Grandmaster Ver Villasin was born on August 15, 1953 in Cebu City. He is known and referred by his family and Balintawak club members as "Boy Villasin". The son of the Great Grandmaster Atty. Jose Villasin. Arnis-Escrima-Balintawak is his passion. As a boy, he would watch his father teach lessons to his friends and students from a window. He wasn't allowed to watch because his father thought he would take what he learned to school and beat-up his school mates and friends until he turned eight years old. By then, his father thought him how to control his temper and showed him the art.
Balintawak Arnis reminds him of his time with his father. He started learning the art of arnis at the age of eight and like any ordinary child, he was playful and was crazy about all the games children played his age but his father was very persistent in teaching and after the lessons and practice, he would of course run down the stairs to join his friends. He remembered when his father, Atty. Jose Villasin had visitors in the house and he would call "Boy Villasin" to demo or show some figures or techniques which he emphasized to his guest. He would introduced Grandmaster Ver Villasin to his guest "my son, Boy Villasin". Teofilo Velez often visited their house to see Atty. Jose Villasin and each time he saw Boy Villasin, he would always give him a big, tight hug and told him that he would take after his father. Teofilo Velez was very loyal to Atty. Jose Villasin as how "Boy" Villasin would remember.
When the young master reached his teen years, that was when he started getting serious with arnis. By then, he was so advanced that he became one of his father's instructor in the "old Balintawak school". In 1970, his father asked him to form a new club for the Villasin Klan and called it "Balintawak Arnis Academy". Grandmaster Ver was appointed by his father as the president, Jinga being the vice-president, Ethel was the secretary, John, Joey, and Bianor were among the sargeant at arms and the rest of the Villasin kids also became officers of the new formed club.
In 1972, Grandmaster Ver traveled to USA, Greece and Australia where the rest of his family and other relatives resided. Anywhere he stayed, he thought Balintawak Arnis.
As a father, Atty. Jose Villasin dreamed of having one of his children would follow his footsteps in law. He requested for grandmaster Ver to come home and study law even if he didn't plan in taking the bar, but "just graduate from law school" was good enough for Atty. Villasin. With his father's request which he could not refuse, he came back to Cebu in the 80's to enroll in San Carlos University. Being in a big family, grandmaster Ver decided to work for Philippine Airlines to support his education. He concentrated in his studies to fulfill his father's request and long behold, in 1986, he graduated, majored in Busines Law.
Several years after his graduation, he decided to retire from Philippine Airlines as an Operation Manager and decided to go back to Australia first before he came back to United States. Again, he was approached to teach Balintawak arnis and this time he settled in California.
Villasin Balintawak Arnis Academy/Balintawak International is currently in the Northbay Area. He trained his students Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Balintawak Arnis Academy is often invited in different city events to perform and demonstrait the art. All this he did, to continue the Legacy of his father Atty. Jose Villasin and "Tatay Anciong" Bacon.......
