Cesar Morales. Efren Reyes.
These names will always be intertwined with each other.
️
Unknown to many, Cesar Morales is a real person.
And he has played a major part in the story of Efren Reyes
- the Filipino pool player who is considered by everyone
as the greatest player to ever wield a pool cue.
This is his story. Their story. And the world's.
.
Cesar Morales Chua is the kumpadre of Efren Reyes. He is godfather to Efren’s son, Dodo.
Cesar is also Dodo’s principal wedding sponsor. And he is a very good pool player.
Cesar and Efren go way back. Their friendship started in the early 1970s.
Cesar would accompany Efren and his group whenever the latter had a match in Pampanga.
The two became inseparable in the 1980s. It was also at this time that Efren settled in Pampanga.
Cesar and Efren were always together – almost every day.
With their money game manager (an American who is also a close buddy of Cesar) in tow,
they were familiar figures at the Clark Air Base in Angeles City, Pampanga,
which, at that time, was a US military facility operated by the US Air Force under the aegis of Pacific Air Force.
.
And believe you me, there was no place on earth that could compare to Angeles City in the 1980s.
Absolutely, none! From one of my favorite writers, Mr. Ted Lerner:
Whatever the case, Angeles City was clearly one of the world's strongholds for the "American" game of pool.
Of course this reputation was helped along by a certain young gun named Efren Reyes,
whose rising standing as a player of unequal anywhere was spread in the dingy girlie bars of Angeles,
where he would help the military men part with those coveted greenbacks.
"He never missed," said Dave, who also co-owned the Barbary Coast bar back then. "He was so laid back. He played in flip flops and cut off shorts.
His quality was above anything I encountered anywhere. He was 25 percent higher level than anyone in the States.
In those days Efren would come in to play and he'd charge $2.50 to play a match
and a $20 appearance fee with free drinks for him and his entourage.
Today, he charges $1,000 for an appearance fee."
.
Cesar was with Efren on the latter’s first trip to the US.
The year was 1985, the same year that the Red’s Open 9-Ball Championship was scheduled to happen in Houston, TX.
Efren made history when he won that event. He became the first Filipino – the first Asian - to win a major tournament on US soil.
With this amazing achievement and the countless others that followed, Efren and the Filipino Invasion shifted the balance of power in the sport.
It changed the billiards scene in America. And the world.
.
Contrary to popular belief, Efren didn’t borrow Cesar’s passport on his initial trip to the US.
He used his own passport, a legit one with his own name, birthdate, etc.
It was actually Cesar Morales Chua who had a difficult time getting a Philippine passport before because of his Chinese surname – Chua.
And this was the reason why Cesar decided to use his mother’s maiden name (Morales) to obtain his passport – under the name Cesar Morales.
After landing in the US, they were taken in by fellow Filipinos who knew of their coming. And purpose.
Now, it was this group of Pinoys who decided to enter Efren in the Red’s Open 9-Ball Championship under an alias.
The reason? Before Efren even stepped on US soil, word got around fast, pretty fast,
that a very good pool player from the Philippines - Efren Reyes - the best in the country, would be coming to the US very soon.
The crew was smart. They figured that they would have a very difficult time hustling anyone and everyone if the opponents knew
that it was Efren who they were playing against with. It was all about the action, the money games.
.
Cesar clearly recalls that the word about Efren’s imminent coming to the Land of the Free started after Efren politely rejected the proposal of a person,
who is also into billiards, to come to the US and hustle. This person had been experiencing heavy losses from his activities
and the thought of bringing Efren to the US to hustle and make a boatload of money came to mind.
During this time, Efren and Susan were already married with two dotting children.
The Champ civilly declined the proposal because he and Cesar were already readying their papers to go the US themselves.
In the following weeks and months, Cesar received news and queries from his pool buddies based in the US.
They were asking if the news spreading across the pool community in the US was true,
i.e., that he and Efren were coming over to the US soon. Very soon. That the players have been "warned."
“And from whom did you hear this news?” Cesar asked.
Yes, you guessed it right. From the same person whose proposal Efren initially turned down.
.
Cesar accompanied Efren on his maiden trip to the Land of Opportunity.
Mr. Noni Ortega stood as Efren’s manager. Incidentally, he was also one of the persons who helped with the US Visa thing.
When Ortega saw how good Efren was on the green felt, he wouldn’t let anyone, other than himself,
manage Efren simply because of the prospects of making a ton of easy money.
