Arma Blanca is the name of the clandestine regiment of Filipino bolomen active during the revolution against the Spaniards and the Americans. “Arma Blanca” is a Spanish singular term for a bladed weapon like a sword or a knife.

This issue begins with Guro Jovelyn Minoza of LAHUKA Eskrima who resides in Hohenlimburg, Germany she started training in 1980 and has come a long way. The FMAdigest tried to get an article on her a couple years ago but was unable to contact her, however luckily Marc Lawrence came in contact with her and was able to obtain this article which you should find interesting.

Video of Grandmaster Narrie Babao doing an Eskrima demo at the Balboa Park in San Diego.

This month's featured instructor is Grandmaster Narrie Babao of Babao Arnis. Listen now as we talk with Grandmaster Babao about his system of FMA, being the first stick fighting champion in the US, how he came to meet Dan Inosanto and with Richard Bustillo and Ted Lucaylucay, first introduced FMA to the San Diego area and much more.

Savage as they may seem in the eyes of Westerners because of their headhunting tradition, the Bontoc Igorots of Northern Luzon follows elaborate conventions of warfare. The Igorots were a warlike people before the majority of them were Christianized. A tribal war usually starts after a tribesman took the head of a member of another tribe. Taking heads during earlier times was a rite of passage among Igorots and was often initiated by tribesmen who intend to marry.

The coming change in government will also usher in the changes needed for the country’s new national sport. Though the arnis law clearly makes it the official sport and martial art of the Philippines, guidelines for its implementation are still being crafted. There is a lot of good news and reason to be optimistic.

The blade culture in the Philippines like those in other parts of the world at one point in time had to contend with the advent of firearms. The Filipinos were already exposed to gunpowder technology long before the coming of the Spaniards because of earlier trade with China. The Chinese presence in the country preceded that of the Spaniards by hundreds of years. A testament of this are the historical references to Panday Pira (1483 to 1576), the famous Filipino metallurgist and blacksmith credited for inventing the portable cannon lantaka. Panday Pira’s metallurgical knowledge was so sophisticated that he was eventually commissioned by the Spaniards to make cannons for their galleons and for the fortification of Intramuros.

This was one of the most unforgettable martial arts seminars in memory, and everyone enjoyed it here in Adelaide, when Grandmaster Vince Palumbo from International Combative Martial Arts Academy in Welland of South Australia brought out Supreme Grandmaster Ciriaco ‘Cacoy’ Canete of the world famous Cacoy Doce Pares Eskrima Club from Cebu City of the Philippines to conduct an Eskrima seminar on Friday the 30th April, 2010 at the Dom Kopernika Polish Centre in Athol Park.

The Philippine native martial arts "arnis" was showcased anew in the recent 12th Commandment of Steel in Israel last week, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.

Louelle Lledo teaches fighting arts based on his experience as a martial arts student and instructor in the Philippines. Although the skills he teaches are potentially fatal if used outside the classroom, he does so for strictly nonviolent purposes.

This month's featured instructors are JJ Morris and John "JD" Daniels, both instructors of FMA as well as other Martial Art disciplines. JJ and JD are also professional stuntment who work in Hollywood and television. They currently work stunts on the hit TNT show "Leverage". When asked how much FMA they use for their fight choreography, JD answered "A Lot".

Senator Miguel Zubiri hopes that the existence of the Arnis Law will change the way Arnis is perceived by many Filipinos. “When some of my friends learn that I’m into arnis, they think I was indulging in something unfashionable,” he revealed. 

IS arnis on the mental landscape of the presidential candidates? Is any one of them thinking of how our children and maybe every citizen should become practitioners of arnis? Why? Because education should include the effort to make every Filipino a universal man (or woman) who 
has a sport. 

FMA Pulse's very own Romeo Maguigad Jr. was given the opportunity and privilege to write for the Manila Time's 4 part series on the Arnis Bill.

One non-Muslim warlike tribe in Mindanao that had achieved notoriety during the American occupation of the Philippines was the Tagakaolos. American anthropologist Fay-Cooper Cole, in his book “The Wild Tribes of Davao District, Mindanao,” published in 1913 has a dire description of the tribe, it reads, “They are of a turbulent, warlike disposition, and have been a constant source of trouble to the Spanish and American authorities.”

I first got interested in Bagobo warrior culture after interviewing Master Yuli Romo, a senior student of the late Grandmaster Antonio “Tatang” Illustrisimo in 2003. Prior to our meeting, I have seen Romo in pictures wearing a Bagobo costume. Of all the Filipino martial arts (FMA) masters I have met, Romo has the most distinct aura of ethnicity. During the interview, he demonstrated a Bagobo salutation wherein the sword is held at the back.

Bespectacled and dignified, Professor Armando Soteco looks every inch the title he is bearing.  Long before the Arnis Law, Soteco was among a small group of professional educators who were working for the integration of arnis into the Philippine educational system. Among arnisadors, he is known for his streamlined, fast and efficient way of teaching arnis.

Among the most repeated stories within Filipino martial arts circles is how the fanatical Muslim warriors of Mindanao affected the development of the Colt .45 caliber Model 1911 semi-automatic pistol.