To keep the lofty world status of Philippine billiards, a high-ranking official of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines is pushing for the development of young players with complete backing from government.
BMPAP president Perry Mariano said raw but skillful players Johann Chua, John Vincent Vicedo, Jordan Legaspi, Jef Diaz and Richard Alinsud have the talent and skills to become future world-class Filipino cue artists given enough support and exposure.
“I’ve been in this sport for so long. I know if a player has the potential to become a world champion or not,” said Mariano, credited for whipping Philippine billiards icons Dennis Orcollo and Ronnie Alcano into championship forms.
“Given the right training, motivation and financial support, these young players could follow the footsteps of our world champions,” added Mariano, noting that the Billiard Sports Confederation of the Philippines has done nothing on the grassroots level to tap future prospects.