RSS Feeds: Olongapo City, Philippines – My Home
In 2005, I made a conscious decision to move to the Philippines permanently. It wasn't until after I arrived in April of 2006 that I decided to make Olongapo City my home. Many factors led up to both decisions, some of which are too personal to write about. Here's a little history for you.
The Rebirth of the Philippines and then Olongapo City
After the Japanese were defeated in 1945, the Philippines was granted independence from the US on July 4, 1946. The Philippines recognizes and celebrates the earlier Independence Day of June 12, 1898, when Emilio Aguinaldo declared independence after the Spanish-American war.
Unlike the rest of the Philippines, Olongapo City continued to be governed as a part of the US naval reservation until the lobbying efforts of James Gordon (half American-half Filipino) resulted in it being turned over to the Philippine government and converted into a municipality on December 7, 1959. Mayor James Gordon succeeded in having it reconverted to a chartered city on June 1, 1966, which administers itself autonomously from the Zambales province.
1992 was another rebirth of sorts. After the treaty for the Subic Bay Naval Station ran out, the son of the previous mayor and mayor at the time, Richard Gordon, succeeded in getting the land turned into the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. Shortly thereafter, most of the places that catered to the service members closed down, causing a severe impact on the local economy. It wasn't as severe as the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991, which left 14 inches of wet ash on the city, but the city recovered from the eruption much more quickly than from the loss of jobs the base provided when it closed in 1992.
Since that time, new businesses both in Olongapo City and at the freeport zone have sprung up and the economy is better now than it was before, at least in my opinion.
My Neighborhood
Olongapo City is broken down into 17 administrative subdivisions called barangays, the smallest of the subdivisions in the country. Formerly known as barrios (from the Spanish history, and some areas are still called that), it's the native Filipino term for a village, district or ward.
I live in the barangay of Santa Rita. I can't tell you how big the barangay is, or even how big the city is, because there are no local maps. When I was here in the 1980s, the real population of the city was estimated at between 50,000 and 100,000 people. As of the 2000 census, there were around 200,000 people and there could be more than 300,000 by 2010.
My wife and I bought the lot next to the lot we live on now back in 1987. My parents-in-law and her siblings moved there. In 2004 or 2005, I forget, we bought this lot. Our original intention was just to own it to prevent anyone else from building between the creek and their houses. In 2006, we built our house on this lot.
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I had the privelege and honor to spend a three month stretch in Olongapa;albeit it under grevious circumstances. I was stationed onboard the USS Whiteplains (AFS-4), homeported in Agana,guam. On May 09,1989 a mainspace fire took the lives of five of our crew. Disabled,the ship was towed from the Sea of Japan to Subic Bay. Subic Bay was a routine port of call for ship (but not for extensive stays). During that three month stay I was able to mingle with the locals in Olongapo. As with any impoverished nation there are individuals who will try to swindle and some that mean to do harm. Than again,the same things happens in the most prosperous of nations. I,personally,had an enjoyable experience. I also met a young Pilipina lady who work at a bar… ended up marrying her. She was originally from Bicol province. While working in Olongapo she lived in Santa Rita,not too far from the Victory Liner bus terminal. As a squid (sailor) I loved the night life in all its aspects; the culinary street vendors,Kong's Chinese Restaurant,the bars and those beautiful ladies! My favorite bar was a place called "Snoopy's." It was located on Gordan Avenue;the first right after crossing the bridge that linked Subic Bay Naval Station with Olongapo city. And once Mamasan found out I was engaged to a Pilipina,albeit from a different bar,she put me off-limits to the other ladies. Once married and my wife residing in Guam … same rules applied. When in Olongapo Mamasan -(Snoopy's lounge")- kept me on the straight and narrow. I really admired and respected that woman! anyway,enough of my days of yore. I wanted to comment on the obsurd comments given by one "Olongapo" on May 01,2009. Time 4:40 a.m. Calling anyone stupid,especially on a collective level is extreme ignorance! Oh,wasn't that another term he used regarding the Filipino people? His comments about the education system had some hint of truth to it. Unless things changed for the better(?) free public education was available only up to the sixth grade. Afterwards,sadly,continuing education were for those who could afford to send their children to school. As one of the most impoverished nations on Earth the Philippines has its fair share of prostitution. And since "Olongapo" likes to make light of and degrade these ladies of unfortunate circumstances,well,again,he left