The Book

I am so glad to receive the email this morning, informing me that the book I wrote with Celestino Castro Macachor is now doing good. Many people are buying it, in fact, it commands 60% share of all Filipino Martials Arts books sold in Amazon. It is like an insignificant snowball rolling downhill, soon becoming an avalance.

What makes me happier, is the fact that many FMA (arnis, eskrima) enthusiasts have read the book now and know the real story about the Filipino Martial Arts. The days of the myth makers is now almost over.

Too Violent?

A good friend of mine approached one of the bigwigs of the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) for support of his documentary film on eskrima. But instead of encouraging my friend for his good project, this "authority" of the Filipino culture and art, discouraged the project because, according to this gentleman (a fag maybe), such a topic is so violent. insinuating that the government agency where he belonged shuns anyrhing violent. hahahahahahahah Poor Philippines, to have people of authority like this one. Aha! all he wants is something "soft" eh? This is why folks when we talk about art in the Philippines, it seems that all is about folk dancing, music, painting. Yes, nothing but all those sissy stuffs. Man, these people are simply ignorantes!

Then in March 2009, there was this showcasing of Filipino arts and culture at the Ayala Center in Cebu. The organizers showed the thriller of the documentary film made by my friend. But then the bigwigs of that mall, disallowed them to continue the rest of the film because, according to them, it was so violent. Why violent? Well, in that film actors were demonstrating stickfighting, i.e. hitting each other with thier sticks. Violent huh? What do these people think of arnis, by the way - a ballroom dancing? The same mall showing violent Hollywood films in their theaters is not allowing this cultural thing because it is "violent" to their sissy tastes.

There is a conflict here. Look, the Philippine Senate itself has just approved he Bill making arnis or eskrima the Philippine National Sport, whilst the NCCA people are not ready to support the same.

Three Related Cebuano Martial Arts

It is easier to comprehend a martial art concept or working principle when viewed from many seemingly different but actually related martial arts, if one has a chance to venture on cross training with martial arts sharing the same working principle, say the so-called principle of corto.

In the contemporary Cebuano martial arts we have three related martial arts that are currently available to the public. All these share the same lineage and emphasize the corto principle.

One is the now famous Balintaawak system of eskrima founded by Venancio “Anciong” Bacon. This system emphasizes, among other things, the close-quarter stick fighting. Another related Cebuano martial art is Tat Kon Tou, a barehanded fighting art developed by José Go-Millan. The third one is Baraw Sugbo, less-known Cebuano martial art focusing solely on the use of the dagger. This was originated by Lorenzo Saavedra.

Historically all these are related because, Lorenzo “Tatay Insong” Saavedra also happened to be the original organizer of both the Labangon Fencing Club and the original Doce Pares schools. He was also the teacher of Venancio Bacon. José “Joe Go” Go-Millan was also one of the many students of Anciong Bacon.

The aforementioned martial arts emphasize practically almost the same fighting principle wherein the “Live Hand” is given too much importance. Enthusiasts of any of these martial art, could easily adopt the strategy of the other, say, a Balintawak practitioner would find it easy to learn and apply any thing about Tat Kon Tou. The Tat Kon Tou stylist also would find Balintawak eskrima, familiar in many things. They can also find that Baraw Sugbo can literally improve their performances in their respective arts since it shares a familiar fighting strategy.

Many non-FMA stylists appreciate eskrima and easily integrate it to their respective martial arts. Many Wing Chun practitioners, for example, are cross-training with eskrima since they can easily get the concept.

Joe Go, the Eskrima Teacher

Joe Go or Jose Millan Go was one of the least-known students of Venancio "Anciong" Bacon, the originator of the Balintawak style of eskrima. Joe Go, in turn, was also the originator of Tat Kon Tou and Gokosha. He was also the originator of the Balintawak-derived Palakabanate style of eskrima.

Many people said he was a good martial artist, a great eskrima fighter. I cannot comment on that, since I never had the privilege of seeing him fought somebody. But I saw many of his students, my seniors actually, performed well. I can only guess that he was probably good, in order to produce good students. I heard many stories about his fight, though.

It is said that he had a patron of sort, an ambassador, who would arrange some of his fight, conducted in private places. Those private fights, involved big money of course. It is also claimed that his colleagues in Manila, would call him, and gave him plane ticket, just for him to spar against somebody there.

But in spite of his alleged ability, he was no match against Anciong. According to him "I kicked him many times, but I simply couldn't hit him." The great Anciong easily humbled him.

He was dubbed as "little Anciong" by his contemporaries in Balintawak eskrima. According to some sources, he even sparred one of his stick-wielding senior colleague, one time, using a sungay only. He told me one time, there were only two eskrimadores he idolized, his teacher Anciong Bacon and his colleague, Delfin Lopez, who according to him move very fast, full of power and saturated with elegance.

Joe Go took good care of the late eskrima teacher months before the latter died. Among the more important thing he learned from Anciong that emphasized to later in his students is the concept he called Body-Stepping-Footwork. The same concept is actually the essence of Gokosha and later the Palakabanate, the brand of eskrima he was teaching three years before he died in June 1991. Yes, Gokosha, is truly an expression of FMA, being developed from Balintawak.

The reason as to why he did not call his eskrima or arnis, Balintawak. It is because according to him, his late teacher, did not give him the license to use that name and there were already people ahead of him who were using the name Balintawak.

According to him he joined Balintawak eskrima, just one month ahead of the great Balintawak innovator, Jose Villasin. He also used to mention the names of Teddy Buot and Jim Boy Hife. In fact, if I remember it right, one of them invited him to the States, but he was already committed in teaching us at that time.

As a direct student, I can only say he was really a good teacher. He could analyse our weaknesses and gave us something to practice on, to improve our skills. He could explain very well. Unfortunately, I was still not in stage where I could ask a good, maybe provocative question, for him to answer or physically demonstrate. In fact, I couldn't understand some of his answers then.

A DVD was still difficult to come by in the early 90s (at least in our locality), there was no Youtube as well. I only remember that when he was performing something for us, he kept on reminding us to focus more on his footwork and not on his hands. I couldn't understand him then, since for me arnis or eskrima is basically about the hands not feet.