Kuntawman, Just to illustrate that there are those who embrace this term AS Filipinos, even if the term did not exist...
I wonder if Moromoro will be there? I doubt it.At the age of 66, my life has been devoted to the preservation of the system with the desire that all the elements of the great teachings from my grandfather, the late magnifico Supreme Grandmaster Conrado B. Tortal, will be kept sacred and that the teachings must be imparted with scholarly atmosphere. In the course of such preservation my teachings with many different environments taught me to conceptualize the system into a productive well structured methodology in order that the learning process can be easily understood without sacrificing the true chemistry of the cultural Philosophy - truly Filipino. My emphasis on the intellectual calisthenics was to make everybody understands that in order to learn and to achieve the true discipline is to understand the Philosophical values before understanding the techniques. To me this is the foundation of the true filipino discipline referred as the Filipino Martial Arts.
At this juncture I don't want to use the terminology Filipino Martial Arts because it seems that the more someone uses the word Filipino Martial Arts the value of discipline is reduce to a very discouraging stature. Where can you find a Filipino Martial Arts having a name Escrima in Spanish, Arnis claimed as a Mexican word and a truly Filipino otherwise known as Kali, so if we follow these three names, we follow how the Spaniards name themselves as Jose Mario Francisco De al Fuente or Maria Theresa Antonieta Ledesma in simple logic by using three names as we often see in most books or video tapes or names of the school, Arnis, Escrima, Kali is not Filipino but Spanish in substance. So if to follow the real Filipino culture in making names, it is only one name: Juan or Pedro or Jose or Macario etc. It would be rather more distinct to say, Filipino indigenous discipline, the art of Kali, a Filipino Fighting System. Since martial arts today is identified as Chinese, Japanese,Korean, Indonesian, Malaysian. Filipinos and other names that are existing in many versions, the original practices of discipline has been reduced to more of a fitness program, sports competition and ranking make me blackbelt mania or make me certified instructors after four seminars or how much to be a blackbelt syndrome.
In the old China, to study Kungfu regardless of style, one must be willing to travel and climb the highest mountain peak where the 70 year grandmaster lives surrounded by wooden trees. And for one to be accepted he must do all the ordeals before he can be accepted as a student or in Japan, one must follow the path of a warrior or in Korea one must do what the masters wants to do as test.
And in the Philippines one must have to accept the beating of the feet or arms before the techniques were taught or in Indonesia one must be a Muslim to learn the silats, or to fulfill the 40 days rituals before becoming a student of silat. Of course that is impossible to do these things at the present conditions. But what ever the changes, the Doctrine of Discipline must not be altered or remove from the daily practices. One of the Disciplines is the Discipline of Loyalty, loyalty is not only to the Master or persons in authority but loyalty to the tenets of that Doctrine of Discipline.
Pekiti-Tirsia is an Institution of Higher Studies in terms of the Filipino Cultural Arts - the Art of Kali, a Filipino Fighting System. It is an Institution where the higher studies in combative technology has been enhanced through hazardous personal contacts with the people from the hinterlands of the different islands in the Philippines with the purpose to authentic the originality of the systems interoperability and to check the relationship of the cultural practices from the ceremonial dances to ritualistic metaphysical power applied to the fighting advantage.
The task was so important because as the only remaining Pekiti-Tirsia in authority I have to fulfill the mission of my great grandfather that in order for me to expand my understanding on how the Pekiti-Tirsia can be compared to other system I must interface with the non- Pekiti-Tirsia system not to copy or pirate their techniques but to make comparative analysis what is the weak parts in the other system and to find out what is the strong points in other systems. As what they did in the past with all his brothers making long journeys to find out who were the best in certain places in the Islands and neighboring Islands. More than 12 years in the Philippines and in and out to countries in Asia, interfacing with Indonesian and Malaysian Art that is truly Asian arts provided me a wider perspectives that the foundation of the Pekiti-Tirsia footwork strategies and the open hand strategies found its plurality in the mountains of Sumatra where the word siko is found which is also siko in Ilonggo, which is an elbow, mata also mata to Ilongo, the eyes and the sipa or sikad, kicks also in Ilonggo my own dialect and to check the word Kali in Malaysia was mentioned as often in the sentence as the words were spoken where the word Kali is a prefix in the Filipino language.
So the mission of the Pekiti-Tirsia is to provide each student, instructors and master instructors a scholarly materials of what is truly Filipino with indigenous materials based on Philosophy, logic and reasons that in the course for the furtherance of continuing mastery, what is truly Filipino culture braced with hospitality, courtesy and discipline will leave as lasting legacy as were experienced by the Spaniards in 1521, Americans in 1900, Japanese in 1942. It was inexcusable defeat that made the Filipino Fighting Art, the art of indigenous virtue, the art that won the war.
Pekiti-Tirsia will continue to live with that victory and we will defend that victory at all cost to preserve the only legacy proud to be called the LEGENDARIES of the modern times in the living past.
This has been proven by the first Filipino Martial Arts tournament in Cebu in 1979. Against the veteran Doce Pares claimed undefeated since 1930 in many full contact challenges. Pekiti-Tirsia made the first victory by defeating the Champion of Doce Pares before the crowd of 5,000 people at the Cebu Coliseum on record.This was the first test how was an original indigenous technology of Pekiti-Tirsia defeating the Escrima, Judo, Aikido mixed under the banner of Doce Pares.
On August 2004, the Pekiti-Tirsia Global Organization and the Pekiti-Tirsia Pitbulls with a joint sponsorship of the Force Recon Marines will sponsor the Battle of Kali 2004 to be held in Metro Manila-Philippines in an Extreme Full Contact Tournament on a Surrender Policy with a simple rules: "If you cannot stand the heat, get out from the kitchen" This is an open tournament provided the system or style is existing and willing to accept the rules.
55 years old and up are invited to join no headgear policy, 3 minutes per round total of 6 rounds. Choice of all out policy (Mas todas). No definition of titles or ranks. Come to what you believe and go if you have no business.
Below 50 years old no headgear, no body armour, surrender policy, no judges, no referres. Only Sports Marshall will separate after one surrenders.
By virtue of the Filipino Fighting Arts the Philippines is the best location for this type of tournament because if the tradition is correct, dignity of the traditional art must be respected and that no reason for one to disrespect by disproving that the tradition is wrong. If one believes that it can break the tradition then he must enter into this tournament. Our Force Recon Marines from heavy weight to light is on training now at least 6 hours a day following the tradition until August 2004, they are prepared to disprove that tradition is wrong but will defend that the tradition is right. So our other ultimate mission is to find out where and who wants to break the indigenous tradition, that will destroy the legacy of what is truly Filipino Fighting Arts - the art of Kali. Then we will stand to defend at all cost and maintain the tradition of the victories made by our great fathers who where before us.
There will be various fighting competitions subject to the choices agreed by both parties, this will be held at the most prestigious sports center at a full view of many people including the TV/media channels.
