A TACTICAL SECURITY TRADITION

THE OLD MILITARY TRADITION of rank inspections which had been adopted and practiced at Tactical Security and Detective Agency, Inc. in 2009 have ran its course towards its fourth year. This activity involves small posts and big detachments, who showed form through uniforms, appearance, teamwork, professional know-how, cooperation and command perception.

Each detachment and/or unit is graded according to their performance and effort. The Board of Directors have shown support to this endeavor as it showcases Tactical Security to the market as it is, in itself, a very effective marketing tool. The very sight of a platoon-sized number of men in immaculate white shirts and ironed blue pants in a square formation marching and facing about elicit awe and interest to a passing public.

When Tactical Security started 2008 under new management, it had fully grasped the immense obstacle facing their existence in an industry already crowded by competitors engaged in a fierce cut-throat struggle. Tactical Security needed to have an image that would stand them out from the rest of the league and so they institutionalize this activity.

This showdown troop formations are not without bestowing of awards to deserving detachments, big and small. Previous winners have received tokens of appreciation and material rewards for their effort. It boosts confidence and increases morale as well as creating a loyalty bond between individual guard and Tactical Security.

Group formations such as these are not complete without Troop Information and Education. This is the most vital component where management would be able to link up with its manpower from the soul and from the heart. It is an open venue where two-way communications are observed.

This year -2012 - the Inspection Team visited each and every big detachment and small post. There are four categories and each category is accorded only one winner. In Category A, there were four competitors; Category B – five; Category C – seven; and Category D – ten. All put their best foot forward and never in this competition’s history have the scores been so tight.

Cebu Toyo Corporation won over closest competitor Casino Filipino-Crown Regency by only six points in Category D. Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu won by twenty points over nearest rival Cebu South Bus Terminal in Category B. Category A champion, Casino Filipino-Lahug, upended nearest pursuer Sky Rise Realty Development Corp by just ten points. Only the Cebu International Convention Center dominated Category C by a wide margin.

Awarding was held at the function room of Allure Hotel and Suites in AS Fortuna Street, Bakilid, Mandaue City on December 4, 2012. Winners of a side contest – the Best Head Guard and the Best Shift-in-Charge – were also honored and awarded for their year-round but efficient supervision and control over their subordinates as well as their excellent relations with our respective clients.

For Best Shift-in-Charge, SG Rene Anduyan of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu got the first place; second goes to SG Gervacio Esmero Jr of Philippine Health Insurance Corp. Regional Office 7; and third place was yanked by SG Abundio Racaza III of the Cebu South Bus Terminal.

First place for Best Head Guard was awarded to 2009 awardee SG Paulino Lacandula of Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu; second to SG Rogelio Rojas of the Cebu South Bus Terminal; and the third best was taken by SG Eugenio Tampus of Greencoil Industries, Inc.

Special awards were also bestowed to deserving guards for their exemplary service, academic excellence and loyalty. Such awards are given each year to ten security guards – male and female – who were selected for their performance and their dedication to their jobs exemplified by SG Noel Lequin who was able to bust a syndicate of shoplifters preying on ThreeSixty Pharmacy branches.

For posterity, Tactical Security is very proud to announce the other winners through the years:

Category A (30++ Guards)

2009: Cebu Provincial Capitol

2010: Cebu Provincial Capitol

2011: Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center

Category B (20-29 Guards)

2009: Casino Filipino-Mactan

2010: Banilad Town Center

2011: Cebu International Convention Center

Category C (10-19 Guards)

2009: Greencoil Industries

2010: Greencoil Industries

2011: Cebu Province Properties (Museo Sugbu/DA Compound/PEO/Larsian)

Category D (6-9 Guards)

2009: Cebu Province-Old BBRC Property

2010: Cebu Province-Balili Beach Property

2011: Cebu Province-Balili Beach Property

Best Head Guard

2009: SG Paulino Lacandula (Sacred Heart School-Jesuits)

