Known as the “muscle man” Manuel holds the record in last season’s Philippine Cup bubble averaging 15.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.1 assists for the Aces.

The new development of Manuel was requested all by himself last January which is one of his choices to be part of the Fuel Masters.

Manuel has been playing for the past five years and wasn’t able to have the resounding taste of victory but now hopes to fulfill it with the team of Phoenix.

“We’ve been to 5 finals, but we did not win the championship. Maybe I’ll get my luck here at Phoenix,” Manuel told Rappler in Filipino.

However, Manuel still acknowledged the Alaska team for gunning him to the man who he is now today.

“I’m grateful to Alaska because they were a big help to me,” he propounded.

“I’m happy with my stay at Alaska because I was there for a long time. Before, it was hard when you would get traded and you would always switch teams…Now, I was the one who requested a trade from them. I just want a new start for my career,” Manuel concluded.