THE weekend was a perfect Baguio weather.
Sunny with a little bit of fog in the morning, cold breeze blowing through one’s skin in the afternoon and a chilly evening to complete the day for the visitors and delegates of the “109th Baguio Day Charter National Arnis Championships 2018.”
Previously scheduled September 21 to 23, the event was moved to October 5 to 7, due to the onslaught of Typhoon Ompong, in respect and sympathy to the fallen and the victims.
Last October 5, delegates flocked to the registration area at the athletic bowl pool area to confirm their respective entries but with a few teams still on their way, the final registration was completed by morning the next day at the Baguio City National High School where majority of the teams were also billeted.
The National Arnis Championships 2018 was part of the City Government of Baguio in celebration of Baguio City’s 109th Charter Day sanctioned by the National Sports Association for Arnis, Arnis Philippines Inc. (ARPI) with Raymond Velayo, president of ARPI gracing the significant event as the guest of honor and speaker.
The event was also successful due to the support of Baguio City Sports Office under city sports coordinator Gaudencio Gonzales, Philippine Military Academy under Superintendent Lieutenant General Donato San Juan II, Councilor Michael Lee Lawana, Philippine Martial Arts Hall of Fame, STIX Arnis Equipment, Balbacua Urban Kamote and Dunkin Baguio.
According to Velayo, Baguio City is the kickoff for the preparations on the Philippines hosting of the 2019 South East Asian Games (SEA Games) where arnis is one of the events to be played.
Velayo added holding legitimate and significant competitions for Arnis just like this one in Baguio give the athletes a chance to hone their respective skills in time for the national team selection slated on December in Manila where we hope to select the best and seasoned athletes to represent not only the Philippines in the SEA Games but culture and tradition of the Filipino people embedded in the Philippine national martial arts and sports of Arnis.
It was a jam-packed event with 22 teams showcasing their talents and skills at the Jurado Hall of PMA. Anyo (creative form) kicked off the event followed by the Labanan (full contact sparring) on the second day.
Participating teams are PMA, Philippine National Police Academy, Bataan Peninsula, Marivels National High School Poblacion Bataan, Cagayan State University, SLU-Laboratory, Muntinlupa Arnis Team, Tribal Clan Martial Arts System Baguio City, Talipapa High Scholl, Caloocan, Taguig City University, Benguet State University, Navotas Arnis Team, University of Makati, Sto. Tomas High School, La Union Arnis Team, Neons Isabela, Kapangan Arnis Team, Pampanga Arnis Team, Vizcaya Arnis Team, Naguilian , Isabela Arnis Team, Saint Louis University, and Addug Shields.