TACS EXPO CEBU 2018 IS NOW OPEN

THE BEST TACTICAL, SURVIVAL AND ARMS EXPO in the country opened its doors to the public, here in Cebu, and to the rest of the Visayas and Southern Philippines as well, on June 15, 2018 at the Cebu Trade Hall, SM City Cebu. Despite an online registration arrangement that was instantly filled in by a lot of people, yet there still was a long line of people who registered on the actual site.

 

Of course, most people came to process or renew their firearms registration and individual licenses to own and operate a firearm and, to some extent, their license to carry outside of their residence, which the Philippine National Police (PNP), through the Firearms Explosives Office (FEO), is accepting for processing at the TACS EXPO CEBU. It is a One-Stop Shop for present gun owners and for future ones. You do not need to travel from one office to another as it is all there.

You can take the drug test, neuro-psychiatric examination, notarial services, copier services, photo booth, NBI clearance, Director for Intelligence clearance, gun safety seminar and everything relating to documentation about firearm ownership. It is all there except gun proficiency, which is held at the indoor firing range of ARMSCOR Global Defense Inc. in D. Jakosalem Street, a distance of about 10 minutes on a fine day. Coaster vehicles are made available for free for such contingency to ferry all gun ownership applicants.

 

 

TACS EXPO is an original concept of ARMSCOR Global Defense which they started last year in the National Capital Region to increase awareness on self-defense, self-reliance and preparedness. This year, they have calendared it in three installments: twice at NCR in February and November and, for the first time, in Cebu on this month. Actually, the February episode was a success that a mini TACS EXPO was immediately organized in April which was held at Camp Crame. Certainly, for TACS EXPO, Cebu was a good choice.  

On the first day of TACS EXPO CEBU, no other than the Chief of the PNP, Director General Oscar Albayalde, came to grace the opening. He was assisted by ARMSCOR chief executives led by its President, Martin Tuason. Rock Island Armory, the main product line of ARMSCOR Global Defense, took up the center booth along with its subsidiary, Squires Bingham International Inc.

 

Other exhibitors came to put up their products on display either as profit-oriented establishments or as partners of TACS EXPO 2018:

•         Thiago Military Supply

•         Forge Philippines

•         Alpha Zero

•         QBC Sporting Supplies

•         True Weight Inc.

•         Gibrosen General Merchandise

•         Mamot

•         Preppers Point Cebu

•         Makati Medical Foundation/Steramist

•         Bul Ltd.

• HL Health Center Inc.
• Sightron

•         Philippine Air Force

•         Philippine Army

•         Philippine Navy

•         Philippine Coast Guard

•         Cebu City Police Office

•         Office of the Civil Defense Central Visayas

•         Philippine Red Cross Cebu Chapter

•         Disaster and Emergency Responders International

•         Camp Red Bushcraft and Survival Guild

There were also resource speakers touching on relevant topics and interactive workshops starting early afternoon. The first topic was about “Improvised Rescue Techniques Using Common Household Materials” by Joebert Tolentino of DERIN-CERT; Following that is the “FAQs on Firearms Ownership” by the PNP-FEO. This author came next with “Adventure Travel: The Lure of the Long Trails”; and then “Urban Survival After a Disaster” by Per Christian Thrane Neis of FAMC Motorcycle Rescue Foundation.

 

After a short break, “READY 101: Family Preparedness” gets discussed by an emergency management consultant, Martin Aguda; before the day ends, it gets capped by this blogger with his favorite topic of “Knife Carry Rights and Ethics”. For the first time, the general public gets to learn about knife ethics and the many influences of their right of ownership and to carry are subjected to which may turn out good or bad for them.

This author is officially participating in the TACS EXPO CEBU 2018 as an event blogger and as resource speaker. That participation extends to my organization – the Camp Red Bushcraft and Survival Guild – wherein the organizers provided us the free use of a booth to display our love of our craft and our love of bladed tools with which privilege is not given en gratis to any Cebu-based outdoors leisure and hobby group.

 

The TACS EXPO CEBU will stay up to June 18, 2018. Please visit the Cebu Trade Hall of SM City Cebu and register on site. Avail of the PNP-FEO One-Stop Shop for firearms ownership offered by the TACS EXPO CEBU on spaces provided for that. While waiting for approval of your LTOP or your PTCFOR, explore the booths for everyday carry items and gun accessories or you may sit in a good spot and listen to topics discussed by people who are the best in their fields. What are you waiting for?     

