INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines -- Imagine a Philippine billiards team without the likes of Bata, Django and The Volcano.

That became a distinct possibility after the country?s top cue artists formally announced the formation of their own group Thursday while renouncing their membership with the Billiards and Snookers Congress of the Philippines (BSCP).

The new bloc, called the Billiards Managers and Players of the Philippines (BMPP), is made up of top players like Efren ?Bata? Reyes, Francisco ?Django? Bustamante, Ronnie ?The Volcano? Alcano, former world champ Alex Pagulayan and about two dozen others, as well as their managers.

Saying it would not be dictated upon by the BSCP, the BMPP said it still would lend its stars -- subject to the players? availability -- to represent the country in the Southeast Asian Games and the Asian Games.

In an eight-point manifesto, the group said it will not duplicate the role of or try to replace the BSCP but would instead take charge of its participation in tournaments --national or international -- that involve cash purses.

Aristeo ?Putch? Puyat, acknowledged as the country?s billiards godfather who also handles the careers of Reyes, Bustamante and Pagulayan, said the players have the right to form the BMMP and break away from the BSCP.

?Parang PBA lang ?yan, wala nang pakialam ang SBP-BAP sa kanila kasi professional sila (It?s like the Philippine Basketball Association which is independent from the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas-Basketball Association of the Philippines),? Puyat pointed out. ?Yung ABAP, di ba wala ring pakialam kay Manny Pacquiao? (Does the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines meddle with Manny Pacquiao?s career)??

Puyat said the Games and Amusement Board now has jurisdiction over their group.

But Yen Makabenta, BSCP chair and president of World Pool Championship organizer Raya Sports, said the players? ?manifesto? is the ?product of manipulation by certain player managers attempting a naked grab of power and influence over our sport and industry.?

He said the BSCP and Raya Sports will call a press conference on Monday ?to point out that the issues raised in the spurious manifesto is one lie after another.?

?It may be that our very success in growing pool as a sport in our country is what is now driving some to target us,? Makabenta said. ?But it is lamentable to see our professional players being manipulated in this proxy war by their managers who, while claiming to be working for their welfare, are in truth just preying on them.?

He said the player managers ?take 40 percent of players? winnings in tournaments and bonuses from the government.?

Also present during the press conference were reigning World Pool runner-up Ruben Gomez, Warren Kiamco and top woman player Rubilen Amit and billiards manager Perry Mariano.

?For me, whatever is good for the players, that?s where my support will be,? Reyes said in Filipino.

Bustamante and Alcano echoed Reyes? sentiment.

?Suportado namin ang kapwa namin players, kung nasaan sila nandoon kami. Para ito sa pag-unlad ng billiards sa bansa (We support our fellow players. This is for the advancement of billiards in the country),? Alcano said.

The manifesto blasted the BSCP for unfairly punishing Pagulayan who was accused of misconduct during the 2007 Guinness Tour leg in Singapore.

The group also cited alleged threats by the BSCP to impose penalties on players who will not join their ?personal tournaments and programs.? The penalty, according to the players, is exclusion from international events.

The players also vowed to boycott tournaments that will be staged by Makabenta and his outfit, Raya Sports.

In his rejoinder, Makabenta asked the media and the public not to take the charges in the manifesto at face value.