Angeles City – a provincial den of vice

I belong to that gradually fading generation that still remembers the Vietnam War, the traumatic images from the jungle, the shameless lies of Presidents Kennedy, Nixon, and Johnson and their strategist Kissinger, and the mass protests against the senseless slaughter. Angeles City in the Philippines, just under a hundred kilometers north of the capital Manila, is a relic from that time.

Angeles was home to Clark Air Base, one of the largest U.S. Air Force bases in Asia. Subic Bay is also only 70 km away. The U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay was the logistical hub for the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet. The 7th Fleet was the maritime backbone of American warfare in Vietnam, active from the beginning of the escalation in 1965 until the dramatic end ten years later. Vietnam lies 1200 km west of Clark and Subic Bay, across the South China Sea.

On June 1, I flew with Cebu Pacific from Cebu to Angeles City. Based on user comments online, one might avoid booking the budget airline: notoriously late, poor service, frequent cancellations. I have flown with Cebu Pacific three times, first from Davao to Panglao, then from Cebu to Angeles, and finally onward to Bangkok.

This flight was particularly cheap: the three-and-a-half-hour journey cost 95 euros, including my heavy suitcase, and I snagged a seat in the front row and could settle in comfortably. All flights were on time, the Airbus planes were new and clean, the service no worse than in most budget airlines, and I experienced neither delays nor cancellations.

Remnants of the Vietnam War

The role Angeles City plays dates back to the Vietnam War. In the 1960s and 1970s, tens of thousands of soldiers operated from Clark and Subic Bay, and both when they were stationed and when they returned from combat missions, they wanted to blow off steam.

This military presence shaped the local economy. Local entrepreneurs opened bars, brothels, massage parlors, and nightclubs. The Americans withdrew in 1991 after the eruption of the Pinatubo volcano had severely damaged the base. However, even after the last American troops left in 1991, this infrastructure remained. It was now foreign tourists, and later also Filipinos, who were lured by the sinful promises of the city.

Comparison with Pattaya

A comparison with Pattaya in Thailand is compelling. Pattaya also originally developed because of a significant U.S. base, the U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airfield, commonly known as