(Unbeknownst to many, I have been quietly volunteering in helping search for individuals worthy of local government recognition all year round. Oftentimes my recommendations pass the scrutiny of the appointed Search Committee, but sometimes not (a very uncomfortable experience for me). I never recommend anybody whom I believe is not truly worthy of wide acclaim, but we are all human with diverse opinions, and I get that. While this is no longer a part of my job, it so happens that I enjoy the search since I believe deeply in its worth even if it's not the most popular cause. In the case of Giron, it took me maybe more than a year just to be able to piece together the information below. I am glad my nomination got the nod of the independent body this time around. Now Giron's hometown finally is able to know about his truly matalunggaring or outstanding achievements.)
LEOVIGILDO 'LEO' MIGUEL GIRON
Local escrima grandmaster (traditional martial arts practitioner); "the father of largo mano in America"
An escrima master from Bayambang has been recognized as a legend in the United States. His name is Leovigildo 'Leo' Miguel Giron.
Eskrima or escrima is a general term for “the traditional martial arts of the Philippines, which emphasize the use of sticks, knives, and various improvised weapons.”
Born on August 20, 1911, and a native of Brgy. Hermoza, this town, Giron is recognized as a grandmaster by no less than the well-known Hollywood martial arts instructor Dan Inosanto of Stockton, California who was among his proteges.
Fil-Am historian Dawn Bohulano Mabalon, in her book, "Little Manila is in the Heart" (Duke University Press, 2013), wrote that Giron had already settled in the United States when he came back to the Philippines during World War II as part of US-Filipino defense forces. He was assigned, among a select few, in a “top-secret counterintelligence unit” of the First Filipino Infantry Regiment in 1942.
It was during his time as guerrilla back in his home country that Giron met his wife.
As a guerrilla, he further learned native Filipino martial arts from his superior in the military.
However, he grew up training at it from an early age in the Philippines until murder and crime incidents in his community in California, pressed him to improve on his skills and acquire more knowledge. Mabalon noted that Giron was prompted to revive his interest in escrima as a form of self-defense when eight student nurses, two of them Filipina, were brutally raped, beaten, tortured, and murdered in Chicago in 1966. In September 1968, Giron opened his own escrima school in Tracy, south of Stockton, to teach his largo mano system. (Literally "long hand" in Spanish, largo mano is a "long-range fighting technique that uses a 30-inch stick or blade to keep an opponent at bay.") He moved the school to South Stockton in 1973, and the club was formally named the Bahala Na Filipino Martial Arts Club in 1979.
He would eventually be recognized as the "Father of Largo Mano in America." He would rise to become the guro (mentor) of "martial arts luminaries" such as Ted Lucaylucay, Dentoy Revillar, Richard Bustillo, and especially Dan Inosanto of Hollywood fame.
Giron was also noted by Mabalon as a member of a labor activist group headed by Larry Itliong, who hailed from San Nicolas, Pangasinan. Their efforts and sacrifices, recently officially recognized by San Nicolas LGU, would eventually pave the way for Filipinos and other immigrants in the States to enjoy the same labor rights as native-born Americans.
Other recorded escrima masters from this town are Benito Junio, a fellow Bayambangueño from Brgy. Inirangan, who was recognized by Giron as being among his mentors.; Julian Bundoc of Brgy. Carungay; and Fructuoso Junio of Brgy. Telbang.
On April 2, 2025, the Local Government Unit of Bayambang led by Mayor Mary Clar Judith Phyllis 'Niña' Jose-Quiambao (represented by her husband, Dr. Cezar T. Quiambao, and the whole Sangguniang Bayan led by Vice-Mayor Ian Camille C, Sabangan) officially recognized Giron's accomplishments during the Matalunggaring Awards 2025 ceremony held at Pavilion II, St. Vincent Ferrer Prayer Park as part of the 410th year celebration of the town.
