President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was presented with a championship billiards table during a courtesy call at the Malacañang Palace recently. The presentation was led by Pampanga Fourth District Representative Anna York Bondoc-Sagum.
The billiard table was crafted from solid Philippine narra hardwood, and crafted by Kapampangan master carpenters led by Martin Manalo. Manolo was the protégé of the late Don Gonzalo Puyat, the country's first manufacturer of bowling lanes, furniture, and billiard tables.
"We are honored to present to our beloved President and cabalen and to the rest of the nation this championship table especially made for the first 'Philippine Challenge Billiards Tournament," Sagum said during the call.
The quality of this billiard table is superb, as each aspect of design is taken a step or two beyond the standard procedures of most modern table manufacturers. Standard procedures by table makers call for simply attaching the Italian slate top to the body of the table, since the slate is machine-finished smoothly enough by the Italian quarries. The Puyat artisans go a step further when it comes to the slate; they sand and hone the slate by hand, to be 100% certain that it is perfectly level.
The championship table is a showcase of Kapampangan artistry, with slate from Italy, cloth and balls from Belgium, maple cues from Canada, and lumber and master labor from the Philippines.
Others present during the courtesy call include former congressman Juan Pablo Bondoc, Aristeo Puyat, Jose Puyat, Representative Rey Aquino, San Luis Mayor Jayson Sagum and Rolly Vicente, manager of the "magician" Efren "Bata" Reyes.
The billiard table was crafted from solid Philippine narra hardwood, and crafted by Kapampangan master carpenters led by Martin Manalo. Manolo was the protégé of the late Don Gonzalo Puyat, the country's first manufacturer of bowling lanes, furniture, and billiard tables.
"We are honored to present to our beloved President and cabalen and to the rest of the nation this championship table especially made for the first 'Philippine Challenge Billiards Tournament," Sagum said during the call.
The quality of this billiard table is superb, as each aspect of design is taken a step or two beyond the standard procedures of most modern table manufacturers. Standard procedures by table makers call for simply attaching the Italian slate top to the body of the table, since the slate is machine-finished smoothly enough by the Italian quarries. The Puyat artisans go a step further when it comes to the slate; they sand and hone the slate by hand, to be 100% certain that it is perfectly level.
The championship table is a showcase of Kapampangan artistry, with slate from Italy, cloth and balls from Belgium, maple cues from Canada, and lumber and master labor from the Philippines.
Others present during the courtesy call include former congressman Juan Pablo Bondoc, Aristeo Puyat, Jose Puyat, Representative Rey Aquino, San Luis Mayor Jayson Sagum and Rolly Vicente, manager of the "magician" Efren "Bata" Reyes.
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