Who will play 8-Ball for RP?

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC)’s swashbuckling team of chairman Monico Puentevella, vice president Manny Lopez, treasurer Julian Camacho and secretary-general Steve Hontiveros managed to bargain billiards back into the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games calendar in Palembang this November but the question is who will represent the country in 8-ball singles for men?

The four-man delegation attended the SEA Games Federation executive committee meeting in Bali last week. The gathering finalized the list of events and sports in the coming SEA Games. Cue sports had been removed from the schedule but a determined lobby from the POC reinstated billiards. 

At the 2009 SEA Games, there were 10 gold medals at stake in billiards and snooker. Ronnie Alcano took the gold and Gandy Valle the silver in 8-ball singles while Dennis Orcullo bagged the bronze in 9-ball singles. Rubilen Amit swept the golds in 8-ball and 9-ball singles for women. In Palembang, there will be no 9-ball event for men. The Federation decided to calendar 8-ball singles and doubles for men, English billiards singles and doubles and 8-ball and 9-ball singles for women.

Alcano is the defending SEA Games 8-ball singles champion. In 2007, he beat Orcullo, 11-8, in the finals of the world 8-ball championships. Efren (Bata) Reyes also won the world 8-ball title in 2005. Last weekend, Orcullo joined the elite cast by capturing the world 8-ball crown in the United Arab Emirates. Orcullo compiled an overall record of 8-1 to take home the winner’s purse of $40,000.

In a recent interview, Orcullo said he has his sights set on collecting a gold or two in the SEA Games. At the 2005 SEA Games, he won a gold in the 9-ball doubles with Alex Pagulayan but a solo gold from the biennial conclave is still missing in his treasure chest.

The problem is Orcullo was banking on playing 9-ball singles and doubles. Palembang has scratched both events and will go with 8-ball singles and doubles for men. As in the recent Asian Games, it is expected that eliminations will be held to determine who will represent the country in Palembang. Orcullo, Alcano and Reyes will likely slug it out for the honor of wearing the national colors. At the recent world 8-ball championships, Reyes beat Orcullo, 7-5, in their second match. Reyes eventually fell by the wayside while Orcullo went on to win seven in a row to clinch the trophy.

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Orcullo said playing 8-ball is easier than 9-ball or 10-ball. “In 8-ball, you can hit any ball without sequence and you leave little chance for your opponent to recover,” he explained.

“In 9-ball, you do the diamond break of the rack and follow a sequence which is harder than 8-ball but easier than 10-ball which is a tougher break because of the triangle rack.”

At the moment, Orcullo is the hottest Filipino cue player around. He brought home the gold medal in 9-ball singles at the Asian Games in Guangzhou last November and went on to pocket the $25,000 first prize in 9-ball singles at the US Derby City Classic in Indiana. Last year, Orcullo earned $40,000 in claiming the World Pool Masters title in 9-ball singles.

Hard work has definitely paid off for Orcullo who recalled as a boy playing billiards, he thought he’d never be competitive at the table.

“When I was nine years old, I couldn’t consistently put the ball in the hole and in my frustration, I would pick up the ball and throw it in,” he said. “But I persevered. I studied only up to Grade 3. If I couldn’t be good at billiards, I would end up a fisherman or doing construction work. So I did my best to be good. I studied the styles of the best players. I learned from them. I joined tournaments to gain experience. I practiced for hours. I found out that every angle has a shot and you just have to find it. Before, I had problems hitting a bank shot. Now, it’s no problem.”

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What drives Orcullo to excellence is the challenge of making life comfortable for his wife Rona, 28, and their children Ralph Dency, 8, and Aliya Chelsea, 4.

“Right now, we live in a two-bedroom condo near the Celebrity Sports Plaza in Quezon City,” said Orcullo. “It’s gotten a little tight for all of us because my brother stays with us and also my sister-in-law. With my earnings, I hope to save enough to buy a lot and build a home that can fit all of us. I want a room where I can practice all day long from the moment I wake up. That’s my dream. Also, I never had much of an education and I want our children to finish their schooling. Education is my priority for the kids.”

Orcullo said his buddy Ramon (Monching Maestro) Mistica introduced him to his wife. “Monching kept telling me about this girl whom I had to meet but we never got around to being introduced until one day, by accident, we met in Cubao,” said Orcullo. “As soon as I met Rona, that was it. I didn’t let her go anymore.”

Orcullo, 32, said he doesn’t see himself ever landing a regular job. Billiards is his life and livelihood. He said the international circuit keeps him busy all year round and if he’s lucky, the cash register won’t stop ringing. Orcullo said he has committed to join the teaching staff of a billiards academy being put up by his manager Perry Mariano and good friend Reli de Leon.