MANILA, 2 August — Francisco “Django” Bustamante is joining the Philippine team to the Busan Asian Games, after all.

A whistling performance in the just-concluded 2002 World Pool Championships in Cardiff, Wales, earned for Bustamante a collective nod of approval from the Billiards and Snookers Congress of the Philippines (BSCP) for him to form the backbone of the country’s campaign in the prestigious regional games.

“I’ll compete in Busan,” said the former world number one.

Bustamante made the commitment just minutes after arriving in a Royal Dutch Airways flight from Cardiff, Wales, where he finished second to American pool great Earl “The Pearl” Strickland in the world’s most prestigious pocket billiards tournament.

The BSCP initially did not want to include Bustamante to its Busan squad but apparently had a change of heart after the 38-year-old cuemaster rose above personal tragedy to place a fighting second in the world meet.

The BSCP was impressed by the Filipino’s sentimental run in Cardiff, offered a spot to him a day before he lost to Strickland in the finals.

Regarded as one of the world’s finest billiards players today, Bustamante immediately declared his willingness and readiness to play for flag and country in Busan so long as his entry won’t cost another member of the current squad his spot.

The four members of the billiards and snooker team had been training for the last four years and Bustamante himself believes it would be heartless to drop a member to make room for him.

That shouldn’t pose a problem, though, since BSCP President Ernie Fajardo has already made arrangements with the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to open one more spot for Bustamante in the billiards and snooker team bound for Busan.

The BSCP hinted Bustamante may most likely play 9-ball singles, although the assignment of events to players will be ultimately decided in a meeting to be held among coach Ramon Arcaja, the players and officials of the billiards body. BSCP’s latest decision was made by Fajardo to POC chief Celso Dayrit, who in turn relayed the message to Carrasco.

“I received a text message from Dayrit that Fajardo has told him they (BSCP) will now include Django in the Asian Games team,” he said.

“The billiards and snooker has been allotted 10 slots in the delegation, although they earlier said they will send only eight. It’s up to them how many players they will send in Busan and what events they are going to field entries,” Carrasco explained.

His showing in Cardiff, indeed, triggered a sudden change of heart by the BSCP.

“With his exemplary showing in Cardiff, which is the most important tournament in pocket billiards in the world, we can’t appreciate Django’s capabilities enough,” said Fajardo. “It is for this reason that we open the door for his participation in the Asiad. We know how hard Django worked for this and we recognize that.”

Fajardo is confident that the national team will be getting a 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.

The BSCP’s turnaround is just the latest in an enormous outpouring of support for Bustamante. Fajardo said the BSCP decision was reached in consultation with chairman Bong Ilagan and members of its board.

The Philippine team will gun for a total of six gold medals ñ three each in billiards and snooker ó in Busan. Bustamante had earlier announced his availability for the Asian Games after getting the go-signal from his sponsors in Germany where he is now based.

“I’m more than happy to carry the country’s colors,” said Bustamante, who returned to sad homecoming as he was grieving for his eight-year-old daughter’s death.

His achievement earned him 1.5 million pesos, but it was not enough to ease the pain of losing his only daughter Mariel, whom he regarded as his “lucky charm.”

She died just as the Cardiff event was reaching its crucial stages.

Mariel’s fragile body gave way to an attack of meningococcemia, a disease which usually strikes infants and is characterized by the presence of the meningococcic bacteria in the bloodstream.

For five days in Cardiff, he tried to put the image of Mariel, whose picture is always in his wallet, as a rallying point as he played against the world’s best of the best in billiards. He used her memory as inspiration in the trying matches that demanded his full skill and concentration. The 38-year old Tarlaqueno arrived in the company of good friend Efren “Bata” Reyes and teammates Antonio Lining and Leonardo “Dodong” Andam.

When they arrived at the airport to the glare of camera lights, Bustamante was calm and composed.

Bustamante gamely obliged as photographers and cameramen swarmed around him and Reyes. He felt comfortable in the company of friends and fans.

Upon reaching the funeral parlor, however, his mood quickly turned somber. Reality struck him that Mariel was gone and only her ashes will keep him company in future tournaments.

“I’m well now. I’m quite happy and sad at the same time. I gave everything I’ve got for my daughter and for our country. She was always in my mind while I’m playing,” said Bustamante, who headed straight to the Rizal Funeral Homes in Pasay City with his fellow cuemasters.

Bustamante said he would have abandoned the Cardiff tournament but decided to play for the sake of flag and country, and most especially for the Filipino supporters in Cardiff.

“I’m grateful for the support that our countrymen gave me and my teammates in Cardiff,” he said. “I don’t want to disappoint them so I’ll be willing to accept a slot in the Philippine team to the Asian Games. Provided, of course, that other players won’t be displaced.”

Bustamante admitted he wasn’t in peak form during the finals against Strickland but still felt he had the win in the bag until he scratched on his break while leading 15-13.

But Bustamante said he will be back next year in Cardiff for another shot at glory.

Django had led for the majority of the final against Strickland but the latter took his chance when he trailed 15-13 and rolled off four straight racks to take the title.

But Bustamante was magnanimous in defeat. “I can accept it when I lose. I just shake the guy’s hand and get on with it,” he said after the match. “I haven’t played many World Championships, only five or six, and I hope my time will still come.

“Earlier during the day, I had thought about what it would be like to be called world champion, what it would mean to my family and to the people at home, and when I came in to the building I was thinking I could win.

“Second place isn’t bad and I would like to dedicate it to my daughter. I hope she is well where she is.

“It’s hard to accept losing after being ahead for so long but Earl is a good player and although he probably talks too much, I had no problem with his behavior during the game.

“When I was 2-1 up I had a chance to win the rack but I missed the 6-ball and that let him back in when I could maybe have won some more racks.”

Bustamante added that he had thought the match was his when he stood just two racks from victory. “He came back well but I knew that when I was 15-13 up if I would have made a good position I would have won.