Press Release - Dela Rosa - Co-Sponsorship Speech - Congratulating and commending Denice Zamboanga for being the first Filipina to win the One Interim Women’s Atomweight MMA World Title
Sojourner Truth, in her work Ain't I A Woman, once wrote: "I have as much muscle as any man, and can do as much work as any man."
Mr. President, esteemed colleagues, I rise today to co-sponsor Senate Resolution No. 1275: "Resolution Congratulating and Commending Denice Zamboanga for her Historic Victory as the First Filipina to Win the One Interim Women's Atomweight MMA World Title".
Today, Mr. President, we celebrate the extraordinary achievement of a Filipina athlete who broke gender stereotypes and marked her name in the annals of combat sports history. At the same time, we take this opportunity to celebrate the strength of women, the kind of strength that should not surprise us. Because in truth, none of us in this chamber would even be around, had it not been for the awe-inspiring strength of women.
On January 10th, 2025, Denice "The Menace" Zamboanga, a proud daughter of Quezon City, achieved what no Filipina had done before. With exceptional skill, unwavering determination, and the heart of a true warrior, she claimed the ONE Interim Women's Atomweight MMA World Title.
Her victory was a decisive technical knockout against Ukraine's Alyona Rassohyna. But the way we see it, Mr. President, it was a double whammy: a triumph in the ring, as well as a testament to the spirit of the Filipina spirit. She can be the gentlest if needed be and the fiercest if called upon. And so she did when she fought for glory in MMA, carrying a whole country on her shoulders.
Sabi ni Denice sa isang interview pagkatapos ng kanyang pagka-panalo: "It's all going to be worth it". Allow me, Mr. President to propose a minor amendment. Denice, with your heart and passion, you have made it worth it.
Sa bawat paghihirap at sakripisyo na ibigay mo ng buong puso sa larangan ng Mixed Martial Arts at pagka- Pilipino, lahat kami ay sumasaludo sa iyong pagkapanalo.
Mr. President and colleagues, may we let Denice Zamboanga's victory serve as a beacon of hope and inspiration. May it always remind us that Filipinos, and perhaps even more precisely, Filipinas, are people of dignified resilience.
Denice, you fought inside a cage and yet you resemble freedom. The Filipina must never be associated