Grandmaster Abaya

Grandmaster Jonathan Makiling Abaya

Grandmaster Prof. Jonathan Makiling Abaya

Grandmaster Jonathan Makiling known to his friends, students and colleagues in martial arts as Grandmaster Prof. Jonathan "June" Makiling Abaya is the founder and originator of Jendo, an original Filipino Fighting Art that utilizes empty hands, sticks and bladed weapons as a means of self-defense.

He was born on November 16th of 1957 at the North General Hospital in Manila. The second eldest of the six children of Maria Adoraida Makiling Vda. de Abaya y Martinez of Umingan, Pangasinan. He was not fortunate to see his father; his mother was separated from his father when he was still a child. He lived with his late stepfather Victorio P. Abaya of Candon, Ilocos Sur.

Grandmaster Abaya grew up in a crowded neighborhood in Mandaluyong, full of gangs, troublemakers and ex-convicts. Mandaluyong then, now a city, way back in the 60's up to the 80's was still a municipality with a very low income and police services.

Living in Mandaluyong, those days were very risky, the first three months for a kid like Abaya then, was the longest number of days not to catch up with troubles in the street. There are many drunkards hanging around. Abaya's stepfather who was a former amateur boxer kept on telling him to always stay at home and not to mess around with trouble making kids who might one day get him caught up in the middle of big troubles and end up either in the hospital or inside the jail. When Abaya was a kid, he is very obedient. He always stayed at home after school. But this did not keep him from being caught up with troubles his stepfather warned him about. Oftentimes, young Abaya came home from school with black eyes and a swollen nose and mouth. Abaya, in those days suffered many abuses from his fellow schoolmates. He experience being punched and being bullied constantly. These bad experiences made young Abaya decide to take up self-defense lessons.

First Martial Arts Lesson

His first martial arts lessons were under Master Angellano of San Jose, Mandaluyong. He met Angellano through his 2nd grade elementary school teacher who was aware of all the abuses he suffered from his fellow schoolmates. He studied non-classical soft-style of self-defense, possibly Chinese martial arts or modified Chinese martial arts under Angellano from 1968 up to the middle of 1973. In July of that same year Grandmaster Abaya's family transferred residence from Coronado, Barangay Hulo to F. Blumentritt. Although not too far from his former residence, this separated him from his martial arts teacher, Master Angellano. After several months of separation from his martial arts teacher, young Abaya met many street challenges. The place where his family transferred has no difference from their former residence. The place has many drunkards hanging around; almost 60 percent of kids have their own street gangs and fraternities. This made young Abaya to wonder on whether he and his previous martial arts lessons could make him survive any street encounters.

At the Jose Rizal College, now Jose Rizal University where his mother enrolled him as a high school student, through the invitation of a schoolmate named Albert Jimenez, he joined the Tau Omega Mu Fraternity to feel secure inside the campus. But outside the school, without his colleagues in the fraternity, Abaya feels unsecured. Without his friends beside, where nobody can help in times of trouble, where the only thing he can lean on was his knowledge in self-defense, a question rose into his mind. Can my martial arts skills defend me in any street encounter? He then started to doubt his previous training. One day, he suddenly found himself formulating additional movements on his arsenal of martial arts techniques, which eventually became his own martial arts system now known as the JENDO Filipino Martial Arts.

In October of 1973, Grandmaster Abaya started to introduce his own system of martial arts. Among his first students were his high school classmates at Jose Rizal College in Mandaluyong, Jameson Bautista and Albert Jimenez, his friend who recruited him in the Tau Omega Mu Fraternity and his stepbrother Victorio and stepsister Maria Theresa who is now residing with her family at Kyoto, Japan. Later that year, a college student also from the Jose Rizal college name Macky Pastidio joins the training.

Young Abaya with his Judo, Karate and Tae Kwon Do Master Johnny Morris Arsol

In December of that same year, 1973, Abaya joined the Dragon Judo - Karate Club under the late Police Major - Master Johnny Morris Arsol, a Judo and Karate instructor who later on shifted to Tae Kwon Do and then became the Founding Chairman and President of Philippine International Korean Tae Kwon Do Federation - Jido Kwan Association.

