MANILA -- The Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL) crowned a new champion last weekend, when the Pampanga Giant Lanterns completed a dominant campaign by sweeping the Bacoor Strikers in the Finals.

Pampanga is the first team to sweep the best-of-5 Finals series, with season MVP Justine Baltazar leading the way for the Delta Pineda-coached squad.

MPBL Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes noted that the Giant Lanterns are now the fifth different national champion in five seasons of their league.

• Pampanga sweeps Bacoor for MPBL championship

Batangas was the inaugural champion followed by San Juan, Davao Occidental, and Nueva Ecija.

"Kung mapapansin ninyo ang MPBL talaga is an unpredictable league. Walang dominant teams," Duremdes said during the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum, Tuesday at the conference hall of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

"History-wise since our inaugural season wala pang nakapag-back-to-back championship. And ngayon ang magiging barometer naman ng mga teams yung Pampanga," he added. "'Yun ang pinaka-exciting na part ng MPBL. Hindi mo alam kung sino ang mananalo."

"Nakita natin yung improvement and level playing field at yung quality ng mga players nag-improve talaga ng malaki," said Duremdes, while pointing out that last year's finalists in Nueva Ecija and Zamboanga were both eliminated in this season's playoffs.

The league is now looking ahead to its sixth season, which is tipped to start in March 2024. According to Duremdes, MPBL founder and former senator Manny Pacquiao is already looking forward to how they can build on the success of the fifth season.

"Nagse-celebrate pa 'yung buong Pampanga, andoon na kami sa bahay niya kasi he's excited. Nakita niya 'yung growth and success ng league.and gusto niya magkaroon agad ng plano this early," said Duremdes.
After the holiday break, Duremdes said the MPBL will hold its pre-season games twice - one in the North and one in the South, which will all be televised.

"By January magkakaroon na kami ng pre-season, isa dito sa North and isa sa South sa GenSan by February," he added.

Duremdes said the MPBL is also looking to add more games to its schedule by next season, while two more teams have submitted Letter of Intent (LOI) to join the regional league.