BY CHRISTINE MONCADA
THE newly-formed Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines
wants the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines to come up with a
more systematic procedure of player selection for teams seeing action in
international events.
BMPAP officials said yesterday they are willing to loan their
players to the BSCP for events such as the Asian Games and Southeast Asian Games
only if a qualifying event would be held.
"Dapat may qualifying, hindi na pwede ang ‘palakasan system’
as is their wont. It has to be done in a fair manner," Aristeo "Putch" Puyat,
one of the billiards managers who formed the new group, stressed during a press
conference in Quezon City yesterday.
"We are not out to supplant the BSCP as the governing
national sports association. We are here to protect the rights and welfare of
the pro players," added Puyat, who manages the likes of former world champions
Efren "Bata" Reyes and Alex Pagulayan and Francisco "Django" Bustamante.
Players and managers from other stables also attended the
event.
The new group also cited the BSCP’s "lack of transparency"
and "dictator-like" running of the association, criticizing several instances of
questionable handling of player affairs. Last year, Pagulayan was
unceremoniously scratched from the roster of the Guinness 9-ball Tour Singapore
leg.
"The players are the very essence of any sport, that’s why it
is their interest and not of anybody else that should be prioritized. Without
them, any manager, promoter and even organization would be meaningless," said
Perry Mariano, another player manager.
The BMPAP will have sportsman Isaac Belmonte, son of Quezon
City Mayor Sonny Belmonte, as its chairman, with the rest of the officers to be
chosen in an election slated in the coming days.
Belmonte was represented by QC Councilor Ariel Inton during the press
conference. Also present were Vic Rodriguez, Edwin Reyes and other independent
players and managers, as well as representatives of San Miguel Corp.
