Raya Sports exec scores intended boycott of pool tournaments

The intended boycott by pool players who belong to the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines (BMPAP) of pool tournaments organized by Raya Sports will be their loss and not that of the tournament organizer. This was the message in a statement issued on Thursday by Raya managing director JP Fenix who said that those who declared a boycott are only a fraction of our Filipino pool community and the great majority of Filipino players do not support the BMPAP's agenda of envy and negativism. "They (the rest of the players) have expressed their full support for Raya and the BSCP (Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines) and will play in our events," Fenix said. "Pool honors are not won by saying you will not play. They are won by competing in tournaments that are fair, well organized, and recognized by international sports bodies." Fenix pointed out that whenever Raya organizes a tournament, it announces the players who are eligible to apply for entry. "We do not issue invitations," he said. "We do not force anyone to join. But our experience is that our tournaments – the national championships and the world pool championships – have usually overflowed with participants. If there are some players who don't want to join these events, that will therefore be their loss, not ours." Fenix recalled that the tactic of boycotting events to enforce a demand is a familiar ploy of Aristeo Puyat who had used it against the BSCP in many campaigns at the Southeast Asian Games and the Asian Games over the last 20 years. "(Puyat) is trying to use it now against Raya Sports, with the collusion of a couple of other managers," Fenix said. "Obviously, he is envious of our success in staging major international events, whereas his tournaments, like the Negros Open immediately after the 2007 WPC, have been small, poorly organized, and criticized by foreign players." Raya Sports is an official member of the World Pool Billiard Association (WPA). It has official international status equal to internationally recognized sports promoters like Matchroom Sport, the UK-based company that stages the World Pool Championships among others. Raya Sports president Yen Makabenta is a promoter licensed by the Games and Amusement Board of the Philippines (GAB), a respected member of the international pool fraternity and known to players and pool officials worldwide. He was named Man of the Year last year by Billiards Digest, the biggest pool magazine in the world. He is currently a regular columnist for AZBilliards, the top international website of pool. He was instrumental in bringing the prestigious World Pool Championship to Manila in 2006 and 2007 and has secured for the Philippines the five-year franchise for the World Ten-Ball Championship starting this year. Fenix adds that Raya's events are staged in cooperation with other top organizations. "We pay top prizes to the winners, and players get their money within a week of the event, not months as they do with rival promotions," he said. "We stage our events in quality venues; we do not run from one billiard parlor to another like some promoters. We take no commissions from players' winnings. And we pay taxes." Fenix emphasized that the authority of sending Filipino players to international tournaments rests with the BSCP, being a part of the WPA system and being officially a member of the Asian Pocket Billiards Union. Tournaments like the world championships and the Guinness Pool Tour course their request for billiard players through the BSCP. "We cannot comprehend these so-called players' grievances against Raya," Fenix said. "We don't owe any players any money. We were scrupulously fair to players in our tournaments. And we always gave them excellent TV exposure." Statement of J.P Fenix, Raya Sports managing director, on planned players' boycott

We note with regret the announcement that some players will boycott the pool events that Raya Sports is organizing this year and will continue to organize in keeping with its mission for the advancement of Filipino pool. This development will hamper in no way our plans for the year and beyond. 1. Whenever Raya organizes a tournament, we announce who are the players eligible and can apply for entry. We do not issue invitations. We do not force anyone to join. But our experience is that our tournaments - the national championships and the world pool championships - have usually overflowed with participants. If there are some players who don't want to join these events, that will therefore be their loss, not ours. The tactic of boycotting events to enforce a demand is a familiar one of Mr. Aristeo Puyat, so we are not surprised. He employed it against the BSCP in many campaigns at the Southeast Asian Games and the Asian Games over the last 20 years, without much success. He is trying to use it now against Raya Sports, with the collusion of a couple of other managers. Obviously, he is envious of our success in staging major international events, whereas his tournaments, like the Negros Open immediately after the 2007 WPC, have been small, poorly organized and criticized by foreign players. 2. Raya's events are staged in cooperation with other top organizations, notably Star Billiards for quality tables and ESPN-Star Sports and ABS-CBN, ABC and Solar Sports for TV coverage. We pay top prizes to the winners, and players get their money within a week of the event, not months as they do with rival promotions. We stage our events in quality venues; we do not run from one billiard parlor to another like some promoters. We take no commissions from players' winnings. And we pay taxes. 3. Raya Sports is an official member of the World Pool-Billiard Association. It has official international status equal to Matchroom Sport and other promoters. 4. Mr. Yen Makabenta, the president of Raya Sports, is a licensed promoter by the Games and Amusement Board of the Philippines, a respected member of the international pool fraternity and known to players and pool officials worldwide. He was named Man of the Year last year by Billiards Digest, the biggest pool magazine in the world. He is currently a regular columnist for AZBilliards, the top international website of pool. He was instrumental in bringing the prestigious World Pool Championship to Manila in 2006 and 2007. And he has secured for the Philippines the five-year franchise for the World Ten Ball Championship starting this year. 5. The authority of sending Filipino players to international tournaments rests with the Billiards & Snooker Congress of the Philippines. The BSCP is part of the WPA system, being officially a member of the Asian Pocket Billiards Union. Tournaments like the world championships and the Guinness Pool Tour course their request for billiard players through the BSCP. 6. As for the players' supposed grievances against Raya, we cannot comprehend them. We don't owe any players any money. We were scrupulously fair to players in our tournaments. And we always gave them excellent TV exposure. 7. Those who have declared a boycott are only a fraction of our Filipino pool community. The great majority of our players do not support the BMPAP's agenda of envy and negativism. They have expressed their full support for Raya and the BSCP and will play in our events. Pool honors are not won by saying you will not play. They are won by competing in tournaments that are fair, well organized, and recognized by international sports bodies.

- GMANews.TV