The Kapatirang Doble Olisi Escrima, it’s Founder and
Owner of ML Fitness Gym & Martial Arts Studio
Magtutudlo Mario Carsonete Palazuelo, the founder of the Kapatiran, comes from an ancestry in Davao with a rich escrima history. At the age of ten, he was trained in the familial Carsonete Escrima system by a maternal grand uncle: Magtutudlo Nicolas Carsonete.
The Carsonete system was a domestic escrima art, handed down from one generation to another; this system survived through countless encounters of war and dueling. As a young boy, Mario used to listen to stories on how Nicolas fought and outlived the Second World War with his martial skills learned from the Carsonete system.
Regrettably, Nicolas’ old age and failing health surfaced too early to complete Mario’s training. But yet, the spark he began with the young boy fueled Mario to devote his life to martial arts training. He read countless books on martial arts and trained himself tirelessly. Whenever occasions permit him to meet someone skilled, he submitted himself for training under that master’s supervision. By the mid-70’s, Mario won Karate tournaments and earned his 1st black belt degree in the Korean art Tang Soo Do, courtesy of the Philippine Moo Duk Kwan Association.
And yet, Mario’s fervor for the Filipino Martial Arts pushed him to travel to different places in search for escrima masters to train with. It was among those searching that he met Magtutudlo Galucguc from the Doce Pares system. Mario became fascinated with Galucguc’s method of double stick fighting. He trained hard with the master and learned advanced techniques that the magtutudlo bestows to his most trusted students. Galucguc died and Mario continued his training with Magtutudlo Ben Mabatid, one of Galucguc’s most senior students.
Magtutudlo Mabatid trained Mario with the best of his ability and unselfishly imparted everything he learned from Galucguc. There is but one final lesson that Mario refused to receive: theoraccion – encantations to summon spirits of nature that can empower a warrior to fight with superhuman invincibility in battle.
By the early 1980’s, Mario trained with several escrima masters, including Magtutudlo Isidro Modesto. He traveled to Manila and met renowned arnisadors in Luzon. He went to Cebu, the birthplace of Doce Pares, and met famous escrimadors who shared their martial skills through friendship and dialogue. Until now, Mario continues to travel for the purpose of skill enrichment and to promote the Filipino Martial arts to the youth of today.
Magtutudlo Mario Palazuelo has been teaching escrima since 1984, but it was only after twelve years, in 1996, that he formally founded the Kapatirang Doble Olisi Escrima. The Kapatiran is dedicated to all Filipino who desires to recover a heartfelt patriotic pride by learning a martial art that we can truly claim our own. The Kapatiran is also dedicated to every person, regardless of race and heritage, who wishes to learn the efficacy wielding two sticks with both hands. And lastly, the Kapatiran is dedicated in honor and memory of two great masters: Magtutudlo Galucguc and Magtutudlo Mabatid, who unselfishly taught Magtutudlo Mario Palazuelo the intricate brotherhood of double olisi sticks.
article written by Wydmarck Kwan