Blacksmith forges Duterte-inspired sword
POZORRUBIO – When a blacksmith from Pozorrubio town in Pangasinan joined his Creator in May 2016, his family found one blade with a strong character that was left unnamed.
Filomeno “Mang Boy” De Guzman had forged several blades before he died, but a particular sword made of high carbon steel with a blade length of 27 inches and a handle measuring seven inches, has an interesting and unique figure at the end of the handle – knuckles for a closed fist- had no name.
Being used to naming his father’s blade works, De Guzman’s youngest child, Joyce, was inspired by the iconic closed-fist brand of President Rodrigo Duterte and named the precious blade as “Duterte Sword.”
“The ‘Duterte Sword’ also represents the all-out war of President Duterte against criminality and drugs,” said Joyce De Guzman, now manager of the family-owned Neneng’s Cutlery.
The young De Guzman told the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) that the iron-fist leadership of the 16th President of the Republic is what the sword is all about and she hopes to personally give it to the President the next time he visits the province.
Mang Boy’s (as the late blacksmith was fondly called), penchant for making knives and swords started in the 1980s. It was while working in Clark Field, Pampanga, when he met an American serviceman who inspired him to make big swords.
He and his two other brothers worked on the design and manufacture of swords until their business grew and began exporting their products.
Mang Boy also forged replica of the Japanese Samurai and a Roman gladiator’s sword. Other swords were named as Katana, Moon Crescent, Conan (the Barbarian), Viking and Celtic knives.
Today, Neneng’s Cutlery also manufactures replica of Hollywood-inspired fighting swords like those used in the movie ‘The Last Samurai’ that starred Tom Cruise and Oscar-winning picture ‘Braveheart’ which starred Mel Gibson.
The showroom in Pozorrubio town also boasts of King Arthur’s ‘Excalibur’ and a huge larger-than-life medieval sword that has been part of several exhibits and trade expos in Pangasinan.
Bernardita ‘Neneng’ De Guzman, wife of the late blacksmith, said their business started with just P6,000 capital in the early 1980s. With the help of government agencies like the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Science and Technology, their sword business grew, exporting to overseas markets.
With the ‘Duterte Sword’ gaining popularity in mainstream and social media, the De Guzman’s are thankful that their business is picking up again and are confident that the sword industry is here to stay. (Venus H. Sarmiento_PIA)
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