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Mega Prime Foods celebrates ’50 years of freshness and nourishment’

“We became the number one sardines brand in the Philippines. Not because we had the biggest resources but because we had the biggest heart. We want to give back to the people who made our success possible,” underscored Michelle Tiu Lim-Chan, MPFI President and CEO.

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For over 15 years, Mega Sardines has held its position as the Philippines’ #1 sardines brand. It has continued to dominate the market, commanding a 26% share in 2023.  

Behind this success is Mega Prime Foods, Inc. (MPFI), the manufacturing and distribution company that has quietly built a powerhouse portfolio of Filipino pantry staples. From Mega Mackerel and Mega Tuna to Mega Prime Quality fruits and vegetables, Primo Sparkling Juice, and Jimm’s Coffee Mix, MPFI has steadily expanded its presence across categories, providing nutritious food to millions of Filipinos daily. 

Today, Mega Prime Foods celebrates 50 years of freshness and nourishment, honoring a legacy built on uplifting everyday family life—from the Filipino dining table to homes around the world. A highlight of the festivities is the launch of an anniversary video with a song sung by celebrity ambassador, megastar Sharon Cuneta. She is also the face of Mega Milyonaryo, the company’s massive nationwide promo designed to give back to its loyal customers. With a ₱50 million prize pool, the promo serves as Mega Prime Foods’ heartfelt tribute to the millions of Filipinos who have supported its brands over the years. 

“We became the number one sardines brand in the Philippines. Not because we had the biggest resources but because we had the biggest heart. We want to give back to the people who made our success possible,” underscored Michelle Tiu Lim-Chan, MPFI President and CEO.

Addressing the dynamics of working with family in a corporate setting, Chief Growth and Development Officer Marvin Tiu Lim emphasized the importance of open communication and mutual respect. He noted, “Arguments [may] happen because we’re all passionate. We want the same things but sometimes in different ways. Our strong relationship at home and at work help us manage disagreements and find balance between professionalism and being a family business. We’re agile and can make fast decisions because we trust each other and communicate directly.”

Doubling Down on Local and Global Expansion 

As Mega Prime Foods celebrates 50 years of nourishing Filipino families, it is deepening its commitment to nation-building by taking Filipino excellence to the global stage. Speaking to members of the media, the company made clear its ambition to double the business every five years. 

“It is an audacious goal—but one we believe is entirely within reach, because we are building with insight, scaling with discipline, and growing with purpose,” stated Marvin. “First, we’re doubling down on our roots: our distribution. With over 135,000 touchpoints nationwide—mga tindahan, palengke, groceries, sari-sari stores—we are present in the daily lives of Filipino families. We will make sure MEGA is even more accessible—abot-kaya, maaasahan, at tunay na pang-Pinoy.”

Aside from its local efforts, MPFI recently bolstered its presence in the UAE market, partnering with Baqer Mohebi Enterprises (BME) to make its products widely available in Baqer Mohebi Supermarkets across key locations in Dubai. BME is a leading FMCG distributor in the region. Mega Prime Foods products are also distributed in Canada where it is available at Costco Wholesale. Europe and the United States are also key markets for MPFI. He noted that their success has been due to the Filipinos working overseas. 

“We’re taking MEGA to the world, aiming for 10% of our business to come from exports. We will bring Filipino excellence to every table abroad—not just as a brand, but as a source of national pride.” 

Tiu Lim furthered that the expansion is coupled with a strategic deepening into the wellness space. This shift is underscored by the recent acquisition of Jimm’s Coffee Mix and the “Superfood” endorsement of Mega Sardines by the Medical Wellness Association (MWA). Known for providing added ingredients, ginseng, agaricus mushroom and korean ginseng, that have health benefits, Jimm’s Coffee Mix is a leader in the functional coffee brand category.  Meanwhile, MWA is a U.S.-based organization comprising the world’s largest network of physicians and wellness experts. Mega Sardines is the first sardine brand in the Philippines, and globally, to receive a MWA “Superfood” endorsement.

Beyond Business: A Heart for Service

Mega Prime Foods Inc. also marked its 50th year by highlighting its sustainability and community service efforts during its gala night celebration. 

“Our commitment to sustainability is embedded in our operations. From adopting renewable energy and reducing operational waste, to launching the Mega Ocean Cleanup, we continue to act as responsible stewards of the environment, honoring our role in protecting God’s creation,” added Malcolm Tiu Lim, MPFI Chief Technical and Innovations Officer.

“We have been blessed, and because of that, we are called to be a blessing. That’s the heart behind the Mega Tiu Lim Foundation: a belief that every Filipino deserves access to nutrition and livelihood, so they can build better lives,” highlighted Mark Tiu Lim, MPFI Chief Spiritual and People Officer. 

