Completely oblivious to Chilena's unasked-for effort to protect him, Alipang came around the corner of the stage. He had his wireless mike in place, and was carrying two authentic rattan-wood sticks. One was the regulation Escrima-stick length, while the other was visibly shorter.
"Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I am a student of Master Pitik Imada. The martial art you have just seen demonstrated, and the sticks we use in it, are part of the history of my native country, the Philippine Republic, a nation which the United States held as a colony but then set free. Our first white colonizers, the Spanish, were not so ready to let go; but for good or ill, they helped to make us Filipinos what we are today--a people at once Asian and European. I don't mean to demonize European colonizers exclusively, as is popular to do these days--for there were Filipinos oppressing OTHER Filipinos long before the Spanish came and CALLED us Filipinos; and it's the Chinese Communists who are intruding on our outer islands TODAY.
"Escrima, also known as Arnis or Kali, is our counterpart of Chinese kung-fu, though with fewer claims of mystic powers. Its techniques, and choice of weapons, reflect our colonial history.
"When the Spaniards ruled us, they didn't want us carrying edged weapons. So, while keeping the real swords and knives hidden for emergencies, my ancestors practiced the fighting _methods_ for those weaons with sticks." Here Alipang held high his long and short sticks. "What I have here is the espada y daga combination, imitating a Spanish conquistador's rapier and poniard."
