14 March 2014- The Philippine Embassy in Athens, Greece conducted “Basic Self-Defense Awareness and Skills Training” for the female members of the Filipino community as part of its Gender and Development activities for 2014 and in time for this month’s celebration of the Women’s Month. The training was held last March 9 at the Embassy grounds.

The training was conducted by Mr. Arden Poblete of the KALIDU Filipino Martial Arts. The training covered basic techniques and offered practical self defense tips, especially for women.
The training aims to equip members of the Filipino community with the basic skills and tools to defend themselves against potential attackers.

Philippine Ambassador to Greece Meynardo LB. Montealegre emphasized the significance of holding the training during Women’s Month, saying that it aims to empower women and arm them with skills and techniques to protect themselves from attacks. He also shared President Benigno Aquino III’s message on the Women’s Month Celebration with the participants.

The training began with a lecture introducing Filipino Martial Arts to the participants. It was followed by demonstrations and actual applications on fending off attackers.

The participants expressed appreciation for the training and expressed hope that the Embassy will continue this kind of program to empower overseas Filipinos, particularly the women. The participants informed the Embassy further that they will teach the techniques they have learned during the training to their children. END