BSCP Gets Blame for Billiards’ Stagnation

*Originally published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer written by June Navarro
see original article here: http://sports.inquirer.net/36377/bscp-gets-blame-for-billiards%E2%80%99-stagnation
* I would like to point out that the 'officials' being mentioned here are Mr. Arturo Ilagan and Mr. Robert Mananquil and "Assistant Coach" Irineo "Andy" Gutierrez.See related stories posted earlier in this blog.

MANILA, Philippines—Filipino cue experts will fade from the international billiards scene in three years.
Professional billiards manager Perry Mariano made this bleak projection due to what he said was the stagnant development of players from the grassroots level.
The founder of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines blamed the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines, the national association for the sport, for being remiss in its duty to mold top-caliber pool players for the national team.
“All the best players in the country come from the pool of the BMPAP. We lend them (BSCP) the players during international tilts because apparently, they couldn’t develop players of their own,” Mariano said.
Dennis Orcollo, Mariano’s discovery and last year’s No. 1-ranked player in the world, and Iris Ranola won three gold medals for the country in the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia. Both are under the BMPAP stable.
“It has been that way since the 2005 SEA Games here in Manila. We lend them the players and they take the credit,” said Mariano, head of Bugsy Promotions.
“It’s not easy to develop talent. I’ve spent a great deal of time and money molding these players on my own without a single centavo from the government,” added Mariano. “Name a medalist whom the BSCP had developed and you will find none. I don’t want to disappoint you but there are no up-and-coming players either.”
National pool players recently sought an audience with Philippine Sports Commission chair Richie Garcia and aired their problems regarding their attendance and allowances with BSCP officials.
BSCP head Arturo Ilagan Jr. said the PSC should have not entertained the players in the first place, saying it’s a simple case of misunderstanding that could be resolved internally.

Philippine Bigtime Billiards March Schedule

Join us at the Pagcor Airport Casino Filipino every Saturday 9:00 pm for this month's matches:

Current team standings: Philippines 1: 1 Asia

                                   Philippines                            vs                                     Asia

March 3                Lee Vann Corteza                      vs                        Chang Jung Lin (TPE)

March 10                Dennis Orcollo                         vs                        Chang Jung Lin (TPE)                         

March 17                  Carlo Biado                           vs                        Yang Ching Shun (TPE)

March 24            Francisco Bustamante                   vs                        Yang Ching Shun (TPE)

March 31                Ronnie Alcano                          vs                        Chang Yu Long (TPE)

Place your bets at www.megasportsworld.com and catch the livestreaming at www.philippinebigtimebilliards.com

All matches are aired live via Solar Sports.

Philippine Azkals 1:1 Malaysian Tigers

*photo from ticketworld

For the past year or so, the Philippine Football Federation has been working hard to keep the football scene alive. For long-time football fans like myself, this has been an unexpected but truly fantastic development.

In all the years that I have been a football fan, I never would have imagined that one day, Philippine football would be where it is now. The question now is this: How long can we sustain the interest of the general public?

Before we discuss this, I would like to give a shout-out to the members of the team who played in the Suzuki Cup where all this hoopla started as well as all the players before them who dedicated years in the team and never got a taste of the success that the Azkals are enjoying now. All those efforts through the years have not been forgotten by the real enthusiasts.

So I mentioned 'real enthusiasts.' I say this only because while watching some of the games, I have come across so many people in the stands who do not even understand a single thing about football except that they want to see Phil Younghusband take his shirt off at  the end of the game.

No, don't get me wrong, I don't necessarily think this is a bad thing. At the end of the day, these people buy tickets and in effect, keep the sponsors interested. Now the problem is, how do we convert them into real football fans?

The team needs to balance showbiz and sports. At the end of the day, Filipinos like winners. They may have initially been attracted by the pretty faces and hot abs, but if the team doesn't deliver results, soon no one will care about them. Unfortunately, the Filipino fan does not believe in "You can't win 'em all". Right now, the football industry in the country is walking a tightrope.

The decline in interest has been obvious since the team started playing all these games and the weaknesses have been exposed. Ticket sales have gone down drastically as well. Some serious planning needs to be done if we want to keep the sport alive.

