Tribe WAR IX A Success by James U. Sy Jr.

The Tribe W.A.R. IX was successfully held by the Tribu Hangaway Philippines of Master Roy R. Flores Sr. in cooperation with Aksyon Radyo Bacolod Philippines and Gaisano City Bacolod Supermall last April 28, 2012 at the Atrium Area, Gaisano City Bacolod Supermall, Araneta St., Bacolod City. DEMONSTRATIONS. The Society for the Advancement of Karate-do Sports International Karate Daigaku (SAK-IKD) under Philippine Karate federation (PKF) Bacolod Director Edilberto A. Arcositas Sensei gave a series of kata demonstrations that included Heian Shodan, Nidan, Sandan, Yondan, and Godan, Sochin, Bassai Dai, etc. as well as ippon kumite “one step sparring” and bunkai “application.” Leading the demo team was Rochelle Dullan, member of the Philippine National Training Pool. The Tribu Hangaway Philippines Aikido Kids demo team was led by Jared Turbanos, 2nd Degree Black Belt, in performing Combat Aikido breakfalling techniques, club, knife, kicking, women’s, and multiple attackers defense, jointlocks and throws. The parents gave all out support to all the kids who performed. Grandmaster Rodrigo Berdin and Master Luciano “Nick” Montoya of Murcia gave a demonstration of Oido de Cinco Henerales which included the defenses and counterattacks for the 5 strikes, the use of the Ekis Y reverse stick grip against various attacks, and an assortment of disarming techniques. Henny Gerochi, an honor student from St. Scholastica’s Academy, and Founder/Master James U. Sy Jr. represented Conceptual Martial Arts Society (CMAS), Inc. with a demonstration of the otso-otso against all and any attacks and a grabbing defense technique. MUAY THAI DIVISION. Overall champion was Iloilo Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts of Rene Catalan with a 3-1 win streak, followed by host Tribu Hangaway Philippines (THP) of Master Roy R. Flores Sr. (2-4) and Deftac Bacolod Fight Club (DBFC) of Edwin J. Tusil (2-2). Michael Rama of THP over Emmanuel Santoyo of Iloilo via points. Charlyn Seulo of Iloilo over Althea Tornea of THP via points. Jomar Galasa of Iloilo over Rexsan Slade Saron of THP via RSC-OC. Gileo Chan of DBFC over Franklin Olimpos of THP via points. Brian Mendanillo of DBFC over Logien Eduardo of THP via unanimous decision. Johnwel Catalan of THP, 180 lbs., over Marvin Marquez of DBFC, 205 lbs. Michael Catalan of Iloilo over Neptali Taric of DBFC via TKO at 0.16 of the 3rd round. GRAPPLING DIVISION. Overall champion was Submission Sports Philippines-Bacolod Team (SSP-BT) of Adrian Gellana with a 3-0 win streak, followed by the Deftac Bacolod Fight Club (DBFC) of Edwin J. Tusil (2-1) and host Tribu Hangaway Philippines (THP) (0-2). Renz Cristan of DBFC over Jed Mariano of THP via points. Charles Lizares of SSP-BT over Jerry de la Cruz of THP via default. Ming Gorgin of SSP-BT over Jules Ciles of DBFC via submission at 3.11 with a key lock. Mark Peronce of SSP-BT over Francis Lamata of DBFC via submission at 1.44 with a triangle choke. Officials were Founder/Master Roy R. Flores Sr. of Tribu Hangaway Philippines (Tournament Director/Referee - Muay Thai), Aksyon Eric Magbanua of Aksyon Radyo Bacolod Philippines (Media Partner), Founder/Master James U. Sy Jr. of Conceptual Martial Arts Society (CMAS), Inc. (Master of Ceremonies/Record Keeper/Documentation), Muay Association of the Philippines (MAP) Iloilo Director Ronnie Catalan (Head Jury), Muay Thai champion Robin Catalan of Iloilo Alliance of Mixed Martial Arts (Referee - Muay Thai), Muhamad El Helou of Bacolod City Judo Club (Referee - Grappling), Michelle Abancio, Annabelle Santos, and Lucia Tornea of THP (Judges), Lyle Perje of THP (Timekeeper), Chester Laquian (Coach), Dr. Ernel Tomimbang, Dr. Eduardo Galon, Liza Caberoy, Eliza sabordo, Ravesa Deocampo, Nicole Vasquez, Celedonio Balaran, and Janis Javelosa of the Provincial health Office, Health Emergency and Disaster Management Team (Medical Team), Mel Rose Aguilar and Sandra bartolome of THP (Round Girls), and Grandmaster Elmer V. Montoyo, Masters Elmer P. Montoyo and Earnest Christian P. Montoyo, and Kyosanim Hieroteo “Didoy” Villarosa of Philippine Integrated Martial Arts Academy-Filipino Tang Soo Do Association (PIMAA-FTSDA), Inc. and Prof. Joenel Campomanes of USLS Karate-do (Guests). Sponsors were Aksyon Radyo Bacolod Philippines, Gaisano City Bacolod Supermall, and 1 on 1 Boxing Gym.

