VILLIARDS KICKS OFF IN BAGUIO CITY

Senator Manny Villar poses with the country

After its highly-successful inaugural season, the Senator Manny Villar Cup, now the premier billiards series in the country, will open its 2009 edition with a bang and on a high ground with the Panagbenga leg on February 20 to 22 in Baguio City .

This as Senator Villar announced the full schedule of the topnotch island-hopping tour, as well as a number of other pool events to be supported by his Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports.

“I’m happy to announce that the Villar Cup will continue this year with more tournaments,” said Villar, now considered as the biggest benefactor of Philippine billiards, during the press conference yesterday at Max’s Restaurant in StarMall EDSA.

“As I’ve said, this tournament is part of my commitment in helping the sport, where we, Filipinos, are on top of the world,” added Villar, who was joined by some of the country’s top cue artists led by world no.1 Dennis Orcollo and former world champions Alex Pagulayan and Ronnie Alcano.

The Villar Cup Panagbenga leg will be held in SM City Baguio. It will be part of the city’s month-long flower festival, where over a million visitors are expected to witness.

After that, the series, organized by the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) and sponsored by Camella Communities, will go to Quezon Province ( Lucena City ) in March and Batangas ( Lipa City ) in April.

Villar will also support the National Open slated in May, and a couple of international tournaments to be held in the country in the following months.

Then the Villar Cup will return to Davao City for the Kadayawan leg in August, before it travels to Palawan in August.

Last year, Villar Cup has had five legs held in Muntinlupa City , Cebu, Bulacan, Davao and Bacolod .

Besides Orcollo, Alcano and Pagulayan, other notable players vying in the event are pool maestro Efren “Bata” Reyes, Francisco “Django” Bustamante, Lee Van Corteza, and former leg winners Warren Kiamco, Gandy Valle, Ramil Gallego, Roberto Gomez and Rodolfo Luat.