“I see the blind man said as he picked up the hammer and saw”
So this afternoon my social media outlets have been buzzing with news that the bars in Barretto are opening again today. I’m glad to hear it of course but couldn’t help but wonder who got paid off how that came about. It was especially surprising because the edict to close had come from Manila so the local officials had no say in the matter.
Just now the President of the Barrio Barretto Business Association explained that the Olongapo mayor and the Barretto barangay captain had approved the reopening plan with some caveats. Customers are limited to two drinks and the bars must serve some type of food. One bar already mentioned that their house specialty is popcorn. So, it appears that what is happening is that our local government leaders are thumbing their noses at the brownshirts in Manila by implementing the bar closure edict in such a way that all bars become defined as restaurants. I’ll give them props for creativity and we’ll see how long this lasts.
Last night I did my imbibing at “Gomans” which was open because it is technically a restaurant. I was encouraged to order at least an appetizer which I did (seafood chowder and it was delicious). As for the two-drink limit, they wouldn’t bring me a fresh bottle of beer until the old bottle was taken away. So, I guess it could be argued that I was always on my second bottle in a Groundhog Day kind of way. Hey, whatever works.
Today’s morning hike was limited to just me and Troy. We left from my house and had a pleasant hike up the ridge from Barretto, along My Bitch, and then down into the valley. Around 8K all told.
As far as days go, this was a pretty good one. I’ve got a stroll through Barretto ahead of me yet and I’ll confirm which bars have indeed reopened. Might even quaff a brew or two while I’m at it.
Cheers!
Boy, the authorities sure are playing with your emotions, aren’t they. Yeesh. I hope the situation stabilizes soon. Yoyo-ing back and forth between “open” and “not open” isn’t good for anyone’s mental health. Was also sorry to read, in your previous post, about the death of Arizona. That place was definitely a fixture in past blog posts. But I guess we knew that some places wouldn’t be hardy enough to survive the current troubles. So just hunker down and hang on. Maybe some reincarnation of Arizona will appear someday.
Based on one of your captions above, I think you may already know this joke:
Jesus was hanging off the cross, slowly dying. A weeping half-circle of his followers stood around the cross. Jesus, in agony, looked down and saw John, one of the faithful disciples.
“John,” Jesus rasped, “come closer.” John, lips quivering, obediently shuffled forward a bit.
“Yes, Lord?” he sobbed.
“No—closer,” Jesus quietly urged.
“Yes, Lord?” said John through his tears as he inched forward.
“No—closer,” insisted Jesus. John got right up to the foot of the cross. He looked up at his teacher.
“What have you to say, my Lord?” John asked.
“I can see your house from here,” Jesus said.
HaHa! Actually, I hadn’t heard that joke but it works for me! 🙂
Lots of people wondering what will happen to the Arizona property and whether the property owner will attempt to reopen it. The problem is the Philippines is still enforcing a travel ban into the country and without tourists there’s no money to be made at a resort hotel.
May the influx of tourists resume soon, then!