Wednesday, July 23, 2008 Rama: Screaming eskrima By Karlon N. Rama Stage Five
FIGHTERS from many parts of the globe are in Cebu to take part in the 10th World Eskrima-Kali-Arnis Federation (Wekaf) Championships that opens at the Ayala Center Cebu today.
And the pressure is up for the eskrimadores belonging to Atty. Dionisio Cañete’s Doce Pares International, the current host of the biennial event open only to Wekaf-member schools.
It has been eight years since the country last held the Wekaf championship trophy, sportswriter Marian C. Baring pointed out in an article Sun.Star Cebu ran last month.
And since Wekaf is supposedly all about eskrima, a fighting art indigenous to the Philippines, a medal-drought two years shy of a decade leaves a sting far worse than an olisi strike to the butt.
Not that Atty. Cañete, Wekaf founder and chairman emeritus, has been remiss in training his wards.
While he goes abroad regularly, promoting eskrima, the federation and his Doce Pares International system through tours and seminars, he leaves behind capable trainers that include his son, Gerald.
Besides, while the biennial Wekaf championship is undoubtedly one of the largest eskrima competitions in the world, it is not the only one.
For example, the Cacoy Doce Pares World Federation Sport Stickfighting Championships 2007, held in Jakarta last September, gathered over 150 competitors from New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Poland, England and Indonesia.
And the contingent bearing the Philippines flag won nine golds in that event, including the open-weight category for the masters’ division.
Still, the Philippines is far from being considered a dominant force in a sport supposedly borne from its lands.
The problem is multi-faceted.
First, the pool of talents for eskrima in the Philippines isn’t that deep, as not many people are into the sport to begin with. Clubs, as a result, find it hard to find athletes to field in some divisions.
This is in direct contrast to countries like Australia, where eskrima has become such a big hit.
There, a group can afford to field more than one athlete in one division.
And even if eskrima clubs do manage to find players for a deep bench, most competitions are held abroad where the popular support for eskrima is higher.
Local clubs are then faced with the problem of finding the money needed to send their athletes to the games.
They can approach the business sector for help, of course. But what Filipino company would disburse money to sponsor a team for a sporting event many Filipinos don’t even care about?
The Philippine contingent to the 10th Wekaf Championships stands a good chance of clinching the top spot in the overall medal count – there are 90 gold medals at stake in the competition.
Wekaf president Michael Cañete, in Marian’s report, said they have “an abundance of players” for the competition that begins tomorrow and ends on Saturday.
My question, what happens in 2011?
A little bit of national government help in the promotion of eskrima, without necessarily favoring a particular system or group, would go a long way.
China saw the light in 1986, when its government created the Chinese National Research Institute of Wushu as the central authority for the research and administration of Wushu activities in the People’s Republic of China.
Now, Wushu is a featured event in the Beijing Olympics.
In the Philippines, the only times the word eskrima and government come together in the same sentence is when some legislator proposes teaching the art to barangay tanods to keep the peace or traffic enforcers to keep irate motorists at bay.
The government can’t even offer a venue, forcing organizers to pick places like the mall.
Some of the foreigners competing in the 10th Wekaf Championship are reportedly disappointed with the venue.
Ermar Alexander of the British delegation was quoted as finding the venue “too small compared to international standard.” The last Wekaf event was in a hotel inside DisneyWorld in Florida.
Alexander is of the Danny Guba Doce Pares Group and is a two-time Wekaf world champion and four-time undefeated British Low Armor champion.
