Ligo Sardines celebrates more than six decades of excellence
MANILA, Philippines — For the past 65 years, many Filipino homes have at least one can of Ligo Sardines in their kitchens at any given time. It is so well-loved that it has become a klasik—an icon and a staple in Pinoy homes.
The journey of Ligo began in 1954 when Gregory Tung, Sr. opened A. Tung Chingco Trading, the exclusive distributor of Ligo products in the Philippines. The company partnered with Liberty Gold Fruit Co., Inc. in California to make Ligo a market leader in the canned fish industry. In 1980, A. Tung Chingco put up its cannery to manufacture its products and meet growing demand.
The company later developed new merchandise, including mackerel, squid, corned beef, meatloaf, and tuna flakes. It also came up with fresh sardine variants, such as Gata, Spanish, Extra Hot, Kaldereta, Afritada, and more. Ligo quickly became a global phenomenon, eventually exporting to the US, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Rim.
Since it started, Ligo has maintained strict control throughout the company’s operations to meet its golden rule: quality first. In the past decade alone, the company minimized human contact during production through equipment like fish graders and feeders, knobbing machines, and cutlet can filling machines. Because of this, it gained prominence in the Philippine market because of excellence in quality, good taste, and affordability.
To celebrate its 65th year in the industry, Ligo launched a new, retro art style visual to represent its longevity and commitment to quality.
Today, Ligo is run by the third generation of Tungs. The company’s future lies in the hands of Mikko Tung, the company’s vice president for production. Together with his brothers Mark, who leads sales and marketing, and Macky, who takes charge of advertising and promotion, the three are working to continue the legacy their father and grandfather started.
Likewise, the Tung Brothers have already made their string of recent achievements and innovation for the brand. Case in point is the successful launch of the “Lami Ligo” Campaign, which grew the brand’s business in Mindanao and resonated well in Metro Manila—eventually becoming a trending topic on social media for months. The campaign highlighted the popular local dish, Odong with Ligo sardines—a local noodle variant similar to misua—and featured brand ambassador, Tom Rodriguez. Moreover, the Sriracha variant took off and became an instant favorite.
As Ligo continues to expand its variety of products in the coming years, the company has not forgotten the promise it made 65 years ago: to manufacture quality products that are affordable to the people. Indeed, it will remain in the Filipino family’s kitchen as a reminder that as history has proven, "Walang Kupas ang Klasik."
