MANILA, 19 July — This time, Efren "Bata" Reyes — the man called the "Magician" — simply can’t wield his Harry Potter-like wand to get his wish for the Busan Asian Games hostilities.

The Philippine billiards team will compete in the quadrennial Games in South Korea without 9-ball ace Francisco "Django" Bustamante, Reyes’ most fearsome partner and considered a serious contender for the gold in the event.

The Billiards and Snooker Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) ruled out Bustamante’s participation in the games despite the legendary Reyes’ siren appeal to have his buddy included in the national team.

So it’s final, it’s no go for Bustamante.

His exclusion means keeping the original team of Reyes — the 1999 world nine-ball champion — Antonio "Nickoy" Lining, Warren Kiamco and Lee Van Corteza to do the task in Busan.

BSCP President Ernesto Fajardo said they were left with no other choice but to thumb down Bustamante’s wish of playing for the national team because all the slots have long been given to other players.

"Of course, we want to win as many gold medals as possible in the Asian Games but we have to follow a system," said Fajardo. "We have a system in forming the team and we just can’t add another player at the expense of one who has been training for a year now."

Fajardo recalled the BSCP bending its rules last year to accommodate Rodolfo "Boy Samson" Luat and Leonardo "Dodong" Andam for the Kuala Lumpur Southeast Asian Games also because of popular clamor.

Alas, it was the trio of original team members Lining, Kiamco and Corteza who delivered the gold.

"Lining, Kiamco at Corteza also deserve to be with the national team. It’s but natural for us to give them the chance to show their worth," said Fajardo.

Indeed, the thing that prevented Bustamante from playing for the national colors was the system of selection being followed by the BSCP considering all national team members have gone through a series of qualifying tournaments and rigid preparations for the regional competition.

Bustamante had announced his availability for the Asian Games only recently after getting the go-signal from his sponsors in Germany where he is now based.

But even without Bustamante, Fajardo is still oozing with confidence that the national team is capable of getting the lion’s share of the 10 gold medals to be contested in the sport seen as one of the country’s potential source of medals.

Earlier, Reyes blasted the leadership of the BSCP for excluding Bustamante in the national team. Reyes said the country’s chances to win more gold medals in billiards in Busan has suffered a big blow because of the exclusion of Bustamante.

"If Django’s around, we will have the edge in pocket billiards (9-ball, 8-ball, 9-ball doubles). Django has the composure to win big in international competitions," said Reyes, who earned the tag as the "Magician" for his penchant for hitting close-to-impossible shots.

National coach Ramon Ancaja scratched Bustamante’s name in the roster, a decision which did not sit well with the billiards king.

Reyes recalled that he even asked the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for help regarding Bustamante’s case but was prevailed upon by local billiards officials, who said it would be unfair to the rest of the team who’ve been practicing together for more than a year.

He said Bustamante, who recently won the Motolite nine-ball international challenge which featured the world’s leading pool sharks at the Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, may still make it to Busan if somebody from the team will relinquish his slot at the 11th hour.

"I don’t see any of my teammates giving up his slot for Django. They won’t simply do that," he stressed.

Reyes’ manager Rolly Vicente was more straight to the point. "Our opponents shiver when they see Django. I also can’t understand the decision to leave Efren out of nine-ball."

Likewise, Reyes expressed surprise on the decision of the snooker and billiards association to field him in the eight-ball along with Corteza and not in his favorite nine-ball event in Busan.

So why field Reyes in the 8-ball competitions when he has a better chance of winning the gold medal in the 9-ball event?

"I don’t know really what happened. I’m more comfortable in the nine-ball event," said Reyes.

Yet count at least one for Reyes.

He is already assuring the country of a gold in the individual and double events of the 8-ball competitions.

Reyes said when he was offered a slot to the Asian Games by the BSCP last year, he expressed his intentions to play the 9-ball, 8-ball and rotation.

The veteran pool shark had asked BSCP officials to allow him to play in the 9-ball event, where he said he has a strong chance to pocket a second gold.

"But after the rotation event has been scratched by the organizers in Busan, I was instead tapped to play the 8-ball and English billiards (three-cushion and 18-1 bank line). The 9-ball was not given to me," he said.

Joining Reyes in the 9-ball competitions is Corteza. To vie for the 9-ball individual and 9-ball doubles are Lining and Kiamco.

Reyes said that he is not belittling the skills of Lining and Kiamco but offered that the country has bigger chances of winning the 9-ball gold in Busan with a Reyes-Bustamante partnership.

"My teammates are credible competitors, and they can beat anytime," said Reyes. "Our main concern now are our opponents in Busan."

He considered Taiwanese and Japanese bets as the Filipino cue masters’ main rivals for the pocket billiards mints, but Reyes expressed confidence Filipino players have the edge in the eight-ball event.

Currently, Reyes is in Cardiff, Wales, seeing action in the nine-day World Pool Championships. Joining Reyes for the team are Bustamante, newcomer Dennis Orcullo and Leonardo Andam.

But while he exudes some confidence in the World Championship, Reyes expressed mixed feelings on his Asian Games debut.

Reyes admitted he is nervous about his first-ever stint in the Asian Games. He had represented the Philippines in three previous competitions, all of them in the Southeast Asian Games.

The mere mention of Reyes’ name, just like Bustamante’s, is enough to sow fear among the 9-ball field in the Asian Games which is considered a notch lower than the World Championship in terms of prestige and toughness.