Angeles City, PI: Extortion and Sad days ahead

[Leatherneck82]

Extortion and Pay-Offs: A way of Life for Americans or Foreigner Alike in AC

Does corruption exist? OF COURSE! It happens in the Philippines everyday and its a part of life there. But it can be minimized. Stand up for yourself when you're right, but give an opponent a face saving "out".

Gentleman, you are probably wondering the reason behind this subject. Simple, the mighty hand of extortion has shown his face once more in AC. Election time is coming around and all sorts of things will happen. Extortion is the order of the day in PI and probably other cases as the one I'm going to mention will come to light.

Richard Agnew face was all over the prime headline news last night in PI and now they are closing all his clubs and cancelling all his licenses, the immigration commisioner promised to deport him immediately on primetime news, so I guess if he has already been found "guilty" the trial is a formality, sad the poor guy is fucked bigtime, the department of Social Welfare and Department of Labour are also going after him according to the news report.

Those that know Richard - I know that some in this board and in the Thailand thread have met him before and drank with him, knows that this is a very sad situation right now and know that Richard always has the best interest in mind when it comes to the AC Area. He has come to Love PI and Care for it's people.

I beleive that everyone should be aware that guys like us who are there for more than a couple of weeks or so are subject to this same type of Filippino extortion which is in part due to the fact that these clubs operate in a sort of twilight zone of legality where bribes are constantly being paid to local officials. And you bar owners there in Balibago, don't even try to deny that this is the case. So, I hope that each and everyone voice your opinions in this page or share similar experiences, with the hope that the next traveler become aware of things that can happen to a traveler in a far away country and if you invest in a bar become aware of what may happen to you.

Semper Fi,

[Leatherneck82]

Gentleman and fellow AC mongers, I dont know if you guys heard but a couple Clubs in Angeles have been closed down. Here is an article explaining what has transpire this past week in AC:

Many friends have spoken to Richard Agnew during the last two weeks via cellphone from his detention cell. If you didn't know, he is the owner of the Blue Nile group of Bars in AC. Here are the facts about his arrest and bar closure(s).

During the month of December of last year a long time and well known head waitress in Neros named Theresa approached Richard and requested a cash advance claiming her daughter was in the hospital and she needed money for her care. Richard gave her money but apparently the amount was not enough. Richard had just opened the Executive Club at the time and was limiting cash advances.

Later, in March of this year Theresa returned to Richard's office and told him that her daughter, Wendy, had contracted the HIV virus and needed money for medicine and treatment. Further, it was revealed for the first time that Wendy had been working in Neros as a dancer. Richard checked the employee records and discovered that Wendy indeed was an employee and had worked a total of 21 days over a 9 month period. Her health permit and license were in order and up to day.

In April of this year Theresa and Susan Pineda - a local women's rights advocate, pay a visit to Richard's office and demanded that he pay the amount of P1.5 million due to the fact that Wendy, her daughter, had contracted the HIV virus while being an employee at Neros. Richard was sympathetic because of the illness but wanted to know more information before making a decision. Negotiations went on for about a month. Over the next few weeks Theresa's representatives went to Richard's office in what was becoming an attempt to extort money from him. Theresa then threatened to go to the media and report the matter if he did not give her the money. Richard, based on advise from his legal counsel, had no choice but to terminate Theresa for her constant threats. She was terminated shortly thereafter. At the time of her dismissal she again threatened to go to the media over the issue in an attempt to close all of Richard's Bars and other interest in AC.

In June of this year a friend of Wendy's and fellow Neros worker - another waitress, decided to seek the help of a man that is known for helping girls with problems. The situation was explained to him that the girl had AIDS and that her family had no money to pay for the medication. The man knew the waitress but had never met Wendy. He immediately took Wendy to a close friend of his who is an OB-GYNE. Wendy was interviewed, examined and tested, at his expense, from head to foot. The following day the test results showed Negative. That in fact Wendy did not have HIV at all! A second test followed and confirmed the first results!

