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[Canuk]

"I'm just a Buang tambok kano. Sige na"

And you better remeber that buddy boy!

[Hock]

Many Filipinos are very superstitious.

I remember being taken to a Manila shopping mall and being told by a very famous FMA person that the mall was owned by a rich man and his son lived underneath the mall and had the head of snake. Every year or so the snake man would snatch a female shopper and of course, rape her and eat her.

Amulets and things abound. Ernesto Presas has a "power amulet" story too, on film somewhere and I can't remember what it does. Something spooky.

Yes Ernesto and Remy taught Arnis to the Air Force in a pretty big organized way. First Remy, then Ernesto. They got grandoise letters from grandoise titled people each time (another Filipino habit. A simple secretary would be called "Grand, Specialized Adjunct Aid to the _________ next bigger, grandoise title)

And they have taught seperately many factions of the military. Ernesto taught Arnis at the University of Manila, officially, for years. Been there to the classes myself. Like so many of the big names, they have all taught all kinds of Filipino military. All have grandoise letters of thanks from grandoise titled people.

And yes, in my experience Arnis is the perferred term in the homeland.

In the key decades, the big 3 people that popularized FMA is the USA was Inosanto, Remy Presas and Gaje.  When Remy died, Gaje went home for a while (ran successful bodyguard buiness from Taiwan to the Philippines) and Dan kind of chilled out for awhile, FMA took a serious hit in the market place. Also, MMA hit all systems hard in the marketplace, to include FMA.

Edgar Salute did not like to fly and travel too much when in the USA and it hindered the full potential spread of Lameco. Yet, Salute's impact can be felt today and is STILL very much around the world! Despite self-imposed restrictions in its growth. I would say that Lameco could still be the most popular, or nearly the most popular FMA in the world today?  

Dan Inosanto is the most popular FMA guy, but he is not an exponent of his brand of FMA....persay.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Dan Inosanto was key in spreading many things of course, but also Pekiti Tersia in the 80s, then next Lameco for many years to the world in Edgar's traveling absence.

Salute's impact on FMA is a very, very interesting study. I never met him or attended any Salute seminar. Wished I had though.  We just got his system passed down from Dan in seminars and Dan's top people.

Hock


 

[redcap]

In my collection of hundreds of martial arts, military, law, sailing and selling books still at my inlaw's house, I have an autographed copy of Edgar's book. He signed it for me at his last Sydney seminar, the year before he died. He was actually due to hold another seminar here when we received the disturbing news from Rahneer Fabi (his agent in Oz) that he had passed away. Far too young.

He was a very engaging and entertaining instructor and unlike many Filipinos I have met, he didn't seem to be the type to worry about the grandiose title stuff Hock so accurately related. Who knows where Lameco might have gone to if he was still with us.

One of the big styles here in Australia is Doce Pares. I have many friends in the style although my respect for it dwindled after I competed in the 1994 WEKAF World Championships in Manila. I fear it has been watered down to suit the rules and scoring system of WEKAF. All the Canete's are upper middle class Filipinos, professionals such as attorney's, accountants, engineers etc Over there it is normal for someone to be introduced to you as "Attorney Juni", or "Engineer Bong" and for one's staff to refer to you as "Sir Perry" or "Ma'am Claudia". A different society and culture for sure.

As for the amulets and such, our local Quack Doctor (yes, they call them 'quack doctors') saved our piggery from an infestation of Onggu's, or evil spirits that were killing the pigs in the area. I put up flyscreen to keep the birds out as I thought they passed disease around from farm to farm. Silly me, it was the Onggu's. We needed a black pig to scare them off, then be sacrificed along with a lot of other food, rum, cigarettes etc. He spoke to the Onggu's in Visayan and Latin, very conversationally, and they eventually left us. Once gone we could eat all the food we had prepared and sacrificed. All up cost to clear out the Onggus was about US$60, including the black pig. The flyscreen cost US$40 but we couldn't eat the left over screen so I think he did the better job.

This stuff works you know. Pregnant women fear mananggals which are vampire like people who turn into chickens and leave their waist down body standing around while they fly off to find pregnant women and devour the baby in the womb. You need to stuff special grass and weeds in your windows and wear a patch of black cloth  next to your skin to stop them. Don't knock it, it works. I've got five kids and not a single mananggal got through.
Redcap

[Hock]

Tahlib said next :


"The show was "Fight Science" or one of those cable shows did a whole hour on Gaje, ergo the "Gaje show." It was all about Leo. Werstling water buffalo and so forth (not him, the show stars did). On film, spreading the chicken blood on the new warrior in a ceremony, as someone mentioned.