2010: SG Servillano Angcay Jr (Cebu Provincial Capitol)

2011: SG Rogelio Rojas (Cebu South Bus Terminal)

           SG Joseph Varga (Cebu Province-Sugbu Gawad Kalinga)

Best Shift-in-Charge

2009: SG Arthur Pacaldo (Cebu South Bus Terminal)

2010: SG Rogelio Rojas (Cebu Province-Balili Beach Property)

           SG Rene Anduyan (Sacred Heart School-Jesuits)

2011: SG Luke Carniga III (Cebu International Convention Center)

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TACTICAL PURSUITS BEFORE A TIGER YEAR

2009 HAD BEEN a fruitful year for Tactical Security and Detective Agency, Inc. and what would be more appropriate is to award deserving individual security guards and whole detachments for their worthy efforts during a Christmas Party held at Cheaverz in Banilad, Cebu City on December 26, 2009.

While the giving of recognition to worthy personnel is something that can be replicated with other organizations, the giving of one to the four detachments is unique, in a sense, that there is a coordinated effort among the individuals comprising such groups that would elicit merit and respect from the ladder up.

While Tactical Security have been very busy taking care of the properties and persons of their valued clients, its officers have also been seeing to it that all their guards are at their posts; their equipments, their documents and responsibilities in order. Adapting a valued tradition from the uniformed organizations – the rank inspections - Tactical Security applied this on its several big and small detachments.

This had been a year-long affair that culminated during the last few weeks before the awarding ceremonies. There were four categories: Category D for posts comprising 6 to 9 guards which were contested by eight posts, Category C for 10 to 19 guards fought among four detachments, Category B for 20 to 29 guards vied among four detachments and Category A up for grabs by three platoons with 30-plus guards.

To sum it all, the following were the results:

CATEGORY D (6 to 9 Guards)

First – BBRC Property, Cebu Province – 160 points

Second – Cebu Performing Arts Center – 65 points

Third – Museo Sugbu, Cebu Province – 20 points

CATEGORY C (10 to 19 Guards)

First – Greencoil Industries Inc. - 415 points

Second – Sacred Heart School-Jesuits – 387 points

Third – Cebu Country Club – 375 points

CATEGORY B (20 to 29 Guards)

First – Philippine Amusement Gaming Corp.-Mactan – 970 points

Second – Cebu International Convention Center – 415 points

Third – Banilad Town Center – 160 points

CATEGORY A (30-plus Guards)

First – Cebu Provincial Capitol – 645 points

Second – Cebu South Bus Terminal – 315 points

Third – Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center – 240 points

All security guards comprising the First-place detachments were entitled to ten kilos of rice each where a total of 800 kilos (sixteen sacks) were given by the Board of Directors of Tactical Security. Certificates of recognition were also added to their prize.

Aside those, there was also a free-for-all contest among the best head guards and shifts-in-charge for all detachments and they were rated according to their work proficiency, effectiveness, leadership, professional conduct, relationship with clients and subordinates and their superiors. The rating came from their immediate supervisors and clients where they are serving.

The Top Five Head Guards and Shifts-in-Charge were chosen according the computed value points:

HEAD GUARDS

SG Paulino Lakandula, Sacred Heart School-Jesuits – First (4.32)

SG Nielde Gaje, Cebu International Convention Center – Second (4.30)

SG Romulo Marabiles, Kajima Corporation – Third (4.18)

SG Samuel Bornea, Banilad Town Center – Fourth (3.96)

SG Servillano Angcay Jr., Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center - Fifth (3.96)

SHIFTS-IN-CHARGE

SG Arthur Pacaldo, Cebu South Bus Terminal – First (3.93)

SG Joceryl Ardonia, Cebu Country Club – Second (3.89)

SG Rene Anduyan, Sacred Heart School-Jesuits – Third (3.69)

SG Eugene Cinto, Cebu International Convention Center - Fourth (3.68)

SG Renante Cortes, Sky Rise Realty Development Corp. - Fifth (3.64)

A cash of one thousand pesos, certificate and a sack of rice each were given to the first-place winners of the Best Head Guard and Shift-in-Charge while the runners-up were given five hundred pesos each aside from a certificate of recognition.