According to Cesar, Efren was that damn good! Efren was the best!
No other pool player in the world came close to his skills and knowledge on the table.
.
After landing in the US, they were taken in by a group of Filipinos who knew of their trip and purpose.
Together with the Filipino crew, Cesar and Efren immediately proceeded to Houston, TX, for the Red's Open 9-Ball Tournament.
And guess what? Both of them had official invites to the event from the BCA! The invitations,
which contained their respective names, were made possible via Cesar’s contact in the US, a fellow Filipino.
These invitations from the BCA helped Cesar and Efren to “breeze” through
the approval process at the US Embassy in Manila for their respective US Visas.
️
.
Most of the expenses the duo incurred for and during the trip were shouldered by Cesar’s American friend, Mr. John Venegas of the US Air Force.
Cesar beat John in their countless money game matches. And this was where John’s respect for Cesar started.
Despite the huge losses he incurred, John became impressed with Cesar’s pool playing skills. He proposed to bring Cesar to the US to hustle.
And what Cesar said helped pave the way for Efren:
“John, if you are really serious in bringing me to the US, let’s take a friend of mine on the trip.
He is way better than me in all aspects of the game. My knowledge and skills in billiards is only half compared to his!”
Yes, Cesar was talking about Efren Bata Reyes!
And that was when the bond between the three pool players was cemented
– also often seen together in Angeles City and at the Clark Air Base. Grinding. Hustling.
.
That maiden trip was the only trip that Cesar accompanied Efren to the US. The trip lasted for about 3 months.
Those three months are worth telling because of the difficulties faced by the Hall of Famer
– experiences which you and I can learn a lot from. I will tackle those in future posts.
An Afro-American was the first American to manage Efren in the US, after his gloomy experience with his Pinoy handlers
who cheated him of his winnings. With his American managers, Efren finally got a fair share of the booty.
Another American, Mike Lebron, also became Efren’s manager.
Rolando Vicente became Efren’s official manager when the latter was sponsored by Puyat Sports.
Up to now, Rolando actively screens each and every proposal sent to the Greatest of All Time,
e.g., big money game matches, TV and radio appearances, commercials, and sponsorship opportunities.
On Efren’s third trip to the US, it was Rolando who accompanied him.
And here’s a cool trivia for y'all: Rolando, Cesar and Efren are childhood buddies.
In their 20’s, the three were often seen on the road in their search for American GIs to hustle whenever Rolando was in town.
The three even went to Manila together.
But it was Cesar and Efren who were together most of the time, almost every day,
in their hunt for their next opponent in the City of Angels.
.
Most of the pictures of Cesar and Efren together (taken in the Philippines and in the US, circa 1980s) were borrowed
by a common Filipino friend who put up a pool hall in the US.
Their buddy had the pictures enlarged and displayed at the said pool hall.
Sadly, he wasn’t able to return the pictures to Cesar. All of them.
But no worries! Cesar has given me his word that he will do his best to look for old photos of him and the Champ.
Now, that would be a treat! And I kid you not!
.
Cesar is very happy with how fate beautifully smiled on his childhood buddy, Efren.
He and I look forward to more meet ups, with emphasis on the stories that need to be shared to the world.
Some of the stories have happy endings. Sadly, some do not.
Thank you very much for sharing me your beautiful story, kabayan Cesar! It is your story.
And Efren’s. And the world’s!
Thank you very much for the trust, which I will always hold dear.
My only concern is that my efforts to translate your beautiful experiences into the written word have not given it justice.
Simply put, your story is priceless.
.
Please allow me to end this post with the words of Mr. Jay Helfert - one of my uber-favorite writers:
Like many others, I first saw Efren at Red's in Houston in 1985, when he was using the name Cesar Morales.
Believe it or not, after he won the tournament I asked him to autograph a program for me and he signed it Efren Reyes.
I thought that was strange but the name meant nothing to me at the time.
All I knew was that Cesar Morales was just an alias.
.
X's:
Latest picture of Cesar Morales Chua with Efren Reyes at the wedding of another champion from the Pool Capital of the World, Roland Garcia.
The picture was taken on January 23, 2018, in Magalang, Pampanga. Efren stood as the principal wedding sponsor of Roland.
Cesar Morales Chua is the guy standing besides Efren. He is wearing a striped red shirt in the photo.
Also in the photo is another good friend, Mr. Bong Nicdao.
