Once you select a particular bar girl for your companion for the evening, whatever happens, its considered bad manners to return to the same bar and try and select another one. If you decide that you do not wish to go with a bar girl for any reason, be careful about this, your girl will lose face, and your 2nd choice will be put out that you did not pick her first, there isn’t a particular way to get out of this, just be careful you choose correctly first time round. Whenever dealing with a bar girl, never over estimate your importance to her, a Filipino bar girl will always choose from the top of the list down first, many a foreigner has gone to Phils and fallen into this trap of thinking that his importance to a lady is greater than it really is, when push comes to shove, he usually ends up being grossly mistaken and heart broken. When you are with the girl you have chosen, do not go to a bar, shop, restaurant she has recommended, if she says, "Lets go here"! then go somewhere else, its very often the case that she has friends or even relatives at a particular place that she owes 'favours' or money to! she will always be eager to repay any debts she has - with your money. Remember Utang na Loob!
She may also recommend you shop in a particular store, this is because she may have a deal going with the store owner to have commission on any foreigner she brings into the store, but that may not always be the case, it has been known that some bar girls will steer you away from places they think will try and rip you off, its not known why some act like this, its thought it maybe because they like you, or they are pleased with the way you are treating them, they may just be trying to save you from being charged 'foreigner' rate on purchases, sometimes its really hard to tell. Don't ever bother buying flowers for a Filipina bar girl! this is unheard of, you might think its a romantic gesture for your girl, and she may even go weak at the knees with your romantic overtures, Filipino bar girls have often been heard to say " He buy me flowers, but me not able to eat them!" Buying a Filipino bar girl a nice bunch of flowers evokes in her the same feelings as when someone buys you a pair of black socks for your birthday, don't bother buying her sentimental gifts, or anything that has a keepsake value, Filipino bar girls apartments are full of unwanted gifts, and they can tell you which kano or European who bought it for them - Stupid Foreigner! If you want to give a bar girl something, they appreciate Cash and Gold, here are some tips:
A Bar girl appreciates cash gifts first and above everything else, (Money No 1)
Next is pure Gold 18 or 14 Carat, 24 is nice, but 18 or 14 Italian Gold is very much appreciated and has a world gold value. Don't attempt to bring or give a repeat bar girl something you bought in Argos or other catalogue jewellery store, you will be laughed at. Bar girls laugh at 9ct gold fashion jewellery – it’s not real and has no value. Favourite items are Necklaces, Chains, bracelets or rings. Gold is sold by weight in Phils it is measured in grams, and the price goes up and down in line with World gold markets. The Gold you can buy for her acts as a safety net, If she is ever desperate for money, she can always pawn or sell it. Gold is a status symbol, if a generous foreigner buys a bar girl a Gold Item, she moves up the social ladder, and has a rich foreigner whom she flaunts. The next thing that a girl appreciates is designer clothes, especially shoes! In every Filipina there is an Imelda Marcos. Don't initiate any purchases of clothes for the Girl, let her see something she likes and then, if you are feeling especially loving and benevolent, offer to buy it for her. Be careful though, because every time she sees something she likes, you have set a precedent, and she will be Bilmoko! ( Buy me this, buy me that). Phils is full of girls who are classified as Bilmoko! in Tagalog it means bili - buy then mo! meaning you!, then ko short for ako, me! so it means you buy me! Be firm. Let her know that this gift is a one off purchase and not a daily event, if you have limited finances avoid buying from tourist orientated shopping malls, or high priced designer outlets, such as Ayala or Rockwell, these are high ticket price designer outlets, not for the faint hearted, you need a big wallet to shop in them, only the elite rich from Makati shop at Rockwell. When taking a Filipina out for a meal, she tends to order for the whole family even when they are not with you, because most of the time she is eating meagre and lower cost meals, the thought of the opportunity of ordering everything she can because someone else is paying for it, is just too much of a temptation, most of the time she will eat for a while and then guess what! she is full, and the table is still full of food, when it comes to eating, a Filipina's eye is bigger than her belly.
The Mood Swings of the Filipina – Tampo
