The Philippine Reporter

Bahad ZuBu Seminar in Anaheim, California

2007-03-18T11:38:00.001-07:00

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

2007-03-11T09:33:00.000-07:00

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.

Photo available for viewing at www.filipinofightingartsintl.com.

Copyright Jay de Leon 2007

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

2007-02-23T14:21:00.000-08:00

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

2007-02-10T18:26:00.001-08:00

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”

2007-01-27T22:05:00.000-08:00

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

FRESH FIGHTING, OLD NEWS IN MINDANAO IN THE PHILIPPINES

2007-01-01T15:07:00.000-08:00

The latest news out of the Philippines this second week of October 2006 is that the whole country, including Manila, is on high security alert following an outbreak of violence in Mindanao, the southern part of the islands. More attacks are anticipated as tensions between the military and militants continue to escalate.

Violence, including bombings and armed combat, has been reported in the provinces of North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat. The militants include the Muslim groups of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Abu Sayyaf and the communist New People’s Army (NPA). This dangerous coalition has even been made more volatile with the reported presence of fighters from Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a militant terrorist group with strong links to al-Qaeda that is believed to have a small (about 30-40 members) but dedicated members in the southern Philippines.

As an interesting sidelight, it was reported that the recent fighting included a fierce skirmish between troops of the Philippine Army’s 39th Infantry Brigade and the NPA’s female fighters, the Amazonas.

A few months ago, I published an e-book entitled “Mindanao Jottings” about my experiences in Mindanao in the early 1970’s. I recounted many of my first-hand experiences and eye-witness accounts of the violence brought about by the Christian-Muslim conflict of those times. What many do not realize is that, unless peace is quickly brokered, this outbreak of violence will escalate and involve the civilian population in a bloody conflagration. Just like in the ‘70’s during my time, Christian para-military units will form and arm themselves again. The civilian population, both Christians and Muslims, will be caught in the cross-fire and the violence. There will be victims of atrocities on both sides of the ethnic divide, including women and children.

As I concluded in my book, the tragedy of the Christian-Muslim conflict in the 1970’s was that, after all the fighting, bloodshed and atrocities, nothing had changed in the 2000’s. Some of the fighters might be second generation by now, and some organizations might sport new names now, with virulent terrorist affiliations, but the misery, bloodshed and dislocation visited on the innocent population has not changed.

You may purchase my book “Mindanao Jottings” at the online store at any of the websites listed below.

Jay de Leon

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

MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS

2006-12-21T23:56:00.000-08:00

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.

Letter of Appreciation for Tipunan sa Los Angeles 2006

2006-09-19T14:13:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-18T00:22:00.000-07:00

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 Edgar 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

2006-09-17T06:03:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-10T14:29:00.000-07:00

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

2006-09-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

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”

2006-09-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

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)

2006-09-06T10:28:00.000-07:00

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 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

2006-09-03T09:25:00.000-07:00

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 additional 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

2006-09-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

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

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

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/
http://www.modernarnis.blogspot.com/

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

2006-08-23T01:28:00.000-07:00

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.

MINDANAO JOTTINGS: DAVAO CITY, MY OASIS OF PEACE

2006-06-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

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

2006-06-14T10:05:00.000-07:00

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

2006-06-13T16:23:00.000-07:00

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

2006-06-12T15:06:00.001-07:00

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

2006-06-11T12:50:00.000-07:00

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.

MINDANAO JOTTINGS: CATFISH AND WATERFALLS

2006-06-06T13:04:00.000-07:00

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.

MINDANAO JOTTINGS: A TALE OF TWO SOLDIERS Part 2

2006-06-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

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

2006-06-04T16:18:00.000-07:00

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.”

MINDANAO JOTTINGS: EYEWITNESS TO A RUB-OUT

2006-06-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

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

2006-05-31T11:21:00.000-07:00

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?

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

2006-05-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

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

2006-05-26T00:29:00.000-07:00

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

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

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 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?

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

2006-05-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

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?

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

2006-05-23T11:53:00.000-07:00

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 the 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/ .

MOMENTS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY: THE PLAZA MIRANDA BOMBING

2006-05-20T20:14:00.000-07:00

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?

WORLD CLASS ATHLETES AND COACHES USE LIFEWAVE TECHNOLOGY

2006-02-27T15:11:00.000-08:00

Major new development for human energy and performance
World Class Athletes and Coaches Use the LifeWave Technology

To improve performance LifeWave, LLC has recently launched a new energy performance enhancing product that utilizes the human bodies’ electromagnetic field without using any harmful drugs. With this dual patch system, nothing enters the body. Unlike many products, there are no chemicals, drugs, or other harmful products entering the body. Testing by 2 national regulatory bodies confirm that nothing enters the body. Clinical and university studies show an average 35-40% increase in energy, performance and stamina. Inventor of this revolutionary technology, David Schmidt states: “LifeWave is the world leader in the emerging field of organically constructed nano-antennas for the passive frequency modulation of the human magnetic field. These antennas, when properly constructed are capable of passively modulating the human magnetic field for the purpose of transmitting information to the human body. The first commercially available product that LifeWave is offering is in the form of a patch, with this product instructing the body to transport fats to the mitochondria for ATP production. The end result is that users experience immediate improvements in energy and stamina.” Dr. Steven Haltiwanger, MD CCN, an internationally renowned nutritional expert states: “What David Schmidt, the inventor of LifeWave Energy Enhancer patches, has essentially done is to use the electronic and magnetic features of the body like a cellular radio to transmit information from his patches into the body to enhance the production of energy and stamina. His technological discovery applies research from many fields of science to promote the burning of fat as an energy source to produce greater strength-endurance.”