Sorry, didn't know you were referencing an actual television show.  I do remember viewing it myself.  My general feeling is that the information presented in television programs should be viewed with a critical eye.  It's impossible to get the gist of an entire martial system or its reputation just by one program.  In this particular program for example, there was no connection made  whatsoever between Gaje and the Philippine marines.  There was a segment of him demonstrating indigenous training methods with the carabao and then shortly after a segment referencing the use of the Pekiti-Tirsia system in training the marines.  No connection between Gaje and his system was made at all.  Yet the connection between the system and it's use in the training of the marines was made.  Those whose first exposure to the system was through this program obviously wouldn't have made any connection.
  The whole dogeater thing sounds a little strange.  Especially given the fact that Top Dog Eric Knauss of the Dogbrothers was a high ranking student of Leo Gaje.  I have heard the dogeater reference before but never as a confrontational thing with the dogbrothers.  Very strange.
  The role of Pekiti Tirsia in both the AFP and PNP is well documented.  Many claim to teach Special Forces, SWAT, or any number of military or law enforcement units, when in fact they have instructed individual members of a unit or conducted a seminar.
In the late 1990s the Recon Marines completed several combat skills courses and interviewed numerous instructors, including those of the prominent styles/systems/clubs in the Philippines, but found none that taught combat with the live blade and that could teach a system to special operations forces applicable to their operational environment and requirements.After one interview with Tim Waid, a high ranking instructor and practitioner in the states and demonstration with the commanding officer and staff he had a contract to begin training the marines. All he did was demonstrate the system of Pekiti-Tirsia, as taught to him by Grand Tuhon Gaje. The CO saw the distinction and effectiveness of an authentic Filipino Bladefighting Combat system from the current “styles” created as the newest, latest, and greatest. program for a unit.  These would include mainstream "All Blade all the time" time styles promoted here in the states.                                                                                                                I guess I am like 90% of Gaje Pekiti Tirsia people and I consider this a good thing."  

[Hock]

"Especially given the fact that Top Dog Eric Knauss of the Dogbrothers was a high ranking student of Leo Gaje."

It was Eric who contacted The Philippines and smoothed it all over. There are stories about that smoothing too, that I have only been told by my FMA friends from the West Coast. Details of that is repeated hearsay, but Eric is the hero with some good, mature, mediation skills. What rank he was in 1996 or so? I don't know, but others of his contacts then traveled to the Negros and trained with Gaje and group...which you know, money always makes all Grandmasters happy. They get to stay home and make money.

Then the Gaje Dog Eaters and Dog Haters, once threatening to cut the hearts out and eat them, became slowly the...Pit Bulls of today. Weird. Strange. I agree. Actually, things one can expect from the Philippines.

Being high ranking and having problems with certain personalities is not new. Bill McGrath of New York State was once a high ranking student of Gaje too. One might say his life was everything but threatened for violating some Pekiti Tersia codes. As was a Greg Alland. Many local/regional people have been left on the PT roadside. I know numerous people in Texas for example that have flat bailed. Then some continue to persevere. It is inappropriate to discuss these stories in this format.

One thing that is not a rumor and is pretty much a known reality by everyone in the FMA world. In a polite summary...Leo Gaje can be very, very difficult to deal with at times. I know we all can be as humans, but let me repeat...he can be VERY difficult at times.  And he is unpredictable and of course, giftedly dangerous.

Anyway, have fun and keep working out with your friends. I have been in some crazy systems and have warned not to get too close to the international head guy or guys! I heeded that advice and remained content. Some times I got too close to some and really, REALLY regretted it. Then other times, not. I guess you have to step back and look at the big picture and take a good guess. Part of that guess should be based on history.

Hock

[hessian1]

   The show was "Human Weapon" here's a link to the first part of the episode if anyone is inclined to see it again:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mNnXfwHrzU

Keep safe and train hard/smart,  Mark H

[Professor]

Strange he would have beef with the dog brothers. Erik and Denny where students of pekiti tirsia.

strange.....strange....behavior

Yes, it was very true.

[Professor]

It does seem that Bill McGarth gets no rest from those that do pekiti tirsia. What do people think of his skill, knowledge and understanding of what he learned from Leo?

Bill McGrath is a very skilled FMA.....politics...ugly, dangerous politics involved.