Calabarzon bets clash for Villar Cup slots

LIPA, Philippines – Leading cue artists from the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon will compete in the Villards Calabarzon Regional Championship and vie for slots in the main draw of The Manny Villar Cup Calabarzon leg today at the activity center of SM City Mall here.

The one-day event serves as the kick-off stage of a series of regional championships, where the top performers will earn berths in the national championship slated late this year.

For this one, the top six players will also get a chance to strut their wares against the country’s top pool masters as they will fill the remaining seats in the 32-man main draw of the Villar Cup, a prestigious island-hopping series presented by Sen. Manny Villar’s Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports.

“We are happy to bring the Villar Cup to the people of Calabarzon and give those aspiring billiards players there a chance to pit their skills against our world-class players,” said Vic Rodriguez, president of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines, which is co-organizing the event sponsored by Camella Communities and sanctioned by the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines.

“This is part of Sen. Manny Villar’s commitment to help promote sports, particularly those where we Filipinos are among the best in the world,” he added.

Efren “Bata” Reyes will once again banner the elite cast of players competing for the coveted title and a lion’s share of the close to P1-million cash prize.

Reyes, 55, is looking to improve his semifinals finish in the recently held Isabela leg.

Besides Reyes, other marquee names vying in this event are newly-crowned International 10-Ball champion Dennis Orcollo, former world champion Ronnie Alcano, Lee Van Corteza, and former leg winners Warren Kiamco (Alabang), Gandy Valle (Cebu), Ramil Gallego (Bulacan), Rodolfo Luat (Bacolod) and Francisco “Django” Bustamante (Baguio).