Since 2019, Mega Bigay Sustansya, in partnership with Reach Out Feed PH, DOST-FNRI, DSWD, and DepEd, has served nearly 500,000 nutritious meals to over 1,000 children, resulting in measurable improvements in child health and nutrition. 

Through the Mega Malasakit Mission, MPFI brings its advocacy to grassroots communities—visiting barangays across the country to deliver nutrition, education, and joy. These on-ground efforts showcase the versatility and nourishment of our products while building lasting connections with families.

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Sun Life appoints Bianca Ilibasic as Managing Director, Sun Life Global Solutions

She will lead SLGS across India and the Philippines, providing strategic direction to multi-functional teams spanning Technology, Operations, Analytics, Actuarial, HR, Finance, and Risk & Compliance.

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Sun Life has appointed Bianca Ilibasic as the Managing Director for its global capability centre, Sun Life Global Solutions (SLGS). She previously served as Vice President & Chief Operations Officer, Sun Life Asia.

In her new role, Bianca will lead SLGS across India and the Philippines, providing strategic direction to multi-functional teams spanning Technology, Operations, Analytics, Actuarial, HR, Finance, and Risk & Compliance. Her mandate is to further scale SLGS as a high-impact, enterprise capability supporting Sun Life across 28 markets.

During her time in Asia, Bianca advanced straight-through processing, accelerated digital adoption, and shaped a forward-looking AI roadmap to drive business growth — strengthening shared platforms and enabling scalable outcomes.

Commenting on the appointment, Laura Money, EVP and Chief Information and Technology Innovation Officer, Sun Life, said, “Over the past four years, Bianca has been a driving force behind operational excellence and digital transformation, leading with clarity, courage, and a deep commitment to our Purpose. Advancing our AI roadmap and scaling impact across common platforms, Bianca has been consistently delivering results while building strong, empowered teams. She is a visionary, insights driven leader who brings energy, heart, and ambition to everything she does, and I could not be more thrilled to see her step into this role.”

Reflecting on the opportunity, Bianca added: “I am excited to begin this new chapter. Sun Life Global Solutions is more than a capability centre — excellence, innovation, and dedication are consistently demonstrated via brilliant, passionate teams across India and the Philippines who support our Purpose and our Clients every single day. What excites me most is the opportunity to build on our foundation and deepen partnerships, accelerate transformation, and relentlessly focus on outcomes that truly matter to our Clients.”

Bianca’s appointment marks a defining moment for SLGS, strengthening its role as both a strategic engine for enterprise value and a platform where empowered teams can shape what’s next for Sun Life. We look forward to everything Bianca and the SLGS team will achieve together.

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Manulife continues legacy of service in PH with Impact Week 2026

All five Manulife organizations in the Philippines—Manulife Philippines, Manulife China Bank Life Assurance Corporation (MCBL), Manulife Investment Management and Trust Corporation (MIMTC), Manulife Business Processing Services (MBPS), and Manulife IT Delivery Center (MITDC)—held activities that advanced environmental, educational, and social causes.

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Manulife hosted its inaugural Impact Week, a global volunteer initiative designed to strengthen well-being, build social connection and unite teams through purpose-driven community action.

All five Manulife organizations in the Philippines—Manulife Philippines, Manulife China Bank Life Assurance Corporation (MCBL), Manulife Investment Management and Trust Corporation (MIMTC), Manulife Business Processing Services (MBPS), and Manulife IT Delivery Center (MITDC)—held activities that advanced environmental, educational, and social causes.

“Manulife’s Longevity ambition is about helping people live longer, healthier, and more financially secure lives—and we believe that starts with strong, resilient communities,” said Rahul Hora, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Philippines. “Impact Week brings this to life by mobilizing colleagues across our Philippine entities to volunteer at scale, working side by side with our community partners and reinforcing the shared purpose that strengthens long-term well-being. Through these collective actions, we are creating immediate impact and helping build a more sustainable and inclusive future for the communities we serve.”

Results and Highlights from Impact Week 2026

During Impact Week, more than 1,200 colleagues participated in volunteering activities, logging more than 4,700 volunteering hours. 

Beyond the numbers, Impact Week strengthened connection across teams, bringing colleagues together around shared purpose and reinforcing a culture of inclusion.

