RP fans a credit for world pool

WE BUMPED into Matchroom Sport owner Barry Hearn while walking out of the Robinsons Place Mall in Manila overjoyed with the performance of Dennis Orcollo and Roberto Gomez, who gave Filipino pool fans something to cheer about after the heartbreaking loss of pool legends and defending World Cup champions Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante.   A marketing genius who earned a reputation for turning sports that had no real following into exciting events with an international flair and following, Hearn had just planed in from China to catch the last two days of action in the PartyPoker.net event handled by Matchroom Sport.   Working locally with Solar Sports, Matchroom Sport was able to draw huge crowds to the Robinsons venue day after day. Even after Reyes and Bustamante were ousted, the fans turned up to watch all the matches, which was a clear indication of how much Filipinos love the game of pool.   Without exception, the foreign players have fallen in love with the Philippines and its people because we have that very special trait of knowing how to treat visitors and to make them truly feel at home.   The number of pool events lined up for the rest of the year is in itself an indication of just how much both the leading  organizers of these events and the players themselves appreciate playing in Manila.   Hearn believes there is no other place in the world where pool is appreciated like Manila, which, some years ago, was given the singular distinction of being characterized as the epicenter of pool.   It seems to us that no matter the kind of images fed to the world about the Philippines and its admitted shortcomings as in the recent hostage tragedy, the undeniable fact is that our sportsmen and women and the millions of Filipinos who embrace sports with a rare passion and know-how continue to literally save the day for our country.   The admiration for Filipino pool fans by foreign players in the World Cup of Pool, including the Chinese whether they be from the mainland, Hong Kong or even Chinese Taipei, and their affection for Filipinos who have treated them well, speak highly of our visitors’ ability to see a people for what they truly are.   Herein lies the genuine character, if not the class of the Filipino, and kudos  to our sportsmen, who have contributed substantially to this image