Additionally, the following guards were given certificates of recognition and ten kilos of rice each for meritorious service that have given Tactical Security a good name like SG Ricardo Butio Jr. and SG Melvin Parantar, who were both responsible in arresting snatchers and recovery of stolen items while assigned in Banilad Town Center; SG Jubert Daligdig for the arrest of an intruder and the recovery of a stolen article from Cebu General Services.

SG John Tabera for the arrest of a contract worker trying to smuggle out an item from RDAK Motors; SG Jasper Santos and SG Edgar Vallentos for the arrest of an armed person and the confiscation of a handgun in Cebu South Bus Terminal; SG Maximo Casipong for coming to the defense of an injured man in Kajima Corporation and SG Domingo Auxtero for being adjudged as an outstanding guard in Pag-IBIG Fund Cebu City Branch.

Kudos is hereby given to the hard-working officers and staff for their untiring endeavor to make this event successful and have pushed up Tactical Security head and shoulders above its flock in a very populated and competitive industry. Special mention is thus afforded to the officers comprising the Inspection Committee: Mr. Jing de Egurrola, Mr. Joe Patrick Larena and Mr. Eddie Alberca.

For your security needs, we do things the Tactical way! Call us now at 346-6051 or 236-1492 and we will design all your security needs.

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RIDING THE TIGER'S BACK

AREA 1 OF THE CEBU PROVINCIAL Government is now safely gripped in the hands of Tactical Security and Detective Agency, Inc. after assuming their task on April 1, 2009. Operations on the Cebu Provincial Capitol, the Cebu South Bus Terminal, the new Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center, the Cebu International Convention Center and other peripheral areas went on smoothly as it is ably steered by the new professionals in the security industry today.

Periodic troop information and education as well as the constant monitoring and inspection of all security personnel, equipment and security procedures were conducted and implemented on all big detachments and single posts. On-time release of salaries and prompt action of requests, personal and work-related, have motivated all security guards to perform well and placed them in a state of high morale and a pride of belongingness with an agency who knows how to take care of them.

It could not have been possible were it not for the dedication and hard work done by the current crop of security officers and office staff who made extensive effort to accommodate every concern of each security guard and to the areas where they are assigned. Tactical Security's two telephone lines and eight cell phones under the Sun network have been ringing regularly accommodating such requests. Also, the “Big 4” have been giving extra support and motivation to the former when crunch time came.

Elsewhere in other fields, Tactical Security were able to assume its brand of security service last June 1, 2009 to the Philippine Amusement Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) in Lapulapu City, to include its satellite casino inside Dakak Beach Resort in Dapitan City, Zamboanga del Norte; and deployed twenty-seven (27) male and female security guards, eight (8) assorted firearms, five (5) UHF radios and other security equipment.

Tactical Security were also able to snare another rich trophy in taking the security functions of the prestigious Sacred Heart School-Jesuit, located in Canduman, Mandaue City, into its area of expanding responsibility. Nineteen (19) security guards, nine (9) pistols and revolvers and five (5) UHF radios were deployed and used during the takeover on June 16, 2009. Security officers voluntarily patrolled all access roads every day directing traffic and gave support effectively to the guards manning their posts.

But the biggest buzz came with the awarding of Area 2 of the Cebu Provincial Government to Tactical Security after a competitor fell short of its contract to provide an able security service to all its province-wide operations and properties. On July 1, 2009, Tactical Security absorbed all the security operations of Cebu Province's district hospitals starting from the north down to the south and in the islands of Bantayan and Camotes.

Besides that, Tactical Security assumed control also of all province-owned lots in Cebu City, Minglanilla, Naga and in Malapascua Island plus the governor's patrol boat currently moored in Olango Island. A total of one hundred and nine (109) security guards were added to the troop strength of Tactical Security wherein twenty-seven (27) revolvers and nine (9) shotguns were issued.

