Sports Arnis Officiating Seminar Held by James U. Sy Jr.

The teacher-participants of the Arnis section of the Upgrading Teacher's Competence in Coaching Officiating of Different Sports Events Seminar recently held by the Department of Education (DepEd)-Region 6/Western Visayas at the Doña Monserrat Lopez Memorial National High School, Silay City (James U. Sy Jr./CMAS photo).





Arnis Philippines (Arpi) Dumaguete Commissioner Master Ike Xavier Sarabia Villaflores (standing, 11th from left) together with the 37 teacher-participants of the Arnis section of the Upgrading Teacher's Competence in Coaching Officiating of Different Sports Events Seminar recently held by the Department of Education (DepEd)-Region 6/Western Visayas at the Doña Monserrat Lopez Memorial National High School, Silay City (James U. Sy Jr./CMAS photo).




Arnis Philippines (Arpi) Dumaguete Commissioner Master Ike Xavier Sarabia Villaflores (left) receiving a recognition of his mastery of Eskrima and his untiring efforts to propagate the art from his friend Founder/Master James U. Sy Jr. of the Conceptual Martial Arts Society (CMAS), Inc.(CMAS photo).

The Upgrading Teacher's Competence in Coaching Officiating of Different Sports Events Seminar was successfully held by the Department of Education (DepEd)-Region 6/Western Visayas recently at the Doña Monserrat Lopez Memorial National High School, Silay City, Negros Occidental.

The seminar, which lasted for 3 days, focused on different forms of sports played in the school system. The Arnis seminar was conducted by Master Ike Xavier Sarabia Villaflores, Arnis Philippines (Arpi) Commissioner for Dumaguete City, who traveled straight to Negros Occidental from another seminar engagement in another part of the Visayas.

The Arnis seminar, however, had to be compressed into one and a half days only. Master Villaflores had to adjust his teaching style to cover all the essential elements of the seminar material. He went through the new set of rules of the DepEd Arnis competition together with the 37 teacher participants from differtent parts of Negros among them Bago and Escalante Cities.

Master Villaflores, the Founder of the DUMAA Eskrima System and the Dumaguete Arnis Association (DUMAA), is himself a school teacher in his hometown. He has been actively teaching Arnis in regular classes and seminars and organizing tournaments to encourage the youth to take up their very own indigenbous martial art, Arnis/Eskrima. Master Villaflores had already produced Arnis champions among his wards in various local, regional, national, and world Arnis championships.

Near the end of the seminar, Master Villaflores was visited by his friend, Founder/Master James U. Sy Jr. of the Conceptual Martial Arts Society (CMAS), Inc., who turned over a certificate recognizing his mastery of Eskrima and his untiring efforts to propagate the art; The recognition was among several issued to old time grandmasters and new generation masters last year at an Arnis event at Gaisano City Bacolod Supermall but had to be given this year because of the distance of Dumaguete from Bacolod.

Arnis, also known as Eskrima in Cebu, is recognized by the Philippine Government as the country’s National Martial Sport, as much as Taekwondo is to Korea. Rhe government-recognized National Sport Association (NSA) for Arnis is Arnis Philippines, Inc. (Arpi).