Giron Arnis Escrima News:

LMF Thanks BNMA


(Stockton Mayor Ed Chavez and GM Tony Somera))

Hi Uncle Tony,

I 'm sorry this email is so late. It's just been one thing after another. On behalf of the Little Manila board, I just want to let you know how much we appreciate Bahala Na for all your planning, generosity and
just plain hard labor. The building looks great, and the sign... man, the sign is just... wow. Fight the Blight was one of the smoothest and fulfilling events we've ever been a part of. The new paint and the
beautiful sign serve as a true beacon of hope that we can save our history and that we can come together as a community.

Unfortunately, we are also very disturbed by the lack of mention of Bahala Na's efforts in The Record. I talked to Emil Guillermo and in his original story he did have Bahala Na mentioned but was edited out by his editors (Emil was not happy about this). And the other story that ran was just plain bad reporting. I do know that Bahala Na was in our press releases and was mentioned during the event several times. I guess in the future we just have to really spell it out for them. I do have an idea though why they may have not written about you, although it's just a theory. I got this thought at the end of the Barrio Fiesta as I was watching people walk by.

I think it has something to do with the Over-simplification of today's news. I know that news agencies are trying to tell a story in the simplest, most easy to digest way. Anyway, as I was watching people at Barrio Fiesta, I was blown away at the amount of people who wear our Little Manila shirts. And I just don't think they wear our shirts because they think it looks good, but I think they're making a statement. I truly think that Little Manila has become something that isn't stagnant or just a trend, especially since our t-shirt design is over three years old. Also, another thing I've noticed is that when strangers (regardless of race) ask me what I do and I tell them that I work for Little Manila, they actually know what I'm talking about! I think that Little Manila has become synonymous with the fight for our Filipino American history and heritage to not just a small group of people, but to our community at large.

It's unfathomable that this idea that a small group of people had has spread out into our community like wildfire in just three short years. It's all amazing, but at the same time it's eye-opening because from the very beginning I've stated on numerous occasions to our board that the things we accomplish should never be simplified or just attributed to Dawn Mabalon or Dillon Delvo. i always believed that even if we accomplish all our goals and dreams, but credit is given to just a few people then we've failed. We don't want the Filipino American community to be proud of Little Manila and its accomplishments, we want the Filipino American community to be proud of the Filipino American community and its accomplishments. We want Filipinos in Stockton to tell their grandchildren, "This is what WE did." That is true success.
In my speech from Fight the Blight, I said that it only takes a small group of people to put up signs and banners in a neighborhood, but it takes a whole community to save a neighborhood and its legacy. And that is why we are so grateful to Bahala Na Escrima. You guys get it! Especially since our community's history is plagued with crab mentality, I truly believe our generation can break this vicious circle. The simple and lazy way to tell this story is to just attribute everything to Little Manila. But yet, the better more enriching and truer story lies in how we all came together to accomplish an amazing goal. The Little Manila Foundation is dedicated to making sure the stories of the past, AND the stories of the present get told. We will make sure in the future that the better story gets told, even if we have to spell it out for them.

Thanks again for all you've done for our Filipino American community. We stand in awe of your dedication to the Filipino martial arts and Filipino American history. We can't wait to work on the next big thing with you!

Take care,

Dillon

Hallowed Ground, Stockton California

By Harley Elmore

A martial artist puts a great deal of time and energy into making himself more technically proficient and becoming the best he can be. In this busy quest to assimilate information it is easy to forget or even take for granted where and from whom the martial arts we train come from. Stockton California, the origin of so many legendary Filipino martial artists, offers an abundance of Filipino history that many modern day martial artists know very little about.

One man is trying to change this. Grand Master Antonio Somera, heir to the Bahala Na Organization and Giron Arnis Escrima, has dedicated his life to teaching and promoting the rich Filipino heritage of Stockton and the martial arts that originated there. For several years now Grand Master Somera has been traveling the world in an effort to fulfill the dreams of his late predecessor the legendary Grand Master Leo Giron. He uses Giron Arnis Escrima to spread the knowledge and history of not only his own system, but that of so many other Filipino Legends.

