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Tag: Vic Manuel

  • Vic Manuel reunites with former PBA teammates as Zamboanga Valientes competes in Dubai

    Vic Manuel reunites with former PBA teammates as Zamboanga Valientes competes in Dubai

    For Vic Manuel, Dubai isn’t just another overseas stop—it’s a rare pause in a long PBA grind, one that allows him to play basketball without the usual pressure, surrounded by familiar faces from different chapters of his career.

     

    Now wearing Zamboanga Valientes colors, Manuel is reunited with former PBA teammates Terrence Romeo, Nick Demusis, and Barkley Ebona as the team competes in the Dubai International Basketball Championship, which tips off Friday. The Valientes departed for Dubai on Thursday afternoon.

     

    At 38, the veteran forward sees the reunion as something he doesn’t take lightly, especially after years of roster changes and short-term contracts across the league. 

     

    For Manuel, the chance to share the floor again—particularly with Romeo, his former San Miguel teammate and championship partner—feels more like a reward than a coincidence.

     

    “Masaya, kahit paano nagkasama-sama kami dito sa Zamboanga, ‘di ba?! Nag-i-enjoy lang kami sa paglalaro ng basketball. Tamang kuwentuhan lang,” Manuel said.

     

    Of the group, Romeo was his most recent teammate in the PBA. The two were dealt together from San Miguel to Terrafirma in exchange for Juami Tiongson and Andreas Cahilig. Demusis previously crossed paths with Manuel at Phoenix, while Ebona was one of his frontcourt partners during his Alaska days—connections that now converge under one banner far from home.

     

    Adding to the familiarity is Greg Slaughter, another Valientes recruit and Manuel’s former teammate on the Gilas Pilipinas squad that captured gold in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. 

     

    Though the two never played together in the PBA, their bond has endured, with Manuel affectionately referring to the former Ateneo center as his “partner.” 

     

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    The Dubai stint, however, was a year in the making.

     

    Manuel revealed that both he and Romeo were already invited to play for Zamboanga during last year’s Dubai tournament, back when they were still with Terrafirma.

     

    “Last Dubai din, tinawagan nila (Valientes) ako, dapat kami ni Terrence din,” he recalled. “Kaso may kontrata pa ako sa Terrafirma. Nag-try akong magpaalam, kaso hindi nila ako pinayagan.

    “Pero tapos na nun yung conference (Commissioner’s Cup). Isang buwan na lang yung kontrata ko sa kanila, Pero yun nga, ‘di ako pinayagan. Tinapos ko na lang din yung kontrata para wala rin silang masabi.”

     

    That patience eventually paid off. After failing to secure a contract renewal with the Dyip, Manuel joined the Valientes and helped them win the Governor Hofer Invitational Basketball Championship in Zamboanga Sibugay. Soon after, team owner Junnie Navarro made it clear that Dubai was already in the plans.

     

    “Last year pa, sinabihan na ako na, ‘O next year (2026), laro ka na,” Manuel said. “Well, masaya namang maglaro kay boss Junnie. Sobrang alaga nila dito ang mga players. Turing nila, parang pamilya na rin.”

     

    Manuel arrives in Dubai in game shape, coming off a brief but intense stint with Converge in the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup. His one-month contract expired shortly after the FiberXers’ playoff heartbreak—a 99-98 overtime loss to Barangay Ginebra.

     

    “Hindi lang naging maganda yung last stint ko. Na-out kami nang maaga,” Manuel admitted, while remaining optimistic about Converge’s long-term direction.

     

    “Pero habang tumatagal, matututo yung team. Magma-matured yan. Malakas naman yung team.”

    For now, though, Manuel is fully locked in on the task at hand. In Dubai, surrounded by old teammates and renewed purpose, the veteran forward isn’t chasing a comeback—he’s simply making the most of the moment.

     

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  • Vic Manuel’s Converge chapter closes quickly, but doors open elsewhere

    Vic Manuel’s Converge chapter closes quickly, but doors open elsewhere

    Vic Manuel’s time with Converge may have been short, but it was enough to stir conversations far beyond the FiberXers’ locker room.