BACIWA Impostors & other Scams Part IV by Han Shrng

It’s unfortunate that snatching and pickpocketing have become rampant and common in the City of Smile. While we the public expect to be protected by the police, we could not leave everything to them because they may not be within proximity when a crime happens. The public must be by themselves vigilant. Take note that the normal way by which a person would text uses a very loose grip, otherwise pressing would be difficult. This is the basis for a fast snatch. One way to minimize, if not eliminate, this weakness is to hold your phone with both hands. Elders would often tell us better not to text all together in public, especially in crowded places. Personally when I text I’d rather lean against a wall so I only have to look over at a 180 degrees angle as opposed to an open space where you have to secure the 360 degrees around you. The speed by which snatchers move, however, must not be underestimated. They move fast. They have to. The key here then is whenever we’re in public we don’t give any person an opportunity to get the better of us. I’ve seen some teens hanging their cellphones on their necks with a strap. I find it so inviting for snatchers and gives them easier access to your belonging. Ideally, cellphones must be hidden from view. Women riding a jeep must put their shoulder bags in front and on their laps, rather than on their side where it is more accessible to pickpockets. When you get on a jeepney, always look at the faces of all the other passengers. This may come in handy later when police will ask you to identify a suspect(s). Pickpockets normally operate with a partner or partners, and more often than not, they are armed with knives. It pays to see where the hands of the persons to your sides are. I would personally feel uneasy if I don’t see at least one of his hands. A usual method of pickpockets is to cover one arm (logically the arm farther from you) with an empty or nearly empty backpack, newspaper, folder, or any similar cover. From below he will manipulate his arm, either opening your bag or slashing it with a blade. I have personally experienced this when a middle aged man tried to insert his hand on my left front pocket. I punched him twice and he threatened to knife me. That’s an entirely different story but suffice to say luckily I wasn’t hurt. I have personally encountered pickpockets/snatchers at least three times, two of them with physical interaction. It has come to my attention that when you catch these criminals red handed, they will tend to pawala, as if nothing happened, and would look out the window. Once they have a chance, they will get off the vehicle. If the jeepeney has a lot of space but someone keeps on pushing himself to you, just get ready. Some drivers know these pickpockets and some have been kind enough to ask them to get off or issue warnings to the passengers and still some just keep quite for fear that they will be stabbed. There are also times when you will witness a pickpocket incident unfolding before you. There is no one-fits-all advice what to do. It will all depend on the situation. As I have said these men will surely be armed with knives and you have to calculate whatever move you do. You wouldn’t want to end up on the hospital, or worse in the morgue. Some have successfully helped others from being picked but some have been unlucky when the pickpockets turned on them. A friend of mine, who successfully help foil an attempted pickpocket, made signals to the would be woman victim and later went down the jeep with her, just before the crime was consummated, making it appear that he was with her. While on foot, I would suggest that you walk against traffic. Why? News have told us that there are motorcycle riding men who would snatch belongings and speed away. If you go against the traffic, you can see all vehicles coming at you, including motorcycles. When you see a suspicious looking motorcycle approaching, you can immediately change your path. Let’s face it, a motorcycle will be faster so we need to see it even before it is in front of us so we can react accordingly. And put your should bag on the side away from the road, so it is farther from a snatcher on a motorcycle (just be careful against snatchers on foot, though). Normally, these motorcycle-riding snatchers operate in twos and more often than not they would be wearing helmets to appear normal and hide their identities. We can go on and on but considering space limitations I have just given you an overview on this menace to society. I will leave the rest to your imagination.

