ALL-Filipino champion Manila Load Manna Knights took another giant step closer to winning back-to-back PCAP championships.

And Manila, which made history by winning the All-Filipino crown over the Toledo Trojans last May, did it by bringing down defending champion and top favorite Pasig Pirates.

Led by GM Oliver Barbosa, IM Paulo Bersamina and IM Yosef Taher, Manila slammed the door on Pasig, 9-12, 12.5-8.5 and 3-0 in Armageddon to book a title showdown with two-time winner San Juan Predators in the Northern Conference.

Barbosa outwitted IM Eric Labog, Bersamina outclassed Kevin Arquero and Taher shocked GM Mark Paragua as Manila swept Pasig, 3-0, in their tensely-fought three-game playoffs.

Earlier, the two teams split their first two matches, with Pasig winning, 12-9, and Manila fighting back , 12.5-8.5.

Pasig struck first as Gombosuren Munkhgal edged Barbosa, 2-1; Rowelyn Acedo blanked Shania Mae Mendoza, 3-0; and Jerome Villanueva upset Bersamina, 2-0, in the first of their two-match semifinal encounter.

The Pirates appeared headed to a two-match sweep as they took a commanding 5.5-1.5 win over the Load Manna Knights in the blitz competition in the second match.

The turning point came in the rapid tournament as Manila overpowered Pasig, 11-3, to win the second match and force a three-game Armageddon play.

Winning 2-0 for Manila in rapid were Taher over Idelfonso Datu, Mendoza over Sherily Cua, IM Chito Garma over IM Cris Ramayrat, David Elorta over Marc Kevin Labog and Bersamina over Eric Labog.

Arquero was the lone victor for Pasig as he defeated Jan Emmanuel Garcia.

It was all Manila in the three-game playoffs.

Overshadowed by Manila’s dramatic, come-from-behind triumph were the San Juan Predators, who made short work of No. 4 seed Cagayan Kings, 15-6, 18-3, in the other North semis.

GM Rogelio Barcenilla, Jr., former World Youth campaigner Karl Victor Ochoa, Jan Jodilyn Fronda, Victor Moskalenko and Rolando Nolte carried the fight for San Juan in a two-game sweep of Cagayan.

Ochoa defeated Rustum Tolentino of Cagayan, 4-2; Fronda whipped April Joy Ramos, 5.5-.5; Moskalenko humbled Alexei Barsov, 2-1 and Nolte routed Anwar Cabugatan and Robert Mania, 5-1.

There were no surprises in the Southern Conference.

All-Filipino runner-up and elimination round topnotcher Toledo Trojans swept No. 4 seed Davao Eagles, 15.5-5.5 and 16.5-4.5 and No. 2 seed Camarines Eagles blanked No.3 Iloilo Kisela Knights, 12.5-8.5 and 12-9, to arrange a titular showdown.

The winners of the Northern and Southern Conferences will dispute the overall championship.

PCAP, the country’s first and only play-for-pay league, is headed by President- Commissioner Atty. Paul Elauria and Chairman Michael Angelo Chua.

The two-division, 16-team tournament is sponsored by San Miguel Corporation, Ayala Land and PCWorx and sanctioned by the Games and Amusements Board (GAB), headed by Chairman Atty. Francisco Rivera.

Playoff schedule:

North — No. 1 San Juan vs. No. 3 Manila
South — No. 1 Toledo Trojans vs. No. 2 Camarines Eagles.

AUTHOR PROFILE

Ed Andaya