Arnis event still a go

Despite the confusion brought about by the fiasco between Philippine Olympic Committee and Arnis Philippines Inc. (ARPI), the scheduled National Arnis Encounter 2018 is set to go as scheduled.

According to ARPI President Raymond Velayo “we cannot afford to let the chaotic circumstance that they ironically exploded close the scheduled National Arnis Encounter get into the way of the conduct of the event. We will be doing what is necessary and what is right we have done nothing wrong and we are the legitimate NSA for arnis and we claim all the right therein, for now we focus first on this National Arnis Encounter”.

The event scheduled December 4-7, 2018 is underway as the author is writing this article ushering teams coming from the provinces and other places who came to be part of the event.

Although the event was scheduled December 47, activities like the refreshers for the technical officials got underway on December 3, followed by registration, weigh-in and the demonstration of masters and grand masters on the 4th of December at the Naneth Daza, Basketball Court in Quezon City, while on the 5th up to the 7th, the “anyo” or forms and the “labanan” or full contact sparring will be played in the Music Hall of the SM Mall of Asia.

“We will not back down and will do anything to bring out the truth. This event will show them that ARPI as an NSA is on top of things and is not a push off to people or groups who are trying to confuse, misrepresent and or demoralize what we have worked for in the past 30 years, yes for the past 30 years! They ask what we have done in the past 30 years? This I can say we have made the art where it is today and they have been their trying to destroy that, they say it could have been better? Of course it could have been better! Maybe we could have been an Olympic sport already, if only the same people who are always the antagonist of the sport, the art and ARPI as the NSA worked towards one goal and not for 30 years worked and try to bring down the association for personal selfish reasons, we uphold the highest Olympic standard and we are capable of bringing the Philippine National Sports and Martial Arts of Arnis to a higher level but we will not cheat our way to it, we owe this to the next generations and for that we shall stand our ground,” Velayo further stated.