I'm sure you do not need me to tell you that females are a rather strange creature, you don't need to go to Phils do discover that, after all you can get that at home. They do say “hell hath no fury than a Filipina who is pissed off with you”, a Filipina can change moods in seconds, this is known as Tampo. It is a mild form of sulking or pouting, she may squeeze your hand, this is generally a form of behaviour that can almost be child like, they will give you the silent treatment, and it can take a lot of effort to get them back to normality, its not worth the effort, it is better not to distress a Filipina bar girl, if you do, it takes hours to get her right. If this happens get rid of her as quickly as you can, you don't want to spoil your holiday in country with a moody or pouting Filipina bar girl, it usually means that you created some form of mild displeasure in her. Best one is when you are out in a shopping mall and your tongue is on the ground as you saw a beautiful Filipina going in the other direction. Passers by are tripping over it, put it back as I guarantee you, you will be sorry about it. If you are a 100 per cent heterosexual man, and I'm sure you are, be careful in the nightclubs and Bars of Makati, Angeles City, and Olongapo, Phils has some of the most beautiful lady boys, transsexuals, or transvestites, the rule is simple, if you suspect that the object of your carnal desires and lusts is not what it seems, your intuition is normally correct, you can always ask the other girls in the bar, often than not they will tell you, sometimes they are so good looking and so well made up, its impossible to tell, of course you could always try a crocodile Dundee check before proceeding, but be careful that you don't do something you will regret later.
Money still #1 - Single Man's survival Guide - The Foreigner on Tour Sometimes when the Foreigner is on tour, he thinks he has found paradise, and he could be mistaken for thinking he is on a 2 week pass to Disneyworld, so he better not take what he sees too seriously, because really its all a game, everything that ever happens to a mug punter from Europe or USA is part of the game. The one thing the Foreigner on tour forgets is that its “their game”, “their pitch” and “their rules”. Beating a Filipino bar girl at her game is impossible, so why bother trying.
Eagles may soar but Weasels never get sucked into jet engines! You might think you have a great career back in the Western World, maybe you are used to making board room style decisions that effect people’s lives. When you come to Phils you would be well advised to take a reality check because in Phils you are a babe in the woods. Filipino bar girls and entrepreneurial types in Phils have a massive arsenal of tricks and innovative ways to get your money and schemes that you would never believe, and if you get wise, by then its too late, you have become the victim of the Filipino bar girl.
The Foreigner Navigating the Bars of Phils If you are looking to head out to the main places where beautiful girls work, there are 2 main areas, the first is the well known area of P Burgos street, this has Girlie bars, night clubs, all the way up P Burgos from Makati Avenue to the other end, you will see lots of foreigners hanging around and moving between the bars, all the taxi drivers will know where to go, sometimes safety in numbers is best, I always say if you are going out to Phils as a single male traveller there is always safety in numbers, go with a mate if you can or several mates even better. The 2nd area is the International Centre off Roxas Boulevard (pronounced Rohas) this is in Ermita, again your taxi driver will know where to take you, this is further away from your hotel if you are staying in Makati, its got some very high rolling bars, drinks are expensive, but they have some very nice shows there. Basically there are 3 types of bars in Phils, Go-Go bars, short-time bars, and beer bars. I am deliberately not going to mention any of the bars I know, or my colleagues who help me write this chapter know. The reason for this, is that I am not here to advertise any establishment, that is not the intention of this writing, secondly, the appeal of any particular bar depends on the interests of the person who goes in it, thirdly bars change ownership on a regular basis, here today-gone tomorrow. There is also another factor, Filipino bar girls are very flighty, the staff turnover is high, you may enjoy drinking at a particular bar one month you are on tour, the next time you go, they may have moved on, the other problem will always be, that if you found a girl you really liked, the chances are she has moved on to another bar. A Tab system tends to operate in most bars, a coloured docket is placed in a glass or tumbler in front of you, this is known as your 'bin' whenever you decide to call it a night, or lets say you are bar fining a girl, and making it back to your hotel room for some horizontal Olympics, then all you have to say is 'Check bin' The Dockets will then be added up, stapled together and shown to you for settlement.
Tip Whenever you 'check bin' at any bar, always demand to see the dockets yourself, add them up, I'm not saying every bar will cheat you, but some of the girls behind the bar are bad at mathematics, their addition is selective, it always seems that any mistakes are in the bar's favour, even if you are pissed, and can't see straight, still look at the bill, add it up, that way, you may avoid paying a P100.00 more than necessary, remember it all adds up, it may not seem much to you, but it’s a lot of money to a bar girl who thinks she can take very mug punter for an extra P100.00 each night. Most of the bars will insist that the client sign each docket, before the docket is placed in his 'bin' this is a better system than say in Pattaya, Thailand where this is known not to happen, so the Filipino system is much more secure. Be careful if you see a bell at the bar hanging from the ceiling. This is a practice in the Far East, it means that if you ring the bell you wish to buy everyone present a drink, don't ring the bell, its an expensive gesture….
