Inside pool halls and billiard lounges around Winnipeg, Filipino players are shooting stick and keeping the game alive. What might seem like a casual pastime is actually something much deeper—a cultural connection, a community builder, and a way for Winnipeg's Filipino community to maintain ties to a sport that holds profound significance in the Philippines.

"The game of billiards is very important to the Filipino community. It's equivalent to hockey here in Canada," said Marvin Quiambao, a billiards enthusiast who has become a key organizer in Winnipeg's Filipino billiards scene.

The Cultural Significance of Billiards in the Philippines

Billiards (often used as a generic term for cue sports, including pool, which is played on a table with pockets) remains very popular in the Philippines. The country has produced outstanding players, including world champion Efren Reyes, among other prominent players. This national passion for the game travels with Filipino immigrants, creating billiards communities in cities around the world—including Winnipeg.

Efren Reyes: The Magician

Efren Reyes, known as "The Magician," is one of the Philippines' most celebrated billiards players. His success on the world stage helped elevate billiards to a point of national pride in the Philippines, similar to how hockey represents Canadian identity. This cultural connection explains why billiards holds such significance for Filipino communities worldwide.

Building Community Through Billiards in Winnipeg

Quiambao, a billiards enthusiast, is on a mission to create a community and cultural connection through the game. In Winnipeg, he started a Facebook group for Filipino players. He now organizes tournaments and events primarily focused on getting Filipino players together at the tables.

"The Filipino billiards community is very important to me," said Elison Brotonel Duque Jr., who participates in events and tournaments for Filipino players in Winnipeg. "I've been playing pool for 13 years, and whenever I play pool, I feel alive."

This sentiment reflects something deeper than just enjoying a game. For many Filipino players in Winnipeg, billiards provides:

  • Cultural connection: A way to maintain ties to Filipino culture and traditions
  • Community building: Opportunities to meet and connect with other Filipino Winnipeggers
  • Identity preservation: A way to keep an important aspect of Filipino culture alive in a new country
  • Social gathering: Regular events that bring the community together

A Thriving Scene: Tournaments and Events

In Winnipeg, locals are keeping that national pride alive. A recent Filipino players tournament in the city sold out quickly, after 40 players jumped at the opportunity to compete.

"You know that it's thriving when you're able to just put a post up for a tournament and everybody shows up and it's filled within an hour," said Quiambao.

The Power of Community Organization

The rapid sellout of tournaments demonstrates the strength of Winnipeg's Filipino billiards community. When Quiambao posts about an event, the response is immediate and enthusiastic. This level of engagement shows that billiards serves as more than entertainment—it's a vital community connector that brings people together around shared cultural values and interests.

Winnipeg's Pool Halls: Gathering Places for Community

Pool halls and billiard lounges around Winnipeg serve as gathering places where Filipino players can come together. These spaces provide:

  • Regular meetups: Consistent opportunities for community members to connect
  • Tournament venues: Spaces where competitive events can take place
  • Social interaction: Environments where friendships form and cultural bonds strengthen
  • Skill development: Places where players can improve their game and learn from others

These pool halls become more than just recreational facilities—they function as community centers where Filipino culture is preserved and celebrated through the shared experience of billiards.

The Documentary: Showcasing the Community

Winnipeg's thriving Filipino billiards community is the subject of a new video by students in the Create program at Sisler High School, a post-high school program that trains students in the creative digital arts, including filmmaking.

Create students Blake Paguio, Tareq Barhoumeh, Luke Tenorio and Lukas LaForte produced the short video, which explores how Filipino players in Winnipeg have created community connection through the game.

Project POV: Sisler Create

CBC Manitoba's Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short documentaries. The program provides students with real-world experience in documentary filmmaking while highlighting important community stories like Winnipeg's Filipino billiards scene.

Why This Matters: Community and Cultural Preservation

The Filipino billiards community in Winnipeg represents something important about how immigrant communities maintain cultural connections in their new homes. Through organized events, social gatherings, and shared passion for a game that holds deep cultural significance, Filipino Winnipeggers are:

  • Preserving culture: Keeping important aspects of Filipino identity alive in Canada
  • Building community: Creating networks and relationships that support newcomers and long-term residents
  • Sharing traditions: Introducing other Winnipeggers to Filipino culture through accessible, welcoming events
  • Creating belonging: Providing spaces where Filipino identity is celebrated and valued

Getting Involved: How to Connect

For those interested in connecting with Winnipeg's Filipino billiards community:

  • Facebook groups: Look for Filipino billiards groups in Winnipeg, where tournament announcements and meetup information are shared
  • Local pool halls: Visit Winnipeg's pool halls and billiard lounges, where Filipino players regularly gather
  • Tournament attendance: Attend Filipino billiards tournaments as a spectator or participant
  • Community events: Keep an eye out for Filipino community events that may include billiards activities

Experience Winnipeg's Diverse Communities

Winnipeg's Filipino billiards community is just one example of the rich cultural diversity that makes the city special. When you stay at Corydon Cute & Stylish, you're in the heart of a neighborhood that celebrates this diversity. From Filipino billiards tournaments to cultural festivals, Winnipeg offers countless opportunities to experience the communities that call this city home.

After exploring Winnipeg's cultural communities, return to comfortable accommodations in the historic Crescentwood neighborhood. Book your stay and discover why Winnipeg's diverse communities make it such a special place to visit.

Final Thoughts: The Power of Community Through Sport

Winnipeg's Filipino billiards community demonstrates how sports and games can serve as powerful tools for community building and cultural preservation. What might appear to be casual recreation is actually something much more significant—a way for an immigrant community to maintain cultural connections, build social networks, and create belonging in a new country.

As Quiambao's experience organizing tournaments shows, when a community is passionate about something, it doesn't take much to bring people together. A simple Facebook post can fill a tournament in an hour because the community is already there, waiting for opportunities to connect.

For Filipino players like Duque, billiards isn't just a game—it's something that makes them feel alive. And for Winnipeg's Filipino community, these pool halls and tournaments represent something essential: a way to stay connected to culture, to each other, and to a sport that holds profound meaning in the Philippines.

So the next time you pass a pool hall in Winnipeg, remember that inside, you might find more than just players shooting stick. You might find a community keeping a cultural tradition alive, one game at a time.