Rizal Technological University reaped 13 gold, nine silver, and six bronze medals besting other squads to rule the 1st National Inter-Collegiate Arnis Championship held recently at the Cordillera Career and Development College gym in La Trinidad, Benguet.
University of Baguio saved the day for the local squads, snatching five gold, five silver, and three bronze medals to finish the one-day tournament featuring 16 collegiate squads from as far as Min-doro and Cebu.
Cebu Normal University scored three gold and two bronze medals for a decent third place fi-nish with Pablo’s Kali taking home two gold and two bronze medals to barge into the top four of the padded and live stick sparring event.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Air Force showed their might as it grabbed 12 gold, 11 silver, and 14 bronze medals in topping the 2024 Panagbenga Festival Invitational Arnis Encounter at the Easter College on March 3.
Urdaneta City piped Galvan Arnis Team for the second place finish.
Both have identical seven gold medals but it was Urdaneta that took the second place honors after winning eight silver and six bronze medals with Galvan winning three silver and two bronze medals.
Event organizers Leonardo Cariño, Councilor Vladmir Cayabas, Rodini Buyogan, and Randy Dagdagen said both tournaments were supervised by the Philippine Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation in cooperation with the National Institute of Information Technology and the city government of Baguio.
Cariño said the participation of collegiate teams from different regions underscored the growing interest and investment in arnis at the grassroots level with the competition not only providing a competitive platform for budding arnisadors but also fostered camaraderie and sportsmanship among participants.
The two tournaments also served as a platform for knowledge exchange and celebrate Filipino martial arts heritage with every participant embracing the opportunity to learn from one another, sharing techniques and strategies that reflected the depth and diversity of arnis. – Roderick Osis
