A Southeast Asian Games medalist from La Trinidad, Benguet and a fellow Cordilleran topped the un-armed defensive tactics (unarmed combat) in the female and male categories of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology course recently where 297 jail officer trainees participated.

Jail Officer I Rusha Mae Bayacsan, a Benguet and Mountain Province native, topped the female side when she garnered a 98 percent rating in the unarmed combat despite her petite built. Bayacsan is a 2019 SEAG silver medalist in Muay Thai Waikru and is also a Muaythai Boran Kru (teacher).

A post in the Oriental Muayboran Academy Facebook page quoted Bayacsan, in topping the unarmed combat, as saying that she has been prepared for the moment as she had been trained at an early age “where she has to breath the air of discipline physically, mentally, emotionally.”

Bayacsan is a direct student of the renowned Grandmaster Sane Tubthimtong.

Meanwhile, JOI Warren Santiago topped the male side. He is a former wushu athlete from the University of Baguio where he took his Bachelor of Science in Criminology degree.

The 297 graduates were trained by JO2 Agusto Tasing, Jr., who is also a martial artist and a bronze medalist in an international muaythai tournament in 2005. A product of the Cordillera Career Development College, Tasing was part of the muaythai, wushu and boxing teams.

The two Cordillerans were among the 297 graduates of the Sagisag Diwa class who finished their jail basic recruit course under the BJMP and had their graduating rites at Camp Vicente Lim in Canlubang, Laguna under the roof of the Philippine Public Safety College last October 18. Pigeon Lobien