BACIWA Impostors & other Scams Part III by Han Shrng

Criminals have kept themselves up to date with current trends and technologies in our changing world. Unfortunately, most members of the general public have not. This is a primary reason why the new scams/ruses of criminals work. Of course, our reality is no loner limited to the real world but also to the virtual reality. People are getting more and more into social networking media in the internet. Since the internet is a relatively young import to the Philippines (since at least the mid 1990’s, if my memory serves me right), many Filipino users are still not fully aware of the different, and imaginative, ways that criminals, hackers included, could use to trick gullible victims. Many account holders at Facebook, especially teens, indiscriminately post personal details and photos in their FB pages, not realizing that such can be used for unscrupulous activities by cyber criminals. Without going into specifics, just let me tell you that criminals can use your personal details when planning something bad against you. One of these could be identity theft. So be very discreet and choosy in posting things about you in FB and in cyberspace in general. This brings us to the next point, not everyone that you chat with or “know” in the internet is who you think they are. Statistics in the US have shown that predators, pedophiles among them, have been lurking in the internet, posing as teenagers, with the intent of luring their victims to meet them, and from there do their evil plans. If you make a research on the net, you’ll see that law enforcement units in the US have apprehended a number of these criminals. As a rule of thumb, never assume that every detail given out by people in the internet is true. You may be honest but you can not say the same for chatmates you’ve only met in the internet. And don’t be fooled by their handles; it doesn’t mean that since it’s female sounding, then it is. And yes, if you’re using a public internet facility, always make sure you log out from your Yahoo!, Google, Facebook, Twitter, and other accounts. A friend of mine failed to log out from her Facebook account and the next time she tried to open it, she can no longer do so. Apparently, somebody, who used the same unit after her, had changed the password for her FB account and made changes in her account, her name included (the culprit combined her name and her daughter’s name). The photos were still there. Although it wasn’t apparent what the infiltrator has in mind, it was obvious that it was a form of identity theft. If this ever happens to you, make sure that you report such abuse to FB so they will close down your compromised FB account. Your emails are also not safe from hackers. Of course, everybody is familiar with the Nigerian scam and its variations, where somebody with supposedly a high stature from an African or some other country contact you and ask for your help and in exchange a large sum (in millions, of course) will be given to you. If you receive such emails disregard them outright. They’re nothing but scams. They are simply based on man’s greed for money. Simple logic here is, how did he know my email? Who am I to be capable to help him, when I’m from another country? These basic questions alone will tell you there’s something really fishy about the message. Several months back, I received an from email from Ms. Ann Garrucho of Negros Daily Bulletin stating that she was in Spain and that she was in trouble and needed money to get out of that mess. Now, the email address was correct but what didn’t right was the contents of the email. If Ms. Ann did go to Spain I would have known it first hand, or at least through NDB. Upon closer scrutiny it’s simply a variation of the Dugo-Dugo modus operandi I have discussed in Part II of this series but using the email delivery system as a medium. Of course, I didn’t reply to the message. It was obvious it was a scam. What I did was inform the owner of the email ad. If this happens to you, make sure to inform the hacked party so he/she can spread the word to his/her circle of friends and save them from being victimized. Since then I’ve received some other similar emails from “friends.” Other hackers on the other hand will send weblinks to your email using email addresses that are registered in your contacts. These pages contain viruses, and possible malware/spyware. I usually don’t entertain such emails. For those who are using their credit cards to transact in the internet, it is best to do it in a secure line, that is, your own connection and in your own home. When you go to SM City Bacolod you’ll see a lot of individuals accessing their laptops at the foodcourt because the place is wifi ready. However, be warned that in such condition hackers can easily intercept you when you key in the details of your card. Once your card details have been accessed just expect a humungous bill in your next billing date. Still on credit cards, if someone calls your home and introduces himself as “from the bank” or “from the credit card” company, make sure to ascertain his identity. Either you ask for his number and call him back or call your bank to verify. It must be pointed out that you should NEVER give out your card number and other card details over the phone to somebody whose identity you have not ascertained. Vigilance is a must. As I’ve pointed out before in Part I of this series, also orient your househelps. Instruct them not to indiscriminately give out sensitive details over the phone. Questions such as “How many are you in the house,” “What time does your boss usually go home,” “Where does your boss usually pass by,” etc. should raise a few red flags. The public should realize that criminals nowadays do data gathering before going into their operation. This will ensure them a higher success rate. In the Ceneco heist, the culprits had an intensive data gathering before the actual robbery, about a month at least. So far, we have discussed impostors visiting your home in Part I, text scams in Part II, and internet, credit card, and telephone based crimes. For Part IV, we will discuss snatching and pickpockets.

