Chinese lead international cast in RP Open bowlfest

MANILA, Philippines – Sports powerhouse China takes a crack at big-time tenpin bowling when its national team competes in the 38th PBC RP International Open Bowling Championships scheduled May 30-June 15 at Paeng’s Bowling lanes in Robinson’s Ermita.

It will mark the first time that the Chinese bowlers are competing in the country’s blue-ribbon kegfest organized by the Philippine Bowling Congress, PBC president Nitoy Tamayo said in Tuesday’s PSA forum at the Shakey’s UN Avenue branch in Manila.

“This will be the first time the Chinese are taking part in our tournament. We believe this is part of their training for next year’s Guangzhou Asian Games,” Tamayo said.

Joining Tamayo in the session sponsored by Shakey’s, Accel, Pagcor and Outlast Batteries were PBC secretary general Bong Coo, RP Open tournament committee chairman Ador Bonquin, co-chairman Francis de Leon and tournament director Jojo Ventura.

Aside from China, top bowlers from all over Asia are seeing action in the two-week championships, backed by the University of Perpetual Help school system and Amway, including bets from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, UAE, Qatar, South Korea, Hong Kong and Indonesia.

Spearheading the Philippine campaign are Benshir Layoso and Krizziah Tabora, the defending men’s and women’s masters champions, respectively, Bonquin said.

A total pot of P1.7 million will be up for grabs in the event with the men’s masters champion getting P250,000 and the women’s masters winner P100,000, De Leon said, adding that there will also be special prizes such as P50,000 for those who score the first perfect game.

On the other hand, Coo, herself a former RP Open masters champion, said that the event will also serve as the final tryouts of the six-man national women’s team that will see action in the World Women’s Bowling Championships in Las Vegas , Nevada in late July.

“We will choose the final list of six players for the women’s squad to the world championship based on their performances in the RP International Open,” Coo said.

She added that the top 16 Filipinos that will qualify in the men’s and women’s masters competitions will compete in ranking contest the following day, a first for the PBC in its bid for an objective yardstick to determine its national teams for international competitions.

“We will be doing this in all PBC-sanctioned tournaments,” Coo said.  

The tournament will also serve as a tuneup of the RP junior bowling team that will be vying for honors in the First Asian Youth Games in Singapore immediately preceding it, she said.