Twice a year Grand Master Somera hosts an Affiliate Camp in Stockton. These camps are a way for many of Bahala Na’s members to come together, train and learn the history of their system. However, they are fast becoming a way for students of other Filipino systems to learn and experience the history behind their own system, particularly those students of LaCosta / Inosanto Kali.

Often students hear stories from Filipino Martial Arts legend, Dan Inosanto, telling tales of Masters who lived and taught in Stockton. The affiliate camps can give these students the opportunity to seek out their roots by visiting the places where these events actually happened, talking to the people who were there and getting a little first hand knowledge about the stories Guro Inosanto tells. Participants meet people who grew up with Guro Inosanto and hear stories from many of the “Old Timers” who smile while remembering him as a young man. They also find these camps help to fill in historical gaps and give them a more personal understanding of the Grand Masters that trained Guro Inosanto.

Imagine visiting the Daguhoy lodge where Master Juan LaCosta was shot and killed after playing a game of cards. What would it be like to sit at the very same card table and feel the spirit and see the history? How about visiting the park and sitting on the very same benches Guro Inosanto used while conducting all the interviews for his book “The Filipino Martial Arts.” The Bahala Na camps offer participants these rare opportunities along with so much more.

The Bahala Na camps are packed full with visits to notable Escrimadors like 107 year old Manong Victorino Ton. Participants listen to stories and learn the history these great men have to pass on. They also have the opportunity to try traditional Filipino foods and visit downtown Stockton to see the historical building of Little Manila.

Also included are field trips to the asparagus fields where during the 1930’s thousands of Filipinos were forced to work in labor camps for pennies. Participants will see first hand where these elder Filipinos trained the younger group of workers in Escrima using the long steel asparagus knives as training weapons. They also get the chance to watch and learn how asparagus is cut and packed, gaining a sense of understanding for the harsh physical labor their martial arts forefathers endured.

Each Camp also features visiting speakers. They range from avid collectors of Filipino weaponry to University Professors. They teach a variety of topics covering everything from the making, use and carrying of weapons by Filipino warriors, to migration patterns of Filipinos to America.

Perhaps the most significant opportunity these camps offer is the chance to pay respects to various martial arts legends laid to rest in Stockton. Since Grand Master Giron’s passing it has become a tradition at each Camp to stop and pay respects at the Stockton Cemetery. Each instructor or student quietly remembers the influences that this great man and his system have had on them and their lives. While there the group also stops to pay respects to other Filipino martial arts Grand Masters such as Juan LaCosta and Angel Cabales.

No other place in the world offers such unique experiences. It is a true piece of Filipino Martial Arts history. This is why martial artists travel from all around the world to visit this “Hallowed Ground.” Visitors from across our country, Germany, Spain, Canada and many other countries travel to visit this city to enrich their lives with Filipino history, pay their respects to the living Masters who still call it home and pay silent tributes to those who now rest there forever.



I have been fortunate enough to train with, share stories and learn from these legends. I highly encourage any serious martial artists to experience this “Hallowed Ground” for themselves. For more information on participating in a Bahala Na Affiliate Camp please contact Grand Master Tony Somera at:
TonySomera@msn.com.




Now Available

“Memories Ride The Ebb Of Tide”
by GME Leo M. Giron

This is GME Giron’s personal manuscript of his concepts on how the Filipino Martial arts began and his true to life adventure during World War II. Follow GME Giron during his missions in the Philippine Islands as he was landed by submarine nearly one year before any American Soldier landed on Philippine soil. Read about his personal encounters with the enemy and how he survived in the Jungles of the Philippines.

Paperback book with over 60 pages of text and many historical black & white photos’.
Third Printing

Here’s how to order:

Send your payable check, money order or certified check to:

BNSI
P.O. Box 8584
Stockton, CA 95208

Note: Checks will need to clear before shipment. Money orders and certified checks orders will be shipped as soon as received.

Price per book: $20.00

Shipping & Handling
In the United States: $5.00

Shipping & Handling
Outside the US: $10.00

Discounts for bulk orders of 10 or more is available, contact GM Tony Somera at Tonysomera@msn.com

For Instructional and Private footage interviews on DVD or VHS with Grand Master Emeritus Leo M. Giron visit our website at: www.gironarnisescrima.com

Copyright™ 1998 – 2017 by Giron Arnis Escrima International, LLC.
All Rights Reserved


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