Meggie Ochoa raises funds for advocacy through ‘Ang Huling El Bimbo’

MANILA, Philippines – Jiu-jitsu champion Meggie Ochoa was able to raise funds for her fight against child sexual violence following the recent success of the musical show Ang Huling El Bimbo at the Newport Performing Theater in Pasay.

Ochoa, who won the women’s -48kg gold in the 2022 JJIF Jiu-Jitsu World Championship in UAE in November, has been leading the Fight to Protect project – a movement she founded to shed light on child sexual abuse and exploitation.

“Fight to Protect is a movement that aims to fight against child sexual violence through jiu-jitsu,” said Ochoa, who also bagged silver in the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia in May.

Jiu-jitsu plays a key part in the Fight to Protect project.

“We use it as a tool aid in the recovery of survivors and as a platform for prevention, to raise awareness on this particular issue because it’s very difficult to talk about,” said Ochoa.

“Sports is something that interests people, so mixing those two, I think, gets the message across in a more effective way.”

Aside from raising funds for her advocacy, Ochoa said Ang Huling El Bimbo audiences were encouraged to join the battle against child sexual violence.

“We don’t want people to stop at awareness and knowing the issue that’s going on out there. We want people to actually do something about it, to get involved and to be part of the fight,” said Ochoa, who partnered with former SEA Games water polo silver medalist Matthew Royce Yu.

Other partners include Colleen Co Caswell, Princess Yap De Guzman, Racille Francisco, and Cristina Co.

Ang Huling El Bimbo, which premiered in July 2018, features the songs of popular Filipino band Eraserheads. – Rappler.com