These are the organizers of the 16th World Arnis Championships led by Doce Pares President Arnulfo “Dong” Cuesta (third from left), PEKAF Executive Vice President Master Gerald Cañete (fifth from right), and WEKAF-Philippines country director Engineer Michael Cañete (fourth from left). | Contributed Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu will be the epicenter of international arnis and eskrima as it hosts the 16th World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation (WEKAF) Championships on July 17-21 at the Mandaue City Cultural and Sports Complex.
The upcoming international tournament holds a lot of meaning for the WEKAF family. This biennial event marked the first international tournament after the passing of its Supreme Grandmaster (SGM) Dionisio “Diony” Cañete, who was also its founder and chairman emeritus.
SGM Cañete passed away in 2021.
“This event is one of SGM Diony’s enduring legacies that is why we have to continue it,” said the United States-based SGM Arnulfo “Dong” Cuesta, who succeeded Cañete as president of the Doce Pares global federation.
Cebu hosted this prestigious international event in 2016 at the J Center Mall Convention Center in Mandaue City.
In 2018, it was hosted by Hawaii in the United States, while the 2020 edition was cancelled due to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Over 400 of the world’s eskrimadors and arnisadors are expected to converge in Cebu to vie for supremacy, according to Philippine Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation (PEKAF) Executive Vice President, Master Gerald Cañete.
They came from over a dozen countries such as the United States, Portugal, Germany, Brazil, Iran, India, Korea, Cambodia, and Switzerland.
“It’s already a good number considering that each one of us are still facing the challenges brought about by the pandemic,” said Cañete.
“The most important thing is that we’re back. And WEKAF is here to stay no matter what,” he said.
The five-day international event is backstopped by PEKAF President Senator Juan Miguel “Migs” Zubiri, Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia, and mayors Mike Rama of Cebu and Jonas Cortes of Mandaue.
“I would like to take this opportunity to express our profound gratitude to Senator Migs Zubiri for his all-out support in all our endeavors. The Cebuanos are truly happy with Senator Migs for his dedicated efforts in helping promote this ingenious Filipino martial art, which the Cebuanos can call their own as it origins can be traced back to the natives of Mactan Island then led by Datu Lapu-Lapu,” said Cañete.
Before the main event, the World Arnis Championships, there will be a two-day pre-qualifying event on July 17-18.
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