References:
- inosanto. com - inosanto. com/leo-m-giron/
- Dr. Nicolas Miguel, a cousin of Giron
- Dawn Bohulano Mabalon's "Little Manila is in the Heart" (Duke University Press, 2013), pp. 84, 249, 312, quoting Leo Giron's memoir, "Giron Escrima: Memories of a Bladed Warrior" (Los Angeles: Empire, 2006)
- ww2f. com/threads/philippine-guerilla-leaders.13781/
- Acknowledgment for originally tipping us about Giron and for donating the book "Little Manila is in the Heart" to the Museum: Joey Ferrer of Pittsburg, California, USA and Roxas St., Bayambang, Pangasinan
LEOVIGILDO 'LEO' MIGUEL GIRON
Local escrima grandmaster (traditional martial arts practitioner); "the father of largo mano in America"
An escrima master from Bayambang has been recognized as a legend in the United States. His name is Leovigildo 'Leo' Miguel Giron.
Eskrima or escrima is a general term for “the traditional martial arts of the Philippines, which emphasize the use of sticks, knives, and various improvised weapons.”
Born on August 20, 1911, and a native of Brgy. Hermoza, this town, Giron is recognized as a grandmaster by no less than the well-known Hollywood martial arts instructor Dan Inosanto of Stockton, California who was among his proteges.
Fil-Am historian Dawn Bohulano Mabalon, in her book, "Little Manila is in the Heart" (Duke University Press, 2013), wrote that Giron had already settled in the United States when he came back to the Philippines during World War II as part of US-Filipino defense forces. He was assigned, among a select few, in a “top-secret counterintelligence unit” of the First Filipino Infantry Regiment in 1942.
It was during his time as guerrilla back in his home country that Giron met his wife.
As a guerrilla, he further learned native Filipino martial arts from his superior in the military.
However, he grew up training at it from an early age in the Philippines until murder and crime incidents in his community in California, pressed him to improve on his skills and acquire more knowledge. Mabalon noted that Giron was prompted to revive his interest in escrima as a form of self-defense when eight student nurses, two of them Filipina, were brutally raped, beaten, tortured, and murdered in Chicago in 1966. In September 1968, Giron opened his own escrima school in Tracy, south of Stockton, to teach his largo mano system. (Literally "long hand" in Spanish, largo mano is a "long-range fighting technique that uses a 30-inch stick or blade to keep an opponent at bay.") He moved the school to South Stockton in 1973, and the club was formally named the Bahala Na Filipino Martial Arts Club in 1979.
He would eventually be recognized as the "Father of Largo Mano in America." He would rise to become the guro (mentor) of "martial arts luminaries" such as Ted Lucaylucay, Dentoy Revillar, Richard Bustillo, and especially Dan Inosanto of Hollywood fame.
Giron was also noted by Mabalon as a member of a labor activist group headed by Larry Itliong, who hailed from San Nicolas, Pangasinan. Their efforts and sacrifices, recently officially recognized by San Nicolas LGU, would eventually pave the way for Filipinos and other immigrants in the States to enjoy the same labor rights as native-born Americans.
Other recorded escrima masters from this town are Benito Junio, a fellow Bayambangueño from Brgy. Inirangan, who was recognized by Giron as being among his mentors.; Julian Bundoc of Brgy. Carungay; and Fructuoso Junio of Brgy. Telbang.
On April 2, 2025, the Local Government Unit of Bayambang led by Mayor Mary Clar Judith Phyllis 'Niña' Jose-Quiambao (represented by her husband, Dr. Cezar T. Quiambao, and the whole Sangguniang Bayan led by Vice-Mayor Ian Camille C, Sabangan) officially recognized Giron's accomplishments during the Matalunggaring Awards 2025 ceremony held at Pavilion II, St. Vincent Ferrer Prayer Park as part of the 410th year celebration of the town.
References:
- inosanto. com - inosanto. com/leo-m-giron/
- Dr. Nicolas Miguel, a cousin of Giron
- Dawn Bohulano Mabalon's "Little Manila is in the Heart" (Duke University Press, 2013), pp. 84, 249, 312, quoting Leo Giron's memoir, "Giron Escrima: Memories of a Bladed Warrior" (Los Angeles: Empire, 2006)
- ww2f. com/threads/philippine-guerilla-leaders.13781/
- Acknowledgment for originally tipping us about Giron and for donating the book "Little Manila is in the Heart" to the Museum: Joey Ferrer of Pittsburg, California, USA and Roxas St., Bayambang, Pangasinan
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