.
These names will always be intertwined with each other.
️Unknown to many, Cesar Morales is a real person.
And he has played a major part in the story of Efren Reyes
- the Filipino pool player who is considered by everyone
as the greatest player to ever wield a pool cue.
This is his story. Their story. And the world's.
.
Cesar Morales Chua is the kumpadre of Efren Reyes. He is godfather to Efren’s son, Dodo.
Cesar is also Dodo’s principal wedding sponsor. And he is a very good pool player.
Cesar and Efren go way back. Their friendship started in the early 1970s.
Cesar would accompany Efren and his group whenever the latter had a match in Pampanga.
The two became inseparable in the 1980s. It was also at this time that Efren settled in Pampanga.
Cesar and Efren were always together – almost every day.
With their money game manager (an American who is also a close buddy of Cesar) in tow,
they were familiar figures at the Clark Air Base in Angeles City, Pampanga,
which, at that time, was a US military facility operated by the US Air Force under the aegis of Pacific Air Force.
.
And believe you me, there was no place on earth that could compare to Angeles City in the 1980s.
Absolutely, none! From one of my favorite writers, Mr. Ted Lerner:
Whatever the case, Angeles City was clearly one of the world's strongholds for the "American" game of pool.
Of course this reputation was helped along by a certain young gun named Efren Reyes,
whose rising standing as a player of unequal anywhere was spread in the dingy girlie bars of Angeles,
where he would help the military men part with those coveted greenbacks.
"He never missed," said Dave, who also co-owned the Barbary Coast bar back then. "He was so laid back. He played in flip flops and cut off shorts.
His quality was above anything I encountered anywhere. He was 25 percent higher level than anyone in the States.
In those days Efren would come in to play and he'd charge $2.50 to play a match
and a $20 appearance fee with free drinks for him and his entourage.
Today, he charges $1,000 for an appearance fee."
.
Cesar was with Efren on the latter’s first trip to the US.
The year was 1985, the same year that the Red’s Open 9-Ball Championship was scheduled to happen in Houston, TX.
Efren made history when he won that event. He became the first Filipino – the first Asian - to win a major tournament on US soil.
With this amazing achievement and the countless others that followed, Efren and the Filipino Invasion shifted the balance of power in the sport.
It changed the billiards scene in America. And the world.
.
Contrary to popular belief, Efren didn’t borrow Cesar’s passport on his initial trip to the US.
He used his own passport, a legit one with his own name, birthdate, etc.
It was actually Cesar Morales Chua who had a difficult time getting a Philippine passport before because of his Chinese surname – Chua.
And this was the reason why Cesar decided to use his mother’s maiden name (Morales) to obtain his passport – under the name Cesar Morales.
After landing in the US, they were taken in by fellow Filipinos who knew of their coming. And purpose.
Now, it was this group of Pinoys who decided to enter Efren in the Red’s Open 9-Ball Championship under an alias.
The reason? Before Efren even stepped on US soil, word got around fast, pretty fast,
that a very good pool player from the Philippines - Efren Reyes - the best in the country, would be coming to the US very soon.
The crew was smart. They figured that they would have a very difficult time hustling anyone and everyone if the opponents knew
that it was Efren who they were playing against with. It was all about the action, the money games.
.
Cesar clearly recalls that the word about Efren’s imminent coming to the Land of the Free started after Efren politely rejected the proposal of a person,
who is also into billiards, to come to the US and hustle. This person had been experiencing heavy losses from his activities
and the thought of bringing Efren to the US to hustle and make a boatload of money came to mind.
During this time, Efren and Susan were already married with two dotting children.
The Champ civilly declined the proposal because he and Cesar were already readying their papers to go the US themselves.
In the following weeks and months, Cesar received news and queries from his pool buddies based in the US.
They were asking if the news spreading across the pool community in the US was true,
i.e., that he and Efren were coming over to the US soon. Very soon. That the players have been "warned."
“And from whom did you hear this news?” Cesar asked.
Yes, you guessed it right. From the same person whose proposal Efren initially turned down.
.
Cesar accompanied Efren on his maiden trip to the Land of Opportunity.
Mr. Noni Ortega stood as Efren’s manager. Incidentally, he was also one of the persons who helped with the US Visa thing.
When Ortega saw how good Efren was on the green felt, he wouldn’t let anyone, other than himself,
manage Efren simply because of the prospects of making a ton of easy money.
