i do believe i've encountered some of your knives right here in manila and i contratulate you for such fine products. they're excellent buys for their given prices. but i do have some comments which i hope you'll take objectively.
i'm from the main island of luzon but i've travelled to the visayas and the other main island, mindanao. most of the blades there have one-piece wooden handles with the blade tang heat-sunk into them while the wood is fresh and moist. and then a metal band is pounded in to tighten the bond. this system is stronger than most people think (we're talking about working knives put into daily hard use). however, with age, the bond might eventually loosen and the blade could fly out.
in luzon, particularly batangas and pangasinan, the blades often have a full tang and handle halves are riveted in. that would be the preferred system, i suppose. but whether or not it is really stronger and more durable, i'm not the one to say.
but going to the igorot war gulok, yes! that is the one i like. the blade is symetrically ground (unlike the visayan/mindanao types that often feature a chisel grind). also the one-piece construction is brilliant. it's the strongest handle system i could think of. i have a 12" version of that with a half-scabbard (blade is visible on one side) and man, it's all the knife one needs for the outdoors.
