This interview was conducted at the Care Center in the room of Remy Presas prior to his death in Victoria Canada June 22, 2001, by Kelly S. Worden
K.W: Roland, it goes without saying, Professor Remy Presas has been a motivational force for you for many, many years. As a young defiant youth in your past, to martial arts movie star and actor today, Professor Remy Presas has definitely influenced your life and enhanced the lives of thousands people worldwide. In his lifetime he has committed a serious amount of dedication to the development of Modern Arnis. I know as we sit here with Professor, he is in awe of how his dreams have come true with the worldwide propagation of Modern Arnis. What can you share with us about Professor and his time in the Philippines and how he is respected there?
R.D: Well the Professor, even to this day is a living legend. Yes he is a living legend Datu, because what he has accomplished in his goals. I remember in the early days when life was hard, he said to me, "Roland mark my word, I would like to propagate this art and share it with the rest of the world, because this art has so much to offer for everyone." This is the year of the millennium. I take my hat off and I'm down on my knees with respect and honor to this man! Remy Presas is a living legend, a living testimony to the Philippine arts. When he was in the Philippines, he was twice chosen and presented the top Arnis award of our country, the Sigla-Lakas Award. Sigla-Lakas two Filipino words, in broader English words "Sigla" means skill; "Lakas" is strength and power. Sigla-Lakas is skill, strength and power.
The Sigla-Lakas Award is given annually to the sports athletes who excel to the highest level in their individual sport category each year. It could be basketball, swimming, or boxing, and the Professor was twice awarded that honor for his efforts in Arnis. To this day, no such award has been presented to another Arnis practitioner in the Philippines. In the Philippines, many people felt we lost him because he moved to the United States to live here. Hopefully, and I say hopefully, our future plans in the Philippines are to revive a National Arnis Award. I have spoken with the Department of Tourism in regards to eventually host an invitational goodwill tournament. A nationally sponsored event so practitioners of Philippine Martial Arts from around the world irregardless of style would be invited to the Philippines to meet and compete with other Arnis brothers of the martial arts.
K.W: Okay, let's discuss specifically organizing the martial arts of the Philippines.
R.D: In the Philippines right now I hold the position of Commissioner for International Affairs for Arnis Philippines the official body under the Philippines Sports Commission. Additionally each sport division has official representatives. For example, the Philippine Karate Association (PKA) is the official karate association recognized by the government. Additionally the Philippine Judo Association and the Philippine Aikido Association also have officers and board members. The independent sports groups have sets of officers whom sit in with the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee to help establish national and regional guidelines for events and judging criteria. . The goal and program of Arnis Philippines is to provide cultural information and assistance in these matters. Currently the governing body of Arnis Philippines invites all practitioners regardless of affiliation to communicate and ask the governing body of Arnis Philippines to assist in supporting their projects or events.
In fact, two years ago I went to the W.E.K.A.F. World Championships in Cebu. I was warmly welcomed by Grandmaster Dionisio Canete W.E.K.A.F. President. Additionally, I was invited to the Championship Night Ball where they presented the event awards to competitors from the Philippines and other countries worldwide. I personally commended Grandmaster Canete for a job well done, the event reflected on the country as a whole and I mentioned how important unity within our country is. Through sports events and Arnis competitions we can organize and communicate with groups to advance Arnis, Kali, and Eskrima worldwide.
Incidentally, I would like to acknowledge Datu Kelly Worden for his tremendous efforts. I am just amazed at how he has progressed his martial arts career, especially in the field of Philippine martial arts. I take my hat off to him. I commend his specialization in the knife, the knife techniques of the Philippine martial arts. The principals of knife tactics will benefit anyone. You only need to see it once in action to understand how effective the Philippine bladed arts truly are. It is this depth of instruction, skill, and attribute development that Datu Kelly shares with students during his highly successful instructional programs.
Not only the sheer amount of information relayed but his teaching style and instructional methodology is very much like Professor Presas and that is what impresses me the most. I have personally witnessed his style of instruction.
The effectiveness of his teaching is really quite evident especially during his work with the U.S. Army Special Forces. Congratulations on your efforts and propagation of Modern Arnis and Philippine Martial Arts worldwide.
K.W: Here in America, there has been a small group of outspoken individuals that disagree with the usage of the title and imply that Professor Presas and those few he has appointed and promoted to Datu offend the mother country and status of Datu by using the title in association with the highest rank and level of Modern Arnis. Do you find it offensive that Professor Presas, who is here in the room with us right now, would use the title Datu to distinguish his most senior accomplished students?
R.D: No, not at all, that is why I called you Datu earlier in the interview Kelly, because I gave you that respect too. I admire what you have done in propagating the Filipino martial arts so I personally choose to call you Datu. That is a terminology out of respect for what you have accomplished.
I would also like to point out, you and Professor's chosen few are not the only westerners to use the title Datu. I have a friend who married a Filipino Muslim. He is also American. The group of Muslim elders around the area he lived in gave him the Datu, because they loved him for what he had done for the people in their providence in Mindanao. He accepted their faith, by doing that as well they called him a Datu. Even if he did not accept their Muslim faith, they still would have called him Datu because of their admiration and respect for him. So as you see, the Professor giving you recognition for your commitment and achievement in Modern Arnis bestowed the rank and title of Datu to you.
Professor has also shared with me in our conversations that you are without a doubt the most dynamic and knowledgeable martial artist he has promoted within Modern Arnis here in America.
K.W: Thank you Roland, and of course, thank you Professor, (Acknowledged). I owe a great deal of gratitude to Professor Presas, without him I surely wouldn't have excelled in the arts to the degree I have today. I am truly honored and being the first Datu promoted in America by Professor Presas was quite a shock to me especially back in 1988 at the time of my promotion. As a matter of fact I really didn't understand the promotion, it was Datu Shishir Inocallo, who explained and shared the status of Datu of Modern Arnis with me so many years ago.
Well, Thank you Roland for this opportunity to share your knowledge, and Professor Presas for allowing us to conduct this interview in his presence.
R.D: Datu Kelly, Thank you very much for sharing this time, to all the readers take the time to research the Philippine martial arts and you will never regret it. Not just for defense but for the wholesome development of your entire family. Salamat Po
