Sardines have been around the world for centuries and in the Philippines, for decades. We certainly love those instant, canned sardines. It has been helping a lot of Pinoys make through their hungry times and chefs have been creative in re purposing the sardines, turning it into a classy cuisine.
In fact, I enjoy some recipes using sardines like the Pasta with Chili Sardines recipe or the Gisang Sardines and Beef with Ampalaya for lunch.
It’s always a pleasurable meal when there’s sardines around. And finally, the Philippines is having its very first National Sardines Day to honor everyone who’s been providing sardines in the country.
And of course, at the forefront of this celebration is the leading sardines brand in the Philippines, the Mega Global.
Mega Global is one of the 11 sardine canning factories in Zamboanga City, which is considered as the sardine capital of the Philippines. About one million metric-tons of fish are being caught in the
The company, founded by William Tiu-Lim, started its operations in 1995 and then opened its first canning plant in 1998. Starting from one fishing vessel, the company had expanded to 55 fishing vessels today. Now, it has one canning factory that produces about 300,000 cans per day in Talisayan and another office in Cawit that handles logistics, dry-docking, ship-building, engineering, and allied businesses. It also operates the Tawi-Tawi-based Bongao Hatchery, which is a joint enterprise of the national and provincial government.
Now, it has grown to be a powerful influence in the canned goods industry of the country. And it’s leading the National Sardines Day that was celebrated just recently.
Mega Global launched Mega SardiNation, the first-ever National Sardines Day celebration last November 24, 2019 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall headlined by no less than Mega Sardines ambassador Mr. Piolo Pascual with special guests Dimples Romana and Mike Enriquez.
The event highlighted the brand’s best -selling sardines.With its signature 12-hour Catching-to-Canning process, Mega Global ensures that its sardines are of the highest quality to give consumers the needed health benefits in each can.
Families and friends got together during the SardiNation where a fun-packed and interactive event with free health and nutrition consultations, taste tests, a fun claw grabber game, and other activities went down.
Emphasizing Mega Global’s aim to help Pinoys make healthier choices through proper meal planning, the event also featured a discussion on health and nutrition facilitated by Mike Enriquez together with the Nutrition Center of the Philippines. They discussed the nutritional benefits brought about by a can of sardines and the different factors that affect the health and nutrition of Filipino families.
To add to the fun in the event, Mega Global used virtual reality to make guests experience the company’s trademark 12-hour Catching-to-Canning process on board its Mega Barko. And to entertain everyone, daddy hunk and Mega Sardines’ brand ambassador Piolo Pascual was also present and talked about the meticulous 12-hour catching to canning process and his personal experiences with Mega Sardines.
Other special guest included Dimples Romana,who shared personal insights on how she appreciates the nutritional benefits and quality found in each can of Mega Sardines making it an ideal meal for the whole family.
Mega Global Corporation, Mr. William Tiu Lim, President and CEO, thanked the attendees and special guests for making the first ever National Sardines Day a success. He shared about their commitment to improving Filipino lives and communities by partnering with the Nutrition Center of the Philippines (NCP) and the local government of Barangay South Triangle, Quezon City for a community health and nutrition program. This 40-day feeding program for undernourished children aged 3 to 6 years old received 2 full well-curated meals from NCP, with one meal using sardines. This initiative will conclude on November 30, 2019
Meanwhile, Mr. Marvin Tiu Lim, VP for Sales and Marketing of Mega Global, said during the event:
“Filipinos love sardines. As the top sardines brand in the country, we decided to hold the first National Sardines Day celebrations to showcase not only Mega Global’s various initiatives but to also make everyone aware of the myriad health benefits of sardines.”
He added:
“Our CSR program with the NCP also helped us push for increased awareness of the importance of nutrition in every Filipino’s diet. We believe that with initiatives like this, we can truly make an impact and create sustainable change in the health and nutrition sector.”
The National Sardines Day truly showed how this well-loved Filipino staple can improve the lives of families and communities through each can. It served as Mega Global’s way to make families realize the impact of better choices in meal planning to proper nutrition.