The Go-Go Bars. These are also called 'curtain bars' very similar to those found in Wanchai district of Hong Kong, for those who have been there! the press often describe these as 'ogling dens' or 'chrome pole palaces' Many open around 7pm although there are others that are open at 2pm, these normally make a cover charge, in other words if you go in and sit down, you will be expected to pay a charge, to cover expenses, unescorted ladies are not normally welcome in these bars. Inside these dimly lit bars, girls dress scantily and dance around chrome poles on a very well lit stage. If you want a particular girl to sit with you and 'entertain' you, she would have a number somewhere on her 'clothing' or on her shoe, you would simply call the drinks attendant, you might also smile at them, they will get the message quickly. These 'exotic dancers' will be very frank about what they would want to do with you!. Be careful also about these ladies, they are very demanding when it comes to 'lady drinks' a lady drink is purchased at a premium price to you, when your docket goes in the 'bin' its around P250-P300, this is around £3.50p, or USD 6.00, it soon adds up, every time you’re pushed into buying a 'lady drink' the girl gets commission on the drink, or do you think she is dancing for a salary. Some Go-Go bars have late night shows, this involves x rated shows, I won't describe these on this website, but use your imagination, again there will be a cover charge to remain in this type of bar. You won't expected to be kuripot (stingy) in these bars, very often a host will come around and ask you for a P120.00 to cover the show costs, if you don’t pay, you will be asked to leave. A bar fine is a release fee paid to the establishment to take the girl out of working duty, she then becomes a customer, and not an employee, if you wish to bar fine a girl because you want to have her for the evening, bar fines start at around P900.00 to P1500.00 depending on the popularity of the girl, if you wish to have the services of a lady for short-time it starts at around P1000.00 although sometimes lower, or higher, for all night companionship, around P2000.00 and above, generally by negotiation. If you bar fine a girl and want to take her to your hotel, negotiate first about what it will cost you for the night, as you dont want to get into an argument about rates when you get to your hotel. In high season, the bar fines seem to go up, this is for 2 reasons, firstly to discourage punters from taking away the star attractions and also, because mug-punters will pay more in high season.
Short Time Bars. These bars are behind curtains also, there might not be any dancing or stage shows, but the girls are definitely over-friendly and they are very, very, very obliging! If you sit down at a table, some many come up and sit with you unsolicited, I won't go into any detail about where there hands might be, but I will leave it to your imagination. The Idea of these bars, is that they are discreet and a place for the punters to go short-time, lets be frank about this, the whole idea is that the punter can chat for a while with the apple of his eye, and then retire to a private room at the back somewhere, have a shower with the girl, and then have some horizontal refreshment taking a further shower and then retiring back to the bar for some “drinkies”, feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. It normally costs around P300.00 for the room, and somewhere around P500.00 to P750.00 for the services of the 'lady', but its always best to negotiate the cost of such services first before you go. Nowadays, its supposed to be illegal for this type of activity, so they are often known locally as 'Indoor entertainment lounges/centres' whatever name takes your fancy, unescorted ladies and hawkers, are not welcome, they are for foreigners only, and of course which is never mentioned, they are also for Filipino's who want to 'butterfly', especially the married ones, and those with regular Girlfriends, sometimes this is accepted in Phils.
The Beer Bars These are the open air, open door standard bars, there are lots of them, they normally stay open all the time, sometimes 24 hours per day, they tend to stay open until the last punter has left, in the small hours of the morning, they are normally staffed by beautiful Filipinas, and the real action is between 8pm and 2am, a lot of the bars have live bands performing, and videoke is very popular if you fancy yourself as the next Ronan Keating. There are also large screen TV’s in the bars, If you are alone and fancy a game of billiards, or 8 ball, one of the girls will no doubt be happy to be your opponent, after a game it would be sometimes polite to buy her a drink, if you wish to play for money, be careful, its amazing how a Filipino's game gets better when there are a few pesos on the table. I don't know why there is a 40,000 watt stereo boomer system in these bars, but there is, you can hardly hear yourself speak, they think that loud noises attract the punters.
Toilet Facilities Be very careful of toilet facilities in the bars and anywhere in Phils, even in major shopping malls, the toilets are disgusting, the one thing you will notice is no paper!, every toilet I have seen in Phils is a 'No Paper' zone!, the reason for this is simple, if the shopping malls and bars, put toilet paper in, it would be gone in seconds, the theft rate of toilet tissue paper in Phils is staggering. In the bars, you will be lucky to find any.
Tip If you are leaving the confines of your hotel room to go out for the evening, and its going to be a long night and you are 'cruising' the many bars and establishments then ensure you have a pack of moist toilet tissues with you, these can be bought at any supermarket or 7-11, they come in a small packet, and can be a life saver, also, don't expect any hand cleaner or soap as we would expect in Western Europe or the U.S.A. you will find it in your room, but thats about it, you can buy a small tube of hand cleaner and keep it with you, its like a hand gel, Filipino toilets are as I have said, absolute kazi's and when lots of mug punters have been in, even worse, normally the bar toilets are flooded after a couple of hours of heaving drinking, and the floor is wet through where everyone has missed target.
