Modern Arnis

SPOTLIGHT ON : ANDREA WHEATLEY

2007-03-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

Andrea ‘The Doc’ Wheatley is an active ambassador for women in the sport of full contact Filipino stickfighting with protective armour. What is even more amazing is that, as her day job, Dr. Andrea Wheatley works in her own clinic as one of Adelaide ’s leading osteopath professionals, and she owns and operates the North Adelaide Osteopath Clinic.

Andrea has been practicing the martial arts and self defence since she was 18 years of age, and since this time, she has gone on to study the different components and basics of Karate, Taekwondo, Kickboxing, Boxing, Jujitsu and Filipino stickfighting. Andrea now holds a 2nd Degree Black Belt in the Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima system, and she is a two times World Champion in Filipino full contact stickfighting.

She is a.student of Master Vince Palumbo at the International Combative Martial Arts Academy in Adelaide , South Australia . She fought in her first International Stickfighting Competition in Los Angeles of the USA , and she lost to the eventual World Title winner by just a 1 point split decision. She has had 16 full contact stickfighting bouts, and she has won nearly all of them.

From her debut at the CACOY DOCE PARES ESKRIMA WORLD FEDERATION INTERNATIONAL STICKFIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS 2005 which were held in Los Angeles, it was clear that Andrea had what it takes to become a World Champion Stickfighter, and she has gone on to win many fights since that time, especially due to the fact that she has great speed and power with all of her strikes.

One of her more famous fights was at the 2006 World Stickfighting Championships held in Cebu City of the Philippines in November, against Diane Canete who is also the granddaughter of GrandMaster Cacoy Canete. Andrea put on an incredible display of stickfighting skill and fitness to beat her opponent in a very close and exciting match for the two female stickfighters.

Andrea’s instructor, Master Vince Palumbo, was in her corner and telling her to keep on chipping away at her opponent, and when the other girl had started to weaken with fatigue, that was when Master Vince shouted for her to fight hard and fast continually. Andrea produced the most incredible and accurate speed with her 29 inch rattan cane, and this plus her will to succeed, won her the very hard stickfighting match.

Andrea is now getting ready for the 2007 World Championships that are being held in Jakarta of Indonesia this year, and the event will be organised for November of 2007. Andrea has already had 2 warm up fights leading up to the competition in November, and she won both of her sport stickfighting bouts.

We all wish Andrea luck with her preparation for the World Championships, and we hope she comes back with the Winner trophy again this year!

Yours Faithfully, Master Vincent Palumbo
8th Degree Black Belt in the Martial Arts.

Bahad ZuBu Seminar in Anaheim, California

2007-03-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

Bahad ZuBu Seminar

When : April 21, 2007
1:00 – 4:00 PM

Where : Blays-Halla Battle Academy
1515 Sunkist, Unit D
Anaheim, California
(57 Freeway and Katella Ave.)

Cost : $50 at the door
$40 pre-registered

Instructor : John Brown
Instructor, Bahad ZuBu under GM Yuli Romo
Instructor, Yashai Warcraft under Blaise Loong

Curriculum :
1:00 – 2:00 PM Boxing cardio and endurance training drills.
2:00 – 4:00 PM Bahad ZuBu (Ilustrisimo) training methods.
Basic trapping, basic footwork, double-sword/
Stick, sword and daga, single sword/stick,
double daga, single knife.

What to Bring : jump rope (optional)
boxing gloves, wraps, focus gloves (optional)
sticks, training blades

Contact Info : Guro John
801-550-8375
jotunnhalla@msn.com
www.mabisamartialarts.com

1st Open Invitational Karatedo and Modern Arnis Tournament Held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

2007-03-11T09:28:00.000-07:00

The !st Open Invitational Karatedo and Modern Arnis Tournament was held recently at the Power House Gym in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This was a joint project of the Okinawan Shorin-Ryu Karate Association (OSKA), Barbin Martial Arts Association (BMAA) under Shihan Abdul Karim, and International Modern Arnis of the Philippines and Filipino Fighting Arts International under Punong Guro (Chief Instructor) Manuel Maer.

In addition to the host schools, the other schools that participated included the Lapunti Arnis Club, Panthers Commando Martial Arts Club, Desert Falcon Martial Arts Association and the Power House Martial Arts Club.

Winners of the competition included the following:

Anyo (Form) champion – Hassan Yahya Handi (Lapunti), 1st runner-up – Jessie Barrion (Lapunti), and 2nd runner-up – Cino Ambe (Lapunti)

Over-all Champion – Lapunti Arnis Club, 1st runner-up – Panthers Commando Martial Arts Club, 2nd runner-up – Desert Falcon Martial Arts Association

Laban-Laro (Sparring) Competition
5’1”-5’3” Champion – Roilan Perocho (Panthers), 1st runner-up – Jessie Barrien (Lapunti), 2nd runner-up – Roderick Laroza (Panthers).
5’4”-5’7” Champion – Henry Sawangin (Panthers), 1st runner-up – Arrayyan Rodico, 2nd runner-up – Sanny Sawlles (Desert Falcon)
5’8”-6’0” – Champion – Hassan Yahya (Lapunti)

The Filipino Martial Arts competition was sanctioned by the International Modern Arnis of the Philippines under Master Godofredo Fajardo, Commissioner of the Middle East, under authority from the IMAFP Council of Masters in the Philippines headed by GM Rene Tongson.

As may be seen from the pictures, a good time was had by all. The tournament produced high-level martial arts as well as camaraderie for all the participants and organizers.

Pictures available at www.filipinofightingartsintl.com

3rd PHILIPPINE INTERNATIONAL MARTIAL ARTS ASSOCIATION (PIMAA) TOURNAMENT IN RIYADH, KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA

2007-02-23T14:15:00.000-08:00

The Philippine International Martial Arts Association (PIMAA) recently held its 3rd PIMAA Tournament on Feb. 16, 2007 at the Elite International School in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The event was hosted by PIMAA President Fredie Laxza and Vice-President Godofredo Fajardo of Filipino Fighting Arts Intl. Guest of Honor for the Tournament was Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, the Honorable Ambassador Antonio P. Villamor.

The tournament featured semi-contact karate, and more than fifteen clubs participated in the event. There was also a Modern Arnis demonstration featuring 11-year old Carim and 10-year old Amir, both Lebanese nationals and students of Punong Guros (chief instructors) Wail Ershaid and Manny Maer of Filipino Fighting Arts – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

All in all, the 3rd PIMAA Tournament was a very well-attended, successful and fun event, as may be gleaned from some of these photographs of the event.

Photographs available at http://www.filipinofightingartsintl.com/ , website of Filipino Fighting Arts Int’l and Filipino Fighting Arts – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Copyright, Jay de Leon 2007

“REMEMBRANCES OF DOJOS PAST” BY JAY DE LEON NOW AVAILABLE

2007-02-10T18:23:00.000-08:00

In this engaging ebook, Jay de Leon traces his martial arts journey from the karate clubs in the Philippines to the dojos of the United States. As the title suggests, you will be afforded an intimate glimpse of the dojos as well as the colorful taskmasters who presided over these dojos.

Along the way, you will meet many storied martial arts personages, the famous as well as the not-so-famous, the respected as well as the controversial, the sainted as well as the derided. You will be provided insights into varied personalities and organizations such as Bob Wall (of “Enter the Dragon” fame), Remy Presas, Parker kenpo, Modern Arnis, FrontSight Firearms Training Institute, and many more.

As an added bonus if you purchase this book, you will also get a second ebook entitled “Eskrimology.” It is a compendium of articles that Jay has written over the past years on martial arts and martial entertainment. Some of these articles have been published in various online magazines such as World Black Belt and FMA Digest, while others are new and never before published.

For a while now, his ebook “Mindanao Jottings” has been enjoying modest readership. It recounts Jay’s experiences in rebel-infested Mindanao while running a road construction company in the early 1970’s. A few have described it as a very revealing and moving book, as well as a historical window into that era.

The bonus book is “Philippine Odyssey 2006” which chronicles Jay’s trip to the Philippines in June and July 2006. His experiences included attending the 3rd World Filipino Martial Arts Festival 2006 and the Remy Presas Memorial Training Camp, the Bakbakan Filipino Martial Arts Invitational Tournament, as well as business, family and sight-seeing trips to various parts of the Philippines.

To order any of these books, go to the online store of any of Jay’s websites listed below.

http://www.tipunan.com/
http://www.filipinomartialartsmuseum.com/
http://www.filipinofightingartsintl.com/

MAT MARINAS AND “THE ART OF THROWING”

2007-01-27T22:00:00.000-08:00

A Book Review of “The Art of Throwing: Practical Instruction For
Better Techniques,” Tuttle Publishing, Vermont, USA, 2007.

In the interest of full disclosure, I met Punong Guro Amante “Mat” Marinas, Sr. sometime in the 80’s, when I had the good fortune of attending a couple of his well-attended seminars in both southern and northern California. I remember the seminars and the lessons vividly. In a recent email exchange, PG Mat politely claims he remembers me from the sea of faces of people who have attended his seminars over the years.

Inevitably, I have mentioned his name often in the articles I have written about Filipino Martial Arts. I have, at one time or another, proclaimed him one of the top living masters of Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), one of the most prolific writers of FMA, and one of the most knowledgeable and technical professor emeritus of FMA in the field of weaponry.

After reviewing his most recent opus, his tenth book, called “The Art of Throwing” published by the prestigious Tuttle Press, I have no choice now but to proclaim him the foremost martial scientist of Filipino Martial Arts. He could well be the only one.

For those reading about PG Mat for the first time, you need to understand that by profession, he was a real-life professor of engineering at a university in the Philippines (Adamson University in Manila). As such, he is well-versed in the laws of physics including corollaries and concepts such as kinetics, force, torque and other technical components of physics.

And why is this important, or at least pertinent to FMA? Because all weapons and their utilization as practiced in FMA, as well as other martial arts, are governed by the laws of physics.

When you swing that #1 strike with a stick, a diagonal strike to the left temple of your opponent, also known as “tagang San Miguel,” all the laws of physics kick into gear. The size, length, heft and point of impact of the stick, the speed, distance and momentum of the object contacted, and the body mechanics of the delivery of the weapon including torque, angle and speed all now conspire to make your strike to be effective, mildly effective or not effective at all.

As an engineer and scientist, PG Mat can tell you the force per square inch of that “sweet spot” of the stick hitting its target, measure your speed and angle of delivery, and probably calibrate the effective range and power of your strike, taking into account the movement of both striker and strikee.

These physical laws and corollaries come into greater play in the case of projectiles, or weapons thrown. Depending on the projectile, the following physical aspects come into play :
(1) Grips
(2) Methods of throw
(3) Mechanics of the throw, including spins and rotations, as well as factors that affect the mechanics of the throw including the design of the weapon, environmental conditions, and even your mental and emotional frame of mind
(4) Throwing distances
(5) Target.

An interesting feature in this book is the graphical use of the learning curves to measure and attain effectiveness with a throwing weapon. For example, a learning curve can tell you how soon you can stick your knife consistently at the target.

The weapons or projectiles examined include the following:

(1) For Filipino martial arts—the spear, the bagakay (darts), the VM bulalakaw (knife) and the VCM palakol (ax). All these weapons were designed and created by PG Mat.

(2) For the Japanese martial arts – shurikens, three-pointed shaken, four-pointed shaken and various many-pointed shakens.

(3) For the Chinese martial arts – flying darts, golden coin darts, the steel olive (also known as the Chinese flying olive), and flying stickers.

(4) Other throwing implements – the Western dart and the boomerang.

For those of you that have a penchant for statistics related to a publication, here are a few:

Number of pages : 114
Number of photos : 128
Number of learning curves : 21
Number of computer sketches : 41 (all done by PG Mat, using Corel Draw)
Number of throws made for statistical information presented in book: 1,300,000
Time span to throw 1,300,000 times: 14 years
Actual time for throws: 3,500 hours
Distance covered to and from target: 1,600 miles
Height of cardboard targets used for the 1,300,000 throws if they were stacked on top of each other : 120 stories.

Lest I may have given you a wrong impression, this is not just a scientific dissertation or esoteric exposition of the physical laws as applied to weapons that are thrown. This is a hardcore martial arts book to improve your ability to throw a weapon, whether for sport or self-defense, regardless of your style.

PG Mat throws (no pun intended) the scientific explanations in to give you a better understanding, and therefore improve your throwing ability. And yes, also because he is a martial scientist in addition to being a martial warrior.

Now excuse me while I revise my articles about PG Mat to include the sobriquet, martial scientist of Filipino Martial Arts.

If you would like to order a copy of the book, write PG Mat at pananandta@aol.com. Tell him I sent you, and that you want him to autograph your copy.

Copyright, Jay de Leon 2007

JEROME BARBER SEMINAR IN NEW YORK

2007-01-26T12:58:00.000-08:00

From Filipino Martial Arts guro and Tipunan International seminar instructor Dr. Jerome Barber :

Hello to All,
I will be conducting a "Double Stick Seminar: Drills, Translations and Self Defense Applications" on Saturday, Mach 24, 2007 from 3 - 6pm at Erie Community College - South Campus, 4041 Southwestern Blvd., Orchard Park, NY 14127. The seminar site will be the Campus Gymnasium - Building 6. The fee structure is $39 if paid before Wednesday, March 21 and $49 at the door.
The seminar instruction will cover the "Redonda" and "Double Sinawali" drills, the translations of these double stick drills to empty hands and finally how these drills can be adapted to empty hand self-defense applications against hand strikes, blunt instrument as well as knife attacks.
This seminar is open to ALL martial arts stylists! It is not necessary for the attendees to have any previous training with any type of weapons prior to attending this seminar. For those people who already have experience/training with stick(s) and/or the double stick drills (Redonda & Double Sinawali), I will teach you how to use the 2 drills in a combative manner against both single and double stick attacks as well as the empty hand self defense applications.
Advance payments should be payable to: Dr. Jerome Barber and mailed to: Dr. Jerome Barber, Suite 230 5999 South Park Avenue Hamburg, NY 14075.
Mr. Keith Roosa will be selling his handmade wooden training knives, bolos, swords, kris and espada y daga sets at the seminar. All of Guro Roosa's training tools are made from exotic hardwoods are based on original designs that are found in the Philippines and Indonesia. Depending on the weapon selected, woods used and time required for manufacture, Guro Roosa will be charging $35 - $110 per item or set. You can contact Guro Roosa in advance to check out his photo array of available items at: kenpok-@yahoo.com
Sincerely, Jerome Barber, Ed.D.
Director and Principal Instructor, Independent Escrima-Kenpo-Arnis Associates
Black Belt 6th Degree: Panci-Panci Eskrima (AMAA) & ISSD Kenpo-Goshin Jutsu escrima-@hotmail.com

GM CACOY CANETE RECEIVES 12TH DAN FROM WORLD HEAD OF FAMILY SOKESHIP COUNCIL

2007-01-05T11:51:00.000-08:00

The committee of Masters and Grand Masters belonging to the WORLD HEAD OF FAMILY SOKESHIP COUNCIL, recently conferred to make a very unique kind of presentation which was awarded to the legendary Filipino martial artist, GM Ciriaco ‘Cacoy’ Canete.

GM Canete has been practicing the Filipino martial arts since 1924, and ever since this epic martial arts journey began, he has successfully attained Black Belts in Eskrima, Pangamot Filipino Jujitsu, Aikido, Judo, Karate. He was also an amateur boxer, and he competed in amateur wrestling tournaments.

GM Cacoy Canete was awarded the very unique rank of 12th Degree Black Belt, and the certificate was signed by all of the Masters, and the Grand Masters belonging to the Internationally renowned ‘WORLD HEAD OF FAMILY SOKESHIP COUNCIL’ committee.

This process began when Master Vince Palumbo, of Australia, wrote to GM Frank Sanchez who is the President of WHFSC organization, requesting whether the committee at the WHFSC could issue an accreditation and acknowledgment of GM Canete’s 80 years dedication as a martial artist, and to award him the Rank of 12th Degree Black Belt with International recognition amongst all the WHFSC affiliates.

Master Vince Palumbo of Australia , has been a student of Grand Master Cacoy Canete for the last 20 years, and he also holds four World Titles in Full Contact Stickfighting, and a Boxing World Title.

The presentation of this fine certificate was recently made at the Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima World Federation’s International Stickfighting Tournament which was held in Cebu City of the Philippines from the 24th- 26th November 2006.

The honorable presentation of this wonderful certificate was made by Master Vince Palumbo and Master Anthony Kleeman at the 2006 International Stickfighting Tournament. Many Masters and Grand Masters attended for the presentation of this certificate to GM Cacoy at the Cebu Sports Coliseum in front of a capacity crowd of spectators.

GM Cacoy Canete received a standing ovation from all of the people that were present during the awarding ceremony, and then there was an incredible silence as Master Vince Palumbo read out a letter on behalf of GM Frank Sanchez and all the committee of the WHFSC. The audience responded with a very loud applause!

Grand Master Cacoy Canete was then invited up on the stage to give a speech, and the very healthy 88 year old warrior of the martial arts gave thanks to GM Frank Sanchez and all of the WHFSC. There were delegates from Australia, USA, UK, New Zealand, Armenia, Poland and the Philippines that all competed at this International Stickfighting Tournament, and everyone was present at the award ceremony!

Submitted by Master Vince Palumbo

OF WAKES AND FUNERAL PYRES

2007-01-01T15:24:00.000-08:00

The cliché goes that there are only two certainties in life, death and taxes.

The Lord knows, together with the dreaded Internal Revenue Service (IRS), that I have had enough trouble with taxes in my lifetime. I am chagrined to admit that at one time, I owed the IRS a six figure amount. I am filled with glee to realize that my death will constitute my final protest to the IRS. It will be my final refusal to be productive, and hence, taxable.

Yes, I have been mulling the reality of my mortality and the details of my funeral arrangements. Here are some scenarios that I have been tossing around.

A VIKING FUNERAL

There is an old movie aptly titled “The Vikings” starring Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis and Ernest Borgnine about a Viking saga. Of course there are the usual battle scenes including a castle siege, but there are several other scenes that stick to my memory.

Ernest Borgnine dies by leaping into a pit full of wolves or dogs, Tony Curtis is punished by having his left hand lopped off with a sword, and Kirk Douglas dies in the end and is buried with full Viking honors. His body is cast adrift in a Viking ship and archers shoot flaming arrows into the boat. As the movie theme song plays plaintively in the background, the boat slowly disappears in the horizon, swathed in flames, the Viking warrior’s spirit rising into the heavens together with the smoke.

Romantic, no? This appealed to my warrior spirit, since I am a martial arts and weapons master. When I broached this to some family members, my little nephew Martin piped up, “Can we just shoot you now with flaming arrows and put you out of your misery?”

A PRIVATE CEREMONY

I have always been alternately peeved and amused when I go to some relatives’ or friends’ funeral, and tons of friends and relatives show up who have not bothered to visit or say hi to the deceased the past years. So why take the effort now to show up at the funeral? Why are you saying goodbye when you never bothered to say hello or how’s it going when he was alive and lucid and probably lonely?

When I die, my funeral will be by invitation only. Only relatives and friends who have stood by me, put up with my idiosyncracies, lent me money and visited and humored me in my old age will receive invitations.

I hope there will be at least enough mourners to push my casket out the church.

A CONCERT BENEFIT

I want a big raucous party with several live bands alternately playing right next to my casket. It will be a concert benefit, with hefty admission charged. Since there will be thousands in attendance, the net proceeds will go to charity.

I would like my son Mike to sing one of those vein-popping, gut-busting unintelligible heavy metal songs he sings at concerts. Some mosh pit dancing would be all right with me, and I would not mind a whirl around the pit myself.

I have already made known some songs I would want sung during this event. This includes the “MASH Theme” from the movie “MASH,” “Welcome to the Jungle” and “Sweet Child of Mine” by Guns and Roses, “Knights in White Satin” by the Moody Blues, “This is My Religion” by REM and “Light My Fire” and “This is the End” by the Doors.

I do not want any sadness and tears and wailing at this event, unless it is Mike’s heavy metal freaks howling a funeral dirge for me, or their reasonable facsimile thereof.

AN ARNIS TRAINING CAMP

My brothers-in-arms in martial arts might probably want to throw a final workout in my memory. After all, I have sponsored many a seminar and training camp under the banner of my organization called Tipunan International (Gathering). I want them to bring their favorite real and training weapons, bang sticks and steel and afterwards bring out the beer and pulutan (finger foods). Here, everybody gets to reminisce about their favorite war stories, of warrior days long gone and past, and of warriors who have preceded them.

In the final analysis, I want to my funeral arrangements to be just like my life—unapologetic, slightly disheveled, mildly chaotic, with some mild glitches here and there, but always full of family and friends, goodwill and joy, laughter and banter, and with a warrior spirit and a bon vivant’s flair.

Ave atque vale. See you in the afterlife.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS

2006-12-21T23:59:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is upon us, or have been upon us for a while now. I have just been ignoring it.

I just want to wish you and yours a merry but blessed Christmas. If you are one of those offended by the word Christmas, have a happy holidays.

For some of you who read my blogs, we have some tenuous connection—martial arts, Modern Arnis, the Philippines, internet networking, etc. Some of you are probably surfers. But our common bond is really belonging to the human race. Deep down, we have the same aspirations, same fears, same needs.

So enjoy Christmas and good will with your family, loved ones and friends. But try to celebrate it with the whole human race as well. We need some tradition of peace and inclusion, even for such a short period of time.

God knows there is enough strife and ill will the whole year round.

BANGKOK BOXING STADIUM OPENS IN THAILAND

2006-10-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

I received this email and press release from my friend Siraphop Ratanasuban of Bankgkok, Thailand whose role is mentioned below.

Bangkok Boxing Stadium
OneSongchai Institute of Muaythai
Muaythai, Thai Heritage, World Heritage
OneSongchai, Moral, and Integrity

Throughout his career in which he began as a professional Muaythai
boxer, Mr. Songchai Ratanasuban, also known as the "Golden Hand" or
"Diamond Brain Promoter", is a Muaythai emblem. "Muaythai is my life,
and my life is Muaythai", says Mr. Songchai. Mr. Songchai has
provided uncountable contributions to his nation and is well-known in
the boxing circle. He is Thailand's No.1 promoter now and gradually
passes more responsibility to his heirs; 'Little Songchai' Pariyakorn
Ratanasuban and 'Songchai Junior' Siraphop Ratanasuban.

One of his unfinished commitments is to establish Bangkok Boxing Stadium, a new standard in boxing; an alternative venue concerned with the art of Muaythai that is both a science and an art of fighting and self-defense. It will be a brave new world for Muaythai and a new history for the Muaythai spirit advancing towards the next generation.

Bangkok Boxing Stadium will include air conditioning and audio-visual
equipment to provide authentic Muaythai for Thai and foreign boxing
enthusiasts. There will be exclusive tour de force Thai-Foreign
matches with Muaythai and standard boxing championships featuring
both male and female fights for families and tourists.

OneSongchai Institute of Muaythai will teach Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu(BJJ), Muaythai and Boxing courses that enable one to lose weight, fitness,
self-defense, and to professional level. The first opening promotion
is on Saturday October 28, 2006 at 14:30 pm. The stadium will promote
Muaythai once a week for Saturday from 14:30 pm.-5 pm. And 18 pm.- 22
pm.

http://info@thai.co.th
Office: (66) 02 618 5314 to 6
Fax : (66) 02 271 3981, (66) 02 6185313
www.BangkokBoxingStadium.com
http://www.muaythai.co.th/

GRANDMASTER EDRING CASIO CONDUCTS SEMINAR

2006-10-23T16:20:00.000-07:00

On a warm and sunny California Sunday on Oct, 22, 2006, Grandmaster Isidro “Edring” Casio conducted a seminar on San Miguel Eskrima at the wrestling facilities of Mt. San Antonio College in the city of Walnut, California near Los Angeles, from ten o’clock in the morning till four in the afternoon, with a lunch break.

GM Edring Casio is an inheritor of the system San Miguel Eskrima founded and developed by the late Cebu master Filemon “Momoy” Canete, originally of the famed Doce Pares organization. A resident of Cebu, Philippines, GM Edring Casio currently resides in San Diego, California and is currently teaching seminars as well as private and group classes in San Miguel Eskrima. Among his former students who used to visit and train with him in Cebu was the popular Ramon Rubia who now heads his own school based in Orange County, California together with his wife Eva Canete.

At the seminar, GM Edring was ably assisted by his senior students and guros under him, namely Albert Mendoza, Steve del Castillo and Jon Teopaco, who acted as ukes (partner/dummy), and provided their own demos as well as very informative supplemental explanations of the techniques.

The first part of the seminar in the morning was devoted to the combat aspects of San Miguel Eskrima. The empty hands portion included a lot of locks, strikes and throws, including shoulder throw, hip throw and the wheel throw (kataguruma). This was followed up by defenses against the knife using the same concepts, principles and techniques as in empty hands.

The second part of the seminar in the afternoon after lunch was devoted to the weapons aspect of San Miguel Eskrima, more specifically double sticks and espada y daga. I found the 24 count sinawali drills challenging, but for me, the best part of the weapons system was the espada y daga, with its fluid and effective sinkoteros drill sets easily convertible into free-style sparring and application.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable experience. The seminar was well-attended, well-run and extremely authentic and informative. GM Edring Casio does indeed bring alive the art of Momoy Canete’s San Miguel Eskrima.

Copyright Jay de Leon 2006

This article and an accompanying photo gallery are available at

www.filipinomartialartsmuseum.com under "Seminars."

CACOY DOCE PARES ESKRIMA IN NEW ZEALAND

2006-10-22T23:20:00.000-07:00

by Simon Harrison.

Master Vince Palumbo, 8th Degree Black Belt Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima
and 2005 World Champion in the sport of full contact stickfighting, visited
Christchurch in New Zealand to conduct a seminar.

Master Palumbo, who is one of the most senior Australians within the
Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima World Federation (CDPEWF) Filipino stickfighting system of Eskrima, recently visited the very lovely and panoramic city of Christchurch in New Zealand to conduct seminars on the system.

He was invited to Christchurch in New Zealand by fellow Cacoy Doce
Pares Eskrima member and the Chief Instructor of the Christchurch Martial
Arts Institute, Guro Leigh Jenkins. Guro/Sifu Leigh Jenkins is a 3rd Degree Black Belt in the CACOY DOCE PARES ESKRIMA system, and he is also a very highly ranked instructor of the Wing Chun Kung Fu under Sigung Tsui Sheung Tin of Hong Kong.

Master Palumbo conducted a 2 day intense seminar on the 14th and 15th
of October, where he taught concepts of the Filipino Stickfighting and
Filipino Pangamot Jujitsu to the 60 students that attended the seminar/workshop.

A multiple world title holder in this Filipino stickfighting art, Master
Vince concentrated on developing the participants’ stickfighting abilities,
taught techniques from Filipino Pangamot Jujitsu, and demonstrated defenses against a knife attack as well.

Training consisted of two sessions per day with 2 hours in the morning
and 2 hours in the afternoon. The sessions were focused on the CACOY DOCE PARES ESKRIMA grading syllabus, sparring, forms, and knife defenses using the Filipino Pangamot Jujitsu techniques.

