Orcullo's dream in jeopardy

MANILA, Philippines - The country’s current billiards rage Dennis Orcullo yesterday expressed shock and dismay that cue sports may be excluded from the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games calendar in Palembang, Indonesia, this November because of backroom manipulations particularly as he is setting his sights on a gold medal or two in 9-ball singles and doubles.

Philippine Olympic Committee deputy secretary-general Mark Joseph confirmed that billiards and snooker, among others, were removed from the schedule of events by the SEA Games organizing committee to make room for obscurities like vovinam, roller skating and paragliding. But Joseph said the Philippines will lobby strongly to reinstate several sports, including billiards and snooker, at a SEA Games Federation meeting in Jakarta this weekend.

Orcullo, 32, is fresh from pocketing the $25,000 first prize in 9-ball singles at the US Derby City Classic in Indiana. The victory came at the heels of his gold medal finish in 9-ball singles at the Asian Games in Guangzhou last November.

If Orcullo is chosen to play in Palembang, it will be his third SEA Games appearance. In 2005, he teamed with Alex Pagulayan to bag the gold in 9-ball doubles and in 2009, took the bronze in 9-ball singles.

For Orcullo, representing the country in the SEA and Asian Games evokes a different sentiment from playing in the pro tour. “It’s a harder challenge to play in the Asian and SEA Games,” he said. “But it’s a proud feeling playing for our country. The difference is in the pro tour, you play one match after another in less than a week. In the SEA and Asian Games, there’s a lot of waiting time. You get bored and impatient. If you lose your patience, you lose your nerve and edge. It’s not true that pros don’t’ like to play in the Asian and SEA Games because there’s no money involved. In the last Asian Games, we went through eliminations and Warren (Kiamco), Efren (Reyes), Roberto (Gomez) and I made it. More than anything, it’s an honor to play for our country.”

Orcullo has been on a hot streak lately. Last year, he added the World Pool Masters title in 9-ball singles to his collection, winning seven matches and losing only to Marcus Chamat, 9-8, in the early going. The victory banked $40,000 in his account. Surprisingly, Orcullo said his biggest cash prizes came from two Las Vegas IPT (International Pool Tour) World 8-ball tournaments where he placed third and fifth, raking in a total of $146,000 in 2006-07.

With manager Perry Mariano guiding his way, Orcullo said his career is just taking off.

“It’s all about hard work,” said Orcullo who finished only up to grade 3 and began playing pool at eight years old. “When I’m scheduled to play in a tournament, I practice at least five hours a day for a month. When I don’t have a tournament, I practice at least two hours a day. When I wake up in the morning, I’m already thinking of playing. It’s my profession and I want to be the best I can be.”

Orcullo, the second of five children, said whatever success he has achieved, he shares with his family. He was only three years old when his father Gomercindo, a fisherman, was lost at sea in stormy waters off Surigao. A week ago, his uncle Silverio was reported missing while fishing in the deep ocean.

“I was close to my uncle who used to take me around pool halls to play when I was a boy,” said Orcullo. “Losing my father and now, my uncle while fishing in the open sea is tragic. It was my grandfather Marcos who introduced me to playing. I was 10 when I played in my first tournament, a race-to-three with a 15-ball rotation. I was eliminated right away. I persevered in playing. I watched how my idols play and learned from them. I finally won my first major title in Munoz market in 2000, a 9-ball singles event with a P20,000 first prize. I turned pro in 2003.”

Orcullo said Mariano has been a blessing in his career. Mariano also manages Gomez and Carlo Viado. “What I like about Dennis is his heart,” said Mariano. “That’s why he’s called Robocop. He’s got nerves of steel. Dennis is creative and skilled. It’s a rare combination. He’s also very ambitious and it drives him to excel.”

Orcullo said he has developed his own style but owes his craftsmanship to his pool heroes. “From Efren, I learned cue ball control which was my weakness,” he said. “Shooting is no problem for me because I’m a straight shooter but cue ball control was a big problem. From Django (Bustamante), I learned how to break hard. From Ronnie (Alcano), I learned how to be consistent and aggressive. Ronnie is Bata Jr. and plays just like Efren. From Alex, I learned to be a fighter and a high-stakes player. As a player, I avoid going to the casino. I’ve been a betting man since I was seven. But now, it’s all in moderation. I don’t necessarily sleep early because sometimes, we play until late. But when I sleep late, I try to make up for my lost hours by waking up late. I practice long hours and that takes discipline. I don’t take drugs. I keep my weight around 134 pounds because if I go over, I won’t have the stamina to play long games with hard breaks.”

Orcullo sometimes is invited to play in money games. A few weeks ago, he engaged Lee Van Corteza in a 10-ball series at the Empire hall on Julia Vargas. Bets reached up to P210,000 with Manny Pacquiao putting up P130,000 on Orcullo. Pacquiao would’ve bet more but there were no takers. As expected, Orcullo cleaned up.

Orcullo said if he didn’t become a pool player, he would’ve gone into fishing or construction work for a living. “My goal is to play until I can up to when I’m over 60,” he said. “I’m not easily contented. I’m a hungry player. I’m always looking to win. When I’m finished playing, I want to teach pool in a billiards academy. “