The AFAD Gun Show in the Philippines has just concluded and we were informed that the United Airsoft Alliance (UAA) has issued an official statement regarding theAirsoft Xtreme Magazine "Poster Fiasco". The statement confirms that they are filing cr­iminal charges against the publication for falsification of a private document and a civil suit for damages as the action... "cast dishonor, discredit, and contempt upon UAA and its members".

The statement has been posted at the ACMAirsoft Forums and slowly circulating around. You can find the link at http://acmairsoft.com/index.php?topic=6119.0 (you need to be registered to read this). You can also check the same statement at http://www.filairsoft.com/forum/showthread.php?t=42429.

As for Airsoft Xtreme, they have not replied to our email asking for clarification and official statement of the issue, even if their editor has acknowledged that he has received the email. The door is still wide open for them to send their official statement on the issue as we're willing to publish it in full and unaltered.

Here is the official statement (posted at www.acmairsoft.com  yesterday):

A Time of Reckoning (A UAA statement Regarding Airsoft Xtreme Magazine)

Now that we have just concluded another successful activity, as the FIRST airsoft support group of AFAD at the Megamall Gun Show, it is time to take care of unfinished business.

Leading up to the Gun Show, we discovered that altered versions of the AFAD Gun Show Poster were being posted and circulated on the internet particularly at the Airsoft Xtreme (AX) site and Acmairsoft.org. Upon verification, we noted that the activities listed in the left side of the poster were deleted, including the name of the United Airsoft Alliance (UAA) as an official support organization. On the right side of the altered poster, the word "sponsors" was digitally altered, raised, and the logo of Airsoft Xtreme magazine was inserted. Airsoft extreme was neither a sponsor nor a support organization for the show. Rather, as we learned later it simply paid to have a booth in the show.

At the meeting of the tradeshow organizer at Megamall with AFAD and all support organizations, last 1 July 2008 at Megamall, UAA formally brought this to the attention of AFAD and AX magazine was ordered to remove and delete its falsified poster of the gun show from the web site.

Thereafter, an anonymous email began circulating and appeared in local and foreign web sites, quoting some short statements from previous posts. UAA had nothing to do with such email. However, a number of airsoft sites picked up the contents of the email and posted it on this site and others including Popular Airsoft. As a result, we received numerous inquiries as to whether it is true that Airsoft Xtreme indeed falsified the poster and whether or not we will sue Airsoft Xtreme for falsification. We uniformly answered "Please wait until after the Gun Show", since we were busy preparing.

The AFAD Gun show did in fact end yesterday, quite successfully for UAA. But as promised, there is still some unfinished business to take care of.

After deliberation and consultation within UAA as well as other knowledgeable members within the Philippine airsoft community, UAA has decided to file criminal charges for falsification of private document against the publisher of Airsoft Xtreme, Christian Uybengkee and its Editor-in-Chief Albert Anthony Abando, and some others. This is without prejudice to a civil suit for damages against them and Airsoft Xtreme. We are likewise studying whether to file criminal charges of libel on account of their false and inaccurate article on legalization which portrayed UAA's mass registration program as "illegal", when in truth it was not.

UAA has personality to file the case inasmuch as there was damage and prejudice to the organization as well as the individual members thereof. As a result any UAA member may file charges against AX magazine. The falsification and alteration by Airsoft Xtreme of the AFAD poster directly prejudiced UAA and all its members by falsely removing and altering its status as a support organization as well as its projects during the show, while wrongfully portraying Airsoft Xtreme magazine as a "sponsor" when in truth and in fact it was not. The alteration cast dishonor, discredit, and contempt upon UAA and its members, and created a wrongful impression upon the public that the prior statements of UAA that it was a support organization for the show, were untrue.

Airsoft is a game of extreme honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness, such as those who do not possess such qualities are not deemed worthy of playing the game. Dishonesty and untruthfulness takes on a more sinister motive when such qualities are displayed by persons who not only claim to play the sport of airsoft, but also try to make money out of it.

By the same token, honesty, accuracy, and truthworthiness are the hallmark of credibility, and the basis by which all publications are judged. A publication that is based upon lies, untruthfulness and deceit is, quite simply, scam journalism. A magazine that likewise fuels itself not upon genuine airsoft issues but rather scantily dressed and semi naked women, for commercial purposes, degrades the dignity of all women who work hard to obtain positions of stature and who do not have to take off their clothes to earn a living. Such pseudo-porn also falsely portrays, in a sexist manner, the Filipino woman in the eyes of the world as a mail order bride, prostitute, and woman of ill-repute, which is a slap in the face of all Filipinas.

For these reasons, out of our sense of justice and fairness, we have decided to pursue legal action against Airsoft Xtreme Magazine, which we feel does not, portray the proper values for the sport of airsoft.