The pool sport and player Biado
By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.
I WAS not surprised at all on learning that international pool veteran Carlo Biado won the 2nd Chinese Taipei Open 9-Ball Pool Championship in Taiwan last January 12. I’ve been following Biado’s career since his climb to Asia’s top level that rates him today now as the fourth best Filipino pool player. Remember, the Philippines already produced three world pool titans namely Efren “Bata” Reyes, Django Bustamante and Alex Pagulayan.
In addition to his three gold medal triumphs in Southeast Asia Games in 2015 Singapore, 2017 Kuala Lumpur and 2021 Vietnam, the 40-year old Biado also ruled the 2017 Asian Indoor Games, and beat compatriot Bernie Regalario, 13-7, in the All-Filipino finale Taiwan Open to pocket the $10,000 top prize. His other victims en route to the championship were Taiwan prides Chin Feng Wang, Shun Yang Kao, Chan Yu Lun, Yun Cheng Liu, Singapore’s Toh Lian Han, countrymen Jeffrey Roda and Michael Feliciano, Vietnam’s Bui Truong, and Spain’s Sanchez Ruiz.
Unknown to many, except perhaps my wife the former Rita Fernandez and some close friends, the sport pool (or billiards) is my seventh favorite (after cycling, boxing, basketball, table tennis, volleyball and marathon). I used to play this game in the late 1960s in downtown Mangaldan when I still owned a bicycle store. My regular opponents were the late Daddy Baltazar, Tom Caluza, Boying de Guzman, to name some. But unfortunately, my two years addiction to the game resulted in financial constraints, from losing more than winning, the inveterate bettor. Admittedly, it not only seriously affected my family, with three kids to sustain including their education but my training in cycling as well.
Realizing in the end that pool is not really suited for me, I quit the sport for good. I decided to focus on competitive cycling. It was the decision that led to my career as successful professional rider. It created opportunities for me bring multiple honors to our beloved province Pangasinan. Remember, cycling also paved the way for me to become a recording artist under the label of the country’s well-known music company Vicor Music Corporation owned by cousins Victor del Rosario and Orly Ilacad. The rest is history.
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My big congrats to the organizers and game officials of the Department of Education Region 1 Pangasinan Division II of this year’s Fourth Congressional District Sports Tournament for a job well-done. It was participated in by elementary and high school students of Pangasinan from four municipalities headed by Manaoag, San Fabian, San Jacinto and my town Mangaldan (as host) last January 16 and 17. I watched the skirmishes of the table tennis events held at the Senior Citizens Building. As of this writing (Thursday), I don’t have yet the official results of the said tourney.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: And there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior; there is no besides Me. ISAIAH 45: 21
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