  • Ongoing tripartite impact: As part of a tripartite collaboration with the Corazon Sanchez Atayde Memorial Foundation (CSAMF) and Haribon Foundation—combining Manulife’s community investment commitments, CSAMF’s financial literacy program, and Haribon’s biodiversity and environmental work—Manulife Philippines, Manulife China Bank Life (MCBL), and Manulife Investment Management and Trust Corporation (MIMTC) led the on-ground activities in Infanta, Quezon Province.
  • Supporting financial resilience through Peso Smart: Volunteers supported Peso Smart Pinoy (PSP) through challenge-based activities in Brgy. Alitas, Infanta, culminating in a graduation ceremony recognizing PSP participants and their progress toward greater financial confidence. Peso Smart is a financial literacy program that has reached more than 4,000 learners across 18 schools nationwide since 2017,
  • Contributing to a healthier planet: Volunteers, together with Haribon Foundation and the Alitas Farmers Folks Association (AFFA), planted 2,500 mangrove seedlings, advancing the Ridge-to-Reef Reforestation Initiative and adding to Manulife and Haribon’s total of more than 31,000 trees planted since 2023.
  • Prioritizing health and well-being: Volunteers partnered with Rise Against Hunger Philippines and Waves for Water Philippines to support food security and water, sanitation, and hygiene initiatives. Together, they packed 17,700+ rice meals, rescued 1,200+ kg of surplus food, distributed 500 hot meals, produced 3,300 mushroom bags for livelihoods, assembled 150 water filtration kits, and developed 100+ concepts for food bank and mobile kitchen initiatives.
  • Supporting community education: MITDC delivered its Code4Future program to 28 young learners from St. Martin de Porres Kid’s Home—using coding and creativity to build problem-solving skills and digital confidence.

Extending Impact Together

In addition to the company organized activities, individual colleague teams across the Manulife organizations were supported in leading their own volunteer initiatives with local non-profit partners. For each eligible team-led initiative, Manulife provided a $1,000 donation to the partner organization, extending the reach of Impact Week.

“The most meaningful work is often personal. At Manulife, volunteerism grows when people are trusted to lead on the causes they care about,” said Ardhi Siregar, Chief People Officer, Manulife Philippines. “That’s why we empowered our teams to identify a community impact need, choose a local non-profit partner to collaborate with, and lead the effort themselves—with team grants helping extend that impact through added support where it matters most. That sense of ownership and purpose is what fuels deeper engagement and inspires our colleagues to drive impact that endures.”

With more than 13,000 volunteering hours logged across all Philippine entities in 2025, Impact Week 2026 reflects Manulife’s growing culture of service in the communities where it operates and stands to make a difference.

Volunteering: A Longevity Driver Impact Week aligns closely with the work of the Manulife Longevity Institute, a global research, thought leadership, innovation, advocacy, and community investment platform that will help people thrive at every age. The Institute’s work will support Manulife’s Impact Agenda strategy as our always-on commitment to drive better outcomes for our customers, our communities, and the world we share. We believe collective action can accelerate change and, by collaborating with like-minded partners, we can make a meaningful impact.

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Manulife launches GoalReady health solutions

GoalReady for Health combines investment-linked savings with critical illness and life protection—helping customers build their funds while protecting their goals if a serious illness strikes.

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Manulife Philippines and Manulife China Bank Life (MCBL) today announced the launch of Manulife GoalReady for Health, an investment-linked savings plan with comprehensive critical illness and life insurance coverage.

GoalReady for Health combines investment-linked savings with critical illness and life protection—helping customers build their funds while protecting their goals if a serious illness strikes. Designed for Filipinos who want to stay on track with their long-term goals, it helps manage the potential financial disruption caused by health setbacks.

As more Filipinos plan for longer lives, staying on track with their life goals increasingly means being prepared for rising healthcare costs, prolonged illness, and the financial strain health setbacks can place on families. The plan addresses the growing gap in financial preparedness for health emergencies among Filipinos. The recent Manulife Asia Care Study revealed that about four in five Filipinos believe their financial wellbeing has great impact on their health span (both physical and mental) and lifespan.

The financial stakes are steep: A study on the economic impact of cancer in the Philippines found that Filipino patients spend an average of ₱181,789 out-of-pocket within the first year of diagnosis, highlighting the significant financial burden of treatment. Yet Filipinos remain financially underprepared for these possibilities. According to latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority, Filipinos’ household out-of-pocket for medical expenses stood at 42.7%, while a recent Manulife study found that 33% of Filipinos feel they have insufficient insurance coverage.

GoalReady for Health enables customers to build a dedicated pool of savings for future health needs through professionally managed, investment-linked fund options designed to support long-term goals. At the same time, it provides built-in critical illness protection, helping customers stay on track with their plans even when a serious health event occurs.

“Many Filipinos work hard to build toward their goals, but a serious illness can quickly turn years of progress into an unexpected financial burden. Manulife GoalReady for Health brings together critical illness protection and investment-linked savings for future health needs, helping customers stay financially prepared while protecting what they’ve worked hard to build,” said Rahul Hora, President and Chief Executive Officer, Manulife Philippines.

“With Manulife GoalReady for Health, we want Filipinos to move forward with confidence, knowing that a health shock need not become a financial setback—so they can focus on recovery while keeping their savings and life goals on track, and live better for longer,” Hora added.

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