As of now, the media has been doing a good job of emphasizing all the good news and downplaying the losses, the intrigues and all the other undesirable information surrounding the team. However, it's not enough. Good PR and good results are imperative.

The UFL is also a good venue to keep the so-called 'stars' in the public eye but without the need for a great victory with each game. Because it's a league, the team gets a lot of games and chances. each loss is not as bad as what it would look like if it were the AZKALS playing against some other national team.

Since the popular Azkals players are spread out amongst the UFL teams, this also keeps the interest alive. Not all of them are in the winning team but someone will always win at the end of the season and at least the fans of that team will still be interested next year.

Breeding rabid fans like the Europeans will be a tall order in the Philippines but not impossible. Just look at Barangay Ginebra. They are life-long fans who would go as far as ostracizing their own relatives should they make the mistake of rooting for the other team. This is the kind of fanaticism that we need for football.

By nature, Filipinos are 'balimbing'. Just look at our political system. Everyone just wants to be in the winning team. No one really believes in the platform of the party.  They just want to join the group which best serves their interests. No one will root for a team out of loyalty here even if the team isn't winning. We need to find a way to work around that.

All things considered, I am hoping that through the joint efforts of the PFF, the athletes, the media, the sponsors and the fans, football will continue to grow. As I was walking to my seat before the first match of the World Cup Qualifiers at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium, I could still remember the electrifying atmosphere that I never would have imagined possible. Having watched football games in Europe, I would say that the atmosphere in Rizal was comparable to European games and to this day, it still gives me chills. I felt like I was in twilight zone.

After a tour of the UAE where we did fairly well, and a draw in the game against Malaysia, I can say that the team is looking good. I would have wanted them to win the Malaysian game especially after coming so close. I know that a draw in itself is a good result. However, Like I said a win is a win and the team needs to look good right now. The new fans don't care that we drew against a team we would expect to lose to. They don't care about the vast improvements in the team. All that matters is that we let in a goal and let the win slip away. 

The next match needs to be a morale booster. One where the Azkals will score 5 goals against a weaker opponent. Then we can go back to real games again. I know it sounds like a joke but sometimes selling out is a means to an end but only if done properly. I'm actually the first person to protest when certain players seem to be more interested in showbiz than in improving their game.Personally, I would rather focus on the sport, on the team, on improving the league. But at the end of the day, for this to happen, we need sponsors and we need to keep the public interested. Balance is key but it's easier said than done.

Billiards Exec Refutes Accusations of Cue Bets

by Bong Pedralvez as published in Malaya last Feb 27, 2012

read original article here: http://www.malaya.com.ph/02272012/sports4.html

BILLIARDS secretary-general Robert Mananquil yesterday refuted accusations by some cue players and coaches that coach Ireneo Gutierrez submitted a fake January attendance sheet to the Philippine Sports Commission.

"How can they say Gutierrez submitted a fake attendance sheet when, in fact, the Gameball (the billiards and snooker training site) was closed for the whole month of January, which the PSC was aware of," Mananquil said. "So where did they practice?"

Led by Southeast Asian Games double gold medalist Iris Ranola, silver medalist Robilen Amit and coaches Edgar Asonto and Reynaldo Grandea, the group met with PSC chief Richie Garcia last Wednesday to submit their attendance sheet and claimed what Gutierrez submitted for the month of January was allegedly bogus.

The attendance sheet, prepared by Ranola, was signed by Billiards and Snooker Confederation of the Philippines chairman Putch Puyat. The group submitted their own attendance sheet so they could collect their allowances for the month of January, adding BSCP president Bong Ilagan and Mananquil were "unavailable."

They likewise alleged that Gutierrez might have been skimming off the stipends of the athletes.

Mananquil, however, pointed out only he and Ilagan were authorized to sign the attendance record, adding the accusation against Gutierrez was impossible "because their allowances are withdrawn through ATM cards and goes directly to the athletes and coaches."

Mananquil said if there is anyone who might be liable for submitting falsified records, it could be the group since the attendance they turned in to the PSC was signed by an unauthorized official.

Mananquil said when he notified Puyat of the facts of the issue "he (Puyat) told me that he merely ‘attested’ to the attendance record without knowing the full background.