Tactical Security have never been in a position before in it's history wherein it rode the helm of the tiger's back. This year is a banner year for Tactical Security. A time of good bounty from its marketing hunt backed up by unquestionable service and able control of its existence. It had sparked great pride among its ranks. It had spawned a yearning to reach the plateau of excellence. It had given impetus to be a top-notch security agency worthy of its name. Tactical Security does all things for your security needs.

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CATCHING A TIGER, WRESTLING A SERPENT

IT WAS ON THE EVE of April Fool's Day that Tactical Security Agency and Detective Agency, Inc. finally marched their troops on the historic compound of the Cebu Provincial Capitol after months of anxiety and preparations and despite rumours of a second-rate agency being awarded instead the security contract and will take over the hard won areas which, in the first place, were legally Tactical Security's after a result of a bidding battle where they won fair and square. And cemented by the signing of the deed of contract by the lady governor herself – Her Excellency Gwendolyn Garcia.

It was a momentous occasion when the keys of the Capitol, the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC), the Cebu South Bus Terminal and the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) – big edifices that each deploy thirty or more guards plus small detachments spread over the length and breadth of province-owned properties in Metro Cebu – where surrendered to Tactical Security from losing holdover, Spectrum Security Agency, a worthy opponent that differed so much in style from another losing agency who used all maneuverings to steal this prized trophy without success.

Tactical Security have been equal to the task of taking the cudgels of watchkeeping the properties and persons of the Cebu Provincial Government by deploying high-quality security personnel equipped with brand-new Armscor 12-gauge shotguns, Tokarev 9-mm pistols, Armscor caliber .38 revolvers, Kenwood and HYT UHF bandwidth portable radios, halogen searchlights, hand-carried metal detectors and other specialized security gadgets. A radio-repeater station with base was ordered and installed to provide real-time and uninterrupted communication system between the different detachments and the agency headquarters.

The security officers and staff worked hard days before this event. An event of such magnitude which has no parallel in Tactical Security's history and existence. It was a classic team effort that brought people to many places in Cebu, in Manila and in Davao to culminate in timely fashion the takeover ceremony at the appointed time. It was a perfect operation orchestrated by no less than the general manager himself, Mr. Joseph Alquizola, and ably supported by the board of directors: Mr. Regan King, Mr. Wilson Ong and Mr. Richard King.

In all, 146 security guards were deployed, utilized and/or became new members of Tactical Security's expanding family for this single day. Running alongside with this great achievement, is the taking over of the regional office of the Home Development and Mutual Fund-7 (HDMF-7), also known as the Pag-IBIG Fund, headquartered at the Cebu Business Park, and its satellite office in Dumaguete City – all employing a total of fifteen guards.

At the end of the day, Tactical Security have redeemed its stature as a worthy and top-notch security agency that it so enjoyed in its early years, days when good professional people were running the agency and dictated the character and reputation of Tactical Security into what it is now, over some period of humps and bumps and low ebbs of its existence.

Kudos then to the new breed of professionals running Tactical Security: Mr. Jing de Egurrola, Mr. Omar Pace, Mr. Joe Patrick Uy, Ms. Marylou Cagang, Mr. Noel Ronquillo, Ms. Tellie Aguilar, Mr. Eddie Alberca, Ms. Grace Villar, Mr. Fernando Ypil, Mr. Al Albaciete, Ms. Liza Sesante and Mr. Robert Unabia for their tireless effort and for defying the odds by wrestling the serpent in order to catch a tiger.

For your security needs, we do things the TACTICAL way!

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TACTICAL SECURITY FLIES AGAIN

AFTER A LONG-DRAWN OPERATIONAL struggle in the early months of 2008, Tactical Security and Detective Agency, Inc. began to stabilize itself in the last quarter and benefited much from it with the increase of its existing clients, upon takeover of new management, from 28 to 50 and guard strength from 189 to 356. These despite losing the Social Security System (SSS) contract in January 2009 after more than four years of providing security to all its Visayas-wide branches.