Hawkers and the Street Children of Manila and Angeles City One major disadvantage of drinking in a beer bar is that you can be constantly harassed by hawkers selling everything from roses, flowers, watches, cameras, clothing, shoeshine, nuts, chewing gum, cigarettes. This is normally worse if the bar is close to a street, the sad thing is many of the sellers are young children, and they can be really annoying. Unless you need anything that they are selling, then it is best just to give them a wave off, and don't look at them, if a foreigner does actually buy something from them, it opens the floodgates for millions of street children to descend on the place where you are sitting, there are estimated to be over 200,000 children in Manila alone.
Playing Bar Games with Bar girls. Sometimes the girls will want to play games with you, to keep you entertained, and more importantly to keep you in the same bar, there are hundreds of bars in the bar areas, competition for the Dollar is fierce, so they will want to keep you entertained, they can play anything from, Dominos, Bingo, blocks, dice, all sorts of imaginative games. If a girl is playing a light entertainment game with you, its good manners to buy her a drink for playing, after all she can be doing other things, more likely playing with another punter, you might want to buy her a snack as well, like a burger and fries or something, it doesn’t cost much, and will ingratiate her to you, and keep her playing, especially if you like her.
Filipino Full Body Massages. Having a Filipino full body massage is great, the original and genuine massages (those not involving sex) are fantastic, and great for all your aches and pains, and also your hangovers, they are mostly inexpensive and start at around P250.00, foot massages are also good fun, you can also ask for a head massage, this is a great way to relieve stress and very soothing, there is nothing more relaxing than a Filipina giving you a head massage, working her fingers through your hair, soothing every part of your head, sometimes you are offered this if you visit the barbers shop, or hair stylist.
The Foreigner on tour continued! The best thing that a foreigner can do on tour is to hope to have a great holiday whilst limiting his losses, liken it to a game of chess. What you are trying to avoid playing is the money-relative game, that is of course your money and her relative! research has shown that the foreigners who come to Phils just to have a great time and not fall in love have the best lose/statistics, those who come with no other reason than to enjoy themselves always fair better. These are the ones who go in groups of 2-3 and have a wife back home, or a Girlfriend, these ones never have any intention of falling in love, or attaching themselves to a Filipino bar girl. These guys always understand that Falling in love = heart swelling + brain shrinks. When they leave, they go home with a smile and a memory of the face of the girl they are in love with, no names just faces. The worst kind of foreigner on tour is the big spending one, he throws his money around and has more money than sense, he is always there with the P100.00 tip for everything, he thinks nothing of giving a casual bar girl P3000.00 for one night, he thinks because he is so generous, everyone will love him, as well as being respected by local people. I've got some bad news for these guys, firstly you are making it bad for all the other guys who come out, by paying ridiculous tips and paying exorbitant prices for everything, secondly, these guys must have low self esteem cos they think throwing money to get what they want will make them happy, thirdly, you will get no respect from local Filipinos, who will see you as stupid foreigner and just a walking ATM machine, behind these guys backs, the girls will laugh at them, and they have been often spotted doing exactly just that.
The Butterfly Welcome to the lowest of the low on a Filipino bar girls **** list, the 'Butterfly" it always amazes me, how a guy who goes on holiday and wants to have fun, and who sleeps with 2-10 women in Phils is considered to be the lowest of the low that is a 'butterfly' and yet a bar girl who goes with several different foreigners in 1 week is not, somehow I think there is double standards here. The butterfly punter is a guy who is does not wish to stay with one or two girls for his stay in Phils, a butterfly is as it indicates, someone who moves from one bar to another, rather like bar hopping, only in this case its girl hopping, he will probably have a different girl every night as an overnight hotel guest, butterfly's are despised by the bar girl, because he discards them so quickly after he has had them, also with a butterfly, the girl has no time to get to know him, and spend time with him, she has the least amount of time to try and see how much she can take him for, bar girls have so many wondrous ways to take a punter for money, you can use your imagination, this could be in gifts, cash, jewellery, eating out, movies, trips around the city, there are so many ways she can skim off the top, and woe betide any foreigner punter who gives a girl access to his wallet or stash, he is literally opening the gates to the golden goose, and then look what comes pouring out. The custom of going out to satisfy a man's desire with as many women as possible is not a new concept, Neolithic man used to do pretty much that, he would come out of his cave, with his club and go around looking at the best females of the tribe, then he would bash her over the head and take her back to his cave, have sex with her, and then he was satisfied, he was contented until he had the next sexual urge, which was usually 20 mins