out some very insightful facts. Aside from prostitution being tolerated by the U,S. goverment and the Philippine government,it did generate a lot of monetary gain for the community. During the time I was there the Mayor of Olongapo,who educated in the U.S. not that that makes a difference,had used those monies make improvements to Olongapo City. My fiancee and I were riding in a Jeepney one day when she pointed to the side of the road where workers were digging a ditch to install sewer lines… she said,"honey,that's the Mayor!" Guess what? The Mayor was ass and elbows in there with the work crew. Tell me,how many Mayors do you know of who would exert physical energy unless there was media personnel to take note? Again,I got off track. Back to these awful bargirls. Have conversed with quite a few of them,there stories were numerous. Some wanted to marrying an American simply to escape poverty. Yet many more worked the bar scene to support their parents and to ensure their siblings could continue their education. When I met my fiancee she had been working at bars for three years. Yes, she wanted out of the Philippines but she was putting her younger sister through college. Even after leaving the Philippines she supported her sister's college. There are also ladies working at bars in order to send themselves through college. But,in my opinion,most work to survive and support family! Those ladies selflessness sacrifice should not be trodded upon by the likes of "Ologapo" and anyone else not educated on the reality of life for the average citizen in the Republic of the Philippines. This Mr. "Olongapo should count his lucky stars that he does,in fact, live in a prosperous nation. Ignorance is not innate,it is an arrogant,learnt trait. In closing I would like to thank Mr. Olongapo. Although through no fault of hers,my wife and I are no longer together. But I am proud of her and will always love her. You see, for a lady who is uneducated (6th grade),ignorant and a so-called whore… she now works in the healthcare profession as a dietician. And she did so without degrading those less fortunate than her. Nor was she envious of those more fortunate than her. lastly. Thank you RT Cunnungham for sharing your site!!
Mike,
Enjoyed your posting! Wow! What a comparison! American prostitutes work for drugs, but the bar girls in the Philippines could earn three years salary each month by working in the clubs in PO City. You are thoughtful man your lady made it from rags to riches! What a story!
I just want to say thank you to you Mike for your kind words. I too grew up in Olongapo. I am half American/ half Filipina and use to be teased in school because of it. People automatically assumed that my mother is a prostitute just because my mother married an american(sailor). I use to get into a lot of fights because of it growing up. Just like you said majority of the comments about Filipina in Olongapo City is based on ignorance. People forget that there are other jobs in Olongapo. I just wanted to add that not every Filipina in Olongapo are prostitutes, there are teachers (yes! Olongapo City has schools), there are waitresses (bars/restaurant) and retail vendors. I too work in Olongapo City as a waitress in the bar called Rolling Stones. I remember wearing a spaceship looking uniform in order to be separated from the prostitutes that work in that bar. I got that job because the manager of that bar is a closed family friend. In that bar we have somebody that we called nanay( she is the one that usually go out there to do errands for us , like buying us our food so that we can eat during our brakes. I still have her picture with me because she made that much of an impact in my life and no she is not a prostitute), in that bar we have bartenders(female & male), DJ's and a lot of cocktail waitress. Yes! they also have prostitutes and I was lucky enough to get to know them and just like you said, each one of them has their own amazing story to tell. I know one particular girl that becomes prostitute in a very early age (13 yrs old). She use to be roses and balloon vendor, but when her father got really ill and cannot provide for the family, she decided to become a prostitutes to provide for her family against her parents will . She told them that she has too or they are all going to starve. I was able to come with her to her house one day ( she is about my age) and heading over there is quite a junt. But when we got there I was amazed of how little they have. Their house is made of bamboo we called Nipa hut that is build in the top of the mountain . The house is so small to fit 8 members of the family together, there is no separate room for each kids and no separate room for the parents either. However, you can definitely feel the strong love in that family. This is one of the few stories I personally know as I slowly get to know this girls and become their friends. I left the Philipines in 1990 as an American Citizen having an American dad has its own advantages. I however still missed the Philippines. I too know people in USS White Plains and one of them is Shane Mccormick. I also remember the bar called Snoopy. I remember that time when your guy's ships broke down for a long time and you guy's are stuck in the Philippines for 6 months(I think).