The highlight of the seminar was watching Master Vince spar 20x2
minute rounds of full contact stickfighting in the sport eskrima body armour,
where he sparred with some of the attendants of the seminar that had brought
their full body protective armour.

At the completion of the seminar, Master Vince conducted a grading for
all of Guro Jenkins students.

Some of the seminar attendees had travelled from the town of Wanganui,
which is a 5 hour drive from Christchurch. They were students of James West and Robin Howard's Wanganui Jujitsu/Eskrima school of martial arts.
The 2 day seminar was also attended by members from some of the other
martial arts clubs in the Christchurch area as well.

Master Vince intends on returning to Christchurch in early in 2007, when
he will teach students how to train and prepare for a full contact sport
stickfighting competition.

Master Vince Palumbo will be very busy in 2007, as he has already been
invited back to teach the Eskrima in Indonesia again, and he has had an
invitation to conduct a seminar in Tokyo, Japan.

There is also talk of a movie role in Master Tonny White's new movie
called, 'MASTER OF THE GAME' which will be filmed on location in England and Rome.

Master Vince is now training the Australian Team for the 3rd CACOY DOCE PARES ESKRIMA WORLD FEDERATION'S full contact stickfighting Championships in Cebu of the Philippines in November 2006.

This young Master is doing his utmost best to promote the CACOY DOCE PARES ESKRIMA SYSTEM on an International scale all over the world

Letter of Appreciation for Tipunan sa Los Angeles 2006

2006-09-19T14:16:00.000-07:00

Letter of Appreciation from Marc Lawrence Sent to Eskrima Digest
Reprinted with Permission from Marc Lawrence

On Saturday 9-17-06, my son and I attended the Tipunan (Gathering) sa (at) Los Angeles 2006 at the invitation of Jay de Leon. We thoroughly enjoyed the event. Roger Agbulos was the MC and he did a great job of keeping things running smooth and on time. That was real challenge knowing the crowd. Everybody wanted to keep Island time. We had what many would consider the best of the West Coast.

I liked every Master's presentation. I learned something from each one. Each had a real challenge to deliver, what they considered their best technique to agroup made up of people who were not from their system, in the space ofonly one hour! They all used a three step method of presentation. This being demonstration, explanation with demonstration, practice with a partner. This also made the group quickly mingle and become friends. The masters who presented also stayed after and then helped others as well as participated.

Some of the topics covered were use of the Pakal (short stick), knife & knife disarms, single stick footwork's, Espada y Daga drills, stick boxing, and double stick drills. I could tell that everybody did not want it to end at the end of the day.

My special thanks go out to Jay de Leon and Roger Agbulos for putting together this event for the West Coast Filipino Martial Arts Community.

Marc Lawrence
South Bay

TIPUNAN SA LOS ANGELES 2006

2006-09-18T00:34:00.000-07:00

On Saturday September 16, 2006, Tipunan International held its annual Filipino martial arts seminar called Tipunan sa Los Angeles 2006 (Gathering at Los Angeles 2006) at the Airtel Plaza in the city of Van Nuys, in Los Angeles, California. It was promoted and hosted by Jay de Leon, founder of Tipunan International and Commissioner for the International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP).

In keeping with its tradition and its mission of promoting authentic Filipino martial arts and featuring world-class, dedicated instructors, the seminar had an impressive array of seasoned performers. The following is a complete list of instructors who performed at Tipunan sa Los Angeles 2006, as well as their styles :

Featured instructors:

Christopher and Bruce Ricketts – Kalis Ilustrisimo, Bakbakan
Roger Agbulos – Lameco Eskrima, Astig Eskrima
Ramon Rubia – San Miguel Eskrima, Doce Pares
Felix Valencia – Lameco Eskrima
Mike Rayes – Lucaylucay Eskrima
Victor Gendrano – Inosanto Kali
Willie Laureano – Inosanto Kali
Jay de Leon – Modern Arnis

Guest instructors:

Ron Balicki – Lameco, Inosanto Kali
Dan Anderson – Modern Arnis, Modern Arnis 80

In addition to being a featured instructor, Roger Agbulos also acted as Master of Ceremonies and with his ebullient personality, adroitly managed instructors, participants, the venue and time for an orderly but fun event.

As usual, martial arts and celebrity guests dropped by to say hello to old friends, watch some good Filipino martial arts being demonstrated or promote upcoming events and products. Two actually ended up giving demonstrations on the floor, including Modern Arnis Senior Master Dan Anderson of Washington, who was in town for several of his own seminars, and Ron Balicki, renown Lameco and Inosanto Kali instructor .

An interesting sidelight was the seminar turned into a joyous reunion of sorts for Edgar Sulite’s Lameco “backyard” group. This consisted of Roger Agbulos, Ron Balicki, Felix Valencia, Arnold Noche, Bud Balani and Dino Flores, now senior instructors of Lameco in their own rights and with their own following.

Participants treated themselves to quality Filipino martial arts products offered by vendors. Each instructor and participant also received an official t-shirt from this year’s recently concluded 3rd World Filipino Martial Arts Festival 2006 held in Manila, Philippines last July, which several of the featured and guest instructors had attended.

This seminar came on the heels of last year’s highly successful seminar Tipunan sa Disneyland held at the Hilton Hotel in front of Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Tipunan sa Disneyland decidedly had an international flavor with featured instructors from Europe as well as all over the United States including Edessa Ramos from Switzerland, Jerome Barber from New York, Abon Baet and Bram Frank from Florida and many others.

On the other hand, Tipunan sa Los Angeles 2006 had more of a West Coast constituency. All of the featured instructors were from the core group of Tipunan instructors based in southern California. This drew a tremendous amount of turn-out just from the area itself.

The featured instructors were in peak form, their presentations and demonstrations were awesome, the energy of the participants were high and the camaraderie and interaction among instructors, participants and guests were viral and intense.

True to form, while Tipunan sa Los Angeles 2006 might have been a local event, its Filipino martial arts was authentic and true to its Filipino roots, and its reach and influence seemingly far-reaching beyond its local venue.

When asked about plans for next year, host Jay de Leon of Tipunan International replied, “We do not have plans for a venue or a line-up yet, but it will definitely be bigger, more exciting and even more full of surprises than the previous ones.” That might have sounded like a stock answer about raising the bar, but, in Tipunan’s case, raising the bar seems to be another one of their traditions.

DEFENSIVE KNIFE SEMINAR FEATURING FELIX VALENCIA

2006-09-17T06:12:00.000-07:00

The Modern Defense Institute will be presenting a DEFENSIVE KNIFE SEMINAR featuring FELIX VALENCIA on Sunday, September 24, 2006. Felix Valencia is recognized in the weapons fighting community as one of the leading experts in edged weapon combat instruction. In addition to his edged weapons skill, Felix has been an undefeated Muay Thai and Full-Contact Stick/Knife Fighting Champion. Felix is a certified Close Quarters Battle instructor with the Police Combatives Training Academy. Felix is also a two-time inductee to the Filipino Martial Arts Hall of Fame. Felix has Taught officers from the US Marshals, FBI, CIA Special Forces and various SWAT teams across the country.

Take advantage of this special opportunity to train with one of the most sought out Close Quarters Fighting specialists in the country!

This six hour seminar will emphasize reality based situations and practicalDefensive Edged Weapon Techniques.

Covered topics include:
Unarmed Tactics versus Knife Attacks
Tactical Folder Fighting Tactics
Improvised Weapon Tactics

Space is limited!
Register early and reserve your place in class!
Cost : Only $80.00! ( if Pre-Registered, $100.00 Door price)
Location: Modern Defense Institute - 4743 Clayton Road #2-B, Concord, California
Time: 10:00AM-4:00PM, Sunday, September 24, 2006
Register/Info Contact: Tim Llacuna at the Modern Defense Institute
Phone: 925-686-5149 or E-mail: TL-MDI@sbcglobal.net
Wear appropriate workout attire. Groin protectors and water are recommended.

DEATH IN THE AFTERNOON IN DAGUPAN

2006-09-10T14:36:00.000-07:00

The two protagonists squared off in the center of the ring. They were of equal build, armed with blades and presumably of comparable skill. One could feel the animosity and tension between them.

At a pre-arranged signal, the combatants lunged full-tilt at each other. Flesh, bones and blade clashed in violent fury. In just a few seconds, one of the combatants lay dead on the dirt floor of the arena, its white and black feathers now streaked with red. Another fighting cock had bit the dust in the arena at the Dagupan City cockpit arena in Dagupan, Pangasinan.

A cockfight in the Philippines is probably one of the most organized chaos you will see in the world. After some ritualistic presentation of the fighting cocks, the betting starts. It consists of bettors placing bets against each other with hand signals, yelling, whistling and clapping to catch somebody’s attention. None of the bets are ever written down on paper. At the bloody conclusion of the cockfight, bets are quickly and quietly settled with money being tossed at or passed down to the winner.

This is an excerpt from “Philippine Odyssey 2006” by Jay de Leon where he chronicles his “Balikbayan” trip to the Philippines, including attending the 3rd World Filipino Martial Arts Festival in Manila and Cavite, sponsored by the International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP).

The e-book “Philippine Odyssey 2006” is now available from the online store at www.filipinomartialartsmuseum.com .

Prologue to “Mindanao Jottings” by Jay de Leon

2006-09-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

I grew up most of my young life as a city boy in metro Manila, Philippines with many vacation trips to my dad’s hometown in Binmaley, Pangasinan and to another grandfather’s house in Jungle Town, Baguio City, Mountain Province. In 1971, I was a young executive at American pharmaceutical giant MeadJohnson, Phil., in the financial district of Makati, in metro Manila.

All of these locations are in the island of Luzon.

When I got the chance to work in Cotabato, in Mindanao, I jumped at it. I went from shirt and tie and executive board room meetings to denims and t-shirt and rebel-infested areas in Cotabato.

Cotabato was right in the middle of the Christian and Moslem (also spelled as Muslim in the Philippines) conflict in Mindanao. There were arguably more dangerous areas in Mindanao like Lanao and Zamboanga, but Cotabato was dangerous enough, as you will read in the book.

I was there a year before President Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law, and a year afterwards.

Right from the start, I kept a diary of events in Cotabato and Davao. I wrote down names, events, thoughts and sundry details in a spiral steno notebook that somehow has survived all my moves and relocation, including immigrating to the United States. I titled the notebook then “Mindanao Jottings” and I have decided to keep that title for this book.

All of the stories, characters, places, and events in the book are factual. I have tried to recount the details as accurately as an old man’s memory will let him. Some of the names of the characters are fictitious, to protect both the innocent and the guilty. God knows there were a few guilty ones in Cotabato, including me.

This book is not an epic about the Muslim-Christian hostilities in the south of the Philippines, set against the backdrop of exciting road construction in the wilds of Cotabato. It is neither a glorification nor an expose’ of the violence and graft and corruption during that time. It is not an indictment of people caught up in the bloodlust and turmoil there. I just wanted to memorialize my own personal experiences of the humanity and spirit of those times in Cotabato.

I was fortunate to experience many things some people only read about. I dedicate this book to all my friends, lovers and employees in Cotabato and Davao who helped me survive, and actually even enjoy, my time in Mindanao.

I encourage you to familiarize yourself with this sad chapter in Philippine history, the Christian versus Muslim conflict in Mindanao. There are many good historical books and academic treatises about it. And the even sadder part of all this is that the same situation, problems and misery still exist today in that part of the country.

There are no pictures to go with the book. The few pictures I had during this period did get lost in my many moves and relocations. The only thing that survives now is my notebook and now this compendium of short stories called “Mindanao Jottings.”

One day I hope to take a sentimental journey to Cotabato and finally take that ride on that fully cemented highway to Davao I never got to take. You might have to wait a while for that film documentary.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy reading my stories as much I enjoyed putting them on paper, occasionally reminiscing as old men are wont to do.

The e-book “Mindanao Jottings” by Jay de Leon is now available at the online store at www.filipinomartialartsmuseum.com

FOREWORD TO “PHILIPPINE ODYSSEY 2006”

2006-09-08T14:50:00.000-07:00

After more than a dozen years, I went back to the Philippines June through July of this year 2006 as a Balikbayan (returning resident). I was accompanied by my son Mitchell, my daughter Paulina, my mom affectionately referred to as Grandma in the articles here, and my sister Cris at the front end of the trip.

Two of the weeks were earmarked for my Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), an event known as the 3rd World Martial Arts Festival, as well as a Bakbakan arnis tournament. The rest of the trip was a homecoming of sorts, seeing relatives, classmates and assorted friends and acquaintances, as well as taking care of some business-related endeavors.

I knew I would be writing a couple of articles on the Festival, either for an online magazine or for my own website. But I also wanted to write a bloggish, free-wheeling account of the whole journey. So the result is this mishmash of an e-book, a combination journal, travelogue and pictorial of the whole trip.

I hope the e-book conveys my impressions of the trip, as well as the Philippines. You see, I actually enjoyed this particular trip.

There were a few minor challenges. We lost the services of our driver for about a couple of weeks. My daughter Paulina needed some attention from daddy after a week in the boonies. Mitch and I got slightly sick for a few days with a virus of some sort.

On the other hand, the heat, mosquitoes and traffic did not seem to bother me as much, probably because it was the cooler part of the year. Rainy season had started, and in fact, two storms hit during the month, named “Florita” and “Glenda.”

There are some introspection and insights in the last part of the e-book, if you are looking for some. For whatever reason you bought the book, just read it leisurely. Read it the same way I handled the trip. Enjoy whatever bright spots show up, skip the boring parts or make up your own funny dialogue, go with the flow, and you may even enjoy the total experience.

Thank you and bon voyage.

A copy of the e-book “Philippine Odyssey 2006” by Jay de Leon is now available at the online store at www.filipinomartialartsmuseum.com

BAKBAKAN FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT (July 22, 2006)

2006-09-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

The Bakbakan Filipino Martial Arts Invitational Tournament was held right after the 3rd World Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) Festival, on Saturday, July 22, 2006, at the Philippine Columbians Association facilities at Plaza Dilao in Paco, Manila, Philippines.

My children Mitch and Paulina and myself were able to attend the tournament on Saturday. The tournament was in full swing by the time we arrived at mid-morning. Three rings were in full operation filled with fighters and officials, with a mass of raucous humanity around the rings.

Presiding over the proceedings was the Bakbakan head honcho himself, Grandmaster Rey Galang, all the way from Lodi, New Jersey, USA. Ably assisting him was Grandmaster Christopher “Topher” Ricketts, now a resident of San Diego, CA, USA. We also recognized a few faces from the Gala Night, held the previous evening.

As a further innovation to improve professionalism at arnis tournaments, GM Rey Galang has formed Professional Tournament Experts (PROTEX) for officials, referees and judges of Bakbakan tournaments. Some of the PROTEX staff members helping officiate the bouts included the following:

(1) Grandmaster Vic Sanchez from the Philippines;
(2) Grandmaster Yuli Romo of Zu-Bu and Kalis Ilustrisimo from the Philippines
(3) Guro Arnold Noche of Lameco from Los Angeles, California, USA
(4) Guro Abner Anievas, IMAFP Commissioner for Hong Kong.

We also recognized several arnis masters and their tournament fighters or participating schools, including Jon Escudero of LESKAS and his students, Master Jerry Evangelisan of Dekiti Tirsia, Zu-Bu, Bakbakan and many others.

At one point, I ended up standing next to a big group of very young men and women loudly cheering on their teammates. When I asked the name of their school, they answered “Virulent Tigers.”

I do not know about the virulent part, but they were all tigers and tigresses as soon as their arnis bouts started. I saw quite a few of them mount the podium to claim their medals.

Due to other commitments, I was not able to stay through the end of the day. But from what I saw the few hours I was there, it was another of Master Rey’s successful tournaments. The event was well-attended and efficiently run, the bouts were spirited and hard-fought, the techniques were intentioned and clean, and the spirit of the whole tourney was one of respect, camaraderie and goodwill.

GM’s Rey Galang and Topher Ricketts and their Bakbakan organization are to be commended not for just promoting Filipino Martial Arts on a global scale, but for raising the bar for standards in tournament play in arnis as well.

See you guys again when you bring your tournament to the West Coast in the United States.

A copy of this article with several pictures is included in the e-book "Philippine Odyssey 2006" now available at the online store at www.filipinomartialartsmuseum.com .

Copyright, Jay de Leon 2006

ABANIKO DE TRES PUNTAS ESTILO

2006-09-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

The “abaniko de tres puntas estilo” is an arnis style founded by GrandMaster Mateo D. Estolloso from Antique, Panay Island in the Philippines. Literally meaning “the fan style of three points, it is a classical arnis style of “sangga-patama” or”block and hit” or “give and take” style at its best.

It is characterized by “abaniko” strikes, thrusts and “punyos,” (butts), martial arts stances similar to horse and cat stances, and graceful footwork and angling that covers both “largo, medio and corto” (long, medium and short) distances. As with most Filipino martial arts (FMA) systems, this deadly weapons-oriented system can be transformed into close-quarter empty hand techniques for combat.

The sole and current inheritor is GrandMaster Rene R. Tongson of Amadeo City, Cavite, Philippines, appointed by Grandmaster Estolloso himself. GM Tongson is also a Senior Master of the Remy Presas Modern Arnis system with the rank of Lakan Walo or Eighth Degree, the interim chairman of its council of masters, and the guiding spirit behind the recently concluded and successful 3rd World Filipino Martial Arts Festival held this July 2006 in the Philippines. He also holds high ranking dans in Japanese kendo and shotokan.

The bladed weapons of this system have a unique three finger grooves in the handle. Normally, if grooves are present in a bladed weapon, most have four finger grooves for the four fingers of the hand, except the thumb.

In the case of the “tres puntas” system, the forefinger is not used to grip the weapon, but rather is extended straight against the weapon during combat, to help guide the weapon especially during parries and redirects.

I have seen GM Tongson perform several demonstrations of this system, both solo and with partners, using single stick, daga, sword, and espada y daga. GM Tongson is probably one of the most technical yet graceful performers of arnis I have ever seen. He flows flawlessly from one stance and from one distance to another, changing direction and timing as he delivers unerring and deadly strikes, counters, parries and redirects at his opponent.

I highly recommend this style of arnis if you ever get a chance to learn this particular style from GrandMaster Rene R. Tongson or any of his designated instructors of “abaniko de tres puntas estilo” or “tres puntas” for short.

This article with several pictures is included in the e-book "Philippine Odyssey 2006" now available at the online store at www.filipinomartialartsmuseum.com .

Copyright, Jay de Leon 2006

PLAYING TOURIST IN THE PHILIPPINES June 25-July 27, 2006

2006-09-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

In addition to my martial arts activities, this trip was a homecoming of sorts for me. It had been more than a dozen years since my last trip to the Philippines.

I was traveling with my two children, Mitchell, 16 years old, and Paulina, 13 years old, who were on summer break from school. Also with us on this trip were my Mom, and for a short while at the front end of the trip, my sister Cris.

Here is a sketch of the places we were able to visit, as well as my impressions of the people we met and the events we witnessed.

MANILA

As part of our nostalgia tour, we visited Philamlife Homes in Quezon City where we grew up, as well as the University of the Philippines (UP) where my sister Cris attended college, and Ateneo de Manila University in Quezon City, where all of my brothers and myself went for either grade school, high school or college.

Later on in the trip, I had a couple of reunion dinners with former classmates from Ateneo. The presence of a beloved freshman teacher in high school, Father Carlos Abesamis, S.J., did not slow down the raunchy reminiscings and good-natured ribbings.

We visited our share of malls in Manila, starting with most of the shops around our first hotel, the New World or Renaissance Hotel. We spent close to a day touring the new Mall of Asia, one of the biggest malls in the world, as well as the church and a casino close by. We had dinner at a few malls and restaurants, including the Eastwood Mall and several Greenhills Malls.

As part of our historical tour, we joined a city tour that included stops at the Rizal Park and the walled city of Intramuros. The last time I visited these two places was probably in my youth way before emigrating to the United States. For either tourists or Balikbayans (returning Filipinos) who have not been home in a while, this is either a must-see or a must-revisit place. They have changed considerably, full of monuments and exhibits and new sights and sounds.

For nightlife, we were able to catch a show by friends called “Men of Blue Blood” (a retro band made up of Ateneans) at the Mandarin Hotel. We did manage one night of hitting a couple of disco bars in Makati. On the surface, while the bars seem to be as plentiful and bustling as ever, the amount of skin bared by the ladies seem to have decreased.

PANGASINAN AND LA UNION

On and off, we probably stayed a third of our time at the ancestral house in Binmaley, Pangasinan (between Dagupan and Lingayen). Pangasinan is north of Manila, about four hours by car.

As usual, my mom had a major construction project going before we even got there, either to renovate or add-on to the house. We took numerous trips to Dagupan and Lingayen either for pleasure or to take care of family business. This included a side trip to Biec, Camaley (part of Binmaley, where my dad was born) where we still maintained some land and fishpond.

Before the storms hit, my kids and I enjoyed many outings to either Binmaley or Lingayen beach, frolicking in the sea and sand, and retreating to the bamboo resthouses when it got too hot or it started to thunder and rain too hard.

Together with the kids, I also took a trip to Poro Point, in the city of San Fernando, province of La Union. From Binmaley, it probably took us a leisurely hour and a half to get there.

Poro Point is one of the Philippines’s many economic development ports. Historically, this port developed as a transit point for ore products of the many mining companies in the Mountain Province.

There we met with a classmate from Ateneo, Jose “Tito” Osias, grandson of the late Senator Camilo Osias. A former director of the Poro Point Development Authority, Tito is still active in trying to attract major business and tourism groups to Poro Point.

Officials of the Poro Point Economic Authority were gracious enough to give us a tour of the existing facilities, which included the port, a Las Vegas-franchised casino called the Fiesta Casino, a beachwalk promenade and open amphitheatre with a magnificent view, a nine-hole golf course and two current tenants—the Voice of America (VOA) and the Philippine Air Force. Scheduled for construction this year are the resort hotel, condominium buildings, business center and sports complex, and the rest of the golf course and other amenities.

The officials then took us to a sumptuous lunch at the casino. During the lunch, we laid the groundwork for my group Tipunan International to establish a Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) or arnis training center as part of its business center and sports complex.

I am excited by this business prospect. We expect the Tipunan martial arts resort training program to commence by winter of next year 2007.

DEATH IN THE AFTERNOON IN DAGUPAN

The two protagonists squared off in the center of the ring. They were of equal build, armed with blades and presumably of comparable skill. One could feel the animosity and tension between them.

At a pre-arranged signal, the combatants lunged full-tilt at each other. Flesh, bones and blade clashed in violent fury. In just a few seconds, one of the combatants lay dead on the dirt floor of the arena, its white and black feathers now streaked with red. Another fighting cock had bit the dust in the arena at the Dagupan City cockpit arena in Dagupan, Pangasinan.

A cockfight in the Philippines is probably one of the most organized chaos you will see in the world. After some ritualistic presentation of the fighting cocks, the betting starts. It consists of bettors placing bets against each other with hand signals, yelling, whistling and clapping to catch somebody’s attention. None of the bets are ever written down on paper. At the bloody conclusion of the cockfight, bets are quickly and quietly settled with money being tossed at or passed down to the winner.

CAVITE

My son Mitch and I traveled to Tagaytay City, Cavite for some intensive training in Filipino martial arts or arnis. We attended the 3rd World Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) Festival, sponsored by a Modern Arnis organization to which we belong, the International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP).

There was not much time to play tourist this week. In addition, a typhoon named “Florita” hit about this time.

Other than a couple of restaurants in the area, about the only other place we saw was the SM (ShoeMart) Mall in Dasmarinas, Cavite, where we trained in an open area with spectators in three floors of the mall watching the proceedings.

I found the spectators curious, interested, friendly and polite. The male European delegates talked of young ladies shyly approaching them and making friends. One even received a proposal of marriage.

CONCLUSION

In Manila, it would be an understatement to say there have been many changes. Megamalls seem to have sprouted everywhere. Giant billboards compete for attention in major streets. There are more vehicles but traffic seems to flow faster, thanks to flyovers and one-way traffic. A puzzling innovation was the “coding” system, which bans the use of your car on certain days, based on your plate number. What good is flowing traffic if you cannot use your vehicle anyway?

On the other hand, some places in the provinces are time warps, with structures and places looking unchanged over years, as if time had stood still. In one sense, this is a good thing in the case of beaches, rivers, waterfalls and other natural wonders unmarred by commercial structures and man-made encroachments.

With the purchasing power of the dollar, many things are still bargains in the Philippines. I took advantage of a haircut in Pangasinan which cost me 40 pesos, the equivalent of less than a dollar or approximately 80 cents. My kids splurged on several pairs of cool-looking sneakers made in China, costing about $7.00 a pair.

There were no major political incidents in the country during our trip. I did not feel the political tensions, dire economic straits, massive unrest at the grassroots level and with the military that is supposed to be ailing the Philippines. Maybe the two typhoons that hit while we were there, “Florita” and “Glenda,” cooled off the hotheads. Maybe it was because we deliberately stayed away from Manila except to conduct business or visit friends.

As a writer, historian and economist, I am well aware of the ills plaguing the Philippines. But I saw the good side of the Philippines while I was there, my kids had a fabulous time, and I fell in love with her again.

I shall return.

This article with a photo gallery is included in my e-book “Philippine Odyssey 2006” which also includes accounts and pictures of the 3rd World Filipino Martial Arts Festival 2006” held in Cavite and Manila in July 2006, hosted by the International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP). The e-book may be purchased at the online store at www.filipinomartialartsmuseum.com .

LEARN THE SECRETS OF FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS FROM MASTERS IN THE PHILIPPINES

2006-08-24T15:03:00.000-07:00

Are you considering training in Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) or arnis, eskrima, or kali in the Philippines? Have you ever wanted to train with real FMA masters in the Philippines?

Have you dreamt of training with renowned Filipino masters of the blade, stick or empty hands like Yuli Romo, Roberto Presas, Diony Canete, Cristino Vasquez, Christopher Ricketts and many others? Have you ever wondered if there are still masters teaching the styles of Lightning Scientific Arnis, Tapado, Yaw-Yan, Modern Arnis, Doce Pares, Pekiti-Tirsia, Sikaran and others? Have you always wanted to train with direct line descendants of Tatang Ilustrisimo, Benjamin Luna-Lema, Remy Presas and other icons of Filipino Martial Arts?

Did you want to learn FMA in a resort setting, in a world-class resort with first class, state of the art training facilities? Did you want to train in or relax in sandy white beaches, pristine waters, sunset views and swaying coconut palms? Did you want to experience the best of Filipino culture, including food, music and entertainment?

Then look no more. Tipunan International offers all this and more. Tipunan International is the first full service company to offer FMA training in a fixed venue that is a world class resort.

Martial Arts Resort Venues

Next year, starting in Winter 2007, Tipunan International will commence its FMA martial resorts operations in its first location, Poro Point, located in the progressive town of San Fernando, La Union. Upon completion, Poro Point will boast of a five-star hotel, a business center and sports complex, a beach walk promenade and open air amphitheatre, an 18-hole championship golf course, a Las-Vegas franchised casino, and sandy white beaches.

Poro Point is five hours by coach and an hour’s plane ride from Manila. Countless tourist destinations are within a couple of hour’s ride, like Baguio (summer capital of the Philippines), Hundred Islands in Pangasinan, historic towns of Vigan and others in the Ilocos provinces, many new resorts in Bohol and Batangas, and many other tourist destinations.

