1ST MAD PROJECT IN RP LAUNCHED

The Muay Association of the Philippines-Dumaguete City Chapter, represented by the Dumaguete Muay Thai Association, made history when it launched Muay Thai Against Drugs (MAD) for its pilot barangay-recipient, Bajum Pandan, last February 6, 2006 at the Auditorium of the Habitat for Humanity Project 4 in the interior part of Dumaguete City.

The project was the first ever to be conducted in the Philippines based on the MAD Campaign established by the Thai Government with the support of World MuayThai Council (WMC), International Federation of MuayThai Amateur (IFMA), and Federation of Amateur MuayThai of Asia (FAMA).

The free training is one of the several projects undertaken by the Dumaguete Muay Thai Association under Muay Association of the Philippines (MAP) Visayas and Region 7 Head Kru Ike Xavier Villaflores to promote Muay Thai and to develop the city’s grassroots talents. The program targets 8 to 12 year olds, an age bracket which have enough maturity for serious training and an ideal time for values formation.

The drug menace is an ever present problem in the modern society. It has come to a point where it can no longer be eliminated totally. The MAD Program strives to educate and develop the younger generation even before adolescence to save them from the ills brought about by substance abuse.

Brgy. Bajum Pandan was chosen because of its distance from the city proper. The Dumaguete Muay Thai Association wanted to bring muay Thai closer to the general public.

In Thailand, trainers under the MAD Project would go to poor communities and offer free lessons on Muay Thai. In the Philippines, the MAD project of Kru Villaflores has been approved by MAP President Kru Roberto B. Valdez for implementation. About 25 trainees are currently with the Dumaguete MAD Program.