Tactical Security were able to solidify its capital standing by snaring the contracts of Cebu Grand Hotel, Shamrock Bakery and Restaurant and the Cebu Country Club in spite losing an expensive bidding battle in November at the National Food Authority whereby it lost by the skin of their teeth to another competitor. In other areas, Tactical Security were able to renew its existing contracts with their other clients as well as increasing the monthly guard salaries in consonance with the new PADPAO rate in Central Visayas, particularly Cebu.

In a single day on February 1, 2009, Tactical Security posted 70 security guards on new clients Nito's Auto Supply, Skygo Marketing Corp. and King's Quality Food of the King Group of Companies, Banilad Town Center and other small players. While in the government-bidding front, Tactical Security were able to snare the contract for security services of Philippine Amusement Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) Mactan, the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) Region 7 and the juicy Province of Cebu, insuring 180-plus guard positions for Tactical Security to fill up in the weeks to come.

So, on this occasion, Tactical Security decided to savor its present climate of favorable fortune by conducting and reviving the quarterly general formation at its present location in A.S. Fortuna Street, Bakilid, Mandaue City, Cebu - an event that had been a regular fixture in its early years (c. 2000) when they were headquartered then at the Cebu Business Park. This time, with no less than the General Manager and Security Director, Mr. Joseph Alquizola, who personally came to witness this event assisted by all the security officers and staff of Tactical Security, it was a tradition that came to life again.

In all, 150 off-duty security guards representing all detachments within Metro Cebu came to attend the formation and were updated of the present Tactical Security policies, its standard operating procedures and their own trademarked style of service standard which differentiate it from other competing security agencies and, afterwards, they were all treated to snacks. It was a successful dry run for the next general quarterly formations and it created camaraderie among guards, new and old.

Those who gave the troop information and education were Mr. Noel Ronquillo for security and safety procedures and customer courtesy, Mr. Omar Pace for agency policy, Mr. Eddie Alberca for inspection procedures and Mr. Jing de Egurrola for gun safety and handling and disciplinary procedure. Mr. Arcadio Albaciete and Mr. Robert Unabia assisted in distributing the snacks to the participating guards while Mr. Joe Patrick Uy, Ms. Marylou Cagang, Ms. Tellie Aguilar, Ms. Grace Villar and Ms. Liza Sesante answered all queries by the guards after the formation.

“For your security needs, we do things the TACTICAL way!”

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LICKING POVERTY THE TACTICAL WAY

THE CUT-THROAT TACTICS practiced by among the myriad competing private security agencies here in the Philippines have affected much the security agency industry today. Majority of these security agencies dived their offers way way below the standard rate just to secure and get hold of a contract without thinking of their main workforce and frontliners: the oft-exploited individual security guard.

Although PADPAO, an umbrella organization of private security agencies, tried their best to implement a standard and uniform rate policy, but, sadly, on some rare occasions, their members and officers were allegedly the first to break their imposed rules and, as a result, others would just follow. To each his own then becomes the unwritten rule of the day!

These unscrupulous security agencies are becoming a nuisance among members of good standing; the Security Agency and Guard Supervision Division of the Philippine National Police (SAGSD-PNP) have made only a minuscule dent among their numbers and just content themselves making just a slight tap on the wrist upon any erring member. There are no discernible safety nets enforced and what rigid rules implemented would just melt away when money talks and passes below a table. It's a reality here if you talk of how much things would move around here.

Today, the minimum daily wage mandated by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Cebu Province, to include the Metro Cebu Area, is Php267 (about €4.09 at Php65.14 to €1), which is adopted by PADPAO to be implemented to all security agencies in paying the salaries of their security guards. With that salary, a government think-tank suggested, a family of six in Central Philippines would be able to overcome hunger. We just hope so.