When the results were reported to Richard and subsequently to Wendy's mother everything changed suddenly. Richard was very happy for Wendy; the mother was a bit more than irate! Immediately, word spread out that Wendy did not have HIV or Aids but did have Tuberculosis which is common and treatable in the Philippines.

Here is where the case turn a bit ugly! The hunt was on for the records from the first hospital that allegedly had diagnosed Wendy with HIV. No such records were to be found! In the Philippines all HIV diagnosis must be reported to the Department of Health and other government agencies. Private doctors are not allowed to treat HIV. A crazy rule but all so true! When no record could be found that an HIV diagnosis had been reported Wendy was questioned regarding who have told her she had HIV. She promptly said "her mother." She admitted that she had never seen personally any paper or record showing the test results nor had any doctor or any other medical professional made such statements to her! A thorough search was performed by the Mayor's office and other agencies. No medical record was found for Wendy!

The focus now shifted to the mother. It was appearing more and more like extortion and blackmail. It quickly spread out throughout the Clubs that Theresa had concocted the entire story in a botched extortion attempt. People were now beginning to back away from Theresa and her story! Political leaders who had once been sympathetic to her cause were now angry and pulled their moral and political support from her.

Theresa then decided that the negative results were bogus and had Wendy re-tested at the Department of Health testing center in Manila. Guess what? The results came back NEGATIVE AGAIN!

Theresa began bragging quite openly to friends and family that she was going to get even no matter what. Her own daughter personally attested to these remarks. The rumors of Theresa's blackmail attempt quickly circulated throughout the Clubs.

After a period of quiet, the raids began! Theresa personally accompanied the NBI into Blue Nile and Neros and began pointing fingers at girls who she believed were under age. She had determined that since she couldn't get any money from Richard she would do the next best thing! Revenge!

During the raids, 14 girls were initially arrested! 11 were set free when it was determined they were properly licensed and of legal age. There were three girls, that are know of, that were detained. Two of the girls signed affidavits stating they were under 18. The other girl papers are being examing by the authorities.

Richard has gone to great length to insure that the girls are of legal status. He has hired a representative from the Mayor's office to personally inspect the documents of the girls prior to hiring! So, much for Filipino help! He employs nearly 700 girls and it is impossible for him to be personally aware of each girl's legal status. If the documents used to obtain employment cannot be trusted even after review and close examination by government officials who is to blame?

As of Moday, August 11, Nero's was temporarily closed. Till Wednesday, August 13, Misty's was closed by Richard due to renovations at Tropicana. It was not closed by the Mayor's office.

The issue in a practical perspective is exclusively about money. The bogus legal issues are another story. But the reality of the matter is that he could be charge with the following:

Section 5 of the Republic Act N°7610, which is an " Act for Stronger Deterrents and Special Protection against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination, Providing Penalties for its violation and for Other Purposes ", defines ‘children exploited in prostitution and other sexual abuse’ as " Children, whether male or female, who for money, profit or any other consideration or due to the coercion or influence of any adult, syndicate or group,indulge in sexual intercourse or lascivious conduct."

c) "Those who derived profit or advantage therefrom, whether as manager or owner of the establishment where the prostitution takes place or of the sauna, disco, bar, resort place of entertainment or establishment serving as a cover or which engages in prostitution in addition to the activity for which the licence has been issued to said establishment."

Beleive me, in the Philippines those are serious charges.

THE CURRENT STATUS ON RICHARD'S CASE IS AS FOLLOW:

He is being held in an immigration holding cell pending a petition for bail! He has alot of support from a number of high officials. However, this being election time and the large amount of media attention given to this issue has scared a number of the individuals who can order his release. Andrea Domingo is running for mayor of San Fernando and she is the primary individual that must sign the release papers.

