Wow, great post Datu Dieter. I guess walls have to be established before they can be knocked down.
QUOTE=Dieter]Hi Paul,
this is going to be a long mail.
First of all congratulation for digging so much into the Modern Arnis in the Philippines. To tell the truth, it is even more intricate as you found out. Or totally easy, depending on the angle, you want to look at.
Let me try to give a few answers.
I am sorry to say this, but the reason for all this "confusion" lies in Professor Presas himself, as Dan Anderson has pointed it out. He never put any person or title in relation to another. Also, and this is what I found even more important is the fact, that in his last year and especially when he was already sick in Canada, Remy told many different people to "continue the work", to "get involved", to "continue the family legacy" to "continue the IMAF" and to "spread Modern Arnis" anyway.
So what I feel the core problem is, that he made everybody feel, that he (or the group) is the legitimate person, to continue the Modern Arnis.
He never related the different groups or masters to each other. I am sure he did not want to do this anyway, because this would mean, that he would have to tell people that they are not the best and not the only and not the leader of the pack. Only one could have been the leader. But for his way of dealing with people, "making them happy" this would certaily not be a thing, that he would want to do and so he did not.
This is the same thing as with the titles. He never explained, how the Datu tile stands in relation to the Senior Master title and to the Master of Tapi-Tapi. And how they all relate to the Dan levels? It is the same thing.
So many people were asked directly by Remy, to continue to spread Modern Arnis. This is what many of them do, honestly and with the knowledge, that Remy wanted them to do so.
But suddenly, there is half a dozend of groups and people, who have the same claim (agreed, that most of them do NOT claim to be the successor). But they all are continuing the legacy of Modern Arnis and Remy Presas.
Why I wrote this is, that I sincerely think, that many of the different groups are not there because of financial or "controlling the Moden Arnis world" reasons, but because Remy told the to do so.
OK, let us move to the People and groups, who they are and who they are positioned towards each other.
First, yes, IMAFP is not connected with IMAF.inc, neiter with the Randi Shea IMAF nor with the Delaney IMAF.
Master Dulay is the chairman for international affairs in the IMAFP. The most important men behind IMAFP are: Cristino Vasquez (9th Dan), Rene Tongson (8th Dan) and Bambit Dulay (7th Dan). There are of course many others too and also Grandmaster Roberto Presas (10th Dan) is part of the IMAFP, but currently only active in his province Negros.
Remy Presas installed the IMAFP and the Masters in January 2000 to spread Modern Arnis in the Philippines. He did that without mentioning the "old" Modern Arnis Masters and without mentioning his Kids.
Bambit Dulay was the person, that was with Remy Preasas almost 24 hours a day, when Remy was back in the Philippines. He was left as the chief insrtructor for Modern Arnis in the Philippines by Remy, to spread the Tapi-Tapi and the "new" Modern Arnis, that Remy taught him during that time. This was back in 2000, before Remy fell ill. Master Dulay is very active in spreading Modern Arnis all over the Philippines and also abroad. He was in Germany last year to represent the IMAFP at the FMA Festival and also in Switzerland, where he is at the moment too, to teach Modern Arnis there. Still he lives in the Philippines. He is one of the younger Modern Arnis Masters in the Philippines.
Datu Shishir Inocalla is currently not active in the IMAFP nor has a position, as far as I understood. I cannot write much about him, because I have not met him yet. (I hope to meet him in June on Dan Andersons camp).
OK, next: Yes, Guro Jay de Leon handles the IMAFP in the US in close relation to Dyang Edessa Ramos and the IMAFP masters Bambit Dulay, Cristino Vasquez and Rene Tongson.
Grandmaster or Senior Master Rodel Dagooc, 8th Dan ... sorry, but he also has his own organisation: Arnis Association International Inc. BUT, he is in good terms with the IMAFP and he is helping MARPPIO, when they need his support. His motto is "One Philippines, one Arnis".
He was, besides Master Willie Annang, who died in the 80ies, one of the highest Modern Arnis masters when Remy left the Philippines in 1974.
MARPPIO ... The have been told by Remy to continue the family legacy and this is what they do. He did that without mentionig the IMAFP Masters or the old Modern Arnis masters. MARPPIO is not connected to IMAFP, but have, as you know, good relation to Datu Kelly Worden. They have my respect for dicontinuing their career for follow their fathers wish.
All Masters in the Philippines do help and assist MARPPIO when asked, out of respect to Remy.
On a sidenote, the page with the Senior Masters on the MARPPIO website is not under construction, the content has been taken from the wbsite some 1 1/2 years ago. Listed were originally the following Senior Masters: Roland Dantes, Rodel Dagooc, Jerry de la Cruz and Victor Sanchez.
But this is not all from the Philippines. Before, the relevantand highest Modern Arnis Masters in the Philippines formed a council of Modern Arnis Masters. Many did and do their own organisation/stlye too, but they all were still I forming this inofficial council. These Masters were Rodel Dagooc, Jerry de la Cruz, Victor Sanchez, Cristiono Vasquez, Rene Tongson and, as far as i know, also Bambit Dulay. Maybe more that I am not aware of.
Then Reym told Roland Dantes on his death bed to gather all his old original students in the Philippines to form a council. He did that without mentioning their position in relation to MARPPIO and without mentioning the IMAFP masters. This was established in spring 2004 and it is the "Council of Senior Grandmasters of Modern Arnis" with the following members: Roland Dantes, Rodel Dagooc, Jerry de la Cruz and Victor Sanchez.
Roland is good friend and in good contact with everybody in the Modern Arnis world. He has no specific organisation but supports all everybody who does Modern Arnis.
Rodel Dagooc is teaching Modern Arnis in his Arnis Association International Inc.
Victor Sanchet teaches Modern Arnis, Lightnig Cientific Arnis, Kasilagan and Cincor Teros (maybe also other styles) in his group, that he calls Arnis/Kali if I recall correctly.
Jerry de la Cruz teaches his own style of Arnis Cruzada, which he formed end of the 90ies and which is Modern Arnis based.
So everybody is in the end doing what Remy had told them to do, but they do it more or less separately, even though there are of course contacts between them and they do assist each others in most of the cases.
This is in a way similar as in the US, where Remy told Dan Anderson to "get involved", where Datu Kelly Worden feels his responsibility for Modern Arnis since having been together and haviong had long talks with Remy and Roland in the time just before Remys death.
Like IMAF , Rand Shea and thrte MOTTs, who follow the orders of Remy, like Jeff Delaney, who says that Remy named him successor, and many others.
Coming back to the beginning:
Why is it more intricate: because everybody is somehow in relation with several others and this is really making it hard to tell, who is allied with whom.
Why is it easier: Really, everybody is doing his own thing.
Like Remy told us: "Just do your own work"
One last thing:
I want to make clear, that with this mail I have no intentions to put any of the named individuals down. I was only trying to explain the situation in the Philippines. I gave all information to the best of my knowledge as up to now. If anything I wrote is wrong I apologize and would like to hear the correct version.
If anything is not formulated clearly, than this is due to the fact, that english is not my native language.
I myself don't have any issues with any Modern Arnis Masters, named or not named. I want to have good or at least neutral relationship to all of them.
I hope this helped a little to clear things up.
Best regards from Germany
Dieter Knüttel
Datu of Modern Arnis[/QUOTE]
One question regarding all these organizations...
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