later, hmm, nothing much has changed in the last 20,000 years, men still do that in Phils and the rest of S.E. Asia, the only difference is, the club has been replaced by the wallet. If you want to go to Phils to drown yourself in not so cheap alcohol and sleep with lots of women, fine its down to you, all the advice in the world won't save you, the short time bars will be the best place, they will be your happy hunting grounds in the afternoons, the Go-Go bars and nightclubs your playing field at night, if you want to take the girls back to your room for a sleepover the following tips may help you! Early on in your stay, (in fact up to the last couple of nights) never go with a girl from a bar close to your hotel, especially if the bar has a clear view of your hotel entrance, start with the bars furthest away, and work your way back so to speak. It’s easier to get a companion, than it is to get rid of one. You might get phone calls to your room hours of the morning, don't let on where you are staying, your movements may be watched. Try not to stay in the same hotel if your in the area for more than 3 days, check out, and move around, some girls will come looking for you, don't tell the reception or doorman where you are going, they will surely pass it on.
The Kuripot Punter on tour Coming next on the Filipino bar girls main **** list is the Kuripot foreigner, he is on a 10 week stay and on a limited budget, If he is a first-timer in country he has probably pre-booked his hotel at one of the cheaper places, this means the girl can't get a room for the night at one of the 1st class hotels, even bar girls like to live and stay in style, this guy does not order room service, the girls notice that also, they like to be taken to the Makati palace, or other hotels around the area. For the Kuripot foreigner European food is expensive, local food is cheaper, barrio fiesta and other local eating places are cheaper, all you can eat buffet breakfasts are good at the major 1st class hotels, but the problem is, they are only open between 7am-1pm, for the pissed kuripot foreigner on tour, he is rarely up before 12.00am, sleeping off his rather large hangover. The kuripot foreigner on tour is avoided like the plague, he is stingy and cheap, but clever all the same, sometimes the kuripot foreigner is a multiple traveller, he is the seen it-eaten it-gone around it, wore it kind of guy, and he has heard all the **** that bar girls spin, he is not taken in very easily, probably speaks a little Tagalog, takes his time when he makes a choice, he is not there to fall in love, which makes him less vulnerable, but he knows what he is looking for and normally gets it, because he’s not gullible, bar girls will go with him as a last resort.
The Risks associated with being a Single Male traveller on tour in Phils All single male travellers who come to Phils, especially those who are heading for the girlie bars and short time bars of Makati City and Angeles City, run the risk of sex scams involving the PNP and local girls. There have been many stories over the years of foreigners who have been unsuspectingly duped into paying out large sums of money to get out of tricky situations. Although the stories are in the minority, there is always a risk that an unsuspecting foreigner on tour can be caught out, it normally works like this You bar fine a Girl from a night club, such as Jools, or Champagne bar, take the girl back to your room, after some minor sexual activity, not involving full sex, the girl will start crying and say she is a virgin, then she will ask to leave, the foreigner tends to consent, and the girl leaves the hotel or short time hotel room, during the early hours of the morning when the foreigner is asleep, there is a phone call from reception to say that a young lady is waiting at reception for him, when the foreigner goes downstairs, he finds a number of Police Officers and the girl, they tell him, he is accused of statutory rape, (this is where they are saying the girl is under age), they will then arrest the foreigner and take him to Police headquarters, they will also most likely tell him that he can pay compensation to the girls parents, and they will drop any charges, they normally demand between P75,000-P100,000. The Police normally know that a foreigner bring somewhere between $2000.00-2500.00 for his vacation, the object is then to scam him out of it, very often the foreigner is frightened by being locked up in a local police cell, they can hold him for up to 4 hours for questioning, some foreigners have been frog-marched to a money changer with their travellers cheques, and have cashed them in, before paying Police, he has then been told, they will settle the matter with the girl's parents. This is in fact a scam, the Police have no intention of settling with the parents, even when the foreigner professes his innocence, they will not listen, they will say they have the girls statement that she was in his room, she is under age, but she is still working in a bar, with consent of the parents, however the proof of age is a matter for the foreigner and not for the girl.
The rights of a Foreigner under arrest in Phils. The foreigner has certain rights if arrested and questioned; the right to be seen by an official of his own embassy in Phils, normally if the foreigner stands his ground and tells the police he is innocent and demands to see an official of his own country's embassy, the police often back off, and say that the girls parents have withdrawn the charges, or that his story checks out, sometimes the foreigner is so afraid of being arrested in Phils that he pays the demands of the rogue police, before he has chance to realize that he is entitled to see an embassy official, the PNP have to file a report shortly after the arrest once a report is filed, it is on record, if they abuse a foreign national, they will be liable to disciplinary action, if this happens, stand your ground, demand to see an Embassy official, the smart thing is not to get caught in your room with a girl you suspected is under age.