"The truth of the matter is, the PSC had yet to submit a training program in January and no allowances were to be given until its new directives on priority athletes and sports implemented. What the PSC did for January was just a consideration for the athletes in the national pool.

"These players and coaches were impatient in getting their money."

He added he was upset by the group’s accusations "because my name has been dragged into the issue when I don’t earn a single centavo from the BSCP and have spent considerable time, effort and my own money to help the organization."

Billiard Players Lodge Complaint vs Coach

*Disclaimer: Let it be known that although Irineo Gutierrez is officially listed as assistant coach, He is NOT a former billiard player nor does he have ANY qualifications as a coach or any form of Billiard official. He was apointed to the position by Mr. Arturo Ilagan

Here is an account of the complaints lodged by the national billiard team on Irineo Gutierrez as published in Malaya last Feb 23, 2012.

view original article here: http://www.malaya.com.ph/02232012/sports9.html


BY BONG PEDRALVEZ
SEVERAL billiards and pool players in the national pool led by double Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Iris Ranola have accused one of their coaches of submitting a fake January attendance sheet and hinted he may have been skimming off the allowances of the athletes as well.

The players met with PSC chief Richie Garcia and executive assistant Atty. Gil Iroy last Tuesday to filed a complaint against Ireneo Gutierrez, who submitted an attendance sheet they claimed was false.

"He (Gutierrez) was not even around when we were practicing so I was assigned to monitor the attendance of our practices," said Ranola, who was joined by Rubilen Amit, Warren Kiamco and coaches Edgar Asonto and Reynaldo Grandea, among others.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Ranola said they were forced to monitor their practices among themselves because of the continued absence of Gutierrez at their training venue at the Philippine Center for Sports Medicine building inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

They said they requested billiards association chairman Aristeo Puyat to sign the attendance sheet for the month of January because billiards president Bong Ilagan and secretary- general Robert Mananquil were both "unavailable." The attendance sheet is necessary so the athletes and coaches could claim their PSC stipends for January.

The group noted Gutierrez marked Asonto as "absent" despite the fact the latter was present in the team’s workouts. Kiamco, a former Asian 9-ball champion, was also deemed "absent" while he was vying in the Derby City Classic in the US on Jan. 20-28.

Players in the national pool are exempted from training when they are competing abroad but are still entitled to allowances from the PSC.

"Kasama ko sila Efren "Bata" Reyes, Django Bustamante and Dennis Orcollo sa Derby City Classic, so paano ako magiging absent?" Kiamco, 38, said.

The group said Gutierrez noted in his attendance sheet that billiards players Carlos Biado, Jeffrey de Luna and Jundel Mazon were all playing overseas last month when they were, in fact, in the country.

Ranola claimed they had heard of stories of Gutierrez reputedly asking a "cut" from the athletes’ allowances "and we believe we now have proof (through the false attendance sheet) that he has been doing just that."

Snooker players Felipe Tauro, Michael Mengoro and Rodolfo Lordan Jr. said they were instructed by Gutierrez not to report for practice last month because they would no longer receive allowances "based on what he (Gutierrez) read in the papers."

Judith Laygo, NSA affairs head of the PSC, said there was no directive from the PSC board to stop the allowances of the athletes in the national pool last month.

Iroy said Gutierrez showed up at his office to explain his side on the issue shortly after the group of athletes and coaches had left.

"I asked Gutierrez to make a formal letter to reply to the complaint of the players, but until today (Wednesday) he has not given it to me," Iroy said, adding he has been instructed by Garcia to withhold Gutierrez’s allowance.

Pinoy SEAG gold winners earn PSA citation

For those who did not know how much trouble Iris went through to go to the SEAG much less, win the medals, I'll tell you more about it in the coming posts.

