Pa-break naman sa Baba

Billiards was introduced in the Philippines before World War II, but ultimately marked its popularity among Filipinos in 1999 after the legendary Filipino player Efren “Bata” Reyes defeated Taiwan’s Chang Hao-Ping at the World Pool Association (WPA) Nine-Ball Championships. At the time, this newfound trend became so popular that money started to get involved—sponsors came in, and even the government started investing in facilities and players.

Do the lyrics “Kuya Dok, oras na para gumawang reseta panuldok sa mga haters ko na puro mema” sound familiar? Well, renaissance, as they would call it. Players from different brackets, beginners and casual players alike, start to fill the billiard halls once more 24 years later. I witnessed how “Baba”—the alley right across our University where students frequently hang out—became a billiard hotspot with new halls popping up one by one to cater to its growing demand. My peers blame this on Tiktok after Binangonan Hustla’s Cerrero Hollywood became a megahit, the trend featuring game highlights of different content creators playing billiards. 

Outside of the professional league, pool was often associated with students skipping classes, indulging in nicotine or alcohol cravings (maybe both), and our local tatays and titos hitting a stick of Marlboro Pula as they hold the cue stick with ease. With this, billiards stands in limbo between being a sport and a vice.

 

Stripes iyo! ‘Uy, good ball

For Kelsey Valencia, owner of billiard hall Badshot located in Baba, the sport offers students a way to relieve stress.

“90 percent ng naglalaro dito, mga estudyante. Dumadagsa [ang] mga ‘yan. Peak hours ng 12 [noon] hanggang five [o’clock],” she explained, probably with a better sense of understanding of her customers having once been in their shoes—a student resorting to pool as a quick timeout from academic demands. And boy, money really does change the game. Just like any other existing hobby, interest turns into a gamble when the stakes are higher and a couple of peso bills sit at the other end of the table. Kelsey shares, “Kung… parang hindi ka mabubuhay nang hindi pumupusta, bisyo na ‘yon. Pero kapag ganito naman, sports lang. Personally, sports lang din ito.”

 

Solid ka! Ayun, bad shot

While Kelsey’s billiard hall defied the deemed norm with no products involving nicotine and alcohol up for purchase, the other end of Baba oozes with nicotine-infused smoke and flavored gin along with the sound every shot the cue stick makes. Vices, as defined by the Cambridge Dictionary, are moral faults or weaknesses, often accompanied by immoral activities. For Ryan Atacador, a Lasallian who frequently plays billiards, the impression of being “cool” is what piqued his interest, saying, “Nakikita ko sila Kuya Rodel, kung kilala niyo ‘yun. Wala, ang cool lang kapag nakakahulog ka [ng bola], parang [may] satisfaction.”

According to him, pool either remains a sport or upgrades into a vice depending on the person. In his case, it’s both.

“Sa akin, both talaga kasi naging bisyo ko rin. Like, ginagawa kong sugal, pumupusta… ‘Di rin maiwasan minsan, nagpapainom mga kasama sa Baba, dagdag bisyo. At sports siya kasi… may participants. Ganoon naman ‘yung sports, ‘di ba?” he shared. And if one were to ask Ryan what his memorable experiences are as a player, the nail on the coffin would be him winning a grand amount of P15,000 in one night, with just three matches. Go big or go home, they say. Luckily (?) for him, it just so happened he went home with a band of blue-colored peso bills in his pocket thanks to billiards.

 

Open table rito oh

In billiards, when the game has not yet determined who plays solids or stripes, players call the shot until it is decided. The outcome of the game dictates its purpose;  applying this rule outside of its literal context, players get to decide whether billiards is just another activity they can wholesomely spend time in or a new notch in their belt of vices. At the end of the day, a table only becomes what we make of it.

 

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So, for you, when does pocketing solid or striped-colored balls start being a vice and stop being a sport?

 

Originally published in Heraldo Filipino Volume 39, Issue 1

Photo slider by Imee Antonette Ocampo