Thirty-one (31) Filipinos in Cambodia completed 20 hours of Filipino martial arts (FMA) classes organized by the Philippine Embassy in Cambodia from 8 September 2019 to 9 November 2019. They learned about the discipline, self-defense, the basics of FMA (stances, strikes, blocking), which allowed them to garner a green belt.
FMA, also known as Arnis, Kali, or Eskrima, is the national martial arts and sport of the Philippines.
The classes were conducted free of charge, with the support of the Philippine Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation (PEKAF) under the leadership of its Chairman and President, Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri.
The classes were conducted by Coach Ronald Farol, who was sent by PEKAF to Cambodia to coach the Cambodian arnis national team for the 30th SEA Games in the Philippines. Coach Ronald, a recently retired member of the Philippine National Police, is a multi-awarded Arnis coach and player, both in the Philippines and in the World Cacoy Eskrima Arnis Championships.
The Embassy initially organized one class, but the demand was such that two classes needed to be opened up. “We were pleasantly surprised at the enthusiasm with which the Filipino community embraced this initiative, some even waking up at 6:00 am on a Sunday, just to make it to the 7:30 am classes at the Embassy,” said Ms. Myca Fischer, Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. of the Philippine Embassy, during the graduation ceremony on 9 November 2019.
Mr. Manolito Borja, a Filipino teacher, enrolled in the class, along with his wife and son. “For me personally, as a father, bringing my family to learn a very rich cultural art form is like passing the history and heritage to my bloodline so I may feel protected, while everyone is growing up fast and having the high risk of living in the society today.”
The arnis were undertaken as part of the Embassy’s Gender and Development program as well as its cultural diplomacy program under Sentro Rizal Phnom Penh.
There was much enthusiasm for the sport that the graduates decided to form themselves into the Philippine Arnis Academy in Cambodia or PAAC and committed to promote the Philippine national sport in Cambodia. END
