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Blood Letting will be held at San Carlos City Gym on February 14, 2009. Those karate members and non-karate practitioner with 18 years old and above, look for Semphai Jonel Arosas for details.

Profile of Chief Instructor

Ronaldo M. Vistro Sensei is the Country Branch Chief Instructor for the Wado International Karate-Do Federation (WIKF). WIKF is founded by Grandmaster Tatsuo Suzuki, 8th Dan (Hanshi), the world exponent of authentic Wado-style karate and one of the most senior students of the founder, Hironori Ohtsuka, Meijin. Sensei Vistro is one of the few Wado practitioners in the world directly trained by a Japanese master. A naval officer by profession, he is also a graduate of Journalism which defines his samurai-like character that is both strict and gentle.

Born from a family of educators, Sensei Vistro saw the first light on February 19, 1969 at Tarlac City under the Chinese astrological sign rooster which compounds discipline and dedication among its exceptional traits. He is the eldest of his two siblings, Jasmin, a medical technologist and Randy, a lawyer. The Vistro family moved from Tarlac to Pangasinan in 1973 because his parents pursued a teaching career in San Carlos City, his father’s hometown.

A product of the public school system, he took his grade school in San Carlos Central-I and high school in St Charles Academy. In his college days at the University of Pangasinan, he was the school’s team captain in karate, a Supreme Commander in Delta Lambda Omicron fraternity, a writer of the campus paper, a correspondent in local print and broadcast mediums, a Corps Commander in Naval ROTC, an officer in student government and a recipient of the golden feather award for sports achievement given by Pandaragupan civic society.

He started his first crude version of martial arts training at the age of 7 under the tutelage of his grandfather, Antonio Mamanta, a World War-II veteran who was also an afficionado of balsakan, an indigenous judo-like fighting art of the ancient Pangasinenses, and kalirongan, the local version of kali, now modern arnis. At age 10, he learned the basics of kodukan judo with some of his classmates under a freelance instruction inside the campus. On June 1, 1982, when he was 12, he learned karate from two of the best-known karate champions in the region, Isidro Viray and Fernando Paningbatan.

With the first introduction of karate in his life, strange ideas started whirling into his mind which adequately provided an answer in the end by arriving into self-realization that he was a lost entity of karate spirit searching for the ultimate union with the martial world. During his younger days, Sensei Vistro became active in competitions particularly full-contact tournament and WUKO rules winning several championship titles in different divisions making him one of the most important figures of karate of his generation. At the age of 17, he earned his instructor license and begun assisting his chief instructor in organizing and training students.

On March 17, 1987, when he was 2nd Dan, he established his own karate club, the Shinjutsu Karate Society, a karate-jutsu school. It was eventually renamed as Wado Ryu Karate-Do Institute in January 1991. The renaming of the club and modification of its training syllabus was Sensei Vistro’s petition and desire to teach traditional karate in the country away from knock down systems that engulfed sport-karate during those days.

In 1991, Sensei Vistro founded the Wado International Karate-Do Federation-Philippines in San Carlos City as a corporate organization with a hombu dojo named Wado Ryu Karate-Do Institute. From 1993 to 2000, the institute was operating with major branches in Manila, Zamboanga City, Mountain Province, Philippine Navy and Dagupan City. His pilot schools include St Joseph’s College and St Charles Academy that organized most of the institute’s national karate tournaments. It eventually became a country branch of the Wado International Karate-Do Federation under Tatsuo Suzuki Sensei.

On his personal development program, he underwent seminars related to martial arts that include a 3-day Seminar in Oriental Combat Arts and Disciplines conducted by Pangasinan Martial Arts Association (PANGMASA) in Dagupan City, 1989; 5-day Martial Arts Philosophy and Zen Doctrines package course in Philippine Navy City,1991; 10-day Sports Psychology and Coaching Strategies seminar in BNS, Fort Bonifacio, 1997; 12-day Martial Arts Injury Treatment in Sannoya Martial Arts Center, Bangkok, Thailand as part of the 30-day PN Cruise, 2000; WKF Referee Courses and Refresher Seminars from 1995-2003; and a number of leadership training.  

A veracious martial artist, Sensei Vistro also sculptured his skills in other forms of self-defense. He is presently a 2nd Dan Black Belt in Aikido under Sensei Henry Alacrito of Philippine Tapondo Federation. He likewise underwent a special training in judo at the Naval Special Service Office and a crash course in transcendental meditation. His kobudo training includes katana, yawara, kali and nunchaku.     

In the naval service, he specialized in psychological operations (PSYOPS) and assigned in critical positions only few of his junior ranks dared to accept – Commander, Civil Military Operations Group; Chief, The Naval Public Information Office; Public Affairs Planner for Joint SEA and Pacific Naval Exercises Component (Balikatan, CARAT, MALPILAOT); Commander, Advance Command Post-Sual; Operations Officer and CMO Officer of Naval Task Force 21 and Naval Forces-North; Aide-De-Camp of COMMO NICANOR HERNANDEZ AFP, Commander of Naval Reserve Command; Flag Secretary and Disbursing Officer of COMMO MATEO M. MAYUGA AFP, Commander of NAVFORNORTH who later became the Navy Chief; Plans and Programs Officer of N1; Chief, Naval Reservist Affairs Office (NRAO);Deputy Commander, Naval Reserve Center Northern Luzon; Commandant of Naval ROTC Units in FEATI, University of Pangasinan, Pangasinan Merchant Marine Academy (PAMMA), and Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation (VMUF); Course Director, MS-3 Summer Camp Training; Training Director, Disaster Response and Rescue Operations Training (DRROT); Director, Speakers Bureau and Anti-CTG Campaign; Contingent and Ambassador of Goodwill in ASEAN Training Cruise (Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia). Likewise, he was assigned aboard different vessels completing his junior billets: Landing Ship, BRP South Cotabato (LT87); Patrol Ship, BRP Pangasinan (PS29), and Patrol Gun Boat, PG-371. 

He is also a recipient of the following medals and awards: 2 Gawad sa Kaunlaran Medal, 2 Military Achievement Medal, 3 Civil Military Operations Medal, 12 Military Merit Medal, 5 Military Commendation Medal; Luzon Campaign Medal, Visayas Campaign Medal, Mindanao Campaign Medal, Anti-Dissident Campaign Medal, Rehabilitation & Relief Operations Medal, 15 Letters of Commendation, 12 Letters and Certificates of Recognition, 7 Letters and Certificates of Appreciation, 3 Letters of Merit; 3 Presidential Unit Citation Badge, Manpower Administration (MPAD) Badge, Operational Planner Badge, Centennial Badge, Basic and Advance Instructor Badge, and Surface Warfare Badge.

From 1999 to 2004, Sensei Vistro trained karate athletes from the navy and organized the inclusion of karate event in the service sports. In 2005, he intensified the inclusion of karate in physical education subjects at different universities and colleges that include St Therese College Foundation (College, High School and Elementary levels) and Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation. In 2006, he convened an operational plan with his black belt students to strengthen OPLAN: “Generation Wado”, a special project aimed at introducing karate training in different Barangays under the SK Chairman. In 2007, he was appointed by the general assembly as Honorary Chairman of Philippine Karate-Do Council (PKC), an all-style karate association dedicated at training and sending athletes in national and international competitions. In 2008, he was appointed by the Philippine Karate-Do Federation (PKF) as Region-1 Director. 
 

Presently, Sensei Vistro’s corporate organization, the Wado International Karate-Do Federation-Philippines (WIKFP), now operates dojos and major branches under his top students.