ORCOLLO IN EARLY VILLAR CUP WIN; VILLAR WELCOMES PARICA

(Photo caption): Senator Manny B. Villar welcomes legendary pool master Jose “Amang” Parica as the new member of Team Villards during the opening ceremony of The Manny Villar Calabarzon leg yesterday at SM City Mall in Lipa, Batangas. Also in photo are Efren “Bata” Reyes and Batangas vice-governor Marc Leviste.

LIPA CITY – Newly-crowned International 10-Ball champion Dennis Orcollo bounced back from three racks down to squeaked past Jharome Pena, 9-7, and lead the early winners in The Manny Villar Cup Calabarzon leg, which began yesterday at the SM City Mall here.

Orcollo ran into a couple dry breaks to find himself trailing Pena, 4-7, forcing the former world no.1 to dig deep into his pocket of tricks to avoid a monumental setback and keep his quest for the elusive title alive.

“I know Jharome very well and I respect his game. I just kept my composure when I was down and luckily I got some opportunities late in the match and I immediately grabbed them,” said the 30-year-old pride of Bislig, Surigao del Sur and Quezon City.

Orcollo racked up the next four racks to overtake Pena, 8-7, and got the chance when the latter missed a seemingly easy shot of the black-8 in the 16^th frame. He ran it up to move into the Last 16 of this prestigious island-hopping series presented by Senator Manny B. Villar’s Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports.

“Just like what I’ve said, this Villar Cup is a very tough tournament that you always have to be at your best – and be lucky – to win it,” Orcollo added.

Also moving into the next stage were 2009 Japan Open champion and Villards Bulacan leg winner Ramil Gallego, Antonio Lining, Elmer Haya and Rodolfo Luat.

Gallego trounced Dondon Razalan, 9-4, while the Japan-based Lining subdued William Millares, 9-6, and Haya edged Richard Pornelosa, 9-8. Luat defeated Mirando Mariño, a local qualifier from Lopez, Quezon, 9-1.

A total of 32 players are competing in this eighth stop of the series, coorganized by the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) sponsored by Camella Communities and sanctioned by the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines, which is now running for over a year.

Other top players entered in the three-day event are Efren “Bata” Reyes, Francisco “Django” Bustamante, Ronnie Alcano, Gandy Valle, Rodolfo Luat, Warren Kiamco and Warren Kiamco.

During the opening ceremony, Senator Manny B. Villar welcomed legendary Filipino cue artist Jose “Amang” Parica as the new member of his Team Villards. Parica, the acknowledged leader of the Filipino invasion in the US pool circuit and is now based in the United States, is playing in the country for the first time in three years.

“I’m happy to be back here, and I’m very thankful to Senator Villar for revitalizing billiards here in the Philippines and I’m happy to be part of his tournament,” said the 62-year-old living legend.

Also competing in the tournament are some of the country’s up and coming stars, including six local bets of Calabarzon in Anjo Huelgas, Benson Palce, Johnson Vita, Nelson Dumas, Mariño and Razalan, who made it via a qualifying tournament participated in by dozens of cue artists from the provinces of Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal and Quezon.

Bmpap Release