No row in billiards congress — Fajardo

There’s no row within the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) except the mess which its secretary general is trying to create, the chair and president of the premier billiards organization said yesterday.

Finally breaking their silence to belie media reports of a dispute raging in the billiards association, BSCP chair Arturo Ilagan and Ernesto Fajardo, said the association continues to carry on its work and responsibilities under its charter "albeit without the assistance of its controversial secretary-general Joaquin Perez de Tagle."

They said the published tirades of Tagle against the BSCP leadership are due to his ignorance of the association’s activities in the past two years when he has been inactive.

In a press statement, Ilagan and Fajardo said the billiards association is gearing up for the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in December where pocket billiards will figure prominently in the country’s quest for medals.

"It’s all systems go. We have forged with the designated billiards project director Aristeo "Putch" Puyat, a complete program for the selection, and training of players for all men’s and women’s events," they said.

They said the initial tryouts conducted have been very successful in spite of Tagle’s attempt to scuttle all preparations. "It is ironic that instead of supporting the preparations, Tagle is trying to derail them," they said.

They cited specific instances of Tagle’s attempt to sabotage the preparations for the billiards team.

They said after the BSCP president announced the holding of a ladies qualifying tournament recently, Tagle unilaterally decided to conduct his own qualifying tournament at the billiards center that he owned in Megamall.

This defiant attitude directly conflicted with the mandate of Aristeo "Putch" Puyat, the designated godfather for billiards to handle all the preparations of the Philippine billiards contingent to the SEAG assigned by the POC and First Gentleman Miguel Arroyo.