The Manila Batang Quiapo are a Filipino professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

team based in

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

and representing the district of

Quiapo Quiapo may refer to: * Quiapo, Chile, a location in Arauco Province *Quiapo, Manila, a district in the Philippines ** Quiapo Church The Minor Basilica and National Shrine of Jesus Nazareno (), commonly known as Quiapo Church and canonically ...

. The team competes in the

Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) is a men's regional professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 30 teams. Founded in 2017 by eight-division boxing world champion and then-Senator Manny Pacquiao, the MPBL is ...

(MPBL) as a member of the league's

North Division Northern Division or North Division can refer to: Sports * Northern Division (Rugby Union) Leagues of England * Queensland Rugby League Northern Division * Southern League Northern Division of the Southern Football League in England * FA Women's ...

. The team splits its home games between San Andres Sports Complex in

Malate Malic acid is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a dicarboxylic acid that is made by all living organisms, contributes to the sour taste of fruits, and is used as a food additive. Malic acid has two stereoisomeric forms ( ...

and Paco Arena in

Paco Paco is a Spanish nickname for Francisco. According to folk etymology, the nickname has its origins in Saint Francis of Assisi, who was the father of the Franciscan order; his name was written in Latin by the order as (father of the community); ...

. The Manila franchise was founded as an expansion team for the

2018–19 MPBL season The 2018–19 MPBL season, also known as the MPBL Datu Cup, was the second season of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. The regular season began on June 12, 2018 with the opening ceremonies Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City, and end ...

as the Manila Stars and saw early success in its first two seasons with Chris Bitoon and

Aris Dionisio Aristotle Dionisio (born July 21, 1995) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was selected 9th overall in the 2019 PBA draft by Magnolia Hotsho ...

leading the team, making the division finals in

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

. The team is also noted for its acquisition of

Greg Slaughter Gregory William Slaughter (born May 19, 1988) is a Filipino-American professional basketball player who last played for the Manila SV Batang Sampaloc of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). He was selected first overall by the Bar ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, during which the team gained the backing of businessman Sam Verzosa and the Strong Group Athletics organization and were renamed the Manila SV Batang Sampaloc. The team also competed in the

Pilipinas Super League The Pilipinas Super League (PSL) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines. History The Pilipinas Super League (PSL) was founded in December 2021 by former officials the Pilipinas VisMin Super Cup, namely its former CEO Ro ...

from 2022 to 2024 as the Manila CityStars. The Batang Sampaloc are currently the only team based in the Capital District of

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila ( ), commonly shortened to Metro Manila and formally the National Capital Region (NCR; ), is the capital region and largest List of metropolitan areas in the Philippines, metropolitan area of the Philippines. Located ...

History

Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League

2019–2020: The Bitoon–Dionisio era

The nation's capital joined the MPBL for the 2018–19 season, and in its first season, made an instant impact. Led by the duo of Chris Bitoon and

, the team finished 20–5, tying with

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

and

Davao Occidental Davao Occidental (; ), officially the Province of Davao Occidental (; ), is a province in the Philippines located in the Davao Region in Mindanao. Its capital is the municipality of Malita, the most populous town in the province. To the east lies ...

for the league's third-best record, as the Stars clinch the fourth seed in the 2019 playoffs. After getting past

Caloocan Caloocan, officially the City of Caloocan (; ), is a highly urbanized city in Metro Manila, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 1,661,584 people making it the fourth-most populous city in the Philippines. Caloo ...

in the First Round, they met with the league-leading

Bataan Risers The 1Bataan Risers, more commonly known as the Bataan Risers, are a Filipino professional basketball team based in the province of Bataan. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North ...

in the North Division Semifinals. Although Bataan won game 1, Manila pushed through the next two games to finish the upset and advance to the North Division Finals against San Juan. The series went in a similar way but in the opposite manner, as Manila won game 1 but with San Juan winning the next two to advance to the National Finals and eventually win the championship. At the end of the season, Dionisio won MPBL Defensive Player of the Year. He and Bitoon were also selected to the

