Down and Out in Manila

*From a future book-Korean War Baby

Romano Kristoff, Carla Reynolds, Don. For a magazine ad.

“In 1980 my former partner, “Jack” in the Talent Agency that we ran together, let me get falsely accused of something that actually HE was guilty of doing. His Waray girlfriend had moved in with us, (breaking our no girlfriend moving in ‘rule’) and she brought a sweet sixteen year old cousin to be her maid. Jack’s girlfriend thought her cousin was ‘doing something’ with me and I was NOT, because they were both from the Samar province of the Philippines. Eastern Visayans were of three major groups, Cebuano, Ilongo, and Waray.
The Waray tribe are especially known for their very strong and aggressive women. Back in the Philippine-American War a unit of American soldiers were hacked to death with only a few men escaping death by machete and bolo type weapons, called Talibongs and Binagongs, weapons of choice of the Waray. One survivor who hid under the hacked bodies of other soldiers reported that the women of the village finished off the wounded with their smaller blades. Even other Filipinos will tell you "don't mess with a Waray, especially a woman!"

Waray women are some of the most, uh, passionate of the Visayans. But throughout the 7,000 plus islands one finds many Beauties. The men are also handsome I suppose, but rarely really noticed...

 

The saying is “Waray, Talaga!” (means ‘really a Waray’) and they are fiercely jealous, the ‘redheaded Sicilians of the Philippines. The girlfriend thought for sure that I was getting way too friendly with her young cousin.

(Now in those days I was not a very nice person, and I am now ashamed to admit that I was almost completely without scruples…So it was only because I had a healthy respect for women from Samar that I ‘did not have sexual relations with that innocent virgin maid’.

One day , she went ‘Waray talaga’ on me, came at me with a butterfly knife, just like a Waray warrior woman. The Filipinos have a long tradition of Bladed weapons and firearms. Well, I knew that my friend WAS guilty, not me, but I took the rap, moved out lock, stock and barrel that night.

 Suddenly I found myself ‘down and out in Manila’ with only a few hundred dollars to my name.

Then for the next five months all the work in film that I could do was postponed. Some offers came but I could not do them because by that time I was only accepting supporting roles or what we call ‘cameo or Day actor’, shot in One Day, Duh. I could not go backwards in my career. For a month I stayed with different friends, sleeping on their couch until I ran out of money.

The “Firehouse” was one of the top bars in the Mabini/Del Pilar area, the major bar/club area at the time in 1980. FIVE go-go dancers made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. The bar girls of the Firehouse knew me very well, I had brought in actors and crew members from films since 1976 after "Apocalypse Now" filming had ended. The American owner’s girlfriend knew me because I was free with my ‘ladies drinks’ and tips. 

The ‘bar fine’ to take a bargirl out the rest of the night was 150 pesos (for the Bar) plus 150 for the girl’s services. The total of 300 pesos was the equivalent of $30 dollars. Now 25 years later it is actually only double, about $66 dollars, in Angeles City where most bars were moved by the Mayor of Manila. It is reported to me by a certain unnamed source who was ‘researching’ in winter of 2010 and was making the rounds of nations that have ‘sex tours’.

I give you this information because it is a sad and tragic fact that ‘the oldest profession continues to flourish in many countries worldwide, as well as the land of my birth, Korea. One of the girls (she was over 18 by the way) asked for a drink but I couldn’t afford it. She heard my sad sack tale, then suggested that I could stay with her and some friends. How many friends, I asked? Oh, four or five. Naturally, I said YES…But, I am really really broke. “Don’t worry, we take care of you, no problem bruddah. We love you, no shit.”

They rented a motel type room with two queen size beds and a restroom. Hmmm, I thought, sleep  with 5 beautiful dancers, most of whom I knew ‘biblically’. Why not! This was a fantasy dream come true! (Remember, I was younger, thinner, crazy, and full of wickedness then). They came from many of the poorest provinces, were entertainers who came to the cities to earn money and send back home to their families.

I soon learned that it was not exactly what I expected. They got back at  various hours of the night from 2-5 am, after dancing for a ten hour shift and were completely wiped out. Most would also get a ‘customer’ and go for a ‘quickie’ or an ‘all nighter’. I helped out in many ways like keeping the place clean, even did some laundry for them hanging undies in the bathroom. I was the opposite of a pimp, LOL, but I learned all the frustrations and problems that they had daily in their hard life. Some had hopes to marry foreigners and go to another country. The girls had a rough job and many started at 14 or 15, illegal until 16 actually but no policemen would check. They were ‘burned out’ by their late twenties. Some got married and divorced, came back to work When they hit 28 or 29 they were usually the ‘momma-san’ in charge of all the bargirls.

When I was young I helped a friend, Mike in a 'protection racket' Junior High. So soon, when the occasion arose, I protected the girls from some ‘over the top’ jerks/*ssholes who made the mistake to mistreat them, or fail to pay them the agreed amount. I beat the hell out of some who physically hit or hurt them because one thing I will NOT abide with is a bully or sadistic SOB. I am a Recon Marine who follows a code: "Your best Friend-or your Worst Enemy". The youngest one told me that I was like her protecting ‘angel’ after one incident when two idiots Europeans roughed her up and stole her purse, I went to the bar with her and there they were, sitting at a table. I walked up with her, then just started hitting them in rage after they laughed at her. She saw her purse in the booth, picked it up and we walked calmly out. 

From the Literature  Network: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. Search, Read, Study, Discuss.

The book of “Don Quixote de La Mancha” by Miguel de Cervantes was a favorite of mine when I was young, go figure! It is perhaps due to my attitude when I was a half-breed boy growing up in the streets of Seoul, South Korea, that I did not put up with crap from even bigger boys. I was filled with anger and would ‘snap’ in rage at any provocation. Some thought I was filled with demonic rage (or as my younger brother David might say Multiple Personalities not just Split-Personality). Psychologists would have some great time ‘analyzing me’ and I have gone through some ‘deliverance’ (Wait for the book!).

Crazy Don as Tank Commander in some post Apocalyptic genre film.

My personal creed, Don’t take crap from anyone!!

(Now as a Christian believer, I really don’t hit people…too often)

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