CEBU - Four martial arts experts and instructors, three of them Australians and one Brazilian, will arrive in Cebu over the weekend to undergo a week-long refresher training course at the Cacoy Doce Pares World Eskrima Federation along C. Padilla Street, this city.
Led by Grandmaster Vince Palumbo, a long-time disciple of Grandmaster Ciriaco “Cacoy” Cañete, the other top-grade Australian arnisadors who will be coming over are Grandmasters Christopher Nasilowski, Professor Leonardo Arruda, and Sensei Vickie Simos.
Palumbo, a 9th degree black belter, is a world champion eskrimador for the South Pacific “openweight” division and IKBBF world boxing champion in the middleweight division. He became champion in eskrima in 1993, 2005, 2006 and 2007 and IKBBF middleweight champion in 2004.
Nasilowksi is an international refereee for stick-fighting tournaments and a promoter of eskrima in Poland.
Arruda, on the other hand, is a Brazilian world jiujitsu and Pan-Pacific champion. He is also an eskrima champion in the middleweight division in the South Pacific.
Simos, a frequent visitor in Cebu like Palumbo, is the South Pacific women’s eskrima champion and an expert in boxing, karateka and jutsika. (GGM) (THE FREEMAN)