According to Cesar, Efren was that damn good! Efren was the best!
No other pool player in the world came close to his skills and knowledge on the table.
.
After landing in the US, they were taken in by a group of Filipinos who knew of their trip and purpose.
Together with the Filipino crew, Cesar and Efren immediately proceeded to Houston, TX, for the Red's Open 9-Ball Tournament.
And guess what? Both of them had official invites to the event from the BCA! The invitations,
which contained their respective names, were made possible via Cesar’s contact in the US, a fellow Filipino.
These invitations from the BCA helped Cesar and Efren to “breeze” through
the approval process at the US Embassy in Manila for their respective US Visas.
️.
Most of the expenses the duo incurred for and during the trip were shouldered by Cesar’s American friend, Mr. John Venegas of the US Air Force.
Cesar beat John in their countless money game matches. And this was where John’s respect for Cesar started.
Despite the huge losses he incurred, John became impressed with Cesar’s pool playing skills. He proposed to bring Cesar to the US to hustle.
And what Cesar said helped pave the way for Efren:
“John, if you are really serious in bringing me to the US, let’s take a friend of mine on the trip.
He is way better than me in all aspects of the game. My knowledge and skills in billiards is only half compared to his!”
Yes, Cesar was talking about Efren Bata Reyes!
And that was when the bond between the three pool players was cemented
– also often seen together in Angeles City and at the Clark Air Base. Grinding. Hustling.
.
That maiden trip was the only trip that Cesar accompanied Efren to the US. The trip lasted for about 3 months.
Those three months are worth telling because of the difficulties faced by the Hall of Famer
– experiences which you and I can learn a lot from. I will tackle those in future posts.
An Afro-American was the first American to manage Efren in the US, after his gloomy experience with his Pinoy handlers
who cheated him of his winnings. With his American managers, Efren finally got a fair share of the booty.
Another American, Mike Lebron, also became Efren’s manager.
Rolando Vicente became Efren’s official manager when the latter was sponsored by Puyat Sports.
Up to now, Rolando actively screens each and every proposal sent to the Greatest of All Time,
e.g., big money game matches, TV and radio appearances, commercials, and sponsorship opportunities.
On Efren’s third trip to the US, it was Rolando who accompanied him.
And here’s a cool trivia for y'all: Rolando, Cesar and Efren are childhood buddies.
In their 20’s, the three were often seen on the road in their search for American GIs to hustle whenever Rolando was in town.
The three even went to Manila together.
But it was Cesar and Efren who were together most of the time, almost every day,
in their hunt for their next opponent in the City of Angels.
.
Most of the pictures of Cesar and Efren together (taken in the Philippines and in the US, circa 1980s) were borrowed
by a common Filipino friend who put up a pool hall in the US.
Their buddy had the pictures enlarged and displayed at the said pool hall.
Sadly, he wasn’t able to return the pictures to Cesar. All of them.
But no worries! Cesar has given me his word that he will do his best to look for old photos of him and the Champ.
Now, that would be a treat! And I kid you not!
.
Cesar is very happy with how fate beautifully smiled on his childhood buddy, Efren.
He and I look forward to more meet ups, with emphasis on the stories that need to be shared to the world.
Some of the stories have happy endings. Sadly, some do not.
Thank you very much for sharing me your beautiful story, kabayan Cesar! It is your story.
And Efren’s. And the world’s!
Thank you very much for the trust, which I will always hold dear.
My only concern is that my efforts to translate your beautiful experiences into the written word have not given it justice.
Simply put, your story is priceless.
.
Please allow me to end this post with the words of Mr. Jay Helfert - one of my uber-favorite writers:
Like many others, I first saw Efren at Red's in Houston in 1985, when he was using the name Cesar Morales.
Believe it or not, after he won the tournament I asked him to autograph a program for me and he signed it Efren Reyes.
I thought that was strange but the name meant nothing to me at the time.
All I knew was that Cesar Morales was just an alias.
.
X's:
Latest picture of Cesar Morales Chua with Efren Reyes at the wedding of another champion from the Pool Capital of the World, Roland Garcia.
The picture was taken on January 23, 2018, in Magalang, Pampanga. Efren stood as the principal wedding sponsor of Roland.
Cesar Morales Chua is the guy standing besides Efren. He is wearing a striped red shirt in the photo.
Also in the photo is another good friend, Mr. Bong Nicdao.
.
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