The bottom line is that Angeles City bars not only represent employment to thousands of Filipino's but also money to unscrupulous government employees on the take! This is unlikely to change. Further, some sources have mention that more raids are imminent. One prominient police official said that raids will continue to insure immigration compliance by owners and managers of bars and the health, safety and welfare of minors. There are a number of other facts supporting Richard's defense that cannot be discussed in this forum due to the nature of the ongoing legal case. There are also a number of facts supporting criminal charges related to Theresa's involvement in an extortion attempt that also cannot be discussed since that investigation is separate and ongoing as well.

Last Remark: One thing is for sure; This lively town will soon turn into a ghost town. For a while I hope. What do you think, another Barreto and Subic Bay in the Making? I leave you with that thought in mind.

Semper F,

[Leatherneck82]

Latest Development

As I write this post it's early Monday in AC right now and the situation in AC seems to be spreading. Moments ago I got off the phone with a friend who is visiting AC right this moment and his vacation has turn a bit sour. What he leads me to believe is that sad time have fallen in AC and as of last evening there were upwards of 18 major bars affected or should I said raided, and now there are two expats in custodial care "in jail".

Neither of them will be remaining in PI it seems and both can be deported anytime and that it will have the most political impact, expect several more detentions and bar closures in the coming days. It seems that the best destinetion @ the moment is either Manila proper or Cebu. Expect Cebu to have an increase in tourists in the coming months.

AC is in a delicate balancing act at the moment, and the wise heads (2 of whom are in PI prisons, by the way) are keeping their mouths shut and a lower profile. For us travellers and residents it is a time to be super careful about what we take home to play with, be very, very fucking circumspect or you will spend sometime in jail writing your post under a new user ID: name@RPprison.com e-mail address and will find yourself on the way home in ignominious style...bet your life on it!

Semper Fi,

[dapimp]

Well, I guess my days are over. I was planning to go to AC this
Oct but might have to change to Pattaya. I loved AC because
of price and being able to communicate with girls. Very shocking.

[Slickdickdog]

I've seen this before in the Phils, especially
once while in Manila. Fortunately, it didn't last
long this truly is a trickle down econonomy in the truest sense of the term. Business slowly but surely crept back when the xtra dollars dried up.
This is a differnt time in a little different place, but let's hope for the best. AC and the Phils in general is my number one choice for selection and value. "Love my filipina honeys"

[Leatherneck82]

Richard is out!

For those who had follow this page and read about Richard Agnew arrest over two week ago would be glad to know that Richard has been released and was back to work yesterday. He was realease, listen to this, after paying a hefty fine of P5 million pesos: $100,000USD. Also, to go with the deal he had to make with the authorities he had to agree to divest himself of his interest in the clubs. Likely, he will still owned them and likely put the titles under someone he "really" trust for the time being.

Had a talk five days ago over the phone with Perla. For those who don't know her or know her she is the Mamasan @ Nero's. From that conversation it appears that most of the Mamasans and managers got together a few days ago and done the right thing for Richard. They drafted a statement or letter stating the fact that "Richard had no involvement in the hiring or firing of any girls in his bars or the releasing of them to go out with customers and that this responsibility was solely theirs". They all signed the statement and sent it to the appropriate government officials. Since it appears that the beef the government had on Richard was the hiring of underage girls and pimping them as GMA reporters stated. Now the tables had been turned agaisnt them. There wasn't much they could do at the moment but to work a deal with him. Eventually they came to their senses and did. The statement from the Mamasan and Managers gave the officials a fit. Their target is Richard and not the employees.

