At the Mega Kitchen Studio in Quezon City, Jussel Eligio, Nora Quilla, and Marivel Obia sat down for a kamustahan lunch marking the end of Mega Milyonaryo. Eligio had already received her car. Quilla and Obia had their ₱1 million each, won in separate draws. The lunch was a chance for the three to share what the money had done for their families.
The gathering marked the close of Mega Milyonaryo, a promo of Mega Prime Foods Inc. (MPFI) launched to mark its 50th anniversary. Run through three of the company’s brands, Mega Sardines, Mega Mackerel, and Jimm’s Coffee, the promo gave away ₱50 million in total prizes. Entries were accepted through June 30, 2026, with the grand draw concluding in July. Eligio, Quilla, and Obia were among the grand prize winners pulled from across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Regular consumers, everyday Filipinos
None of the three describe entering the promo as a considered decision. Mega Sardines, Mega Mackerel, and Jimm’s Coffee were already part of their weekly grocery list, staples bought without a second thought long before a promo was attached to them. Joining cost nothing beyond keeping a receipt: I’m already using these products, so why not join the promo?
That’s the part worth sitting with. These weren’t people looking for a shortcut. They were households already doing the work, tuition payments, medical bills, a family carried on one income, and the promo happened to land on top of routines they’d built without expecting anything in return.
Obia shared that Mega Sardines has already been a staple in their household because of its quality and affordability. Eligio, who’s a consumer of Jimm’s Coffee, stumbled upon the promo while doing her regular grocery run, and Quilla, who’s a Sharon Cuneta fan, got interested to join when she saw her idol on that Mega Milyonaryo ad.
More than the prize, there’s hope
Quilla, who was planning to go to Dubai to work, said her winnings made her realize that there is hope waiting for her in the Philippines. Aside from saving the bigger amount of money she received, she was also able to help her brother who is currently sick.
Eligio won a Toyota, but by the time it arrived last year, what her family needed wasn’t a car. Her mother was undergoing chemotherapy, and the cost of treatment was outpacing what the family could keep up with. Eligio sold the car and put the money toward her mother’s care. Her mother passed away last year. Eligio said the prize didn’t change that outcome, but it bought her mother more time, and for that, she’s grateful.
Meanwhile, Obia plans to place her winning prize for her children’s education, something that will allow for a better future for their family. The prize is also a big help for their current living, especially now that her husband is also dealing with a health condition.
Elenn Manalang, Senior Manager and IMC Lead of MPFI, said that the promo uncovers the everyday Filipino stories on hardwork, building dreams, and love for family.
A validation from Filipino households
For MPFI, the lunch wasn’t just a celebration. It was information the company doesn’t usually get. According to Henry Camacho, Marketing Associate Director of MPFI, most of what the company knows about its consumers comes from sales figures and brief encounters at events and activations, not from hearing how a product actually shows up in someone’s life.
“Yung marinig namin mula sa kanila yung nangyari sa buhay nila, how happy they are, iba yung pakiramdam para sa amin,” Camacho said. Hearing directly from the winners felt different from watching sales numbers move. “Parang it makes us want to do a lot, lot more, and be better as we give our best, para ma-improve pa lalo yung mga produkto namin,” he added, tying the winners’ stories to a push to improve the products themselves, not just the campaigns built around them.
Camacho pointed to the labor behind something as ordinary as a can of sardines, more hands and steps than most consumers see, as the standard the company holds itself to in staying both consistent in quality and affordable.
He called the winners’ stories a validation that MPFI is, as he put it, in the right business, and said the company’s commitment going forward is to keep that quality up as it looks for more ways to be part of Filipino households.
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