Filipino cue artists who will see action in the Bacolod City tournament of the Billiards Managers and Players Association of the Philippines this month will be banned from participating in all events sanctioned by the Billiards and Snookers Congress of the Philippines and the World Pool-Billiard Association here and abroad.

"Ang mga players na sasali sa Bacolod event ng BMPAPay hindi na pwede sumali sa BSCO at WPA events [at] hindi rin ipapadala sa mga APBU events," a joint statement by the BSCP and the Philippine Billiards Development Foundation said Saturday.

The statement said the decision was reached following BMPAP members' boycott of the inaugural World Ten Ball Championships in Manila last month.

Players who would want to join WPA events in 2009, meanwhile, were advised to register for membership with BSCP.

"Ipinapaalam din ng WPA sa mga players na simula Enero 2009, kailangan miyembro kayo ng BSCP para makasali sa world championship tournaments at iba pang WPA events," the statement said.

The Bacolod event is the latest in a series sponsored by Senate President Manuel Villar.

The event, dubbed "Senate President Manny Villar Cup", kicks off November 13 at the Garden Royal Function Hall of Goldenfields Commercial Complex.

Efren "Bata" Reyes leads the multinational cast as he goes on the prowl for another title since winning the Derby City Classic in Louisville, Kentucky in January 2007.

The closest he got at winning a title this year was in the inaugural staging of the Villar Cup in Alabang last May, when he lost his finals match up to Warren Kiamco.

Reyes also failed to get past the quarterfinals in the next three legs of the tournament.

In his attempt to end his title drought at Villar Cup’s fifth leg, Reyes will not only have to face a formidable challenge from his fellow Filipino pool players, but he will also have to contend with a troop of top-notch foreign talents.

The foreign delegates will be led by newly-crowned Guinness 9-Ball Tour Grand champion Ching-Shun Yang of Chinese-Taipei as they shoot for the title and the $15,000 top prize.

Besides Yang, other international players participating in the event are former world champion Wu Chia-Ching, Hung-hsiang Wang and Jung-Lin Chang of Chinese-Taipei, China topranked player Jianbo Fu, veteran internationalist Marcus Chamat of Sweden and Christian Johannessen of the Netherlands.

Joining Reyes in leading the local players are fellow former world titlists Alex Pagulayan and Ronnie Alcano, along with reigning world no.1 Dennis Orcollo, Francisco "Django" Bustamante, Lee Van Corteza, and previous Villar Cup leg winners Kiamco (Alabang), Gandy Valle (Cebu), Ramil Gallego (Bulacan) and Roberto Gomez (Davao). Roy Medina, abs-cbnNEWS.com