His training from Arsol lasted up to 1976. After 16 years of separation from his teacher Arsol, making a name in his own system, he and his teacher met again in 1992 at his Tae Kwon Do Gym in Mandaluyong thru the arrangement of Abaya's student Jon-jon Dada. With him when he visited his former Karate and Tae Kwon Do Master is Ariel Gabriel who took the picture of Abaya and Arsol shown above on the right side. Grandmaster Abaya visited his Master two times. The second time he visited Arsol, he is with his student Ricky Rodriguez and before he left, Abaya received from his Master - Johnny Morris Arsol his final blessings as the founder and originator of his own self-defense style, the JENDO Filipino Martial Art.

Grandmaster Abaya's introduction to Arnis training was in 1979, under a retired Military Major named Celedonio Del Castillo. He studied under Major Castillo, the "Castillo Baton System" and the CDC (Civil Disturbance Control), an Anti-Riot Military Training Course.

His second Arnis training was with Arnis Doblete Rapelon founder, the late Grandmaster Jose Mena.

In May 18, year 2000, five years before Grandmaster Jose Mena passed away in May 16, 2005, Abaya received the highest rank in the hierarchy of Arnis Doblete Rapelon family, the 10th Degree Red Belt.

Grandmaster Abaya also researched and studied other forms of martial arts styles like kung fu and kickboxing. In 1995, he joined Master Alexander Co's Philippine Chinese Tsing Hua Ngo-cho Kung Fu Training Center to study Ngo-cho Kung Fu known as the Five (5) Ancestors Fist under Master Ang Hua Kun. Grandmaster Abaya also studied Chinese Dragon and Lion Dance under Master Co Chi Po's Philippine Chinese Kook Kong Athletic Association.

On that same year, he also joined the Muay Thay and Kickboxing Association of the Philippines of Captain Reynaldo Jaylo and then later became its Membership and Screening Committee Chairman and National Secretary General.

Back in 1984, Grandmaster Abaya formulated his own Jendo sport competition and then introduces it in 1989 to his students at Jose Rizal College.

Nine years after, feeling that he had perfected the sport, he organized the 1st Mandaluyong Regional Invitational Martial Arts Tournament at the Mandaluyong City Gymnasium in January 14th to 16th, 1994 and then included the sport as part of the competition. Photo shown above was taken from the actual Jendo competition.

Among the VIP’s and famous personalities who graces the event and witness the demonstration of the Jendo sport are the former Mandaluyong City Mayor Benjamin Abalos, Sr., and his his twelve city councilors, the then Executive Director and former NBI Director Mariano Mison, Philippine Karate-do Federation President – Manuel Pocholo Veguillas and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President – General Rene Cruz.

To popularize the sport of Jendo and to introduce it to practitioners of other disciplines the, Grandmaster Abaya’s organization, the Philippine Jendo Association organizes a subsidiary organization named Philippine Full Contact Self-Defense Federation to handle its competition as the official governing body in the Philippines and then registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The draft of its competition rules passed the screening of the Philippine Sports Commission in 1996 and then organized its first National Rating Tournament and National Championship on the following year 1997 with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Consultant Victor Caluag as the Special Guest of Honor and Speaker.

The Jendo sport for seven long years became popularly known in the Philippines as the AFC Sport participated by many practitioners from various disciplines like Muay Thai, Tae Kwon Do, Western Boxing, Karate-Do, Jujitsu, Mixed Martial Arts and Wushu.

In 2005, Grandmaster Abaya, from Tatami Sport converted the sport of Jendo into a Ring Sport and from then up to its demonstration during the 1st Asian Martial Arts Games organized by him at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila became a “Jendo Ring Sport”.

Grandmaster Abaya’s 1st Asian Martial Arts Games was a very successful one. Competitors, guests and VIP’s coming from Azerbaijan, Greenland, Hong Kong, India, Iran, Korea, Russia, Taiwan, Ukraine and United Arab Emirates, attended the event. Among those VIP’s who graces the games were IMGC Executive Board Master Rajendran Balan of India and Master Norman Law of Hong Kong and IMGC Secretary General Grandmaster Dr. Leong Wai Meng of Green Land.

During the awarding ceremony, Grandmaster Prof.. Abaya received a Special Plaque of Award from the representative of the World Organizer of Martial Arts International Council for Higher Martial Arts Education base at Jubail, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia headed by Dr. Grandmaster Mohammad I. Tianero. He received the award thru Mrs. Vivian Tianero being assisted by Dr, Grandmaster Leong Wai Meng as an appreciation and recognition for his effort in the organizing of the historical 1st Asian Martial Art Games in Manila.