Richard is just one of the Barowners in AC and we all know he was viewed from the very beginning solely as a source of income for certain greedy government officials...what a screwed up country. These government officials need to stop and look at what they are doing to their own people and girls. I know several of the girls who worked in Richards’s bars and have lost their jobs because of this mess, started by one of his own workers only for greed, money and revenge. The girls are having a very hard time trying to find where to get enough money each day to cover their daily needs. Where are these government officials now? The avengers of wrong. The only wrong they try to fix was to screw it up for the innocent who were trying to make a living in a land full of corruption. Some of the girls were relieved from Blue Nile Executive and the other bars all because they dodn't have their licenses yet and they are not underage. Right after losing their jobs, they were told that the certified copy of their birth certificates had been lost by the same Mamasan who was working their licenses. Lets hope the best for them.

To use the term to "rescue" these girls from the bars is a sick joke and those corrupt government officials know it. I have never seen one case of where a girl is being held in a bar against her own will...they can leave anytime they please...they just won't get paid anymore by the bar. Every girl you talk to when you visit AC will tell you that they really want to work in Richard's bars because they were paid better and treated better.

Richard DOES NOT have any 14 year olds working at any of his bars. Nor anyone under 18 years old of age either. But if you go down to the "crossing" area take a right turn at the big sign that denotes the Via Terresa subdivision area and go down about two or three blocks you WILL see 14 year olds working in the bars and strip clubs there. Why the hell don't they and the Manila NBI and the Imbestigator raid those places!!!!! And Rescue those underage girls!!!! What the hell are they so afraid of????? The owner might be someone of their own??? Think about it.

So, is putting the girls in the street the Filipino government's answer to this whole mess? And to think...the government is very proud that they "rescued" these girls from the evil foreigners and bar owners! Shame on to the GMA, Comissioner Domingo, and the rest of the Filipino government puds!! What a country.......

Final Thoughts:

After hearing from a fellow friend in AC about the "Imbestigator's" story on the Blue Nile raid and the situation with Richard, the most absurd aspect of the raid is that the NBI was "relying on a dentist to inspect the girls molars to determine her legal age". Forget about her Philippine Postal ID, Philippine Passport, Philippine drivers license, Philippine birth certificate, and personal affidavit stating that she is 18 years of age. They relied on some dimwit looking at the girls molars to tell if she is 17 or 18 years old. That is so moronic that it merits an award. The case against Richard will go no where anyhow. Eventually, it will take time to play itself out legally. He'll need to let things quiet down, re-apply for a business license, pay lots of money, etc., before the case is finally dropped and things return to normal. The NBI and Ma Pineda know the case will go no where - they know very well that that will be the case. But, they have a temporary victory with all the publicity and a few closed bars. Richard is just the latest bar owner to be the scapegoat. And there are lots of former scapegoats around Angeles City to give their own testimony to that fact. My own wife's take on all this is that when a foreginer gets "too rich and successfull" the Filippinos will want to assert their authority over him and put him in his "place". And they will resort to any means to archive their goals. Even if it means using some dimwit to look inside a girls mouth and say yeap she's underage, close the place down!!! Obviously it's an injustice and an abuse of power by the NBI. Richard is a foreginer and so that makes it OK!!! So what else is new in the PI.

Sure enough all the other foreign bar owners are keeping quiet. They don't want to be the next scapegoat. They're keeping a low profile and hope the NBI or Ma Pineda will not target their bar next. Good idea. Until the day comes when the NBI comes for them and they call out for help and no one hears them. Oh yeah, and their plan is to hire only girls with airtight legal documentations that proves beyond any reasonable doubt that the girls are 18 years of age. Well here's a news flash for you guys, that's the way Richard ran his bars and with a goverment official to look into that matter too!!! The NBI just blew off his documentation records and went with their idiotic dentist plan. Every girl that worked in any of his bars were documented and filed in his office for the simple reason if something like this might happen in the future. It happened but the authorities didn't see it fit to look into those records.

It's no news to me that there's coruption in the Philippines but I don't like seeing the authorities comit injustices against foreigners, or anyone else for that matter!!!

Well, for the time being things are back to "normal" around AC. It will take some time for our fellow friends to make a "safe" trip to PI and enjoy the entertaiment provided around Fields. It is raining season now and the season is low around AC but by the time you go there in two or three months you will notice that AC is still with us and offereing to us its best as countless of time before.