The venues and program of activities are designed so you may have the guilty pleasure of training in Filipino Martial Arts and taking your significant other or family on an exotic vacation in an island paradise in the Philippines.

Other Tipunan International locations are either being built, negotiated or planned in Palawan, Bohol, Batangas, Zambales, Bacolod, and Cebu in the Philippines, Kona, Hawaii, in the USA, Australia and Puerto Rico.

Customized Training

We will customize your training. Whether as an individual or a homogeneous or disparate group, we will design your training in FMA appropriate to your skill level and experience.

You may be as specific or as general in your requirements. You may specify the style and level of training, and you may choose from a list of available instructors. You may specify the combative or sports aspect of FMA, or even a particular weapon training, such as the balisong, bankaw or sanggot, etc.

We do not sell ranks, promotions or certificates. But as a result of our customized programs, we will ensure that you get any appropriate rank, promotion or certificate attesting to the program you have completed. This will be signed and attested to by your supervising master, the governing council of his style, the appropriate Philippine government agency regulating FMA in the Philippines such as the Arnis Philippines, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) or the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), and the Director of Training for Tipunan International.

Remember that it is your new found skill, or increase in skill level, that will attest to your training, not a piece of paper or belt of cloth. In the olden days, the proof of the pudding was whether you could survive a bolo, knife or stick fight.

If you wish, you can have your current guro contact me, and he and I can work the specifics of your training. If he is a true FMA guro, he should be glad you want to train the Philippines, instead of feeling threatened. As a long-time guro in the United States, I have happily sent many of my students and peers packing for training in the Philippines.

Value Pricing

Tipunan International will offer multi-tiered pricing, to allow for customization of your program. It will range from Backpacker’s Specials, to Family Vacation Packages, to a Gambler’s Special, to an Elite Master’s Package.

Your comprehensive package pricing will include all lodging, meals, training, local transport to and from training, use of training weapons and safety equipment, agreed upon trips and entertainment, and applicable taxes.

I will personally guarantee you will get the most bang for your bucks.

Do not be herded into training camps in the Philippines, billeted in second-rate hotels or packed into dorms. Do not settle for generic, basic training conducted by low-level lakans (black belts). Be wary of your foreign guro making wholesale arrangements in the Philippines. That means there is a middle man involved, probably several of them.

Worse, do not be like Kwai Chang Caine of “Kung-Fu,” wandering the Philippine provinces and mountains looking for the proverbial master in the cave. Those days are long gone. Sure, that is adventurous, but it can also be dangerous and probably more expensive and counter-productive in the long run.

What makes me an expert on this?

I have had extensive training in both traditional and FMA in the Philippines and the United States. I have run several successful seminar groups in the United States. While living in the United States, I trained in FMA in the Philippines over a long period of time. I am both a martial artist and a businessman. I have many reliable martial arts and business contacts in the Philippines, USA and Europe.

I will personally handle the customization of your program, and I will try to accompany as many large groups as I can. I will be in the Philippines several months of the year, so there is a good chance I will see you there during your stay and be able to personally handle any potential problems.

If interested, please call or email me with the following particulars :
Desired dates
Number of people
Length of training
Type and level of training
Any other requirement.

I invite you to check out my resume’ and background in the websites cited below. I hope to talk to you soon.

Thank you.

Very truly yours,

Jay de Leon
CEO, Tipunan International
Commissioner, International Modern Arnis Federation
of the Philippines (IMAFP)
951-834-3386
jakkdawg@yahoo.com
http://www.tipunan.com/
http://www.filipinofightingartsintl.com/
http://www.filipinomartialartsmuseum.com/

GARCIANO ARNIS

2006-08-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

Name of Style : Garciano Arnis
Also known as Kilat Arnis (Lightning)

Founder : Ronald Garciano

Dojo Location : YMCA Building
Tapuac District
Dagupan City, Pangasinan

Classes : Monday through Thursday
Includes kids’ classes, adult classes
Classes include arnis and hand-to-hand combat

History

Ronald Garciano learned the family art of “kilat” (meaning lightning) arnis from his grandfather growing up in the Camotes Islands in the Visayas. There Ronald Garciano started teaching arnis in his backyard and developing his own style.

In 1991, he moved to Dagupan City, Pangasinan and in 2005, he opened the current arnis school at the YMCA Building in Dagupan City.

In addition to the family art that he learned in the Camotes Islands, his style contains and combines elements of Kodokan judo, combat judo (jiu-jitsu), combat aikido and Japanese aikido. Ronald Garciano is also an aikido master with several aikido dojos in Pangasinan.

Description of Classes

On July 4, 2006, Tuesday afternoon, my son Mitch and I dropped by their YMCA dojo in Dagupan City for about an hour and half. We saw two classes, a children’s class for arnis, and an adult hand-to-hand class.

The children wore uniforms of black pants and white school T-shirts with a nice touch—colored sashes denoting their ranks. Their color rankings went from white (no sash), yellow, orange, green, blue, brown and black. The same color rankings were followed for adults but with colored T-shirts and belts denoting rank, instead of sashes. A full gi was optional during actual classes.

The arnis dojo in Dagupan is headed by guro Rohnee Tiong Gumpal, who is from Pangasinan. He teaches the classes on a regular basis, and yields the mat when Master Garciano shows up for classes and gets on the mat, assisting with the students.

Description and Analysis of Style

Master Garciano’s arnis curriculum includes the full array of impact, bladed and flexible weapons, as well as empty hands, which he calls “hand-to-hand combat.” The latter course includes empty hands self-defense including defenses against weapons such as stick and knife.

Master Garciano offered us a demonstration of some of their arnis techniques with guro Rohnee Tiong Gumpal as “uke” or demo partner. Their demo included attacks and counters using single sticks, double sticks, stick versus knife (live), and balisong (live) versus empty hands.

What distinguishes this style is the underlying element of “kilat” style that manifests itself most markedly in its empty hands system. It includes painful joint locks and neck cranks or breaks that are somewhat similar to pentjak silat moves. Master Ronald Garciano averred that this was characteristic of the Visayan styles of arnis in the region that he grew up.

Conclusion

All in all, this school appears to offer a complete and authentic arnis system, with good and accessible facilities in a good part of town, surrounded by several schools, and run by a duo of very capable and professional instructors.

This dojo is a relatively new dojo, and could use more students and probably more promotion and networking with other major arnis national organizations. Not surprisingly, Master Garciano revealed that his aikido schools are overflowing with students, but his arnis dojo needs his personal attention to boost membership.

We welcome this school into the brotherhood of the FMA community, and wish Master Garciano and guro Gumpal much success in their commercial endeavor, and their students much progress and enlightenment in their martial arts quest.

Author’s note: This article and a Photo Gallery related to this article may be found in my latest e-book, “Philippine Odyssey 2006” now available at the online store at www.tipunan.com .

Copyright, Jay de Leon 2006

JAY DE LEON’S BOOK “MINDANAO JOTTINGS” NOW AVAILABLE

2006-08-23T01:39:00.000-07:00

Jay de Leon’s book about his experiences in Mindanao is now available. It is in e-book form titled “Mindanao Jottings.”

It is available at the online store at http://www.filipinomartialartsmuseum.com/ or http://www.tipunan.com/.

As an added bonus for a limited time, when you purchase this e-book you get another e-book titled “Philippine Odyssey 2006” which documents the 3rd World FMA Festival 2006 and other events of Jay de Leon’s trip to the Philippines, with about 200 original pictures.

For those not familiar with “Mindanao Jottings,” here is a blurb about the book.

“A few years out of college, Jay de Leon traded a corporate job as a junior executive in an American pharmaceutical firm in Makati, the Philippine commercial district, for the rough-and–tumble life of road construction work in rebel-infested Mindanao in the southern Philippines.

In “Mindanao Jottings,” Jay gives us a historical as well as a personal glimpse of those turbulent times in the 70’s. Interspersed are well-known events in Philippine history such as the declaration of Martial Law and the Christian versus Moslem armed conflicts of the times, with institutional problems such as graft and corruption and political violence, along with religious and social mores of the times involving love, sex and relationships.”

Any questions, please contact the author Jay de Leon at 951-834-3386.

MASTER PALUMBO VISITS JAKARTA, INDONESIA

2006-08-19T23:34:00.000-07:00

Master Vince Palumbo, 8th Grade Black Belt Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima and Stick Fighting World Champion, visits Jakarta, Indonesia

Master Vince Palumbo, one of the senior most ranked Australians within the world wide Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima World Federation (CDPEWF) Filipino stick fighting system of Arnis Eskrima, visited Jakarta, Indonesia during July 2006 to conduct a seminar on the system.Master Vince was invited to come to Jakarta by his fellow Cacoy Doce Pares EskrimaInstructor, Mr Glen Gardiner 5th Degree Black Belt, the brother of Martin Gardiner, who is a 7th Degree Black Belt in the system.

Master Palumbo conducted a week long seminar beginning on 5 July, and he taught the rudiments of Grand Master Cacoy Canete’s unique system of stick fighting.Master Palumbo is well qualified as a seminar instructor due to his training in numerous martial arts disciplines, and he has competed in over 200 ring fights to include boxing, kickboxing, taekwondo grappling, karate, and stick fighting for over thirty years!

A multiple world titleholder in this stick fighting art, Master Palumbo concentrated the seminar towards developing the club’s competition stickfighting abilities and technique. Seminar training consisted of two sessions a day consisting of two hours in the morning and three hours in the evening.The intensity of the sessions focused on match fitness and fight training, especially due to the taxing in the heat and humidity of Jakarta in Indonesia.Technique development was also structured as to enable maximum endurance and fitness development with the seminar focused on doing as much full contact sparring as possible.

The Jakarta club members had an opportunity to spar single and double stick with all the standard protective armor, as well as using just a single stick wearing only the headgear, gloves, elbow, and knee protection. As you'd expect in an intense training environment, the improvement in the participant’s skills were indeed very noticeable by the end of the week's seminar.Their desire to succeed coupled with Master Palumbo’s infectious enthusiasm and intense teaching style, empowered participants to overcome the challenges and great fears of the full contact fighting with either single or double sticks.

At the completion of the seminar Master Palumbo himself had fought well over 120, two-minute rounds with and without the protective sparring gear!For participants to include novices new to the art, the opportunity to familiarize them selves with the ring conditions while facing off against a multiple world title champion, was an honor and challenge in itself.Certainly this boosted the confidence of the participants and fostered an exceptional learning experience for all that participated in the week long seminar in Jakarta, and it was most impressive for a seminar instructor and fighter of Master Palumbo’s caliber, to see the eagerness of all participants, to actively participate while never declining or to be shying away from an opportunity to fight.

It was this fighting spirit that enabled them to overcome any aversions or uncertainties they may have had at the beginning of the seminar.When they finished, they all left the session knowing that they earned Master Palumbo's deepest respect for making the seminar a success by their enthusiasm, and for achieving a new found understanding of the basics in the Filipino Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima system of full contact stickfighting.

The Jakarta members of CACOY DOCE PARES ESKRIMA WORLD FEDERATION are planning to compete in the next CDPEWF World Title competition scheduled for Cebu City in the Philippines during November 24th, 25th and 26th in 2006.The club is relatively new having just been established in January 2006, with the majority of the members also being new to the concept of Filipino stick fighting.

The timing of Master Palumbo’s visit was coordinated to boost the club's ability to focus on match fitness and ring technique as well as the competitive reality of full contact stick fighting.In their remaining time before going to Cebu, these men and women will concentrate on perfecting fitness, technique and perfecting al of their own competitive skills that were learned during Master Palumbo’s week long visit.

Master Palumbo intends on returning to Jakarta early in November 2006, immediately prior to the upcoming World Title competition.His own team of stickfighters, coming from his home base in Adelaide, South Australia will accompany him there. Both teams will train together for approximately one week before departing for Cebu, where competition will be held from 24-26 November 2006.

Yours Faithfully,
Master Glen Gardiner 5th Degree Black BeltCacoy Doce Pares Eskrima and Martial Arts.

TIPUNAN SA LOS ANGELES 2006

2006-06-23T12:43:00.000-07:00

Tipunan International Presents
TIPUNAN SA LOS ANGELES 2006
(GATHERING IN LOS ANGELES 2006)

Particulars

Date : Sept. 16, 2006, Saturday
8:00 AM – 4:00 PM with lunch break

Venue
AIRTEL PLAZA HOTEL
Gulfstream BallRoom
7277 Valjean Ave., Van Nuys, CA 91406
Tel: 818-997-7676

Parking options:
Hotel premises - $5.00 whole day with in & out privilege.
Free streetside parking depending on availability.

If you are from out of town and require a room, group rates are available. Contact Roger Agbulos. See contact info below .

Description: Seminar and training in Filipino martial arts (arnis, kali, eskrima) featuring masters of the art in different styles including Kalis Ilustrisimo, Lameco, Lucaylucay Eskrima, Modern Arnis and Inosanto Kali.
Instructors will present best techniques of their style.

Host Organizations :
International Modern Arnis Federation of the Phil. (IMAFP) and Tipunan International, http://www.tipunan.com/

Featured Instructors :

Christopher Ricketts – Kalis Ilustrisimo
Bruce Ricketts – Kalis Ilustrisimo
Roger Agbulos - Lameco
John Jacobo - Bakbakan
Jay de Leon – Modern Arnis

Special Guest Instructors :

Felix Valencia - Lameco
Mike Rayes – Lucaylucay Eskrima

Master of Ceremonies : Roger Agbulos

Cost : $75.00
Includes FMA Festival T-shirt

Pre-Registration
Cost by Sept. 7, 2006: $60.00

Contact Info

Roger Agbulos
818-891-1454
geerow@hotmail.com

IMAFP
40485 Murrieta Hot Springs Road, #358
Murrieta, CA 92563

International Tournament Cacoy Doce Pares

2006-06-21T20:22:00.000-07:00

CACOY DOCE PARES ESKRIMA WORLD FEDERATION
Stick Fighting Championships
Nov. 25, 2006

TO ALL MEMBERS AND STICKFIGHTERS OF THE CACOY DOCE PARES ESKRIMA WORLD FEDERATION

The C.D.P.E.W.F. 3RD INTERNATIONAL SPORT STICKFIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS will be held in Cebu City of the Philippines on the 26th of November, 2006.

We are looking forward to your support, and we would love to have teams from the different countries around the world participating.

We have had letters of interest from these championships from Australia, Poland, Indonesia, USA and United Kingdom. Please contact the C.D.P.E.W.F. Headquarters in Cebu for more information about these World Stickfighting Championships at http://www.chuckcanete@yahoo.com .

Yours Sincerely, Grand Master Cacoy Canete.

Yours Faithfully, Master Vincent Palumbo
8th Degree Black Belt in the Martial Arts.

JOHN G. JACOBO SEMINAR IN FRANCE

2006-06-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

Progressive Combat Systems Association presents:
Kali Ilustrismo with Guro John G. Jacobo of Bakbakan International

Experience the combat tested principles & strategies of revered GM Antonio "Tatang" Ilustrisimo by one of the contemporary instructors personally taught by Masters Christopher Ricketts & Reynaldo Galang.
Designated as the East Coast Representative for Kali Ilustrisimo, Guro John has been involved with martial arts for well over 20 years and has devoted the past 15 years to FMA. His always aggressive, no nonsense approach to combat application will surely hone your skills and strengthen your mindset!

Saturday August 26th-Defondo (Anchoring)-Disarming -Footwork (Tatlong Bao, Retirada & Lutang)-Basic Striking Styles (Bagsak, Ikis, DeKadena & "V")-Long Range Application of Ikis-Application of SERIES footwork

Sunday August 27th -Application of Estrella, Medya Fraile, Classico, Pluma Sungkit and Paupo-Introduction to Cuatro Cantos-Introduction to Tulisan Knife Methods (Lagusan, Tulay, Colimpio, Doble Carera)

August 26th and 27th
2006Salle Multiactivité
Rue de L'EgliseCapinghem (closed to Lille, North of France)
Contact: Roger and Stephanie Galienne: 0033(0) 660 966 407
Email: pcsa@numericable.fr
For further details visit: http://www.marsfrance.net/

MINDANAO JOTTINGS: DAVAO CITY, MY OASIS OF PEACE

2006-06-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

Every chance I got, I traveled to Davao City. Every excuse I could find, I was on my way to Davao City.

The road being constructed began in the province of South Cotabato and ended in the province of Davao. Where the road construction ended, Davao City was a scant half an hour away.

Compared to Cotabato City, Davao City was paradise in so many ways. First of all, Davao City was much bigger and more cosmopolitan than Cotabato City. In fact, Davao City has the distinction of being the largest city in the Philippines as well as the world in land area, covering almost 603,000 acres.

In addition, Davao City was a minor tourist destination in the South. It had white, sandy beaches, five star hotels and restaurants, exciting night life and entertainment and many ethnic festivals. The province of Davao is home to Mount Apo, the highest mountain in the Philippines and the monkey-eating Philippine eagle.

But those were not the reasons why I took refuge in Davao City as often as I did. True, to a large extent it took my mind away from work and the daily construction grind. The biggest factor was, Davao City was as peaceful as a major city could get. The province and the city was predominantly Christian, and peace and order was not a problem in Davao City. I could leave two things behind in Cotabato every time I traveled to Davao City—my guns and my bodyguard.

When business reasons warranted a trip, I took the company vehicle, the biggest Ford pick-up truck then with reinforced shocks, and the company driver named Bong, who normally would be assigned to the construction site. I would reassign my personal vehicle, regular driver and bodyguard to help out in the camp.

The company had business associates in Davao City, and we would spend the evenings hitting the night spots. I remember going to several nice restaurants, a nightclub called the Marrakesh, and several massage parlors.

The massage parlors were not as plush and the masseuses not as comely as the ones in Manila, but they pretty much provided the same, er, basic services. After a nice invigorating massage, the massage included, for a small gratuity, a handjob called “sensation” in those days.

When it was strictly a personal trip, I usually flew to Davao.
For most of these trips, it was a junket with my girl friend Emma. We would stay either at the Insular Hotel, at that time the city’s premier hotel, or the Apo View Hotel, and spend a long weekend playing tourist.

We would go shopping, hit the beaches, dine at the restaurants and dance at the clubs just like any romantic couple. I enjoyed Emma’s company. She was very pretty, slender, educated, outgoing, articulate, even-tempered, passionate and fun to be with. I will always remember our good times, and I will always be grateful for her love and sweetness during those times. Those trips with Emma made Davao City even more memorable.

One time we took a regular bus on one of these trips. I found the trip uncomfortable, in fact downright miserable. There was construction in parts of the highway, we bounced all over the bus because of the rough road, and half the trip was in the dust. That was the first and last time we took the bus.

I guess it was different when I was working, and I could put up with it, but not when I was on vacation. Just like most people in the area, I found myself looking forward to the day when that road was finally complete and fully cemented from Cotabato City to Davao City.

MINDANAO JOTTINGS: THE BUSINESS OF SECURITY Part 1

2006-06-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

Next to the logging and construction industry, probably the next largest industry in Cotabato was the security industry.

Heavily armed, uniformed security guards were everywhere. Almost every business establishment hired security guards—banks, hotels, schools, large restaurants and nightclubs, and so on. And remember that Cotabato City was already under Philippine Constabulary (PC) control.

For example, right next door to Imperial Hotel II, the hotel where I was staying, was a bank, Consolidated Bank. There were always at least four security guards posted at the front entrance—two outside the doors, and two inside the doors who had to unlock and lock the doors every time a customer entered or exited the bank premises.

In addition, there were many private and free-lance bodyguards and gunslingers all over the province, called “djangos.” It was not unusual to run into groups of armed men, half of them in army fatigues without any patches, and half of them in civilian clothes, and they would turn out to be a bigwig’s security detail.

One time, for example, we befriended the security detail of a Muslim Senator who was staying at the hotel. The head of the detail was a regular Philippine Army captain assigned to the Senator. The rest were either enlisted soldiers or “djangos.”

My company had its forward base camp at a town called Baguer. The camp itself was within a secure area of town, under the protection of the Baguer police department. In addition, Baguer itself was under the protection of a detachment of the regular Philippine Army, encamped probably a couple of miles away. For a long while, my friend Sgt. Bert commanded that detachment.

As a final layer of security, my company had its own security force. The decision was made to hire our own security guards, instead of contracting with one of the security agencies. The reason was simply one of economics. Hiring our own security guards cut down the security expenses substantially by more than half.

Quite predictably, half of the security force were former military and law enforcement people. The other half was something else. They were all former convicts and inmates of the nearby Davao Penal Colony. When I pressed the construction superintendent about the rationale and the prudence of having such men in our employ, he had a unique point of view.

He said that these men would be extremely loyal to a company that hired them, considering their “undesirable” employment status. He also said that there was an extra benefit to hiring them. He reasoned that the criminal elements had to be extremely stupid or desperate to try breaking into our compound or picking a fight with the company, knowing the company had that kind of security within its compound.

Of course I made it a point to talk to all these ex-cons. One of them was named Fred. In my conversations with him, I learned that he was sent to prison for murder, was originally meted a life sentence, but was paroled after 17 years for good behavior, and the fact that the prison was overcrowded. He had prison tattoos all over his body, including a giant flying eagle on his back. In addition to a company-issued firearm, he was armed with a razor-sharp machete slung over his back.

Eventually, he was even promoted to “roving” security. Every time extra security was needed, Fred got the assignment. He usually rode in the open cab at the back of the company pick-up, cradling his shotgun. He became a fixture in front of Imperial Hotel II with other body guards, security guards and drivers. Where else but in Cotabato City would you find a recently paroled murderer armed to the teeth in the main streets of the city?

It is hard to assess whether his presence actually deterred any violence that was threatened or contemplated against myself and other employees of the company. While I never really got used to the violence and danger all around me, I eventually got used to the security people, just enjoying the human presence and loyal vibes I felt from them.

MINDANAO JOTTINGS: INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS 101, COTABATO STYLE

2006-06-13T16:29:00.000-07:00

I had my hands full with the operational and administrative functions of the company—payroll, billing, procurement, repairs and maintenance of the vehicles, security and so on.

But one of my critical job functions was probably what I called public relations with regulatory agencies, or to be more succinct about it, graft and corruption. I knew I would have to meet with each one of the government agencies as well as local government officials and make the necessary arrangements with them to be able to conduct business with the minimum hassle from these agencies.

I had a rough introduction to this public relations business, though.

The Philippine highways were patrolled by the Metrocom, which was the military arm in charge of the national roads, the equivalent of the CHP or the California Highway Patrol in California, and similar agencies in other states.

Arriving in Cotabato, I found out that two uniformed Metrocom officers on motorcycles patrolled the whole breadth and depth of the province. When I inquired about them, my employees informed me that these two officers made their royal appearances in the construction site probably about once a month.

I left word with employees at the camp and with the chief of police of Baguer, the base camp, to contact me as soon as the Metrocom officers showed up at the construction area.

One morning, my phone rang much earlier than my alarm clock. My bodyguard had answered the office phone, and it was the base camp requesting my presence as soon as possible. No reason was given, but I knew it had to be major emergency for them to drag me out of the city into the construction site.

After a quick shower and breakfast, my driver, security guard and myself made it to the site in record time. As we approached the road construction site itself, I saw all our dump trucks neatly lined up at the side of the road. There, at the head of the column of trucks, were two Metrocom officers with their high boots and khaki uniforms.

After the proper introductions, we proceeded to the camp office. The two officers formally handed me violation tickets for each of the trucks, numbering close to about thirty at that time, not yet at full strength. Since the trucks were brand new, there were only a few minor infractions, like a busted taillight.

But all the trucks had no license plates, or tags. I explained to the officers that the company was currently negotiating with the Land Transportation Commission (LTC) in Manila, the government agency in charge of issuing such licenses, so that the trucks would be subject to a construction license, instead of a commercial license. That difference amounted to a several hundreds of thousands of pesos for the year.

The officers said they would call the LTC, and we would meet again the following day. At the meeting the following day, the officers told me that the LTC confirmed my story. However they pointed out that, by law, they could still impound the trucks for operating without a license on a public road.

I replied I would be amenable to an arrangement. They handed me a piece of paper, with a monthly amount and a list of other requirements. I negotiated the amount down, and only for the period that the trucks were without tags. Once we had the legal tags, the amount would substantially decrease.

As soon as we verbally agreed, the trucks started rolling out again. There was nothing in writing, other than the list he handed me. I can still remember some of the items they requested. In addition to the cash, the list included Sam Browne belts (imported, from the U.S.), a specific type of ammunition and some jackets . I telephoned the requirements to the home office in Manila, which approved of the arrangement and actually made the purchases for me.

I kept my end of the bargain, and so did the other two police officers. A few times we crossed paths on the road. I knew all was right with the world when the two officers, parked in the shade by the roadside and standing by their motorcycles, smartly brought their heels together, and crisply executed a salute as my vehicle roared by.

I thought they looked downright smart and resplendent in their high boots and Sam Browne belts.

MINDANAO JOTTINGS : JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE, OR YOU THOUGHT YOU HAD DIVERSITY PROBLEMS AT WORK

2006-06-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

I grew up most of my life as a city boy in metro Manila. I only knew of Christian versus Muslim hostilities in Mindanao reading the newspapers and watching television clips. When I started working in Cotabato, I saw the violence and the animosity firsthand, even within my own company.

We set up our first base camp in a town called Baguer. It was a nice almost bucolic town, but the main reason why we decided on it was because it was a peaceful Christian town, and the chief of police was a no-nonsense guy who welcomed the business the road construction would bring to his town. Baguer went from a quiet, nondescript town to a bustling hub of construction activity.

Among other equipment, my company had a fleet of earth-moving dump trucks and stake trucks for long-distance hauls, bought from Hino from Japan. There was a long line of applicants for the numerous jobs available, but the premium jobs were still the drivers’s jobs.

A couple of months into actual operations, the construction superintendent proudly pointed to one of our trucks and said, “That is our first Muslim hire. He is an excellent driver and a good guy. And he is from Matalam.”

The significance of that last statement was not lost on me. Just as we were now operating out of a forward base camp, we were scheduled to operate out of a final camp out of the town of Matalam towards the end of the construction. Matalam was a Muslim town, and considered a security risk. We needed all the goodwill we could get for that stay in Matalam. I commended my construction superintendent for such a pro-active move.

A couple of days later, one of my assistant superintendents approached me with the Muslim driver in tow. My employee introduced the Muslim driver to me and said the Muslim driver had an urgent matter to discuss with me. The driver requested if I could pay him whatever salary was due him, so he could leave for his hometown.

I asked him if there was any problem. He said that he had been threatened that if he did not leave that day, they would shoot him. When I pressed him who made the threat, he revealed that they were drivers who were on the waiting list. I told him this was against company rules, and I would take care of the problem. He said he would just prefer if he got paid and just leave quietly.

There was no doubt in his mind, and there was little doubt in my mind, that if these guys made such a threat, they would carry it out. Some of them did not even need a reason to shoot a Muslim, much less if the Muslim was actually taking a job from them.

