An Undiscovered Vacation Spot

CEBU, Philippines - When we think of Clark, we are reminded of the U.S. Air Force Base that once transformed Angeles City into a thriving place – with the sought-after PX goods sold at Nepo Mart during the era of the importation ban under Martial Law.  We are likewise reminded of the sordid flipside of the economic prosperity, which was the proliferation of dinky bars and sordid night clubs.

Clark Freeport Zone is now a clean, highly progressive growth area with the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport and its duty free outlets doing brisk business.  Just 5 minutes away is the “new kid of the block,” WIDUS Hotel & Casino (pronounced: “with us”), opened September of 2012  and headed by its dynamic, visionary Cebuano GM Alfred Reyes.  So it was upon the invitation of GM Alfred that we took a Cebu Pacific flight to Clark Freeport Zone to watch the Valentine concert of The New Stylistics.  And we were informed that GM Alfred has set the bar for international entertainment and concerts in his property for 2014, starting with the Stylistics concert which took place even before their performance in EDSA Shangri La.

Breakfast and dinner at SALT, the main dining room of Widus, is a delightful experience as they offer an international selection of dishes prepared in an open kitchen where you can watch the chefs prepare your food order. Other outlets include W Coffee – serving a wide array of pastries with your choice of hot or cold coffee and tea concoctions; Prism Lounge – cocktails and other spirits served at the bar while a live band entertains nightly; Malt Bar & Coffee Shop in the Casino – full menu available 24 hours with full bar service and nightly live entertainment.  By October 2014, the new hotel lobby will connect to the Casino and the Convention Center.

Vacationing in Clark these days offer a variety of enjoyment across the age and gender divides: golfing for golfers, shopping for the shopaholics at the duty free superstores that can be at par with Costco, horseback riding for the teeners and younger kids at El Kabayo Riding Stables or nature tripping at 30-hectare Paradise Ranch (mountain trekking, zipline, rafting , butterfly kingdom, walk-through aviary) where one can have animal feeding at Zoocobia with animal shows.  There are also Clark Dino Island and the 6- hectare Nayong Pilipino with a live show on Philippine dances accompanied by a live rondalla.  A water park is found in a resort where one can pay P200 to avail of the facilities which include an Olympic size pool.

Angeles City (ancient name: Kuliat) is historic as the site of the seat of the first Philippine Republic when Pres. Emilio Aguinaldo took refuge in the Pamintuan Mansion (built in the 1880s by haciendero Don Florentino Torres Pamintuan).  In the subsequent American colonization, Gen. Arthur McArthur made the mansion his headquarters. The Angeles Museum has the entire second floor as “Culinarium” – the pioneering culinary museum of the Philippines and probably in Asia. No wonder as the Pampanguenos are noted for their culinary expertise, as shown by internationally acclaimed Chef Sau del Rosario, Claude Tayag, the restaurateur par excellence Larry Cruz, among many others.

For the foodies out there, a Clark-Angeles City vacay is a food adventure! One can go really native in Mila’s Original Tokwa’t Baboy Carenderia in Barangay Sto. Domingo, where you can have the best freshly tossed fern salad and a variety of sisig dishes.  Other Kapangpangan unique dishes include fermented rice called “buro” a scoop of which you wrap in fresh mustasa (mustard leaf) and eat with “tinapang isda”(smoked fish), bringhe – their version of arroz Valenciana,  fried stuffed frog (betute), dried crickets (camaru), among many others.  Topping their desserts is “tibok-tibok” – a softer, lighter version of the custard (maja) made of freshly harvested carabao milk; another good one is San Nicolas – a heritage recipe handed down by families through the generations, biscuit of arrowroot flour, sugar, eggs, dayap (lime) or anise and coconut milk.  Not to be outdone is Yu-Fu-In in Angeles City, serving authentic Japanese dishes, as it is owned by a Japanese chef and run by his Filipina wife and daughter.

So, consider Clark Freeport Zone for your next vacation. Cebu Pacific flies Cebu to Clark every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.