BSCP ‘not napping,’ looks for new pool talents

MANILA, Philippines—Fending allegations that it has been remiss in its duty to develop players from the grassroots, the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines said it will spend a big portion of its P6.3-million budget this year on talent search and player development and training.

BSCP president Arturo Ilagan Jr. was responding to a doomsday scenario painted by Perry Mariano, founder of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines, on Wednesday.

Mariano predicted that in three years Filipino cue artists would lose their dominance in international tournaments.

The decline, according to Mariano, is inevitable because of the BSCP’s failure to develop new talents who can take over from longtime pillars like Efren “Bata” Reyes, 57, and Francisco “Django” Bustamante, 48.

Ilagan said that with the P6.3-million budget allotted by the Philippine Sports Commission, the BSCP can now address the problem.

“Since this is an Olympic year, we have nothing to prepare for, so most of the budget from the PSC will to go player development,” said Ilagan.

Billiards bagged three gold medals in the recent Southeast Asian Games courtesy of Iris Rañola (8-ball and 9-ball singles) and Dennis Orcollo (8-ball). Both come from the BMPAP.

Mariano claimed that the majority of all PH titlists in the SEA Games and Asian Games since 2005 were not supported by the government and the BSCP.