PSC, POC execs to tackle Orcollo issue

OFFICIALS of the Philippine Sports Commission will sit down with their counterparts from the Philippine Olympic Committee tomorrow to act on a move by the billiards association to replace Dennis Orcollo and other top cue artists with new players in the national pool.

PSC chair Richie Garcia said the sports funding agency plans to maintain the status quo on the country’s pool players despite the insistence of BSCP president Arturo Ilagan to replace them with a group of neophytes.

Orcollo, who topped the world rankings last year, captured the gold medal in the men’s 8-ball event during the 2011 Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia, while Iris Rañola ruled the women’s 9-ball and 8-ball titles.

“You cannot just replace world champions with new players,” said Garcia. “We will not accept new faces in the national team until this issue is resolved by the POC.”

“We don’t want to be charged with government intervention,” Garcia added.

Ilagan, according to reports, doesn’t see eye to eye with the pro players over the schedule of training and disbursement of allowances.

Orcollo competes professionally with most of the games played at night.

Ilagan informed the PSC of the decision to revamp the team after Orcollo, Rañola and other national cue aces refused to join the PSC program for “priority” athletes.