The Dumaguete Arnis team will join the qualifying event for the 10th World Arnis Championship to be held in Cebu next month, Negros Oriental Muaythai, team head Ike Xavier Villaflores said yesterday.

Villaflores said Dumaguete needs a strong Arnis team this year, as it had four champions during the 8th World Arnis Championship. They are James Clark Rocaberte, Rosben Cimafranca, Jojie Pasagdan and Ma. Kotska Fleischer.

The selection for the Dumaguete team is now ongoing and Villaflores is encouraging those interested to visit the training center of the arnis asssociation at Meciano Road , in the city.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old native of Mabinay town who bagged a bronze medal in the Muaythai event during the recent Southeast Asian Games in Thailand , is among those to receive sports incentive from the Negros Oriental government.

Romnick Ghie Pabalate is part of the 12-member Philippine Muaythai team to the SEAG. He was born in Mabinay but trained in Dumaguete with the Negros Oriental Muaythai team.

Team leader Villaflores, a teacher at Junob National High School , is assisted by coach Bernabe Bustillo, a teacher at the Dumaguete City High School and president of the Dumaguete Muaythai Association.

The Philippine Muaythai team garnered a total of 10 medals during the SEA Games — five silvers in the women's category and one silver and four bronze medals in the men's category.

Pabalate received a scholarship from the Philippine Sports Commission and he is currently a Computer Science student at STI in Manila .

He had earlier clinched two gold medals in separate events during the Pre-Asian Indoor Games and the Federation of Muaythai Amateur Asian Muaythai Championship held early in 2007 in Bangalore, India.*RG

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