MANILA, Philippines — The leadership of Arnis Philippines Inc. (ARPI), the 33rd national sports association (NSA) affiliated with the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), aired its side yesterday on the arnis issue following following remarks from social media.
“Let me state categorically, ARPI (established in 1986) is the one and only NSA sanctioned by the POC and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to select national athletes for international competitions,” said ARPI president Raymond Velayo.
He said the “fake news”, attacking the authority of the ARPI, affected arnisadores aiming to be included in the 2019 SEAG.
“The 2019 SEA Games list of national athletes for arnis will be selected next month. The worst we can do is to hamper their preparations at this critical stage,” said Velayo.
Velayo said he’s ready to sacrifice and willing to meet with all personalities with a stake in arnis for the benefit of all national athletes.
Mikee Cojuangco Jaworski, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) representative to the Phillippines, committed her support to Velayo and stressed that POC and IOC should remain independent and free from any government intervention.