The Foreigner in Love Before you start reading this " Just remember, there is a mug-punter born every minute, its almost guaranteed that when the Foreigner is on tour, he thinks he has found paradise, and he could be mistaken for thinking he is on a 2 week pass to Disneyworld, don't try and take the bars and clubs of Makati and Angeles too seriously, regular visitors say, " It only seems kinky the first time" because really its all a game, everything that ever happens to a mug punter from Europe or USA is part of the game. The one thing the Foreigner on tour forgets is that its 'their game' their pitch' and 'their rules' beating a Filipino bar girl at her game is impossible, so why bother trying, but still some do.
Sex is like air - it is not important unless you are not getting any! here is a well known song, I can't remember it, but it goes like this " Looking for love in all the wrong places" If you are looking for love, romance and a life time partner, then the Go-Go bars and short time bars of Phils are definitely the worst place on this planet. To the best of my knowledge and belief and from talking to lots of contacts over the last 2 years when I decided to write this section of my website, no one ever seems to remember seeing a bar girl with the words " Pick me - I'm the good one" tattooed across her forehead. Although its not impossible to find the love of your life working in a short time bar, why would you want to, when there are literally thousands of beautiful chaste and honourable Filipina's all around the country just waiting to meet a nice genuine foreign gentleman for the purposes of love and marriage. Its not difficult to fall in love every day in Phils but the best advice is to exercise a little restraint and using ones head is the perfect antidote, experienced Phils travellers will tell you that finding the right girl in the bars and nightclubs of Phils is a war of attrition and the drop out rate is astronomical. In layman’s terms it means you will have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find a princess. So many guys go to Phils and fall in love with the first girl that shows interest in them, There is a very good reason why this happens, think about it, some 50-something’s have spent years being rejected by women in their own country, and all of a sudden they simply cannot resist the first one who shows an interest in them, this is also helped by the fact that she is more than likely to be half his age and more attractive than his wildest dreams.
The Agony and the Ecstasy In every case the foreigner in love is misguided in the belief that she is the only one for him. In spite of warnings from well-meaning friends to take things slowly and play the field a little until he knows more about the place, he is convinced she is 'different' and he cannot live without her. Sometimes the problem has been thought to lie with Western Moralists who preach that 'love' and 'sex' are equated, whilst they may be a co-relation, love does not always precede sex, for a Filipino bar girl, sex is simply a bodily act that you get paid for, and does not need to be preceded by love. For the Westerner, Filipina bar girls indicate that she will sleep with him, is a subliminal message, that he takes in without thinking about it, it would appear that she in fact loves him! he simply fails to overlook the fact that a financial transaction takes place, he justifies it by saying he did not pay her for sex, it was simply a thank you gift, rather than a fee for sexual services, he also seems to forget that 'having sex for a fee' is 'her job' and is totally different from having sex with someone she loves. There is a Greek Tragedy here, in this scenario a career minded, sensible male individual who has had a quarter of a century of bad luck and indifference, with women of h is own race and creed, who then proceeds to travel half way around the world, and within the space of a few days, believes himself to have had the most amazing stroke of luck by finding the only bar girl in the world who is 'different', and is suddenly the ideal marriage partner and love of his life.
Good Tips for selecting a marriage partner in the Bars and clubs of Phils.
Always select a girl with Black Hair
Always select a girl with brown complexion.
Always select a girl with brown eyes.
Always select a girl named Ning, Nong, Ping, Neng, Nong, or Neh.
The above criteria narrow your choices down to about 40,000. Seriously though if you really find yourself in love with a Filipino bar girl, there are things you should be aware of .
Girls that should be avoided. If you are simply looking for lots of short timers, and brief flings you will be the lowest of the low on the bar girls **** list, this is known as a butterfly, the field is open and the choice of partner is completely up to you, if you are thinking of a more substantial relationship, then there are some easily recognizable warning signs to look for, statistically the following bar girls have a poor track record when it comes to maintaining serious relationships. Those wearing an abundance of Gold chains, bracelets etc, basically, a girl cannot afford to buy a lot of Gold jewellery unless she has a sponsor foreigner boyfriend, these girls are very streetwise, demand more money for their time and now exactly how to extract every dollar from a man. Those with mobile phones (although not always), most bar girl have had their mobile phone bought by their rich foreigner boyfriend, someone is topping it