Growing jiu-jitsu in Davao through community, outreach, and opportunity.
Supporting athletes, academies, and underserved communities through seminars, equipment distribution, and long-term partnership.
Over the past year, Davao has become one of the most meaningful areas of growth and outreach connected to our work through Groundwork Foundation and now Sibol Foundation.
Working alongside local leaders, coaches, and organizations throughout the region, our outreach efforts focused on mentorship, training access, scholarship support, equipment distribution, and long-term community partnership.
Supporting Ronin Matina & Elijah Shalom Bañez
One of the most meaningful moments of our outreach came during our visit to Ronin Matina in support of instructor Elijah Shalom Bañez and his students following Elijah’s recent stroke.
During our visit, we spent time with the students, taught classes, connected with the team, and helped provide uniforms and training gear directly to the academy.
“Jiu-jitsu communities are strongest when they support each other beyond competition.”
Outfitting Teams Across Davao
Across multiple outreach efforts, seminars, and academy partnerships, we helped outfit more than six teams throughout Davao and surrounding areas with over 300 gis and no-gi uniforms.
Distributions included gis, rashguards, shorts, belts, and no-gi training kits collected through donations from athletes, academies, and supporters throughout the broader jiu-jitsu community.
For many students, receiving a gi meant being able to consistently train for the first time.
The SM Matina Outreach Event
One of the centerpiece initiatives of the trip was the large-scale outreach event held at SM City Davao (SM Matina) in collaboration with local community leaders and partner organizations.
The event brought together athletes, instructors, students, and teams from throughout the region for a full day focused on learning, competition, and community building.
Programming included beginner seminars, kids instruction, women’s classes, gi training, no-gi instruction, community outreach, and equipment distribution.
ADCC Rules Superfights & Prize Money Incentives
As part of the SM Matina event, we also organized an ADCC-rules superfight competition designed to encourage high-level competition and athlete development throughout the region.
Prize money incentives were included to help motivate participation and create additional opportunities for local competitors.
The event brought together talented athletes from multiple academies while giving newer competitors exposure to professional-style competition settings.
Building Long-Term Relationships
Beyond seminars and events, the long-term goal of the outreach initiative has always been relationship building and sustainable community support.
Davao has become a powerful example of what can happen when local leadership, grassroots effort, and global support work together toward the same goal.
Looking Forward
As Sibol Foundation continues to grow, Davao will remain one of the core regions connected to the mission moving forward.
Future goals include expanding youth outreach initiatives, continuing equipment distributions, increasing scholarship support, supporting local academies and instructors, and creating more opportunities for athletes throughout the region.