Philippine Daily Inquirer


MANILA, Philippines – Filipino gold medalists in the 26th Southeast Asian Games will get a special citation from the Philippine Sportswriters Association when it holds its Annual Awards Night on March 3 at the Manila Hotel.
Double gold medalists Iris Ranola of billiards and Francisco Alquiros of bridge lead the 36 Filipino athletes who topped their respective events during the biennial meet held in Jakarta, Palembang and West Java.
Other notable gold medal winners include Marestella Torres, who shattered the meet record in the women’s long jump, and bowler Frederick Ong, the most bemedalled among the Filipino delegation with five, including the gold in men’s singles.
The 512-strong PH athletes also grabbed 55 silver medals and 75 bronze medals to finish in sixth place in the two-week event held last November.
All 36 gold medalists share centerstage on this night when the sportswriting fraternity bestows on pool king Dennis Orcollo and boxing champion Nonito Donaire Jr. the 2011 Athletes of the Year title.
Torres was PSA co-Athlete of the Year in 2009 when she won the gold in the same event during the Asian Championships.
Vice President Jejomar Binay will be gracing the event presented by Smart, Milo, SM Prime Holdings, ICTSI, the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., Harbour Centre, Philippine Basketball Association, and Coca-Cola, where the top achievers of the past year will be honored.
Still being deliberated are other recipients of major awards in different sports, according to PSA president Rey Bancod of Tempo.

read original article here: http://sports.inquirer.net/33303/pinoy-seag-gold-winners-earn-psa-citation

All SEAG medalists form elite group; 10 ‘priorities’ bared

June Navarro and Marc Anthony Reyes

Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino gold medalists in the 26th Southeast Asian Games will get a special citation from the Philippine Sportswriters Association when it holds its Annual Awards Night on March 3 at the Manila Hotel.
Double gold medalists Iris Ranola of billiards and Francisco Alquiros of bridge lead the 36 Filipino athletes who topped their respective events during the biennial meet held in Jakarta, Palembang and West Java.
Other notable gold medal winners include Marestella Torres, who shattered the meet record in the women’s long jump, and bowler Frederick Ong, the most bemedalled among the Filipino delegation with five, including the gold in men’s singles.
The 512-strong PH athletes also grabbed 55 silver medals and 75 bronze medals to finish in sixth place in the two-week event held last November.
All 36 gold medalists share centerstage on this night when the sportswriting fraternity bestows on pool king Dennis Orcollo and boxing champion Nonito Donaire Jr. the 2011 Athletes of the Year title.
Torres was PSA co-Athlete of the Year in 2009 when she won the gold in the same event during the Asian Championships.
Vice President Jejomar Binay will be gracing the event presented by Smart, Milo, SM Prime Holdings, ICTSI, the Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., Harbour Centre, Philippine Basketball Association, and Coca-Cola, where the top achievers of the past year will be honored.
Still being deliberated are other recipients of major awards in different sports, according to PSA president Rey Bancod of Tempo.
read original article here: http://sports.inquirer.net/33303/pinoy-seag-gold-winners-earn-psa-citation

MANILA, Philippines—All 162 individual medalists of the Philippine contingent that fell to a record low sixth place overall in the Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia last November were elevated by the Philippine Sports Commission Thursday to the elite group of athletes who will be trained extensively for the 2012 SEAG in Myanmar.
At the same time, the PSC announced the list of 10 sports, led by boxing and taekwondo, that will be given priority funding under a directive from President Aquino to channel limited funding to events where the country is considered strong.
Completing the select list which will avail of a total budget of P108 million were athletics, swimming, wushu, archery, wrestling, bowling, weightlifting and billiards.
PSC chair Richie Garcia announced that the 29 individual winners plus the 65 silver and 68 bronze medalists will receive specialized training, foreign exposure and huge monthly allowances beginning next month until next year’s SEA Games.
Garcia said the PSC will spend P4.8 million per month just for the allowances of the 162 priority athletes or P57.6 million a year aside from the cost of billeting and accommodation, foreign training and exposure and nutrition.
“We’re prepared to spend that amount for this program. If they don’t win in the next SEA Games, they will be removed from the list,” said Garcia. “If you don’t get a medal (in Myanmar), your allowance will be discontinued unless your sport is a priority.”
The select sports were ranked based on their medal potential with boxing and taekwondo to get P35 million each, athletics, swimming and wushu P12 million each, archery, wrestling, bowling and weightlifting P10 million each and bowling P8 million.
Shooting, an Olympic sport with a lot of medals at stake like athletics and swimming, failed to make it to the priority roster, but it was included as “a rebuilding sports” with a P10 million budget.
The top athletes in the last SEA Games were Iris Rañola of billiards, Frederick Ong of bowling, long jumper Marestella Torres, GM Wesley So, boxers Charly Suarez and Dennis Galvan, cyclists John Renee Mier and Alfie Catalan and wrestlers Jason Balabal and Margarito Angana, among others.

