MEMORIES WITH GGM ERNESTO A. PRESAS BY GRANDMASTER ANDY ELLIOTT
After training in Kali for several years, I first went to the Philippines in 1999 for the 1st Official Kombatan Camp in Hinigaran, Negros Occidental – the birthplace of Great Grandmaster Ernesto A. Presas.
It was always his dream to build a training resort for the world to come train & experience Kombatan, no matter what style of previous training they had. He actually wanted to build a museum in Manila, but instead he included a small museum of history at his beach resort.
GGM’s training camps were for 2 weeks back then & all camp attendees helped build the camp site, including sand bagging a creek so you could enter the resort.
It was a fantastic achievement to have his own resort which nowadays is well established (even on Google maps) & provides for tourists.
He also had his own gym in Quiapo, Manila for over 40 years which also was laden with memorabilia (photo with me & GGM is at his gym) from his decades of teaching around the world. GGM was very charismatic & to witness Kombatan demonstrated by him & his lakans was fascinating to see how they flowed compared to all other styles of martial arts. GGM use to quote “we are the ones that can connect all styles”.
It was always his dream to build a training resort for the world to come train & experience Kombatan, no matter what style of previous training they had. He actually wanted to build a museum in Manila, but instead he included a small museum of history at his beach resort.
GGM’s training camps were for 2 weeks back then & all camp attendees helped build the camp site, including sand bagging a creek so you could enter the resort.
It was a fantastic achievement to have his own resort which nowadays is well established (even on Google maps) & provides for tourists.
He also had his own gym in Quiapo, Manila for over 40 years which also was laden with memorabilia (photo with me & GGM is at his gym) from his decades of teaching around the world. GGM was very charismatic & to witness Kombatan demonstrated by him & his lakans was fascinating to see how they flowed compared to all other styles of martial arts. GGM use to quote “we are the ones that can connect all styles”.
I continued on to attend his Kombatan biannual camps including hosting the 1st World Abroad Kombatan Training Camp in Australia in 2006 with GGM Presas, his son Ernesto Jr (Jan Jan) & son in law, Michael Ermac. Over the years I got to know GGM very well & was included into their family, with GGM often discussing many personal issues with me, including his own health issues.
I was honoured to be bestowed with the titles of Chief Instructor of Kombatan for Australia & New Zealand, receive an International Hall of Fame Award by GGM in 2007 & also to be ranked as a Grandmaster the same day as his son Ernesto Jr at the 2009 International Kombatan Camp, sadly that was to be his last camp.
I loved GGM Presas like my own father, he was a very generous man, as mentioned, very charismatic, very entertaining, very skilful & always very supportive to me & my club. I always respected how he would make the time to talk to everyone & remembered people’s names no matter what rank they were. His legacy will always live on within my style of Kali 3D, an evolved system of Kombatan that I have propagated around the world, in which he always encouraged me to do. “Mahal kita GGM Ernesto A. Presas.”
I was honoured to be bestowed with the titles of Chief Instructor of Kombatan for Australia & New Zealand, receive an International Hall of Fame Award by GGM in 2007 & also to be ranked as a Grandmaster the same day as his son Ernesto Jr at the 2009 International Kombatan Camp, sadly that was to be his last camp.
I loved GGM Presas like my own father, he was a very generous man, as mentioned, very charismatic, very entertaining, very skilful & always very supportive to me & my club. I always respected how he would make the time to talk to everyone & remembered people’s names no matter what rank they were. His legacy will always live on within my style of Kali 3D, an evolved system of Kombatan that I have propagated around the world, in which he always encouraged me to do. “Mahal kita GGM Ernesto A. Presas.”
