Perry Gil S. Mallari has more than 15 years of formal and informal martial arts education. His martial arts background encompasses mainstream and vintage (pre-WW II) Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), western fencing as well as eclectic empty hand combatives. From all these sprouted his personal martial/philosophical concept he dubbed as Malayang Anyo. An artist and a writer by profession, he considers the movements of arnis not only as a combat art form but also as a medium of aesthetic expression.

Training with Manong Ignacio Mabait (photo on the right):

"Manong Ignacio Mabait (left) is a walking history. He was born on 1916 and among the last few who belong to the pre-World War II era of escrimadors. A former eight-rounder boxer, he learned escrima from his father who is a fighter of the resistance movement against the Spaniards and succeedingly against the Americans. Manong Ignacio fought against the Japanese in Manila during WW II and after the war enlisted in the army. He is able with the stick, blade, empty hands and firearms (his favorite gun during his youth was the infamous Mauser). I first met him in 2000 when he was 84 years old and he was 86 at the time of this writing. His vigor and strength astounded me: you don't see everyday a man in his eighties doing one-arm and fingertips push ups. He attributed his longevity and good health to his martial arts training."

Perry Gil S. Mallari

2002