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Photo number 10 by Silverio Tolitol Jr

Photo number 11 by Dennis Chiong

SEQUELS AND NONSENSE PEOPLE

ASK ANY AVID MOVIE GOER about Mission Impossible II and they would almost always tell you that “originals are the best and sequels are not”. The 1st Responders General Assembly and Conference of September 16 and 17, 2016 was reportedly a sequel to the first one which was held last year. It was not a sequel but just a reunion and an attendance check of all Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Offices in Cebu Province.

I was there to represent both the Camp Red Bushcraft and Survival Guild and Ham Radio Cebu. Both non-government organizations were part of the summit of last year and have been invited again to take part in this conference. I arrived early at Camp Marina, located at Kalunasan Hills, Cebu City and my tribe from the Camp Red Bushcraft and Survival Guild came a few minutes after me. We set up our hammocks and overhead shelters between trees behind the big tents.

Mark Lepon, Nelson Tan, Nelson Orozco and Leomil Pino, along with Chad Bacolod of the Provincial Information Office and Marcus Tiu of Ham Radio Cebu, set up theirs near mine. Contingents from the north, south and central parts of Cebu Province began to arrive to register and to claim big empty tents as their shelters. There was a big amphitheater on the lower ground where all activities will be concentrated but the reception area was quite busy during the early hours.

The big names of last year’s summit are not around anymore to give it a moral boost and an ascendancy of why should there be another big one. The three-day 1st SAR Summit, an original idea of Dennis Cortes, was a big success and it provided the moving force by which the requirements of Republic Act 10121 should be strictly implemented by all local government units, which a lot failed then to allocate and/or provide office space, personnel and budget.

However, the staff of the Cebu Provincial DRRMO gave it their all on this occasion even with what few funding and logistics they may have mustered from their budget so a good tradition started by the first summit would continue, although a bit late, but just the same, an important event. It does not matter if it paled in comparison to the original but, it would be the proper forum to talk again the spirit behind RA 10121 and to review the strides taken by the PDRRMO in behalf of these LGUs.

The 1st SAR Summit slogan of “Interoperability, Camaraderie and Cooperation” had been remembered and it achieved satisfactorily with a good turnout of contingents for September 16 but I thought we got a bigger crowd back then. There was not a high government official or any subaltern to grace the occasion and this is where this event failed to live up to the prestige of the first. Even PDRRMO head, Baltazar Tribunalo Jr., appeared only once, a far cry from last year where he was everywhere.

I do not know what happened to the whole PDRRMO setup? It seemed demoralized? In fairness, it is the best outfit in Central Visayas and, probably, including the whole Southern Philippines. Would politics have a hand in its current operation? Its selection of personnel, perhaps? We know that it was just a few months after election and those that won seats would claim that privilege (bad practices that keep recurring like nightmares) of placing relatives and supporters under government employment.

The PDRRMO needs skilled people and the very experienced. It has already that in its old roster. Why fix something when it is in good working order? The successful campaign launched by Mr. Tribunalo and Mr. Cortes to inculcate the value of implementing properly RA 10121 to the LGUs is commendable. There never was a precedence (and a challenge), such as the implementation of the DRRM Law, and we are all running out of time to mitigate climate change, which is almost close to impossible.

I guess, in my own opinion, too much politics often destroy what would otherwise have been a good tradition in the making. People holding the reins of governance, along with their different streaks of character and psyche (unsavory or not), as well as their priorities and their promises to their constituents which, most of the time are just that – promises, almost always influence the outcome of running simple bureaucracies like the PDRRMO and its LGU counterparts.

I have seen many new faces brought on by the changes imposed by the newer elected officials of the towns and cities and on Capitol itself, willfully and whimsically, that put to waste the efforts put forth by the last administrations to equip their responders with valuable knowledge and hard-to-get trainings. It is indeed a waste to see these experienced and trained people go in exchange of politicians playing favorites to their backers. Except for a few ones.

The first of the LGUs that I have trained in wilderness survival, the Municipality of Liloan, have gone a long way since, from being upstarts last year to become one of the top-tier DRRMO of the province. I did not even recognize them were it not for their attractive rescue uniforms bearing the name of Liloan. If their morale was that high, it is because their municipality fully supported them in terms of logistics and trainings and implementing faithfully RA 10121. Surely, there were no ugly politics poking in their office.