Despite that, many fly-by-night security agencies took advantage of the prevailing poverty situation and the dearth of available jobs in the market to make a killing to the consternation of legitimate agencies. But sometimes, it is through the instances of some commercial establishments who would goad these mercenary agencies to settle on very low contract rates as they embarked on cost-cutting measures to stay afloat.

At barrel-bottom rates, security agencies are forced to give a monthly salary to their security guards at Php4,000 to Php5,500 (around €61-€84), else, they will hire an unlicensed one to do their bidding. At that stage, performance and services are being sacrificed, resulting to unsatisfactory customer satisfaction. With that rate, the assigned guard will no longer avail of the Social Security System (SSS) and PhilHealth benefits due to them as the agency will be constrained not to remit their share to the state fund to make a slim profit out of it.

The moment the security guard will be sidelined due to illness, by accident or under litigation, he will have to fend for himself and his family, as the agency will surely abandon all financial assistance and support due to him which he justly deserve by law. What money earned to support his family will be sacrificed and he has no other recourse except to tap money lenders which, ultimately, push him hard to the ground of extreme poverty and starvation.

Cases like these are common among the steady crop of security guards applying for a slot with Tactical Security and Detective Agency, Inc. They have to bail out from their previous agencies who, they deduced, are not minding their welfare and benefit but engage in other trivial matters like politicking and backstabbing other agencies. Tactical Security, in the past, have never been influenced by the actions of these unscrupulous security agencies yet they took on a form as if we were one of their numbers after years of operation until new management bought out the whole stock, lock and barrel from the previous owners.

On January 16, 2008, we at Tactical Security decided to overhaul the whole system by studying and planning the course of the agency into what it was during its better days. One of those that we scrutinized well and focused on was the large percentage of guards receiving salaries well below the minimum set by DOLE at that time, which is pegged at Php250 (€3.90). During our takeover, there were a total of 189 security guards and barely 30% of these receive the standard wage.

Tasking Mr. Omar Pace and Ms. Malou Cagang, respectively, the operations and administrative officers retained by the new management, to re-negotiate the existing contracts and deliver to the guards what they justly deserve – a living wage to feed a family of five, to include a very regular SSS, PhilHealth and state insurance contributions; we were able to turn around the agency from a “for-profit-only” entity into a corporate with a social conscience.

Aside from that, we were able to reverse the existing guard strength (now around 300) that receive the minimum wage to around 83% up from the previous 30%. But, most of all, our cash flow has shown significant liquidity as we were able to equip our agency with more assets and equipment as more and more good-paying clients noticed our agency's effort to professionalize our corps of security officers and guards and contracted us to secure their properties and personnel.

We also were able to give refuge to many dissatisfied security guards coming from other agencies by absorbing them to our family and providing them better income by posting them to choice clients which we were able to capture through our aggressive marketing strategy. Providing them good services and attending to their needs like up-to-date release of salary through ATM and cash advances without interests, we were able to gain back the security guard's esteem and, conversely, our standing before the community were raised to a higher level.

At the end of the day, Tactical Security have done its share in providing adequate attention to the ordinary security guard, without whom, we would have not existed. These security guards, who toiled exposed to the elements and never took a glance to an inviting chair for a moment's rest just to protect his agency's contract, without which, he would have no business being there. By and by, it is a symbiotic existence. Each could not stand without the other. For that, we treat our personnel well. They are our jewels. They showcase our agency to the public.

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OUTDOORS VIP PROTECTION

IT IS SAD TO NOTE THAT with the proliferation of loose guns and cheap contract assassins, many individuals have become crime statistics common among the offices of the homicide section of every police station here in the Philippines. Almost ninety percent of these are unsolved owing to the the lack of competence and credibility of the police to solve murder crimes or the absence of trust on the police by the witnesses, victims and/or survivors to provide adequate protection on them.

