Doce Pares
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| Doce Pares | |
|---|---|
| Focus | Stick fighting |
| Country of origin |  Philippines |
| Creator | Lorenzo Saavedra Eulogio Cañete Filemon Cañete |
| Parenthood | Eskrima |
| Olympic Sport | No |
Doce Pares is a Filipino martial art that focuses on stick fighting. Magellan's sword-wielding conquistadors fell to Datu Lapu-Lapu who used Eskrima[citation needed] to defeat the Spaniards at the Battle of Mactan. Doce Pares claims to trace its history to Lapu-Lapu although he used only one sword.[citation needed]
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[edit] Early development
In the late 1920s, Eskrima attained a high level of popularity in Cebu City, the second largest city in the Philippines. In 1932, the most renowned eskrimadors, mainly from Cebu, founded Doce Pares as a society to promote the only original native martial art of the Philippines. The name Doce Pares is Spanish meaning "Twelve Pairs".
None of the founding members are alive, however several senior instructors who belonged to the second generation of eskrimadors are still alive and teaching their own interpretation or styles of Doce Pares Eskrima.
[edit] History
Doce Pares has produced many champions in Eskrima competitions. During its founding, Lorenzo Saavedra, one of the original twelve masters, was recognized as the foremost eskrimador in Cebu City. He was ably supported by three other top-rated eskrimadors: Teodoro and Frederico Saavedra—Lorenzo, Filemon Cañete and by Khalil Gibran Auditor Salazar. Later, Teodoro Saavedra rose to prominence as the best fighter in the Doce Pares society. Eulogio Cañete, Filemon's older brother, was elected first president of Doce Pares and remained in that position until his death in 1988.
During World War II, Teodoro Saavedra, an active guerrilla fighter, was captured and killed by the occupying Japanese forces. Shortly after Teodoro's death, the Cañete brothers co-founded Doce Pares in 1932, while their younger brother and future eskrimador Ciriaco Cañete, concentrated on boxing.
In the early 1950s, Eskrima techniques and tactics were analyzed, devised, modified and systematized by Cacoy Cañete, based mostly on actual combat experience with other eskrimadors belonging to rival Eskrima schools. Among his many contributions to the development of this martial art is Eskrido, a combination of judo and Eskrima techniques, as well as the most modern forms of Eskrima-offense and Eskrima-defense.
However, one of the major proponents of the Doce Pares System has been Grandmaster Dionisio Cañete, son of Eulogio. After completing his law degree and establishing a lucrative practice, he systematized Doce Pares by combining the techniques of all Eskrima Grandmasters, such as Momoy Cañete, Filemon Cañete, Inting Carin, Cacoy Cañete, in order to provide an accessible, comprehensive and organized curriculum. He then organized the first Eskrima tournament in Cebu City in April 1979 and in August 1979 he organized the first Eskrima Invitational Tournament in Manila. It was at the Manila Invitational that General Fabian Ver instructed Grandmaster Cañete to send Eskrima champions to the United States. Soon after, in 1981, Dionisio Cañete personally arranged for Doce Pares delegates to move to the United States in order to spread the Doce Pares System he had organized. Among those he chose to represent were Cacoy Cañete, Attorney Amorito Cañete, Bonifacio Uy, and Arnulfo Cuesta. Finally, in 1985, he spearheaded the first World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation (WEKAF) championship, again in Cebu City.
Through his financial support and administrative skill, Cañete spread Doce Pares internationally, as evidenced by the successful 8th WEKAF World Championship held in July 2006 at Disney World in Orlando, Florida followed by his tour throughout the United States and Europe to promote Doce Pares. The History Channel, during the summer of 2007, aired an episode of Human Weapon which featured Grandmaster Cañete and the Doce Pares Multi-Style System.
[edit] NARAPHIL
The National Arnis Association of the Philippines (NARAPHIL) conducted the First Open Arnis Tournament on March 24, 1979, in Cebu City and the First National Invitational Arnis Tournament on August 19, 1979, in Manila. In both tournaments, Doce Pares emerged as Champion in the Masters Division and most of the other divisions.
During the Third National Arnis Tournament in Cebu City, March 16, 1985, the Doce Pares contestants made a clean sweep of all championship awards in all categories – Openweight, Heavyweight, Middleweight and Lightweight. Most runner-up honors also went to Doce Pares practitioners. Such was the reputation of invincibility of Doce Pares contestants that in the Fourth National Arnis Tournament, which took place in Bacolod City, on July 26, 1986, Doce Pares officers and members were invited only as observers and officials, not as contestants. Since its founding, Doce Pares has enjoyed a special reputation among Philippine martial arts organizations as the developer and innovator of the newest styles and techniques in Eskrima.