up for her, they could have lots of boyfriends and each one is paying 100 dollars a month to her. The cellular phone revolution has been embraced by Phils, Manila is the text messaging capital of the world, its hard these days to find a bar girl who does not have a mobile phone, the prices have dropped so even the lowest paid girls can get one, be aware if you decide to 'help' her obtain one, it will be an asset to her, never to you, stupid foreigner with money, throwing it around. It is impossible to keep track of a bar girl by calling her mobile number, she could be literally anywhere in Manila, Quezon City, Angeles City, or Olongapo City, if she has a phone in her room, fine, at least you know where she is when you call her, but don't hold your breath, Filipina bar girls are the one and only 'elusive butterfly' when they don't want to be contacted. Any Girl who has been working in the bar for more than 3 months is a dead donkey, drop her quickly, she is too 'conditioned' to the bar, (You can take the girl out of the bar, but never take the bar out of the girl), 'Money number 1" has been embedded into her software programme, remember, any decent educated Filipina who is mahinhin (Good family values with good upbringing, christian woman) does not work the bars, she is a girl from wherethefuckdidshecomefrom city in the provinces, she has no job at home, and comes to the Emerald City at the edge of the rainbow to earn money and send remittances back to support babies, lazy Filipino good for nothing boyfriends and other relatives, her formal education may not be past high school level. Some Girls from the provinces are not very good English speakers, whilst they may have had some formal education, English being the 2nd language, they may not be proficient in it, over time they become better, and learn the tricks of the trade, avoid these girls if you want a long term girlfriend, they are damaged goods and indoctrinated into the life of a bar girl. Watch out for those girls who always appear to have an 'Older brother' hanging around her, why do I say this? Because chances are, he is not her brother, more often he is her long term boyfriend, he is almost always Filipino, and may even by her husband. Don't bother checking it out with her so called 'friends' they won't tell you the truth anyway, so why bother asking. Finally this is unlikely, but there is always one girl who has a tattoo, saying I love Mike on her shoulder, this is a no-no, who in their right minds, has the name of another on their body, that person has sawdust for brains.
Financial Support There is no such thing as a free lunch and this is particularly true in the bars. Any Philippine traveller who has a Filipina long term girlfriend will tell you that maintaining her is more expensive than being a 'Butterfly' ( Actually I think most of the men in the Western World who are married would also agree with this). The First thing the mug punter foreigner in love does, is to ask the girl to stop working the bar, of course that’s in a mans nature to do so, who wants their love of their life to be working in a short time bar, you would want her to be honest, loving and faithful. The good news is, the loving and caring is fine when you are in country, the honest and faithful kind of disappears the minute you are on the plane out, with a bar girl, some patience is required. The minute a bar girl is asked to stop working bar, she agrees, in the next breath, she wants compensation for not doing it, she will say something like " My Nanay is sick and I support her, my Sister is in School and she needs school fees. I need a room, to her the request is reasonable since you are compensating her for not working in the bar, to you, is a payment each month to maintain her loyalty to you, and her faithfulness, sadly someone is mistaken, guess which one? From experience I will limit this to bar girls in Manila; but really, this could apply to a girl just about anywhere in Phils, its not unusual to support your girl, many of us have done so, and that is the ones who are successfully married to Philippine nationals, so that in itself is not unreasonable, the only difference is how much it will cost you per month to maintain her loyalty, I would say at least P10,000 to P50,000, some guys send between P25,000 some are very generous and send P50,000 if a guy does this, the girl thinks she has landed the Golden Goose, be honest with yourself, first stop and think: If she remains in Manila, there is no way that she will remain honest and faithful to you, there are just too many other money bags stupid mug-punters in town every week for that, her friends will also put pressure on her, for a bar girl, its not the quality and sincerity of a nice in love Western boyfriend who is generous and caring, the prestige comes with the number of foreigner sponsors who send her lots of money every month, that is where she accumulates prestige and wealth. You simply have to insist that she leaves Manila if she comes from the other provinces, if she lives in the Manila area, and that’s rare, then she has to move away from the bars, if she refuses outright, then don't waste your time, she is definitely a Gold digger, who is greedy and even if she wanted to move, she probably can't face it, once a Bar girl gets used to the bar life, its her safety net, and anything else is hard to beak into, even being supported by a rich “kano”. If a girl fails to move, when you ask her to, there is little you can do about it, and even if she did, how do you know where she is when you are back in your home country, it simply isn’t worth the heartache, there are much better ways of meeting a nice girl in Phils, so far so good.
ARE YOU PUT OFF BY ALL OF THIS! GOOD THAT WAS MY INTENTION, YOU WILL THANK ME FOR IT

