Villar supports W Pool bid; BSCP assails non-members

Senate President Manny Villar has expressed his full support to the country’s bid to host the World Pool Championship (WPC) for the third straight year.

Villar, the sport’s biggest benefactor, said that the effort to keep the most prestigious pool tournament in the world would bring more benefits to country, including providing the local players the needed exposure to top level tournaments.

“Bringing in international tournaments like this World Pool Championship would help more local players to excel,” said Villar during the victory party he hosted for newly crowned Qatar 9-ball Open champion and world no.1 Dennis Orcollo Monday night at the Teriyaki Boy restaurant in StarMall EDSA.

“It will also boost our image as the epicenter of billiards, and the top producer of world-class cue artists,” Villar said.

Meanwhile, BSCP president Ernie Fajardo yesterday said BMPAP players were not named as early seeds to the tournament in Qatar because the players themselves said that if they were to join the event “they didn’t want to pass through the BSCP.”

“But still, it was the BSCP that later on included the names of Dennis Orcollo, Warren Kiamco and Ramil Gallego in the list of seeded players when the vacancies cropped up,” said Fajardo.

Perry Mariano of the BMPAP claimed that the BSCP listed their own players as early seeds, like Marlon Manalo, Roberto Gomez and Jeff de Luna, instead of Orcollo, the world No. 1, and former world champions Efren Reyes, Alex Pagulayan and Ronnie Alcano who are all with the BMPAP.

“These players have renounced their membership with the BSCP and they’ve called this association corrupt and incompetent, and now they question the seedings? Now they want to get the accreditations when they want it?” the BSCP said.

“It’s just unfair to project that the BSCP is trying to keep these players out of international tournaments. We hold tournaments and they boycott us. We hold the Philippine Pool Tour and they boycotted it. So when will this end?” the BSCP added.

The Philippines hosted the last two stagings of the WPC and had an option to host the 2008 edition until Raya Sports, the local organizer, decided to waive its rights.

But Matchroom Sport, which owns the WPC, found no other country willing to host the event, prompting the UK-based firm to offer it back to the Philippines through the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP).

Despite reports that the local organizers did not earn profit during the previous hosting, Villar still vowed to pour out resources for the staging of the tournament this year.

BPMAP president Vic Rodriguez said Matchroom officials are set to arrive on Thursday to discuss the final details and possibly seal the deal for the country’s hosting of the WPC in November.

“With Senate President Villar around, we are hoping to get positive results during our meeting with Matchroom Sports officials,” Rodriguez said. - Abac Cordero