Baciwa Impostors & Other Scams Part II by Han Shrng...

After the publication of the first part of this article, a friend of mine told me that an unidentified man also tried to make a similar BACIWA representation trick on his household. Nothing came out of it though because when my friend asked for an authorization from the water district the man could not produce any. Last March, a delivery employee of Jollibee was victimized by a new swindling ruse. The perpetrators called Jollibee (I wasn’t able to verify which branch) and ordered three buckets of Chicken Joy. The ordering entity was supposedly a female doctor. Instructions were given to deliver said order to the clinic of the doctor and to bring a P800.00 change. When the delivery boy arrived, he was met by two(?) men who adviced him to leave the two buckets to them and deliver the third bucket to a higher floor where the doctor was waiting in her clinic. The men also told the delivery boy that the doctor will be paying the P1,200.00 bill and he has to leave to them the P800.00 change because the doctor supposedly has two P1,000.00 bills. The delivery boy obliged and went on his way to the doctor’s clinic where he learned from the secretary that the good doctor had not made such order. The poor guy, bewildered with what just happened to him, had to sit on the stairs for awhile and contemplate his coming fate. It’s a sad thing to see this poor guy trying to eke out a living for himself and his family and lose what is due him because of the laziness of some otherwise capable people who would rather con people than magbanat ng kanilang buto. It’s such an unforgiveable thing to do to one’s fellowman. So what does this case teach us? If you’re with a retail or service establishment that offers delivery services, always VERIFY orders by phone. A number of establishments where I myself order food would ask for my full name and my contact number then they will return my call and verify the order. Of course, it goes without saying that it is safer to proceed with the transaction at the entrance of a house (with someone coming out from the house) or inside an office (where everyone knows everybody) than in a lobby, hallway, stairs, or any other area that is easily accessible to outsiders. When we look back in time, the elderly among us will surely remember the Dugo-Dugo Gang, the modus operandi of which was to call residences and trick the maid into providing the caller with cash at a predetermined site, which will supposedly be used for the hospitalization of the maid’s male boss who had a vehicular accident. Many had fallen for this ruse in the past until the method just faded into oblivion as more people became aware of it. Now it seems that this modus operandi is being reincarnated, but this time the lies are being spread via cellphnes. I have personally received such a message from 094-444-7422 and the message, in toto, is as follows, “ma nketxt lng q s akong kaoban lowbat akung cp. Naa q hospital kron ky n dsgracia me s among ge sakyan. Loade s ning numbera ma. Pls. 100 em4tante paabot q s load.” The message so amused me that I did not erase it. I’ll be using it to educate people. Let us break down the message and make educated inferences. Since the language being used in Cebuano, it may indicate that the perpetrator may be a Cebuano-speaker who is from North Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, or Region 7. It’s ironic since I’m Ilonggo and my mom doesn’t speak Cebuano. My number being picked as a victim is most likely chosen at random. Now, if a family member borrows a friend’s cellphone and texts home, common sense will tell us that he/she will put his/her name at the end of the message, considering that the number being used will not appear in his/her kin’s phonebook. What’s more, if an accident really did happen, and if he/she did in fact had serious injuries, will he/she have the capacity, time, and/or chance to personally text his/her family? If he/she is being operated on I doubt if doctors will allow him/her to text. So if the person is not that injured to text why can’t he call home via landline or ask somebody to inform his family? Some more intelligent con artists may choose to disguise themselves as a friend of that person but it may not convince the victim enough to make a wrong move. It’s noticeable also that the amount of the load being asked for has been fixed to P100.00. Why haven’t he said to call that number? Instead he was asking for load. If the accident was true and the text was genuine, it would be more likely that the name of the hospital and the room number will be indicated in the text. Of course, a more intelligent crook can just easily include that in the text but then you can use it to verify at the named hospital before making any foolish moves. Taking all of these into consideration, it becomes very apparent that said message is a fake. Naturally, I didn’t waste my load answering it. It’s very important that we apply common sense. An earlier text scam consists of a message where a supposedly family member tells the recipient of the text that “This is my new roaming number” and the message is followed by some a few other sentences, in some of which say, “I’ve sent you a balikbayan box.” Here the texter is trying to paint a picture that he/she is a kin working abroad. I personally received several of these messages but again I didn’t believe them. First of all, they did not bear the name of the sender. A genuine sender, especially one texting from abroad (and paying P15.00 or P20.00/text), would not be that careless or foolish not to include his name in his message. One time I received 3 or 4 similar messages of this nature, but all coning from different cellphone numbers. Ironically, these bogus messages were sent to my phone one after the other with no or so little time interval. It’s just plain crazy to believe in the scam. The allusion to a “balikbayan box” is obviously a bait for the victim to respond to the message. I have not replied to these messages so I do not know how this scam is concluded, and there’s no need for me to experience it to know it’s a fake. Yet another text scam, which comes in different formats, is the “you win” text. Entities given in these texts that had supposedly sponsored these “raffles” include Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, PAGCOR (Casino Filipino), and PCSO) among others. But a simple check with these entities would show that they are not connected in any way to these claims of “raffle wins” from unscrupulous text messages. Several public warning have already been issued by concerned entities.