I had been informed that I had in my employ, several notorious “Ilaga” commanders or former “Ilaga” commanders. The “Ilagas” were the para-military Christian commando units that waged wars against the Muslims. By day they were farmers, drivers, mechanics, laborers, etc. At night, they suited up in combat fatigue or dark clothes, took up their weapons and conducted clandestine raids into Muslim villages or murderous attacks against a Muslim individual or family. It was brutal fighting with numerous civilian casualties and usually involved atrocities committed by both sides.

As I was figuring out how much was due the driver and actually counting out the money from my wallet, I was profusely and genuinely apologizing to him. He said, “ Please, sir. Do not worry and there is no need to apologize. I know you are a good guy and you run a good company. That is why I wanted to work for you. But I promise you that I will take care of these guys when the construction gets to Matalam.”

If I was not afraid operating in a Muslim-controlled town or territory before, now I was. I could only keep my fingers crossed that months from now, he would still be able to remember and distinguish the good guys from the bad guys.

MINDANAO JOTTINGS : AN AFTERNOON WITH A TOWN MAYOR

2006-06-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

It was right after lunch, and I had decided that day to stay at the office in Cotabato City. I was hoping that it would be a quiet, uneventful afternoon, and I could catch up on some much needed paperwork.

Of course, I had no such luck.

My bodyguard came into the office, and announced, “The Chief of Police of Sultan Kudarat is here to see you.” The Chief of Police was in full khaki uniform with a holstered sidearm, complete with what we called then a Pershing cap. He was very polite but firm, and informed me that the Mayor of Sultan Kudarat would like to speak with me, in his office.

Sultan Kudarat was the next big town right outside Cotabato City, on the way to Davao City, geographically the first town on the road construction project. It was probably about thirty minutes away. It was not everyday I was invited by a town mayor for an official palaver, with his Chief of Police as my escort. I was actually curious what he had to say.

But the biggest reason for going was, the town of Sultan Kudarat, as well as its mayor, chief of police and the majority of its inhabitants were Muslim.

The mayor was once a politically powerful man, part of the Muslim political machinery that ran Cotabato. Now, he was reduced to running a second-class enclave surrounded by Christian towns and politicians. Still, he was not a man to be trifled with or ignored.

I asked the Chief of Police if I could bring my security along. He said, if you wish, but there is no need. I will escort you myself, and bring you back here. I decided against bringing Joe, my security officer, along.

And so off we went in his official Land Cruiser jeep, with a uniformed policeman as a driver. Our actual destination turned out to be the house of the mayor itself. It looked just like the other nice houses in the city, just a little bit bigger and probably more elaborately furnished than the others.

The mayor was a short, squat dark man in his sixties, I guessed. We shook hands, and he smoked while I nursed a soda the whole time we talked. He was a soft spoken man who spoke slowly and deliberately in fairly good Tagalog. It was evident he was educated, and he spoke and moved unhurriedly.

He said he had seen many changes the past years, and he was sure that the new road construction would bring even more changes than before. He thanked me for helping bring about progress in that part of the country. I said that this was just another of President Marcos’s many infrastructure projects, and we were just executing his plan. He made a crack about, yes, you guys work in the heat and dust and Marcos gets the glory. Well, I replied, we do get paid for it.

That eventually brought us to the whole point of the meeting. He hinted that after serving his people and the town for most of his life, he did not have much to show for it. He said if he would appreciate it if he could have some part in the construction project, not in an official capacity, but as a businessman.

I replied that his request was beyond my jurisdiction to fulfill, but I would look into it and get back to him.

I knew exactly who to pass the buck to. The following day, I had a meeting with the Number 2 man in Philrock, a very amiable, hardworking and efficient Kapampangan named Tablante. As usual, he was very helpful and decisive about the whole thing.

In a few days, Tablante and I watched the mayor’s three dump trucks
working alongside my trucks. His decrepit dump trucks were a stark contrast to my brand new, bright-red, smart looking Hino dump trucks zipping around the construction zone.

The conversation between Tablante and myself went something like this.

Tablante : “I don’t know how long those old trucks of his are going to last.”
Jay : “And he is slowing my trucks down. But I guess my fifty trucks
can co-exist with his three trucks.”
Tablante : “They are going to be a pain, but it’s a small price for us to pay,
Jay. Good work with the Mayor.”
Jay : “And thanks for handling it on your end, sir. Very smooth, as
usual.”
Tablante : “Yes, the Mayor was pleased with the arrangement. Dinner and
drinks and some fine women next week in the city, as usual?”
Jay “My treat, as usual. Looking forward to it.”

We shook hands and went our separate ways.

The South Australian Stickfighting Alliance

2006-06-08T22:47:00.000-07:00

By Master Vincent Palumbo
8th Degree Black Belt in the Martial Arts.

An unusual name that undoubtedly creates images in your mind about a group of crazy people that enjoy to hit each other with sticks, but it is not quite the way it seems. After watching these guys in their stickfighting armour and in action, it's obvious that they really get off on this stuff, because they go at it pretty hard on each other, and without a doubt they really have to be incredibly fit to do so as well!

The South Australian Stickfighting Alliance's claim to fame on the big International scale, is because of the fact that they spar very hard with each other, and they all try to beat each other up with that 29 inch hard rattan stick, and this is all in good fun for them. "Full Contact Eskrima" is the name of their game, and they all play it very hard during the combative sparring that they do with each other! "

A stickfight is an intense adrenal experience, and all of the habitual learning because of the big necessity, creates a higher learning process that takes place in this altered state, which is of an entirely different order from the ordinary learning. The greater the intensity of the full contact stickfight, the greater the need to simultaneously tap into a centered awareness that keeps you from taking the shot that would be too much for your body to handle.

The South Australian Stickfighting Alliance was born in 1991, and it has produced many champion stickfighters over the years since its formulation as South Australia's first stickfighting enthusiasts getting together down at the park for a whack and a bash with their sticks! The rounds go for 3x2 minutes, with a 1 minute rest period in between the rounds, and all the fighters try to get in about 15 rounds of action, in order to ensure that they have had the best day of stickfighting, and to ensure that they all have a great day of fun!

The group usually gets together once a month, and they go down to a park where they can all get into their armour and have the best time sparring each other without any feelings of malice towards anyone, and the one rule that everyone keeps in mind, is that there are no big winners or losers, and that there is no 'bullshit' ego's either. After a few hours of full contact stickfighting, they all sit around and have a nice cold drink together, and of course, compare their bruises from the day’s fight action with the eskrima sticks.

The group was started by Master Vince Palumbo 8th Dan Black Belt in Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima, and he is also a South Australian, Australian and World Champion of the full contact stickfighting arena, with over 50 sport stickfighting fights under his belt as a competitor. The group has produced many champions in the past, people such as- Kevin Seskis, Maris Lukasevics, Mario Pastro, Mark Martini, Chris Rew, Vladimir Mihal, Barry Jamieson, Richard Blumbergs, Joseph Scali,Tony Salerno, Gary Smith, and Michael Harris. The stickfighting group has produced many female champions as well, with women like Nadia Blake, Andrea Wheatley, Vicky Simos, Rochelle Martini, Litza Pastro, and their new upcoming champion in Angela Wood.

Stickfighting in armour can be pretty nasty, and it is not uncommon for the stickfighters to get or receive some injuries while sparring each other, and many of them have received broken fingers, burst ear drums, dislogged finger nails, fracture of the ribs, wrist or forearm, and large welts or bruises on the legs, arms and shoulders! (Yes, it still hurts!)

The group has grown to about 30 members, and they all really enjoy the day of sparring with the other members of the group, and it gives them a chance to spar against opponents of all shapes and sizes. The other injury that the stickfighters can receive while sparring, is a nasty dose of concussion, especially after receiving a really good strike anywhere on the helmet that is worn to protect the head.

The Stickfighting members win no trophies, and the only rule is that everyone must remain friends at the end of the day. (And we are all just aiming at trying to improve our skills in sport stickfighting!) Everyone accepts that they are participating at their own risk, and its their responsibility, and our main goal is that no one spends the night in the hospital, and that everyone finishes up the day with the same IQ that they started the day with. The right attitude is only part of what it takes to become a full contact stickfighter, and we ask that everyone leaves the ego at home, and any bad attitude or bad mouthing will not be tolerated at all. With every gathering of the group members, it is considered that the whole day of efforts are the equivalent to a 1 no-decision stickfight bout, and this is documented into the members fight log!

For most people, it definitely takes a special type of training schedule to be able to survive and thrive in such a full on stickfight experience. We all feel like there is much more than just being sweaty, smelly, or to be considered as just a psychopath with a stick! The range of skills that is required for our kind of stickfighting, is a so quite broad, and in my own opinion it is an excellent testing ground for a student searching to find where they truly belong as a person in the world today, because the experience instils so much real confidence in the player.

Our goal is to continue and to try and develop the real martial art skill that is required throughout the entirety of one's life, not only when one is a young competitive athlete. (One of our top stickfighters, is 50 years of age!)

The core art of our 'STICKFIGHTING' system is from the Philippines, and the art that we all study is called the CACOY DOCE PARES ESKRIMA, and a lot of the techniques that we incorporate into our fighting skills and knowledge have been taught to us by the great Grand Master Cacoy Canete of Cebu City in the Philippines. We keep our sparring strictly to stickfighting, and we disallow any of the grappling techniques to be included during any of the combat on the day. (Let the stick do all the work!)

We are a goup of men and women that love to go to the park and have a good bashout with our eskrima sticks, and we are in no way wanting to give off the wrong impression, or that we are trying to copy the awesome Dog Brothers, and the type of sparring that they do, this is definitely not our intention at all! Our kind of full contact stickfighting sparring is designed to give our members a taste of the sport eskrima, and it is an activity that allows our members to get physical in a combat kind of a way, but in doing so, we try to minimize the rate of injuries by ensuring that all of the participants are all using the correct protective equipment when they spar each other!

Master Vince Palumbo and Master Kevin Seskis have experienced real full contact stickfighting without the protective jacket, and with just a head gear, elbow and knee guards, groin cup and gloves. But they both said that the injuries they received while sparring in that way was too demanding on their bodies due to the very nasty injuries they received with that type of no-armour stickfighting. We are trying to keep the injury potential rate down, because we know that everyone has to go to work on the Monday!

GOOD FIGHT, GOOD FUN, GOOD DRINKS, AND LOTS OF GOOD LAUGHS ARE HAD BY ALL OF OUR MEMBERS IN THE STICKFIGHTING GROUP!

MINDANAO JOTTINGS: CATFISH AND WATERFALLS

2006-06-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

Not everything in Cotabato was violence and turmoil. On the contrary, I have very many pleasant and happy memories of Cotabato. And they did not involve big business deals or personal triumphs.

Here is one example, which was simply a lunch break.

About half my working time when I was in Cotabato working in road construction involved actual field work. I would have go to the camp and the worksite with my driver, security officer and sometimes with the company chief accountant.

Most of the time, I would actually have to do some administrative function, like distributing payroll, checking on the paperwork at the company gas pumps, or meeting with some official of Philrock, the general contractor for the road construction with whom we had our contract.

The rest of the time was either trouble-shooting, or just mingling with the employees to keep tabs on things. I wanted to make sure the employees knew I was available and approachable, and many of them would take the occasion just to say hi or thank you, or actually discuss a particular issue.

On the whole, I was happy when I was on the road. I enjoyed being outdoors, although sometimes it was in the heat and dust, and sometimes in the rain and the mud, depending on the season of the year. I enjoyed the personal interaction, and it was gratifying to offer employment to people and sometimes help resolve problems.

I tried to make the field work as enjoyable and interesting as possible. I remember one particular day that will forever stay in my mind. We were several miles from base camp, so I asked the driver to scout around and find us some good lunch.

When lunch time came, we drove to a house where the driver had contracted the lady of the house to cook lunch for us We collected our lunch, which was unbelievably inexpensive. It was rice, fried catfish, vegetables and soda. Catfish is one of my favorite fish in the Philippines. For those of you that know fish, catfish are ugly creatures, but delicious.

My driver then took us to a secluded area that was nicely wooded with a small, gentle waterfall. We feasted on the lunch, and that was a great lunch for eating on the run in a road construction site. Then we all took a dip in the shallow pool with the waterfall cascading on us, frolicking like little children. Since we spent a lot of time on the road, we always had clothes and gear for emergencies like this one.

That was probably one of the best lunch breaks in my whole life. Where else can you take a two-hour lunch break with a nourishing, home-cooked meal, then take a dip in a natural pool and waterfall with a lush, sylvan setting?

In retrospect, the two-hour, 3-martini lunches I had in my corporate life pale in comparison with this roadside lunch.

Reluctantly, we drove back to work at the site. I don’t know about my two other employees, but that was a magical day for me, to be able to work and briefly refresh the body, mind and spirit in a land full of violence and turmoil.

Carlito Bonjoc's Seminar

2006-06-06T11:57:00.000-07:00

Bee Safe Martial Arts Presents A Seminar with Guro Carlito Bonjoc Jr.

Guro Carlito Bonjoc Jr. is considered by many as a leading authority in the Filipino martial arts. With his easy to follow instruction method you will learn the advanced combative applications of Serrada Escrima.

The Blade, The Stick & Empty hand attacks
Don’t miss this opportunity to experience this rare insight in to the combat aspects of Serrada Escrima.

Good for all levels, beginners welcome!

$60 for advance registration
$75 at the door
When: July 15th 2006, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: BeeSafe Martial Arts
120 Church St.
Roseville, CA 95678
(916) 628-9885 (contact Sensei Bee Landrum to register)
or email BeeSafeMA@yahoo.com

Guro Carlito Bonjoc Jr. ( see http://www.bagyo.net/ )

Master/Founder of Mata Sa Bagyo Filipino Martial Arts
Fourth Generation Master Cades Lapulapu Escrima
Dedicated practitioner of Talawan Escrima system
Highly respected instructor of the Cabales Serrada Escrima system

MINDANAO JOTTINGS: A TALE OF TWO SOLDIERS Part 2

2006-06-05T12:46:00.000-07:00

The Lieutenant

A mutual friend introduced me to Lieutenant Rudy. Lieutenant Rudy was the head of the Philippine Constabulary (PC) forces that maintained peace and order in Cotabato City.

Normally, a city had its police department to maintain peace and order. If a city’s police department was deemed inept or corrupt, the Philippine Constabulary would be ordered to take over the city’s police function, with the police department now reporting to the PC Commander. In the case of Cotabato City, it was probably a case of the city police being both inept and corrupt.

At the time I lived in Cotabato City, the political situation in the city was volatile. Cotabato City had just elected its first Christian mayor, Mayor Teodoro V. Juliano, who had unseated the powerful Muslim incumbent Mayor Datu Mando Sinsuat. His political enemies had sworn that Mayor Juliano would not survive his term.

Mayor Juliano moved about the city in a long convoy full of armed men. He rode in a custom-built, armor-plated vehicle that looked like the forerunner of the humvee. In front was a driver and two armed bodyguards. He sat in the middle row flanked by two bodyguards. Behind him sat another row of bodyguards.

Directly behind his vehicle was an armored car with a mounted machine gun. His security consisted of regular military soldiers, city police, his own security detail and free-lance gunslingers, called “djangos” in Cotabato City.

On top of that, there was always the possibility of another Muslim versus Christian conflagration, and open fighting could break out again.

Lieutenant Rudy had his hands full.

But we found time to have a few leisurely lunches. He would come to lunch in full battle gear, with grenades hanging from his uniform while we dined at the restaurant of the plush Imperial Hotel II. We would discuss politics, history, careers, business, money and delectable women.

I found Lieutenant Rudy to be intelligent, sophisticated and articulate. He was after all, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA), the Philippine equivalent of West Point, and was now a commissioned officer of the Philippine military, attached to the Philippine Constabulary branch with a very visible assignment.

Aside from the military uniform and the grenades, and an occasional digression into military life, for me it was just like lunching with another business associate.

Less than a year into our relationship, I was out in the field, by the roadside. An army convoy approached, and in the lead jeep was Lt. Rudy. He was probably keeping an eye out for me, and as soon as he espied me, he ordered the convoy to halt, stopping right at their side of the highway.

He alighted from the jeep, and we walked to a shady part of the road. The conversation went something like this.

Lt. Rudy “Hi. Have you heard the news?”
Jay “No. What’s going on?”
“I have been reassigned. Just next province, to Davao. Just
for a while.”
“Why? What happened?”
“President Marcos caved in to some politicians who wanted
me out of Cotabato Province.”
“Why do they want you out?”
“Have you heard of the (name of Cotabato barrio)
Massacre that happened a couple of years ago?”
“No. That was before I got here.”
“Well, I ordered it.”

Briefly, he told me the story. Before being PC commander of Cotabato City, he was an army operational officer in Cotabato Province. One day, one of his patrols got fired upon in an outlying Muslim barrio in Cotabato. The patrol took cover, radioed the camp and waited for reinforcements. Lt. Rudy came personally with heavy reinforcements.

By the time Lt. Rudy arrived, the armed men had fled from the barrio. All that was left were old men, women and children. Lt Rudy then ordered the barrio inhabitants massacred.

I remember him saying, “We killed every living thing in that barrio—old men, women, children, and animals.”

“So what will happen to you now?”
“Nothing. I will just sit it out in Davao for a while. If it was
up to Marcos, he would give me a medal for the massacre.
But he has to play ball with these Muslim politicians.”

We said our goodbyes, shook hands and the convoy moved on through the construction site.

That was the last I saw of Lt. Rudy, and I have no idea what eventually happened to him. Within a year, I was back in Manila, and within a couple of years, I started life anew in a new land, the United States.

Occasionally I think about him—a dashing military officer, educated, intelligent, resourceful, articulate, passionate, ambitious and patriotic.
I always wonder though if he ever asked forgiveness for, or even noticed, the blood of innocent people on his hands.

MINDANAO JOTTINGS: A TALE OF TWO SOLDIERS Part 1

2006-06-04T16:13:00.000-07:00

After all these years, I wish I could tell you their real names and true identities. But I have decided to be prudent, for their sake and mine, and keep their identities a secret. The names used are fictitious, but the stories are true.

The Sergeant

I met Sgt. Bert during a business meeting with the Governor of Cotabato. At that time, he was the head of security for the Governor. When he was introduced to me, he was dressed in civilian clothes, was almost good-looking in a rugged way with a steely gaze. One of my associates later whispered to me, “He’s a killer.” and proceeded to tell me a couple of chilling stories about Sgt. Bert.

Sgt. Bert was the Philippine Army equivalent of James Bond, Agent 007. It was not because of his suave conquests of women or his weapon gadgetry. It was because he had a license to kill. He was what I would call a military hit-man.

The next time I saw Sgt. Bert, he was in full military green BDU’s. He had driven into my construction camp, saluted smartly and shook my hand with a warm smile. He said he had grown bored with the security detail, had asked for field duty, and was now head of the army detachment camped about a couple of towns away. I was overjoyed with the news. Technically, he was in charge of the safety of my camp. He was equally happy to be back in his old stomping grounds.

We developed a friendship over the next months. He was a warm, family man, with a folksy sense of humor. He never asked me for anything, except for a company contribution when his daughter was a contestant in a beauty contest at their town fiesta. The way these beauty contests worked, whoever sold the most tickets to the coronation ball won, so it was mostly a monetary, fund-raising contest. I made sure his daughter won by a landslide.

In spite of our busy schedules, we had a few quiet talks together. Over some cold beers, he told me some hair-raising stories.

He confirmed his most talked-about exploit. Alone, he had crept several miles into enemy territory during the night, tracked down his prey, a ruthless Muslim killer and leader of a ruthless band, hacked him in the night, and managed to elude numerous pursuers and get back to camp safely. The chilling exclamation point to this whole exploit was the fact that he brought with him the head of his victim in a canvas sack (sako).

He told me another story of how he liquidated another Muslim rebel leader. This rebel leader somehow trusted Sgt. Bert. Sgt. Bert requested a face-to-face meeting with the Muslim, just between them, at a neutral location. Sgt. Bert described how he and the Muslim sat down on huge rocks, and started talking. Sgt. Bert’s marksman picked off the Muslim from concealment, with one shot.

He confirmed that he had gone out on “Ilaga” sorties, either as a combatant or a trainer. “Ilaga” is an Ilonggo or Visayan word for “rat” and the “Ilagas” were the fierce Christian para-military units who fought against the Muslims. Most of the time, they were led by former soldiers. The regular Philippine Army was routinely accused by Muslims of either training or actually leading or accompanying “Ilaga” units.

Sgt. Bert revealed that there had been several assassination attempts on his life. He recounted to me his closest shave. He had spent most of the day at a “sabong” (cockfight) festival, and was on his way home. He was only armed with a .45 and for footwear, was wearing only slippers.

He was ambushed by two men on either side of the road, one with an Armalite and one with a automatic handgun. He said the guy with the Armalite fired and somehow missed him. Sgt. Bert drew his .45, fired one shot each at the two assailants, and killed them both on the spot.

I do not even remember the last time I saw Sgt. Bert. I believe it was one of those random road checkpoints that he occasionally conducted. Since there were other people and complete strangers on that public road, we only nodded civilly to each other.

I do not know what eventually happened to Sgt. Bert. Within a couple of years, I was living a new life in the United States.

In one of our conversations, I remember asking him if he was afraid of dying, that eventually his old enemies would catch up with him. He shrugged his shoulders and uttered a common fatalistic line, “If that is the will of God.” Then he smiled his folksy smile, and said. “But they will have to be really good to get me.”

THE RENAISSANCE MAN OF MODERN ARNIS: MASTER RENE TONGSON

2006-06-02T12:09:00.000-07:00

Philippine Modern Arnis Master Rene R.Tongson is the embodiment of the martial arts warrior, businessman and scholar of the twenty first century. His initial experience in Filipino martial arts (FMA) consisted of intense, extensive training from the whole Presas clan, progenitors of Modern Arnis and other arnis styles.

His formal training started with Grandmaster Roberto Presas. Grandmaster Remy taught him the classical arnis techniques and forms that would eventually be the basis of Modern Arnis. Grandmaster Ernesto rounded off his training with weaponry. Master Rene also credits a young Cristino Vasquez, cousin to the Presas and now another prominent Modern Arnis grandmaster, for developing his stances and postures. Master Rene would also later earn high ranking black belt dans in karate and kendo.

Eventually, he founded his system known as Tres Puntas as inheritor of Grandmaster Mateo D. Estolloso’s Abaniko Tres Puntas Estilo. As a traditionalist, Master Rene is known for his fluidity and grace in classical arnis. His students include Master Bambit Dulay, datu Dieter Knuttel, dayang Edessa Ramos and many other arnis guros in the Philippines and other parts of the world.

Presently, Master Rene is one of the highest ranking Modern Arnis masters with the rank of Lakan Antas Walo (Blackbelt 8th Degree) and titular head of International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP). He also presides over the international chapters of the IMAFP in the Middle East headed by Godofredo Fajardo, North America headed by Jay de Leon and Europe headed by Edessa Ramos.

Together with about a dozen like-minded, stout-hearted men, Master Rene also belongs to a council of Modern Arnis grandmasters that is trying to keep the legacy of founder Remy Presas alive. Some of these venerable masters include many personal students, longtime friends and blood relatives of Prof. Remy Presas including Roland Dantes, Rodel Dagooc, Vic Sanchez, Cristino Vasquez, Godofredo Fajardo and Roberto Presas. This year 2006, Master Rene is the point man in the formidable task of organizing the 3rd Filipino FMA (Filipino Martial Arts) Festival, an international gathering of Filipino martial arts practitioners (www.fmafestival2006.com).

At least one hundred fifty masters of Filipino martial arts from different styles and from different parts of the globe and several hundred more local eskrimadors are expected to participate in several venues in the Philippines over a period of ten days. Fortunately, Master Rene’s extensive business background, organizing experience and diplomacy skills should serve him in good stead in orchestrating and managing this logistic nightmare.

He graduated from college with a degree of Bachelor in Science in Industrial Engineering and a Degree of Master in Business Administration (MBA). He is used to the political arena, holding incumbent positions in the Philippine government as an elected local legislator. He is comfortable in the executive board room, as he is presently a Director of the National Coffee Board and consultant to various Philippine business companies.

In addition to his technical skills in arnis and the other martial arts, his administrative abilities were tested when he spearheaded the formation and development of Arnis Philippines, now the governing body for arnis under the Philippine Olympic Committee. In 1987, he authored the original version of the Philippine National Standard for the conduct and practice of competitive arnis, the basis of standard rules now being followed in local and international padded arnis competitions.

A recent widower, having lost his wife to cancer in 2005, he is now faced with raising four wonderful children on his own. He claims this personal aspect of his life together with his faith give him balance and perspective in addition to his responsibilities in the martial arts, business and political world.

For this Renaissance man of arnis, the challenges ahead, both personal and professional, are daunting and numerous. But like the Renaissance men of Europe centuries ago, he is fortified by his scholarly acumen, his quiet diplomacy, his indefatigable leadership and the legacy of Prof. Remy Presas who told him in January 6, 1999, “Go and spread the word, Arnis is Filipino, Arnis is for the world.”

MINDANAO JOTTINGS: EYEWITNESS TO A RUB-OUT

2006-06-01T13:16:00.000-07:00

The year was 1971, and the place was Cotabato City, Cotabato Province in Mindanao, Philippines. These were heady and exciting times for me. I was barely twenty-four years old, and I was Chief Operating Officer for a road construction company based in Cotabato City.

Cotabato Province was in the heart of Mindanao, with still a predominantly Moslem population. But steady encroachment by Christian settlers mostly from the Visayas had reached a point that the balance of power was shifting from Moslem to Christian. Cotabato was a very dangerous place, full of armed factions on either side of both the political, ethnic and religious divide.

The company office was in a suite at the Hotel Imperial II, at that time the newest and most modern hotel in the city. I had a chief accountant and two office clerks working in the office, together with a personal driver and security officer. I also lived in the hotel and my security officer slept in the office while I was in town, providing me and the office round the clock protection.

One of the guests at the hotel was another businessman who also had an office and a room at the hotel. His name was Architect Jovellano, who was working on a project in Tacurong, (I believe it was a new town market) probably a couple of hours away from the city. He employed a lone draftsman who worked in his office inside the hotel.

Architect Jovellano was an interesting character. He was not physically imposing, but he had a colorful background. He was actually a well-to-do resident of the city. A few years ago, one of the powerful Moslem datus took a liking to one of his teen-aged daughters and kidnapped her, intending to marry her, by all accounts forcibly against her will.

Jovellano did not take this laying down, marshaled enough military and private muscle of his own and retook his daughter. Fearful of retaliation and to prevent another kidnapping, Jovellano moved his family to nearby Davao City, about a couple of hours drive away.

Now fast forward to several years after the incident, and Jovellano was back in Cotabato City working. I would say that we were probably in that hotel about the same time for about three months. During that period, his daughters came for a visit from Davao and I met them and exchanged a few words of pleasantries with them. The daughters were gorgeous, and I can understand why the kidnapping took place. I should probably also mention that Jovellano’s brother Willy, who worked as a radio announcer at one of the city’s radio stations, became one of my business friends.

On that particular day, it was mid-morning and I happened to be at the lobby of the hotel, chatting with a business friend. Jovellano came out of the elevator, hurrying to conduct business for the day.

