Remy Presas
Filipino master of arnis (1936–2001), founder of the Modern Arnis system, who from 1974 spread Filipino martial arts in the United States.
Quick Facts
United StatesBiography
Remy Amador Presas was a Filipino arnis master and founder of the Modern Arnis system. He was born on 19 December 1936 in Hinigaran in Negros Occidental province and died on 28 August 2001 in Victoria, British Columbia, while the daily Negros Weekly gives 8 August. His younger brother was Ernesto Presas.
According to O'Grady he began arnis at five with his grandfather Leon Presas. At twelve he left for Cebu, where he learned Balintawak under Timoteo Maranga and then under Venancio Bacon. He studied physical education and received the nickname Professor at the university. According to English Wikipedia he also held black belts in karate and judo, we have not found independent evidence.
He began creating Modern Arnis in 1966, and in 1969, according to English Wikipedia, it was approved by the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation. He introduced into teaching strikes to the stick rather than to the partner's body. He was the first goodwill ambassador of the Philippine Department of Tourism. In 1974 he moved to the USA, where he first lived with his student, actor Dean Stockwell. In 1983 he published the book Modern Arnis: Filipino Art of Stick Fighting.
According to English Wikipedia, Black Belt magazine inducted him into its hall of fame in 1982 and 1994, and in 2012 he was posthumously inducted into the Philippine martial arts hall of fame. In 2024 a statue of him was unveiled in Hinigaran. We have not found a quotation with documented origin.
Early life
Remy Amador Presas was born on 19 December 1936 in Hinigaran in Negros Occidental province. The newspaper Negros Weekly gives as his parents the merchant Jose Presas and Lucia Amador, while O'Grady in a 1998 text describes his father as a lieutenant of the US Army. According to O'Grady he began arnis at the age of five with his grandfather Leon Presas, who taught him the Ochoo and Palis Palis styles for four years. At twelve he left for Cebu to his uncle Fred, who introduced him to Balintawak. According to O'Grady he spent part of his youth in the mountains, where he hid from the Japanese army.
Training and teachers
In Cebu he learned Balintawak, according to O'Grady, under Timoteo Maranga, and about two years later Venancio Bacon accepted him as a personal student, and Negros Weekly also names Rodolfo Moncal. According to English Wikipedia he fought his first stick match at about fourteen. He studied physical education and taught at the University of Negros Occidental-Recoletos, where he received the nickname Professor, while O'Grady gives West Negros College in its place. English Wikipedia attributes to him a 6th dan in Shotokan karate and a black belt in judo, and we have not found an official document.
Contribution and innovations
According to English Wikipedia he began creating Modern Arnis in 1966 by merging the styles he had learned, and in 1969 the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation approved it as a subject at the National College of Physical Education. According to Wikipedia he founded the international federation IMAF in 1970, while the WMAA profile gives 1973. According to Bob Hubbard, he introduced into teaching strikes against the stick of the partner instead of his body. He created a system of grades likas, likha and lakan. He was the first official goodwill ambassador of the Philippine Department of Tourism. He published the book Modern Arnis: Filipino Art of Stick Fighting in 1983, and the book Modern Arnis: History and Practice appeared posthumously in 2018.
Legends and documented facts
O'Grady and Bob Hubbard both write that he had to leave the Philippines because of government pressure, but we have not found independent evidence, and English Wikipedia requires a citation for the claim. His training in karate, judo and aikido, which the WMAA profile describes, is questioned by discussions on the MartialTalk forum. The title Father of Modern Arnis spread, according to Mark Wiley, after the publication of the book in 1983. Most sources give the date of death as 28 August 2001, the newspaper Negros Weekly as 8 August.
Legacy
In 1974 he moved to the USA and at first lived with his student, the actor Dean Stockwell. According to English Wikipedia, Black Belt inducted him into its hall of fame in 1982 as instructor of the year and in 1994 as weapons instructor of the year. On 23 April 2012 he was posthumously inducted into the Philippine martial arts hall of fame. He died on 28 August 2001 in Victoria, Canada, and on 25 September 2001 he was buried in Hinigaran. On 3 March 2024 a statue of him was unveiled in the square in Hinigaran with the participation of practitioners from more than twenty countries.
Teachers, students and family
Associated Martial Arts
Organisations
- International Modern Arnis Federation (IMAF)Founder · 1970
Achievements and honours
- Black Belt Hall of Fame – Instructor of the YearHall of Fame · 1982
- Black Belt – Weapons Instructor of the YearHall of Fame · 1994
- Hall of Fame2012