Will Players Move to Philippines?

S

Spade

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
People say that pro players may start having to move to asia to play. the money is getting bigger, endorsement deals, exposure, and above all, respect.

Can Philippines economy support a financially stable pro billiards tour where foreigners will come stay and compete during the year?
 
Spade said:
People say that pro players may start having to move to asia to play. the money is getting bigger, endorsement deals, exposure, and above all, respect.

Can Philippines economy support a financially stable pro billiards tour where foreigners will come stay and compete during the year?
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I think the argument or the question should be is " WILL the Philippines government support it ? "

I had no doubt in my mind that the P.I.'s has the financial capability to support such events. it is a question of willingness to invest. the P.I. is not that poor compared to countries who export diamonds. that is quite an irony considering that diamond trade is a multi-billion investment. :confused:
 
Its not just the Philippines. The Asian 9-Ball Tour also has events in China, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, etc. The events are seen live on cable TV, and have millions of viewers.

But I don't think expats can play? I haven't seen any.
 
The tournaments there aren't lucrative.. And I think for the Asian 9-ball Tour they'd have to get citizenship first. Maybe SG or HK would be easiest :)

Cost of living is really low, they have Kenny Rogers' Roasters, BUT I would think money games in Manila as a living is a tough life! :p
 
14.1player said:
The tournaments there aren't lucrative.. And I think for the Asian 9-ball Tour they'd have to get citizenship first. Maybe SG or HK would be easiest :)

Cost of living is really low, they have Kenny Rogers' Roasters, BUT I would think money games in Manila as a living is a tough life! :p
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To get to be a citizen of SG, you would have to give up your US citizenship as SG does not allow dual citizenship, I don't think. The process would probably take several years also.

Also, I think there is no such thing as a citizen of HK. It's part of mainland China. When it was under lease to the UK, many people there got British passports, but I suspect that all ended with the return in 1999.

I wouldn't think you would have to be a citizen of an Asian country to play on the Asian tours , but you might have to establish residency in Asia. Then again, what do I know? :D
 
My personal experience with the Philippines would lead me to say "no" a N. American Pro trying to make a living in the Philippines by playing on the tour alone won't work. Guys like Chamat, Archer, Mika, and others that spend time there only go there to surround themselves with great players, and conditions that make great players. But these guys usually do it at a financial loss. Sure, you might be able to get on as a house pro to earn some kind of a steady income, but the wages would be low and and likewise.........the living standards.
Another reason I could think of would be that I doubt that the pool scene would be very open to foreigners over there. Not to be confused with the hospitality. I've always been treated well when I've visited, but I've never tried to enter any kind of an event either.
Another reason, without hurting any feelings, I would have to say that I don't think that there are any N. Americans that could get into the money consistently enough to make a living strictly off tournament winnings. Yes, I agree that Archer, Morris, Duel and several others are very capable of winning, but I doubt they could do it consistently enough to make a living. I've always thought that when you hear "there's 20 or more players in Manila alone that can play as well as Reyes" has always been a slight overstatement. But I believe that are more than 100 players in Metro Manila alone that play second tier Filipino speed.
Remember that although in players like Reyes, Bustamante, Orcullo, and Parcia we are indeed seeing the best from the Philippines. But when you look at players like Gabica, Kiamco, and Luat..................we're only seeing the players that can afford the application process and provide the necessary documentation to apply for travel visas to the United States.
To sum it all up however, if a player wanted to sharpen their game, saving up some cash, and finding some kind of a living arrangement in either the Philippines or Taiwan for a years time of 'study', in my opinion would be a great idea for improvement.
dave
 
Well said again Tokyo-Dave.

As far as HK is concern, this is actually a place you can be in if you are good. There are only a couple of players that can hack it in pool. You don't have to be a citizen, you just have to have a HKID and that means working in HK with a Working Visa or Dependent Visa. There is a ones a year HK Open Tournament and the winner will be sent by the federation to represent HK in the Asian 9-ball Tour. You can't play for another country for a year if you agree to represent HK.
 
Yes, I think it would be hard for foreigners to make a living off pool in Philippines. even the top ones like Mika and Archer

I dont think Philippines economy can support a IPT like tour, or even a quarter of that size. What are the big filipino based companies?

Taiwan is the most organized where some players have attained real celebrity status like Jennifer Chen and Fong Pang Chao who probably make very good 6 figure incomes. Possibly made enough money over years to be millionaires.

A genereal rule is a country that manufactures their own cars and has other companies in Fortune 500 has healthy economy.

In asia, that leaves Japan and Korea I believe.
To me,
 
Hong Kong does have a place in most sport events.
For the Asian Tours, HK players, though all amateur, take part too. One of them, Au Chi Wai, managed best runner-up in one stop in 04 or 05. And in last year's World Cup, the HK team were through to quarter-final.
However, don't expect to make a living here, cuz they have no pro torneys. (snooker is a more popular cue sport in HK)
 
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