International Arnis Koredas Obra Mano Federation

GrandMaster GUMBAN is born in CEBU (South of Philippines) on 04th February 1925.

He's the founder of  ARNIS KOREDAS OBRA MANO which is composed from more than thirty differents styles.

He's dead the 20th August 1998 at the age of 73 years old, GrandMaster GUMBAN  created his own style in partnership with others masters living in CEBU suburbs like the founder of BALINTAWAK Aciong BACON  and others like Atty.Joe VILLASIN, Delfin LOPEZ, Atty.ARNOCO etc…

Training and exchanges with several well known masters and families as CANETE, CACOYE... and research of effectiveness in fight, decided GUMBAN to create his own style never shown before outside Philippines.

GrandMaster GUMBAN  trained Oliver BERSABAL and his brother José  when he worked for Bersabal's family in CEBU.

It was the beginning of a great story.

It's only in 1996 that Oliver BERSABAL, leaving in Paris with his wife, gave the final name of GUMBAN's style « Arnis Koredas Obra Mano », which was before known as « Balintawak System ».

ARNIS KOREDAS OBRA MANO is a traditionnal filipino Martial Art.

 Cebuano Eskrima: Beyond the Myth

Interview from M BALTAZAR « ITI » E.GUMAPON

We passed through the main gate of Daang Lungsod (Old Town) about 2 km from Poblacion, Oslob. The Daang Lungsod is actually a balwarte or bastion constructed during the Spanish colonial period to protect the town from Moro raids. It has an area of approximately 3 hectares and most of the walls still remain intact. The gate which is just along the national highway is about 20 meters from the shoreline. The Daang Lungsod is a short route to the house of our next interviewee.

We were expecting that around the area of this Old Spanish fort we would meet an eskrima practitioner and a descendant of the early defenders of this settlement that in Barangay Hagdan, barely a kilometer away, one of our subjects. Toni Lozada also known to be a good eskrimador refused to be interviewed. We have pieced together that where there are watch towers and Bastions, eskrimadors living or dead once thrived. This will further bolster our theory that eskrima was invented to repel Moro raiders. In some places we were not so lucky upon hearing the news that most of the aging eskrimadores were already dead and never passed on their skills to the next generation.

The esat gate where we exited led us to a rocky hill up to the house of Baltazar “Iti” Gumapon. Our guide was niece of Manoy Iti, Rosita Sagaral Gumapon, cautioned us to be careful in talking to the old man who she hinted is already senile and can easily flare out of control. Our apprenhensions were unfounted as soon as the old man greeted us. A little difficulty in hearing perhaps, but senile, we didn’t believe Manay Rosita. He was very happy or the more appropriate word would be ecstatic in seeing people who talked about eskrima. Probably for Noy Iti, who is reputed in the neighborhoodwith a bad temper we were the only sensible people he has talked with for a long, long time.

Noy Iti tried his best to be a good host and offered us some snacks that we politely refused. The 72 year old Balintawak stylist is still as lucid although he forgot some minor details on dates and some names. He studied Balintawak Eskrima in 1954 under the personal tutelage of the legendary Anciong Bacon. A fellow town mate Andres Gumban introduced him to the diminutive Balintawak founder.

A former amateur boxer, Noy Iti was in the forefront of picket lines as a member of the Democratic Union. He worked as a stevedore at the Cebu Stevedoring Compagny until his retirement several years ago. Noy Iti was one of the early Balintawak pioneers and among his batch mates were Delfin Lopez, Atty.Arnono, Atty.Joe Villasin, Atty.Seno, the former Mandoza, Andres Gumban and Isidro Bardillas. During these years, Anciong Bacon was working as a security guard of the Apo Cement. He also affirmed that the legendary Worl Junior Lightweight Champion, Gabriel “Flash” Elorde also trained in Balintawak Eskrima. Noy Iti is probably the only living witness to one of Bacon’s most brutal encounter with a certain Peping of Guadalupe. Grand Master Bacon easily defeated Peping who was permanently blinded on one eye in that duel.

Ballazar Erabon Gumapon was born on January 6, 1930 in Daang Lungsod, Oslob. His early exposure to eskrima was the Bohol style that he described as akin to nunchaku movements. He also learned some Literada techniques that came from Momoy Canete and Islao Romo. Without any sticks to show us his moves he nevertheless gave us a muestra of the empty handed applications of Balintawak and proved that at his age he still has enough dexterity and agility to defend himself. It is ironic that Noy Iti never passed on his deadly skills to the younger generation in this once brave bastion of Daang Lungsod, probably one of the birthplaces of the art of eskrima.