Grandmaster Abaya’s success as the founder of his own style became a reality when Jendo martial arts and its international governing body, the International Jendo Federation (IJF) was recognized and accepted as an associate member of the International Martial Arts Games Committee in the 5th IMGC Convention held at the Hotel Manhattan during the holding of the 3rd International Martial Arts Games in Bangkok, Thailand from April 12 to 19th 2008.

Also on that same date, April 14th 2008 Grandmaster Abaya’s group also received the IMGC’s Certificate of Award for organizing the first-ever in the history of the Asian Continent, the 1st Asian Martial Arts Games which was held in November 29th to December 4, 2007 at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, in Manila.

Another figure of importance in the history of Grandmaster Abaya's martial arts career is the Kalaki Arkanis founder and originator – Maestro Inosencio "Sioc" Glaraga, the facilitator of the " LION HEART", the famous documentary video presenting the some of the World renowned Arnis Masters and Grandmasters in the Philippine like Grandmaster Jose "Joe" G. Mena of Arnis Doblete Rapelon, Grandmaster Antonio "Tatang" Ilustrisimo, Grandmaster Vicente "Vic" Sanchez of Arnis Kasilagan, Master Elmer Ybanez of Lightning Scientific Arnis and Grandmaster Inoy Baiza of Rizal Adonis Arnis.

Grandmaster Abaya, studied Arnis Kalaki Arkanis under Grandmaster “Sioc” Y Galaraga and then received his Master’s Grade (Mataw-Guro) of Olisi-Baraw in November 4 of 2005. The ceremonial blessing of Grandmaster Abaya's entry to the list Philippine Kalaki Arkanis Master's Grade was conducted in public during the celebration of the 8th Anniversary Celebration of the Philippine Indigenous Games and Sports Saver's Association, Inc. in front of the Department of Tourism, Agrifina Circle, Luneta Park, Manila, Philippines.

In his desire for more advancement in his career as a Filipino Martial Arts (FMA) instructor, Grandmaster Abaya along with his wife Teresita attended the Arnis Professional Instructors Course being conducted by National College of Physical Education (NCPE) at the University of City of Manila (Pamantasan ng Maynila). Grandmaster Abaya successfully finished the course in May 30, 2006 under the Arnis Professor - Armando Soteco, not just as one of the student but as a resource instructor and Speaker to his classmates.

During the later part of 2006 up to the mid of 2007, Grandmaster Abaya’s also had a chance of cross-training with instructors from other styles of Filipino martial arts. Among those are Guro Alex Ercia which he through his Senior Jendo student Guro Arnold Domingo when they visited the Philippines in May of 2007. Both Guro Domingo and Guro Ercia are the heads of the famous group of Filipino martial arts propagators in Vallejo, California known as ARMAS – USA. He also cross-trained with Grandmaster Hendry Espera, the founder and originator of Arnis Rapido Realismo.

Grandmaster Abaya today holds an international rank of 10th Degree Red Belt being the founder and originator of Jendo martial arts and a title of Honorable Grandmaster awarded and certified by the International Grandmaster Society (IGS), the American Combat Kempo Jitsu Organization, the International Combat Martial Arts Federation (ICMAF), the World Escrido Federation and the International League of Martial Arts Master (ILMAM).

He is a registered Grandmaster Founder of his own art at the Dong – Koo Yudo Kwan in Seoul Korea, the World Head and Founders Society of International Styles and the World Sokeship Council in Kobe, Japan which he earned through his colleague Grandmaster Prof. Mohammad Tianero.

Grandmaster Abaya is a recipient of the Universal Martial Arts Hall of Fame, Inc. - 2002 Hall of Fame Award for promoting Filipino Arts.

On that same year, Grandmaster Abaya earned his Doctorate Degree of Philosophy in Asian Martial Arts Science from the International Council for Higher Martial Arts Education of the World Organizer of Martial Arts.

Grandmaster Abaya, after devoting so much of his time practicing martial arts since 1968, at his age, still possesses his "Lightning Speed" and can still be seen in many martial arts competitions doing his Jendo exhibitions and Traditional Arnis demonstrations.

At present, Grandmaster Abaya still resides in Mandaluyong City, busy attending numerous number of invitations, giving speeches, seminars , trainings and still serving as Physical Education Professor at the San Beda College of Arts and Sciences.

See Also

• AFC
• Jendo

External Links

• Grandmaster Abaya's Teaching Activities in Schools, Colleges and Universities
• Arnis Class
• Traditional Arnis
• San Beda College - Department of Human Kinetics Development

Reference

• San Beda College of Arts and Sciences