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UP Angkan ng Mandirigma is the name of the LESKAS/LSA club situated in the University of the Philippines Los Baños. Angkan ng Mandirigma translated into English is Clan of the Warrior (i.e., "Warrior" in reference to Grandmaster Benjamin Luna Lema). It all started in 1996 when Eric "Sonny" Mejia, a Physical Education graduate of UP Diliman and LESKAS/LSA practitioner, decided to transfer to UP Los Baños to teach under the Department of Human Kinetics. Being a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Kodokan Judo at that time, Coach, as he is fondly called, started the UPLB Phoenix Judo Club/UPLB Judo Varsity Team. For about two to three years, he concentrated on establishing the Judo Team as a strong competitor in the Palarong Pambansa (National Games). At around 1998, he resumed his LESKAS training and started teaching P.E. classes on Arnis. Almost immediately after he resumed training, Coach entered a national open-style arnis tournament and garnered first place in his weight division. At around 1999, he began to hold small informal sessions for a couple of interested Judo players and previous P.E. students in arnis. During the first semester of SY 2000, Coach Sonny decided to have the club officially recognized. One of the first names proposed was University of the Philippines Arnis Kali Association or UPAKA'n for short, a slang Tagalog word meaning "a brawl" or "a fight." This name, hower, did not push through and was used instead as the title of the first national arnis tournament to be sponsored by the club, the First Upakan Arnis Tournament. The final name of the club, UP AngKAN ng Mandirigma, was come up by Ernie Aragon Jr. (me, the webmaster) and the official logo of the club, an adaptation of the LESKAS logo, was designed by Carlo Custodio Jr. The sun present in the original logo was replaced by representations of Mt. Makiling and Laguna Lake, the dead volcano and the largest lake in the Philippines which surround and are actually part of the campus of UPLB.
Everyone is welcome and invited to train with us for FREE... 5:30 - 7:30 Every Monday and Wednesday 5:00 - 7:00 Every Tuesday and Thursday At the Pelota Court of Baker Hall, University of the Philippines Los Baños
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