Baciwa Impostors & Other Scams Part I by Han Shrng

Over the years man had made great strides in developing various methods of minimizing and controlling crime, from CCTV cameras to alarm systems, non-lethal weapons, proper tactical training for law enforcement agents, forensics, profiling, high security prisons, etc. While these developments may seem to be a relief for us law-abiding citizens, it is no excuse for us to become complacent and let our guard down as today's world is still a dangerous one. The jungle may have changed but it is still a jungle, only cemented. Predators still stalk for prey. Criminals continuously upgrade their methods and techniques to fool the public. Sun Tzu's art of War, the oldest military treatise in the world, have told us, "Know yourself and your opponent and you will win a hundred battles." This is good advice since the more we know about the modus operandi of criminal elements the less chances we will be off guard and fall for it. In this article, I'll be sharing with you a few of the newer scams that has caught members of the public by surprise. Last April 17, 2012, an unidentified man introduced himself to a househelp as an employee of the Bacolod City Water District (BACIWA). The household had a problem with their water meter. Interestingly this guy showed a BACIWA ID and knew details of this problem which would otherwise be unknown to an outsider. He went on to say that the household lacks P3,000.00 for its water bill. The househelp ended up giving the man P2,500.00 in cash thinking that he was indeed a BACIWA personnel. The man said he will buy a certain part for the water meter. A carpenter of the household was told to accompany the guy. When they were outside Citi Hardware, the unidentified man talked in his cellphone. Ten he instructed the carpenter to go inside Citi hardware and canvass the parts ha he had specified. when the carpenter went out the man was already gone. So what does his tell us? For one an ID can be forged. Whereas before a simple ID was enough to ascertain a person's real identity, criminals have learned to go around this precautionary measure by making their own fake IDs. Please note that BACIWA doesn't have field collectors so NEVER pay to anyone who visits you and claims to be a BACIWA employee. For verifications you may contact BACIWA at telephone nos. 433-4601 or 433-4602. ay your bills at the BACIWA office or to any accredited collecting agents listed at the back of your water bill, among them banks. In that particular case, the unidentified man was riding a motorcycle and was wearing a helmet all throughout his conversation with the househelp. Even when the carpenter was with him he was still wearing his helmet. This tells us that he wants his identity to remain a secret. He might be someone who is known to the household OR he might be someone who can be easily IDied in police records. This was the first red flag. A second red lag was that his motorcycle did not have a plate number. This is another way criminals cover their tracks. They know that their plate numbers can be traced back to them. It was not been verified by this writer but it is obvious that the man have not issued a receipt. Owners of homes should take good note of this incident. I am aware of a few other similar incidents in the past with the same modus operandi. I just don't have he statistics but I am sure that there are other unreported cases. A word of advice to homeowners. Orient your househelps. Most househelps came from rural areas and are not familiar with the ruses that are normally used in the more urbanized areas. Because of their innocence they can easily be made to believe scams. In the cited incident, the househelp had the sense to verify to her boss before paying the man with her own money for the meantime. I'm presuming that she asked for identification. Hence, the man showed one, albeit a fake one. In these situations, knowledge is power. Always orient your househels and even members of your family. Part II will deal with some other forms of scams.