He was dressed casually but smartly in a batik shirt, which looks like a colorful Hawaiian shirt but with ethnic designs peculiar to Mindanao. He had a sidearm, a Magnum .38 tucked in his waist, and he was carrying an automatic rifle to his car. Some of the hotel clerks greeted him by name, I said hi to him as he breezed by, and he waved and yelled a general greeting to everybody.

The hotel had double glass doors , and standing at the lobby, you can actually see out through the glass doors into the street outside the hotel. As usual, they had a smartly uniformed doorman at the door, who actually opened the door for anybody coming in or coming out of the hotel, and warmly greeted known patrons of either the hotel or the hotel restaurant. The doorman opened the door for Jovellano, greeting him good morning.

Jovellano was parked almost right in front of the hotel, just a little bit to the right as you exit the hotel. I was probably the closest to the glass door other than the doorman.

Jovellano climbed into his vehicle, which was a Fiesta, a Philippine made Ford vehicle. The Fiesta had no doors that closed, but instead was open on both the driver and passenger side. Jovellano braced the rifle along the left side of the car, started the car and proceeded to shift to reverse gear.

At that moment, the first shot rang out. The doorman prudently moved from the glass doors to a few steps inside the lobby. I impulsively ran towards the glass doors at the first shot. As I was rushing towards the glass doors, I could see the people on the other side of the street, frozen in their tracks.

By the time I got to the glass doors, it was all over. A gunman had stepped out of the sidewalk and had shot Jovellano four times point blank with a .45. Jovellano was slumped backwards against the driver’s seat. There was a neat round red hole around his temple and his neck. There was a mass of blood around his mouth and jaw, and his chest. The front of the batik shirt now ran dark red with blood. The gunman must have shot rapid fire down the left side of the body—temple, jaw, neck, chest.

There must have been at least a couple of dozen eyewitnesses to the shooting, including several sales ladies in a store right next to the hotel. Predictably, only a handful offered any statements, and I was told that if by any chance it came to a trial, these witnesses would conveniently suffer amnesia.

Willy and I would chat about the murder sporadically. At one point, I asked Willy point blank if it could have been the Moslem kidnapper, who was known to Willy. Willy said he did not think so, and if he ever found out that it was indeed he, Willy would simply just retaliate in kind. There were many conjectures offered as motive. It could have been the present project. It could have been a past project. It could have been a business association that had soured. In short, it could have been anything.

In the end, it became just another of Cotabato City’s unsolved murders, unless they somehow solved it since I left for the United States. For me, it was just another sober reminder that, like Dorothy, I was no longer in Kansas. During my stay in Cotabato City, I received about a couple of dozen death threats directed either towards me personally or the company, and had somebody pull a gun on me several times.

Sometime that same day, I ran into Jovellano’s draftsman on his way out of the hotel. He had his light jacket on, and he had cleaned out his drafting tools from the office. He gave me a wry smile, and we wordlessly waved at each other.

MOMENTS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY: THE ASSASSINATION OF BENIGNO AQUINO

2006-05-31T11:05:00.000-07:00

On Aug. 21, 1983, Benigno Aquino was on a China Air Lines flight from Taipei, his last stopover from the United States to the Philippines. It was a regular commercial flight for the China Air Lines, but it was no ordinary flight for Benigno “Ninoy”Aquino.

He had spent the past three and a half years in relative tranquility in the United States. After years of incarceration in the Philippines by Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, he was released and allowed to fly to the United States for medical treatment. After his successful medical treatment, he had spent the last three years recuperating, spending time with his family and teaching at Harvard University.

Now he was on his way back to the Philippines. He would appeal to Marcos to relinquish power and return the Philippines to democracy. Failing that, he was ready to resume his political crusade against Marcos and suffer alongside his people. On board the flight were several television crews including, I believe, one headed by Aquino’s own son-in-law. The television crews conducted several interviews right during the flight.

In the interview, Ninoy acknowledged the gravity of the situation and the danger he was facing on his return to the Philippines. Arrest and detention, and even summary execution or assassination were real possibilities. He even warned the cameramen to be quick with their cameras when they land, as it could be over quickly.

I saw this particular television program when it aired years later, from the plane flight right down to Ninoy Aquino’s final moments on earth.

When the plane landed, the film shows uniformed soldiers boarding the plane. The head of the group approached a seated Ninoy Aquino, saluted and ostensibly introduced himself as the head of his security detail. Ninoy stood up, gathered his belongings and went with the detail and exited the plane. The plane door was then shut, and the cameras could no longer follow Ninoy’s progress past that point.

A few minutes later, there was a commotion inside the plane among the passengers, and the camera panned outside the plane, either through an open window or the door itself. The camera showed a fallen Ninoy laying face down on the tarmac floor.

Supposedly a lone gunman named Rolando Galman was able to elude posted guards numbering thousands in the runway and airport area, and fired one shot at Ninoy’s head, killing him instantly. The security detail then shot and killed the alleged gunman.

Either this was one of the most inept security detail in the history of the planet, or it was one of the more elaborate assassination scenarios in Philippine history.

The hue and cry and outrage at Ninoy Aquino’s murder reverberated not just in the Philippines but also worldwide. As expected, the list of usual suspects was long and intriguing, and included Imelda Marcos, the communists, Gen. Fabian Ver and other high ranking military officials, Marcos crony Eduardo Cojuangco and others but not President Marcos, who was on his sickbed recovering from a recent kidney transplant.

The military soldiers and officers on the tarmac who escorted Ninoy from the plane were tried, convicted and meted life sentences. But the government investigative panel, called the Agrava Fact Finding Board, failed to uncover a mastermind. The Manila International Airport (MIA) where Ninoy was assassinated was subsequently renamed the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Ninoy’s death and its tumultuous aftermath eventually led to EDSA, the People’s Revolution, and Marcos’s unceremonious flight from the Philippines in 1986.

Questions:

Who do you think ordered the assassination of Ninoy Aquino?

If Ninoy Aquino was not assassinated but instead allowed his opposition activities against President Marcos, would he have succeeded in toppling Marcos?

Where were you and what do you remember about this incident?

REMEMBRANCES OF DOJOS PAST Chapter 2

2006-05-30T21:16:00.000-07:00

Chapter 2

SHORIN-RYU KARATE

I finally got to train in a commercial karate school a couple of years before I immigrated to the United States. The school was a branch of the “Philippine Combat Karate Judo Association” or “PHICKAJU” for short. It was located in a commercial building in the heart of Cubao in Quezon City, a suburb of Manila, and its core instruction included shorin-ryu (Latino Gonzalez style), Kodokan judo and arnis. Its clientele ranged from high school students to law enforcement officers to bouncers and personal bodyguards. I still have my original PHICKAJU I.D. #5452 signed by the chief Instructor, , Ranie P. Henson, 4th Dan Black Belt.

There was one word to describe the training there—brutal. To begin with, classes were for two hours in the tropical heat without air conditioning. The first half hour was for warm-up (as if we needed it) and conditioning, after which time everyone would be sopping wet. Training was on a cement floor, which at some spots would be rough, chipped or uneven, sometimes wet and slippery, and at all times punishing on unshod feet. Instructors regularly hit students in the stomach. One of their favorite tricks was to hook a kick (using the heel) to an unsuspecting student’s stomach from behind him This physical contact was not meant to hurt a student but to remind him gently to tense his stomach muscles upon delivery of a technique, and to maintain his balance. I went to a morning class and was fortunate to have a young, tough but easygoing instructor named Morris Dolores.

There were two kinds of sparring—“controlled” and “uncontrolled.” They actually used these English words to differentiate the sparring. “Controlled” meant you could deliver medium contact kicks or punches anywhere below the neck and above the belt. “Uncontrolled” meant full contact blows to the same area. Some of you are probably thinking, “That’s not so bad.” I hasten to mention that, at this time in ancient history, protective equipment was unheard of—that’s right, not even a cup or a mouthpiece. Quite frequently, a blocked punch got deflected to the face, and an errant kick into the groin.

Which brings me to two sparring stories. While I was “uncontrolled” sparring one time, I took a kick to the stomach. The bad news was the kick was thrown full force, and it hit me a couple of inches below the belt line. The good news was, I tensed my stomach muscles upon impact (as trained), felt minimal pain and stayed on my feet with no ill effects. A few minutes later, though, I tasted blood in my mouth. I was convinced I was bleeding internally and my young life would ebb and end on that concrete arena. When I sat down after sparring, the guy next to me said, “You have a split lip.” You can’t imagine how relieved I was to have a split lip. As they say in Tagalog, not to worry, “malayo sa bituka” (it’s far from the vitals).

The second sparring story is about the young cigarette vendor who peddled his goods at the entrance of the building of the dojo. For those who never been to the Philippines, cigarette vendors are those itinerant daredevils who carry their wares in an open box and sell individual sticks of cigarettes, gum or candy to pedestrians and passing motorists, oftentimes jumping in and out of speeding jeepneys and busses.

Anyway, this particular cigarette vendor told me he used to be a student at the school. When I asked why he quit, he stuck out his left arm to show me. His hand, instead of being on the same plane as his forearm, was at a 90 degree angle, and the wrist area was withered and scarred. Using a downward block, he had blocked a front kick thrown by Chief Instructor Rannie Henson during an uncontrolled sparring match, and the kick shattered his wrist. Either the doctors botched the job, or I suspect that he was too poor to get the proper medical attention.

Finally, there was the matter of belt promotions. PHICKAJU was member of a shorin-ryu confederation named “Siete Pares Association” which convoked its seven schools every year for belt promotions and, somewhere along the way, some camaraderie and brotherhood. For the belt promotions, the usual kata and self-defense requirements were easy enough. Sparring was an entirely different story, however. Seven candidates from the different schools squared off against each other, not one on one, but one against everybody else. In other words, when it was your turn, all you had to do was spar (uncontrolled, of course) against six other high-strung, adrenaline-pumped karatekas from other schools out to impress the judges, their senseis, their schoolmates, the other school members, as well as any casting agents who happen to be around.

To this day, I do not know what enabled me to survive that test with just minor bruises, not even a split lip. I wish I could say it was superior skill. Right. Most probably either luck or fear. But I would like to think that, after years of arduous training, I had developed into a real karateka in a real, hardcore karate school in the Philippines.

This was my last dojo before I left for a new life and uncertain future in the United States. Little did I know that my martial arts education with Filipino masters was far from over.

REMEMBRANCES OF DOJOS PAST - Chapter 1

2006-05-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

Chapter 1

Bruce Lee is reported to have issued this mandate to Taky Kimura, “Get a nondescript little place and work out there; have a good time, develop strong friendships and a good philosophy.”

Well, my martial arts odyssey through the Philippines and the United States did take me to countless nondescript little dojos, it is true, but also to colorful, unforgettable teachers. I had a good time, made many friends, and in the process, evolved my own martial arts philosophy. Here then is a collage of several dojos in the Philippines I trained it, from school gyms to parking lots, as well as the hardy and venerable Masters who presided over the training.

JUDO

The very first martial arts system I trained in was in Kodokan judo, which in the 50’s was the premiere martial arts system in the Philippines. In fact, one of the biggest judo schools (called “clubs” in the Philippines) was run by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), the counterpart of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). The head of the NBI, Col. Lucban, was at that time the highest ranking Filipino judoka in the Philippines.

It was school summer break, and for a couple of months I trained at their school somewhere near Taft Avenue in Manila. This is where I got to wear my very first gi (called kimono back then) and my only accomplishments at this point consisted of learning how to tie my white belt properly and making my first acquaintance with “tatami” mats. The highlight of the class was always the “randori” or free-style sparring. All the black belts knelt in front of the class, and any lower belt student who wanted to spar would bow before the black belt of his choice, thus requesting the honor of sparring with him.

A few years later, I was one of the first students at my high school judo club, the Ateneo de Manila High School Judo Club in Loyola Heights, Quezon City. Every afternoon, after class, we would proudly don our gis, and roll out the judo mat at one of the corners of the huge school gym, called the “covered courts,” so called because there were rows of basketball courts with basketball hoops along the side. There we shared space with dozens of other students playing basketball, volleyball, chess and other intramural games.

Our first instructor was Jose “Pinggoy” Asuncion, a ruggedly handsome athlete and national judo champion many times over. Unfortunately, we enjoyed his martial arts expertise for only a few months. At that time, he was also co-hosting a TV show on Channel 7 (Bob Stewart’s channel) called “Judo and Quick Draw.” Judo and quick draw (yes, just like the westerns, except you cleared leather against an electronic clock, not a desperado) were not strange bedfellows since the host, Eddie Limjap, was an NBI agent, a judo black belt, a handgun instructor and a quick draw aficionado.

Anyway, Pinggoy was “discovered” and recruited into the movies. After a blockbuster debut titled “Diegong Tabak” wherein he showed off his ripped physique, martial arts prowess and histrionics, he found fame and fortune in the celluloid world as one of the nation’s top action stars with the screen name of “Vic Vargas.” Other top action stars of this period included Joseph “Erap” Estrada, the former disgraced President of the Philippines, karate master Tony Ferrer, former stuntman Jess Lapid and others. Sadly, I was informed a few years ago that Vic Vargas had passed away.

Back at the judo club, he was ably replaced by Master Florencio Arambulo, a Kodokan-trained judoka and veteran police officer of Quezon City, a suburb of Manila. When we asked him if he ever had to use his
martial arts skills in his work, he answered matter-of-factly, “Many times.”

Which leads me to an observation at this point. While Kodokan judo is strictly a dojo sport, the judo masters I knew were far from one-dimensional. Most of them cross-trained in either jiu-jitsu (called “combat Judo” in the Philippines), karate, arnis, or were active in law enforcement or military service. They were true warriors, street-wise and battle-tested, and developed the practical aspect of their art.

KUNG-FU

Most of the Chinese kung-fu schools in the Philippines in the 60’s were closed societies, open only to Chinese and usually ensconced deep in the heart of Chinatown. I was able to train in this style in two private dojos, one in a sports club across my college, De La Salle College on Taft Avenue, Manila, the other in a company-sponsored martial arts school.

The first school was taught by a sifu named Lito Vito. Together with his brother Teddy, Lito Vito was one of the first Filipinos to train in the closed kung-fu school of Hong Shi in Chinatown. Other than his tremendous kung-fu skills, I remember Lito Vito for being armed with small metal weapons he had in his pockets. They looked like finger rings with spikes or protrusions. One of the students in this school, a fellow student from La Salle named Manny Pleno, eventually became a noted kung-fu fighter and competitor in the 70’s in the Philippines. . Eventually, I also got to train privately with Lito’s brother, Teddy.

In the second dojo, we had several thousand square feet for training—the company parking lot during the dry season and the warehouse during the rainy season. The sifu was a Chinese-Filipino named Wilson Yap, who worked as a warehouse supervisor for the company and who also happened to be a bodybuilding champion. If you had the image of a slight kung-fu master doing balletic, flowery motions unsuited for street fighting, Wilson would have quickly dispelled this notion. He was built like Arnold Schwarzenegger, and fought like Don “The Dragon” Wilson.

In addition, he revealed to us that his original school had a “breaking” requirement. Each one had to specialize in breaking with a specific technique, e.g., downward knife hand, straight knuckle punch, and so on. Wilson chose the rear roundhouse kick with the ball of his right foot. He showed us his right foot. Outwardly, it looked like a normal foot. But when he curled his toes up and “balled” his foot, the ball of his foot swelled to about three times its normal size. I have seen a lot of karate-toughened hands, but his was the only instance I had ever seen of a karate-toughened ball of the foot.

Wilson claimed that he could break an adobe block (a solid natural stone weighing at least 50 lbs. used in construction in the Philippines, usually for walls or fences) held head level. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to see him do this feat, but I have absolutely no doubt in my mind he was capable of such a feat.

TRAINING WITH THE PROFESSOR, THE SECOND TIME AROUND

2006-05-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

Master Godofredo Fajardo is the current Commissioner for the Middle East for International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP), stationed in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He is also my Modern Arnis guro and co-founder of our organization, Filipino Fighting Arts, Int’l. But more than that, Master Fajardo enjoys a unique position in the history of Remy Presas Modern Arnis. He was a personal student and protégé of Remy Presas, and was an active instructor, officer and tournament official for the various Modern Arnis organizations during and after Remy’s time (including NARAPHIL, Arnis Philippines, MAACOP, and others). In addition, he was able to train with Remy even after Remy emigrated to the United States. He was also instrumental in helping form IMAFP, Inc. and continues to serve as a Commissioner and a member of its Council of Masters.

Here, in his own words, he describes that training with Remy and his role in the formation of IMAFP, Inc. At my request, Godo wrote the original piece below in Tagalog, and I took the liberty of translating it. I also left it without any annotations (describing the persons and places mentioned here), and any future historian can have the pleasure of quoting this piece and supplying their own annotations, with the proper acknowledgement, of course.

Jay de Leon

TRAINING WITH THE PROFESSOR, THE SECOND TIME AROUND
By Godofredo Fajardo

Remy went back to the Philippines after a long absence either in 1986 or 1988. At that time, I was teaching Modern Arnis in a gym for Raymond Velayo, on E. Rodriguez Ave in Quezon City. I was overjoyed to be able to train with Remy again. On that first visit, I trained together with Rodel Dagooc at the hotel where Remy was staying, the Silahis Hotel on Roxas Blvd. in Manila.

On his next visit in 1997, we continued our training, both at the hotel where he was staying in Binondo, Manila, and subsequently, at his house in Marikina. I believe that they have sold this house since.

The Professor made several more visits after this. The training got a little bit more intense and more advance. In addition to the advance Modern Arnis techniques, he introduced tapi-tapi, which was new material for most. He stayed in a house which they had converted into a gym. Located near Taft Avenue behind De La Salle University, the house was owned by Shishir Inocalla. By this time, we were also joined in our training by Bambit Dulay.

On one of these visits around the year 2000, Remy also gave a seminar for the Department of Tourism (DOT) which I attended.

It was also during this time that Remy formed the International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP). Bambit Dulay and I were entrusted with getting Modern Arnis masters to meet with Remy, as well as the actual legal formation of IMAFP. Remy, Bambit and I met with these masters wherever we could—during training, in beerhouses, in the office of Atty. Salvador Demaisip, at the Pamantasang Lunsod ng Maynila (PLM) and anywhere else we could find them.

The meetings could be contentious at times, with so many masters and so many personalities and egos to contend with. But eventually IMAFP, Inc. took shape and was registered with the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) at EDSA Greenhills in Mandaluyong with Atty. Demaisip as the first president.

Other Board members included Roberto Presas, Cristino Vasquez, Rene Tongson, Bambit Dulay, Noel Penaredondo and myself. In addition to being PRO, I was also designated the International and National Training Officer for IMAFP, and Remy entrusted me with various VHS tapes of his seminars in the U.S.

On August 1, 2001, I left for Saudi Arabia, not knowing that my last training session with Remy was the final time I would see him alive. Within the month, Remy was dead. When I learned of his passing, I felt a great sense of loss, just like when I lost my first Modern Arnis teacher, Willy Annang.

Farewell, teacher and father. Till our next training.

Godofredo Fajardo
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
March 19, 2006
http://www.filipinofightingartsintl.com/

GM BERNARDO SALINAS RETURNS FROM SUCCESSFUL SEMINAR AND TRAINING IN THE PHILIPPINES

2006-05-27T21:33:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Tipunan International associate GM Bernardo Salinas of Canada for a successful seminar and training in the Philippines, and to Master Vic Ferrer for his promotion to 7th Dan in Sikaran style conferred in the Philippines.

Below is GM Salinas own report on his ground-breaking trip to the Philippines with fellow Canadian FMA artists.

In April of this year an entourage of Martial artists from Western Canada arrived in the Philippines to accomplish personal goals in their art. After five weeks of hard work and intensive training in the humid summer heat with temperatures reaching 130F, the group returned home to share their stories of this amazing adventure.

Master Vic Ferrer of Saskatchewan

Master Vic Ferrer of Saskatchewan, a 6th Degree Blackbelt in the Filipino Martial Art of Sikaran, met with his mentor Grandmaster Geronimo to discuss his ideas and suggestions regarding their organization and made a documentary of his experiences. Master Ferrer returned to Canada with his 7th Dan in Sikaran Filipino Martial Arts. Congratulations on a job well done, Master Ferrer.

Promotions

For Robert McGuire and Andrea Morrow, both from Fort St. John, BC, this was their first trip to the Philippines. It will not be their last. They accompanied their grandmaster Bernardo Fabia Salinas to further their training in Karate and Arnis Filipino Martial Arts. Congratulations to Robert for achieving his 2nd degree (Nidan) promotion in Karate and Practitioner Level VI in Arnis. Congratulations to Andrea for attaining her Brown belt in Karate and Practitioner level IV in Arnis.

Philippine Seminar

Grandmaster Salinas, assisted by his students, hosted an Arnis Filipino Martial Arts seminar in Binalonan, Pangasinan. The seminar was a great success, with 108 participants in attendance including municipal officials, members from the SK Federation, Barangay Council, local police and Philippine National Police. Many people helped to make this seminar a success.

Grandmaster Salinas would like to extend his appreciation and thanks to Grandmaster Flaviano F. Cabuang of the Martial Arts Training Society for sharing his time and extensive knowledge.

Thank you also to Mert Altares, who came from Saudi Arabia to participate in this event and to train with GM Salinas. Altares received a certificate of training for his dedication and attentive study in Filipino Martial Arts. Grandmaster Salinas would like to express his gratitude to Councilor Atty. Francis Villarin Tinio for his hard work in organizing this event, and to Honorable Ramon N. Guico, Mayor of Binalonan, for his outstanding leadership.

Grandmaster Bernardo Fabia Salinas

MOMENTS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY: THE DAY PRESIDENT FERDINAND E. MARCOS PROCLAIMED MARTIAL LAW

2006-05-26T00:36:00.000-07:00

September 1, 1972 was a historic day in Philippine history. It would not be overly dramatic to echo the cliché, that it was a day that will go down in infamy. On this day, then President of the Republic of the Philippines Ferdinand Edralin Marcos issued Proclamation No. 1081, better known as Martial Law.

In effect, the Proclamation declared martial law over the entire country, suspended the writ of habeas corpus and essentially installed Marcos as dictator for life.

The proclamation of martial law found me working in Cotabato City, Cotabato in Mindanao at a road construction project. At the worksite, it was business as usual. When I drove back to the city in the early afternoon, though, I headed to my favorite watering hole, the restaurant at Imperial Hotel II where I was staying. There, over some cold beer, business associates told me the news.

All television and radio broadcasting were suspended. Instead, the government radio recited the riot act over and over. Among other edicts, there was no carrying of firearms except by military personnel, and there would be a curfew from midnight until 4:00 AM.

Rumors flew all over the place. Hundreds had been arrested in Manila and all over the country. There had been summary executions of known Marcos critics. Guerrilla warfare had now broken out in several parts of the country. It was next to impossible to sift fact from fiction, truth from rumor.

That night, a few minutes after midnight, a group of guys and myself stood at the sidewalk just outside the lobby of the hotel. Later, a military truck roared by, and somebody in the truck yelled at us to go back inside. With so many unanswered questions in our minds, we trudged back inside the hotel for a fitful sleep.

The following day, we had to make some minor adjustments. Now, we had to venture out of the city and into the neighboring towns and to the worksite without any firearms. I usually went out with a driver and a bodyguard. The bodyguard was always armed, and I was armed most of the time. That day, we felt apprehensive and vulnerable going about the province without any weapons, but eventually got used to it.

During that first day, we saw several random military checkpoints. A typical scene would be, a public bus would be stopped and all the occupants had to file out and be searched by soldiers. There was a bare table by the side of the road, which eventually would be piled high with confiscated firearms. We never saw any prisoners as a result of the checkpoints, so we assumed the soldiers were just confiscating firearms but not arresting any firearm carriers.

For the remainder of my stay in Cotabato, we were stopped at random military checkpoints in the province. Sometimes, they would simply look inside the vehicle, ask us if we were carrying weapons, and then wave us on.

We were working on a road construction project that had us working around the clock. Because of the midnight curfew, I had to go to the military authorities and request permits for each worker that had to work from midnight till 4:00 AM.

As an aside, instead of dampening the nightlife scene in Manila, the curfew probably generated more revenue for the nightclub owners. The nightclubs started having “stay-ins,” meaning partygoers simply stayed and partied in the club from midnight until 4:00 AM, the end of curfew time.

The Marcos Martial Law existed technically until 1981, when Marcos himself lifted it but still retained virtual dictatorial powers, and ended for good in 1986, when Marcos and his relatives and cohorts fled Malacanang Palace in helicopters supplied by the US, just as the EDSA marchers were about to storm the Palace gates.

While it may be argued that the first years of martial law brought some tangible benefits to the country, the eventual Martial Law years trampled on human rights, enriched Marcos and his family and cronies by about thirty billion dollars mostly in the form of behest loans, and saddled the Philippine government with these loans for the rest of its life.

September 1, 1972 was truly a day of infamy, the effects of which are still felt by the people of the Philippines, and will probably linger for many more decades to come.

MOMENTS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY: THE EXECUTION OF ANDRES BONIFACIO

2006-05-25T00:13:00.000-07:00

During one of my college history classes, our professor, a well-known historian and writer, Dr. Marcelino Foronda, recounted this interesting anecdote. As part of his historical research, he had occasion to interview Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo when Aguinaldo was pretty advanced in age but still lucid.

Dr. Foronda recounted that he was tempted to ask the venerable general this question. The question was, did he (Aguinaldo) order the execution and death of Andres Bonifacio, supremo of the Katipunan (KKK)? But Dr. Foronda admitted he chickened out, thereby allowing Emilio Aguinaldo to carry that secret to his grave.

The facts leading to the death of Andres Bonifacio seem to be straightforward enough.

Initially allies, Andres Bonifacio and Emilio Aguinaldo quickly became bitter rivals for leadership of the fledgling revolution. The relationship between the Bonifacio supporters called the Magdiwang Faction and the Aguinaldo followers called the Magdalo Faction strained to the breaking point.

To resolve the leadership issue, the revolutionaries agreed to meet at what would be called the Tejeros Convention, where Andres Bonifacio lost to Emilio Aguinaldo in the elections. Aguinaldo was sworn in as President of the revolutionary government, but Bonifacio refused to recognize Aguinaldo’s government and set up his own government.

Followers of Aguinaldo convinced him to arrest Bonifacio for treason. A detachment of Aguinaldo’s soldiers surprised Andres Bonifacio and his brothers at breakfast. A short fight ensued in which Andres Bonifacio was wounded in the neck and Andres Bonifacio’s brother Ciriaco was killed. Andres Bonifacio and another brother Procopio were brought to Naic, Cavite, where Aguinaldo had his headquarters.

From this point, the details start to get hazy.

On May 8, 1897, both brothers were sentenced to death by a military court.
On May 10. 1897, a detachment of soldiers headed by General Lazaro Makapagal escorted both brothers to the Maragondon mountains. Interestingly, three mountains are mentioned as the possible execution sites of the Bonifacio brothers—Mount Tala, Mount Buntis and Mount Nagpatong.

There, as ordered, General Makapagal opened and read his sealed orders. He wept when he read that the council was ordering him to execute the Bonifacio brothers. Presumably, the Bonifacio brothers were executed by a firing squad, and buried in shallow graves in the Maragondon mountains.

