WHILE there has been an apparent change of schedule in the arnis event of the Philippine Olympic Committee-Philippine Sports Commission (POC-PSC) Philippine National Games (PNG), Davao City's arnis team is still poised to collect medals no matter when and where the competition is.

Arnis Philippines Davao head Mario Palazuel, who guested at the Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum at The Annex of SM City Davao, said: "Each of the 12 players in the team are Palarong Pambansa veterans that's why I believe we have a huge chance of winning golds in the PNG and all the more in the Mindanao Qualifying Leg."

The team is composed of Emmanuel Chua, Ivan Loriezo, Care Monterola, Laurence Paco, Marjun Palazuelo, Alfred Sagne, Dianalyn Alcain, Monec Bucol, Sheila Morales, Jennilyn Morcillo and Adelfa Sagne with coaches Jed Marc Palazuelo and Michael Ibag.

The arnis event of the PNG, however, will have a Luzon Qualifying Leg on July 1 to 6. The Visayas leg is on September 9 to 15 and Mindanao leg on November 9 to 14. The nationals is set sometime in 2016.

"We have yet to confirm if we could instead join the Luzon leg. We could only hope that there are also many teams who face the same issue since maybe we could all go to Luzon so that the organizers will be forced to conduct a national competition instead. Otherwise, we will have to join the Mindanao Qualifying Leg," Palazuelo said.

Cholo Elegino of the Sports Development Division of the City Mayor's Office, meanwhile, said in the same forum that the notice of the change in schedule was just received last Wednesday and they have yet to confirm if arnis can still join the Luzon leg.

"When we registered our entries yesterday (Wednesday), it doesn't say there that our entries in arnis are not allowed to compete in Luzon. Our entries were confirmed. But nonetheless, we will find ways to solve this issue," Elegino said.