FILIPINO MARTIAL ARTS - HISTORY

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Information taken from different history books, manuals and bulletins by various Philippine Martial Arts, although the name can vary from place to place depending on the region, has its own unique fighting techniques and applications. In the northern region, it is known as Sikaran, in the central region Arnis or Escrima and in the southern region, Kali. The history of any fighting art, I believe, is a reflection of the society and culture from which it was formed and developed. The Philippine Martial Arts which is now known as Filipino Martial Arts is no different. 

One of the most interesting theories, however, contends that the beautiful and sprawling island chain was once a part of the Asian mainland. That the Negritoes journeyed west in search of food and game and eventually settled in the Philippines before the Pacific Ocean swallowed up the earthen umbilical cord that tied the islands to the mainland. Then followed by a group of people the proto Malay who found a home in the lush mountain slopes. Then other group of people said to be Indonesian also interbred with the culture already established. 

Around the fifth century, one of the earliest of the great Asian empires began to form. A group called the Brahins came from India to Sumatra and created the famous Hindu-Malayan empire of Sri Vishaya. The Sri Vishaya invaded the Philippines and had a great impact on the development of the Filipino culture. Aside from being skilled warriors, farmers and seamen, they brought more advanced civilization to the islands by introducing new laws, the calenda, a written alphabet, a new religion and the use of weights and measures. The people from Sri Vishaya became the Visayan people of the central Philippines. The Chinese during the 12th century immigrated to the Philippines a s peaceful traders and merchants and they had a tremendous influence on the development of the Philippines culture. 

In the early part of the 16th century, March 17, 1521, the Spanish conquistadores invaded the Philippines in the island of Mactan in the province of Cebu. Soon after, he was killed during a fierce battle against the Rajah Lapulapu’s mandirigma (warriors). The local warriors used only their Kampilan (long dual pointed sword), sibat (spears) sinugba sa apoy (sticks hardened in fire) and kalasag (protective shields). The encounter was only the beginning of 400 year struggle. 

Under the Spanish rule, the practice of the Filipino martial arts was outlawed but the Filipinos still practiced the art secretly. Meanwhile, the lace and steel clad Spanish nobles developed a new interest in some of the quaint island dances. This became of favorite of the Spaniards who commissioned the dancers to perform at special functions, little did they know that the dances employed many combative Kali moves. The itik itik for the footwork, the bagol dance for showing the target areas of openings for a fully armored Spanish warrior, the maglalatik for the stick striking movement. From the folk dances known as Langka performed in Mindanao, Palawan and Sulu Archipelago. Examples are the langka kuntaw which focused snapping arm movement with evasive leaping and squatting leg and foot maneuvers. The langka silat, though not as powerful but relaxed movements which are mark of mastery and the langka lima which focuses on the perfection of postures exclusive of one another, just to name a few. With all these ingenuity, motivation and control, the Pilipinos and the Filipino martial arts survived. 

To this date, there are several Pilipino martial arts grandmasters and masters of their own styles. To name a few, Grandmaster Angel Cabales, Grandmaster Leo Giron who said that “peace is not without conflict but it is the ability to cope with conflict”, Grandmasters Yuling, Momoy and Cacoy Canete of Doce Pares in Cebu, Grandmaster Anciong Bacon of the Balintawak Club. And lastly the founders of Modern Arnis, the Presas Brothers, Grandmaster Remy Presas and Grandmaster Ernesto Presas. 

When I first met Grandmaster Ernesto Presas in 1999, he asked me after watching some of my karate students, “why don’t you concentrate on teaching our Filipino martial arts instead of teaching just the black belt students so you can propagate our art”. It took a while before I eventually follow his suggestion. I’ve been under Grandmaster Cacoy Canete when I was a teenager in the early ‘60s and Tuhon Leo Gaje in the late ‘70s. Several years ago I started training with another grandmaster of the art, Nicomedes Elizar of the Nickelstick Balintawak style. It was a good experience for me to learn and kept learning additional techniques and theories from another style. Lately, I trained with another Grandmaster, Drigo Maranga who insisted that I call him "Maestro" because he believes that his students want to learn and not as his servants. I decided to follow and concentrate my arnis teaching with Grandmaster Ernesto Presas because his style, Modern Arnis Kombatan, fits my karate teaching of the Okinawan Shorin Ryu as my way of life. 

To conclude, the Philippine Archipelago is a melting pot of people and cultures. While the evolution of the Pilipino Martial Arts may be interpreted by some in terms of ideas assimilated from its Asian neighbors and to do so solely in such terms is naïve. There is presently no single martial arts organization, political faction, ethnic or social integration in the Philippines. However, it is precisely the Pilipinos' ability to absorb other cultural traditions without being absorbed that has crafted their martial arts into something essentially and uniquely Filipino. 

Pugay, 

Grandmaster Eddie R. Guevara