Bare Eye
Makati Court scores winner for RP pool
By Recah Trinidad
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:11:00 05/30/2009
Filed Under: Billiards and Snooker and Pool
IT’S NOT the legendary Efren “Bata” Reyes topping the World Pool Championship again. In fact, there may never be another victory of that magical magnitude which took place in Cardiff, Wales, in July 1999.
But if you haven’t heard of it yet, the latest ruling by the Makati Regional Trial Court, aimed at restoring order in the chaotic national pool scene, could ultimately redound into a championship triumph for all those who honestly care for the game of billiards here.
In a decision handed down Wednesday, the Makati RTC Branch 66, under presiding Judge Joselito C. Villarosa, granted a petition for a temporary restraining order to enjoin the group of Aristeo Puyat and Arturo Ilagan from acting as directors and officers of the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP).
* * *
For the record, this group took over the BCSP through an arbitrary ruling by the Philippine Olympic Committee, headed by its embattled president, Jose “Peping” Cojuangco.
When your reporter here called up the POC spokesman, Joey Romasanta, on Thursday, he said they have not heard or read about the court ruling yet.
For the benefit of concerned readers, the TRO was granted to plaintiffs Florentino Makabenta and Ernesto Fajardo, who are officers and members of the group that have long been leading the billiards NSA.
* * *
In its decision, the court declared that the plaintiffs, “by preponderance of evidence,” had established the grounds for its prayer for a TRO.
Here are the reasons cited by the court and contained in a press release sent to media offices on Thursday by Raya Sports, a communications outfit headed by Makabenta:
“1. The Court has jurisdiction over the case, it being an intra-corporate dispute. It rejected the claim of the Philippine Olympic Committee through its counsel that it has absolute jurisdiction over national sports associations (NSAs) in the country.
* * *
“2. The March 31, 2009 election called by the Ilagan-Puyat group did not comply with the POC directive that the voters’ list in the last BSCP election be used. It used instead a 2005 voters list when in fact the last election had been held in 2006. The substitution of lists was designed to manufacture an artificial majority for the group in the election.
“3. The March 31 election prejudiced the rights of plaintiffs Makabenta and Fajardo to vote and be voted upon in a proper election of BSCP officers.”
* * *
Anyway, it will be an understatement to say that billiards in the country has suffered from the confusion and chaos caused by the leadership dispute that was aggravated by the irregular, self-centered POC intervention.
With its order, the court declared that “by virtue of the holdover principle and in order not to disrupt the day-to-day activities of the BSCP, the previous set of officers shall continue to hold office until the final disposition of the instant case.”
* * *
This means that the group of Makabenta and Fajardo will exercise the powers and functions of the association.
This group is currently staging the world-class Philippine Open at the Megamall in Mandaluyong.
“In its TRO decision, the Makati RTC pointedly observed that the POC has not established its arbitration commission and the rules and procedures for the arbitration of disputes,” Makabenta said.
“Without these enabling actions, the POC leadership has no business conducting arbitration proceedings,” Makabenta added.
Meanwhile, Judge Villarosa has called for the hearing of the petition for preliminary injunction to be set on June 5, 2009 at 8.30 a.m.
This correspondent will be there to report on developments, regardless of who gets upheld or overruled.
Makati Court scores winner for RP pool
By Recah Trinidad
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:11:00 05/30/2009
Filed Under: Billiards and Snooker and Pool
IT’S NOT the legendary Efren “Bata” Reyes topping the World Pool Championship again. In fact, there may never be another victory of that magical magnitude which took place in Cardiff, Wales, in July 1999.
But if you haven’t heard of it yet, the latest ruling by the Makati Regional Trial Court, aimed at restoring order in the chaotic national pool scene, could ultimately redound into a championship triumph for all those who honestly care for the game of billiards here.
In a decision handed down Wednesday, the Makati RTC Branch 66, under presiding Judge Joselito C. Villarosa, granted a petition for a temporary restraining order to enjoin the group of Aristeo Puyat and Arturo Ilagan from acting as directors and officers of the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP).
* * *
For the record, this group took over the BCSP through an arbitrary ruling by the Philippine Olympic Committee, headed by its embattled president, Jose “Peping” Cojuangco.
When your reporter here called up the POC spokesman, Joey Romasanta, on Thursday, he said they have not heard or read about the court ruling yet.
For the benefit of concerned readers, the TRO was granted to plaintiffs Florentino Makabenta and Ernesto Fajardo, who are officers and members of the group that have long been leading the billiards NSA.
* * *
In its decision, the court declared that the plaintiffs, “by preponderance of evidence,” had established the grounds for its prayer for a TRO.
Here are the reasons cited by the court and contained in a press release sent to media offices on Thursday by Raya Sports, a communications outfit headed by Makabenta:
“1. The Court has jurisdiction over the case, it being an intra-corporate dispute. It rejected the claim of the Philippine Olympic Committee through its counsel that it has absolute jurisdiction over national sports associations (NSAs) in the country.
* * *
“2. The March 31, 2009 election called by the Ilagan-Puyat group did not comply with the POC directive that the voters’ list in the last BSCP election be used. It used instead a 2005 voters list when in fact the last election had been held in 2006. The substitution of lists was designed to manufacture an artificial majority for the group in the election.
“3. The March 31 election prejudiced the rights of plaintiffs Makabenta and Fajardo to vote and be voted upon in a proper election of BSCP officers.”
* * *
Anyway, it will be an understatement to say that billiards in the country has suffered from the confusion and chaos caused by the leadership dispute that was aggravated by the irregular, self-centered POC intervention.
With its order, the court declared that “by virtue of the holdover principle and in order not to disrupt the day-to-day activities of the BSCP, the previous set of officers shall continue to hold office until the final disposition of the instant case.”
* * *
This means that the group of Makabenta and Fajardo will exercise the powers and functions of the association.
This group is currently staging the world-class Philippine Open at the Megamall in Mandaluyong.
“In its TRO decision, the Makati RTC pointedly observed that the POC has not established its arbitration commission and the rules and procedures for the arbitration of disputes,” Makabenta said.
“Without these enabling actions, the POC leadership has no business conducting arbitration proceedings,” Makabenta added.
Meanwhile, Judge Villarosa has called for the hearing of the petition for preliminary injunction to be set on June 5, 2009 at 8.30 a.m.
This correspondent will be there to report on developments, regardless of who gets upheld or overruled.
He would have been very happy to see how successful the current tournament organized by BMPAP, Puyat, and Dragon promotions. He may not be around anymore but he is certainly not forgotten.