Emilio Aguinaldo’s involvement in the execution is unclear. In some accounts, he opposed the execution of the Katipunan supremo, and voted instead for banishment. But Aguinaldo’s generals demanded the death of Bonifacio. Whatever Aguinaldo’s final decision was, the military council voted for and signed Bonifacio’s death warrant, and also that of his brother Procopio.

Thus did Andres Bonifacio’s quest for independence for his beloved country end, in his own violent death at the hands of his fellow independence fighters. But a grateful nation honors Andres Bonifacio as the Father of the Philippine Revolution, whose cry for freedom in August of 1896 eventually ended decades of colonial rule.

Questions for discussion :

Do you think Aguinaldo issued direct orders to execute the Bonifacio brothers?

If there was less infighting and actual bloodshed between the Magdiwang and the Magdalo factions, and more unity among the Filipino forces fighting the Spaniards, would that have resulted in the Filipinos winning the Revolution and gaining their independence?

THE DAY REMY PRESAS DIED

2006-05-24T10:42:00.000-07:00

Just like many Americans, I learned of Remy’s passing in an internet posting.

For one thing, I was shocked. I knew he had had surgery, and was having complications during recovery, but I did not know he was at death’s door. I was deeply saddened. I could not help shedding tears as I read the rest of the news.

Professor Remy Amador Presas was no abstraction to me. I was not at his bedside when he died. I was not a ranking student who was part of the Modern Arnis inner circle in the United States. I did not even deem myself worthy of calling myself a student of Remy Presas.

But Remy and I had a connection.

Maybe it was because I met him when he was new to the States, and not too many people knew who he was. I met him via correspondence while he was still in San Francisco, and I did not personally get to meet him until he started teaching and giving seminars at Dan Di Vito’s taekwondo academy in Los Angeles in the mid-seventies.

Maybe it was because we were both middle-aged immigrants from the Philippines trying to make a successful life here in the States, who also happened to have a common passion for arnis.

Maybe it was because we would chat together in Tagalog during those seminars I attended over a span of three decades. One time we were eating seminar lunches. I was eating teriyaki chicken with rice and he was chowing down on several hotdogs. I kidded him that the hot dogs were bad for him. He looked at my food and said. “Sawa na ako diyan.” (I am tired of that kind of food.)

Maybe it was because we had a common friend, Master Godofredo “Godo” Fajardo, in the Philippines. Godo was my Modern Arnis instructor in the Philippines. Godo was a direct student of Remy in the Philippines, and together with many other Modern Arnis stalwarts in the Philippines, became caretaker of the style when Remy left for the United States, and would carry on the Modern Arnis torch after Remy’s passing.

It was probably all of the above, that gave me such a pang of sadness knowing there would be no more Modern Arnis seminars and friendly banter with the charismatic yet friendly Father of Modern Arnis.

That night, I had to teach my regular arnis class in Laguna Hills, California. I decided to do something a little bit different. I wore my official Modern Arnis uniform to class, when normally we just wore our Filipino Fighting Arts T-shirts. At the start of the class, I announced Remy’s untimely death. I asked the students present that night to offer a silent prayer, and dedicate the night’s workout in his memory.

At that time, I thought that that was my symbolic final goodbye to Remy and Modern Arnis. Other than regular correspondence with Godo, I had no official standing or connection with the Modern Arnis hierarchy.

Little did I know that Remy was not done with me yet. This must be the circle of life that Mufasa talks about in “The Lion King.” Godo and I are involved again with Remy’s organization as Commissioners at both ends of the world, with Godo in Saudi Arabia and me in California.

So far it has been gratifying working with the likes of Masters Rene Tongson, Cristino Vasquez, Rodel Dagooc and Roland Dantes in promoting Modern Arnis. It will be a long road ahead, it will be a challenge, and the obstacles will not be minor, but I am happy to be a utility player in a star-studded team that will ensure that Professor Remy Presas’s beloved style and his memory will live on forever.

MOMENTS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY : THE MARTYRDOM OF EDGAR JOPSON

2006-05-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

During the period of martial law, from 1972 to 1986, it is estimated that close to four thousand civilians were detained, tortured and summarily executed without due process by government forces. Their only crime was, in the eyes of the Marcos military enforcers, subversive activities. We are not talking about armed combatants or guerrilla fighters here. We are talking about students, professionals, blue collar workers and political oppositionists who spoke their minds, and tried to rally others to what they deemed a just cause.

Probably one of the better known victims was a young man named Edgar Jopson, known as Ed or Edjop to his friends.

I single him out not because he was a more popular figure or a more well known name than the others. I choose to remember him because he was my childhood friend.

Ed was probably a couple of years younger than I was. When I met him, we were both still in short pants (part of our Catholic school uniform) going to Ateneo de Manila Grade School in Loyola Heights, Quezon City, a suburb of Manila. We both lived in the same gated community called Philamlife Homes in Quezon City. We rode the same school bus to Ateneo, and often chatted either waiting for the bus or during the bus ride itself.

I remember Ed as a good-looking, good-natured kid then, with a cherubic face and a crew cut. His parents owned a chain a grocery stores, and in fact, owned the first grocery at Philamlife Homes, called Jopson’s Supermarket. Ed was also good friends with my younger brothers who also went to Ateneo.

At some point, we lost contact many years later. I believe his family moved out of Philamlife Homes, and we went to different colleges. I only learned of his death many years after the fact, when I had already emigrated to the U.S.

From accounts I have read, the brutality of Marcos’s martial law radicalized Ed from a student leader and a “Ten Outstanding Young Men” awardee to a fire-breathing activist, “aktibista” in the vernacular. When I hear that word, I usually remember the Kabataang Makabayan (KM), young radical activists usually from public schools leading sometimes violent rallies in the streets of Manila, braving tear gas and rattan truncheons in pitched battles with heavily armored riot police and military.

On Sept. 20, 1982, Ed was reportedly captured or cornered in a safehouse in Davao, and in the vernacular “salvaged” meaning executed.

It is difficult for me to imagine Ed as a radical activist. He came from a wealthy, loving family. He had received the best possible education from an elite Jesuit university. He was poised for success, his whole young life ahead of him.

It is even more difficult for me to imagine Ed dying a violent death like that. It is hard to reconcile such a mindless finality and my last image of Ed, a vibrant, gentle, popular teen-ager full of life and good will towards his fellow man.

On a human note, I was gratified to find out that Ed was able to marry and actually start a family even while on the run.

Ed died a true blue-blooded Atenean, as we say in Ateneo, a Filipino patriot, and a loving family man. Ave atque vale, Ed. Hail and farewell, old friend.

A FRIEND IN AFGHANISTAN Part 2

2006-05-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

In an earlier posting, I wrote about a former student, Markanthony Meditz, who is now with the US forces in Afghanistan.

I had my second chat with him, and here is a summary of his life in Aghanistan. Understandably, the military is strict with information they can divulge, as well as pictures they can send or show.

He is with a FOB (forward operating base) in Afghanistan. He works basically as a communications specialist handling very sophisticated communications for both the US and coalition forces. Part of his duties is as gunnery support for patrols, usually on board an armored humvee and wearing IBA (interceptor body armor).

The patrols get attacked by small arms fire, rockets and suicide bombers, not too much of the IED’s (roadside bombs) prevalent in Iraq. Markanthony has survived his humvee being blown by a tank land mine.

There is practically no entertainment in camp other than watching movies. Many spend their free time writing letters and emails to family or reading.

Markanthony hopes to come home to the United States sometime the end of this year, after 18 months of overseas assignment. We agreed to meet in either Nevada or southern California sometime after that, insh’Allah (God willing).

MOMENTS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY: THE PLAZA MIRANDA BOMBING

2006-05-20T23:44:00.000-07:00

This particular event will always be etched in my memory, because I saw it on live television.

On the night of August 1, 1971, the Liberal Party was holding its “miting de avance” rally at Plaza Miranda in Manila. Its oppositionist senatorial line-up was seated on a raised dais or platform erected temporarily at Plaza Miranda specifically for the rally. Some of these candidates included senatorial candidates Eva Estrada Kalaw and Jovito Salonga and mayoral candidate Ramon Bagatsing.

I am very familiar with the Plaza Miranda area. I went to college at De La Salle University on Taft Avenue in Manila. When I took public transportation, Plaza Miranda was where I would catch my short jeepney ride to Taft. Ave. after a bus ride from Quezon City to Quiapo. On a normal day, Plaza Miranda then was just a huge open space in front of the Quiapo church, full of people hurrying to and fro.

Tonight, the crowd just milled in front of the raised dais. From what I remember from newspaper accounts, there were several grenades thrown onto the stage. One exploded onstage, the other bounced off the stage and exploded right into the crowd. One grenade turned out to be a dud, and could have easily increased the death toll.

From what I saw on TV, you could see and hear the explosions. After the explosions, smoke swirled up on stage, and you could see those mostly at the edge of the dais scamper away. Some in the middle of the stage stood up staggering, and a few figures were slumped on their chairs or on the floor of the stage.

Pandemonium broke loose soon after that. I believe there were several television replays of the blasts. But nothing could equal the emotional shock of the first explosions.

Nine were killed and several dozens injured, including Senators Jovito Salonga and Eva Estrada Kalaw. Senator Jovito Salonga was one of the worst hit of the victims. It took three major operations in the first twelve hours after the bombing for a team of doctors to save his life. Salonga has carried the effects and scars of that bombing the rest of his life. He is blind in one eye, deaf in one ear, and claims to have over a hundred shrapnels in his body.

Pres. Marcos blamed the communists for the bloody crime. Speaking for the Philippine Communist Party, its founder Jose Ma. Sison denied having anything to do with it and in fact condemned the bombing. Another suspect to emerge during the subsequent investigation was General Fabian Ver, head of Marcos’s Presidential Security Unit (PSU).

Marcos took advantage of the situation to suspend the writ of habeas corpus, Hundreds of suspected subversives from the ranks of students, workers and professionals were rounded up and detained by the authorities. Many writers point to this incident as the catalyst and Marcos’ rationale for martial law eventually declared in 1972.

Questions:

Who do you suspect were the perpetrators of this crime?

Do you think President Ferdinand Marcos had direct involvement?
Where were you and what do you remember about the event?

FMADIGEST PUBLISHES SPECIAL EDITION ON INTERNATIONAL MODERN ARNIS FEDERATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (IMAFP)

2006-05-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

For its May Special Edition, FMA Digest has published an issue featuring the International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP). The featured writers for these articles include IMAFP’s own international Commissioners, Edessa Ramos for Europe, Godofredo Fajardo for the Middle East and Jay de Leon for North America.

This Special Edition is in line with Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Steven Dowd’s goal to feature Filipino martial arts styles and organizations all over the world.

If you are not a regular subscriber to this online magazine, you may download your own copy at http://www.fmadigest.com/ .

IMAFP - Hong Kong

2006-05-18T13:54:00.000-07:00

by Guro Abner Anievas

The International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP) - Hong Kong was formally established August 5th, 2004, in Fanling Hong Kong. IMAFP Hong Kong’s goal is to promote Filipino culture, its heritage, sports and history. One of IMAFP Hong Kong’s contributions is the preservation and development of the art and to continuously and selflessly teach the art of Modern Arnis.

Modern Arnis is a very adaptive, pragmatic, and complete martial art system equally based in weapon and empty hands. An ancient art primarily practiced for self-defense, it is designed to be simple and easy to learn.

Modern Arnis is an eclectic (made up of elements from various sources) style. There are empty hand forms, stick forms, Filipino Jujutsu, grappling, kicking, sinawali boxing, stick and dagger, knife, double stick, single stick, anti-stick grabbing, as well as combinations of all the parts mentioned.

Modern Arnis was devised to be a complete system, integrating the cultural connection of the Filipino arts and the ability to adapt and make your foundation art more functional for self-defense. It has as its functional value, traditional Filipino concepts such as Abaniko (fanning of the stick), Palis-Palis (passing of energy), Banda y Banda (horizontal slashing or striking), Rompida (diagonal slashing or striking), Sungkite (thrusting), and other principles extracted from the working of the baston, offering a great deal of adaptable translation and flow based qualities. All these concepts are interactive, depending if the intent is to strike, lock, throw, control, disarm, slash, stab, attack, or disengage.

IMAFP Hong Kong in its teaching and training provides leadership, growth, and comprehensive mental and physical training in the art created by Remy Presas, “Modern Arnis” system in its entirety. The IMAFP Hong Kong student arnisadors learn to embrace and apply the Way of the Flow in life.

Ultimately the Modern Arnis practitioner will
1. Learn self-discovery and self-control
2. Achieve personal excellence
3. Gain self-mastery, in the face of life's daily uncertainties, challenges, and opportunities.

HOW TO LOOK STYLIN’ AT THE FMA FESTIVAL 2006

2006-05-17T19:04:00.000-07:00

So you have decided to go to the FMA Festival 2006 in Manila, the Philippines this July, sponsored by the International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP), http://www.fmafestival2006.com . Congratulations! You will learn a lot of Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), you will meet scores of interesting and exciting like-minded people, you will see many spectacular sights, and experience amazing cultural events enough to last you a lifetime, or until your next trip to the Philippines anyway.

Just like any event, you need to be dressed appropriately. Leave your Homer Simpson or Ashley Simpson T-shirts at home. Your FMA school T-shirt is not a bad idea, or even a generic FMA shirt. You may even wear an old FMA shirt from another seminar a couple of years ago.

But to really stand out in the crowd and look stylin’, wear a unique, event T-shirt. Wear a T-shirt that is officially approved by the FMA Festival. In addition to owning a good-looking shirt, you will be helping the FMA Festival since part of the proceeds will go to the Festival. Other stylish apparel with the event logo are also available, like golf shirts and rain jackets (a must at this time of the year in the Philippines).

To order, go to the online store at http://www.filipinomartialartsmuseum.com/ .

Too busy to attend the Philippine FMA Festival this year? Well, maybe next year. In the meantime, you can still purchase a couple of these items, wear them to other seminars and have your friends think you actually went to the Festival. Psst, your purchase is confidential.

MOMENTS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY : VALENTIN DE LOS SANTOS AND THE LAPIANG MALAYA MASSACRE

2006-05-15T18:35:00.000-07:00

On May 21, 1967, members of an obscure political sect called Lapiang Malaya (Freedom Movement) started massing in Taft Avenue in Pasay City, a suburb of Manila. They were dressed in peculiar blue uniforms with red and yellow capes. What made their otherwise colorful uniforms ominous were the accoutrements that came with them--long bolos and anting-anting.

They had come from the rice fields of Luzon, and their mission was to march on Malacanang Palace, the presidential palace in Manila, and overthrow the government of then President Ferdinand Marcos.

They were led by an octogenarian named Valentin de los Santos, variously described either as a fanatic or a cult leader. But Valentin de los Santos was not your run-of-the-mill fanatic. An old political warhorse, he had run for President of the Philippines several times under the same political party, the Lapiang Malaya. He was revered by and had a large following of peasant farmers.

This ragtag band of bolo-wielding protesters was met by heavily armed troopers of the Philippine Constabulary (PC), who fired warning volleys above the heads of the farmers. Emboldened and believing that their anting-anting had protected them from the deadly hail of bullets, the farmers charged the PC ranks with their bolos. This time, the troopers fired at center mass, and carnage ensued.

This incident became known as the Lapiang Malaya massacre and just added to the list of bloody events laid at the doorstep of President Marcos. It would be many years before any reckoning of any kind for this incident and many others would catch up with Ferdinand Marcos.

Questions:

Did the Lapiang Malaya have any martial arts training of any kind, as suggested by the bolos and the anting-anting?

Did Valentin de los Santos really believe their anting-anting would protect them from bullets, or was this the final act of a madman shouting his last suicidal hurrah?

Did Valentin de los Santos survive the carnage?

Where were you, and what do you remember about the event when it happened?

INVITATION TO THE MODERN ARNIS SUMMER CAMP 2006 IN BREVARD, NC

2006-05-10T09:51:00.000-07:00

Dearest Friends in the FMA,

Please forgive me if I am unable to make this email as personal as I would like, as there are so many of you I must send emails to. I would like to invite you to the International Modern Arnis Summer Camp in Brevard this year, from June 14-18, 2006, which is just over a month away. I would like so much to see you again, for a get-together at this year's summer camp. Those of you I haven't met yet, but whose email addresses have reached me through the cyber-connections of the FMA, I would like the pleasure of meeting you and training together.

I hope to see you in Brevard, and that you would especially like to attend my sessions. I have great things to share with you, rare weapons like the "sanggot" (Philippine Ilonggo hooked blade) and the "Ipit-pilipit" (squeeze and twist techniques). These weapons and techniques were taught to me by two of the most brilliant Modern Arnis masters we have in the Philippines today - GM Cristino Vasquez and Master Samuel Dulay - with whom I have trained for many years. I bring to you their warm wishes all the way from the Philippines, as well as wishes of success from IMAFP supervising master GM Rene Tongson, who is also one of my teachers.

See you soon in Brevard and, most hopefully, in the Philippines in July for the much-awaited FMA Festival and 1st Prof. Remy Presas Modern Arnis Memorial Camp.

Please write to me. I would be happy to hear from you.

Yours truly,

Guro Edessa Ramos
http://www.imafp.com/
http://www.fmafestival2006.com/
http://www.silkensteel.com/

Mountain Martial Arts, Inc.
Guro Dee Childress (Mr. Dee)
185 Taladu Court
Brevard, NC 28712
(828) 884-7441

UPCOMING MODERN ARNIS SEMINAR IN RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA

2006-05-07T08:56:00.000-07:00

Master Godofredo Fajardo, Commissioner for the Middle East of the International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP) and president of Filipino Fighting Arts Int’l (FFAI), announced its upcoming event, a joint martial arts sports festival on June 23, 2006 Friday at the Power House gym in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

It is the first karate, kobudo, and Modern Arnis open invitational and sports festival, with different martial arts schools, styles and clubs from different regions of the kingdom expected to participate. The event will be under the supervision of IMAFP and FFAI chief instructor Manny Maer.

In addition to showcasing several types of martial arts including Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) or arnis as well as other traditional martial arts, the sponsors of the event also hope to promote friendship and camaraderie among OFW ( overseas foreign workers) martial artists in the region.

LETTER FROM AFGHANISTAN – Part I

2006-04-26T14:46:00.000-07:00

One morning last week, as I sleepily scanned my usual deluge of daily email, one jumped at me because of the title and the address of the sender. The title was “Long Lost Friend in Afghanistan” and the address was “@us.army.mil.”

I immediately recognized the sender of the email. His name was Markanthony Meditz, a Filipino Fighting Arts (FFA) student in the early 1990’s in San Jose, California. If you go to the school website at http://www.filipinofightingartsintl.com/, you should spot his mugshot for the San Jose school. He reported in his email that as a reservist, he had been shipped out to Afghanistan as part of the U.S. war on terror.

Arguably, the toughest school I owned and taught was probably the one in San Jose, CA. It was strictly a garage dojo operation. We seldom used the garage dojo except to hack at knife posts lined up on one side of the garage. The garage emptied into a private alley used only by residents. Deserted most of the time, it was the FFA training dojo. We would chase each other up and down that alley, swinging weapons at each other, dodging parked cars, garbage cans and an occasional startled neighbor.

Predictably, there were quite a few hardcases at the school. In addition to Mark, there were a couple of security guards, a group of black belt kempo senseis, a couple of ex-gang bangers now working as student counselors, an ex-Marine fresh out of Desert Storm and assorted characters. One example was Rick, who worked as a warehouse forklift operator, and wore (and kicked with) his steel-toed boots during workouts. Straight from his day job as armed security for a computer chip company, Markanthony would swagger to class, wearing his weapon duty belt complete with firearm, baton, knife folder and mace.

Reading his email now fifteen years later, I was glad to see that Mark still considered me a friend after all the lumps and bruises he sustained at my hands (and feet). In fact, part of his email reads, “History is never to be forgotten…The skills that I had learned from you long ago have never gone away, and have only gotten better.” A wee bit thick and dramatic, that last comment almost reminds me of that saying about the battles of Britain being won in the playing fields of Eton. But that is not the direction of this commentary.

On the surface, it was probably not a big leap from what he was doing in San Jose California, to whatever it is he is doing in Afghanistan. But I also found out Mark was now married, leaving a wife and a blended family behind in Reno, Nevada. He is of course looking forward to ending his tour of duty safely, and returning home to his family. He mentioned he would love to attend one of my many martial arts seminars late next year, possibly with several alumni of the San Jose gladiator school.

In our email communication, I typed out a hearty acquiescence to future plans. In private, I just said a quiet prayer that a soldier would come home safely to a waiting family in Reno, Nevada, and to a band of brothers who in another life and time shared his warrior ways.

Part II will detail what Markanthony does in Afghanistan.

BAKBAKAN INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT AND WORKSHOP

2006-04-25T08:57:00.000-07:00

Filipino Martial Arts Invitational Tournament
West Coast Tournament and Team Qualification
June 17, 2006, Saturday, 9AM - 4PM

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S DIVISIONS
SINGLE STICK, DOUBLE STICK, SWORD & DAGGER, LONG SWORD, KNIFE FIGHTING
FLYWEIGHT, LIGHTWEIGHT, MIDDLEWEIGHT, HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISIONS
Location:
Airtel Plaza Hotel
GULFSTREAM BALLROOM
7277 Valjean Ave., Van Nuys, CA 91406
Tel: 818-263-8303; 818-997-7676

Parking options:
Hotel premises - $5.00 whole day with in & out privilege.
Free streetside parking depending on availability.

SPECTATOR ENTRY FEE: $5
Children: $2 (6 years and under - Free Admission)

Contact:
ROGER AGBULOS
Tel: 818-891-1454

Registration details are available on www.bakbakan.com
WEST COAST Tournament and Team Qualification
FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT
© 2006 BAKBAKAN INTERNATIONAL

FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS WORKSHOP SERIES
The Art of Bakbakan Kali
June 18, 2006, Sunday, 1:00pm - 5:00pm

Featuring: Master Rey Galang
Chief Instructor, Bakbakan WHQ
Author: “Complete Sinawali”, “Classic Arnis”,
“Warrior Arts of the Philippines” and “Masters of the Blade”

with Guest Instructors:
Master Christopher Ricketts
Guro Roger Agbulos

Seminar Fee: $55
call for Group Discount option.

Location :
Toluca Lake Tennis Club & The Sports Center
6711 Forrest Lawn Drive,
Los Angeles . CA 90068
Contact: Roger Agbulos
Tel: 818-891-1454

The workshop will cover the fundamentals of Sinawali (Double Stick), Single Stick, Tulisan Knife Fighting and Hagibis (Empty Hand) applications.
A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to attendees.
Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from three of the top FMA instructors in the world!
Pre-register to guarantee space.
*For more information, visit our website:
www.bakbakan.com

© 2006 BAKBAKAN INTERNATIONAL

HONG KONG KARATEKA EMBRACE MODERN ARNIS

2006-04-24T17:44:00.000-07:00

Guro Abner Anievas, Chief Instructor and Commissioner for Hong Kong of the International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP) has been tapped as Technical Adviser in Filipino Martial Arts by two of the largest Japanese martial arts groups in Hong Kong.

These two organizations are the Black Panther Hong Kong and the Aikido Filipino Group. Most of their members are Filipino and they have decided to add arnis to their curriculum. Guro Abner Anievas has accepted the position, and in fact, the master of the Black Panther and Director of WOMA Hong Kong chapter has already started to attend Guro Abner Anievas’s classes.

In addition, the Philippine Consulate in Hong Kong has recognized the IMAFP HK as the official organization to promote Filipino Martial Arts in the Hong Kong region.

Guro Abner Anievas teaches Modern Arnis, a dynamic eclectic style created by Professor Remy Presas who is widely credited with the phenomenal spread of Filipino Martial Arts all over the world.

Tipunan International Seminar Announcement

2006-04-24T09:59:00.000-07:00

BEST OF THE BEST : Filipino Martial Arts Seminar
May 13, 2006

Catch another exciting Tipunan (Gathering) mini-seminar for the year 2006, with a special double feature, featuring two of Tipunan's vaunted instructors, Topher Ricketts (Kali Ilustrisimo) and Roger Agbulos (Lameco Eskrima).
Limited space. Call now!

BEST OF THE BEST : Filipino Martial Arts Seminar
Featuring:Lameco Eskrima – Roger Agbulos Kali Ilustrisimo – Christopher “Topher” Ricketts
Saturday / May 13, 2006
Time: 1:00pm to 4:30pm

TOLUCA LAKE TENNIS CLUB & THE SPORTS CENTER
6711 Forest Lawn DriveLos Angeles, CA90068
Contact: Roger Agbulos Tel: 818-335-4265
Ryan Barreras Tel: 818-389-6310

Cost: $40.00 or call for a group discount.
Parking is free.
__________________

Modern Arnis in Russia

2006-04-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

By Dieter Knuttel

On March 17-19, 2006, I held my second Modern Arnis seminar and belt testing in Yekatarinburg in Russia. Yekatarinburg has about 1.3 million inhabitants and is the fourth largest city in Russia. It is situated about 1,500 miles east of Moscow, behind the Ural, already in Asia. So it is quite a trip just to get there, with a flight via Prague and then another five hours flight straight east. Through my DVDs and email I had contact with Alexander Pisarkin, the head of the JKD and FMA group of Yekatarinburg for quite a while now.

During my first visit in July 2005, I met these friendly people who were eager to learn. There were fourteen students who attended the first seminar. Through their training with Alexander, they were already very good and well trained in FMA so that they could already pick up the details and finer points of the techniques.

During my second trip, due to the good advertisement of Alexander and the TV coverage of my first seminar, twenty-nine people attended this weekend.
It was nice to see all the people who returned for their 2nd Modern Anris seminar plus the many new ones.

First, twenty-one students took their 1st exam, the white belt, and seven passed the 2nd exam, the yellow belt. Alexander himself had an excellent examination, reaching the 4th level, the blue belt. Everybody was well prepared for their exam. During the seminar, everybody was again very enthusiastic and eager to learn and practice what had been shown. The training attitude was excellent and a lot of sweat ran down faces during the training. In addition to the seminar, Russian TV was there again to film the seminar and to do an interview. Last year they broadcasted 20 minutes about FMA and the seminar. Let’s see what they do this time.

A journalist from a very good sports magazine (not martial arts) was also there and did an interview. They plan to publish an article about Modern Arnis. There was also a member of the local goverment watching the whole seminar. And, good news: afterwards he bought a Modern Arnis DVD and said that he liked very much what he saw and he will support Modern Arnis and the spreading of the FMA from his side. The hospitality was great. I got some nice Russian gifts and they took me shopping through the city. After the seminar, we went downhill skiing under floodlight at 10 o’clock at night! What a thrill!

I feel very fortunate to have the chance to share the wonderful art of Modern Arnis with these new friends in Russia. I also see it as an opportunity to be an “ambassador of friendship”. As we all know, Germany and Russia did not have the best relations during the last century.
These seminars, talks and training provide the opportunity, in a very little scale. to make people aware that there are not “Germans” or “Russians”, but that on a personal level, religion, race and nationality are not important if one gets to know each other and especially if one shares a mutual interest. “Foreigners are only friends you have not met yet.”

For a first hand account of the seminar, please read what the organizer Alexander and the participants have to say. That is much better than anything I would write.

