Sticks for sports, not violence

MANILA, Philippines – A gangly boy wore a LeBron James jersey as he walked across a basketball court in the summer heat in Laguna. 

The boy could’ve fooled anyone. He could have easily been a basketball player like many other young Filipinos, but the stick he carried gave his true sport away. 

James Paculdo is, in fact, an arnis athlete from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). He has been so for two years. At 17 years old and having only discovered the Filipino martial art in his sophomore year of high school, James learned arnis for every possible reason.

According to him, he chose arnis as his sport because it was “astig” (cool). He also liked that arnis gave him recognition and glory as an athlete. And like many others who took up martial arts, James savored learning a sport that also taught him how to defend himself. 

Though learning self-defense takes on a whole new meaning for this high school graduate from Basilan.  

James grew up in a neighborhood where walking down the street is an everyday hazard.  

“Sa totoo lang, madaming gusto akong saktan pero hindi ko talaga magamit yung arnis. Hindi ako lumalaban. Ginagawa ko, kunin ko dalawang tsinelas ko tapos takbo,” James shared his everyday experience back home. (To be honest, many want to hurt me but I couldn’t bring myself to use arnis. I don’t fight back. What I do is I pick up my slippers and run.)

“Minsan naglalakad ka lang, bigla kang susuntukin. Yun talaga yung nangyayari sa amin sa Basilan, trip lang po. Ganoon talaga yung uso sa amin,” he answered when asked why the people in his neighborhood acted that way. (Sometimes you’re just walking and suddenly someone punches you. That’s what happens back home in Basilan. It’s a common occurence.) 

“Minsan may dala silang baril. May namamatay din.” (Sometimes they have guns. People have died.) 

The general image associated with Basilan and many places in Mindanao has been of war, danger, and rebellion.

In Lamitan, where James lives, encounters between rebels and government troops happen so often that locals have already grown accustomed to it.

Gunfire heard from the distance no longer make locals look up with a look of fear in their eyes or curiosity in mind. Encounters halting their day-to-day lives happen often enough that people like James’ family already have food rations prepared.  

However, when a 3-day encounter occurred earlier this year, James and his family hit a wall – they ran out of food. 

“Walang pagkain. Dapat may reserve kang pagkain, yung madali lang maluto,” James shared. “Talagang nakakatakot lumabas, naririnig talaga namin yung putukan. Tapos may mga helicopter pa.” (There was no food. We should have had reserves, food that’s easy to cook. We were very afraid to go outside, you could really hear the gunfire. There were helicopters too.) 

Asked what his family does each time this happens, James mustered a hearty laugh, “Nanonood lang.” (We just watch.) 

He could laugh about it months after it happened. But there’s no escaping the constant fear the young athlete has for himself and his family, with talks of locals kidnapped, tortured, and even decapitated. 

“Natatakot nga kami makakita ng patay,” he said, the smile fading from his face. “For example, pag pupunta ka sa isang grupo, makita ka nila, tapos torture tapos pugutan ng ulo.” (We’re scared we might see corpses. For example, if you go to a group of rebels, they’ll see you, then torture you and behead you.)

James hates to admit these violent and frightening interruptions to their daily lives affect him. But he can’t help but worry about the kind of future he might have if one day the encounters escalate into something uncontrollable. 

One major concern for him is his education. 

“Nakakatakot talaga. May time din na pumasok sa isip ko, paano ito kung makapasok sila sa town namin, paano na yung pag-aaral namin?,” lamented James, who just graduated from Lamitan National High School.

“Kasi sinusunog talaga nila yung mga paaralan. Paano ko ma-continue yung pag-aaral?” 

(It’s really scary. There was a time it crossed my mind that what if the rebels broke into town? What about our studies? They burn down the schools. How will I continue with my education?) 

In spite of the increased possibility of armed men storming into his home and him being forced to defend himself, James maintained that he won’t use arnis unless absolutely pushed to the brink and with his family’s lives on the line. 

“Gagamitin ko na lang po. Hindi na ko magdadalawang-isip.” (I will use arnis. I won’t think twice.) 

To him, while he likes knowing he can defend himself, he doesn’t fancy the idea of having to actually do so. 

“Kung wala na talaga eh di no choice. Ang arnis naman po kasi talaga is hindi gumagamit ng stick. Yun po yung totoong arnis, kamay lang. 

“Palo, palo na. Ready na. Kung gagamitin, edi gamitin na talaga. Wala naman ako magagawa, depensa na lang rin sa sarili pati sa pamilya.”  

(If I have no choice then I will use it. With arnis you don’t really need sticks anyway. The real arnis is just you using your hands. I will keep on hitting. I’m ready. If I need to use it then I will. I won’t have a choice, it’s to defend myself and my family.) 

Fortunately, amidst the chaos and conflict, James found one thing he can cling to. He found the one thing that was his escape, his distraction. It took him away from what he had to face on a daily basis and reminded him of a future he can still mold with his own hands. That one thing washed his fears away and made him feel safe – it was arnis. 

“Talagang nakakatanggal ng takot,” he said. (Arnis really takes away my fears.) 

Fated for arnis 

It took some time before James found his way to the sport but he says he didn’t exactly choose arnis. Instead, arnis chose him. 

“Sa totoo, ang laro ko nung una is table tennis,” explained James, who also grew up fond of other sports such as basketball, badminton, and baseball. (Honestly, my original sport was table tennis.)

“Marami akong laro na alam. Yung arnis ang ayaw ko na pumunta sa akin. Hindi pumasok sa isip ko na mag-arnis. Table tennis ang gusto ko pero natatalo naman ako.” (I know a lot of sports. But arnis fell on my lap even if I didn’t want it. It never occurred to me to try arnis. I liked table tennis but I always lost.) 

