FIGHTERS
Melline Pascua
Francis Eloriaga
Tellu Bituun Bagani is a group of like-minded people who have an interest in and passion for martial arts and how to apply the lessons to daily living. The martial arts taught in Tellu Bituun Bagani are Filipino Martial Arts or FMA: Espada Y Daga Sirada Arnis (based on the teachings of GM Benjamin Lema, Maestro Elmer Ybanez, his top student, some of the teachings of 3C Arnis from Carlos C. Canilao, another student of GM Lema) and Kalis Ilustrisimo from the teachings of GM Tony Diego; Silat Tellu Bituun (Three Stars Silat) from Guro H. Yasser Tanadjalan of Basilan; and Ngo Cho Kun, a style of Chinese martial arts as taught by sifu Alex L. Co. Punong Guro Felipe P. Jocano Jr. also studied wing chun under sifu Abed Jarrar and shotokan karatedo under Brix Pujalte Sensei, George Hizon Sensei and Gil Africa Sensei.
The name Tellu Bituun Bagani literally means Warrior of the Three Stars. The name comes from the Yakan and Manobo languages. Tellu in Yakan means Three. Bituun is the Yakan word for star. Bagani is the Manobo word for warrior. The logo symbolizes who and what we are as an association. The Three Stars in the name represent the three major geographic regions of our country, namely Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The three swords are meant to honor the warrior heritage of each of these regions and therefore stand for the warrior roots of all our cultures. The red, white and blue colors are derived from the Philippine flag. In our logo, the three colors represent the following qualities that we seek in a bagani or warrior:
White represents purity of heart, mind and spirit while blue represents peace, friendship and loyalty. Both are also embodied in the swords pointing down. Red represents courage, honor and justice, as seen in the upright sword. A warrior should be ready at all times to do what is right (the upright sword, the color red) while at the same time being peacable (downward pointing sword, blue) and being pure of motive (downward pointing sword, white). The lightning bolt that runs through the middle represents swiftness, decisiveness and accuracy.
The triangle in the middle represents a stepping pattern common to many of the Philippine martial arts. For some, this is called kambiyo (from Spanish, cambiar - to change) and for others this is known as tatlong bao, from the three coconut shells used to train the warrior in stepping and mobility. The inverted triangle is indeed unstable since it points downward: but finding stability in the midst of instability is one of the goals of warrior training. Life is not always orderly: training as a warrior will enable us to manage this disorder when it happens. The inverted triangle thus represents the heart of the warrior: the dedication to mastery of the art, the perseverance in spite of challenges, the unwavering commitment to attaining the goal in the middle of the ever-changing process we call life
The three swords and the lightning bolt thus arranged create eight points around the entire logo. These eight points form the moral compass of the bagani:
MATAPANG – COURAGE:
MALAKAS – STRENGTH:
MARANGAL – HONORABLE:
MAPAGLINGKOD – SERVICE
MAGPAGKUMBABA – HUMILITY
MAKABAYAN – LOVE OF COUNTRY
MAY TAKOT SA DIYOS – HONOR AND RESPECT GOD
Punong Guro Felipe P. Jocano Jr.
Founder, Tellu Bituun Bagani