Dieter Knüttel
Datu and Senior Master of Modern Arnis

From Alexander Pisarkin:

From 18th to 19th of March in Ekaterinburg, Russia, the second international Modern Arnis seminar took place. The participants of the seminar have been waiting for it for a long time. They had very good memories of the previous seminar with Datu Dieter Knüttel. On the 17th of March, twenty-three students were examined for first students degrees. These students had spent a lot of time preparing for this examination. For most of them it was the first examination in their life. And it also was the only examination of Modern Arnis in Russia. Everybody passed this examination, and was happy on Saturday when they actually received their first diplomas. There were many more people at this seminar than the previous one.

For me as organizer, one of the remarkable things was that representatives from Federations of Martial Arts from Moscow and Nizhniy Novgorod attended the seminar. From Moscow, it was a 29 hour train ride and from Nizhniy Novgorod a 20 hour train ride (one way ) to get to the seminar. I am also happy to report that one girl attended the seminar, named Nastya.

The seminar program was very interesting for everybody, even for people who do not practice FMA. Here are the sessions:

Day 1 Lesson 1. Different variants of footwork . Variants of sinawali and how we can to apply these techniques in a fight. Lesson 2. Classical Arnis. Various variants of blocks and strikes. Banda y Banda, Rompida and Figure 8 combinations. Ranges of fighting in MA Lesson 3. Variants of disarms with a stick, a flexible weapon, a knife, a pen and empty hands Lesson 4. Self-defense against grabs & strikes near the wall in close range.

Day 2 Lesson 5 Tapi-Tapi Lesson 6. Modern Arnis self-defense concepts and Filipino empty hands fighting: Techniques against jab-cross combination.Lesson 7. Knife Disarms

Everybody was in awe of Dieter’s demonstration, and admired his physical abilities of speed, strength and power. Dieter also showed his charm , good sense of humor, and his talent for teaching. Datu Dieter, as organizer and chairman of the JKD Federation, I am glad to collaborate with you. I want to thank you for your help and support in developing Modern Arnis in Russia.

Here a few comments from some of the participants.

Maxim, has been practicing Modern Arnis for 6 month; Before studying Modern Arnis, I studied taekwondo for 7 years and I have some experience in the fighting arts. The seminar left a deep impression on me. Datu Dieter very carefully explained the training material and it helped my understanding and speed of development of the art. The face-to-face dialogue with the Master gave the students an even greater desire to study and improve their techniques. I hope that Dieter will visit our country again and share with us more of his experience.

Anton, has been practicing Modern Arnis for 6 months: I was very glad to take part in the second Modern Arnis seminar. It was very pleasant to get acquainted with the Master and to see his faultless technique. At the seminar, I received a lot of the new information and saw new Modern Arnis techniques. The Master is very pleasant and polite. I think that I really benefited from this seminar and I am sure this seminar will not be the last I will attend.

Konstantin, a yellow belt in Modern Arnis: First of all I have pleasant memories and positive feelings about the seminar. Dieter explained and showed all techniques in detail and very clearly, paying special attention to each student. I look forward to taking part in coming seminars.

Marina, the girlfriend of Konstantin. Dieter, you are a great person. It is paradoxical, but you teach fighting arts but you also preach peace. You create harmony of dialogue between different cultures, countries and people. You are a great person and your way deserves admiration.

Sergey Before learning about Modern Arnis, I studied kenpo karate for some years . I started practicing Modern Arnis one month ago. At this seminar, I saw real Modern Arnis. I have found out that it is a many-sided fighting system, using different weapons as well as empty hands. All this has impressed me. And at last, I have seen a real Modern Arnis master. Now I realize what I really want to study—Modern Arnis.

Michael Ivanov, the President of Martial Arts Federation , Moscow. (the message from a forum of this Federation): Many thanks to Sverdlovsk Regional Jeet kune do Federations and to its president Alexander Pisarkin for the organization of a Modern Arnis seminar, and to Master Dieter Knuttel for his knowledge which he so generously shared.

Alexander Pisarkin, Organizer

FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS ALERT: MODERN ARNIS GURO REVEALS LISTS OF WHO’S WHO IN ESKRIMA AND KALI WORLDWIDE

2006-04-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered who and where are the top Filipino Martial Arts masters and instructors in the world? Do you know who were the ancient warriors, street fighters and tournament champions responsible for creating these various deadly weapons arts passed on down from generation to generation? What styles are the most popular and widely practiced all over the world today?

Jay de Leon, a Modern Arnis master, free-lance writer and Filipino Martial Arts historian, has just launched a new website to answer these questions. Titled “The Filipino Martial Arts Museum,” the website is a virtual or cybermuseum that attempts to answer these questions. Just like a real museum, it has a gallery of photos and artifacts that one can browse. It also has relevant articles written by both expert authors and volunteer writers on all aspects of the art, as well as a library of martial arts books, such as “The Art of War” by Sun Tzu.

Roger Agbulos, listed as one of the top guros in the world, commented, “The sheer amount of information and the breadth of the topics covered are amazing.” In addition, an online store will stock unique martial arts T-shirts, weapons, videos and tapes, books and memorabilia.

As Curator of the cybermuseum, Jay de Leon invites readers to contribute submissions for articles, and virtual artifacts to the museum as well. “I want this website to be a living museum, and the most visited reader-written site in Filipino Martial Arts,” states Jay de Leon.

Go now to Jay de Leon’s museum and browse, contribute or leisurely read a few articles. If you are practitioner, go back to the shrouded mist of time and meet the warriors of feral tribes, fighters of death matches and masters of the blade of long-ago Philippines. If you are a novice, come and meet the living legends, venerable grandmasters, and hardcore guros (teachers) of the art. Discover the amazing art of Filipino martial arts at this unique cybermuseum at http://www.filipinomartialartsmuseum.com/ .

JEREMIAH STANLEY IN BRAZIL - Part 4

2006-04-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

Hey all, Íve been putting off writing for a while, just in too many remote and interesting places to get all of the past month on the computer. But now, I have time. Ím waiting to have my visa renewed, and this can be a long process. So now I can let you all know what Íve been up to.

It was only a 24 hour bus ride to Olinda from Chapada Diamantia National Park, and this is a somewhat normal duration given the huge size of the country. At the end of the trip, I met a gaucho (from the south) that was just starting his vacation. We headed off to a hostel and there, ran into what would soon be our traveling group for the next few weeks, composed of 2 americans, a frenchie (I know shéll like to see that) and our brazilian gaucho. All with different stories, but we got along famously and all headed in the same direction.

Olinda is an old colonial town with a lot of churches and culture. Right next door is Recife, which is a big imposing city with skyscrapers, quite a contrast. The colonial town made for a good 2 days of sightseeing. With a heavy afro drum based music (maracuti) in the square in the evening, our resident professional french dancer got the whole square dancing. Lots of fun, especially with caiparinhas.

More music followed in a famous plaza in Recife this time, with different bands of all styles playing, from samba, maracuti, reggae, afoxe and what is the favorite of the northeast: forro. Too many different sounds to describe, but you should get a sample of Brazilian music for yourself to get an idea. Go to www.allbrazilianmusic.com.

I was exhausted the next day, but luckily, many hostels have hammocks and swimming pools... yeah, that and some beers. I had a nice day. That night we went to the theatre, and yes, more music, this time just samba, but all styles, from bossa nova to pagode.

It was time to hit the road but with such a big group, we found that it was possible to hire a taxi to take us to the next beach town north, Joao Pessoa. It is actually a capital of Paraiba, but the town felt very low key with nice beaches. We met a taxi driver who really took care of us--taking us to good and cheap places to eat, waiting for us, then taking us to the nicer, more remote beaches. It is such a change to have a taxi driver want to take care of you! This was over a 2 day period, and on the 2nd day he wanted to introduce us to his family. We go to a favela, and he introduces us, then the neighbors (lots of kids) and puts on a forro DVD, and has his wife make us dinner! Amazing.

Dune buggies along long stretches of beaches with white, yellow, orange and red in different sections framed with blue sky and ocean and white clouds made for a nice entry into Pipa beach town. We stayed there for a few days exploring more beaches, and getting up very early to look for dolphins.

I had to check out this castle in the next big city, Natal. It was cool, but I could have given it a miss. Ahh, but our gaucho was waiting for a friend to arrive from Spain, so what the hell. Hang out for another day. Our new group then rented a car to go more up the coast on a road trip. All the things you dońt stop for on the bus, we did. Lots of shanties, `sim terra` (without land) logos in the middle of nowhere, which is a local political movement of sorts for the people that work the land and then are kicked off or killed by a rancher that doesńt want them around.

We arrived in Canoa Quebrada, with yet more multi-coloured sand dunes. The highlight was going out on a jaganda (a hand made sailboat used by fishermen), that and the the cops had cool dune buggies. A last minute good-bye and I jumped on a bus to Fortaleza, then changed to another heading for a postcard perfect beach town of Jericoacoara.

Hang in there; there is more...

Jeremias

SEMINAR UPDATE FOR ABON BAET

2006-04-02T09:24:00.000-07:00

I am publishing in whole an email received from Tipunan instructor Gat Puno Abon Baet regarding update of his seminar schedule for the rest of 2006.

April 2, 2006

Kapatid, at Kaibigan, (Brothers and Friends,)
Hello,

Here is the list of Gat Puno Abon "Garimot" Baet , Arnis, Buno, & Hilot Seminar 2006. Hope to see you again, be ready come with an open mind and don’t forget to empty your cup before coming, be friendly to all of the participants, no improvising is allowed on the Seminar, safety is my main concern, everyone gets to go home in one piece. Self defense fanatics and all martial art enthusiasts, beginners and advance fighters are welcome, there is always room to learn from everyone.

Remember Garimot Arnis is known for its unique training methods, born from the line of undefeated "PAETE" Stickfighters of Laguna, Philippines." with more than 150 years of history. Learn the secret of the Garimot Family, how it has stayed at the top of its game, armed or un-armed. Students or participants will equally learn the proven effective defensive and offensive techniques that earned fame for "Garimot Arnis Training" or simply as GAT.

See you this weekend @:CHICAGO,IL ( April 8 - 9, 2006)
Saturday : 1:30 - 6:30 pmSunday : 10:30 am - 4:30 pm
Place: Elite Martial Arts & Fitness 4001 Golf Road Skokie, IL. 60076
Cost: $90 for both days and $50 for one day only
Contact: Guro Dennis Duria @ Phone: 708-557-1811E-mail: barabay2000@yahoo.com

REMAINING SEMINAR LIST FOR 2006

ORLANDO, FL (MAY 27-28, 2006)
THE "KATIPUNAN" (The Gathering)GM. B.Taboada, Ama Guro R. Pambuan and Gat Puno A. "Garimot" Baet
Place : Gotha, Orlando , Florida
Contact: Ama Guro Raffy Pambuan @407-299-5047

London, UK (June 3-4, 2006)
European Martial Arts Hall of Fame
Time and Location to be determined

Hollywood, Fl (July 7 - 8 - and 9, 2006)
2006 GARIMOT ARNIS SUMMER RETREAT
N. Park, AvenueHollywood, Florida
Fee: $100 a day, pay $75 a day if you register by June 15, 2006Member's pay $50 a day + Annual Membership Fee
Check payable to: Abundio S. Baet
1240 NW 92nd Avenue
Pembroke Pines, Florida 33024
Call: 954-432-4433 or 305-788-4403
e-mail: gatpuno@aol.comweb: www.garimot.com

PALMYRA, PA (July 29-30, 2006)Garimot Arnis Seminar in PA
Place to be determined
Contact: Othello "Bot" Vida
E-mail: othello.vida@pa.ngb.army.milwww.garimot.com

EUROPE (GERMANY, SWITZERLAND AND FRANCE)
August 25 to September 2, 2006)
Germany: Emdem, Leer, Beliefeld
Contact: Sensei Jen Fricke (osakafricke@yahoo.de)Sascha Herzle (sascha@herzle.de)IMAF-Europe

ST. LOUIS, MO (September 23-24,2006)
Garimot Arnis of Misouri
Location to be the determined
Contact: Guro Tim Rivera
e-mail: tim.rivera@gmail.com
www.garimot.com

COLOMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA (October 14-15 and 16, 2006)
World Martial Arts Expo (Shorin-Ryu Karate Association)
Contact: Kyosi Abele Ridgely
Phone: 803-794-3908
e-mail : oeyec@aol.comwww.shurite.com

WEST PALM BEACH, FL (Nov. 11-12)
GARIMOT ARNIS SEMINAR AND FUNDRAISING
Contact: Guro Victor "Hagibis" Rivera
e-mail:sonero@adelphia.net
www.crosstraining.com
www.garimot.com

I will keep you all informed of any changes, on date, time, and location.

Salamat ng marami, (Thank you very much)

Gat Puno Abon "Garimot" Baet
Garimot Arnis Training Group International
LagunaArnis Federation International
HarimawBuno Federation
Hilot ResearchCenter USA

VACATION SECRET: FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS GROUP TO COMBINE ARNIS TRAINING AND WATER SPORTS IN THE PHILIPPINES

2006-04-01T09:03:00.000-08:00

As Commissioner of the International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP), an organization teaching the Filipino Martial Arts of arnis, kali and eskrima, Jay de Leon wanted to bring as many students as he could with him to a huge annual training camp in the Philippines called the 3rd FMA Festival. “I knew the arnis training and the exotic locale were incentive enough, but I wanted to up the ante. So I threw in some surfing, scuba diving and fishing together with the package.”

The 3rd Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) Festival will be held in several venues in the Philippines from July 11-21, 2006. The venues include Clark, Tagaytay and Manila. Participation from over 28 countries is expected.The Festival includes training, tours, social events and a Gala Night of Dinner and Awards. There will be eight full days of unlimited training covering Modern Arnis and applied techniques, practical and combat lessons, lectures and demonstrations. Filipino grandmasters from the Philippines and all over the world will display an amazing array of weaponry and empty hand techniques including tapado, sanggot, balisong, dulo-dulo, bangkaw, daga and baston.Nightly events and special tours will also bring will also bring martial artists together in a spirit of camaraderie and cultural exchange. A grand finale in an unforgettable Gala Night attended by martial arts luminaries and government dignitaries will crown the festival.

As for their water sports, Jay de Leon is considering his hometown, Pangasinan or possibly some resorts like Boracay or some of the newer resorts in Bohol. Needless to say, his students are excited about the whole trip. “I’m really stoked. I can’t say which I am going to enjoy more—the arnis, the beach, the food, or the ladies,” enthused Sam Sadler, a long board surfer from Dana Point in Orange County, California and long-time student of Filipino Martial Arts.

There is no question that Jay de Leon’s vacation package of sun and sand, martial arts and watersports, with good old Filipino hospitality thrown in, will provide an experience these arnisadors will not soon forget. To follow their adventures, or to find more about the FMA Festival, go to http://www.tipunan.com/ .

JEREMIAH STANLEY IN BRAZIL: Part 3

2006-03-29T12:23:00.000-08:00

Yes, it’s been a while and again I have fallen behind in my writing. There were a few things that I wanted to accomplish on my trip, one of which was to experience the full-on Carnaval. I decided on the Salvador party because this is where the people and the musicians are. The Carnaval in Rio is more of a parade, where you buy expensive tickets to watch everything from the stands. Plus, you can watch the Rio Carnaval on TV, which I did while resting.

I was not sure how accomodations would be in Salvador Bahia, so I decided to fly up to assure myself a good place to stay. This I did in the historic centre of Pelourhino, with a huge breakfast and still within a safe walking distance of everything.

The Pelourhino route was one of the three circuits that go on and as I found out turned out to be my favourite as the bands walk through the narrow cobble stone streets, drumming out infectiously danceable rhythms in which dancers lead followed by the bands and then the fans. It could get really crowded, but everyone managed to samba walk wherever they wanted to go.

The other two circuits were for the popular musicians to play in and the Afro blocos, on top of huge semi truck trailers. These would be roped off to the general public, and you paid a variable amount to get close to your favourite band and get a t~shirt to identify you. Inside the ropes was safe, outside you could stand in place and endure the crowds but watch as the blocos passed by. Crazy costumes were the norm, as was the general party.

The other option was to buy a ticket to one of the restaurantes/camarotes along the circuit and watch things from up above. Some other groups just started their own theme, with their own music and just made their way around... guys dressed up as wonderwoman, the bodypaint bloco, the pink afro hair group.

One of the most traditional of the afro blocos was Filohos (Sons) de Ghandi, which have been in existence since 1947 with about 7,000 members. They looked very regal with their blue turban and white toga. They say there are on the average 1.5 million people on the streets dancing at any one time. It is indeed the biggest party in the world!

Things usually got started around 4 pm after the heat of the day, and went on until 6 am, I am not kidding. Brazilians prepare for this the whole year so that they won´t miss out on anything. Me, I took a more rested approach to things, and would either go out follow a band that I liked then go get some rest, find a good place on the historic circuit and watch, or buy a t~shirt off someone halfway through and get to be inside the ropes. Either way, I was still tired from dancing but looked a lot more rested than most after Carnaval.

Some of my favourite bands are Olodum, which I saw three times, Timbalada, Afrodisiasco, Ilye Arkati ... and U2. U2 was on Ivete's bloco for a guest appearance, which I got to see, after their concert in Sao Paulo. They stayed just up the hill from me, and you always knew when they were going somewhere when all the military police would get ready for the escort. I was in Bahia for a while and was happy to get out when everything was done, but really did enjoy myself and all the great people that I met.

Just before this all started, I also went to a Candomble ceremony. It is another truly Afro-Brazilian religion that synthesizes Catholicism and various religions from Africa. Since the Portuguese did not want revolts, they mixed slaves from different tribes, each bringing their own gods and customs from their homeland. The ceremonies can be very long, and you don't know which god or saint will be conjured up. This is done by dancing by women and drumming and chanting from the men. Fireworks indicate when the god arrives. All this and it was for a baptism! Then there was a feast, and I was able to talk with some of the congregation in my very bad Port-anol (portuguese-spanish) to find out more. Very interesting.

Most people want to go to the beach to rest afterward, myself included, and I tried to avoid the crowds as best I could by finding a small fishing village on a river called Imbassai. Nonetheless, some of the revelers found it as well, but not too much. I had my hammock looking into a garden and coconut trees to allow me to relax for the next four days.

I finally felt healthy and took an overnight bus to the National Park of Chapada Diamantina (rough cut diamonds) which was known for its table top mountains, rivers and waterfalls! It reminded me of the American Southwest, but much greener. We had some freak weather of rain and thunderstoms, but this only made the waterfalls more impressive.

Most of my time was spent in an old mining town now tourist town, called Lencois. From there, I did a lot of day hikes to waterfalls and one tour to some of the more out of the way caves and mountains. All very impressive. I changed locations, to a green mountain valley, Vale do Capao. The 4x4 public transport to get there let me know how far out I was. This was where I felt at home. While there, I hiked to the tallest waterfall in Brazil: Cachoera do Fumaca which is 420 meters high.

I met some great Spaniards that were working for an NGO in Paraguay, on the way to what turned out to be a downright adventure. Because we got caught in a downpour, the trails became streams, then became creeks, then at points it was like going through waist to sternum high water, holding onto trees so that we didn't get pulled away. You will see the fotos!

Anyway, all this meant that the waterfall was huge. The only three people to see it that day were very happy in the end. It continued to rain the next day, and since some of the bridges were about to be covered; I decided to go. I said my good-byes and made the 24 hour trip to Olinda.

More next time.

Tchau,
Jeremiah

TIPUNAN Mini-Seminar in Los Angeles, 2005

2006-03-24T12:13:00.000-08:00

On a balmy Sunday, Nov. 20, 2005, Tipunan seminars held the last of its mini-seminars for the year at the tony Toluca Lake Tennis Club and Sports Center in Los Angeles, California. Featured were two of Tipunan’s vaunted mainstays, Christopher “Topher” Ricketts and Roger Agbulos.

Christopher “Topher” Ricketts is a grandmaster of Kalis Ilustrisimo, a direct student and designated inheritor of famed eskrima fighter Tatang Ilustrisimo. Topher taught Ilustrisimo striking and blocking patterns and footwork, and their derivative applications using double sticks, knife and empty hands. As usual, he was ably assisted by actor son Bruce Ricketts.

Roger Agbulos was a direct student and acknowledged senior instructor of Edgar Sulite, founder of Lameco Eskrima. Roger concentrated on teaching Lameco power strikes with single sticks and the combative aspects of the knife.

Some Filipino martial arts (FMA) guros in attendance who lent their expertise included Dino Flores of Lameco Mandirigma and Jay de Leon, Commissioner for North America of the International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP )and host of the Tipunan seminars, with his son Mitch de Leon.

COMMANDMENTS OF STEEL IN ISRAEL WITH BRAM FRANK

2006-03-22T17:51:00.000-08:00

The 9th Commandments of Steel approaches this coming May 5-6, 2006 Friday and Saturday. Learn Knife and knife Counter knife skills in the Holy Land, Israel. Taught in the ancient City of Caesarea, the City built by Herod the Great and the summer home of Augustus Caesar by Bram Frank. This is what's commonly known in the reality fighting arts circles as "Israeli Filipino" knife craft.

Come train in knife and then see Caesarea, Tel Aviv, Haifa and the Holy city itself, Jerusalem. Good food, wonderful people, great training and the center of the Holy Land. To see pictures of past Commandments of Steel, go to http://www.cssdsc.com/ and click on photo gallery.

For more information or to reserve a spot contact Guy Rafaeli drarms@inter.net.il
or Yuval Nechamkin yuvalarnis@gmail.com .

SEMINAR FEATURING GRANDMASTER TOPHER RICKETTS

2006-03-13T16:43:00.000-08:00

Take advantage of this rare opportunity to train with 1st Generation Senior Disciple of the late GM Antonio "Tatang" Ilustrisimo. Master Topher brings with him decades of Martial Arts experience in Arnis-Kali-Eskrima, Shotokan Karate and Ngo Cho Kun Kung Fu to name a few.

He is the Co-Author of "Secrets of Kalis Ilustrisimo", Founding Member and Chief Instructor of Bakbakan International, Highest Ranked Lameco Instructor and Boxing Coach to many Top Rated Boxers in the Philippines.

Come experience the Combat Tested Principles & Strategy of Kalis Ilustrisimo by one of only a handful who know it best...Master Topher Ricketts.
:
April 1, 2006 Saturday
Tim Anderson's Universal Martial Study Center
11810 Pike Drive
Waldorf, MD 20616 Time: 10am-2pm
Cost: $60 PPD by March 27th $75/at door

April 2, 2006 Sunday
Wilde Lake Karate Center
10451 Twin Rivers Road
Columbia, MD 21044
Time: 10am-2pm
Cost: $60 PPD by March 27th $75/at door

Contact Guro John G. Jacobo at info@swacom.com or bakbakan@aol.com for registration and payment details!

IMAFP CONDUCTS ITS FIRST MODERN ARNIS GOODWILL TOURNAMENT IN SAUDI ARABIA

2006-03-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

The Middle East Chapter of the International Modern Arnis Federation of the Philippines (IMAFP) recently concluded its first Modern Arnis tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Sponsored and presided over by Master Godofredo Fajardo, IMAFP Commissioner for the Middle East, the well-attended tourney was held at the facilities of Riyadh International School (RIS) on March 3, 2006.

It was a highly successful and well-attended event. Several martial arts club fielded more than sixty competitors, representing many nationalities including Americans. The following major martial arts groups, coming mostly from Jeddah, Dammam and Riyadh, competed in the tournament :

1. Lapunti de Abanico

2. Jetkido Arnis

3. Jeetkunedo Arnis

4. Counter-Force Arnis

5. Panthers Martial Arts Federation (PMAF)

6. Filipino Fighting Arts Int’l, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (FFAI-KSA)

The following are the results of the competition.

Forms (Anyo) Competition

Champion, Adults – Gil Cabual

1^st Place – Hassan Yahya, Lapunti

2^nd Place – Abdulah Aljahany and Nathan Walker, FFAI

Champion, Children – Munin , PMAF

Mano-Mano Competition

Champion – Alexis Mauri P. Galye, Jetkido

5’1” – 5’2” Category

Champion -Herry Jiapno, Jetkido

1^st Place -Mohamad Motairi, Jeetkunedo

2^nd Place - Jessi Barrion, Lapunti

5’3” – 5’4” Category

Champion – Lito Padios, Lapunti

1^st Place – Larry Velasco, Jeetkunedo

2^nd Place – Arnold Mercado, CounterForce and Adul Hadi, FFAI

5’5” – 5’6” Category

Champion – Dexter Faeldo, PMAF

1^st Place – Abrogar Emy, PMAF

2^nd Place – Amado Mistos, PMAF

3^rd Place – Al Houti, FFAI

5’7’ – 5’8” Category

Champion – Rodolfo Templo, Jetkido

1^st Place – Nathan Walker, FFAI

2^nd Place – Japer Albwardi – FFAI

5’9” – 5’10” Category

Champion - Glen Imaun, Jetkido

1^st Place – Musa Hindi, Jetkido

2^nd Place – Hassan Yayah, Lapunti and Salman Almotairi, FFAI

5’11” – 6’2” Category

Champion – Fahad Alrauf, Jeetkunedo

1^st Place – Justo Villarobin, Jetkido

2^nd Place – Jerry McDonald, FFAI

Team Championships

Champion – Jetkido Arnis Club

1^st Place – Filipino Fighting Arts Int’l (FFAI)

2^nd Place – Arnis Lapunti de Abanico

Best Referee – Mr. Antonio, Jr., PMAF

Best Leadership Instructor Award – Mohammed Issa Al Issa, FFAI

Master Godofredo Fajardo praised all the participating clubs and competitors for the spirited and high-level competition, and thanked IMAF-KSA President guro Ghazzi Al-Turaifi as well as other organizers and volunteers of the event. Already, plans are being formulated for next year’s event.

GURO PROFILE: EDESSA RAMOS

2006-03-10T00:06:00.000-08:00

Edessa Ramos is a personal student of Master Samuel "Bambit" Dulay, from whom she has been receiving training and guidance since 1994 in Manila. She has been studying, teaching and promoting Modern Arnis since that time. Now based in Zurich, Switzerland, she is the Commissioner for Europe of the International Modern Arnis Federation Philippines (IMAFP). IMAFP, with main headquarters in Manila, was founded by the late Grandmaster Remy Presas a few years before his passing. Edessa is also a personal student of Master Bram Frank who recently appointed her as the Swiss Director for his organization, Common Sense Self Defense/Street Combat (CSSD/SC). Edessa has also trained in seminars under Master Dieter Knüttel, who is one of her teachers and the head of the Deutsche Arnis Verband or DAV (German Modern Arnis Federation). She holds a 3rd degree black belt in Modern Arnis from IMAFP and a 2nd degree black belt in Combat Arnis from CSSD/SC.
Connected with her task of helping to spread Modern Arnis and the Filipino Martial Arts, Edessa has performed in several martial arts shows such as the 2nd Filipino Martial Arts Festival in Germany 2004 and the 1st Swiss Budo Masters Gala in Berne. She also writes regularly about arnis, the Filipino Martial Arts, and various aspects of Filipino martial culture.

