BACOLOD CITY—Rodolfo “Boy Samson” Luat pulled away early and then foiled hometown bet Ramil Gallego’s comeback bids to prevail, 13-10, and rule the First Senate President Manny Villar Cup Bacolod leg Sunday night at the Garden Royal function hall of Goldenfields Commercial Complex here.
Sustaining his fiery form, the 50-year-old Luat zoomed ahead, 6-0, and then showed steely nerves to end a two-year title-drought. He pocketed the $15,000 top purse of the island-hopping series presented by Villards: Tulong sa Pagsulong ng Philippine Sports.
Egged on by the big gallery, Gallego returned from a timeout with a 6-2 run to close the gap at 8-6. The 42-year-old from Barangay Estefania here further reduced the gap to 9-8, but let a chance to tie the count slip in the 18th rack when he missed his shot at the orange 5.
The two stalwarts of the Negros Billiard Stable of businessman Jonathan Sy split the next four frames, 11-10, before Gallego, winner of the inaugural Bulacan leg, broke dry in the 23rd.
Luat calmly cleaned it up to break his jinx in the series, in which he couldn’t go past the second round.
“I’m very happy with this victory, because I proved that I can still become a champion despite my failing eyesight,” Luat, whose last title came in the Taiwan leg of the San Miguel Asian 9-Ball Tour, said in Filipino.
Luat opened his bid by stunning reigning world No. 1 Dennis Orcollo, 11-6, and followed it up with an equally impressive 11-7 conquest of two-time world champion Ronnie Alcano.
Luat next toppled Cebu leg winner Gandy Valle, 11-9, to barge into the semifinals, where he bested unheralded Michael Feliciano, 11-8, his fourth straight Bugsy stable victim.
The 42-year-old Gallego advanced to the finals at the expense of pool maestro Efren “Bata” Reyes, 11-8.
Gallego, who regularly competes in the Japan tour, settled for the $5,000 runner-up purse in the four-day event organized by the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines in cooperation with the Bacolod city government led by Mayor Evelio Leonardia and supported by Camella Communities.
Reyes and Feliciano pocketed $2,500 each in the event that also lured eight foreign bidders, including former world champion Kenji Takahashi of Japan who went as far as the quarterfinals.
Meanwhile, William Millares topped the accompanying “Panersera-pababa” event at the expense of another NBS bet Jarry Pelayo, 9-6. Millares, a Manileño, bagged P50,000 while Pelayo settled for P25,000.
- by Roy Luarca, Philippine Daily Inquirer
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