Navales Masskara Arnis Held by James U. Sy Jr.

Capt. Teodorico “Teddy” P. Delicana, Grandmaster Hortencio M. Navales, Grandmaster John M. Necesito, P/Sgt. (Ret.) Founder/Grandmaster Estanislao “Eslao” T. Guarra of Guarra Style Modern Arnis, and Mario Guardiano during the start of the Bacolod Negros Arnis Federation International (BNAFI), Inc. Arnis Competition last October 16, 2010 at the Bacolod Arts, Youth, and Sports (BAYS) Center, San Juan St., Bacolod City as part of the 31st Masskara Festival celebration of the City of Smiles.

The Bacolod Negros Arnis Federation International (BNAFI), Inc. of Grandmaster Hortencio M. Navales with the support of the Bacolod City Government under Hon. Mayor Evelio “Bing” R. Leonardia held an Arnis Competition last October 16, 2010 at the Bacolod Arts, Youth, and Sports (BAYS) Center, San Juan St., Bacolod City as part of the 31st Masskara Festival celebration of the City of Smiles.

Guests present were Judge Grandmaster Demosthenes L. Magallanes, Grandmaster John M. Necesito, P/Sgt. (Ret.) Founder/Grandmaster Estanislao “Eslao” T. Guarra of Guarra Style Modern Arnis, Capt. Teodorico “Teddy” P. Delicana, former national Kickboxing champion Grandmaster Hernani “Django” Rodrigazo, Founder/Master James U. Sy Jr. of Conceptual Martial Arts Society (CMAS), Inc., and Atty. Roland Zamora. Each of the guests gave a message to the participants.

The event started off with demonstrations for students, Masters, and grandmasters and progressed into WEKAF style sparring competition, which the Navales group had adopted for the last 3 decades.

The Domingo Lacson National High School and Bacolod City National High School Arnis teams under Master Renier Decripito and Master Julius Acot composed the majority of the participants. The groups’ performances include several solo forms, two-man paired forms, synchronized forms, and self defense techniques. A number of the performers did jumps and acrobatics in their forms.

Masters Kane and Prince Navales, sons of GM Navales, demonstrated solo baston, doble baston, and disarming using espada y daga-derived methods.

Using a bahi yaming, Founder/Master James U. Sy Jr. of Conceptual Martial Arts Society (CMAS), Inc. performed la cadena or the chaining combination of the different slashes and thrusts he had learned from his Arnis teachers. He also did a solo form of the Original Filipino Tapado long stick and the nunchaku.

Siblings Clyde and Windy Lou G. Poral of Brgy. Lag-asan, Bago City represented their grandfather’s Guarra Style Modern Arnis with a solo baston vs doble baston routine. Windy also performed modernist disarms with P/Sgt. (Ret.) Founder/Grandmaster Estanislao “Eslao” T. Guarra feeding the strikes and doble baston vs tuwang-tuwang with Master Sy. GM Guarra was the only grandmaster who performed a demo in the event.

Senior Instructor Joselito Guzon and Noel Emmanuel Arendon of Guinabo Arnis and Combat Sports (GACS) represented their teacher Grandmaster Felix A. Guinabo, performing the signature moves of the Trese Grabes Piga-Piga System in the demo and later competing in the sparring division.