10 Macho Dancers I Met in Cebu - 3. Junkie

A little frustrating to write this as it succumbs to the usual stereotype - a young Macho Dancer who is a drug junkie.  The sadder part, we parishioners know it is true.

Let's call him JJ.  Once a star, former varsity player from Mindanao - now banned in many Gay Bars in Cebu.  I met him not longer than 5 years ago.  He called himself an innocent promdi (from the province).  Well, until I learned that he had been in a CDO bar for over a year already.  Cebu turned out to be a bigger and more intimidating city for him.

First, JJ was seduced by the money.  Since he is used to hard work back in Mindanao, he wanted to work and work and work - 7days a week, no holidays, and made sure he is booked everyday afterwork.  Unlike the others who got hooked on drugs because of curiosity or simply "want to try", his was deliberate.  He argued that he needed the drugs to stay awake and to keep him revitalized.

The first few months, he took drugs only when he needed it.  So the more he took drugs, the more time he had for customers.  The more customers he had, the more he needed drugs.  So he became prey to the vicious cycle. And the same cycle cost him his career.

By year 3, he was on denial.  He was hooked on drugs.  He took drugs before work, after work, before servicing a customer, after servicing a customer.  He was always high.  His face grew older, eyes bloodshot.  Face powder can no longer hide traces of being a junkie.  Before, he only went out with female customers.  Later he did not have any luxury to choose, who ever invited him became customers.  Stories start to go around the bars, so the customers start to ignore him primarily from fear of being duped. Who wants a druggie date?

Then the inevitable happened.  Rumors circulated the Gay Cebu scene that he started to steal from customers.  First a watch, then a cellphone, then money, then wallet until last year when he tried to victimized someone with all of the above.  JJ started to hop Gay Bars, until all the bars here in Cebu learned about his record.  Then, a police report was filed against him, it turned out several of his victims filed almost simultaneous complaints.

Last I heard, he went back to Mindanao as a masseur.  Then became an "online callboy".  It seemed he continued to victimize customers as his numbers kept changing.  Then I saw a posting in a forum from one of his victims: posted his picture and narrated a harrowing story of deception, hopeless addiction, violence and indiscriminate stealing.  Then he disappeared.

Now, I do not know where JJ is.  His MD friends do not know or would not say.  One thing for sure, he can no longer work in any bar here in Cebu.  Unless he change faces, it will be very difficult for him to come back to the scene.