Source: www.manilatimes.net

Written by : MEI-LIN LOZADA

Published : Monday, April 23, 2012

Sixty-four martial artists from around the world were inducted into the first Philippine Martial Arts Hall of Fame last Saturday at the Diamond Hotel in Manila. Punong Lakan Garitony Nicolas, the event’s organizer said the inductees were chosen through peer review and by the significance of their contribution to the martial arts. 

Chosen to present the token of recognition to the inductees were Audrey Zubiri, wife of former Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri (the father of Arnis Law) and Hon. Monsour Del Rosario, former tae kwon do champion and now member of the Makati City Council.

The names of the inductees are:
Janic Meier for (Student of the Year, Male)

Olivia Maria Østegard (Student of the Year, Female)

Marco Zeller (Most Outstanding Student of the Year)

Flavia Pawlowski (Most Motivated Student of the Year)

Christoph Vollenweider (Outstanding Senior Student of the Year)

Mataw Guro Julio Penales and Guro Paulo Motita (Instructor of the Year, Male)

Dayang Mizha Nicolas (Instructor of the Year, Female)

Gat Ferdinand Ian Cacatian 2nd (Outstanding Instructor of the Year)

Arjay Sales Sensei (Aikido Instructor of the Year)

Michel Laubscher (Mixed Martial Arts Instructor of the Year)

Coach Dindo de Jesus (Krav Maga Instructor of the Year)

Guro Jean Koeltgen (Rookie Instructor of the Year)

Guro Jean Koeltgen Guro Justin Ferrière (Rookie Instructor of the Year)

Guro Jefferson M. Banaag (Sikaran Fighter of the Year)

The Times sports editor Mataw Guro Perry Gil Mallari (Martial Arts Writer of the Year)

Lakan Reynaldo L. Senson and Guro Felipe Penales (Outstanding Instructor of the Year, Male)

Mataw Guro Enrica Esmero (Outstanding Instructor of the Year, Female),

Master Christian Mayer (Most Distinguished Master of Haidong)

Master Jose Isidro and Grandmaster Thomas Maier (Outstanding Martial Artist of the Year, Male)

Dayang Edessa Ramos (Outstanding Martial Artist of the Year, Female),

Master Ronald Gan Ledesma and Volker Bruns (Martial Artist of the Year, Male)

GM Bella Marie Saguin (Martial Artist of the Year, Female)

Headmaster Bernd Hoehle (Most Distinguished Martial Artists of the Year),

Grandmaster Dannie San Joaquin (Man of the Year)

Lawyer Belleza Demaisip (Woman of the Year)

Gary Wasniewski (Martial Arts Actor of the Year)

Grandmaster Juerg Ziegler (Martial Arts Icon)

PG Junar F. Vidal and PG Rogelio R. Vasquez (Master Instructor of the Year, Male)

PG Rhiverli C. Quine (Master Instructor of the Year, Female)

Master Jimmy Ibrahim (Karate Master of the Year)

Master Babak Savic (Outstanding Master of the Year)

Senior Guro Rodolfo Poblacion (Outstanding Senior Master of the Year)

Master Julius F. Quintans (Master of the Year)

Grandmaster Erwin Pfeiffer (Outstanding Leader of the Year)

Grandmaster Jason Inay (Outstanding Filipino Martial Artist of the Year)

Master Jaime C. Geronimo (Most Distinguished Master of the Year)

Grandmaster Samuel Dulay (Filipino Martial Arts Grandmaster of the Year)

Grandmaster Giusseppe Cucci (Grandmaster of the Year, Hung Gar Kung Fu)

Grandmaster Henry Espera and Grandmaster Rodel Dagooc (Grandmaster of the Year)

Grandmaster Carlos Pulanco (Outstanding Grandmaster of the Year)

Grandmaster Hari Osias Banaag (Most Distinguished Grandmaster),

Grandmaster Victor Cusi (Founder of the Year)

Grandmaster Rene Tongson and Grandmaster Andy Sanano (International Grandmaster of the Year)

Grandmaster Rene Latosa (Martial Arts Legend)

Grandmaster Meliton Geronimo (Grandmaster-Icon of All Time),

Grandmaster Erwin Timmers (Outstanding Grandmaster, Wing Chun Kung Fu)

FMA Pulse (FMA website of the Year)

FMA Digest as (Online Martial Arts Magazine of the Year)

School of Arnis Professionals (School of the Year)

Grandmaster Vicente Sanchez (Living Legend Award)

Ronnie Royce Base and Jefferson Panes (Special Recognition Award)

Engr. Jose Dion D. Diaz (Culture and Sports Advocate Award)

Mataw-Guro Association (Dangal ng Karunungan Award)

Rosemary Presas (Ina ng Makabagong Arnis Award)

Lawyer Salvador Demaisip (Humanitarian Award)

Grandmaster Antonio Diego (FMA Dangal ng Lahi Award)

Lakan Jayme Francisco (Punong Lakan Achievement Award)

Grandmaster Federico Fernandez (Silver Life Award)

Maestro Jaime Paclibar (Golden Life Award)

Mataw Guro Emmanuel Espiritu Querubin (Platinum Life Award)

Grandmaster Meliton Geronimo (Martial Arts Pioneer Award)

Prof. Armado C. Soteco (Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in the Field of Education)

SGM Napoleon Fernandez (Excellence in Martial Arts Lifetime Achievement Award). 

Posthumous recognitions were given to Grandmaster Roland Dantes, Grandmaster Benjamin Luna Lema, Grandmaster Remy Presas, Mangisursuro Mike Inay, Gabriel Elorde and Luis Elorde. 

Also presented during the event were the Top 10 Filipino Martial Artists citations from the office of Senator Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. The late President Ferdinand Marcos was a patron of the martial arts and himself an accomplished physical culturist. The recipients of the awards are Arnold Narzo, Cesar Turingan, Perry Gil Mallari, Rolando Baxafra, Raynaldo Samson, Rodolfo Poblacion, Junar Vidal, Henry Kobayashi, Rennie Ross and Jefferson Panes.