I’ve never been a fan of billiards but because of work, I had to do the rounds in the 1st Mayor Albee Benitez MassKara Billiards Tournament that ran for 5-days at the SM City North Atrium.
Every time the legendary world champion, Efren “Bata” Reyes played, the atrium was packed to the hilt. Billiards’ luminaries like Francisco “Django” Bustamente, Jerico Banares, Anton Raga and Dennis Orcullo also have their own followers who watched their games.
But one by one, the legends fell and the most talked about elimination was that of Reyes who was crushed by a 15-year old boy wonder, AJ Manas, from Antipolo with a score of 8-5. Reyes’ defeat though did not diminish his popularity among the fans nationwide who continue to believe that there can only be one “magician” as he is often called.
However, that game led to an interest for AJ who looked so young and timid amidst the giants of Philippine billiards. Right after news broke out that a boy booted the legend out of the tournament, AJ’s next game against national team player, Warren Kiamco had enthusiasts watching. And again, AJ bested Kiamco to advance to the top 16 knockout matches.
I got a chance to talk to AJ and was surprised that this is his first open tournament and the fourth in his career. He started playing at the age of 7 in his grandfather’s pool house and by the time he was 11-years old, he was playing with much older billiards players. He was very modest about his victory over Reyes but admitted that it was an honor for him to have played against a legend, more so that he defeated him.
But AJ’s journey was also cut short by another popular player, Jundel Mazon, who has earned some wins in his name and was the former 2010 Guinness World Series of Pool 10-Ball Challenge champion. Nevertheless, he has earned the admiration of many and may be a talent to watch in the billiards world.
Another personality to watch out for in the world stage of billiards is Johann Chua. Born in Bacolod but now based in Manila, Johann has played here before and actually took home the crown in 2020 when Senator Manny Pacquiao hosted a tournament in Bacolod.
Johann who has advanced into the quarterfinals said he was happy to be back in Bacolod where he last played professionally before the pandemic. He ranked top 13 in the world before the pandemic but has dropped after he stopped playing for two years. Now he is back in the circuit and actually just flew in from Austria where he and his team became World Team Champion just three weeks ago.
Johann’s dad Johnny, was the one that introduced him to the sport at the age of 9. His mom, Ana Lourdes Gonzales hails from Cadiz City. By 11-years old, Johann was already competing in the amateur tournaments and went pro at the age of 16.
He started joining international tournaments in 2012 at the age of 19. This 30-year old champ who looks 10 years younger than his age hopes to regain his world standing in this tournament and that in the United States where he is scheduled to compete in the US open from here.
Johann who was accompanied by his Austria games team-mate, Rubilen Amit, will also see action in Puerto Rico this November as part of the Philippine National Team. Both Johann and Amit participated in the SEA Games last May where Johann won a gold medal and a silver medal while Rubilen went home with two gold medals. Rubilen could have been one of the three female participants in the Bacolod open but contracted Covid before the games. She flew in to cheer on her teammates just last Wednesday night after she turned negative.
Billiards is really a small world and in fact, Johann said it is enriching for them as well if they play against their coaches, Reyes and Bustamante.
As to AJ’s rising popularity, Johann said the kid plays very well and he advised him to continue practicing and to participate in more tournaments as the only way for you to grow and enhance your skills is when you are up against the masters.
As of this writing the winner in the 1st Mayor Albee Benitez MassKara Billiards Tournament had not been proclaimed yet.*