MANILA, Philippines—World No. 1 and 8-ball champion Dennis Orcollo headlines the cast in the National Pool Championships of the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP), which starts Monday at the Star Billiards Center in Quezon City.
A recent winner of the Predator International title, Orcollo try to add the prestigious title of “Philippine Grand National Champion” to his long list of achievements against top players in the world.
The player known as “Robocop” will be going up against his eminent compatriots led by former double world champion Ronnie Alcano, Lee Van Corteza and Antonio Lining.
Also challenging for the crown are Jundel Mazon (the 2010 Guinness Champion), the recently crowned Jogjakarta 9-ball champion Victor Arpilleda, and former world runner-up Roberto Gomez.
Young star Carlo Biado and Philippine junior champion Jonas Magpantay, who caught the eye of fans in the World 10-ball championship last May, are also rated highly.
The national championship has so far eluded Orcullo, who once came close to winning it all.
“Considering the number of great players in the Philippines, winning the national championship will always be a challenge,” saids BSCP spokesman Emmanuel Argonza.
“With the national title on the line, aficionados always expect and get the highest quality of pool action”.
The 9-day competition (October 3-11) is divided into three events for the men’s championship: 8-Ball (October 3-5), 9-Ball (October 6-8), and 10-Ball (October 9-11).
The Women’s division will be contested only in 10-Ball (Oct. 6-8).
The official broadcaster of the tournament is AKTV IBC-13. The semifinals and finals of all the tournaments will be broadcasted from Oct. 9 to 11.