Bet that's really peeved Howerd now, must say I tend to agree with him.

I will read the full post later, it will probably bring back some memories from twenty years ago.

Sorry for that Howerd but it would take me so long to proof-read the article.

Kuya would correct me here if I am wrong but I believe it was written by Peter who was the owner of a previous forum.

Excellent stuff and very accurate, but looking at the prices I think it may be ten years out of date!

Yes, that was a shock.
About as up-to-date as Lonely Planet books to Phils.

Not that you would know anything about current prices Andrew

Well, actually, Timmers, I would... a bit.

Last April K, her sister and business partner Mel, and I decided to have an evening out, so having arranged a babysitter we set off, first to a respectable karaoke bar then, at my suggestion, which was eagerly accepted, to the by no means respectable P Burgos Street in Makati, where the girls wanted to go because of course a single Filipina can only go in if accompanied by a foreigner, and they wanted to see for themselves.

So: San Mig Light 80p
Ladies' Drinks (for mamasan - several bought by K, for reasons of delicadeza) 500p
Early Work Release Fee - did not enquire, but since it used to be ten ladies' drinks I would assume 5Kp

We hit three bars, the first one was a bit quiet, (it was a Sunday) so the three of us had a dance with the mamasan. Second bar was also a bit un-inspired but the third one had a good floor show including an actual stripper, so of course K tucked notes into her garter and in due course bought her a ladies's drink and found out that she was in fact a freelance, rather than on the payroll. Mel had never seen such a thing before, and was slightly shocked that "everything" came off. The girls cornered a rather handsome Italian and got his phone number as an extra for a film that is being put together* so the evening was not wasted, and indeed a Fine Time Was Had By All.

*(Some years earlier, in an althogether respectable bar, they had accosted a friend and I to the same end, which was how we met.)

I must admit, I would like to go into one or two bars like that just out of interest nothing else, its been a long time.

The foregoing is written from the point of view of the foreign tourist.

But there is the girl's point of view, also. So here is a little more, based on what I have seen and things that I have been told:

Girls often start "working" in "Filipino" bars as opposed to "foreigner" bars; they are commonly introduced by a relative ("Every Filipino needs a friend to get a job - Jose Rizal!") who is already working there. They will often start as a waitress and progress to being a KTV hostess (this may not always involve selling sex as such, just "being nice to clients" - it depends on the bar.)

From there they may do a six month contract in Japan as a "jappayuki" or they may progress to a foreigner bar. Some girls are students looking to cover their tuition fees. Many are single mothers who have been dropped by the Filipino who fathered their child. Girls very seldom work in a bar in their home town - imagine meeting your father or brothers! They quickly form firm friendships with other girls, not least because the working hours are "anti-social". Three or four girls will often share an apartment. Drug use, particularly "shabu" (methamphetamine) is extremely common as it allows a girl to stay slim and to stay awake.

What happens when a girl gets "past it" - she loses her looks? The really lucky ones marry a foreigner,(and there are more of these than you might think) the lucky ones find a man to support them, a very few, with a head for business, become mama-sans, most spend all the money they make and find themselves in a shack with a couple of kids, at which point they will look hard for any man who will have them. In general, they find one, if not perhaps the sort 0f man they would have accepted when they were 22 and enjoying holidays on Palawan with high-rolling foreigners.

Do the girl's family know what she is doing? Of course they do, everyone in the village knows, but it is not a thing to speak of openly, because of "face". The girl is treated to a double standard, in fact. If she supports her family, she is generally approved of.

If she does well, she will build a big house in her home town. Everyone will say that she made the money for it on her back, but they are really admiring and envious. I have known a couple of examples.

I remarked to K that a particular woman, well preserved, with a facelift, in her forties, was "an obvious Jappayuki".

I was put very firmly in my place. She was a neighbour of K's parents in Mindanao, she had a Japanese boyfriend who was a yakuza, yes, she had owned a bar, yes, she recruited girls to work in bars in Japan, yes, but I should remember that she came from a really poor family, that she had supported her brothers and sisters through college and bought her parents their farm. Far from K despising this "scarlet woman", she admired her.