by Christa Visperas

Created on: July 27, 2009   Last Updated: July 28, 2009

The bolo is a fascinating implement. Commonly used in Asian countries like the Philippines and Indonesia, the bolo serves a domestic purpose as a kitchen knife used by housewives in cutting, dicing and slicing all culinary ingredients from fragile fruits and vegetables to tougher meats and fishes. In vast sugarcane plantations the bolo is used by plantation workers to hack open the soil, separate the weeds from the cane cuttings, and fell vast amount of ripe sugarcane plants in a single swipe come harvest time. In deep jungles it can be used to clear paths and make trails. Much like a machete, the versatile bolo can even crack open a coconut and kill pigs or cows for slaughter.

However, the bolo also has a sinister side. It is a martial arts weapon. As early as the discovery of the Philippines in the 1500s, it was in the fighting gear of Malay Datus in the area, the notable of which was Lapu-lapu of Mactan, who later fought and killed Philippines discoverer Ferdinand Magellan, presumably with a bolo.

The bolo has nearly turned the tides of the 1898 Philippine-Spanish War in favor of the bolo-wielding Filipino revolutionaries. One of the most famous events of that time was known as the "Cry of Balintawak" where defiant revolutionaries or Katipuneros led by Philippine Hero Andres Bonifacio tore their Spanish-issued tax certificates (cedulas) and raised their bolos in the air to mark the start of the war. When the Spanish colonizers first encountered the seemingly harmless Filipino Indios tilling the fields, they did not recognize the menace posed by the ubiquitous bolo strapped in the hips of the natives. It was to them a mere agricultural implement. They had difficulty in classifying the simple bolo as a weapon.

The bolo also figured prominently during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in the Second World War, again as a simple farming implement that can turn lethal against attacking forces in an instant, and as a deadly weapon used by Filipino guerrillas engaging the enemies in jungle skirmishes.

What makes the bolo so versatile? It is in the design. Bolo handles are made out of hard wood trees native in tropical and subtropical jungles. The handle is easy to grip by the hand, and all it takes is a light flick of the wrist to direct the path of the bolo strike. The bolo has a full tang to it, conforming to the shape of the bolo. Lastly, the blade sometimes curves and widens at the tip, moving the center of gravity forward. This results to more momentum when the bolo is swung at great speed and with great force, creating devastating damage when it strikes. Variation to the blade can also result to different but similarly damaging results.

Because of the respectable performance of bolos in many battles in Philippine history, it later became one of the weapons used in the study of martial arts in the 1950s, with bolo-like sticks used in Balintawak Eskrima (fencing), a style of martial arts involving different levels of complexity, from basic strikes, to defense-and-counter techniques, to group fighting strategies, butting techniques, disarming techniques and other advanced martial arts techniques. A completion test involving power, control and body mechanics will have to be displayed by any leveling candidate before moving on to the next level.

The bolo can be wielded like a sword, with the bolo-wielder maintaining stance, posture, footwork, and the proper balance during lunges and counter-lunges. However, for jungle-style bolo hacking, a slight lowering of the shoulder combined with a rapid rise of the elbow and a flick of the wrist can cut down any herbaceous foliage, and opponent, in one upward stroke.

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