i was in olongapo in the late 60's (68-69)olongapo at that time was a great place matter of fact i look at olongapo as the best place on earth and still do my place to party was the Rio club up stairs was off the wall had so meany great time there you talk about the bar girls there was meany times we would buy the girls out of the bars just to party with thim there was meany time sex wasent even in the picture so those girls where great but i must say there was the girl that tryed to run a scam but after awhile the good girls would let us know the bad from the good ones so again i respected thim thin and still 41 years later i feel the small PS IF THERE ANY ONE OUT THERE THAT READS THIS IF YOU KNOW A LADY IN OLONGAPO HER NAME WAS ROSEMARY DELLISRAYAS AM NOT SURE OF THE SPELLING OF THE LAST NAME BUT SHE WORK AT THE RIO CLUB IN 68 69 SO AGAIN IF YOU KNOW HER OR CAN HELP ME FIND HER SEND AN E-MAIL @lozcoz2005@yahoo.com THANK YOU
I love that guy who call himself Olongapo. I hope our path will never cross.
I lived 32 years of my life in Olongapo City but got my Electrical Engineering degree in Manila. I worked in Subic Naval Base PWC as an Electrical Engineer doing Electrical Design. I did a lot of facilities in Subic. Like most Filipinos I also dreamed about going to the States to seek for greener pasture. I had the opportunity of migrating to the states in 1986. Work was hard for somebody who doesn't have local experience. I joined the Navy and retired for almost 3 years now after 20 years of dedicated service. I will definitely go back home for good early next year and will use my GI bill there. I also have good retirement pay plus 70% percent disability pay. I know "I can live there like a king"(quote from most American Sailors). I know a good investment there will be an open bar like Pier One in SBMA. I have been there for numerous occasions and the place is always packed with tourists. The location is nice because you can see the ocean from there. The place is owned by the brother of the late Filipino actor Rudy Fernandez.
Military retirement pay will go a long way in the Philippines because everything is cheap and fresh unlike here in the states where most food are frozen and expensive. In Olongapo you can go for "All you can eat" for $3.00 here your lucky if you can find one for $15.00. Food business is still the best investment in Olongapo with Karaoke bar.
I WAS ONE OF THOSE SERVICEMEN THAT THE CITY CATERED TO.(84-88) I LOVED "PI" THEN AND I STILL DO ! I'VE BEEN THERE 15 TIMES AND PLAN A TRIP SOON.(SEPT/OCT.) I STILL HAVE MANY FRIENDS THERE AS WELL AS MANILIA. MY LAST TRIP THERE(PI) WAS IN DUMAGETTI(CEBU) HAD A BLAST!!! STILL LOOKING TO SETTLE DOWN THERE.
I'M NOT A "BUTTERFLY"…I'M JUST LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT WOMAN
I think its so romantic that you saved the lot from another skyscraper.
Mark from buy to let interest rates
Olongapo, I understand what you're saying but I see also your comments are taken as insults by many here. A lot of visitors to Olongapo never make it 2 blocks past the bridge and judge a whole nation by their experience they had whilst staggering from the bars back across the river to the cab waiting at the gate. Not everyone leaves with a favorable experience. I know lots of people who think New York is the most vulgar place on earth and the people of the city are vile and disgusting and to a degree they may be right however that's their own perception.
I hope you know that the vast majority of the workers at the freeport are "volunteer". That's right they work free. Many people working in town such as security guards for clubs work for tips and they work every day and every night putting up with the worst because that is their job. Even in many of the old bars when you would buy a girl a drink she didn't get even one centavo unless you gave her a tip. If she didn't like it she could go somewhere else and in some of the bad places the girls had NO OPTION to leave. Yes there was a very ugly side, maybe that's all you saw, maybe you were drawn to it.
