ORIGINAL TAPADO REUNION SUNDAY By: James U. Sy Jr.

The 2008 OFTLSFAI General Reunion will be held by the Original Filipino Tapado Long Stick Fighting Association (OFTLSFA), Inc. this Sunday, February 24, 2008 at the Lobrido Residence, Prk. Langka, Brgy. Taloc, Bago City .

To preside over the annual gathering will be the late Founder’s nephew, 1st Generation Inheritor/Grandmaster/President Benefredo “Bebing” M. Lobrido with the support of the Mamar and Lobrido Clans, association officers and old and new masters, instructors, and practitioners of the art. It will be the 3rd OFTLSFAI Reunion to be held under GM. Lobrido’s leadership.

2008 marks the 24th Founding Anniversary of the Original Filipino Tapado Long Stick Fighting Association (OFTLSFA), Inc., which was founded as the first and official governing body for Original Filipino Tapado (OFT) in 1984 in Bago City with the blessings of the late Founder/Grandmaster Romeo “Nono” C. Mamar. However, the indigenous long stick fighting art Original Filipino Tapado was founded earlier, in 1960 in Brgy. Taloc, Bago City

GM Mamar developed Original Filipino Tapado after a long search for years of study and non-padded personal combat against other styles of Arnis. Before that, he studied Lagas, Oido, Layaw, and Sinamak from 4 grandmasters.

Tapado differs from other native or eclectic Negrense long stick fighting arts in that it only uses two kinds of strikes, albeit each one having its own hierarchical linya (line) from within characterizing dalum (depth) of technique. It is a single ended, stick-based, two handed grip art.

Tapado derives from the Hiligaynon term Tapat, which in turn comes from Tapos “Finish, End.” Contracting Tapat with the suffix do, one gets a descriptive term for the degree or gravity of being finished or put to an end. Thus, Tapado is an art designed to finish a conflict the soonest, 3 strikes maximum ideally.

One of the agendas is the election of the new set of association officers. GM Lobrido is the 4th president of OFTLSFAI, having served since 2005 up to the present. His uncle, GM Mamar, was the 3rd president, serving from 1989 to 2005.

The Mamar Clan formally turned over the headmastership of Original Filipino Tapado to GM Mamar’s nephew, GM Lobrido, during a simple ceremony at the funeral rites of the late Founder in February 2005 (see turnover pictures at http://oftlsfai.blogspot.com).

GM Lobrido (B: 1950) started his studies of Lagas/Oido and then Original Filipino Tapado under his uncle GM Mamar in 1960, the year when OFT was perfected. For the next four decades, GM Lobrido became GM Mamar’s assistant and ultimately was designated as Chief Instructor when an organization was set up to govern the activities of the art. GM Lobrido personally handled instructions, especially when the Founder retired from teaching. Many renowned martial artists owe their OFT knowledge from GM Lobrido. To date, GM Lobrido has a total of 48 years experience in Tapado.

The most important achievement of the association under the leadership of GM Lobrido is the registration of the association with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) last December 16, 2005 (SEC registration No. CN200530787).

GM Lobrido tirelessly works hard to preserve the combative essence of the art his uncle had perfected only through personal combat. He passes on what has been proven in Juego Todo (Anything Goes) fights, where GM Mamar was undefeated. He hopes to pass on the same effective art to the next generation, especially to those from Taloc, the birthplace of Original Filipino Tapado.

To date, two schools are affiliated with OFTLSFAI, namely the Philippine Integrated Martial Arts Academy-Filipino Tang Soo Do Association (PIMAA-FTSDA) of Master Elmer V. Montoyo and the Conceptual Martial Arts Society (CMAS), Inc. It also has individual members in Bacolod , Bago , California , Cebu City , Iloilo City , Kingston ( Canada ), Louisiana , San Carlos City , Talisay City , and Texas .