Ang Buaya (The Crocodile/El Cocodrilo)

"Take this . . ." as the old eskrima master gives a certificate to a young Frenchman, one morning in 2001.

"Quel est ce maître? What's this master?"

"That's is your certificate, certifying you as brown belt . . . and that is five thousand pesos!" the thick-faced old master declares.

The Frenchman is shocked. "Well, master I have to think about this first." Then he talks French to his colleague, "Ce vieil homme pense que nous avons beaucoup d'argent. Que ferons-nous?"

"Il essaie de nous voler," the colleague answers with disbelief. "Ce gars est un crocodile."

That was the last time they trained with that famous eskrimador in Cebu again.

Writing this down, I know, is not a good thing for our local tourism. But people, there are many crocodiles here, and you naive ones should know!


Then I asked him the other day (he is back here in Cebu now) as to why they kept on going back to that gym.

"We didn't know where to go . . ."

"Aha!"

But with the advent of the YouTube these eskrima enthusiasts now, have the option where to go. Say goodbye to the bygone years of monopoly.

This won't happen again, except to those who are just innately idiots, who keep on coming back to these buaya (pronounced, boo-ah-yah)

Merry Christmas to you all, and may you be protected by your angel dela guardia from the bite of a buaya in 2009. Happy New Year too.

¡Vergüenza en usted cocodrilo, usted es una vergüenza a nuestra gente!