PH pool players having problems securing Japanese visas
By Marlon Bernardino
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 10 Aug 2024
Manila—Some of the country's Filipino pool players cannot enter Japan through the regular procedures for the Japan Open, a traditional international billiards tournament. This was revealed by Hideki Saito, a Japanese professional pool tournament promoter who runs a billiard hall in the Philippines, on Saturday.
"The Japan Professional Pocket Billiards Association (JPBA) in Japan does not prepare documents that meet the requirements of Japan. Why? There is nothing I can do as a foreigner. All the problems are within Japan," said Saito through his interpreter, Roel Esquillo, a Filipino International Billiard Champion.
"A two-week short-term entertainment visa is fine for us. We come to Japan a few days before the Japan Open to get in shape, practice, and become champions," he added.
The Filipino pool players scheduled to participate in the Japan Open, to be held on September 14-16, 2024, in Tokyo, Japan, are Antonio "Nickoy" Lining, Rodrigo "Edgie Marilao" Geronimo, Patrick Gonzales, Jayson Marabi, Romsel Aloro, John Paul Ortega, Rommel Santos, and the lady pool players Denden Santos and Sofia Santos.
Esquillo, on the other hand, said Japanese Masaki Okada, a regional director of the JPBA who is in charge of promoting billiards in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba, needs to take action by communicating with the Japanese Immigration in Tokyo to secure a certificate of eligibility for the Filipino players, which will then be sent to the Japanese Embassy in Manila to secure an entertainment visa.
"Mr. Hideki Saito transferred 44,000 yen and 88,000 yen for each player to the JPBA Kanto Branch account and received an invitation letter," said Esquillo, who has won numerous billiard tournaments in Japan.
"However, we need an entertainment visa. The organizer of the Japan Open, Japanese Masaki Okada, needed to help us, but he didn't take action on this matter," said Esquillo.
"If this matter is not resolved, it will happen again in future tournaments, like the All Japan Championships," he added.
Saito and Esquillo are scheduled to visit the Games and Amusements Board office in Makati on Monday.
It should be recalled that Filipino Dennis Orcollo settled for second place to eventual champion Japanese Tomoya Lima in the 2023 Japan Open. Orcollo was down 7-2 but managed to stage a comeback; however, he came up short. The final score was 8-6 in favor of Lima.
Prior to this match, there were 15 Japanese and 15 Filipinos who had won the Japan Open. Lima became the 16th Japanese to win this Open, breaking the deadlock with the Philippines. —Marlon Bernardino—
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