As Arnis was an art usually practised by the poor or commoner class (as Katipunan:

opposed to nobility or warrior classes), most practitioners lacked the

scholarly education to create any kind of written record.
Opinions differ on the degree to which Spanish rule in the Philippines
History: affected Arnis. The fact that a large number of techniques and the names
of the arts themselves (arnis/arnes, eskrima/esgrima, garrote, estoque,
 this is especially true for Arnis because almost all of its etc.) have Spanish names suggest an influence. Some argue though that
history is anecdotal, oral or promotional. Spanish names in the martial art simply reflect the fact that Spanish was
 The origin of Arnis can be traced back to native fighting the lingua franca of the Philippines until the early 20th century, and that
techniques during conflicts among the various Prehispanic actual Spanish martial influence was limited.
Filipino tribes or kingdoms, though the current form has
Spanish influence from old fencing which originated in What is certain is that the Spaniards brought with them and used
Spain in the 15th century. their bladed weapon arts (including the system of Destreza developed
by Carranza) when they started colonizing the archipelago in the 16th
It has other influences as well, as settlers and traders travelling through century. What is also known is that the Spaniards recruited soldiers
the Malay Archipelago brought the influence of silat as well as Chinese, from Mexico and Peru and sent them to fortify the Philippines and they
Arab, and Indian martial arts. had also trained mercenaries and warriors from local people like
the Pangasinenses, Kapampangans, Tagalogs, Ilonggos, Cebuanos and W
It has also been theorized that the Filipino art of Arnis may have roots arays to pacify regions and put down revolts. Of the
in India and came to the Philippines via people who traveled Kapampangans, Fray Casimiro Díaz relates in 1718
through Indonesia and Malaysia to the Philippine islands. Silambam, a
stick/staff-based ancient martial art of India influenced many martial The first who decided to experiment with their fortune (revolt)
arts in Asia like Silat. As such, Arnis may share ancestry with these were the Pampangos, the most warlike and prominent people of these
systems – some Arnis moves are similar to the short stick (kali or kaji) islands, and close to Manila. And it was all the worse because these
and other weapon based fighting styles of Silambam. people had been trained in the military art in our own schools in
the presidios (fortified outposts)
Spanish Era:
of Ternate, Zamboanga, Jolo, Caraga and other places where their valor
When the Spaniards first arrived in the Philippines, they already was well known; but this needs the help of ours, and so they say that a
observed weapons-based martial arts practised by the natives, which Spaniard plus three Pampangos equal four Spaniards.
may or may not be related to present-day Arnis. The earliest written
Logic dictates that these native warriors and foreign soldiers would
records of Filipino culture and life, including martial arts, come
have passed on to very close friends and family members these
from the first Spanish explorers. In 1521, Ferdinand Magellan was
newly learned skills to augment already existing and effective local
killed in Cebu at the Battle of Mactan by the forces of Datu Lapu-Lapu,
ones. They would have also shared tactics and techniques with each
the chief of Mactan. Some Arnisadors hold that Lapu-Lapu's men killed
other when placed in the same military group and fighting on the same
Magellan in a sword-fight, though historical evidence proves otherwise.
side in foreign regions such as Formosa, Mindanao, the Moluccas and
The only eyewitness account of the battle by chronicler, Antonio
the Marianas.
Pigafetta, tells that Magellan was stabbed in the face and the arm with
spears and overwhelmed by multiple warriors who hacked and stabbed One of the more prominent features of Arnis that point to possible
at him: Spanish influence is the Espada y Daga (Spanish for "sword and
dagger") method, a term also used in Spanish fencing. Filipino espada y
The natives continued to pursue us, and picking up the same spear four or
daga differs somewhat from European rapier and dagger techniques;
six times, hurled it at us again and again. Recognizing the captain, so
the stances are different as weapons used in Arnis are typically
many turned upon him that they knocked his helmet off his head twice, but
shorter than European swords. According to Grandmaster Federico
he always stood firmly like a good knight, together with some others. Thus
Lazo† (1938–2010), unlike in European historical fencing, there is no
did we fight for more than one hour, refusing to retire farther. An Indian
lunging in the Northern
hurled a bamboo spear into the captain's face, but the latter immediately
killed him with his lance, which he left in the Indian's body. Then, trying to  Ilocano Kabaroan style of Arnis – it is more of an evasive
lay hand on sword, he could draw it out but halfway, because he had been art. On the other hand, it is present in some Visayan styles
wounded in the arm with a bamboo spear. When the natives saw that, documented by FMA researchers Celestino Macachor and
they all hurled themselves upon him. One of them wounded him on the left Ned Nepangue such as Yasay Sable Estocada from Bago City.
leg with a large cutlass, which resembles a scimitar, only being larger.
That caused the captain to fall face downward, when immediately they After the Spanish colonized the Philippines, a decree was set that
rushed upon him with iron and bamboo spears and with their cutlasses, prohibited civilians from carrying full-sized swords (such as
until they killed our mirror, our light, our comfort, and our true the Kris and the Kampilan). Despite this, the practitioners found ways
guide. When they wounded him, he turned back many times to see to maintain and keep the arts alive, using sticks made out of rattan
whether we were all in the boats. Thereupon, beholding him dead, we, rather than swords, as well as small knives wielded like swords.
wounded, retreated, as best we could, to the boats, which were already
pulling off. Some of the arts were passed down from one generation to the other.
Sometimes the art took the form choreographed dances such as
the Sakuting stick dance or during mock battles at Moro-moro (Moros
y Cristianos) stage plays. Also as a result, a unique and complex stick-
based technique evolved in the Visayas and Luzon regions. The
southern Mindanao retains almost exclusively blade-oriented
techniques, as the Spaniards and Americans never fully conquered the
southern parts of this island.

