Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva's Sponsorship Speech for Senate Resolution No. 286 - Resolution Recognizing and Congratulating Aleia Aielle Aguilar for her Outstanding Performance at the Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Championships

Mr. President:

Another young Filipino athlete is given the spotlight in our Resolution. Five-year-old Aleia Aguilar became the Philippines' youngest world champion in Brazilian jiu-jitsu after conquering the Kids 1 under 16 kg event at the 2022 Abu Dhabi World Jiu-Jitsu Championships on November 13, 2022.

Aguilar's victory is a testament that Jiu-Jitsu runs in the family. She is the daughter of Maybelline Masuda, the first Filipino jiu-jitsu world champion in 2009 and a gold medalist at the 2014 Asian Beach Games; and Alvin Aguilar, a gold medalist at the Asian Jiu-Jitsu Championship and considered the father of mixed martial arts in the Philippines as well as the president and founder of the Universal Reality Combat Championship.

Mr. President, Aguilar's triumph at a very young age shows the importance of training and focusing on our athletes while they are young. Similar to how other countries scout for talented young athletes, our country's grassroots sports development programs, like the Palarong Pambansa and the Philippine National Games, serve as avenues to spot potential world class athletes. This representation also filed Senate Bill No. 569 or the Sports Varsity Teams in Basic Education Act. We believe that through a varsity system, student-athletes in K-12 will have a better chance to play athletically at a higher level. Furthermore, an institutionalized varsity sports team in basic education can pave the way for the provision of training equipment and upkeep of modern facilities that can help improve the training of young athletes.

Aguilar becoming the youngest Jiu-Jitsu world champion brings pride and honor to the Philippines. We are incredibly proud of her historic feat and we join our colleagues in congratulating and commending Aleia Aguilar for bringing pride and honor to the country.

Thank you, Mr. President, and God bless.