The Philippines in focus for Alberta Culture Days 2017

As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declares, diversity is Canada’s strength. With its immigration policy, Canada has developed a society of varying cultures, languages, and sensibilities. To this end, numerous initiatives are undertaken in the promotion of multiculturalism in all facets of Canadian society.

One such event is Culture Days, a 3-day event held annually on the last weekend of September. The Alberta Culture Days actually started in 2008 as Alberta Arts Days, and was instrumental in the creation of Culture Days, a nation-wide event to “raise awareness, participation and engagement of all Canadians in the arts and cultural life of their communities.

One such event this year, and has been selected as an official celebration site for Alberta, is Kalinangan, organized by the Philippine Arts Council. It will be held on September 30, 2017, 1-7 pm, at the ACCA Centre, 3530 91 Street, Edmonton. Kalinangan, in its many variance of use, is the Tagalog word for culture, way of life, or cultivation of learning. This event features back-to-back workshops on Philippine dance, music, visual arts, and martial arts, among others:

• Filipino Image Painting - acrylic artist Mila Bongco-Philipzig, assisted by portrait-artist Heidel Valeriano, will guide participants into creating their own artwork on a chosen Philippine image.
• Philippine Folk Dance and Modern Transformations - Facilitated by established choreographer & director Jojo Lucila, this is a workshop on Philippine folk and ethnic dances, encompassing cultural contexts and imageries of movement, which will serve as framework in the translation and/or adaptation of folk/ethnic movements to modern westernized dance idioms.
• Emma the Musical and Indigenous Instruments Workshop - Emma is an original musical by Chie Floresca and Erica Cawagas. Scheduled to premier in 2018, it is a play inspired by the perseverance and resilience of the Filipino spirit. The workshop will include a mini-talk on the creative process of the musical, a performance of excerpts, and hands-on instruction on indigenous instruments. The workshop will be facilitated by Erica Cawagas, Kreisha Oro and the Filipino-Canadian Saranay Association.
• Filipino Martial Arts - the Philippine Warrior Arts Society in Edmonton instructs on Pekiti-Tirsia Kali, a style specific to Filipino martial arts, founded in 1897 and is the system of the Tortal family in the Philippines. It is strictly a combat-oriented system, as opposed to sport-focused style. It is a fighting system that focuses on the knife and machete/sword for combat and has been adopted by elite Philippine military and law enforcement units around the world.
• Meet the Authors and Book Signing
• Annie Chua is the author of Domestically Yours: A Caregiver’s Inspiring Journey, a chronicle of Annie’s experiences under the Live-in Caregiver Program in her quest to create a better future for her four daughters, at the same time leaving them behind in the Philippines.
• Mila Bongco-Philipzig is the author of 2 children’s books: Sandy Beaches to Snow, Snow to Sandy Beaches is a child’s story about a family coming from a tropical place to a land of ice and snow, mirroring the author’s own move from the Philippines to Edmonton; and Good Night Philippines, Good Night World, a story of different places tenderly saying goodnight to each other, as separated Filipino loved ones bid each other good night.
• Work in Progress: Graphic Book on Migration - An illustration on the story of migration to Canada. A Canada 150 project of Migrante Alberta.

Culture Days starts on September 29. Check out the Culture Days website for activities going on all over the country. Get involved...plan your activities...diversify. And if you’re Filipino or of Filipino descent, do not be a stranger to your own country. Or live what you know and remember about being a Filipino. It is to be noted that among the official celebration sites in Alberta, it is the Philippine Arts Council, with Kalinangan, whose main focus is Philippine arts and culture. To participate, support and for more information on Kalinangan, visit philippineartscouncil.com.

This article was published in the August 2017 issue of the Alberta Filipino Journal.

Philippine Warrior Arts Society at the Edmonton Filipino Fiesta

The Philippine Warrior Arts Society is one of the participants in the Philippine Festival Parade at the Edmonton Filipino Fiesta on June 11 and 12, 2016 at the Sir Winston Churchill Square.

The Philippine Warrior Arts Society was convened on July 6, 2012, for the sole purpose of preserving and promoting authentic and original Filipino martial arts systems. They strive to seek the truth in combative efficiency and ensure that the Filipino martial arts actually follow the principles of combat applicability that they are known for.

They are dedicated to helping all Filipino-origin combative styles, and are committed to ensuring high standards of quality and professional instruction among their membership.

Anyone wishing to join must be free of personal and martial baggage, and have an open mind and be willing to learn and improve their combative abilities.

