Wing Chun masters promote martial art in Manila

Wing Chun masters arrived and toured Metro Manila last week to promote the Chinese alternative martial art popularized by the late actor Bruce Lee. The masters, led by Grand Master Sifu Dancun Leong, arrived on March 3 and established the Wing Chun Association of the Philippines (WCAP) headquarters at the Diliman Preparatory School (DPS) campus in Quezon City. Leong trains enlisted personnel from the Navy SEAL (Sea, Air and Land), special agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and teams from the Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT). He is joined by other Wing Chun masters Lt. Col Donald Presto (Airforce 1 pilot of President Bush), Allan Lee (master and founder of Wing Chun New York), Florian (Switzerland), Zeng Huiming and Mo Xining (China), and Li Hon Ki (Brazil/Argentina). The visit is coordinated by Philippine-based Wing Chun master Yuri Ting. Leong and his co-Grand Masters graced the 38th foundation anniversary celebration of the University of Makati where they performed an exhibition of their fighting moves to more than 700 students, faculty and guests. The masters also visited the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in Camp Crame. They also became the special guests of GMA 7 morning show Unang Hirit, SCOOP sa Kamayan weekly forum and One Morning aired in government-run stations NBN 4, RPN 9 and IBC 13. The group flew back to Hong Kong last Sunday. Together with DPS, the WCAP aims to promote Wing Chun to other institutions, schools, military camps and government agencies. They also wanted to establish different local associations and affiliates in the country. The WCAP aims to someday start an annual competition and fellowship that would choose Philippine representatives to the international Wing Chun Fellowship competition in Hong Kong and New York. Wing Chun was also the fighting style featured in the 2008 semi-biographical martial arts film based on the life of Ip Man. The movie won the best film and best action choreography at the 28th Hong Kong Film Awards. - GMANews.TV