Fresh from a pair of easy 9-2 victories over Lee Van Corteza and Carlo Biado in the elimination phase, the 26-year old Filipino-Canadian from Toronto played almost flawlessly to frustrate Bustamante in the week-long tournament being sponsored by Hope in cooperation with Puyat Sports and Jemah Television.
The win boosted the chances of Pagulayan, nicknamed "The Lion", for the whopping P500,000 cash prize for the champion.
Pagulayan’s smashing triumph before a highly-appreciative crowd came after Efren "Bata" Reyes made short work of fast-rising Richard Aguilar, 9-4, in another one-sided affair.
Reyes, whose string of triumphs this year included a first-place finish in the Derby City Classic Master worth $20,000, raced to an early 5-2 lead and never looked back in beating Aguilar.
Aguilar, who earned the right to meet Reyes following a thrilling 9-8 victory over veteran internationalist Leonardo Andam, tried to make it close by winning the next rack.
But the 51-year old Reyes, who earned the monicker "Magician" for his numerous scintillating triumphs in both the local and international circuit, practically settled the outcome by taking the next three racks for a commanding 8-3 lead.
Later in the night, Bustamante kept his hopes alive by defeating Antonio Gabica, 9-4.
Bustamante, who had a trouble-free ride following lopsided victories over Antonio Lining and Jeffrey de Luna, came up with precise shotmaking and wisely kept the 14-year veteran from Cebu at bay.
A total of P1 million is at stake in the competition with the champion getting the lion’s share of P500,000. The runner-up will bring home P200,000 while the third and fourth placers will each receive P50,000.
The fith and sixth placers will get P30,000 each, the seventh and eighth placers P20,000 each, the ninth-12 th placers will win P15,000 and the 13 th -16 th placers will pocket P10,000 each.
The matches are being aired by Jemah Television on IBC 13 from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. with Hope as the major sponsor.