All-MPBL First Team The All-MPBL Team is a Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) honour given to the league's best players. It was first presented during the 2018–19 MPBL season. Two All-MPBL Teams are honoured in each season, with the exception of 2022 ...

and declared all-stars. Manila came back stronger for the 2019–20 season, finishing 25–5, clinching the second seed in the 2020 playoffs. The team first beat

Pasig Pasig, officially the City of Pasig (), is a highly-urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 803,159 people. It is located along the eastern border of Metro Mani ...

in the First Round, but feel short in the Division Semifinals against

Makati Makati ( ; ), officially the City of Makati (), is a highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines, known for being one of the leading financial centers in the country. As of 2013, the city has the highest concent ...

. Once again, Manila won game 1, yet Makati won the rest of the series. Dionisio became a two-time all-star while he and Bitoon both made the All-MPBL Second Team.

2021–2023: Out of contention

For the 2021 Invitational, Manila tapped

Pocholo Villanueva Pocholo "Cholo" Iñigo Villanueva (born November 24, 1982) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. He currently serves as the head coach for the Tanduay Rum Masters. He previously served as the assistant coach for the Bay Area Drag ...

as their head coach, but only finished third in Group D, failing to make the playoffs. Villanueva would later depart for the Batangas City Embassy Chill. Following the departures of both Bitoon and Dionisio, Manila spent the next two seasons missing the playoffs, finishing 6–15 and 4–23 in the

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

and

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

seasons, respectively.

2024–present: Return to form

In the 2024 season, the team gained the backing of the Strong Group Athletics organization, and would later be renamed as the ''Manila Batang Sampaloc'', or officially, the ''Manila SV Batang Sampaloc SGA''. Their 2024 campaign is noted for their acquisition of four-time PBA champion

among other ex-PBA players. With their new acquisitions, the team finished the season 20–8 for their best output since 2020 and once again claiming a top-4 position. Slaughter and

Rabeh Al-Hussaini Rabeh Ahmed T. Al-Hussaini (born August 11, 1988) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Basilan Viva Portmasters of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. A power forward (basketball), power forward/center (basketball), center, ...

were declared all-stars in the

2024 MPBL All-Star Game The 2024 MPBL All-Star Game was an exhibition game played on September 7, 2024, during the 2024 season of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). It was the fifth edition of the MPBL All-Star Game, which took place at the Mayor Vit ...

. However, despite that, Manila fell short in the playoffs, losing to the

Caloocan Batang Kankaloo The Caloocan Batang Kankaloo (currently competing as the Caloocan Supremos) are a Filipino professional basketball team based in Caloocan. The team competes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) as a member of the league's North Div ...

in a division quarterfinals sweep, with both games being separated by one point. After the series, the organization stated that they are unsure if they will return for the

2025 MPBL season The 2025 MPBL season is the seventh season of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and its fourth under professional status. The regular season began on March 8, 2025 with the opening ceremony at the Capital Arena in Ilagan, Isabela ...

, citing financial difficulties and "uneven officiating".

Pilipinas Super League

The Stars came to the PSL for the 2022 DUMPER Cup during the MPBL's off-season. Finishing 9–6 in the conference, Manila tied with Boracay and

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan (; ; ; ), is a Provinces of the Philippines, province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon Regions of the Philippines, region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on ...

for seventh. The team managed to settle for eighth but lost to the San Juan Kings in the quarterfinals.

Team identity

The original ''Stars'' name can be traced back to the

Manila Metrostars The Manila Metrostars were a professional basketball team in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998 to 2001. The team was the 1999 MBA National Champions and holds the MBA record of winning 22 consecutive games during the s ...

of the now-defunct

Metropolitan Basketball Association The Metropolitan Basketball Association (MBA), also shortened as Metroball, was a professional basketball league in the Philippines that ran for five seasons from 1998 until 2002. The MBA was established to rival the Philippine Basketball Asso ...