The latter have been most wanting due to the fact that very few private individuals or firms offer professional protection services that cater specifically to executive and personal protection and that they do not come cheap. In this country, only the Presidential Security Group (PSG) and the PNP Security Protection Office (PSPO) are publicly known to provide personal/life protection services for VIPs, corporate executives and other individuals under threat. Both organizations, however, are in the government.

Some individuals from the military or the police are known to moonlight as bodyguards for certain individuals. But, sad to say, most of these guys don't have the proper training and etiquette to do this kind of work. Guarding a person, especially if he or she is a VIP or a corporate executive, is an art in itself. There are rules and there are dos and don'ts. One may find this out if he is schooled in a VIP Security Protection Course offered only with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), the Philippine National Police (PNP) or with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

I have not heard of any private individual or agency offering an executive protection training except one here, of all places, in Cebu City, the murder capital of Central Philippines. I am referring to the Felisarta Protection Sciences Center (FPSC). I have a copy with me of the first edition of the Executive Protection Manual (The Samurai Warrior Way!) by German C. Felisarta, President of FPSC. I found the book by Mr. Felisarta an excellent tool for every aspiring bodyguard and to people whom all would want to avail of executive protection service.

In this respect, I am also a (free-lance) VIP security protection specialist and would want to offer executive protection service to any individual under threat. I learned this craft when I was then connected with the PNP, especially during my training in the Police Intelligence Course in 1991, where I was taught the rudiments of VIP security protection, close protection drills and their different formations. Then, during my training in SWAT in 1992 my skills were further honed under the tutelage of an Israeli anti-terrorist (Sayaret Matkal) commando officer.

Later, I was tapped to be a part of a convoy of escorts during the visits here in Cebu of President Corazon C. Aquino and President Fidel V. Ramos from 1991 to 1993. In 1995, Mr. Nobou Sasaki, a Japanese executive of Yusen Air and Sea Services hired me as his personal bodyguard for six (6) months. In 2001, Mr. Nelson Flores, a legal researcher of the Regional Trial Court Branch 20 , 7^th Judicial Region and Mr. Vicente Gesto, a businessman, both hired me to protect them against threats for a total of seven (7) months.

During the year 2002, I was in Metro Manila, as part of a protection team of Mrs. Soledad Mendoza, wife of then PNP Chief, Police Director General Leandro Mendoza, for seven (7) months. My stint in Manila taught me the realities of extreme difficulties encountered during vehicle security convoys on cruise at EDSA and the impracticality of maintaining a continuous vehicle formation on that busy stretch of road. It also taught me to deal with extreme caution and alertness and, sometimes, with limitless humility and utmost patience, with other security teams of other VIPs.

Last November 2006, I was head of the events security tasked to secure Bo Sanchez and his entourage of Kerygma lay preachers during their comedy concert entitled “Botoks” held at the Grand Cebu Convention Center and during two days of the 2^nd TWO Orienteering Cup last July 2007, I was contracted to design and enforce security measures to secure all the participants within a 15-kilometer radius of the event venue in Mountain View Resort in Cebu City. The last event was very successful despite the huge area to monitor at and employing very few manpower.

I specialize more in offering executive protection services in an outdoor setting, especially during day hikes, multi-day treks, camp-outs, spelunking or adventure races. This different kind of protection service is tailor-made for tourists and hyper-active executives and demand nothing more than being physically fit all the time, familiarity with the terrain and mastering the different outdoor disciplines. I have acquired enough experience with this kind of work through the years during mountaineering sorties of different individuals who contracted me as their personal bodyguard and guide on the trail.

A word of advice: There is no such thing as a driver-bodyguard. A bodyguard is not effective when his attention is divided between keeping watch over his principal and driving. A brain could not accommodate two or more tasks together with great efficacy. Driving a vehicle should be confined only to the driver or to the principal himself but never to the bodyguard, whose main task is to keep his hands, and his eyes, free from being preoccupied with other things. Lives are at stake here and professionals would never want to destroy their honed reputations by being caught off-guard behind the wheel.

My advice: Hire only the best – the professionals!

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