LAUNCHED: Makati Skyscrapers of Manny Pacquiao’s Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL)
Senator Manny Pacquiao lives up to being a true sports advocate. In August 2017, he launched the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, a semi-professional men’s basketball league which opens up opportunities for our skillful players in other parts of the country. MPBL, which airs on ABS-CBN Sports (Sports + Action), features regional commercial teams. It does not aim to compete with the country’s top professional basketball league, PBA or Philippine Basketball Association.
Officially launched last Friday, June 15, is the Makati-based sixth expansion team tagged as the Makati Skyscrapers. Head Coach Cholo Villanueva, Team Owners Paolo Orbeta and Paolo Pineda, Team Manager Martin Arenas, and Team Captain Mark Isip entertained questions from the press.
Here are the interviews:
- What forms of help does the Makati Skyscrapers team get from the local government of Makati?
- Former UAAP and PBA players manage the Makati Skyscrapers. What were the qualifications to make it to the team? Was there an age limit?
- Who does the team see as their toughest competitors?
- Do players have a salary cap?
- Why does the team have no Filipino-American player?
- Martin Arenas answers how he divides his time working as the Makati Skyscrapers’ team manager and Brgy. Dasmarinas’ barangay captain.
Team owner Paolo Orbeta shares training secrets and the major deciding factor in choosing players:
