The national martial art was a key feature of the celebration in Dapitan City spearheaded by the local government. A player of the Doce Pares, Jalosjos urged the government to pay equal attention to promoting arnis, like any contact sports or martial arts. “Arnis is a national sport. To jumpstart the effort, the Dapitan City local government convened a national arnis competition that opened on Wednesday, in time for Rizal’s birth anniversary. Leovemar Cris Hamoy, an arnis coach, said for his students in Dapitan, the sport has become a way to protect children, both online and offline.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer June 23, 2024 16:07 UTC