Team Force of Luzon being released at the insertion point. (Foto: Mark Julius)
ILIGAN CITY–Before anything else, the airsoft tournament of the Radical Airsoft Mercenaries (RAM) last Sept. 7 & 8, 2013 held here was different as it could boast of being truly national in scope.
Luzon was represented by the FORCE of LUZON (an alliance of airsoft teams from NCR); Visayas by Team SCAR; while Mindanao offered up some of its finest teams, like the following:
KAST of Kabacan, North Cotabato; ATU, ZEAL, and EXCOM of Zamboanga City; CCAT of Cotabato City; ARMADA, WULF, WARHEADS, and SAAT of Cagayan de Oro; ORTAC Squad of Oroquieta City; ISAP and COYS of Iligan City; KILABOT of Municipality of Sultan Naga Dimaporo (SND); and PAGI of Pagadian.
This picture captures the intensity of the airsoft battles during Bakbakan sa Iligan. (Foto: Redeemer Batoy)
These are some of the biggest names in airsofting circles, and the spectator at the Ludo Field (beside the Bayug River) in Barangay Santiago here where Bakbakan sa Iligan was held knew he was in for a treat as the tournament was indeed a battle of champion teams.
(Even notable teams in Mindanao that failed to register were able to send representatives to play in some of the participating teams.)
The host team, RAM, should be credited for its efforts at bringing together such a big number of heavyweight airsoft teams from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao to Iligan City.
Games Site & Scenario
Player from Team Wulf retrieving one of the boxes. (Foto: Redeemer “Cocoy” Batoy)
The game site was big enough to comfortably accommodate two 15-man teams battling it out to collect flags which could be used to score points and end the game.
The site sported a two story complex in the middle with a tunnel underneath.
Separate battles could also be fought on both sides of the main site. Players had to work to retrieve a key from the tunnel to be used to open a cordoned off area on the side of the kill house where a different set of two keys was placed.
Player firing while running towards his assigned spot. (Foto: Redeemer Batoy)
The two-key set corresponded to two boxes containing a flag each. One box was placed near the entrance to the main game site while the other was placed outside on the right flank.
Players were required to have the two-key set always in hand while retrieving the boxes, and to only open the boxes at a certain area. Once the flags were taken out, players would then take these to the top of the kill house and raise them.
The game ender was a third flag that was also placed outside on the right side. Installing this flag at the top of the kill house ends the game.
Marshaling
Airsoft marshals are only human, and they are allowed a certain quota of wrong calls and non-calls.
However, on the second day of the tournament, where there were noticeably fewer marshals, complaints particularly on non-calls grew.
Sadly, Team SCAR of Cebu City walked out of the tournament in protest.
The walkout was followed by an incident between teams ZEAL and CCAT where a failure to exercise restraint in shooting escalated into a player getting smashed on the side of the head with an airsoft rifle.
The unfriendly incident between teams Zeal of Zamboanga City and CCAT of Cotabato City in the afternoon of the 2nd day of the tournament. One player swung his airsoft rifle at the head of another player. (Foto: MSU-IIT Coop)
Thankfully there were policemen around to stop the fight from becoming a full-blown melee.
It must be noted here that there were actually around eight uniformed policemen deployed at the tournament, and there were also a sprinkling of soldiers. An Army truck could also be seen in the area.
To the unfamiliar, airsoft is a game of aggression that simulates war, and is painful.
That’s why fights tend to break out when those playing do not follow the rules or fail to extend courtesies, like not shooting another player in the back at close range.
RAM Iligan’s hands-on President, Johnson Po, was on the ground serving as a marshal. (Foto: Redeemer Batoy)
Kudos to RAM for ensuring there was an adequate number of policemen and even soldiers at the scene.
The Food
As is the business of Iliganairsoft, what is fed airsofters at an airsoft tournament is always a point of concern.
For RAM Birada: Bakbakan sa Iligan, the food was worth the registration fee of P1,000.
Lunch on the first day consisted of braised beef, sotanghon, and rice. The second day saw fried chicken, sweet and sour fish, and rice. Both meals came with several 1.5-litter bottles of soft drinks.
The freebie was a tournament t-shirt.
ORTAC Squad’s Doc Syo attending to a wounded team mate in the Red Cross tent at the tournament grounds. (Foto: Gerald Lacandula)
Winners
An unknown player from Team Luzon: Northern Alliance expressed amazement at the type of game they experienced at Bakbakan sa Iligan.
Although they played CQB back in the North, “Hindi ganon ka-bilis!” he was overheard as saying.
The champion of Bakbakan sa Iligan: Team ATU of Zamboanga City poses with their trophy and friends. (Foto: Redeemer Batoy)
The airsoft games played here have increasingly become of the speedball type.
And after two days of high speed close quarter battles, the following teams emerged at the top:
- Champion: ATU of Zamboanga City;
- 1st Runner-up: WULF of Cagayan de Oro;
- 2nd Runner-up: WARHEADS of Cagayan de Oro;
- 3rd Runner-up: ARMADA of Cagayan de Oro;
- 4th Runner-up: KAST of North Cotabato; and
- 5th Runner-up: FORCE OF LUZON (NCR).
Special Awards
Team EXCOM’s Carmelino “Tracer” Bagsic, Jr. holds up his Best Airsofter trophy. (Foto: Redeemer Batoy)
Sportsmanship: Team Kilabot of the Municipality of Sultan Naga Dimaporo (SND) in Lanao del Norte; Best in CQB: Team WULF; and Best Airsofter: Carmelino “Tracer” Bagsic, Jr. of Team EXCOM of Zamboanga City.
Bakbakan sa Iligan is the 1st Mayor Celso Regencia Airsoft Tournament in Iligan City. It is also the first major airsoft tournament hosted by RAM Iligan, which is also a multi-champion team.
Bakbakan sa Iligan, although held on a September, occurs in the shadow of the older and more established Archangel Tournament hosted by the Iligan Airsoft Gamers (ILAGA).
The Archangel Tournament is held every September here in Iligan as part of the city’s fiesta celebration in honor of its patron saint Michael the Archangel.
Redeemer “Cocoy” Batoy of the host team, RAM. (Foto: Mark Julius)
[Iliganairsoft would like to thank RAM’s Redeemer “Cocoy” Batoy for providing information and the pictures used in this article.]
[Team RAM was assisted by the ILIGAN DALTANS AIRSOFT GAMERS (IDAG) and HEAT in the preparation and marshaling work during the tournament.]
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