MANILA, PHILIPPINES — ARMSCOR Global Defense Inc. (AGDI) opens the year strongly by bagging a prestigious Silver Anvil at the recent 59th Anvil Awards of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines.
Considered the “Oscars of PR,” the Anvil Awards honored the country’s largest manufacturer of firearms and ammunition for its “Armscor Global Defense Inc: Head-to-Head with the Best in the World” entry under the PR Program – Policy-Shaping Communication category. It highlighted the company’s advocacy for a Self-Reliant Defense Posture (SRDP) program that would develop a local defense industry, attract more investments, create jobs, and lessen the country’s dependence on foreign suppliers for its defense requirements.
AGDI accomplished this feat by bringing a delegation composed of significant influencers from the Philippine media, the sporting industry, and government to take part in the 2023 Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show or SHOT Show held in Las Vegas, Nevada that demonstrated the Filipino-owned company’s global prominence and expertise in manufacturing world class quality firearms, ammunition and defense products. Widely recognized as the largest defense industry expo in the world, SHOT Show 2023 had over 2,500 exhibitors covering 816,000 net square feet with AGDI as a major participant.
Along with its communications partner WSP Incorporated, AGDI showcased its cutting-edge technology and innovative capability by bringing the delegates to a familiarization tour of the company’s facilities in the US, namely Armscor Cartridge Inc. (ACI) in Stevensville, Montana; and AGDI’s affiliate brand, Rock Island Armory in Cedar City, Utah.
In 1974, the government initiated an SRDP program that allowed the private sector to supply the needs of the country’s armed services from uniforms to vehicles, rifles and pistols, and firearms, as well as mortars, grenades, and millions of rounds of small arms ammunition. When the program was discontinued in the late 1980s, only AGDI — which was part of the original SRDP program — remained. Since then, it has been making a name for itself as a leading Filipino manufacturer and provider of world-class quality firearms, ammunition, defense systems and services, exporting to over 60 countries across six continents.
AGDI’s participation in the SHOT Show generated significant media coverage that consequently amplified the conversation for the company’s advocacy to revive the government’s SRDP program and the crucial role it plays in the country’s defense and security agenda.
To date, Senate Bill 2455, also known as the “Self-Reliant Defense Posture Revitalization Act” that seeks to establish a self-reliant defense posture for the Philippines, has been passed on third reading by the Senate; while House Bill 9713 that aims to develop the country’s defense industry through partnerships between the military and local civilian manufacturers, has been approved on third and final reading by the House of Representatives.