On the Old Base the deal is that if they do a good job, when there's an opening and Dick decides they can afford to hire somebody they might get hired so from clerks to grass cutters (those people you see cutting grass with scissors) to security guards many of them are unpaid labor. Then you have the selling of base property to Rich Foreigners for personal profit, Just go to the old base housing and take a look around. A lot of what Dick did there after the base left was pure unadulterated greed and opression and I know a lot of people are bitter. After all some people were promised their Family Land back that the US seized when they built the base when the US pulled out but that sure didn't happen. Now, I know or should I say knew Dick Gordons Nanay and she was a fine woman and I think they are a fine family but I think how he handled the situation after the US pulled out was just wrong and the practice of briing to get anything done is revolting. Yes I know he still holds a grudge over what happened to his sister years ago but he needs to let it go. So yes you can run into unpleasant people in Olongapo or anywhere else in the world and it sounds like you did but I find most people are respectful and polite unless you come across like a flaming ass and for those who aren't, I generally move on and don't dwell on them.
I would love to move to Olongapo, I'm certain I could get a permanent Visa or immigration status because my Wife's family is a respected old line Family there plus I own a very Nice House there or rather my wife does. However my wife will not move back because the opportunities just aren't there compared to where we are now plus her family has been steadily migrating to the US over the years.
Olo Ng Apo is a great area with a rich history and fine people for the most part.
Thank you C for a very good post. I can see you are very well up to date on Olongapo. I am an American who owns a house (my wife does)not in Olongapo but that woould be my second choice. I'd rather stick to the BIG city for now because I love the hustle and bustle but not the traffic of Manila.
My last blog: Another Talent Show and Another Filipino Talent
Olongapo City… Like everywhere else on this earth, if you go there with an open mind and open eyes, you will find many good people and many good places to visit. And like everywhere else in the world, if you go looking for the seamy side with a negative attitude, you'll find exactly what you looked for. But whether you see good or bad, remember it's coming from within you, not from what's around you. If you surround yourself with bad things, then bad things will surely happen to you and it won't matter what city or country you are in. Me, I like everything about the PI, and especially Olongapo. I like the weather (yeah it's hot and humid, so what) and I like the food. I find most of the people to be good hearted and friendly, which doesn't mean I'd ask them to watch my camera while I run inside a store. The people are for the most part poor, and putting food on the table isn't something they take for granted. Maybe the reason I see so little of the bad things is because I've never been in the bars, never hired a bar girl to go home with me, and I don't shoot my mouth off like a lot of drunk, arrogant foreigners do. So Mr. Olongapo… remember, like they say in Texas.. "If you f*** with the bull, you get the horn".
Great posting "C" (7/06,11:15pm) and "Bill" (7/07),12:01am) Well RT,it looks like username "Olongapo" continues to be a big hit! I am beginning to think he just likes to stir-the-pot. At first I was irked by any and all his comments. Now? Now I realize more shit comes out of his mouth then all the sewage accumalated in shit-river. If you are out there Mr. "Olongapo" I truly hope your comments are not sincere. Still,for every offensive comment you post,there are multitudes of us willing to defend Olongapo City and PR against such nonsense. If nothing else you do keep us entertained. It must be entertainment because I cannot take your comments seriously!
Michael,
Good post! Yea you're right. He reminds me of one of those "fake" so called "veterans" that stand on the side of the road with a sign that states: "disabled veteran, please help."
: )
Bill
Ha ha ha, this made me laugh – "Now I realize more shit comes out of his mouth then all the sewage accumalated in shit-river". But seriously, people should be careful with the comments they make about certain places and people; lots of other people won't find them funny or amusing.
My last blog: Pomegranate and Prostate Cancer – Fermented Juice Therapy for Prostate Cancer
I'm interested in finding information about some friends I had there back in the 70s. Can anyone direct me to a reputable source?
I just get to thinking about those amazing days. Not much chance I'll ever return though.
Will appreciate any assist.
tyvm
Rune
For Navy look up a website called http://www.togetherweserved.com as I found many of my friends there… Use your cruse book for the names.