Monday, October 30, 2006 Rama: A reading material for gun owners By Karlon N. Rama Stage five
I RECEIVED an early Christmas gift from Atty. Cora Agustin, mother of Asean League Open Division Junior champion Kenneth Ray Agustin, a few days ago.
It was the latest edition of the Philippine Shooters magazine, a publication of the Midway Media Communications Corp., based in Manila.
Ken, who I was able to interview briefly during the Asean League competition, was on the cover page.
Philippine Shooters is probably the only commercial periodical published exclusively for gun owners. It’s relatively new and comes out only once in three months; but hits the streets in full color.
It runs news-features on shooting events and personality sketches on shooters who’ve done well in big matches as well as carry highly informative articles on firearm safety, responsible gun handling, and defensive gun use.
The Philippine Practical Shooting Association (PPSA) publishes a newsletter that also contains highly informative news and features. But it comes once a year and circulated to members alone.
The magazine, which can be bought in most gun stores, fills a void. For players in the shooting industry, it is a place where they can advertise products and services and be assured of making contact with that segment of the market they want to reach.
Among shooting athletes, it’s an avenue where their accomplishments in both the local and the international competitive scene may finally get some recognition. And for the ordinary gun owner, it is a valuable source of learning.
One of the articles in the copy I got was on home security. It taught ways to prevent burglaries by identifying and correcting structural defects on one’s own home.
According to the article, homes constructed through the “pakyaw” system are more prone to have such defects that include main doors getting fitted with the wrong lockset and window grills getting spaced too far in between.
Locksets, according to the article, are made in varying designs for varying purposes.
The lockset to be used on a bathroom door is different than the one recommended for a main door. And if one uses the latter on a main door, a burglar can breech it with the use of a small, thin sheet of hard plastic.
On the grills, the article pointed out how burglars sometimes use children to slither through the bars and get them to open the main door from the inside.
Eskrima. I got an email from Chuck Anthony Cañete, grandson of the very highly esteemed Eskrima Grandmaster Ciriaco “Cacoy” Cañete, informing me that the Cacoy Doce Pares World Eskrima Federation will host the 3rd Annual World Eskrima Tournament on the 24th to the 26th of November, at the Cebu Coliseum.
Eskrimadors belonging to affiliate Cacoy Doce Pares clubs from the United States, England, Poland, Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines, will take part in the organization’s most prestigious competition that will culminate in a special seminar to be facilitated by the Grandmaster himself.
Other Eskrima Clubs in Cebu have also expressed their intent to join the competition that has a total of 150 awards up for grabs and is made possible with support from the Cebu City Government, the International Martial Arts and Boxing Academy, which is based in California, the International Combative Martial Arts Academy based in Australia, and the United States Martial Arts Association.
This year’s event will feature the 1st Master Edgar Cañete Challenge, an open-weight category sparring event.
Tatami sessions. Unbeknownst to many, some highly accomplished Aikido senseis are here in Cebu City to impart their knowledge on the arts to the newer breed of disciples.
Maria Lourdes Macapawa Sensei (5th Dan Aikikai), president of the Filipino Federation of Aikido (FFA), and Jun Nomoto Shihan (7th Dan Aikikai), from the Satome Hakkenkai Dojo in Tokyo Japan, are here for a three-day seminar at the Sacred Heart Aikido Dojo on Jakosalem St., which began last Saturday.
Macapawa Sensei is the most senior and highest ranking practitioner in the country today.
The Sacred Heart Aikido Center is an affiliate of the FFA and recognized by the International Aikikai Federation Hombu Dojo, Tokyo, Japan.
