Other Balintawak Masters, living and dead
     Today, there is a frantic search of original students of Anciong Bacon. There are many spurious and unverifiable claims of training with Anciong. To the author’s great sadness and dismay, almost all of the great original Balintawak eskrimadors have since died. Venancio Bacon, Jose Villasin, Teofilo Velez, Teotimo "Timor" Maranga, Jesus Cui, Delfin Lopez, Tinong Ybanez, Isidro Bardilas, Arnulfo Moncal, Ationg Abella, Hugo Milan, Vicente Atillo, except for Teddy Buot who suffered a serious stroke. Many of them are forgotten or unknown to the author within his own era of training and of course many have since passed away. Their skills, talent and genius have also died with them. It is incumbent upon the living to reconstruct, collect and preserve the wealth and science of the art for posterity.
     The remaining original students of the later generation of Bacon include Arturo Sanchez, Dr. Abraham “Abe” Cerna, Jody Lopez, Octavius Jim Boy” Hife, Johnny Chiuten, Bobby Tabimina, Roman Encarnacion and this author. I know of some politicians, rich Chinese kids and Cebu celebrities that took lessons under Anciong. I met some of them during one of my visits to Cebu while doing my own research of Balintawak and its remaining practitioners. I do not know how extensive their trainings were. Teddy Buot’s group is included in a Balintawak Tree included elsewhere in this book. In the United States, to the author’s knowledge, only a handful can claim to personal instructions from Anciong Bacon. Many more came at various times in these masters’ lifetime and career. No offense and disrespect is meant for the omission of many.
     Students of Velez and Villasin include the Velez brothers – Chito, Eddie and Monie, Bobby Taboada, Nilo Servila, Nick Eliezar, Dr. Ben Marapao, Fred Buot, Jr., Eddie dela Cruz, Nene Gaabucayan, Winnie dela Rosa and Romy dela Rosa, Bobby Tabimina, and the surviving sons of Villasin, namely Ver, Bianor, Joey and John Villasin. There were a number of other younger students with whom I did not particularly work out with or associate with.
     The young ones making a name for them internationally are Nick Eliezar, Bobby Tabimina, and Nene Gaabucayan. The Velez brothers and the Villasin Family are likewise carrying the torch of Balintawak.