     

    After his month-long contract expired on Monday, the veteran forward officially parted ways with Converge, closing a brief chapter that came late in the PBA Philippine Cup eliminations. 

     

    Manuel will not be renewing his deal and is instead set to suit up for the Zamboanga Valientes, who are bound for the Dubai Invitational Basketball Championship later this month in the United Arab Emirates.

     

    Despite the limited run, Manuel made sure to acknowledge the opportunity given to him by the franchise. In a social media post, he expressed appreciation to the team that brought him in during a crucial stretch of the season.

     

    “Thank you Converge. Short term, but it means a lot to me,” Manuel wrote on Facebook.
     “Good luck fam. See you around.”

     

    The farewell, however, quickly turned into speculation. Fans flooded the comment section with suggestions for where the 38-year-old big man could land next once his overseas stint wraps up. Two destinations stood out: Barangay Ginebra and Titan Ultra.

     

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    Supporters of Titan Ultra see a natural fit, pointing to Manuel’s potential reunion with close friend and team star Calvin Abueva. Others, particularly Ginebra fans, believe the “Muscle Man” still has enough left to be a reliable interior presence—one who could complement the Kings’ veteran frontline of Japeth Aguilar and Troy Rosario.

     

    There’s history behind that idea. Manuel previously played under Ginebra head coach Tim Cone during Gilas Pilipinas’ successful gold-medal run in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, a campaign that showcased his willingness to embrace a defined role within a disciplined system.

     

    Adding another layer to the discussion is recent memory. It was Ginebra that ended Converge’s All-Filipino Cup run, eliminating the FiberXers in the quarterfinals, capped by a dramatic do-or-die overtime win, 99-98. Manuel was part of that short-lived Converge squad that came up just short of a semifinals berth.

     

    Statistically, his impact with the FiberXers was modest—averaging 4.0 points and 1.6 rebounds across three games—but the conversation surrounding his future suggests his value isn’t measured purely by numbers.

     

    For now, Manuel’s focus shifts to Dubai and an international stage. Beyond that, his swift exit from Converge has only reinforced one thing: even brief stints can reopen long-standing debates about where a seasoned veteran still belongs in the PBA landscape.

     

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  • PBA veteran Vic Manuel says title only a matter of time for up-and-coming Converge

    PBA veteran Vic Manuel says title only a matter of time for up-and-coming Converge

    Veteran forward Vic Manuel is bullish on the future of the Converge FiberXers despite the team’s heartbreaking exit from the PBA Season 50 Philippine Cup quarterfinals at the hands of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.

     

    Converge saw its bid for a first-ever semifinal appearance slip away dramatically with Stephen Holt’s buzzer-beating triple lifting Ginebra to a 99–98 overtime victory that ended the FiberXers’ season. 

    The loss came after Converge squandered a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinal round, including a lopsided 105–85 defeat in Game 1 of the matchup.

     

    Despite the crushing finish, Manuel believes the combination of youth and size on Converge’s roster will pay dividends in future campaigns. 

     

    Manuel, who returned to PBA action late in the season on a short-term deal with Converge, said he was impressed by how the team’s twin towers, Justin Arana and Justine Baltazar, along with rookie Juan Gomez de Liano, have emerged as foundational pieces. 

     

    “May future ‘yung team,” Manuel said. “Sobrang talented nila, ang lalaki. Nanlilit ako sa team na ito lalo na sa mga big guys. Ang lalaki lahat, halos 6-6 pataas. Ako lang yung pinakamaliit na big man dito.”

     

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    He noted that their size and skill blend give the FiberXers distinct advantages, especially in physical matchups against more experienced teams.

     

    The timing of his signing was strategic, coming just before the playoffs, but his contract ends with the conference, and Converge has yet to announce whether he will return.

     

    For now, Converge will regroup in the offseason, armed with a roster that Manuel believes has the talent and physical tools to eventually compete for championships, potentially sooner rather than later. 

     

    “Tingin ko naman kaya. “Bago naman ako dumating dito lumalaban na ito e,” he said.

     

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