Jorge de Guzman born (Nov, 29) in the Philippines is a Filipino/Canadian citizen living in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada.

Jorge has worked as a political analyst and is a scholar of philosophy. He is a freelance graphic artist, a teacher of martial Arts and is a master sensei and leainstructor of the Hakutsuru Dojo.

He founded the Sarnia School of Martial Arts for women and children and has worked overseas as an abuse prevention volunteer.

Jorge grew up with his brother Jaime de Guzman who is a celebrated Filipino artist. He studied philosophy at university in the Philippines. After graduation, he went to work for a newspaper there as a political analyst, during the days when Ferdinand Marcos was in power.

Ferdinand Marcos ruled as a dictator under martial law from 1972 until 1981. Jorge was critical of the dictatorship in his writings as a political analyst and would later face threats on his life.

In 1976 after fleeing the dictatorship in the Philippines, Jorge arrived in Sarnia.

Ontario, Canada.

This is where he founded the Sarnia School of Martial Arts, which operated out of the local YMCA, and offered free classes for its members. What began with four students grew to an average of 250 a week in various locations, with a special focus on children and women. ^[1]

In the 1980s, de Guzman began painting for his own enjoyment in his free time, but he soon started getting commissions.

In 1999, his life took a drastic turn when his mentor in Japan asked him to travel to Thailand with him to help save children from the sex trade. "He told me, 'I'll show you what I do on my holidays!' Jorge's mentor took him to a hospital where a girl, a victim of sexual abuse, was dying. She'd been found on the street with severe internal injuries to her body. She later passed away. At this moment Jorge swore to himself never to let such a thing happen again on his watch. ^[1] That started de Guzman on a path as an overseas abuse prevention volunteer. With twelve missions under his belt de Guzman was taking teams from his Sarnia School to teach prevention in remote areas in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

Held mostly in schools, seminars run by de Guzman's team can teach 800 to a 1,000 students at a time. Children are warned about being lured into trafficking, and the essentials of self-protection are instilled.

His students are taught how to block, punch and kick--and how and when to run.

Jorge has been traveling and volunteering for over 10 years.

He has rescued 12 children from prostitution by posing as a client in undercover aid operations, and in Thailand was put under house arrest for conducting a seminar for sex workers.

While he admits to some despair about how widespread the problem is, he also says his services are in demand.

^[1]

Jorge was nominated as a candidate for Canada's Champions of Change and

won in the category of International-Social Justice. Though grateful for the recognition and donations Jorge was never looking for fame and the notoriety he gained as a result of being chosen a Champion of Change, had him rethinking his strategy. The more he is known, the more dangerous rescue missions become.

Jorge has worked in graphic art and design for over 30 years and will often

teach workshops for amateur artists.

His work was featured in a one-man show in New York – and he was later invited to lead a three-day painting workshop at Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario.