WITH Chinese-Taipei fast emerging as the
likely challenger to the Philippines’ reign as world pool
power and the country’s icons battling Father Time, billiards
officials must work double time to discover new talents.
The faster, the better.
Perry Mariano of Bugsy Promotions said this
is the reason why the Billiards Managers and Players
Association of the Philippines is going countrywide holding
various billiards tournaments, starting with the SMB-QC 9-Ball
tilt on March 17-19 at the Trinoma Mall.
"Let’s go grassroots. After the SMB-QC
9-Ball meet, the BMPAP will stage more tournaments in the
barangay level during the summer in cooperation with the DILG
and San Miguel," Mariano said in yesterday’s PSA Forum at the
Shakey’s UN Avenue branch.
Mariano stressed that Chinese-Taipei is
fast catching up with the Philippines as a leading power in
world pool, a notion that was further reinforced when
22-year-old Chang Jung-lin beat Filipino Joven Bustamante in
the opening leg of the 2008 Guinness 9-Ball Tour recently in
Taipei.
Mariano is hoping the first ever edition of
the SMB-QC 9-Ball tournament would be able to produce the
country’s new breed of billiards players.
BMPAP spokesperson Edwin Reyes said
remaining berths in the tourney will be filled up in three
qualifying tournaments on March 14 to 16 at Paeng’s Bowling
and Billiards Center in Robinson’s Galleria in Ortigas, Quezon
City.
All qualifiers will join 13 players who have been seeded
players to the main draw, namely, Reyes, Pagulayan, Ronnie
Alcano, Bustamante, Orcollo, Gomez, reigning national champion
Lee Van Corteza, former Asian Games gold medalist Gandy Valle,
veteran internationalists Rodolfo Luat, Warren Kiamco and
Ramil Gallego, rising star Joven Bustamante and top female
player Rubilen Amit.
