Arnis, The Philippine National Martial Art

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo signed into law RA 9850, declaring Arnis as a national martial art and sport. The law also states the adaptation of the symbol of Arnis in the official seal of the Philippine Sports Commission.

Arnis, previously called Arnis de mano or harness of the hand, is a martial art that originally uses empty hand with variety of weapons, such as knives and short sticks. It was widely practiced during the Spanish era, but later overshadowed by foreign martial arts such as Judo, Taekwando and Karate. Arnis now is more popular with using a pair of sticks to simulate the knife or sword. The law aims to revive the ancient martial art and foster nationalism as it will be now part of the coming Palarong Pambansa, it was also included in the 1991 and 2005 South East Asian Games (SEAG).