‘Barred’ Jiujitsu champs demand open tryouts

Jiujitsu fighter Gerard Gallos had beaten all possible challengers in the middleweight class and even those who dared oppose him.

Fellow grapplers Maybelline Masuda is a world champion while Jolly Co, Kat Siozon, Aisa Ratcliff, Apple Jane Ramos and Kimberly Custodio are titleholders in Asia.

But these jiujitsu champions from Deftac are not part of the national team.

“They barred us from representing the country in international tournaments,” said Masuda, a Filipino-Japanese who captured the gold medal in the women’s -50 kg jiujitsu competitions of the 2014 Asian Beach Games in Phuket, Thailand.

Masuda was referring to the Jiu-jitsu Federation of the Philippines (JFP) headed by Ramon “Choy” Cojuangco, the national sport association recognized by the Philippine Olympic Committee and Sport Jiu Jitsu International Federation, the world governing body.

Masuda said JFP officials kept them out of the national program because they belong to Deftac, the Alvin Aguilar-led group that is the largest in Asia with 55 associations and 500 members all over the country.

“I challenge them to hold open tryouts to see who are the best jiujitsu fighters in the land,” said Masuda, who can’t defend her title in the 2016 Asian Beach Games in Vietnam after she was dropped from the lineup.

The Philippines plucked two golds in Vietnam and two more in the 2017 Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, courtesy of Margarita Ochoa and Annie Ramirez.

Masuda said they will file a complaint with the Philippine Olympic Committee.