Orcollo, others could miss SEA Games as billiards crisis looms

MANILA, Philippines – Dennis Orcollo, Iris Ranola, Rubilen Amit and Filipino cue artists before them have raked in gold medals in past Southeast Asian Games stagings. The country could miss out in the 2013 SEAG edition in Myanmar.

This came to fore after billiards chief Arturo Ilagan, Jr. wrote the Phl Sports Commission a letter last Dec. 26 signifying his intention of scrapping the national team headed by Orcollo, Ranola and Amit and replacing them with younger but untested ones.

"This is to inform you that the members of the 2012 national training pool will be replaced effective January after the submission of the new lineup for the 2013 national training pool together with the 2013 budget," said Ilagan in the document received by the office of PSC commissioner Salvador Andrada.

PSC chairman Richie Garcia was quick to react that the decision was wrong and the board is expected to act on it in a meeting on Jan. 8.

"I heard about it but I have not seen any official statement," Garcia today told The STAR. "Personally, I think it is a wrong move but it is a decision of the president of the NSA (national sports association) and they are independent.

"The POC (Phl Olympic Committee) should take action regarding this for billiards is a priority sports," he added.

The move put the country in danger of losing out on snaring golds in Myanmar as Orcollo is the eight-ball gold medalist and Ranola the eight-ball and nine-ball gold medal winner in the last staging of the biennial meet in Indonesia.

Amit, for her part, is a perennial gold medal winner in the SEAG before she failed to strike gold in Indonesia.

Reports have it that Orcollo, Ranola and company have already signed up with the PSC as its "priority athletes," which means last SEAG's gold medalists will receive a monthly stipend worth P40,000 with a condition that they train fully with the national squad.

"They signed up with the PSC but Ilagan didn't endorse them," said a PSC source.

Curiously, Ilagan, whose group is the recognized body by the POC, along with billiards patron Aristeo "Putch" Puyat, are claiming they're the rightful leaders of the billiards and snookers association.

Interestingly, Orcollo is under the stable of Perry Mariano, who is allegedly allied with the group of Puyat, who, for his part, handles the likes of Efren "Bata" Reyes and Francisco "Django" Bustamante.