LEGENDARY Filipino player Jose ‘Amang’ Parica has nothing but respect for compatriot Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes for what he has done in elevating the sports of billiards to unprecedented heights.
But he doesn’t see the so-called ‘Magician’ as the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) of the sport, as some quarters claim it.
For the 77-year-old Parica, American Shane Van Boening deserves the tag more than anybody else.
“Para sa sarili ko lang, ang the greatest sa totoo lang, sa No. 1 spot si Shane Van Boening,” said Parican when asked by SPIN.ph on his take about the matter during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum on Tuesday.
READ Will there ever be the next Efren 'Bata' Reyes?
“Hindi ko sinisiraan si Efren. Ang (major) title niya 8-ball, one-pocket, at tsaka 9-ball. Tatlo. E si Shane Van Boening, lahat e. Lahat ng kategorya. Banks, one-pocket, straight pool, lahat. Name it, nag-champion siya.”
Van Boening 43, had won a lot of major championships in billiards history, making him a six-time Player of the Year winner by AZBilliards and Billiards Digest Magazine, which also named him ‘Player of the Decade’ for the 2010s.
“Si Shane Van Boeining five-time US champion, five-time 10-ball champion, four-time world champion, 150 major titles. Sino ang gumawa nun? Walang iba. Wala ng makaka-break ng record ni Van Boening,” said Parica in the same session held at the Philippine Sports Commission media room.
Van Boening was in the country just days ago as a member of Team Rest of the World which defeated Team Asia in the 2026 edition of the Reyes Cup, a tournament held in honor of Bata Reyes.
Parica believes Reyes’ charisma and highly-creative plays in the pool table made him a favorite among billiards fans.
“Siyempre paborito si Efren ng mga tao, puwede siyang manalo by popularity,” said the US-based Filipino great. “Pero by voting, hindi siya mananalo.”
Parica, the first one to open the doors for Filipino players to compete internationally including Reyes, 72, and another legend in Francisco ‘Django’ Bustamante, added there are other players who’ve won more major international titles than Bata.
“Kasi ang No. 2 si Mike Sigel, No. 3 si Earl Strickland, ang No. 4 si Buddy Hall, No. 5 si Johnny Archer, tapos si Corey Duel. E 'yun over 100 major championships.”
Parica, who owned the distinction of winning a race-to-11 contest from the opening break – without missing a single shot, added he has won more than 100 titles in his career since turning pro in 1974, but only has 36 major titles, the most by any Filipino player, according to him.
“Pinaka-marami po ako. Pangalawa si Dennis Orcullo, Pangatlo siguro baka si Efren. Or pang-apat si (Alex) Pagulayan. Major championships ang pinag-uusapan natin.
“Kapag magbobotohan, wala na tayong panalo talaga. Kasi yun na lang kay Van Boening hindi na tatalunin.”
Now an owner of a home care facility in Los Angeles, Parica, who once donned the country’s national color in the 1987 Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta where he won a silver medal, said he has a very good relationship with Reyes, who has been considered by many as his long-time rival as the greatest Filipino billiards player of all time.
“Si Efren tsaka ako very close naman kami, kaya lang naman kami magkalaban kapag tournament na. Enemy kami. Ganyan sa mga exhibition,” he said, adding on record he has beaten Reyes four times in their head-to-head duel.
“Sa exhibition wala kaming bigayan kasi nakataya ang pangalan namin.”
Parica, who was with his son Ramon, is currently in town trying to put up a billiards tournament bearing his name – the maiden Amang Parica Cup being eyed to be held in Manila in February of 2027.
The format of the tournament – which could offer as much as P1 million to the champion - will depend on the number of entries. Parica is looking at 256 players kicking off with a nationwide qualifying tournament, with the top 128 seeing action in Manila for the main draw.
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