Hindi maaaring pakialaman ng Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) at ng Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) ang banggaan ng isang lehitimong billiards association at isang grupo ng mga managers at cue masters.
Ayon kay POC president Jose ‘Peping’ Cojuangco, Jr., nakausap niya ang Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) at ang Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) hinggil sa kanilang sigalot.
“The group went to my office so I advised them and suggested that they mend their differences amicably instead of raising this issue in public because I said it’s not good for their sport,” wika ni Cojuangco kahapon.
Ang BSCP nina chairman Yen Makabenta at president Ernesto Fajardo ang siyang kinikilalang National Sports Association (NSA) ng POC at ng PSC kasama ang paggalang sa taglay na ‘autonomy’.
Isang ‘players’ revolt’ ang pinangunahan kamakailan nina Putch Puyat at Perry Mariano sa panig ng mga managers at Efren “Bata” Reyes, Francisco “Django” Bustamante at Ronnie Alcano sa grupo ng mga billiards players.
Inirereklamo ng BMPAP ang maling pamamalakad nina Makabenta at Fajardo sa BSCP at sa mga katulad nina Reyes, Bustamante at Alcano, ang 2006 World Pool champion.
Ibinunyag nina Makabenta at Fajardo na gusto lamang nina Puyat at Mariano na makabuo ng isang billiards league kagaya ng Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) para makakuha ng malaking pera mula sa mga sponsors na siyang nagtataguyod sa BSCP.
“But what I’d like to suggest is why don’t they look at the way the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas handled themselves. The SBP has the PBA, the PBL, the UAAP and the NCAA, and they can do this with billiards and snooker because they do have professionals,” sabi ni Cojuangco sa dalawang kampo. (Russell Cadayona)