[Leatherneck82]

In the clubs of the Filipino sex trade, a former RUC officer is back in business

By Kathy Marks in Angeles, Phillipines
28 June 2004


Fields Avenue in Angeles, a seedy city north of Manila, is raucous and bustling. Music blasts out of the nightclubs that line the narrow strip, and Western men stroll along, a Filipina girl hanging off each arm. Inside the clubs, girls in bikinis and high-heeled boots gyrate on a raised stage above the bar, watched intently by men drinking San Miguel beer.

This is the centre of the Philippines sex industry, and Richard Agnew, a former Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) officer, is at its heart. Mr Agnew runs a string of bars and clubs in Fields Avenue that cater to Western sex tourists seeking under-age girls. He was arrested last year and deported, but is back in the Philippines, operating the same businesses with apparent impunity.

On a recent Saturday night, several of the bored-looking dancers in Nero's Forum nightclub looked no older than 12 or 13. It was a similar story at the Blue Nile Executive Club next door, where men scanned the dance floor before paying a "bar fine" - a fee for taking the girl of their choice away for sex.

Mr Agnew, 44, was nowhere to be seen, and staff at the Tropicana Hotel, which he owns, said he was in Thailand. Reliable sources say, however, that he is in Angeles, keeping a low profile after returning to the Philippines soon after being deported in October last year.

"Richard owns all the clubs around here," said the friendly floor manager at Nero's Forum.

Mr Agnew's business partner, Steve Baker, from Cambridge, was equally forthcoming. "Richard and I run all these clubs with an Irish guy," he said.

Those statements might surprise local police, who arrested Mr Agnew last August after raiding one club, the Blue Nile, and discovering six girls aged between 11 and 13. The former police sergeant swore that he did not own the clubs and was merely a consultant on renovation and decor. He was imprisoned, but a few weeks later police dropped the charges for lack of evidence. His name did not appear on the clubs' official documents.

In another interview before he was deported, Mr Agnew said he did not own the clubs, but had been negotiating to buy them at the time of the raid.

The minutes of an interview with Bureau of Immigration prosecutors paint a different picture, however. The document, signed by Mr Agnew, records that he admitted to owning a 30 per cent share in five nightclubs in Angeles.

Mr Agnew said he earned at least 100,000 pesos (£980) a month from the businesses. He said he always insisted on seeing the birth certificates of people working for him.

A police video of the raid, which followed a complaint that he was employing young girls, suggests he had an arrangement with local police. "I was promised there would be no more harassment," he protested repeatedly as he was led away.

After the charges were dropped, Mr Agnew was pursued by the Bureau of Immigration. He agreed to voluntary deportation as an undesirable alien, and went to Bangkok. However, he persuaded authorities to allow him to return to sort out his affairs. He came back last Christmas on a 21-day single-entry visa and is still in the country, six months later.

Mr Agnew, who was born in Larne, Northern Ireland, moved to the Philippines 11 years ago, leaving behind a trail of angry investors in a time-share company that he set up after leaving the RUC. Some lost thousands of pounds after investing in apartments in Portugal that did not exist.

Angeles was the natural destination for a man seeking to profit from the Western sex tourists who flock to the Philippines. The city grew up around the huge US Clark Air Base and, although the base closed in 1992, prostitution is still the only industry in town.

The servicemen have been replaced by middle-aged tourists from Britain, Australia, Germany, the US and Japan. Many want young girls, as young as possible, preferably virgins - "cherry girls", as they are known in Angeles, where raping of these children is jocularly described as "cherry-popping".

In Nero's Forum, Mr Baker said the clubs employed girls "from teenagers through to 25/26 - that's the retirement age". He said: "Most of them just turn up and ask for a job. If they look good, we take them. They used to dance naked, but the council cracked down. Now they have to be covered up. But trade is still good."

