Wrestling will take the spotlight in the upcoming webisode of the Philippine Sports Commission’s Rise Up Shape Up on Saturday.

This weekly web series will feature Jonathan Arias on February 19, and his sports program called, “Teach Me Wrestling” which won the “Proyektong Isport Pangkababaihan” award at the 2021 PSC Gintong Gawad.

Arias founded the program to challenge the status quo in a rural conservative community in Tabaco City, where wrestling is often perceived as a male sport. It encourages schoolgirls to learn the sport, build physical and mental strength, and allow them to break the mold in sports development.

PSC Commissioner Celia H. Kiram, who oversees the Women in Sports program, values the support of grassroots communities in helping the agency in its vision of promoting sports excellence nationwide and discover new talents that would soon wear the Philippine tricolors.

Arias is currently a DepEd Teacher II in Tabaco City and is consistently recognized for his significant contributions to school-oriented initiatives.

He was cited as one of the Top 5 Outstanding Teachers in the City in 2017. As a coach, Arias led his martial arts team comprised of young girls with 17 medals (4 gold, 6 silver, and 7 bronze) during the 2018 Women’s Martial Arts Festival and won 2 silver and 3 bronze medals during the virtual competition last year. Coach Arias also led his team to back-to-back championships during the 2017 and 2018 Palarong Bicol.