Armscor ready to support Phl gov’t

We must congratulate Armscor – the Philippines’s biggest firearms and ammunitions manufacturer – for organizing the very successful 1st Tactical & Survival Expo with Secretary of Defense Delfin Lorenzana as guest of honor at the opening of the four-day event.

Held at the SM Megatrade Hall in Mandaluyong, the milestone event highlighted the need for everyone to become self-reliant and realize the importance of preparedness in light of global problems and threats brought about by natural and man-made disasters such as what is happening in Marawi City.

Aside from interactive seminars and workshops on various topics that include self-defense, how to prepare for emergency situations such as calamities and home invasions, the event also featured the work of local inventors who certainly need recognition and support for coming out with products that could be of help to Filipinos.

As noted by Armscor chairman emeritus Demetrio “Bolo” Tuason, the event was not only about guns and ammunitions, but also about survival and protection especially since the Philippines is located in an area where natural calamities such as typhoons and earthquakes frequently occur.

Now known as Armscor Global Defense, the name change reflects the company’s vision to expand its business and not simply provide guns and ammunitions for security agencies and shooting enthusiasts, but also defense requirements that include rockets and grenades. 

According to Armscor president and CEO Martin Tuason, they are ready anytime President Duterte would call upon the company for support especially in light of what is happening in Marawi with government troops still engaged with the Maute group terrorists.

“I am officially diverting all our production on a moment’s notice to all our customers in the United States and the rest of the world to support the cause of the Philippines for 556 pistol production; anything we can do to help will be done at whatever loss to Armscor and its profits, and we will do it to support the Filipino people,” Martin said, adding that he is ready to face the wrath of his father and uncle in the boardroom, and the wrath of customers worldwide as he “could not deliver in the next 51 days. Hopefully, as Secretary Lorenzana hopes himself, this will be all over by then and things will be back to normal.”

The defense chief practically endorsed the expo, saying the exhibit would teach people how to protect themselves from everyday challenges. While nature cannot be controlled, people can take measures to mitigate the effects of disasters, Lorenzana said, stressing that “a culture of preparedness should not be confined to a few, but to everyone.”

Martin said they are looking for partners worldwide to give them the technology to support their vision to expand and at the same time, he appealed for support from the government due to current procurement laws that put Filipino corporations like Armscor at a “12 percent disadvantage” compared to foreign competitors.

“We will do everything in our power to be a global force of good to defend people from crime and lawlessness, and (enhance) survival as well,” Martin said, adding that they have been supporting the fight against lawlessness in the past 52 years. “This is our fight; we will do our part to eradicate lawlessness and the scourge of terrorism,” he vowed.

ISIS threat now a reality

The recently concluded three-day Shangri-La dialogue in Singapore – the most high profile security conference with the region’s defense top brass in attendance – focused on the growing threat of Islamic extremism in Asia. According to Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammudin Hussein, Daesh or al-Dawla al-Islamiya fi al-Iraq wa al-Sham – a pejorative Arabic name for ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) – is a bigger threat than North Korea and even the South China Sea territorial disputes.

Defense leaders are particularly concerned that ISIS militants are using Mindanao as their jumping point in establishing a caliphate in Asia, with “porous borders and dense jungles providing easy access and safe havens for terrorism training camps,” pointed out Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen.

While Philippine defense officials place the number of ISIS-linked foreign fighters to about 400, Indonesia’s Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu estimates that as many as 1,200 are operating in Mindanao. Whatever the number, there is no arguing that the threat of ISIS is now a reality – which is why security must be tightened in malls, hotels, night spots and other public places which all pose a potential target for extremists, suicide bombers and lone-wolf terrorists.

Even bridges are no longer safe as seen in the recent terrorist attack at London Bridge, where a van deliberately mowed down pedestrians, followed by a stabbing spree at Borough Market where clubs and restaurants were filled with customers watching the Champions League final. 

Certainly, there will be a lot of inconveniences that go with tighter security, but people have to take the terrorist threat very seriously. The fact is, the security in malls and other establishments is a big joke because guards are very lax and only conduct cursory checks on bags. And while the incident at Resorts World Manila has been ruled out as an ISIS-related terror attack, casinos, hotels and the like must find a way to enhance security measures such as deploying honest-to-goodness sniffing dogs, requiring guests to be dropped off before approaching the main entrance, or perhaps even finding a way to detect if guns or other weapons are hidden in vehicles before they are allowed to enter the parking area. The bottom line is – the threat of ISIS is now a reality.

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