. The team's logos until 2023 featured silhouettes of some of Manila's historic landmarks, such as the

Rizal Monument The Rizal Monument (original title: ''Motto Stella''; Latin: "guiding star") is a memorial in Rizal Park in Manila, Philippines built to commemorate the executed Filipino nationalist, José Rizal. The monument consists of a standing bronze scu ...

and

Manila Cathedral The Minor Basilica and Metropolitan Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, commonly known as the Manila Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic basilica and cathedral church of the Archdiocese of Manila. It is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary of ...

. Manila's color scheme has always used blue as the primary color.

Home venues

The Manila franchise has played most of their home games at San Andres Sports Complex since joining the MPBL. In 2022 and 2024, a portion of their home slate was played at Paco Arena. In 2025, the team began playing games at the historic

Rizal Memorial Coliseum The Rizal Memorial Coliseum is an indoor arena in the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, Philippines. It can hold up to 6,100 people. History The Rizal Memorial Coliseum within the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex was built on the former si ...

Current roster

Head coaches

Notable players

Individual award winners

MPBL Defensive Player of the Year *

–

* Chris Bitoon –

– 2019 All-MPBL Second Team * Chris Bitoon –

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

– 2020 *

–

MPBL All-Star Day

All-Star selections * Chris Bitoon –

– 2019,

Ronnie Matias Ronnie C. Matias (born November 29, 1983) is a Filipino professional basketball player for Caloocan Batang Kankaloo franchise of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and Pilipinas Super League (PSL). Matias was drafted 9th overall in ...

–

– 2024

PBA players

Ex-PBA players *

Marcy Arellano Marcelino "Marcy" Valdez Arellano II (born May 25, 1986) is a Filipino professional basketball player who last played for the Manila Stars of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). From 2005 to 2009, he played in the amateur Philippin ...

JR Cawaling Ricardo "JR" Cawaling Jr. (born August 15, 1987) is a Filipino basketball coach and former professional player. He was drafted 30th overall by the San Mig Coffee Mixers in the 2013 PBA draft. He is known as a three-point shooter. He was alia ...

Reil Cervantes Reil T. Cervantes (born August 16, 1986) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Caloocan Batang Kankaloo franchise of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and Pilipinas Super League (PSL). He was drafted 9th by Barangay ...

Gabby Espinas Gabriel Espinas (born January 3, 1982) is a Filipino professional basketball player and head coach for the Caloocan Batang Kankaloo franchise of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and Pilipinas Super League (PSL). A 6'4" forwar ...

* Jeric Fortuna * Marvin Hayes *

Carlo Lastimosa Carlo Dan Lastimosa (born September 3, 1990) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Biñan Tatak Gel of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and PSL. He was drafted 20th overall by the Barako Bull in the 2013 PBA draf ...

Mac Tallo Mark Jayven "Mac" Tallo (born January 2, 1994) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Pangasinan Heatwaves franchise of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) and Pilipinas Super League (PSL). Career First PBA stint T ...

* Roger Yap Drafted to PBA *

– 9th overall,

* Rey Mark Acuno – 14th overall, season 46 * Mark Dyke – 11th overall, season 47 *

Jollo Go Jollo was an online machine translation service where users could instantly translate texts into 23 languages, request human translations from a community of volunteers around the world, and compare the correctness of several leading machine transl ...

– 27th overall, season 47 * Francis Escandor – 13th overall, season 49 * Didat Hanapi – 17th overall, season 49 * DJ Mitchell – 26th overall, season 49

Season-by-season records

Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League

Pilipinas Super League

References

{{navboxes, list= {{MPBL {{Metro Manila Sports MPBL teams Pilipinas Super League teams 2018 establishments in the Philippines Basketball teams established in 2018 Sports in Manila Sports teams in Metro Manila