LifeWave Energy Enhancer patches were designed to improve a person’s life and lifestyle. Two of the characteristic effects that consistently are produced in individuals who wear LifeWave patches are an immediate and physically demonstrable increase in energy and stamina that occurs within minutes of placing the patches on the body.

The increase in strength endurance that has been repeatedly documented in our studies is not a chemical phenomenon such as would be the case with drugs like anabolic steroids. We think this effect is instead related to an increase in ATP production from the metabolism of lipids instead of carbohydrates. Fat, as an energy source, is 2.5 to 2.9 times more efficient than proteins or carbohydrates.

Independent University Studies of the LifeWave Technology

Formal double-blind placebo controlled studies were conducted at a large Division One University in June-July 2003 using both Flat Bench Press (225lb.) and Push-Up studies by Coach Richard Shaughnessy as the principal investigator. In the Flat Bench Press study the athletes in the test group who wore the patch had a 43.2% increase in strength performance. In a Push-up study the college athletes averaged up to 54% more push-ups in their third repetition set while wearing the patches.
At an Atlanta, GA. College, a study in November 2002 was done with college football players by Joseph A. Goodson MS, ATC, and Head Athletic Trainer. The football players in this study wore the patches during a 60-minute heavy training workout. In this study the subjects worked out on a fixed weight flat bench press until failure. The test group who wore the patches had an average increase in performance of 34%.

Real Life Usage

LifeWave Energy Enhancer is now being used by many world class athletes.
Professional Golfers: Approximately 130 professional golfers are using the patches on tour.

Colleges: Approximately 40 sports programs at major Universities are training and competing with the patches. This includes high profile teams such as the Stanford University Swim Team. Other colleges such as Troy, Auburn, Alabama, Clemson, and Texas Tech are either using or testing the product.

The LifeWave patches were used successfully at the US Olympic Trials but created controversy at the Trials. The patches underwent testing by the USADA and no issues or banned substances were found (as nothing enters the body).

Ronnie Coleman, 7 times Mr. Olympia, is an endorser and user of the patches.

Professional Athletes: The list includes football, baseball, basketball, hockey, shoot fighting, golf, and other high profile sports. Pro athletes keep LifeWave Energy Enhancer a secret as each strives for a competitive edge.

The patches have been a contributor to several World Records and many “personal bests” in a range of sports.

For more information on LifeWave Energy Enhancer and this new technology, visit http://www.lifecarepatch.com/

AN APPEAL FOR LANDSLIDE VICTIMS IN THE PHILIPPINES

2006-02-19T11:46:00.000-08:00

Philippine EmbassyNews Release
17/Feb/06

APPEAL OF AMBASSADOR ALBERT DEL ROSARIO

The Filipino nation mourns over the tragedy which struck Barangay Guinsaugon in St. Bernard, southern Leyte.Massive landslides, triggered by an earthquake, buried more than 300 houses in the village. The number of casualties is expected to be in the hundreds even as about 1,500 are feared missing.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has already ordered the immediate mobilization of all government resources and coordinated relief and rescue operations by sea, land and air have been launched by the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC). In response to the Philippine government's request for assistance, the United States government has dispatched two US military ships and it will provide funds for the response efforts. The United Nations will send a special disaster team to assess needs in the calamity area and the government of Japan will likewise provide relief support. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies had released emergency funds to address the needs of the survivors.

I wish to appeal to all Filipinos, friends of the Philippines and concerned groups and individuals to extend their helping hand to the victims of this tragedy. The Philippine Embassy will accept donations in cash, check or money order. Donations should be made payable to the Philippine Embassy which will issue receipts for them. Checks may be mailed to the Philippine Embassy as follows: Attention: Ms. Cynthia Tayam, Philippine Embassy, 1600 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. The names of donors, the amounts donated and the dates they were received will be posted in the Embassy website which is http://www.philippineembassy-usa.org/ and a regular progress report on this fund drive will be issued by the Embassy's Press and Information Section.All donations collected by the Embassy will be transmitted to the NDCC in the Philippines which is the government's inter-agency body responsible for coordinating disaster rescue, relief and rehabilitation.

Please contact the following Embassy personnel if you wish to help in this most urgent humanitarian cause: Ms. Cynthia Tayam: DL (202) 467-9381 or http://us.f333.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=wdcpefinance@aol.com or Ms. Cecile Tomas: DL (202) 467-9403. They may also be reached through the Embassy trunkline which is (202) 467-9300.

The Philippine Embassy profoundly thanks all those who will respond to this appeal in the spirit of love and compassion for our fellow Filipinos.

FUSING FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS, FOLKLORE, FANTASY AND STORYTELLING

2006-02-18T13:29:00.000-08:00

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

2006-02-15T12:16:00.000-08:00

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

2006-02-14T09:32:00.000-08:00

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

2006-02-13T19:26:00.000-08:00

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

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

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.