The Senate adopted a resolution congratulating the national jiu-jitsu team, including jiu-jitsu phenoms Kimberly Anne Custodio and Meggie Ochoa, for bagging gold medals in the 2022 Jiu-Jitsu International Federation (JJIF) World Championship held last November in the United Arab Emirates.
Senate Resolution No. (SRN) 277 (Adopted Resolution No. 38), introduced by Senator Lito Lapid was unanimously adopted by all members present, taking into consideration SRNs 270, 268 and 282 authored by Majority Leader Joel Villanueva, Senators Bong Revilla and Cynthia Villar, respectively.
“Team Philippines’ momentous win yet again brings honor and pride to our country, reaffirming our presence in the world of Jiu-Jitsu, and the outstanding performance of Ochoa and Custodia showcases the relentless desire of our countrymen to achieve excellence in sports,” Lapid’s resolution read.
“The performance of Ochoa and Custodio, along with the rest of Team Philippines, put our country in 4th place overall.”
“The performance of Ochoa and Custodio, along with the rest of Team Philippines, put our country in 4th place overall, just behind host UAE, Canada, and Germany in the final rankings of the adult jiu-jitsu category,” the resolution added.
Both Custodio and Ochoa dominated the -45 kg and -48 kg divisions respectively, without losing a match.
Ochoa performed perfectly in her division by not allowing her opponents even gain a single point against her, scoring 14-0, 9-0, in the first and second rounds, and 22-0 in the semifinals. She bested Canada’s Vicky Hoang Ni Ni in the final round, scoring 2-0.
On the other hand, Custodio tore through her division rivals relatively untouched, scoring 14-0 both in the first and second rounds before defeating Kacie Pechrada Tan of Thailand, 6-4, in the thrilling final.
In his sponsorship speech, Revilla celebrated the performance of the Philippine Jiu-jitsu Team, saying that their accomplishments are shared by all Filipinos.
“It is a great pleasure to proclaim that we are Filipinos, most especially when an athlete representing our country wins.”
“It is a great pleasure to proclaim that we are Filipinos, most especially when an athlete representing our country wins. Their success is also a huge victory for the Filipino people,” the veteran legislator said in Filipino.
Adopted Resolution 38 is one among multiple commendations by the Senate’s 19th Congress, recognizing amazing feats performed by Filipino athletes in a number of international contests.
A copy of the resolution was furnished to Custodio, who attended the session as an esteemed guest.
