Thursday, February 13, 2014

Kali-Kalihan Explodes With 1st Mayor Joemax Ortiz Arnis Cup Part I by: James U. Sy Jr.

Some of the officials, grandmasters, masters, demontrators, and fighters together with Mr. Danilo E. Diaz, executive Assistant to the Mayor, at the lunch break of the 1st Don Salvador Benedicto (DSB) Arnis Championships "1st Hon. Mayor Joemax Ortiz Cup" last February 7, 2014 at the DSB Public Plaza and later, at the DSB Multi-Purpose Gym in Don Salvador Benedicto (DSB), Negros Occidental, held as part of the town's 31st Founding Anniversary and 24th Kali-Kalihan Harvest Festival (James U. Sy Jr./CMAS photo). The Don Salvador Benedicto (DSB) Office of the Mayor under Hon. Mayor Joemax Ortiz and the DSB Department of Tourism under Tourism Officer Lloyd Carator successfully hosted the 1st Don Salvador Benedicto (DSB) Arnis Championships "1st Hon. Mayor Joemax Ortiz Cup" last February 7, 2014 at the DSB Public Plaza and later, at the DSB Multi-Purpose Gym in Don Salvador Benedicto (DSB), Negros Occidental as part of the town's 31st Founding Anniversary and 24th Kali-Kalihan Harvest Festival. Jun Siason, Founder/Grandmaster of the Siasopn Arnis Club, was designated as Chairperson of the event. GM Siason sought the assistance of Founder/Grandmaster Felix A. Guinabo of the Guinabo Arnis and Combat Sports (GACS) to make the tournament a reality. GACS, which is one of the most active member schools of the Negros Occidental Baston Federation (NOBF), Inc., invited its allied organizations to present the first display of multiple systems of indigenous Negrosanon Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) with established histories and linaages in the town's famed Kali-Kalihan Harvest Festival. The Kali-Kalihan Festival is a harvest festival with street dancing showing the cultural and martial heritage the town has adapted, the indigenous Filipino art of self protection, Arnis/Eskrima, more popularly known as Kali to foreigners. A total of 11 Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) organizations From Bacolod, Bago, La Carlota, and Talisay gave support to the exposition cum tournament.All groups except for two are members or are allied with the NOBF which is headed by its Founder?President Emeritus Atty. Col. Grandmaster Marcelo C. Jalandoon, Ph.D., and its Current President INP P/Sgt. (Ret.) Estanislao “Eslao” T. Guarra. DEMONSTRATIONS. Mandatus Arnis Sikaran Kali (MASK) of Founder/Grandmaster Romeo Postrano started the exposition with a display of anyo (form), solo baston, and doble baston which are composites of the styles of Grandmasters Teomtimo Buenaflor and Hortencio Navales. The Tanique Arnis and Combat Sports (TACS), now headed by Master Arman Tanique, provided two arnisadors to showcase their style of anyo, single stick, and double sticks which were taught by the late brother grandmasters Bernandino and Teotimo Tanique. Master Stephen Roy S. Dedel, Co-Founder of Pangamot International, with the assistance of Billy Aligonza and Phillip M. Rivera, demonstrated the efficiently brutal use of the knife in the Dedel Pangamot System. Show were sundang contra sumdamg and pangamot contra sundang. 1st Generation Inheritor Grandmaster Benefredo “Bebing” M. Lobrido, President of the Original Filipino Tapado Long Stick Fighting Association 9OFLSFA), Inc., with the help of Master Joeffrey S. Deriada, demonstrated the indigenous long stick fighting art Original Filipino Tapado founded by his late uncle Founder/Grandmaster Romeo "Nono" C. Mamar of Taloc, Bago City. Shown were the basic uno and dos strikes and the direct hitting linyadas. Master James U. Sy Jr., Founder of Conceptual Martial Arts Society (CMAS), Inc., gave tribute to his 30 teachers by showing elements from their arts that are integrated into his composite Conceptual Arnis System. Among those demonstrated were live blade anyo, largo defensa & ofensa, corto disarmada, and pangagaw baladao kag pusil. He was assisted by Master Deriada of CMAS and Master Joselito Guzon of GACS. The Tribu Hangaway Association, Inc. (THAI) of Master Roy R. Flores was represented by his son Arjay Flores and Instructor Jimmy Soqueña in an exhibition of the saiz teros and their defenses, doble baston, and pang-agaw as practiced in their Hangaway system of Arnis. Organizer Guinabo Arnis and Combat Sports (GACS) of Founder/Grandmaster Felix A. Guinabo so far gave the most number of exhibitions with so far the most number of eskrimadors, of all ages and of different genders. The demo team was composed of GM Guinabo, Master Joselito O. Guzon, Christian Decena, Vincent Española, Janber Guinabo, Rene Cyril Indonila, and Jerwin Palma among others. Showcased were the solo baston, doble baston, espada y daga piga-piga, disarmada, trangkada, and pangkuga of the Trece grabes Piga-Piga System of Arnis.

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

1st Mayor Joemax Ortiz DSB Arnis Cup This Kali-Kalihan by: James U. Sy Jr.

The 1st Don Salvador Benedicto (DSB) Arnis Championships "1st Hon. Mayor Joemax Ortiz Cup" will be presented by the Guinabo Arnis and Combat Sports (GACS) of Founder/Grandmaster Felix A. Guinabo and the Siason Arnic Club of Founder/Grandmaster Jun Siason for the DSB Office of the Mayor under Hon. Mayor Joemax Ortiz and the DSB department of Toruism under Tourism Officer Lloyd Carator under the sanction of the Negros Occidental Baston Federation (NOBF), Inc. under its Founder Atty. Col. Grandmaster Marcelo C. Jalandoon, Ph.D., and its President INP P/Sgt. (Ret.) Estanislao “Eslao” T. Guarra this coming February 7, 2014, starting 9:00 AM at DSB Public Plaza, Don Salvador Benedicto (DSB), Negros Occidental. The DSB Office of the Mayor is sponsoring this Arnis/Eskrima tournament as part of town's 31st Founding Anniversary and 24th Kali-Kalihan Harvest Festival. Don Salvador Benedicto (DSB) was founded on February 9, 1983 from three barangays previously under the jurisdiction of San Carlos City. Its Kali-Kalihan Festival every February is a harvest festival with street dancing showing the cultural and martial heritage the town has adapted, the indigenous Filipino art of self protection, Arnis/Eskrima, more popularly known as Kali to foreigners. Mayor Ortiz would like to higlight this cultural heritage which earned Don Salvador Benedicto fame not only in the local scene but also abroad. DSB is also known for its cool climate, thus it is dubbed as the "Summer Capital of Negros Occidental," akin to Baguio in Luzon. The town is also known for its local produce. The set of rules to be used in this tournament is the Intercontinental Federation of Filipino Martial Arts Schools (IFFMAS), Inc. Arnis Competition Rules, which is based on one of the traditional systems of playing Arnis/Eskrima in the old days in Negros Occidental where one player is inside a circle and defends and the other is outside and attacking. World Kali Eskrima Arnis Federation (WEKAF) regulation protective gear will be used. Weapons will be padded sticks. At least 9 Filipino Martial arts (FMA) organizations are expected to participate in this highly anticipated encounter of empty hands and weapon demonstrations and a test of skills in the sparring competition in both the adult and children's divisions. The tournament will be open to the public.