Although Arnis combines native fighting techniques with old Spanish

fencing and other influences, a degree of systematization was achieved
over time, resulting in a distinguishable Philippine martial art. With
time, a system for the teaching of the basics also evolved. However, with
the exception of a few older and more established systems, it was
previously common to pass the art from generation to generation in an
informal approach.
Modern History:

Various Filipino knives:

The Philippines has what is known as a blade culture. Local folk in the
Philippines are much more likely to carry knives than guns. They
are commonly carried as tools by farmers, used by street vendors to
prepare coconuts, pineapples, watermelons, other fruits and meats,
and balisongs are cheap to procure in the streets as well as being easily
concealed. In fact, in some areas in the countryside, carrying a farming
knife like the itak or bolo was a sign that one was making a living
because of the nature of work in those areas. In the country of Palau, the
local term for Filipino is chad ra oles, which literally means "people of
the knife" because of Filipinos' reputation for carrying knives and using
them in fights.[52]

Philippine Revolution

Contrary to the view of some modern historians that it was only guns
that won the Philippine revolutionaries against the Spaniards, blades
also played a large part.

During the 1898 Battle of Manila, a report from The Cincinnati

Enquirer went:

... The Philippine native, like all the kindred Malay races, cannot do any
fighting as a rule except at close quarters, slashing with his heavy knife.
The weapon is called machete, or bolo, or kampilan, or parang, or kris.
The plan of action is the same – to rush in unexpectedly and hack about
swiftly, without the slightest attempt at self-preservation.

The Mauser rifle, too, in hard work is found to be a mistake. It has a case of
five cartridges, which have to be all used before any others can be
inserted. That is, to say, if a soldier has occasion to fire three cartridges he
must go on and waste the other two, or else leave himself to meet a
possible sudden rush with only two rounds in his rifle. Perhaps it may be
the fault of the men, or their misfortune in being undrilled, but they are
often knifed while in the act of reloading their rifles. Whatever be the
explanation there is something wrong in troops with rifles and bayonets
being driven steadily back by natives armed with knives. The insurgents
have some guns, but most of the wounded Spanish soldiers seen in
the streets have knife wounds.

Philippine–American War

Americans were first exposed to Arnis during the Philippine–American

War in events such as the Balangiga massacre where most of an
American company was hacked to death or seriously injured by bolo-
wielding guerillas in Balangiga, Eastern Samar – and in battles in
Mindanao, where an American serviceman was decapitated by a Moro
warrior even after he emptied his .38 Long Colt caliber revolver into his
opponent.

World War II

During World War II, many Filipinos fought the Japanese hand to hand
with their blades as guerilla fighters or as military units under
the USAFFE like the Bolo Battalion (now known as the Tabak Division).

The guerrilla warfare practised by the Arnisadors was so effective, the

Japanese Empire managed to control only 12 out of 48 provinces of the
Philippines.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnis