Last Tuesday, March 31st, members of the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP), most of them disgruntled with the association’s leadership, elected a new board. The election was formally sanctioned and observed by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).
(It was the first election since 2006, even though required annually. The old board’s application for a Temporary Restraining Order on the election was denied by the Regional Trial Court of Makati City on March 30.)
Elected as members of the BSCP board were Aristeo “Putch” Puyat, Arturo “Bong” Ilagan, Joaquin “Quini” Perez de Tagle, Willie Caballes, and myself. The board then chose the following officers: Puyat, chairman; Ilagan, president; De Tagle, secretary-general; and Jonathan Sy, treasurer.
The general objective of BSCP is to “promote billiards as a sport in the spirit of sportsmanship and fair play.” BSCP membership is open to billiards clubs or organizations of at least 25 members and 10 active players; there are five such member-clubs — for example, Puyat Sports — not counting the club of one founder.
BSCP also has member-individuals, of two types: the original founders (three of whom are active), and six so-called “honorary members” invited by the board. One of the latter members is the great Efren “Bata” Reyes, who thereby has his own individual vote. Another one, since 2005, happens to be myself. Three of the other four are in the old board’s clique that boycotted the election.
I imagine that my columns on billiards, attendance of many tournaments, and bit part in the film “Pakners” of Bata Reyes and Fernando Poe Jr. make me an above-average aficionado. At the 2004 World Pool Championship in Taipei, the only non-OFWs, aside from our playing contingent, and thus the first to congratulate Filipino winner Alex Pagulayan, were Putch Puyat, sportswriter Ronnie Nathanielsz, my wife, and me.
My peculiar value-added to BSCP is an access to surveys. The poll group Social Weather Stations (SWS) did pro bono national surveys on the popularity of billiards, as a game to play and to watch, in 2005, 2006, and most recently in February 2009 (on which a new release will be made soon). There also is a 2008 SWS national survey on Leisure Time and Sports in general; the POC knows of it.
My complaints Being with BSCP was exciting in my first year or two, but later on turned disappointing. Decision-making by the leadership was opaque, particularly on ethically critical matters. Ever since the 2006 World Pool Championship was brought to Manila by Yen Makabenta, simultaneously chairman of BSCP and owner of Raya Sports, I have been asking for the financial terms of BSCP-Raya tie-ups — to no avail.
As a member, I didn’t get a single BSCP financial statement in four years. What has been BSCP’s share of Raya’s funding from the government gaming firm Pagcor? Why couldn’t I, as a member, see any contracts and accounts? Of all the associations to which I belong, BSCP is the least transparent. The old board sent no reminders on dues, yet made failure to pay them a cause for “dropping” certain members; so why didn’t they drop me?
Players’ complaints. On Nov. 21, 2008, lady players Rubilen Amit, Iris Rańola and Mary Ann Basas complained to the POC that their allowances from the Philippine Sports Commission had been cut off due to refusal of BSCP president Ernesto Fajardo to give his endorsement.
They wrote: “An irate Mr. Julius Nidea ordered us to join the Mandaluyong City Mayor’s Cup, a pool competition being marketed and supported by BSCP and Raya Sports, which coincided with the Villar Cup. Mr. Nidea also adamantly stated that we need to join BSCP-Raya events, and BSCP-Raya events alone, to still be members of the said organization and continue receiving our respective allowances.”
On March 5, 2009, Bata Reyes, Alex Pagulayan, Ronato Alcano, Francisco “Django” Bustamante and 22 other top players wrote to the POC: “Gamit ni G. Makabenta ang posisyon niya sa BSCP at sa pakikipagsabwatan kay G. Fajardo, pinipilit nila ang mga bilyarista na maglaro sa pribadong torneo ni G. Makabenta. Ang hindi sumali ay pinaparusahan nila gaya na lang ng nangyari sa aming kasamahan na si Alex Pagulayan.”
Makabenta and Fajardo had ousted Pagulayan from the final leg of the 2007 Guinness 9-Ball Tour by publicly accusing him of “sharking” (distracting) an opponent in a previous leg. Pagulayan then charged them with libel; on Oct. 21, 2008, the Pasig City prosecutor approved this criminal case for trial.
(The old board wrote POC on Feb. 12, 2009: “Messrs. Puyat, Efren Reyes and Jonathan Sy have given the BSCP board valid reason to drop them from the roster of membership for total lack of participation in the affairs of BSCP and actions inimical to the interest of the association.” They would punish dissent by disenfranchisement!)
Right after the election, Ilagan announced that the new board assures all stakeholders that no officer or member will use the association to promote personal interests. The new board approved 10 new member-clubs, subject to accreditation by the POC.
I believe that, in sports, the primary stakeholders are the players themselves. In an equitable voting system, the will of the players should matter the most, and should outweigh the interests of promoters, managers, match officials, equipment distributors, and researchers like me.
A sports entity unsupported by its top players cannot represent the country in that sport. An entity that fails to respect them should undergo change in leadership, or else be supplanted by another entity that the players trust.
Sports are an extremely important source of national pride. It’s the players who make us proud. Thus, in the case of BSCP, I side with Bata Reyes.
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Contact SWS: www.sws.org.ph or mahar.mangahas@sws.org.ph
