Master Sylvester "Jojo" Ygay, V was born on July 12, 1978 and began his Balintawak training in 1994 in Cebu City under the tutelage of Samuel Lura, an instructor of the Speed Lightning Club under Grandmaster Danny Casio of Red Balintawak. This was a barehanded form of Balintawak, with roots tracing back to Dr. Cres Go, a direct student of the art's founder, Great Grandmaster Venancio Bacon.

​

In 2005, Master Jojo Ygay met Great Grandmaster Bobby Tabimina and began training under his strict supervision. Due to his rapid progression and natural aptitude, he earned the nickname "The Prodigy." By 2006, he had become one of the instructors of Tabimina Balintawak and established its first international branch in the United States.

​

In 2009, he received Level 5 instruction in the art during a fiesta in Iligan City, Philippines, training alongside Grandmaster Flint Tabimina, Master Chad Tabimina, and Master Dag Tabimina. The following year, in 2010, Great Grandmaster Bobby Tabimina extended Level 6 instruction to him — a rare honor that followed a profound dream the Grandmaster described as "playing with the old man," an epiphany that came during his visit to Salinas, California. He later served on the Quality Control Committee of the Tabimina Balintawak System, helping ensure that the teachings of Great Grandmaster Venancio "Anciong" Bacon and Great Grandmaster Bobby Tabimina are preserved and passed on to future generations in their entirety.

​

In 2026, he founded the Zero Mind Group, a non-profit organization, and assembled its Board of Directors with one purpose: to help veterans and servicemembers ease anxiety, PTSD, and other mental health issues, and to strengthen the minds of those who are already well. A registered nurse by profession in California, he brings a clinical understanding of the body and mind to the work, bridging the discipline of the art with the care of a healthcare practitioner.