Lineage

De Campo 1-2-3 Original (also known as De Campo Orihinal, 1-2-3 De Campo Orehenal, De Campo Uno-Dos-Tres Orihinal) was developed by Grandmaster Jose D. Caballero, a native of Toledo, Cebu. At a young age, Caballero was already enamored of watching arnis matches during town fiesta celebrations, wherein he observed the tactics used by a wide variety of arnisadors. The most popular event was dubbed “Juego Todo”, an all-out stick fight with no armor. Injury or death were the only outcomes of this brutal event. Above is a list of names he defeated during his prime.

Grandmaster Caballero strove to develop a style with superior techniques that would not easily be countered by other practitioners. When he turned 18 in 1925, he formally named his style as “De Campo Uno-Dos-Tres Original” and proceeded to become the undefeated Juego Todo champion of his era. Unlike other arnis legends, there is a list of arnisadors whom Caballero vanquished. His De Campo techniques were further complemented by his skill in woodwork, which allowed him to customize his fighting sticks. He was also known to have dabbled in oraciones, or special spells written in Latin on religious accessories. Oraciones purportedly granted powers to the wearer, including but not limited to healing, invincibility, invisibility, and astral travel.

Caballero’s fame spread far and wide; soon enough, arnisadors avoided Juego Todo events whenever he registered his name on the combatants list. Later on, as a family man who needed to sustain twelve children, he participated in Juego Todo matches in other parts of the country, feeding the family with the prize money he collected. He also conducted private arnis lessons to students interested in learning De Campo. Several of his sons, Manuel “Mawe”, Savaldor “Badur” Caballero,  and Rolando “Lando” Caballero, followed in their father’s footsteps.