Subic tourism not affected by rape case, says SBMA chief

But Neptune Club manager admits ‘stigma’

SUBIC BAY -- Tourists continue to flock to this former American military air base, unaffected by the eponymous rape case that drew the interests of people the world over.

Armand Arreza, administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), which has control and supervision of what is now an investment and tourism hub, said 2.2 million tourists visited Subic during the first half of this year, up 20 percent from the same period last year.

"Masigla pa rin ang turismo dito sa Subic [Tourism here is still healthy]. Occupancy rate of our hotels is up 5 percent from the previous year…I think people realized that it was an isolated incident. The whole community of Subic has moved on. We sympathize with the young woman and with her we await the verdict on the case," he said last weekend when asked about the effect of the rape charges filed by the then 22-year-old Filipina from Zamboanga against four American servicemen on shore leave.

Immediately after the rape was reported to him, Arreza was among the local officials who intervened and helped stop the accused -- Staff Sergeant Chad Carpentier and Lance Corporals Daniel Smith, Keith Silkwood, and Dominic Duplantis -- from boarding USS Essex that was leaving for Okinawa.

The Visiting Forces Agreement, which set the parameters for the conduct of the joint military exercises, was invoked.

The case is now awaiting the verdict of Makati Judge Benjamin Pozon, who is scheduled to officially release his judgment on Monday, December 4, a little more than a year after the incident that started with a meeting between Smith and his accuser at the Neptune Club in Subic. The complainant is known only as “Nicole” to protect her privacy.

But the incident has had its effect on how American soldiers conducted themselves inside Subic during the last visit of the USS Essex and several other American warships in the former US naval base.

Arreza said the US military instituted several safeguards against a possible repeat of the incident. For one, curfew for enlisted men was pegged at various hours earlier than the 12 midnight of last year; later in the visit, the curfew returned to 12 midnight.

American soldiers were also told “not to get too drunk. Marshals were going around rounding up those who had too much to drink,” Arreza said. “Security was tightened not just because of [the Subic rape] but also to prevent terrorist attacks.”

Neptune Club manager Jun Cadaing knew only too well the effect of these new guidelines. On the anniversary of the Subic rape on November 1, he said television stations set up outside his club, driving away potential customers with their lights.

“Yung mga nakakalusot, maya-maya sinusundan na ng mga shore patrols [Those (servicemen) who manage to sneak in would be followed by shore patrols]. Even the officers, they try to avoid the club,” Cadaing told INQ7.net

The club manager admits his bar and dance club continues to suffer the stigma of the rape.

“Malaki ang nawala sa amin [We lost a lot],” he said, detailing how American servicemen who visit Neptune usually spend at least $50 on drinks.

Every ship has between 3,000 and 5,000 servicemen onboard; if half are on duty and the other half were on rest and recreation, the potential business is quite big.

With about 500 servicemen who visit his club every night when US ships dock at Subic, “ma-imagine mo kung gaano ang nawala sa amin [you can imagine how much money we lost],” he said.

When INQ7.net visited Subic, the SBMA was celebrating its 14th year anniversary and the boardwalk not far from Neptune Club was full of SBMA volunteers, Olongapo residents, and local tourists from other parts of Luzon.

SBMA’s Arreza was beaming when he talked about the entry into Subic of Korean company Hanjin, which is investing $1 billion to construct a shipbuilding facility in Subic.

“We expect employment to double with Hanjin. We expect more companies to come here because of Hanjin. And with the planned Subic-Clark expansion, we expect more business and tourists to come here,” he said of the plan to build the most competitive international service and logistics center in the southeast Asian region..

It’s different for Cadaing. He can only wish that business would return to the way they were before the sensational case. He remembers that fateful night of November 1 in his club as “punong-puno [very full]. We were shoulder-to-shoulder that night,” so unlike the night INQ7.net went to the club.

Neptune was practically empty except for the so-called guest relations officers. Outside the club, only a handful of cars were in the parking lot. Inside, the young girls were trying to keep themselves busy. Some were dancing among themselves at the dance floor, some watching television by the bar, and some trying their hand at the pool table. They were all dressed skimpily.

Cadaing admitted that Neptune is not exactly wholesome. “Semi-wholesome siguro dahil sa may mga babae kami pero wala kaming bar fine [We’re maybe semi-wholesome because we have girls here but we don’t charge a bar fine],” he said, referring to the fee that customers pay the club so that they could bring the girls out of the club.

This only shows that the story of Subic, the place desired for its deep harbor, its natural breakwater, and its thick forest cover is still evolving. And as in most stories, some win, some lose. By Veronica Uy - INQ7.net