Manitoba·VideoWith tournaments and meetups, Winnipeg’s Filipino community celebrates its love of billiards. A new video by Sisler Create students explores the thriving Filipino billiards community in the city.In Philippines, billards ‘equivalent to hockey here in Canada,’ tournament organizer says in new documentaryCBC News · Posted: Dec 07, 2025 7:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence. Filipino players cram Winnipeg’s pool halls to shoot stick and make friends.Filipino pool players in Winnipeg have created a community connection through the game, which remains highly popular in the Philippines. This new video by Sisler Create students explores the thriving Filipino billiards community in the city.Inside pool halls and billiard lounges around Winnipeg, Filipino players are shooting stick and keeping the game alive.”The game of billiards is very important to the Filipino community. It’s equivalent to hockey here in Canada,” said Marvin Quiambao.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.”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.Members of Winnipeg’s Filipino community have brought their love of billiards to Manitoba. (Blake Paguio)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.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.A Filipino billiards group brings players together in Winnipeg for tournaments and meet-ups. (Blake Paguio)Create students Blake Paguio, Tareq Barhoumeh, Luke Tenorio and Lukas LaForte produced the short video. Click the player above to watch it. Meet the filmmakers Blake Paguio is a Filipino Canadian who is a passionate emerging filmmaker, with a growing interest in sports videography and action shots. Blake’s lifelong passion for sports includes basketball, football, rugby, swimming, cross-country and karate. His energetic personality and love for both storytelling and movement continue to fuel his growth as a visual artist. (Jurgen Haussler)Tareq Barhoumeh is a Palestinian Canadian. He was born in Kenora, Ont., but grew up overseas. The Vincent Massey Collegiate graduate has a love for visual storytelling, cinematography and editing. He is greatly inspired by his favourite movies and TV shows, and hopes to one day make movies as a cinematographer. Outside of school, he likes to watch movies and shows, spend time with friends, travel, play violin and listen to music. (Jurgen Haussler)Luke Tenorio has always liked movies and television, and he spent his childhood daydreaming of stories he wanted to tell. Through absurdly good luck, he now has the opportunity to get these stories out of his head and onto the screen. He enjoys writing and editing, and still enjoys daydreaming. (Jurgen Haussler)Lukas LaForte defines himself as a creative individual, drawn to everything from music to visual arts. He is also interested in filmmaking, soundscape design and audio work. Outside of film, he spends his time collecting and listening to records and playing several instruments. (Jurgen Haussler)More about Project POV: Sisler CreateCBC Manitoba’s Project POV: Sisler Create is a storytelling collaboration that partners filmmaking students with CBC Manitoba journalists to produce short docs. You can see past projects here. The Winnipeg School Division’s Create program is hosted at Sisler High School and trains post-high students in the creative digital arts.During fall 2025, CBC journalists taught storytelling to filmmaking students and led producing workshops at Sisler.Create focuses on education and career pathways into the creative industries. Students can take courses in animation, film, game design, visual effects, graphic design and interactive digital media.
Rack ’em: Filipino billiards community thriving in Winnipeg
