Awarding of the Best Ultimate Men’s Magazine: (from left) Obet Villela, Red editor; Barbara Matias, Red promo and events manager; Chris Villarin, MTC founder; and Zorro VIllareal, MTC vice president.

Awarding of the Best Lubricant of the Year: Bliss Lubricant, awarded by Chris Villarin, MTC founder; Mark Cheng, brand manager, Bliss Lubricant; and host and MTC vice president Zorro Villarreal.

THERE’S an Internet forum for everything these days. From video game discussions to even such strange topics as TV’s Conan O’ Brien, one is likely to find a forum that caters to a particular person’s interest.

Why shouldn’t the Manila male’s nightlife be excluded? What used to be a clandestine topic among men looking to add some spice into their night is now a thriving forum on its fourth year. Manilatonight.com (MTC) is an online adult community forum with some 80,000 registered members. Though the forum tackles a variety of topics, the bulk of its database is focused on the Manila night life. And by night life, we mean establishments catering to a predominantly male clientèle. No surprise then that the forum is composed of 95 percent men aged 18 to 50. That’s still not counting the casual visitors that drop by to read the site’s ‘vital’ information. MTC gets an average of 31 million page views a month, ranking as high as third place among the Philippines’ most visited web sites, after www.inq7.com and www.abs-cbn.com.

As for the vital information within the forums, it can range from recommendations to full-on ‘field reports’ by the members. Some can come from newbies to the lifestyle, while some are from more seasoned veterans that have toured the entire nightclub circuit. What better judge then for the adult awards than them?

For four years running, MTC has been holding the Annual Adult Choice Awards to distinguish outstanding establishments and individual categories that are voted on by members of the forum. For the fourth year, 12 awards were handed out in ceremonies at the restaurant Dish in Quezon City in late December. Two hundred members converged at the venue to witness the awards as well as for the special numbers and games.

The Best Men’s Food Supplement award went to Enduranz Capsules. The magazine Red was chosen Best Men’s Magazine. Best Personal Lubricant of the Year was Bliss Personal Lubricant. Premiere Condoms was awarded Best Condom of the Year. As for the establishments, the Massage Parlor of the Year was Good Life. Best KTV of the Year is Stardust, while Airforce One and Classmates were named KTVs of Choice. MTC also awarded members of the forum for various categories. Most Desired Female of the Year goes to the Internet handle “Christina,” Girlfriend of the Year goes to “Jenna M.” Stud of the Year is “Tamago” and Group of the Year is the “1K Club.”

Sponsors such as Bliss gave out several variants to each male and female audience member, Premiere condoms gave prizes for the games, and Red magazine raffled off several issues of its magazine.

Manila Tonight founder Chris Villarin confesses that, initially, it was “love, or maybe more accurately the lack of it,” that encouraged him to start this now burgeoning forum. What started out as “a venue for an unadulterated exchange of opinions, stories and experiences” has now turned into a fanatical engagement for some.

“To a few, members who own the clubs or are somehow connected to clubs and massage parlors, winning is everything because it means good business if they win the award. You get to have the bragging rights and post all over MTC that you are the KTV of the year or the MP of the year. And business flourishes to a noticeable extent. For the others, the Adult Awards serve as a mark of distinction for the establishments and their service.”

Indeed, at first glance, the adult awards seem to lean towards the carnal, but Chris attests that it’s not all about sex. “Yes, 80 percent of the site discusses sex, but wait till they get a taste of the 20 percent—it’s pure brain food.”

Besides discussing the most sizzling stage shows, the site also delves into the supernatural and occult, politics, philosophy, even offering consultations on medical, legal and financial matters.

Some will be quick to call MTC brash, vulgar and raunchy, yet for those that frequent it, the objective is quite clear: it’s a place where boys can unashamedly be boys. And to that end, it clearly succeeds.

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THERE’S an Internet forum for everything these days. From video game discussions to even such strange topics as TV’s Conan O’ Brien, one is likely to find a forum that caters to a particular person’s interest.