view original article: http://sports.inquirer.net/33419/all-seag-medalists-form-elite-group-10-%E2%80%98priorities%E2%80%99-bared

Rubilen Amit Heads Philippine Bets in 2012 Amway eSpring Women's 9-ball Open

MANILA, Philippines---Rubilen "Bingkay" Amit and Iris Ranola will try to extend the country's domination of the sport when they compete in the 2012 AMWAY eSpring Women’s World 9-Ball Open scheduled on March 12 to 18 in Taoyuan City, Taiwan.

The tournament is sanctioned by the World Pool-Billiard Association and the Asian Pocket Billiard Union and organized by the Chinese Taipei Billiards Federation (CTBF) with a total prize money of $70,000. The champion will begetting the lion's share of $20,000 while the runner-up will head home with $10,000.

"We will try our best to bring honor to our country" said the 30-year-old Amit, the 2009 Women’s World 10-Ball Champion in a recent interview, one of the top players of sportsman/businessman Aristeo "Putch" Puyat, acknowledged as the Philippine Billiards Godfather.

The Cebuana native Amit is currently No.15 in the latest WPA women's ranking list while the Zamboanga City pride Ranola is listed at No. 24. Ranola Also recently won double gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia.

Meanwhile, the Philippine delegation can expect to face the Chinese superstars Siming Chen and Fu Xiao Fang who currently occupy the No.1-2 position in the current rankings.

Amway eSpring Women's World 9-ball Open Coming Up!

Philippine Bigtime Billiards- Django defeats Ko Pin Yi

Feb 25, 2012

Standings: Philippines 1-1 Asia

DJANGO EXACTS REVENGE, WINS PBB FACE OFF SERIES

FILIPINO pool wizard Francisco "Django" Bustamante squeaked past Taiwanese Pin Yi-ko to avenge the loss of his fellow Puyat Sports player, Efren Reyes to win the Philippine Bigtime Billiards (PBB) Face Off Series late Saturday (February 25) at the Pagcor Airport Casino in Parañaque City.

The 48-year-old pool legend showed vintage form to pull off a come-from-behind win against Ko, 9-7, in the winner's break format, dubbed as Philippines versus Asia, jointly organized by the Mega Sports World and BRKHRD Corp and aired live over Solar Sports, Sky Channel 70 and Destiny Channel 34, and also aired worldwide through the Internet, live streaming at www.megasportsworld.com and www.philippinebigtimebilliards.com.

The Tarlac City cue master, one of the top players of sportsman/businessman Aristeo "Putch" Puyat, acknowledged Philippine Billiards Godfather, trailed, 7-5, before securing the next four racks to lift Team Philippines into a 1-all deadlock against Team Asia.

Actually, the two-time World Junior Champion Ko, took a 3-1, to 6-4 commanding lead until Bustamante fought back from the grave.

"In the start of the match I was so nervous when Ko took a 3-1, 6-4 to 7-5 lead," said Bustamante who reigned supreme in the 2010 WPA World Pool Championships (World 9-Ball), defeating Taiwanese “The Little" Monster” Kuo Po-cheng, 13-7, in the final held in Doha, Qatar.

"However i didn't lose hope because of the winner's break format. Maybe I can turn around the situation but i need to play solid," he added.

Last February 18, Ko downed Filipino pool maestro Efren "Bata" Reyes, 9-4, for the first win of Team Asia as Philippine Bigtime Billiards introduces a fresh new format for 2012.

The PBB Face Off series backed up by Sorsogon Province Sports Patron Philip Escudero of Malungai Life Oil, Airport Casino Filipino, Hermes Sports Bar, I-Bar, Golden Leaf Restaurant, Bugsy Promotions, Mandarin Sky Sea Food Restaurant, Billiard Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) and The Philippine Star
resumes with a match pitting 2012 World 8-Ball Champion Jung Lin Chang of Chinese-Taipei against Lee Vann "The Slayer" Corteza on March 3 and Chang versus Dennis "Robocop" Orcollo on March 10.

PBB Press Release