Life Styles of U.S Military to Filipino Soldiers

 

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

AS SEEN on the photo below, American pilots and non-officers readied themselves to check in at the swanky, classy 5-Star Holiday Inn at Mimosa where Duty Free shops, fancy chain of stores, bars, golf courses, etc abound.

When I asked the bell boy fixing our hotel room if the U.S soldiers checked in too in their hotel during the Balikatan and the recent Cope Thunders where I was part of the mediamen that covered one of it

"Oo Sir, buong second floor ( of the seven- story Quest Hotel ) occupied ng mga Americano," he said about the fancy hotel that bills P8,500 per night.

I was green with envy how rich the Yanks' are. These soldiers were mostly non- officers - from Private to Master Sergeant- while Filipino military officers would shun this daily rate.

The waitress told me too at the bar in the seventh floor, the American cool their heels there while enjoying the free martinis, Long Island, cappuccino, foreign beers like Corona and Heineken and foods there.

When my U S based brother and wife stayed for a few days at the five-star hotel Conrad in Pasay, he told me he saw crew cut young Americans eating at the smorgasbord there. I told him they were U S Air Force personnel probably pilots of the F-16s who joined the Cope Thunder- 1.

Damn, Conrad bills P10, 000 to P12,000 per night and these Yanks' had a good time there through the generosity of the rich American tax payers.

When I rubbed elbows with American officers during the Cope Thunder- 2 in Clark last July, I asked the Yanks' while we ate our lunch.

"Where you stayed here?"

"Hilton! a smiling U.S Air Force's P.R woman Lt. Rebecca Abordo quipped

"Damn!" That's 5- Star while poor Filipino soldiers sleep on the hammocks in the battle field in Mindanao," this political columnist said.