Just when table tennis seemingly shut its doors on him, a coach saw his light, skinny frame and his speed could be put to better use with arnis. 

“Yung coach namin sa arnis ngayon may nakitang potential sa akin na qualifed ako sa larong arnis. Nakita niya ako, tinawag niya ko. Pinasubok niya sa akin kung kaya ko mag-arnis. Nagawa ko naman lahat ng training, footworks hanggang sa nakuha ko yung medal.” 

(My arnis coach saw potential in me that I’m qualified to play arnis. He saw me and called me. He asked me to try arnis. I was able to complete the trainings and footworks until I finally won a medal.)

James’ first medal for arnis came only a year after he first took up the sport, which was founded by Remy Presas.  

The National Martial Art and Sport of the Philippines, arnis involves the use of one or two sticks, easily recognized by swinging and thrusting movements. It is also focused on hand-to-hand combat. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed Republic Act 9850 in 2009, which required arnis to be included in Physical Education courses and be among the priority sports of the annual Palarong Pambansa starting in 2010.  

The 2012 edition of the Palarong Pambansa was James’ first experience at the biggest annual sporting event in the Philippines, where the most promising young Filipino athletes compete for glory. He admits that the huge event intimidated him.

“Nung first Palaro ko negative thinker ako. Parang di ko kaya. Sabi ko, grabe malakas kalaban,” he recalled, adding that his only goal back then was to just be at Palaro. “May halong takot, na okay na ‘to basta nakapunta ako. So para sa akin, experience lang na makapunta sa ibang lugar.” 

(During my first Palaro I was a negative thinker. I thought I couldn’t do it. I thought the opponents were so strong. I had my fears and felt satisfied just being at Palaro. I was just happy to see a new place.) 

But after a whole year of training in a room, using only old car wheels as sparring partners, James’ mindset shifted.  

“Nung second Palaro ko, doon ko na-realize na hindi pala dapat ganoon. Kung gusto mo makuha ang medal, dapat hard training, maniwala sa coach, more improvement.” (During my second Palaro, I realized I shouldn’t think that way. If I want to win a medal, I should train hard, believe in my coach, and work on more improvement.) 

That shift earned James his breakthrough in the sport after several failures. He bagged his first medal in the 2013 Palarong Pambansa.

“Naisip ko tao lang din yung kalaban namin,” he said. (I thought my opponents were just humans like me.) 

By the 2014 games, James had already come out of his shell as a solid arnis athlete for his region and earned himself a bronze medal.  

Most important of all, he represented ARMM with pride, with a conscious focus, and a single goal in mind – to bring glory and honor to ARMM, a region that has always struggled at Palaro due to a general lack of attention on sports, evident in their minimal funding and equipment. 

At this year’s games ARMM finished second to the last with 6 medals (one gold, one silver, 4 bronze). 

“Hindi ko naman inexpect manalo pero gagawin ko po yung lahat para makamit yung para sa akin. Think positive, be confident sa sarili.” (I didn’t expect to win but I knew I wanted to do everything I could to get what I deserve. Think positive, be confident in myself.) 

A future to fight for 

Sitting beside me during a pause in our conversation, James lifted his head. His eyes darted to fellow ARMM athletes across the quad, laughing and taking a break from a hard morning of practice. They probably weren’t pondering about their futures at that particularly light moment, but James was. 

“Pangarap ko po talaga maging PMA (Philippine Military Academy) graduate,” he spoke with a kind of calm demeanor you wouldn’t expect from a 17-year old. (My dream is really to become a PMA graduate.) 

The irony of the environment he grew up in and the future he wants for himself is staggering. James also wants to use arnis to help him land a scholarship and get into the PMA. 

“Sabi nila magagamit na rin ang arnis sa PMA kasi usually kumukuha sila ng student na marunong mag self-defense. May 20% na qualification na.” (I was told arnis could be used in the PMA because they usually accept students who know self-defense. I have 20% of the qualification already.) 

James plans to enter the PMA in Baguio. He admits there has been no scholarship offer just yet, but that won’t stop him from getting a college education. If things don’t work out for him down that path, James is prepared to get a Bachelor’s degree in Physical Education at Western Mindanao State University in Zamboanga. 

This he will fight to achieve even when times are rough financially for his family, with his parents asking him and his 16-year old sister – a badminton athlete at Palaro as well – to stop school. 

James shares that his father, a teacher, and his mother, a housewife, always argue about money. 

“Isa sa pinagaawayan nila is pera. Basta tungkol sa pera lahat,” he shared. “Kahit sabihin ng magulang namin na tumigil, wala talaga pumasok sa ulo namin na mag-stop. Kahit walang pera papunta ng school, continue pa rin.”  

(One of the things they argue about is money. Always about money. Even if our parents tell us to stop studying, it never occurred in my mind to really stop. Even if we don’t have the money to get to school, I will still continue.) 

Toughened by his environment, James can still spot a silver lining no matter his circumstance.

“Kahit na sabihin natin na ganoon man sila, kumpleto naman kami. Walang iwanan.” (Even if my parents are like that, the important thing is we’re all still together. Nobody is left behind.)

James is living a life of irony – a very good one. We often see kids enveloped by the environment they were raised in, blended in, and restricted by unfortunate life circumstances. We see kids roaming the streets thinking that bad is good because that is all they know.

But then there are rare kids like James, who could see past his situation and beyond the borders of his hometown. He knows there is a future waiting for him somewhere, and perhaps most crucial is the fact that he believes it is a future worth fighting for. 

And despite living in uncertainty and fear nearly every day, James knows violence is not the answer. He knows that while sticks can be used to hurt, they can also be used for good. – Rappler.com