The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) put an end to the jiujitsu leadership controversy on Wednesday by recognizing the group of Jiu-Jitsu Federation of the Philippines president Choy Cojuangco as the country’s governing body for the sport.
Jiu-Jitsu Asian Union secretary general Dr. Jaffer Al Muthafer paid top POC officials a visit in Manila recently and signified his support for Cojuangco’s group to answer the question of legitimacy.
Alvin Aguilar is the leader of the opposing faction that challenged Cojuangco’s leadership.
“After perusing the documents they (JJAU officials) had in possession and those that we had, he (Muthafer) came to the conclusion that the federation headed by Mr. Ramon ‘Choy’ Cojuangco was indeed the one recognized by the jiujitsu international federation,” POC president Ricky Vargas said.
Also the president of the Wrestling Association of the Philippines, Aguilar boasts of the best jiujitsu fighters in the country and has over 900 members in his club, Deftac.
Cojuangco has the multititled Margarita Ochoa and Annie Ramirez in his group. Ochoa and Ramirez bagged gold medals in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan last year.