KBS System of Filipino Martial Arts

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Here you will find photos and profiles of people who are of importance to the KBS System. These are the Grandmasters and Masters who have contributed their knowledge to future generations, as well as the current generation of teachers who are passing the information along.
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It is with great sadness that we announce the death of GrandTuhon Baltazar "Bo" Sayoc. Tuhon Bo passesd away early in the morning of January 4th. He had been battling colon cancer for some time, and died from congestive heart failure brought about by his illness.

He has been an important part of my life for so many years. I have thought of him almost like a father over the years, and he will be sorely missed. Please keep his wife Christy and his 3 young children in the Philippines in your thoughts and prayers.

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GrandTuhon Baltazar "Bo" Sayoc was one of the pioneers of the Filipino martial arts in the US. He opened the first school on the East Coast of America in 1968. He helped, advised, counseled and was generally a guiding force for many of the teachers who came along later. His son, Tuhon Christopher Sayoc, is head of the Family System now.

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GM Urbano "Banoy" Borja started his eskrima training in 1956 with GM Ciriaco "Cacoy" Canete, but in 1959, switched and became a student of GM Filemon "Momoy" Canete because of his preference for a power-oriented style (no snapping). At first, Momoy would not accept him, telling him that Cacoy was good and that he should stay where he was. One day, after trying for a long time to receive training from Momoy, he was playing his guitar, and Momoy, who was at that time trying to learn how to play himself, asked him for lessons. They decided to swap eskrima training for guitar lessons and the rest is history. He became one of the fighters Momoy would send to face challengers, and during the Doce Pares feud with the Balintawak group in the early 1960's, he fought several "juego todo" matches and won them all.

GM Borja dropped out of the eskrima spotlight for many years because he moved his family to Toledo City (a city on the other side of the island of Cebu)to work, but he remains a close friend to the current grandmaster of the San Miguel group, GM "Edring" Casio, and is arguably the most advanced disciple of Momoy Canete still living.

GM Banoy has now retired from teaching.

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Guro Steven Drape is the Chief Instructor of the KBS System. He has spent almost 40 years in the martial arts, and is presently living and teaching in Doha, Qatar. He has a MA degree in Applied Linguistics and is a university professor by trade. He is currently focusing most of his free time on expanding the KBS System programs.


Before coming to the Middle East in 2001, Guro Drape has lived most of the past 30 years in the Far East- splitting time between China, Taiwan (training in qigong and baguazhang)and the Philippines (training in kuntao and eskrima). In addition, he is a PADI and IANTD scuba instructor, an Emergency First Response first aid instructor, and is a fluent Mandarin Chinese speaker. He is an NRA certified handgun instructor, and a State of Tennessee CCW instructor as well.
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Guro Drape's martial arts bio includes, but is not limited to the following styles and instructors:

Pre-FMA:
Shotokan Karate- Fla. State U. club; Tae Kwon Do- Yung Ho Jun; Judo/Jujitsu- Ed Maley; Aikido- U. of South Fla
FMA:
Modern Arnis- Professor Remy Presas (cert. to teach, 1983); Pekiti Tirsia Kali- Buji Mateem; Lastra Armas de Mano- Jorge Lastra; Sayoc Family System of Kali- GT Baltazar "Bo" Sayoc (cert. to teach, 1992); Warrior System- GM Abner Pasa, Cebu, Philippines (cert. to teach, 1995); Borja-San Miguel Eskrima- GM Urbano "Banoy" Borja, Cebu; Sayoc Finger Touch System- GT Baltazar "Bo" Sayoc, Cavite, Philippines (cert. to teach, 2001); Sarimanok Filipino Knife System- Master Dakila Hsuan, Cebu, Philippines 

Other Martial Arts:
Qi Gong/Baguazhang- Tianjin, PRC; Kuntao Silat- Sifu Richard Clear; BaGuaZhang- Song Tian Long Zhi, Gao Qiao Xian, Hsinchu, Taiwan

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Contact us at:
KBS@kbs-system.com