Philippine arnis has always been regarded as a sport dominated by Filipinos at any time and any place.

And the country’s arnisadores proved to the rest of their Southeast Asian counterparts that they are a force to reckon with, as the Philippines staged a rousing comeback in the sport in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

The PHL Arnis squad snared 14 of the 20 total gold medals in the biennial meet – a feat that surpassed all expectations, especially the prediction of Philippine Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation (PEKAF) president and Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri.

In fact, the senator and PEKAF chief was so elated that he promised his entire team a grand reward – a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland before Christmas.

Zubiri made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon after the country closed out the arnis competitions with a bang, saying that he recognizes the hard work it has done prior and during the 2019 SEAG.

The PHL arnisadores’ feat was the most gold medals won so far in any sport in this edition of the SEAG while clinching four silver medals and two bronzes.

“Aside for the incentives from the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and President Duterte, I will also give a cash gift to the team,” said a visibly-elated Zubiri.

“I am also taking everyone – the whole team, Team A and Team B – who performed on opening night, as well as the coaches and staff… I am taking them all to Hong Kong for a well-deserved break,” he added.

Zubiri said that he will bring the team to Disneyland, noting that he wants his wards to be kids again – including himself.

“I will bring them to Disneyland, we’ll all have fun. What’s important is that they get all the training out of their minds first,” said Zubiri.

To recall, it was the first time arnis was played in the SEA Games since 2005 also here in Manila. The Philippines and Vietnam won three golds each that time.

This time, however, the host made sure it wins the event in runaway fashion.

Vietnam was a far second placer with four golds, while Cambodia and Myanmar split the two remaining out of the 20 golds at stake.

The success of the Filipino arnisadors made Zubiri all the more convinced that arnis should finally become a regular sport in the SEA Games calendar.

The senator said he’s now in constant talks with representatives of Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam, which hosts the next SEA Games in 2021, to support him in lobbying for arnis’ inclusion in the biennial meet.

“We’re hoping that Vietnam will host us. According to the coach, they’re in agreement with sports officials to have arnis as one of the games,” said Zubiri. “I was happy and emotional because that’s a big step to be a regular game in the SEA Games.”

Arnis was also front and center for all Filipinos to witness — and with that, the national arnisadores have only encouraged their kababayans to try out their national martial art.

“I’m so proud of our boys and girls. We did very well,” said Zubiri. “They made our sport so popular and such a unifying force.”