Those interested can message Guro Ollie through Facebook, or call 587-708-2000.

Filipino Martial Arts

Kali, arnis, eskrima, silat kuntao - these are just some of the terms used to reference Filipino martial arts, where weapon and empty hand skills are used interchangeably, are taught using similar training methods, covering fighting ranges and defending against armed and unarmed attacks with whatever is available - thereby turning ordinary household items into lethal weapons.  The term used for the art, whether kali, arnis, eskrima, etc., normally implies the region of origin or the the time period of development.

It is said that one of the foremost masters of this martial art is the first Filipino hero, Lapu Lapu.  When Ferdinand Magellan and the Spaniards set out to conquer Mactan in 1521, they were met with wooden sticks, spears, Kampilan swords and bolos.  Miguel Lopez de Legaspi noted in 1564 the Filipinos’ skill in stick fighting and swordsmanship, after being entertained by a Kali demonstration by the warriors of Raja Malitik and other succeeding demonstrations in other parts of the country.

With the declaration of bladed weapons as illegal by the Spaniards, the development of skills with hardened wooden sticks rose.  With this came the realization that due to the different handling nature of the stick versus the curved sword, it opened up other lines of attack for blocking, parrying, thrusting, etc.

In 1972, Filipino martial arts was incorporated in the Philippine sports arena, in high school and post secondary physical education curriculum, and has since been mandatory training in the military and police force.  Considered as an advanced practical blade system in the world, it is also a core component in the US Army’s combatives program and used by the Russian Spetsnaz.

Its popularity has also been fueled by Hollywood films which has featured/employed this particular fighting style: Daniel Craig in Quantum of Solace; Matt Damon in the Bourne series, The Bourne Identity/Supremacy/Ultimatum; Tom Cruise & Keri Russel in Mission Impossible III; Denzel Washington in The Book of Eli; Wesley Snipes in Blade, Blade II and Blade: Trinity; Tommy Lee Jones & Benicio del Toro in The Hunted; Forest Whitaker & Jude Law in Repo Men; Vin Diesel for Chronicles of Riddick series; Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil: Apocalypse; Dave Batista’s scenes in The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption; Eric Bana and Saoirse Ronan in Hanna; Rob Schneider in Big Stan; Aaron Johnson in Kick-Ass; and movies like Ninja Assassin, Taken, and 300.

Last July 22, the 1st Edmonton Filipino Martial Arts Gathering, a free seminar, was held at the Hawrelak Park, from 1:00-5:00pm.  Organized by the Philippine Warrior Arts Society and the brainchild of founder Guro Oliver Salvador and members Herald Casana and Noah Walt, its objective was to bring cooperation, brotherhood and unity among the different schools/system of Filipino martial arts in Alberta.

Participating groups were the: Paclibar Bicol Arnis headed by Guro Rogelio Paclibar; Arnis de Mano lead by Guro Phil Mar Nadela; Edmonton Kali Combative Arts Group with Guro Carson McDonald; KPC Martial Arts with Randy King; Pekiti Tirsia Kali lead by Herald Casana; Okotoks Eskrimadors/FTSMA Arnis de Cadena with Guro Noah Walt; MK/Lighting Scientific with Mafel Dasilao; and Dog Brothers Martial Arts with David Powelson.

It had an impressive turn out.  Surprisingly, the Filipinos in this gathering were the minority.  Some participants were actually just strolling or hanging out in the park, and joined at the spur of the moment, out of curiosity.  The rest were enticed through word of mouth, social media and friends of Filipino martial arts practitioners.  At the end of the day, everyone felt that this gathering was a long overdue one, bringing together people engaged and interested in this martial art, creating one community.  A Winter Gathering (late 2012 or early 2013) of the same purpose and intent is in the works.  Considering that this is one form that is dependent on its being passed on from one generation to another by a guro/master, its propagation and preservation is vital.  So whatever your motivation - as a serious martial arts practitioner, for self defense or for physical fitness, go and check this out.  In the meantime, congratulations to the organizers and leaders of the Filipino martial arts in Alberta, and we hope to see more practitioners and events of this form.

Workshop Instructors from L to R: Guro Carson McDonald, Ms. Mafel Dasilao, Mr. Randy King, Guro Oliver Salvador, Mr. Herald Casana, Mr. David Powelson, Guro Noah Walt, Guro Phil Mar Nadela, Guro Roger Paclibar

* This was written for and published in the August 2012 issue of Pinoy Times.