Edessa travels to various parts of the world to give seminars to martial artists, most notably in Italy, Mexico and the Philippines. She currently teaches Modern Arnis two evenings a week at Fight World Zurich.
Edessa is calling on all women FMA practitioners to contribute to an upcoming anthology. She is looking for creative non-fiction written by women who practice any style of the Filipino Martial Arts. Entitled "WOMEN WITH WEAPONS", the book is due for publication in mid-2006. You need not be an expert writer to participate. Edessa is also an experienced editor and will help build your article.

GURO PROFILE: DR. JEROME BARBER

2006-03-09T23:22:00.000-08:00

Dr. Jerome Barber is a Professor of Sociology and Adjunct Professor of Physical Education at Erie Community College in Orchard Park, NY. He developed and teaches the only college credit program in Modern Arnis in North America. This 4 part program has been running since 1987. Professor Remy A. Presas, personally endorsed this program in writing in 1989. Dr. Barber, has been awarded the following black belt ranks:
6th in Pancipanci Eskrima, 6th in Kenpo Goshin Jitsu, 3rd in Modern Arnis, 3rd in Tracy System Kenpo and 1st in Zanghi Style Kenpo-Arnis. In 1993, Dr. Barber founded the Independent Escrima-Kenpo-Arnis Associates, with the blessings of Professor Presas, GM Al Tracy and PG Tom Bolden.

In addition to his college based program Dr. Barber, has authored several articles for the Filipino Martial Arts Magazine, wrote an entry on Kempo/Kenpo for the Martial Arts of the World: An Encyclopedia, edited by Thomas A. Green, produced training manuals for the basics of empty hand self-defense and escrima/arnis single stick training. He is currently working a book and DVD set on the “hidden curriculum” of Modern Arnis as developed by Professor Presas.

Dr. Barber offers an interesting array of seminar topics, including the empty hand translations of sinawali, redonda, figure 8, abaniko double action, largo and corto for self-defense applications. Additional topics are Low-line Kicks and Leg Trapping, Hand Tools (palm stick, kubaton keychain, Gunting Knife) Single Stick Cinco Teros Style,Continuous Striking Hands and Empty Hand Applications of Palis-palis/Crossada. You may contact Dr. Barber via e-mail at escrima_kenpo@hotmail.com

KICKBOXING CHAMPION HOWARD JACKSON PASSES AWAY

2006-03-08T00:27:00.000-08:00

Kickboxing Champion Howard Jackson passed away March 7, 2006 11:00AM Tuesday morning, at the City of Hope hospital in Duarte, CA. He will be cremated and a memorial service will be held in Los Angeles in approximately two weeks.

Howard Jackson had been battling leukemia the past several years. I had the good fortune of meeting and hanging out with him in a couple of WorldBlackBelt events, and I found him to be a very caring, easygoing gentleman. He will be greatly missed by the martial arts community and many of his friends

RECAP OF THE WEKAF US NATIONALS

2006-03-07T14:44:00.000-08:00

The National Championships were a great success, after three days of exciting competition, competitors from all over the US enjoyed a memorable banquet, fine food and friends.Over the three days of the competition, there were 203 total competitors, who participated in over 400 individual events. Competitors included students from over 24 different Martial Arts schools. Despite the winter storm, things went very smoothly.

We once again thank everyone who contributed their time and effort to make this event a success.

WEKAF USA would like to officially congratulate those who, through hard work and continued effort, have qualified for the US National Stickfighting Team. In order to reserve your space on the US Team, there are important deadlines and actions that competitors are required to make. To help keep track of these dates, we have created a special page on the WEKAF USA site that lists detailed information on each of the following dates. This can be found here:http://www.wekafusa.com/Team-USA.html

Upcoming Important Deadlines:
Mar. 3, 2006- US Team Uniform Orders - $10 Discount Deadline
Mar. 15, 2006- Photo & Video Submissions for publication on the WEKAF USA Website- US National Tournament Highlights DVD Order Deadline
April 1, 2006- Notification of Intent to Compete in the World Championships
May 15, 2006- PreRegistration Discount Deadline- Discounted Room Rate - WDW Dolphin Resort - Reservation Deadline- US Team Uniform Orders - Final Deadline- "History Builders" Former US National Team Members Registration Deadline

GURO PROFILE: GAT PUNO ABON BAET

2006-03-07T08:54:00.000-08:00

Gat Puno (Chieftain) Abon Baet is the fifth generation grandmaster of the Garimot Arnis System, a family system more than 150 years old from the province of Laguna, in the Philippines. He is the fourth son of the legendary arnisador and buno master, Grandmaster Felipe “Garimot” Baet. When his father passed away, Abon took on the fighting name of “Garimot” to honor his father, hence his fighting name of Gat Puno Abon “Garimot” Baet.

Abon began active competition at the age of sixteen. He competed in live stick competition (no padding) in several towns in his province of Laguna, the Philippines. This led to his reign as an undefeated arnis champion for seven years from 1978 to 1985.

He started teaching the family system under the banner of the Paete Arnis Club in Laguna, Philippines. For a brief time also, Abon taught Modern Arnis in Laguna at the behest and under the authority of Prof. Remy Presas, founder of Modern Arnis. The two would eventually reunite many years later in the United States.

In 1986, Abon accepted an opportunity to work in the United States, and in a few years began to teach arnis in the United States. By 1989, he had founded his organization Philippine Martial Arts, Garimot System International, U.S.A. which taught a total system that encompassed the complete range of Philippine fighting and healing arts of arnis, buno and hilot.

The Garimot Sysem now has chapters all over the United States, as well as in Sweden, Germany and Venezuela. In addition to his full-time job as a chef, Gat Puno Abon is busy with the seminar circuit, including prestigious senior masters training camps.

Gat Puno Abon has also written a book about buno entitled “Harimaw Buno : The Art of Filipino Wrestling.” In the book, he traces how his forbears learned the art from Aeta and Mangyan tribesmen.

What constitutes “buno?’ From the description of types of competition and techniques allowed or utilized, it appears “buno” is judo, jiu-jitsu, Graeco-Roman wrestling and shoot-fighting rolled into one. Its techniques include hand and elbow strikes, knee and low kicks, throws, sweeps, limb locks, joint locks, choke holds, head cranks, pressure-point tactics and come-along techniques.

You may contact Gat Puno Abon or purchase his book at his website at http://www.garimot.com/.

GURO PROFILE: JOHN G. JACOBO

2006-03-06T14:11:00.000-08:00

Guro John G. Jacobo has over 20 years of formal hands-on training in various Western and Eastern combat disciplines. Throughout his journey he meticulously dissected the vast arts to extract the fighting principles & strategies currently taught in his program. His teaching approach is aggressive but very effective. Guro John focuses on teaching principles over technique which allows students to progress more efficiently providing the effort is made. He believes that principles are easier to retain and many are applicable to a variety of techniques. Further to this, the training methodologies he employs were adopted, refined and developed to strengthen the mindset which he stresses is responsible for driving the physical skill set.

Guro John’s main goal is for the students to leave each session with a sense of confidence rather than confusion or even doubt in what has been taught. He makes a distinction between sport combat and personal protection but believes they share similar elements that will benefit the practitioner during the attribute developments stages. And through this simple approach with modified training methods, students are able to apply techniques with greater understanding.

Although the past 14 years have been devoted to the indigenous fighting arts from the Philippines, Guro John incorporates other influences such as Western Boxing, WWII Hand-to-Hand and Scientific Wrestling to name a few. He adds that everything relies on the training not the techniques and that there is no such thing as advanced techniques. The basics done proficiently at any given time and place are your advanced techniques.

Guro John is a member of the Filipino martial arts fraternal brotherhood known as Bakbakan International. He credits such notable instructors as Master Reynaldo S. Galang, Master Christopher Ricketts, Master Sam Buot, the late PG Edgar Sulite and Grand Tuhon Leo T. Gaje not only as his mentors but for their long standing contributions to the preservation of the indigenous martial arts of the Philippines. He further recognizes legendary hand-to-hand combat instructor Carl Cestari and Reality Based Self Defense authority Rich Dimitri of Senshido for inspiring his less than traditional approach to teaching the FMA. Guro John teaches in Maryland under the banner SWACOM (School for the Warrior Arts & Combatives) where he offers his blend of functional Filipino Martial Arts and Personal Protection Measures. He has released 2 instructional DVD’s (“The Combat Principles of DeCuerdas & Dos Manos Methods) available on his website: www.swacom.com . His third release entitled “Defense Methods” is in post production and tentatively scheduled for release in the summer of 2006.

Guro John’s target ambition is to operate a Personal Protection & Consultation office specializing in one-to-one training for the non-martial artist.

GURO PROFILE: GRANDMASTER REY GALANG

2006-03-06T13:57:00.000-08:00

Reynaldo S. Galang was recently featured on the cover of Rapid Journal, a magazine published in the Philippines, and hailed as the “Warrior Scholar of the Filipino Martial Arts”. He is the Chief Instructor for the arts of Bakbakan Kali, Tulisan, Hagibis and Sinawali. An internationally published writer, Rey’s articles have been featured in major martial arts magazines as well as books.

Driven by his unwavering passion and dedication to the continued preservation and promotion of the Warrior Arts of the Philippines, Rey’s apolitical approach to the FMA benefits both the major and esoteric styles of the Philippines’ indigenous arts. As International Director and co-founder with Christopher Ricketts of the renowned Bakbakan International organization, Rey’s continued efforts to write and publish well-researched books on the FMA has met with success. His latest book “Warrior Arts of the Philippines” features six of the prominent FMA styles and profusely illustrated with over 1600 photos.

A forthcoming book titled “Masters of the Blade” will feature knife fighting and knife defense systems with Filipino martial arts foundations or origins. This book is scheduled for publication by the last quarter of 2005 and features many of the internationally prominent edged weapons instructors. Another book project on the planning board is “Guardians of the Legacy” which will feature the latter 1st generation and prominent 2nd generation instructors of the major FMA systems. With these future publications and the quality of his recently released books, Rey is living true to his publishing venture’s slogan of “Raise the Standard”.

Galang conducts FMA classes at his organization’s World Headquarters (WHQ) located in Lodi, New Jersey. Visit the Bakbakan International website (http://www.bakbakan.com/) for more information on Rey, the Bakbakan organization, past and forthcoming events. The web site also features the books “Swish of the Kris” and “Jungle Patrol” by Vic Hurley for historical aficionados. More information on Rey can be found in the books “Filipino Martial Cluture”, “Filipino Fighting Arts”, “Masters of Arnis, Kali and Eskrima”, and “Classic Arnis”.

GURO PROFILE : ROGER AGBULOS

2006-03-05T16:38:00.000-08:00

Roger Agbulos started his training in 1990 under Punong Guro Edgar Sulite, founder and chief instructor of Lameco Eskrima International. He was one of Edgar’s senior students in the backyard group in Los Angeles, California. When Edgar passed away in 1997, Roger decided to pursue Lameco's primary arts, the Kali Ilustrisimo and the original De Campo Eskrima 1-2-3. At one point, he came under the tutelage of both GM Rey Galang and GM Christopher Ricketts of the Bakbakan Kali Ilustrisimo organization and later continued to work with GM Ireneo "Eric" Olavides of De Campo Eskrima, JDC-IO.

Through the years, and with constant exposure to many different FMAs, Roger has come to formulate some combat truths of his own. One is that unlike other FMA systems that emphasize short or middle range combat, his focus is on long-range weapons combat that does not generally focus on blocking an opponent's attack; and the alive hand rarely is used to disrupt one. Non-telegraphic striking can itself be a form of blocking. The concept is to preempt an attack with another attack. His style emphasizes controlling long-range encounters with broken, flowing or combination strikes, thrown from all angles, in small numbers.

Roger currently teaches at Jon Felperin’s studio - The Center of Law Enforcement Training in Northridge, California, as head instructor for impact and edge weapons under the Filipino Combat Arts program. The center also offers Boxing, Hapkido, Aikido, bodyguard courses, baton training (and certification) and many other combat oriented systems. Call Jon Felperin at 818-407-0121 or call Roger at 818-425-8861, or email: geerow@hotmail.com .

Roger is also active in the seminar circuit with fellow Bakbakan stalwarts Rey Galang, Christopher Ricketts, John Jacobo and Jay de Leon.

BUFFALO MARTIAL ARTS SUMMIT

2006-03-01T16:34:00.000-08:00

The Buffalo Martial Arts Summit will be held at the Adam’s Mark Hotel in Downtown Buffalo, NY, on Saturday, July 8 and Sunday, July 9, 2006. The Summit will be open to all martial artists.

The ‘Summit’ will feature a cross-training approach to the arts and the sessions will be taught by highly experienced master level teachers:

Master Roger Agbulos - Lameco Eskrima
Punong Guro Tom Bolden - American Modern Arnis
Sensei John Borter - Modern Ju-Jitsu
Sifu Daniel Donzella - Liu Seong Combat Arts
Punong Guro Steven K. Dowd - Arnis Balite
Shihan Rudy Duncan - Karazenpo Shaolin Kempo
Dr. Stanford McNeil - Kifaru Jitsu
Sensei Steven J. Pearlman - Genri Ryu Life Protection Arts
Master Sultan Uddin - International Serrada Eskrima

The seminars will focus on exploration, discovery, cooperation, networking, friendship, and team building.

Saturday will feature 5 training time brackets of 60 to 75 minutes apiece with dual presentations simultaneously occurring in separate rooms. The Sunday program will consist of 3 training time brackets with two or three instructors working in a side-by-side comparative seminar, showing different responses to some common assault scenarios.

The 2 day cost for the seminars is $99 paid in advance and $130 at the door.

For more information you can contact Dr. Jerome Barber, the BMAS Coordinator via e-mail at escrima_kenpo@hotmail.com .

SEMINAR BY GURO JOHN JACOBO

2006-02-22T09:18:00.000-08:00

My friend and Tipunan and Bakbakan instructor Guro John Jacobo has just released the following details about his upcoming seminar.

Incidentally, I have just featured Guro John in my latest article "Blademasters of Filipino Martial Arts in the US' recently published by WorldBlackBelt online magazine at www.worldblackbelt.com .

Defense Methods-Edge Weapon Awareness & Readiness Seminar
with Guro John G. Jacobo
May 13, 2006

Although rooted in the FMA, this seminar will offer a less than traditional approach to self preservation tactics against a blade wielding attacker. Based on the simple principles of Clear, Counter and Control along with Gross Motor Skills, attendees will find the effectiveness and learning efficiency of this seminar a true eye opener!

Topics:

Primer Notes Passing DynamicsDraw Point DisruptionsTransitional Controls Failure to RecoveryBack Ups Matched & Unmatched Attacks

Cost: $60.00 PPD by May 1st! $75.00 DoorDate: Saturday May 13, 2006Time: 2-6pmLocation: Bakbakan Martial Arts 95 B Dell Glen Ave. Lodi, NJ 07655Contact Guro John at http://us.f333.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=bakbakan@aol.com for payment details. Go to http://www.swacom.com/ for more information about Guro John.

Participants are REQUIRED to bring no less than the following safety/training equipment: safety goggles, mouthpiece, cup and training knife.

*Additional equipment consideration: BOXING/SAFETY HEADGEAR

Note: ALL drills conducted in this seminar are based on impact and/or contact including simulations that will not only hone your skills but strengthen your mindset!

SPOTLIGHT ON JEREMIAH STANLEY...IN BRAZIL (Part 2)

2006-02-21T13:12:00.000-08:00

Oi everyone!

I need to type this now as things are almost in full swing for Carnaval here in Salvador, Bahia. Time has been passing so fast and it´s been awhile since an update. Last I remember, I had just finished and was invited to a football game on Botafogo Beach in the rain. It started as a bunch of backpackers, but some kids ~10 years old wanted to join in. Too much fun, myself being american and not playing football since the last time on the beach I was terrible. But you should see these kids; nothing but the fanciest moves, one tried a bicycle kick on goal! But their defense sucked, isn´t that how Brazilians play? (correct me if I´m wrong Oscar) So the international backpackers beat the 10 year old Brazilians; later this story will change and I´ll drop the part about them being 10 :)

I was exhausted, but wait, it was Saturday night and it was time to go to one of the best Samba Groups in Rio: Manguiera! This is their prep for Carnaval, and they have their own stadium for practice. Imagine walking into a stadium of 7000 other people all for the purpose of singing and dancing samba! The music was tight and everyone knew the Mangueira songs, singing at the top of their lungs with lots of Brazilian pride. It started at around midnight and ended around 0500, pretty much non-stop the whole time. I can get the slower steps down, but when it cranks up to about 8 steps a second, and you have to shake your ass back and forth... whew, it´s tough.

The next night had a well known disco party in a favela next to Cidade do Deus. I went more for the experience than anything else, just to see how the other part of Rio partied. Pretty wild, tough crowd with buffed shirtless guys and coquettish chicks, but they could get down! Impressive dancing as always. The thing about it all, is that everyone is in a festive mood. When some drummers are just practicing on the corner, everyone (kids and grandmas included) samba-walks by! I love it!

Some more beach time on Copacabana and Ipanema and a street samba party later; and I figured I needed to make plans for Carnaval. So I booked a ticket to Salvador, got a reservation in a hostel and I was on my way.

Bahia is the heart and soul of Afro-Brasilian culture. It seems like there is always a drum rhythm going on and the scene here is festive. It is definitely poor here and you can see a lot of desperate people; theft and muggings are not uncommon. So more precaution, carrying less money is needed, but aside from this it´s cool. The town centre where I´m staying dates back to the 1500´s and there are some nice beaches along with museums that I´m taking in. Okay more music: afoxé, axé and forro are also popular up here. Along with all those wild Afro grupos: tonight I´m going to Olodum (thanks Jen), if you´ve heard Paul Simon’s `Rhythm of the Saints`, then you´ve heard Olodum. They´re pretty famous up here.

Oh, so as not to disappoint all those martial artists out there: I trained at Edson Carvelhos Jiu-jitsu school last night. Those guys are good! I have to take it easy though, as my shoulder is still not yet healed. Okay, this should be it for a while. Carnaval starts a day early here and won´t be done till the wee hours of Ash Wednesday.

Till then :até lago,

Jeremiah

GURO PROFILE : GRANDMASTER CHRISTOPHER RICKETTS

2006-02-18T16:02:00.000-08:00

Christopher N. Ricketts is co-founder of the Bakbakan International organization and is a well-known full-contact fighter and instructor. He is the co-author with Antonio Diego of the book “Secrets of Kalis Ilustrisimo”. Topher, as he is fondly called, is also the Chief Instructor of the kickboxing art of Sagasa and one of the original five pillars of Kali Ilustrisimo.

Topher has recently moved to San Diego, California and conducts classes and seminars on the fighting arts of Bakbakan primarily for the West Coast. His counterpart, Rey Galang, usually handles the East Coast and other international venues.

Topher has been featured in many Philippine movies and also choreographs movie fight scenes. His son, Bruce, an up and coming actor, is also one of the most devastating fighters in the Bakbakan organization. Topher has conducted classes for police and military organizations all around the world and is a much sought instructor for both his fighting ability and his detailed and intense training methods.

Contact information for Ricketts is available on the Bakbakan International’s web site (http://www.bakbakan.com/). More information on Topher can be found in the books “Filipino Martial Culture”, “Ngo Cho Kun Kung Fu”, “Masters of Arnis, Kali and Eskrima”, and “Warrior Arts of the Philippines”.

FUSING FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS, FOLKLORE, FANTASY AND STORYTELLING

2006-02-18T13:25:00.000-08:00

On October 28-29, 2005, several up-and-coming comic book artists met on the shores of White Beach, Puerto Galera in the Philippines in a competition to create a 24-page comic book in twenty-four (24) straight hours. But not just any comic book. The comic book had to revolve around arnis or Filipino martial arts (FMA) and Philippine folklore and history.

This event, called the 1st Philippine 24-Hour Comic Book Challenge, was the brainchild of Jean-Paul Zialcita, an arnis practitioner, musician and comic book enthusiast. Together with his beautiful wife Nina Terol, Paul is the founder of Likha Communications Consulting, which hosted the event.

To keep the energy level and creative juices pumped out to the max, Zialcita, with the wild abandon of an orchestra conductor and the aplomb of a circus ringmaster, kept the show going at a frenetic pace with a myriad of performers.

Several local arnisadors led by respected community elder Gerbacio “Ka Gerbin” Manongsong performed beachside demonstrations. Zialcita himself performed on his kali drum, a large percussive instrument similar to a Japanese taiko drum played using arnis strikes and techniques. Artists of a different sort painted henna tattoo in alibata (ancient Filipino script) and in cool indigenous patterns. Noted Puerto Galera musicians entertained both participants and spectators with a live jam session. Throughout the night, several anime and comic book-based films such as Batman Begins and Final Fantasy VII were shown on a wide screen propped up on the beach.

At the end of the event, comic books were displayed, artists were declared winners, and the event was pronounced a success. Many trudged home or caught flights home for much-needed sleep, well-deserved rest and long-delayed baths.

But for Zialcita, the end of the competition was just the beginning of more work as well as more opportunities. With Filipino martial arts as the rallying point, Zialcita hopes to push for a major Filipino cultural renaissance in music, literature, and pop art to the global arena. His own efforts include comic books and telenovelas, as well as public performances and CD’s featuring his percussive music on his kali drum. He is scheduled to perform at the martial arts events at the SEA (South East Asian) games in the Philippines in November through December of 2005.

For those interested in knowing more about the 1st Philippine 24-Hour Comic Book Challenge or Jean-Paul Zialcita, or are interested in purchasing comic books or Jean-Paul Zialcita’s CD’s, please contact me.

TIPUNAN INTERNATIONAL ANNOUNCES UPCOMING SEMINAR

2006-02-15T12:13:00.000-08:00

Tipunan International, a Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) organization headed by Jay de Leon based in Los Angeles, California, announced its upcoming seminar to be held on September 16, 2006 in Los Angeles, California. Details of the seminar are posted below.

In August of 2005, Tipunan International held a successful FMA expo called Tipunan sa Disneyland held at the Hilton Hotel in Anaheim, California. Prominent masters of the art gave exciting demos and seminars, including grandmasters and masters such as Rey Galang, Gat Puno Abon Baet, Bram Frank, Christopher Ricketts, Roger Agbulos and many others. Several celebrity guests also attended and performed.

Tipunan International also sponsors many other seminars and mini-seminars during the year.

TIPUNAN SA LOS ANGELES 2006
(GATHERING IN LOS ANGELES 2006)

Date : Sept. 16, 2006, Saturday
8:00 AM – 4:00 PM with lunch break

Venue : Los Angeles, CA

Description: Seminar and training in Filipino martial arts (arnis, kali, eskrima) featuring masters of the art in different styles including Kali Ilustrisimo, Lameco, San Miguel Eskrima, Modern Arnis and Inosanto Kali.

Host Organizations :
International Modern Arnis Federation of the Phil. (IMAFP) http://www.imafp.com/
Tipunan International http://www.tipunan.com/

Scheduled Instructors :

Christopher Ricketts – Bakbakan
Bruce Ricketts - Bakbakan
Roger Agbulos - Lameco
John Jacobo - Bakbakan
Bram Frank – Modern Arnis
Ramon Rubia – San Miguel Eskrima
Jay de Leon – Modern Arnis

Master of Ceremonies : Roger Agbulos

Cost : $95.00
Includes FMA Festival T-shirt

Pre-Registration Cost by Aug. 15, 2006: $75.00

Contact Info
Jay de Leon
951-834-3386
jaydeleon@worldblackbelt.com

IMAFP
40485 Murrieta Hot Springs Road, #358
Murrieta, CA 92563

THE MOST CORRUPT COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD

2006-02-14T09:37:00.000-08:00

I recently ran into an internet article listing the most corrupt countries in the world. The survey was conducted by Forbes Magazine, and except for a reference to “Transparency International” as its source, it gives no idea for their criteria for inclusion in this august fraternity.

Needless to say, I had to check and see if the Philippines is on the list. The good news is that the Philippines is not on the list. The bad news is, looking at the list, it is no ringing endorsement or cause to celebrate that the Philippines is not on the list.

The countries listed include former republics of the Soviet Union ending in –stan, countries that can hardly qualify as nations, countries I am uncertain I could locate on a map, countries that have no central governments, countries embroiled in civil wars, countries run by sub-human military dictators in the mold of Idi Amin, and countries serving as havens for terrorists.

Just to satisfy your curiosity, here are the countries Forbes claims as the most corrupt countries in the world. I am sure you can google the article if you really want to know why they made the list.

Chad
Bangladesh
Turkmenistan
Myanmar
Haiti
Nigeria
Equatorial Guinea
Cote D’Ivoire
Angola
Tajikistan
Sudan
Somalia
Paraguay
Pakistan
Kenya
Democratic Republic of Congo

I suppose I should be flogged for even thinking the Philippines might be on the list. But let us be candid and admit that corruption has always been a major issue in the Philippines.

I will explore the issue of corruption in future posts.

SPOTLIGHT ON: JEREMIAH STANLEY...IN BRAZIL

2006-02-13T19:18:00.000-08:00

Jeremiah Stanley is my (Filipino Martial Arts) student, friend and fellow traveler. He is an ER nurse by profession and he also happens to be an arnis, kempo and jiu-jitsu instructor, . I wrote an article about him last year describing one of his extended trips. Well, the travel bug has bitten Jeremiah again, and I have decided to let him tell his own story this time. Here is his first email installment (unabridged).

Subject: Bom dia do Rio!
Date: Sat, 11 Feb 2006 08:52:10 -0800 (PST)

Well here I am in Rio! It is indeed one of the most beautiful cities I´ve been to! So far, I´ve been to Sugarloaf mountain where I hiked up the adjacent hill then took the cable car up to the top of the mountain, excellent view!

Ipanema beach was the next day and I hung with some travelers and a Brazilian to be introduced to the Carioca (person living in Rio)beach lifestyle. And an old colonial part of the city named Santa Teresa where we took a tram, or San Francisco style cable car up. Then we visited some parks overlooking the city and took in a nice museum with impressive displays from Europe, Asia and Brazil.

I´m mostly hanging with people from the hostel, but am getting much braver with conversations in portuguesa. It´s funny they understand me more than I understand them; right now I´m just using my spanish with portuguese sounds hoping that it translates okay. But hey, it´s only day 4! This is mostly to let y’all know that I´m here and alive. So don´t worry Mom!

Tchau,
Jeremiah

3rd FMA Festival

2006-02-13T10:54:00.000-08:00

THE 3RD FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS (FMA) FESTIVAL TO BE HELD IN THE PHILIPPINES ON JULY 2006

The 3rd Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) Festival will be held in several venues in the Philippines from July 11-21, 2006. The venues include Clark, Tagaytay and Manila. Participation from over 28 countries is expected.

The Festival includes training, tours, social events and a Gala Night of Dinner and Awards. There will be eight full days of unlimited training covering Modern Arnis and applied techniques, practical and combat lessons, lectures and demonstrations. Filipino grandmasters from the Philippines and all over the world will display an amazing array of weaponry and empty hand techniques including tapado, sanggot, balisong, dulo-dulo, bangkaw, daga and baston.

Nightly events and special tours will also bring will also bring martial artists together in a spirit of camaraderie and cultural exchange. A grand finale in an unforgettable Gala Night attended by martial arts luminaries and government dignitaries will crown the festival.

For full details, go to http://www.fmafestival2006.com/ . Various articles and updates will also be posted on this site and other related sites. Stay tuned.