MATTI Gathering and FMA Festival in the Philippines.
In March 2018, several students from CMAC Mississauga, as MATTI Canada, travelled to the Philippines to train in seminars in Manila (MATTI Gathering) and in Bohol (FMA Festival).
MATTI (Modern Arnis Tapi Tapi International) Gathering at Luneta Park, Manila
Arnis students from CMAC Mississauga represented Canada in the first-ever MATTI (Modern Arnis Tapi Tapi International) Gathering, which also welcomed students from Japan, USA, China, Switzerland, Germany, and many more. Guro Jason Bassels taught many seminars, including one with the Presidential Security Group from Malacañang Palace. Students also completed their ranking examination in the two day-day, 18-hour event.
FMA Festival at Panglao, Bohol
Guro Jason Bassels taught his signature doble baston (double sticks) to attendees from Finland, Romania, Brazil, Japan, France, USA, and more. A tropical rainstorm didn’t stop MATTI Canada (that’s us) from training-in fact, it set the tone for one of the most high-energy training sessions of the week! Considered one of the most challenging and intricate aspect of arnis training, doble baston requires distancing, coordination, and dexterity from both sides of the body, in addition to practicing safety!
Bohol Province Tour
Bohol is a province of the Philippines, in the country’s Central Visayas Region. Panglao, Bohol is a famous tourist destination for it’s white sand beaches and world-class diving sites. It is very accessible to other natural wonders of Bohol such as the Chocolate Hills, the countless springs, rivers, falls and caves and the ever cute tarsier, the smallest primate in the world, and are the only ones entirely carnivorous! Tinikling is a traditional Philippine dance wherein dancers have to coordinate between two (sometimes more!) sliding, tapping, and beating bamboo poles.
FMA Festival Gala Night
Guro Jason Bassels with Grandmaster (GM) Dieter, GM Bambit, and Baby Burbano, Canada’s official induction into the Worldwide Family of Modern Arnis
Guro J Bassels demonstrates the cane during the Gala Night
Mr. Vojtech with MATTI Bacolod children’s group
Canadian delegates with GMs and Masters of Filipino martial arts.
Congratulations to Guro J Bassels for his Lakan Tatlo, pictured here receiving the rank from his teacher GM Bambit Dulay. Ms Samson received her Dayang Dalawa, and Messrs Vojtech and Shahdin received their first degree black belts (Lakan). Other Canadian students also received their brown (Tagasanay), green (Sulong), and blue (Hobog) levels.
We hope you can join us when we return there! Pugay!