Filipino Contenders Remain in the Hunt as APPT Manila Searches for a New Champion
The APPT Manila Main Event will crown a new champion this year after defending champion Justin Ong failed to survive the four starting flights.
Ong captured the 2025 APPT Manila Main Event after defeating a 1,246-entry field, but his title defense came to an end before Day 2 of this year’s record-breaking tournament.
While the defending champion is out, the Philippines still has several players carrying the country’s hopes into the second day.
Cezar Quiambao sits near the top of the leaderboard with 484,000 chips, while Jonald Garcia has 432,000. David Erquiaga also enters Day 2 with 388,000.
There is also an interesting piece of APPT Manila history still alive in the field.
Xiong Cheng, winner of the 2024 APPT Manila Main Event held at Cove Manila, survived the starting flights with 221,000 chips.
Former APPT Championship winner Minwoong Jeong also remains in contention, although he begins Day 2 with 120,000 chips.
With 269 players returning, the tournament features a mixture of established champions, international professionals and Filipino contenders.
The question now is whether experience will prevail—or whether a new name will emerge as the next APPT Manila Main Event champion.
