Jose “Amang” Parica had to pull a stool every time it was his turn to make a shot when he first played pool at his father’s billiard hall in Blumentritt, Manila. He was just seven years old when he first struck a cue ball with a cue that was much longer than his height, on a table that was just as high as he was. Parica literally grew up with a cue in his hands. He was born on April 18, 1946, he now lives in West Covina, California with his high school sweetheart, Ate Aurora. After more than 100 championship titles under his belt, Amang is still living in the world of pool and still slugging it out with the best of them.
He got the attention of the billiard world by placing in a tie for 9th to 12th places.
At 64, Parica has been playing in the seniors tour if there is one, but he continues to dominate much younger players from the Philippines, USA, and the world. In the early ‘70s, he had won all the tournaments that had to be won in the Philippines, but he felt he still did not earn the recognition he felt he deserved. Finally, in 1975, he got his break. A Japanese billiard player and promoter was looking for a Pinoy player to compete in a tournament in Japan and went looking for a guy known only as “Amang.” Word got around fast, and soon Parica was on his way to Japan for his first major tournament outside his beloved country. He was 25 and bagged fourth place in the Tokyo International Open that year and got invited to the tournament every year. In 1976, he organized the Philippine Pocket Billiards Association and became its first president. In 1978, he was able to get enough sponsors to compete in his first ever tournament in the United States, the World Open Straight Pool Championship. He was the only Filipino and probably the smallest in the tournament. He got the attention of the billiard world by placing in a tie for 9th to 12th places. Amang did not win a US title until 1986 when he won the World Open 9-ball in Lexington, then followed it up with a victory in the World Classic Cup title in Aurora, Illinois.
In 1987, he went back to the Philippines to show some skills he learned from the world’s best players and encouraged Filipino players to compete in the prestigious and more financially rewarding US billiard circuit. He wanted other Filipinos to follow the trail to world success.
Soon, Pinoy players Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante joined Parica in lording it over the American circuit. Parica has won close to 100 tournaments in the US, 13 in Japan, and three in the Philippines. In 1988, he won the biggest and richest tournament ever in Tokyo, Japan by beating arch-rival Efren Reyes in the finals. There were 900 players and had a total purse of $900,000. That year alone, Parica had a total winning of $289,000.
Just a week ago, I had a chance to talk to him when he invited me to his mansion house in West Covina. Amang and Ate Aurora prepared some Filipino foods and red wine on the side. A typical Pinoy culture, when someone invites you for a small get-together party, we tend to bring along some friends, and that Tuesday night, we were in a group of five heading east of L.A.- West Covina. Amang, who is a semi-retired professional pool player, is considering hanging up his cues for good. He’s not getting younger and wants to spend his lot of times lost with his loved ones. “Pare, alam ko pagod ka na rin, at marami na tayong nararamdaman sa katawan, tama si Ate Au, mag-relax ka na lang at lasapin ang nalalabing sarap sa buhay. Mawawala ka man sa paningin namin sa bilyaran, alaalamo ay dala namin lagi saan man kami maglalaro. Idolo ka at nirerespeto ka namin lahat na kapwa mo bilyaristang Pinoy. Mabuhay ka, “Amang”.