RIYADH, 19 August — A big group of martial arts practitioners in Riyadh have teamed up with students of a Philippine school in a unique project to help calamity victims at home.
Involved are the Black Python, which specializes in combat judo and karate, and the Nour Al-Maaref International School (NIS), one of the nine schools in the Kingdom accredited to teach the Philippine school curriculum.
Under an agreement between leaders of the two groups, Black Python members are to conduct free martial arts training exclusively for NIS students.
In return, parents will join their children at NIS to raise funds for the Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC) based for its humanitarian program.
The training was initially in response to the increasing number and alarming cases of abuses and harassment against young girls and women in the Philippines.
But when the PNRCís appeal for donations from overseas Filipinos came, Black Python officials thought of the joint project with the NIS as way of getting not only its members but also students involved.
Liwayway Vera Cruz, vice president of NIS, said they accepted the proposal immediately after getting the go ahead from parents of their students.
The program will kick off on Friday at the school compound in Sulaimaneyah district. It starts at 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. every Friday.
As part of the program, Vera Cruz said, the school doctor will teach the basics of first aid on the first day of training so that the participants will know how to respond in case of injury that sometimes happen during martial arts training.
Faisal Mercurio, the Black Pythonís vice president for internal affairs ó his son Ismael, an NIS student, started to learn the martial arts fundamentals at 7 ó said the group would provide at least four instructors, all black belters to be supervised by the chief instructor, James Brigoli.
Black Python will provide certificate of completion to the successful trainees at the end of the three-month training period, Mercurio said.
A creative project
Lourdes Valiente, a mother of three girls, welcomed the idea of allowing her kids to join the program, saying she believed that martial arts somehow teaches children to control their anger and learn about teamwork.
"I admire this partnership of Black Python and NIS for this particular project. It has also made us aware of the sad plight of our kababayan back home who, at this point, are ravaged by continuous natural calamities," she said.
"I am quite amazed at how the Red Cross cope to sustain its relief operations Ö itís about time for us who are abroad to help the PNRC so it can assist more people and save more lives," she added.
There will be two separate classes, one for boys and one for girls.
When the Black Pythons came to present their proposal to the NIS, Nick Lozada, the groups public relations officer who is an instructor of combat judo and karate, demonstrated few basic techniques on how girls or women can defend themselves against possible attackers.
NIS teachers were also encouraged to join the training and one of them who signified her intention to participate was Jenny Alvarado, a science teacher.
She said that as one of the highly regarded institutions that is truthful to its objective of helping people in distress and as the workhorse of our government during calamities, Red Cross should be helped.
Preparing for the future
Vera Cruz said NIS students are no stranger to training programs beyond the confines of the classroom. The school also trains its students to play various types of musical instruments like piano and flute, introduce them to different mediums of painting, and encourage them to participate in several sports activities.
The addition of martial arts training is part of providing a holistic preparation to their students.
"Martial arts is not just an ordinary sport but also one branch of learning that teaches the values of discipline, self-confidence, and focus," said Vera Cruz. She further hoped that other Philippine schools in the Kingdom would follow suit in heeding the call of the Red Cross.
But beyond that, she said, the participation of students in the fund-raising campaign will also help instill in them the values of community building and humanitarian activities.
Thus far, only the Al-Hekma International School in Jeddah and the Philippines School in Dammam are the other schools that have launched their own campaign for the benefit of the Red Cross.
It was agreed in the meeting that a box will be provided by NIS during training days for those who would give their donations.
However, individuals are also encouraged to send their donations directly to the PNRC's dollar savings account, No. 2-151-0028-2, Metro Bank and Trust Co., at Anda Circle, Port Area Branch.
The account was given by Teresita Usapdin, the PNRCís director for fund generation, in a letter to the Philippine Embassy last month.
Last June, PNRC Secretary-General Lourdes R. Loyola wrote the Philippine Embassy for help in bringing to OFW groups and individuals its appeal for help.
Loyola said the Red Cross was having difficulty raising funds for its endless relief operations because the financial crisis had affected its traditional sources of donations.
One of the traditional sources of funds for the PNRC was the collection made by schools in the Philippines from their students during enrolment. But the Department of Education stopped the mandatory collection this year on the ground that many could hardly even meet the basic necessities for their children.
Friendly Pythons
Black Python president Boy Macion has said he will ask their 11 member-chapters to pledge their own regular contribution not only in terms of money but also to donate blood to PNRC whenever they go home to the Philippines for vacation.
Macion, who is currently at his home province of Bulacan for his annual vacation, said he will lead the way by taking part in the bloodletting program of the PNRC.
Despite its name, the Black Python group is known to be among the friendliest and most active Filipino martial arts group in the Kingdom, not just in teaching self-defense but also in community activities.
During the public hearing conducted by a joint committee of the Philippine Senate and House of Representatives last March in Riyadh, the Pythons provided security at the embassy.
Organized in Riyadh in 1991, the group has grown to become one of the biggest martial arts clubs in the Kingdom.
The association is also a member of the Filipino International Martial Arts Brotherhood, Inc. (FIMAB), an umbrella organization of Filipino martial arts clubs in the Central Region.
