Joselito Malig

Article (news)

Paige Javier

ABS-CBN News

MANILA – &quot;The Magician&quot; intends to keep on showcasing his tricks on the pool table for as long as he can.  Despite losing to Ralf &quot;The Kaiser&quot; Souquet in the WNT Legends third place playoff, Efren &quot;Bata&quot; Reyes said he&#x27;s not done playing pool just yet. &quot;Wala hindi ko alam. Habang pwede pa, maglalaro pa ako,&quot; Reyes told reporters on Friday when asked until when he will be playing. Though he has not played competitive pool as regularly as before, fans still get a glimpse of Reyes during exhibition matches and showcases like WNT Legends. &quot;Hindi ko alam Reyes Cup hindi ako maglalaro. Philippines Open, baka hindi rin. Ang mga pwede ako maglaro yung mga ganito lang,&quot; he said. Last year, Reyes had to skip competing in the inaugural Philippines Open due to a minor health concern.  He still delighted fans in an exhibition game with his compatriot and fellow icon Francisco &quot;Django&quot; Bustamante. Reyes earlier defeated American pool legend Earl &quot;The Pearl&quot; Strickland and bowed to Souquet in their matchup on the second day.  &quot;Dito ang performance ko dito, walang swerte. Eh lahat ng mga kalaban ko gumagaling. At saka kinakampihan sila ng bola,&quot; he said. Despite not feeling the luck at the pool table, Reyes said he still felt like a winner because of the outpouring of support he got from the crowd. &quot;Siyempre sa mga followers, nagpapasalamat sa kanila hanggang ngayon sinusubaybayan ako,&quot; he said. &quot;The Magician&quot; hopes events like these inspire more Filipinos, especially the youth, to play billiards and hopefully represent the Philippines on the world stage. Among the rising young pool Filipino players include 2025 Reyes Cup MVP AJ Manas and Jaybee Sucal, who are both under 20 years old. &quot;Malaking bagay din sa amin ito. Siyempre tinatangkilik nila yung bilyar. Lalong lalo na ngayon maraming kabataang gumagaling, baka nga yung ibang kabataan nandito nanonood,&quot; Reyes said. &quot;Napakaganda dahil marami nang pumapalit sa amin. Lalo na ngayon may anim na taong [gulang] palang marami nang magaling, yung 13 years old yung tira namin dati kaya nila gawin,&quot; he added. Reyes expressed confidence in the current crop of young Filipino pool players, who he believes can make it big and keep the Philippines on the map. &quot;Itong pagka-legend ito na, dumating na sa akin. Hindi ko na mababalik yung dating galing para madadagdagan. Meron nang papalit ngayon, yung mga kabataang papalit na magiging legend din,&quot; he said.

"The Magician" intends to keep on showcasing his tricks on the pool table for as long as he can.

"The Magician" intends to keep on showcasing his tricks on the pool table for as long as he can.

Efren 'Bata' Reyes: ‘Habang pwede pa, maglalaro pa ako’

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Efren 'Bata' Reyes: ‘Habang pwede pa, maglalaro pa ako’

Paige Javier,

ABS-CBN News

Published January 24, 2026 12:51 AM PHT

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billiards

Efren Bata Reyes

WNT Legends

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