Mr Baker, a portly middle-aged man, extolled the virtues of Filipina women. "Back in England, these girls would never look at me twice," he said. "At the moment, I've got an 18-year-old, a 20-year-old and a 25-year-old. All at the same time."

A customer, Brian, from Birmingham, who visits Angeles three times a year, said he had lost count of his tally of "cherry girls". "I used to love cherry-popping, but it's getting too much for me now," he said.

He confided to a fellow drinker: "If you ever want Viagra, just speak to Steve [Baker]."

Although they have been alerted to Mr Agnew's return to Angeles, local police have declined to take action, saying they still have no evidence that he owns the clubs - 17 in total, according to one estimate.

Others are less indulgent. Father Shay Cullen, an Irish priest who has been fighting child prostitution in the Philippines for two decades, said: "He [Mr Agnew] is into clubs and bars, and minors are found inside, so let a court of law decide."

At the Preda Foundation, the refuge that Father Shay runs near Angeles, Mr Agnew is a familiar face to one girl, Roxanne. Shown a photograph, she said: "That's Big Daddy," the term for a sex-club owner. She added: "We always had to smile nicely when he was around." Roxanne was 13 when she was rescued from the Cambodia Club, one of Mr Agnew's establishments.

Ecpat, a global network that campaigns against child prostitution, estimates that 300,000 sex tourists from Japan alone visit the Philippines every year. Many others are British. Last week a retired University of Middlesex mathematics lecturer, Barry Edwards, was arrested after police allegedly found him in a hotel room in Angeles with a 14-year-old girl. Dozens of videos allegedly showing him having sex with a number of young girls were discovered in his room.

The industry has been fuelled by the internet. One child sex tourism site is headed by a picture of a naked girl on a bed who looks about nine. It has a large collection of photographs, and promises visitors to the site: "You can actually fuck any one of these young girls. All you have to do is make the trip."

There are 100,000 child prostitutes in the Philippines, according to the UN children's agency, Unicef. In Angeles, they can be hired for 1,000 pesos (£10) a night. The girls receive half that sum.

The Philippines has stiff child protection laws, but they are only patchily enforced. Police and prosecutors are bought off, and the girls frequently lie about their age and hold false papers.

At the Preda Foundation another girl, Mary-Ann, described how she became a prostitute at the age of 13 to provide for her younger brother. "At first the work was difficult because you're just wearing a bikini and I felt so ashamed," she said. "The papasan [boss] got angry because I wasn't dancing."

At Preda, she is learning skills that equip her for a proper job. "I want to be a singer one day," she said wistfully.

The article is found in this Newspaper: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/...p?story=535740

Whilst there may be some hard facts in there, the general tone of the article paints Angeles and the Philippines as a hotbed of child prostitution. The problem is that the Independant is a "quality" newspaper, and people will read it and believe their crap.

Richard has been low key about all of this. Who wouldn't. But who ever knows Richard knows that he is a straight shooter and only hires girls of legal age. Another thing they forget to mention on that article was that the vharges against Richard were drop by the PI Government.

Not only would this article anger AC tourists, but it would also anger the local government and law officers that allows the bars to operate.

After all, wouldn't the Filipino people be angry that girls that age are allowed to work in the bars and be angry at the powers that would tolerate this?

I would think that the author has made an enemy of not just foreigners, but of some powerful Filipino officials because of the lies in this article.

As for her estimation of ages of the girls, bear in mind that she is a angry white woman, who A: Probably hates all asian women. B: Thinks that ALL asian women look 12. I have never seen a girl that looked "11 to 13" working in any bar in AC.

Of course she forget to mention that almost all of the problems in the Philippines with child prostitution are with Filipinos and that does not even scratch the surface with the problems of incest and rape and incest rape that goes unnoticed while an entire country keep themselves in denial that lolo didn't rape their daughter...no way.

What are your thoughts?