By Martin Sadongdong The Philippine Army (PA) shooting team proved to be at par with its foreign counterparts after it bagged 22 medals in the ASEAN Armies Rifle Meet (AARM) 2019 held in Indonesia recently. Philippine Army (MANILA BULLETIN) Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, Army spokesperson, commended on Saturday the shooting team for their performance in the regional shoot fest. "In behalf of the Philippine Army, I commend the whole shooting team for your excellent performance during the AARM," Zagala said. The 34-member team headed by Colonel Roberto Huet brought home six gold, seven silver, and seven bronze medals from the team events; and one gold, one silver for the individual events. Held from November 20 to 24, the AARM 2019 include the pistol (men & women), rifle/carbine and machine gun matches. The team presented the medals to Lieutenant General Macairog Alberto, PA commanding general, and other ASEAN Chiefs of Armies during the closing ceremonies. For the individual event, Corporal Antonio won the gold medal while Technical Sergeant Bonagua had the silver medal. A six-member unit won gold medals while a nine-member unit took silver medals in the team events. Six Army shooters also won bronze medals in the same category. "The command will continue to support your efforts as it brings us closer to our goal of being a world-class Army by 2028," Zagala said. Started in 1991, the AARM is an annual shooting competition among the armies of the member-states of the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations. It aims to bring the armies together to foster friendship and camaraderie. This year's competition was participated in by 10 member-countries namely the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Singapore, Myanmar, Thailand, Brunei Darrusalam and Malaysia. It was hosted by the Indonesian Armed Forces. The Royal Brunei Land Forces will host the AARM 2020. Last year, the Philippine team finished with a 2-2-11 (gold, silver, bronze) medal haul.