Team-building activities and meals took the whole of the first day until dusk came, accompanied by rain. Then it was time for my Camp Red Bushcraft and Survival Guild to present a show. We were tasked to light a bonfire from a flame made by friction and it came at a worst time: it was already night and everything was wet. I assigned two teams for this task. One on pieces of bamboo and the other on bowdrill. We succeeded in making a small fire from friction but burning wet wood was difficult until a bonfire did succeed.

The second day – September 17 – was devoted for the drafting of a protocol for response and another for communications. It was for this reason that top guys from amateur radio clubs like Randy Pancito of Cebu Amateur Radio League and Jet Manuel of Ham Radio Cebu were invited along with civic radio clubs ACER and REACT-Metro Cebu. The amateur clubs have the expertise and the technical know-how to propagate signals in extreme conditions and would be willing to extend trainings at no cost to the LGUs.

That turned on a sour note when a government functionary from the National Telecommunications Communication insisted on the use of cellular phones. He was talking nonsense there since we all know that as an unreliable communication tool because we were there after a 7.2 earthquake in Bohol and, later, after Typhoon Yolanda and it failed miserably! Even without calamities, its coverage is limited. All outcomes of accidents do not stay on open terrain. Most of the time, it is found in places where you do not thought people would visit. Places where even a sliver of sunlight cannot penetrate.

Then this functionary proposed and promised for the creation of a special frequency, solely for emergencies when, in fact, there was already one at 145.000 MHZ VHF provided by law for such uses, only the NTC office here assigned it to another amateur radio club. Breaking its own rules and behaving as if it is alright. Disgusting! The NTC should have done damage control right after Yolanda instead of impressing people with promises as if they know when the next disaster would come.

We from the amateur radio community follow rules because that was what is asked of us from the NTC. We are different from the rest because we need to pass a written examination before applying for an amateur radio station license. We help the government, even if not requested, and be available in places of catastrophes to provide direct communication links to the outside world. We help by way of trainings and offer equipment and time to help communities, LGUs and NGOs develop their communication capability (at no cost because we are amateurs) and to instruct proper radio etiquette.

I can not understand why the regional NTC office does not recognize the role of legitimate amateur radio clubs? Amateur radio stations and clubs will stay forever while government workers retire, can be transferred or gets dismissed and they cannot dictate the preferences of their replacements. We just hope that the next NTC director would be fair on legitimate, but true, amateur radio clubs and not be consumed with prejudices and petty politics. The next one should clear the VHF emergency channel of 145.000 MHZ for use of all amateurs instead of one club.

Spent the rest of the second day in my hammock since I had lost interest with what that NTC employee was incoherently babbling about. Closing ceremonies began right after lunch and the best LGUs were given recognition for their exemplary achievements. The Liloan DRRMO snared the top award besting the rest of the field, even the highly-urbanized cities which has more resources at their disposal. What Mr. Cortes, Mr. Manuel and I have taught them they applied in the real world and they came out the best.

The Responders General Assembly and Conference is an important event and, I hope too, in the next chapter (that would be next year), that our elected officials in the province or whoever are the substitutes will be, should take the highest consideration of gracing this since DRRMOs can make politicians look good on public. Appreciation can be best felt when being seen and not by excuses.

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THE 1ST CEBU SEARCH AND RESCUE SUMMIT

A SEARCH AND RESCUE Summit had never been organized and presented in Cebu before until July 29, 2015 came. Two days after that, July 31, it was deemed a success! Credit that to the hardworking men and women of the Cebu Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO-Cebu), led by its department head, Baltazar Tribunalo Jr., and by its operations chief, Dennis Cortes.

We all know that all the finest private and volunteer emergency response teams (ERT) and emergency medical teams (EMT) of Cebu converged on the parade ground of the AFP Central Command Headquarters, Camp Lapulapu, Cebu City in the morning of that first day in full force and in their finest attire and equipment. These include guest responders from Quezon City (UP Mountaineers), from Bohol (TARSIER 117) and from Olongapo City (Sta. Rita FRADRU), with special appearance of news TV personality, Paolo Bediones of Rescue 5, lending active support.

Attending also are the LDRRMOs from Daanbantayan down to Santander and the satellite islands of Bantayan, Mactan and the Camotes; and the CDRRMOs of Cebu, Danao, Talisay, Naga, Bogo, Mandaue, Toledo and Lapulapu. For three days, no eyes blinked as everyone participated and witnessed every scenario they could join, touched and haggled every item displayed they could hold, and attended every mini-clinic each participating organization could muster.

This blogger, who had built a reputation for introducing bushcraft and survival as an outdoor leisure activity in the Philippines, was invited along with the Camp Red Bushcraft and Survival Guild to this summit, not a mean feat, considering that I and Camp Red are not emergency responders. Our presence and participation is anchored through our availability to train and impart ERTs/EMTs and the LDRRMOs our wilderness survival skills which would benefit them in difficult terrain, situations and time.

Gracing the first day and the opening of the 1st SAR Summit is the Honorable Hilario Davide III, the Cebu Provincial Governor, after a short introduction by Mr. Tribunalo and the overview of the idea of the SAR Summit by Mr. Cortes. “Interoperability Camaraderie and Unity” is the theme of the event for which the goal really is to unite all the different ERTs/EMTs to one protocol in responding to emergencies. In the next three days this scheme would be tested.

FIRST DAY – JULY 29, 2015

CAMP LAPULAPU, CEBU CITY

SCENARIO 1: Collapsed Structure Search and Rescue

Mr. Cortes of PDRRMO-Cebu briefed the mixed group of participants coming from different ERTs and LDRRMOs to respond to and extricate two unconscious “victims” trapped inside a collapsed building after an “earthquake”.

SCENARIO 2: Confined Space Breaching and Extraction

The 53rd Engineering Battalion of the Philippine Army briefed another mixed group of participants from the different ERTs and LDRRMOs in breaching a building structure composed of different materials using industrial-grade power tools.

CLINIC 1: Orientation to Bombs and Explosives

A Bomb Technician belonging to the Explosives Ordnance Disposal Team of the Philippine Army discusses about bombs, explosives and its paraphernalia; the chemical compositions of explosives; the Improvised Explosive Devices; and the safety protocols in responding to or encountering suspected bombs.

CLINIC 2: Wilderness First Aid

Christopher Ngosiok of Camp Red discusses the limitations of responding to emergencies in difficult terrain and explains the different techniques, through improvisations, to address the injuries sustained by a victim in that situation.

SECOND DAY – JULY 30, 2015

BOY SCOUTS OF THE PHILIPPINES CAMP, CEBU CITY

SCENARIO 1: Mountain Search and Rescue

Members of the UP Mountaineers briefed a mixed group of participants coming from different ERTs and LDRRMOs to respond to and extricate two missing “victims” found on two different locations of a deep ravine.

CLINIC 1: Land Navigation and Terrain Analysis

The Army's 5th Special Forces Company conducted a brief lecture on map reading, direction finding and grid coordinates.

CLINIC 2: Single Rope Technique

Members from WERUC demonstrated how SRT works and how it could be incorporated into rescue operations.

CLINIC 3: Low Angle Rescue

Lead responders from the Central Visayas Search and Rescue (CEVSAR) showed the many different techniques in low-angle rescue and safe extraction of victims.

CLINIC 4: Orientation to Amateur Radio

Jet Manuel of Ham Radio Cebu discuss a brief orientation on the laws that guide radio use in the Philippines and the simple ways to operate a radio transceiver and the protocols of communications.

Each participating ERT/EMT, volunteer, partner organization, vendor and exhibitor were allocated a tent on the second day. Camp Red was supposed to conduct a mini-clinic on this date but I decide to forego it since the volume of people coming in to visit our tent was extraordinary and there was a very effective yet interactive sharing of information to the visitors by those who manned the display table.

DAY 3 – JULY 31, 2015

SOUTH ROAD PROPERTIES, CEBU CITY

SCENARIO 1: Hazardous Materials and Vehicle Rescue

Lead agency is the Special Rescue Unit of the Bureau of Fire Protection-Region 7 who responded to a “vehicular collision” of a tanker which caused leak of an unknown kind of hazardous material and the extrication of two unconscious “victims” from the scene of incident. A showcase of HAZMAT equipment designed for responding in that kind of situation.

SCENARIO 2: Water Search and Rescue

The Philippine Coast Guard and the PNP Maritime Group-7 invited and briefed a mixed group of participants coming from the different ERTs and LDRRMOs in rescuing “survivors” from a “sunken ship” at the entrance to the Mactan Channel on two rubber rescue boats.

SCENARIO 4: High Angle Rescue

The Philippine National Red Cross, UP Mountaineers, TARSIER 117, Sta. Rita FRADRU and highly-experienced individuals (Randy Salazar and Chico Estrera) pooled together their skills and knowledge to brief a mixed group of ERTs and LDRRMOs in responding to two unconscious “victims” during an ongoing “fire incident” and extricating them from the rooftop of a multi-storey building.

