About Us
Named, appointed and authorized by Tuhon Rommel Tortal, Pekiti Tirsia Kali Elite represents Pekiti Tirsia Kali in its American birthplace: New York City. Under Tuhon Rommel's direct guidance, we carry on the tradition of vigorous training, complete tactical awareness, and values of life, success, and good health.
Locations
We currently offer a number of classes throughout New York City:
Tuesday- Brooklyn
Wednesday- Brooklyn
Thursday- Brooklyn and Manhattan
Saturday- Brooklyn and Queens
Sunday- ELITES ROUNDUP in Brooklyn
PEKITI TIRSIA KALI ELITES ARE OFFICIAL AFFILIATES OF THE PEKITI TIRSIA WORLD FEDERATION AND
PEKITI TIRSIA TACTICAL ASSOCIATION
GRANDTUHON LEO T. GAJE, JR.
In 1972, Grandtuhon Gaje emigrated to the United States of America and settled in New York City and introduced PTK to a select few of advanced Black Belt students and embarked to offer to the world the mastery process of Kali. Since then, has been the leader in promoting and teaching authentic Filipino Fighting Art internationally in the martial arts field and throughout the Military and Law Enforcement professions.
Throughout the 1990’s until today, Grandtuhon Gaje has been the leading propagator of authentic Filipino Martial Arts based on the use of the blade. Through hundreds of radio, print, TV, demonstrations, festivals, tournaments, and training programs conducted at the local, provincial, and national level, He has been the leading voice for the education and recognition of Kali and the indigenous Filipino Martial Art systems. Throughout this time he has been endorsed and recognized at every level of the Philippines government including recently as recipient of an Exemplary Achievement Award from the Office of former Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, for worldwide promotion of Pekiti-Tirsia Kali and the Filipino Martial Arts.
Grandtuhon Gaje has trained and influenced thousands of martial artists, several who have gone on to formulate their own styles such as the late Edgar Sulite of Lameco Eskrima, Chris Sayoc of Sayoc Kali and many, many others. The Supreme Grandmaster of Pekiti-Tirsia Kali remains the world’s leading authority on the Filipino Martial Arts and his name is synonymous with the blade, the Grandtuhon Leo T. Gaje, Jr.
TUHON ROMMEL TORTAL
Tuhon Rommel Tortal is the nephew of Grandtuhon Leo Tortal Gaje Jr. and began his training in the Pekiti Tirsia Kali system in 1984 under Grandtuhon Gaje. He has had a lifelong immersion in the combat system of Pekiti-Tirsia Kali that his family evolved over a century of trial and error.
Tuhon Rommel has been Chief Tactical Instructor for the Philippine Marine Force Recon Battalion, the Philippine National Police Academy, Philippine Special Action Force Commandos, and the Presidential Security Group of the Philippines amongst other elite units. Internationally, he has trained Special Operations Units in India and Russia among other countries.
He was the edged and impact weapons instructor for the Philippine Marines when he began teaching Pekiti Tirsia Kali to civilians in 2002.
He has founded Pekiti Tirsia Kali training groups in the Philippine Police Special Action Force and other military units.
Tuhon Rommel supervises and conducts seminars with Pekiti Tirsia Kali Elite regularly, and promotes the system and its tenets internationally.