AJ Manas is next big thing in PH billiards
Published Oct 16, 2025 02:33 pm
AJ Manas, top left, is a future world champion, says Django Bustamante. (Matchroom Pool)
AJ Manas continues to turn heads in international competitions, and for his exploits he surely got the attention of Filipino legend Francisco “Django” Bustamante.
Bustamante placed high expectations on the 19-year-old Manas, knowing that the prodigy could be the next world champion from the Philippines.
“Darating ang panahon, ito tandaan ninyo, magiging world champion ‘yang bata na ‘yan,” said Bustamante during 2025 Reyes Cup press conference Wednesday, Oct. 15.
“Kasi bata pa siya, magaling na, lalo na pag nabatak sa mga tournaments at sa practice, basta magiging world champion ‘yang bata na ‘yan,” he added.
It was a bold prediction by Bustamante, who himself etched his name as one of the best players in the world alongside fellow cue master Efren "Bata" Reyes.
Manas, on the other hand, is vying in the World Nineball Tour where he aims to capture his first major crown in one of its events.
Asked about how he compares to Manas during his age, Bustamante knew he had the edge.
“No’ng araw kasi puro pustahan lang eh, walang namang mga tournament, ngayon lang ‘yan dumating, pero compared mo ko kay AJ, no’ng edad ko ‘yong edad nya, talo ko siya,” said Bustamante with his signature smirk.
“Mas malakas loob ko no’ng bata ako, kahit sa’n ako pumunta dala ko tako ko at saka hindi ako nahihiya kahit kanino,” he added.
This time, Bustamante and Manas would be having a mentor-mentee relationship as the two Filipino cue artists headline Team Asia for the second edition of Reyes Cup at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium slated Oct. 16 to 19.
“Ako ‘yong pumili sa kanya, malaki naman ‘yong tiwala ko dyan, ‘di ko naman kukunin ‘yan kung wala akong tiwala sa kanya, magaling na ‘yang bata na ‘yan,” Bustamante continued.
The 61-year-old Bustamante, who once reigned in world nine-ball way back in 2010, served as a non-playing captain for the Asian bets which also has country’s top players in Johann Chua, Carlo Biado, as well as Singaporean Aloysius Yapp, and Vietnamese Duong Quoc Hoang.
The squad looks to defend its title from last year’s inaugural edition against the formidable Team Rest of the World, bannered by World No. 1 Fedor Gorst, Skyler Woodward (US), Spain’s Francisco Sanchez Ruiz, Germany’s Moritz Neuhausen, and Great Britain’s Jayson Shaw under captain Jeremy Jones.