Arnis - Adino Rank Promotions Held

The Directorate of the Zion Original Disciples in Arnis and Combat Sports Self Defense Society of the Philippines (ZODIACSSS), Inc. announced six higher degree promotions in Arnis - Adino Self Defense during the organization’s 45th Annual Rank Promotions for the Province of Negros Occidental recently.

Those promoted to the next rank were Romeo G. Banas, from 7th Degree Red Belt to 8th Degree Red Belt; Dave Michael D. Sevillo, from 6th Degree Red White Belt to 7th Degree Red Belt; Melchor Garcia, Salvador S. Segura, and James U. Sy Jr., all from 4th Degree Black Belt to 5th Degree Black Belt; and Rustico Pabalinas, from 3rd Degree Black Belt to 4th Degree Black Belt.

Five other instructors were recommended for promotion but for the meantime were held in abeyance until seminar on Arnis - Adino is undertaken. The instructors were Ian G. Negrido, 5th Degree Black Belt, and Iran Ardiente, Jovy Belarmino, Roberto Lovidaria, and Cosme dela Goza III, all 4th Degree Black Belt.

All awarded promotions included a sealed certificate of promotion and a license to operate. The seal appearing in the certificate of promotion defines it as a legitimate document; without it, such would be unauthorized and illegal and will not be honored by ZODIACSSS.

The Directorate also announced that two demotions were given, to Rico rebate of Cadiz City and Ever Gonzaga of Victorias City, from 4th Degree Black Belt to 3rd Degree Black Belt, for reason of being inactive in seminars and instructor courses. Hence, ZODIACSSS is declaring all their ranks in martial arts, since 2004, as non-existent and the promotions they issued to their respective members are not recognized by the Directorate of ZODIACSSS.

Brgy. Capt. Rodel Evidente of Brgy. Burgos was the only one promoted to 1st Degree Black Belt, during the Barangay Tanod Arnis and Adino Self Defense Training last March 30, 2011 at the Don Bernardo Benedicto Plaza, Cadiz City. The Skills Enhancement Training was conducted by ZODIACSSS of Founder/Grandmaster Pastor Julius B. Delasan, 9th Degree Red Belt, in cooperation with the Cadiz City Office of the Mayor under Hon. Patrick G. Escalante, M.D., and Public Assistance and Reaction Against Crime (PARAC). On the other hand, the special promotion to Black Belt given to Raul Barcenilla of DVFGMNHS (Cadiz City) has been declared void and appointment and license cancelled for the reason of non-compliance to requirements and training for instructorship.

Special promotions were also given to Alvin Alegarbes, Noel Oliveros, and Marivic Solatorio to 1st Degree Black Belts after the seminar on Arnis and Adino Self Defense conducted by Master Romeo G. Banas and Rev. GM Julius Delasan last Jul 17-18, 2011 at the Red Musang, ZODIACSSS Region VI Headquarters, Victorias City, Negros Occidental.

Master Romeo G. Banas, National executive Director, and Dave Michael D. Sevillo, National Training Supervisor, were tasked to spearhead the training of barangay tanods in Negros Occidental. Interested local government officials may contact Banas at 0930-203-3087 or Sevillo at 0949-485-3457.