By CALVIN CORDOVA
CEBU CITY — Sultan Kudarat stamped its class and collected 19 gold medals to dominate the 1st Mayor Seth Frederick P. Jalosjos Handuraw Invitational Arnis Tournament held last week in Dapitan City.
The SK bets also won seven silver and two bronze medals in the event that drew over a hundred top hundred top stick-fighters from Mindanao.
The event was part of the annual celebration of Handuraw, which seeks to remember the life and works of Dr. Jose Rizal in Dapitan.
“This martial art was among the many sports activities taught by Dr. Jose Rizal to his students during his four-year stay here in Dapitan with the cardinal principle to respect one’s opponent as a person and as a fighter, and as a sportsman. It also teaches to remember that an opponent is a human being with dignity as one has and worthy of respect,” aid city tourism officer Apple Marie Agolong.
Odtac-Famaf wound up second with 12 golds, 12 silvers, and 10 bronzes, while Oroquieta City Arnis Team finished third with eight golds, five silvers, and three bronzes.
Dapitan Dapcat-Famaf landed in fourth place with five golds, four silvers, and nine bronzes and Ozcat-Famaf Arnis Team was fifth with three golds, five silvers, and three bronzes.
DMA JRMSU ranked sixth with two silvers and two bronzes, while Dapitan Paraka SBB took the seventh spot with five bronzes
Agolong added that the city worked hard to mount the tournament as Dapitan Mayor Seth Frederick Jalosjos pushes for heritage and sports tourism in the city.
The staging of the tournament at the Dapitan City Cultural and Sports Center on Dec. 28-30 was also made possible through the efforts of Cris Hamoy, who is the head coach of PARAK SBB Arnis team of Dapitan.
The tournament was also supported by the Philippine Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation with its vice president for Mindanao Grandmaster Efren Apresto gracing the event.
