47 PNP OFFICIALS COMPLETE DEFTAC/LAPU-LAPU VIÑAS ARNIS CLASS

Senior Instructor James Sy Jr., Headmaster Wilson Viñas, Senior Instructor Joeffrey Deriada (last row, from left, 8th to 10th) with the PNP and BJMP chief inspectors and senior inspectors from Regions 6, 7, and 8 taking up the Public Safety Officers Advanced Course during the conclusion of a training session (September 22, 2005)


Headmaster Wilson Viñas explains the dynamics of a disarming technique with the assistance of Senior Instructor Joeffrey Deriada.


PNP's finest having fun during a break in the training.

47 Philippine National Police (PNP) and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) chief inspectors and senior inspectors from Regions 6, 7, and 8 recently completed their Defensive Tactics (DEFTAC) class at the Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) Regional Training School 6, Bakyas, Bacolod City.

The DEFTAC class, held on September 13, 22, 27, and 28, 2005, was a 16-hours component of the 3 months Public Safety Officers Advanced Course for PNP officials in compliance with Training Directive# 002-05 of the President of the Philippine Public Safety College. Other areas of the course include communication, management and leadership, public safety administration, law enforcement programs and operations, law and jurisprudence, research, drills and ceremonies, marksmanship, sports, physical fitness test, and command post exercises (CPX).

Trainors were Headmaster Wilson “Nonong” E. Viñas of the Lapu-Lapu Viñas Arnis Aficionados Association and Senior Instructors James U. Sy Jr. and Joeffrey S. Deriada of the Conceptual Martial Arts Society. Headmaster Viñas had previously taught the 61st IB Philippine Army and a number of foreigners, some of whom served in the US military. He is the 1st generation inheritor of the Lapu-Lapu Viñas arnis system and the son of the late founder.

Sy and Deriada had taught regular classes, seminars, and special sessions for barangay tanods, security guards, civilians, professionals, students, and fellow martial artists. They are students of Headmaster Viñas and are also studying other styles of Negrense arnis from other grandmasters.

The Lapu-Lapu Viñas arnis system is a style of Negrense arnis indigenous to Bacolod City founded by the late great Grandmaster Jose “Joe” L. Viñas in 1932, the same year the Doce Pares was founded in Cebu, making it the oldest arnis school in the city and perhaps the province with a traceable and verifiable lineage. It is primarily a solo baston system with a premium on application of weapon techniques to empty handed combat methods and the disarming of impact and edged weapons. The art started out as a style and gradually evolved into a system during the time of Headmaster Viñas, who commissioned the creation of a system syllabus starting in 2002.

The training started with the baton, the standard tool of policemen for the non-lethal apprehension of a suspect. Discussed were evasive footwork, generalized striking patterns, sectoral deflections, basic weapon disarming, and close quarter conflict neutralization. The relationship between and the transmutation of the baton to empty handed methods were also highlighted.

The PNP officials will graduate from the entire advance course sometime in November 2005 and they plan to put up an exhibition of their new found skills.

Regional training Director for Philippine Public Safety College Regional Training School 6 is Supt. Melvin G. Mongcal, CSEE.