'Bruce Lee' fighting no match for muggers

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/abs_news_body.asp?section=Metro&oid=26910

'Bruce Lee' fighting no match for muggers

Determined not to part with even a single centavo of his salary to two holdup men in Quiapo early Sunday morning, a 30-year-old man fought off his attackers á la Bruce Lee but his style of self-defense proved no match to bladed weapons.




Jon Bitonga of Santa Mesa, Manila, is now fighting for his life at the Ospital ng Maynila with three stab wounds in different parts of the body.




A team of police trackers is now hunting down the two suspects believed to be Quiapo residents.




Bitonga was waiting for a ride on Carlos Palanca Street around 3 a.m. when the suspects positioned beside him and poked a knife at his belly and announced the holdup. They divested him of his wristwatch, ring, necklace and cell phone. But when one of them asked for his wallet, Bitonga reportedly unleashed a ferocious swing at one of the suspects, trigerring a commotion that prompted the suspects to lunge at him with a series of knife thrusts.




When Bitonga fell bleeding to the pavement, the suspects took his wallet containing his month’s salary worth P10,000 and fled.




Despite the series of operations conducted by the police to rid the Quiapo area of street criminals, there has been marked increase of street muggings there for the last two months.




Many of the arrested street muggers are Moros, and police-intelligence reports also indicated that one of them is the leader of a cell-phone snatching gang operating in the district.




Many incidents of cell-phone snatchings occurred near Quiapo, and most of the suspects were spotted seeking refuge in the inner sanctum of Quiapo.

Jon Bitonga of Santa Mesa, Manila, is now fighting for his life at the Ospital ng Maynila with three stab wounds in different parts of the body.


Never bring a fist to a knife fight.

Rush a gun, run from a knife.

As Bruce Lee would say, "run like Hell...."

The good martial arts people know enough to be able to assess disparities in power and know when to run when their chances of survival are lower. This guy apparently isn't one of them. It is very important to understand your abilities and limitations relative to a particular situation and modify your behavior accordingly.

What evidence does this journalist present to back up his rhetoric? Where in the article does he site sources for the victim's martial arts ability? I read nothing that backs up the writer's choice of terminology or comparison to any martial arts style or person. Did a witness describe something distinctive? Did the victim, who was obviously not interviewed by the journalist, make a comment to law enforcment or anyone else? If so, where's the source?

This pisses me off because I suspect the journalist is placing his own stereotyped rhetoric over fact. If I was in a fight that was reported in the media I would not want my years of martial arts training boiled down to "going Bruce Lee" on the attackers.

:fire:

Bring a gun to a knife fight...or 2 guns!:neener:

Reason #23423 "Why I own guns."

fight or flight.....

apparently the former took over.

but whos to say that even armed at that close he wouldnt of had his gun taken away?

Dirty Harry said, "A man has got to know his limitations."

Apparently the groin-kicks and other moves he learned in SD class (rape prevention for women, I suppose) didn't work.

Color me shocked.

Besides, if he had had a gun they would have taken it away from him. :rolleyes:

That was a slanted/biased article. The writer should be ashamed.

I think the victim had some issues as well. Now he has some even bigger issues.

Determined not to part with even a single centavo of his salary to two holdup men in Quiapo early Sunday morning, a 30-year-old man fought off his attackers á la Bruce Lee but his style of self-defense proved no match to bladed weapons.

Fought them off? They took his valuables then stabbed him when he resisted then took his wallet, then they left. Where exactly did he "fight them off"?

While Bruce may well have handed over this wallet rather than fighting if he had resisted I'm sure it would have been they who ended up in the hospital, not Bruce. What style did this victem use? What kind of training has he had? For how many years?

Bitonga reportedly unleashed a ferocious swing at one of the suspects,...

To me that description sounds like a wild round house swung by someone UNtrained in martial arts.

I'm with Devonai on this one, this is nothing more than some weak journalists attempt to spice up his story. I suppose if he had actually fought them off he would have "had hands registered as deadly weapons with the police" or some such nonsence.

Despite the series of operations conducted by the police to rid the Quiapo area of street criminals, there has been marked increase of street muggings there for the last two months.

Just a coincidence, I'm sure.

A Charter Arms .44 Bulldog revolver would have been the weapon of choice for such close encounters.

The 2.5" bbl is great for bad breath distance, the big .44 slug knocks 'em down fast.

Dont bring a boot to a knife fight....a "trickle down" from Don't bring a knife to a gun fight.

The first rule of a knife fight: You WILL be cut!

Article sounds totally bogus. But it does illustrate the obvious... more weapon more better.

I wouldn't mess with one Phillipino armed with a knife, let alone two.

They trained the US Marines in HTH.

Bruce Lee also got whupped by a Philipino (Dan Inosanto) early in his life, this is why he integrated it into JKD. Introduced escrima moves to the world in Enter the Dragon.

At least it wasn't reported as an "assault knife."