Saturday, April 28, 2007 BSCP's decision to drop him surprises Corteza
REIGNING national pool champion Lee Vann Corteza of Davao City expressed surprise on the Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines' decision to replace him for the 2nd leg of the Guinness 9-Ball Tour set May 18 to 20 in Kaoshiung, Chinese Taipei.
Corteza, also the 2006 All-Japan Open champion, settled for the runner-up honors behind titlist Chang Jun Lin in the Jakarta, Indonesia leg of the Guinness Tour last week.
"Ewan ko nga bakit hindi na ako makakapaglaro sa susunod na leg. Pero okay lang kung iyan ang desisyon ng BSCP. Mapulitika nga siguro talaga ang isports natin dito (I don't know why I could no longer play in the next leg. But it's okay with me if that's the decision of BSCP. Maybe that's how politics meddles in our sports here)," Corteza told Sun.Star Davao.
Marlon Manalo, Antonio Lining, Antonio Gabica, Alex Pagulayan and current World Pool champion Ronato Alcano will represent the country in the Taipei leg.
Alcano didn't even figure in the final four of the Jakarta leg unlike Corteza and Dennis Orcollo.
The 28-year-old Corteza, however, will still have his hands full with the Predator Open 9-Ball Tournament in Florida, USA by the end of May and then continue his campaigns in other states there.
He will next see action in the International Challenge of Champions with Alcano on August 8 and 9 also in the USA.
