Hey There,
I've heard a bit about that. Gat Puno has mentioned that before in other threads. I've also heard about another Luzon Doce Pares in some things about Serrada. I personally have not seen it. That doesn't however mean that it doesn't exist. When I lived in the Philippines, I only heard about Doce Pares in Cebu.
Doce Pares in Cebu has been around a while and so there have been a lot of different people who have come and gone from the club and style. And wherever they go, they very often call what they do Doce Pares, because that is what it is. Whether the Luzon style from Paete/Laguna and the Cebu style are related or not is unproven. Nobody knows for certain. Many people came to Cebu from all over the Philippines. The exchange, if there was one, may have gone in either direction. But again, that is conjecture.
As for what's different, Doce Pares from Cebu is an open organization with nothing secret for the most part. GM Diony Canete said once at a seminar, "the secret is that there is no secret". It has established roots and has been in the open since 1932. It was formed after the closing of the Labangon Fencing Club and composed primarily of the same members. The Labangon Fencing Club was founded in 1920. Doce Pares has meetings, sign in sheets, group photos, and minutes from the meetings dating back to its beginning. They also have been registered with the local government in Cebu as official entities for for just as long. So the first big difference is that you can find it and do so pretty easily. They are not hiding or secretive.
Because it was originally a club where different styles could come together and practice and exchange, there is an extreme variety in what is "Doce Pares" now at this stage in its evolution. To see some that is long range makes perfect sense. GM Momoy Canete's Doce Pares San Miguel Style spends a good deal of time in the larga arena. Probably the best known over here in the States is the Corto Kurbada style of GM Cacoy Canete. But Doce Pares from Cebu has a strong tradition of all of the common ranges (larga, medio, and corto) and different striking preferences (curved, linear) with each teacher emphasizing different things.
Because of its openness there was a lot of high profile challenging going on between members and outsiders that caused a sort of rapid development of the art and a "synergy" that spawned many other styles such as Balintawak and influenced others like Lapunti and Black Eagle and even Modern Arnis.
Of course it's hard to tell what the difference is when you mostly only know one side.
