Is PH losing world pool luster?

The recent domination of billiards players from Europe in the World 10-Ball Championship and the Philippine Open held here is alarming to say the least, raising apprehensions among the legions of Filipino pool aficionados.
Is the Philippines no longer the country to watch in the world of pool?
The country—despite it being just a dot in the world map—has been widely regarded as the hotbed of billiards in planet Earth following the sterling exploits of the great Efren “Bata” Reyes, who won the prestigious 1994 US Open in Chesapeake, Virginia, and the all-star World 9-Ball Championship in 1999 at Cardiff, Wales.
Over the years, other Filipino pool greats emerged, among them Dennis Orcollo, Ronnie Alcano, never-say-die Francisco “Django” Bustamante, Alex Pagulayan, Antonio Lining, Lee Van Corteza, snooker standout Marlon Manalo and, much, much earlier, US-based Jose “Amang” Parica, who was once considered the best Filipino billiards player before Bata Reyes.
However, the emergence of cool and calculating cue artists from Europe will be the biggest threat to our players. In my view, Europe is the rising power in world pool.
The records speak for themselves.
In the just-ended WPA World 10-Ball Championship held at the World Trade Center in Pasay City, unheralded Huidji See of The Netherlands nosed out veteran internationalist Fu Jianbo of China, 11-8, to pocket $60,000 (about P2.7 million)—the biggest paycheck in his flourishing career.
Only 29, the humble and soft-spoken See joined the ranks of past World 10-Ball winners, fellow Europeans Mika Immonen of Finland, who won in 2010; and Darren Appleton, who snatched the title during the inaugural staging of the championship in 2008.
Last month, Germany’s Thorsten Hohmann captured the Philippine Open crown at SM Megamall, nipping compatriot Ralf Souquet, 11-10, to win the first prize money of $30,000.
Practically living out of a suitcase, the 31-year-old Hohmann has competed not only the Philippines, but also the other billiards circuit as well such as Las Vegas and Los Angeles in the United States; Tokyo, Japan; Cardiff, Wales; and big time tournaments in Chinese Taipei and the Middle East.
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SOMETHING TO CHEER ABOUT. Pooling their resources together, many graduates of the Miriam College of Communication Arts are helping improve the country’s education system by organizing learning schools for the young.
And one of those involved in extending a helping hand to this laudable project is my daughter, Marie Lovina “Lovely” Iñigo.
A holder of a Masters of Arts in Childhood Education degree (she finished Communication Arts at the same school), Lovely heads a Learning Center at Vista Verde Executives Village in Cainta, Rizal.
Now accepting enrollees for SY 2011-2012, the Center offers classes for toddlers, nursery, kinder/ levels, and tutorial services for preschool-grade school kids.  For details, call (02) 8060770 or 0915-827-0577… Kudos, too, to my nephew, new lawyer Mark Christian M. Aquino, for passing the recent bar exams. A well-attended Thanksgiving Party was tendered by their proud aunties, nieces Maureen and Margarett; and grandparents Terio and  Narcing Aquino.