A celebration for the women's week!

NARAPHIL Performs

for

"Women's week celebration"
15 March 2006

Pasig City Sports Gymnasium

by Capt. Rick Sarte

NARAPHIL was invited to render an arnis exhibition by the Pasig City ladies auxillary corps in commemoration of their "Women's Day Celebration" last 15 March at the City Sports Gymnasium. The Guest Speaker for the event was the City Mayors wife Mrs. Eusebio and one of the special guest for the event was Ms. Jennifer O. Gonzales, Deputy Commissioner for Foreign Filipino Immigrants Abroad under the office of the President.

Jenny, as popularly called by peers and friends, is also the current NARAPHIL Press Relation Officer. She served under five Philippine presidents as a career secretary to the Presidential Press Secretary's office. She is a foreign service graduate of the Lyceum Philippines and got numerous schorlaship grants abroad and awards.

She was the darling of the PHILMAT during her stint with it and made a lot of impact to the ladies of the troupe. She was also featured in two magazines as the "Arnis Lady" and "Lady with the Stick".


She is still very active with NARAPHIL to this date that an invitation for her speaking engagement never forgot to invite NARAPHIL for a performance of her dear beloved organization in which she grew with most of her youth.

"Program Director"

As designated Program Director, I'm also the narrator and choreographer for the arnis numbers to be performed by my team.

A weekly preparation is really not enough to hone our skills but truly realized that there is still a lot of ovehauling to do before we can fully organize again the "PHILMAT Generation II". A lot of resources is much needed to purchase and develop the different costumes that the first generation had.

Talking with some members of the Ladies Auxillary Corps in Pasig. They find it very amusing for our ladies with such skills in the art of self-defense. They are requesting for a training of some of their members after this event and hopefully it becomes one of our permanent activity again in Pasig City.

Members of the performing team waits for the cue from the Program Director to start their exhibition number. The team is headed by three senior PHILMAT members - Jun Martinada, Zaldie Franco and Ana Tuangco and supported by other instructors of NARAPHIL and the students from the PUP Arnis Varsity team.

Instructors Rey Postrado (QCMAC) and Mike dela Cruz (LM Bacoor) performs the Advance sparring.

Members of the PUP Arnis Varsity team headed by Prof. Luz Arroyo (also one of the Seniors of PHILMAT) demonstrate the different disarming techniques.

Ana performs the Maharlika corto against Rey in their number. Ana, like Jenny, is one of the PHILMAT ladies who won numerous medals in "Form" competition events. Now a housewife and a mother, her daughter (Tenten) followed her foot steps by also winning medals in another sports event - ice skating.

Other members of the PUP Arnis Varsity Team performs also the other disarming techniques.

Mike and Rey teamed-up to demonstrate the Maharlika Form #1 (Solo baston - Basic Form).

"Arnis is the most practical martial art

ever developed adapted for women"
by Jenny Gonzales