CLINIC 1: Incident Command System

The Office of Civil Defense-Region 7 gave a summarized discussion about the ICS to all the participants.

CLINIC 2: Vehicle Extraction

Mr. Cortes demonstrated the tools and techniques to extract an unconscious “victim” from inside a vehicle. CDRRMO-Danao provided their hydraulic tools for this occasion with which crews from different ERTs and LDRRMOs tested. Same with the battery-operated tools provided by CDRRMO-Naga.

It is wise to note that ambulances from the participating ERTs, EMTs and LDRRMOs were extensively used during each scenario. The “victims” were immediately transferred from the SAR scenarios to waiting ambulances and the EMTs performed accordingly by applying life-support systems and moving the “patients” to safe zones. Also in good stead are the ACER guys who gave constant real-time communications to ICS on all the scenarios, clinics and on invisible grounds where they are stationed.

Ultimately, the 1st SAR Summit held here in Cebu was a tough act to follow and it was successful, in the sense, that egos were kept behind where it would have thrown a monkey wrench on the whole event. The intention was to foster camaraderie and familiarity among the different ERTs and EMTs who, I believe, have their own set of values, or rules to be exact, to follow. Having done that, the summit achieved unity and harmony. Interoperability would just be a few steps away.

Kudos then to the successful bid of the Cebu Provincial Government to achieve this as well as to the staff of PDRRMO-Cebu. For those who attended the summit, it was very engaging and quite helpful on their part as each were exposed to the different levels and disciplines of search and rescue. For the LDRRMOs, it is high time that their respective LGUs commit a respectable budget to run this department efficiently as envisioned in Republic Act 10121.

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NAPO TO BABAG TALES LCVII: For the Love of Serving and Giving

I DO NOT KNOW WHAT to feel today, May 24, 2015. Yes, I am tired from yesterday’s activity in Lilo-an, Cebu but I have to be here in Guadalupe, Cebu City. My bones are cranky, my muscles are aching, my eyes are throbbing, my brain is floating but my spirit is on fire. I can feel it swelling and my heart knows it. What am I talking about?

I am talking about the outreach phase of the Who Put the “N” in Nature IV. WPNN4 was a free benefit gig held at the HeadquarterZ Restobar in F. Cabahug Street, Cebu City last May 15, 2015 where spectators, guests and visitors donated cash or notebooks, writing pads, pencils, ballpens and other educational supplies intended for the children of Cebu City's highlands. WPNN4 got more than what it had wanted, thanks to the overwhelming response of fellow outdoorsmen and well-meaning individuals.

I come early and, little by little, volunteers came. There are still many things to carry on to the place where we will do our outreach, even though most of it had been brought there last Sunday (May 17) and by an advance party which set out yesterday afternoon. Although I did not carry a bigger bag just like last week, I carry it almost full with most of my cargo consisting of eighteen juice drink retort pouches and a sprinkling of food ingredients for the feast which we will prepare for the children and ourselves.

The rest are so inspired! Jhurds Neo, the ring leader of this impressive activity and the new president of the Camp Red Bushcraft and Survival Guild, is a tough workhorse. He made it sure that not a single item be left behind, starting from the transporting to the preparation and, later, the distribution of our gifts. For the meals – the cooking and the eating.

As promised, specially-made school bags provided by Zue Fashion will be distributed to all the kids today and, I believed, yesterday's advance party led by Jerome Tibon had taken cared of the transporting of this bulk. Basically, most of the things we carry today are the food ingredients and the juice drinks. Carrying it are a bit of a problem, especially the meat, since when it loses its coolness it begins to go stale. We may have to hurry up.

Fortunately, volunteer Ariel Muntuerto volunteered to carry the bulk of the food and the juice inside a big Deuter bag which he carried empty for this purpose. He is a fine example of a guy who is well prepared and knows what to do without being requested to. Off we go to the Roble Homestead, a long line of optimistic romantics who banded together to make this world better by providing the tools of education for the children living on the highlands.

Below are a series of photo collage that describe the outreach program of the Who Put the “N” in Nature IV -

This writer, representing the organizers of the WPNN 4, wishes to give a BIG THANK YOU to our sponsors and supporters, our different groups of volunteers, the HeadquarterZ Restobar and the bands, the Roble Family, the residents of Barangay Sapangdaku, and everyone whom I failed to mention. You know in your heart that you are what I mean. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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