THE POWER OF WOMEN
For many, receiving an award that celebrates the hard work they have done feels like a career highlight.
Haydee Ong, however, treats such honors as a “call to action.”
Named one of the Women of Power by the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a recent gala, Ong said the recognition will only further drive her to continue pushing women’s sports to heights it hasn’t reached yet.
“The award signifies the responsibility to uplift, support, and create meaningful change for female athletes,” Ong said. “To me, this recognition is not just about personal achievement but about using my platform to drive progress. It is a reminder that my role is to be a contributor, not just a beneficiary.”
Ong’s platform isn’t as huge yet as she wants it to be. But that’s not stopping her. The longtime coach handles the University of Santo Tomas women’s basketball team and is also the commissioner of the Women’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League.
While both tasks remain in the background in a country that goes crazy over men’s basketball, it provides the visibility Ong needs to get her message across.
“Empowering women in sports is essential because it reinforces the idea that women are equally capable of achieving greatness,” she said. “By creating an environment that supports and uplifts female athletes, we open the door to limitless opportunities—not just for this generation, but for many more to come.”
“Representation in sports inspires young girls to dream bigger, break barriers, and pursue careers in sports with confidence. When women are empowered, they contribute to a more inclusive and dynamic sports community, ultimately fostering a stronger, more progressive society.”
The other awardee from sports that shared the limelight with Ong last Monday night has had to fight an even more uphill battle—for her sport and for an advocacy she refuses to give up on.
Meggie Ochoa, who recently retired as a jiujitsu national athlete, had a rockier start to her career. She once had to crowd-fund a trip to an international meet because her sport wasn’t as financially-backed as other more mainstream disciplines.
But she went from there to becoming a world champion in a blur and used her platform to champion the cause of children victimized by online sexual predators.
Creating pathways
“[The award] only motivates me more to seek to serve better through whatever the Lord has brought into my life by His grace, for His glory,” said Ochoa, who now is focused on coaching young jiujitsu hopefuls through her new club, Solas Jiujitsu, including those from shelters that house and protect abused children.
“So now … those who are interested to pursue jiujitsu among the kids from the shelters and the free jiujitsu in our church can train more times a week at Solas,” she said. “And for the ones that are serious, they can eventually be part of the youth national team or even the senior national team eventually.”
“That’s the path I see for them.”
Ong feels pathways are important for women’s sports to continue growing in the country, whose historic breakthroughs in the last two Olympics have included the first gold medal for the Philippines in the Games’ history through Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo and a silver and two bronzes courtesy of female boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas.
In fact, a lot of international sporting milestones the country has notched came courtesy of women. Yuka Saso, then representing the Philippines, won the country’s first golf Grand Slam trophy. Alex Eala just made tennis history in the Miami Open. And who can forget the Filipinas? They became the first Filipino football team to play—and win a match—in the sport’s grandest stage, the World Cup.
Ong and Ochoa hope to create more pathways for women to succeed in sports.
“My vision is for women’s basketball—and women’s sports as a whole—to be seen as more than just a passion, but as a viable and respected career path,” Ong said.
The journey is still beginning for women’s sports. There are still so many obstacles to conquer.
“While we have made strides in gender equity in sports, the reality is that we are still far from the ideal. However, we are moving in the right direction,” Ong said.
With a steadfast basketball coach and an unyielding jiujitsu legend leading the way, women’s sports can at least rest assured that nobody is going to derail that path.
