MANILA – Next week, another arms and outdoors show will unfold but this time, martial techniques, both armed and bare hand, as well as lessons on survival during calamities will take the front seat aside from the usual firearms.
Traditional weapons, survival gear and goods needed for disaster preparation will be exhibited during the event.
On February 22 to 25, the Tactical, Survival and Arms Expo sponsored by Armscor Gobal Defense Inc. will be held at the SMX Convention Center AURA with the theme “Defense, Security and Survival Show for Sustainable Living.”
To be showcased are lessons on survival by Capt. Joebert Tolentino, chief training and response officer of Disaster and Emergency Responders International as well as demonstrations and instructions on the Filipino martial art Kalis Ilustrisimo by Erika Fernandez and her team.
It is the second time for Armscor, the country’s largest firearms and ammunition manufacturer, to host the expo.
“It is high time that a unique show such as this be held in rthe country. TACS Expo will be an avenue to reach out to everyone and create awareness on how to prepare for emergency and life threatening situations,” said Severo “Concoy” Tuazon, Armscor’s board chairman.
Armscor president Martin Tuazon said the event next week will only be the first of three such expos this year. Two are scheduled later this year in the Visayas and Mindanao.
During a short presentation for the media on Thursday, Tolentino said many lives could have been saved if only people knew what to do in times of calamities. He cited the fire at a local hotel-casino that claimed the lives of almost 40 people, many of whom died of smoke inhalation.
If the victims knew how to use their clothes to miminize the effects of the smoke, they would have survived, Tolentino said.
Fernandez, meanwhile, stressed the need for women to know how to defend themselves. She demonstrated techniques on how to disarm and disable attackers during the media presentation.