Buno History
Grandmaster Falipe "Garimot" Baet is the person responsible
for bringing Harimaw Buno to the Laguna provinces. He studied Buno
under his father's tutelage at the age of eight and continued his
training in Calapan, Mindoro under two Mangyan Buno masters from
1946 through 1950.
The two masters were members of the Hanuno Mangyan tribe. Their
style of Buno was regarded as a jewel of their culture and as such,
was forbidden to outsiders. However, Grandmaster Jose "Uti"
Baet would pave the way for his generations to come five years prior.
Grandmaster Jose "Uti" Baet, father of Felipe, defeated
the top two practitioners of Buno, brothers Guimo and Tino Lait,
during the Harimaw Buno Competition in Umiray Infanta, Quezon before
the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in 1940. The superiority
of his skill was such that the two brothers were defeated without
injury. In their lifetime, it would prove to be their only defeat
in over 20 years of active competition. Out of respect, the two
brothers agreed to train his son Felipe, in secret if necessary.
At the age of 16, Felipe was directed by his father to seek out
the two Mangyan brothers. The trip to Calapan, Mindoro would be
a long one so Felipe gained the company of his best friend, Ruben
"Ginto" Madrinan in his search for the Hanuno Mangyan
tribe. His initial encounter with the Hanuno tribe proved to be
less than encouraging. His request to study with them was rejected
by the "Apo" (head tribesman) because he was an outsider.
Fortunately, the lait brothers would come to know of his presence
in the village and the identity of his father. Surreptitiously,
they arranged for him to stay in the next village and train him
as one of their own. Felipe underwent intense training with the
two brothers for four years. He worked as a spear-fisherman at night
and practiced Lumad (the Hanuno word for Buno) during the day in
the hidden valley of the Mindoro Islands.
Buno, as a matter of course, is an empty hand practice. Although
the knife, spear and bow and arrow play significant roles in hunting,
the only true weapon of the Buno practitioner is the lubid. The
lubid is a course twisted length of rope approximately four feet
long, worn around the waist. Prior to his trip to Mindoro, Felipe
was educated in the use of this unique weapon by his father. The
training focused on disarming, subduing, and controlling humans.
His time in Mindoro focused on the hunting of animals. An animal
was often brought down, restrained and kept barely alive using the
lubid. Hunting forays often meant several days walk into the forests.
From a practical point of view, carrying a live animal back to the
village was easier than carrying a dead one and the freshness of
the meat was preserved. Training primarily involved tying different
kinds of knots, quickly and under duress.
With his training complete, Felipe became an undefeated Buno stylist
in Calapan, Mindoro. His prowess as a master stick fighter was also
established as he went undefeated in stick fighting competitions
in the area. In 1950, he left Mindoro to return to his hometown
in Paete, Laguna. This was, however, after overcoming a very strange
occurrence during his stay with the Hanuno Tribe.
During his second year of training, it happened that a tribe woman
became enamored of Felipe. In order to assure his presence, she
cast a spell to prevent him from ever leaving. as time passed, Felipe
confided in his friend Ruben Ginto that his eyes seemed to percieve
an impenetrable barrier surrounding the area perimiter. Although
aware of the magic at work, he could do nothing to counter it. When
the time came to leave, he would require his friend's assistance
to dominate the mental apparitions. Ruben would eventually lead
Felipe away with a blindfold securely fastened over his eyes under
the cover of the night.
Upon his return to Paete, he encountered many challengers eager
to see just how good the son of Grandmaster Uti Baet had become.
He easily defended all opponents. In a short time, he became the
local champion of track and field events, Bunong Braso (arm wrestling)
and Pintal Braso (finger wrestling). He would later join the Paete
Arnis Club, a group of veteran stick fighters, and organize Arnis
De Mano tournaments at every town fiesta. He remained an active
stick fighter, maintaining an undefeated status in Laguna, Batanggas,
Cavite, Rizal, Quezon, Bataan, and Mindoro. He was known throughout
the provinces as "Hari ng Pitong Kabundukan" (King of
the Seven Mountains).
In 1972, he began to instruct the Baranggay Police (village police)
in stick fighting and Harimaw Buno techniques. He would later incorporate
Buno as a part of Arnis De Mano hand applications. He believed that
in order for Eskrima fighters to be complete, the theories and techniques
of grappling, empty-hand and weapons combat must be mastered.
It should be noted, that for the most part, Felipe kept the core
elements of his buno training a family secret thereby holding important
elements of the system in reserve for his family's own protection.
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