Mega Prime Foods Inc. inaugurated the Senses of the Sea: The Mega Sardines Museum which provides state-of-the-art visual experience tour in a canned seafood manufacturing company showcasing the company’s unique “catching-to-canning” process.
MPFI and its leaders opened The Mega Sardines Museum’s doors for viewing and touring, with stakeholders from the government, business, tourism, food, technology and nutrition sectors as the first batch of visitors to experience the interactive tour.
MPFI chief executive Michelle Tiu Lim-Chan noted the company’s role as a government partner in educating students of all ages by showcasing the company’s best practices and innovations in the canned sardines production, which is considered the best in the country.
“Through this catching-to-canning experience tour, we will be able to effectively set forth our advocacy in becoming a government partner in educating the youth on the real-world experiences and knowledge about the food manufacturing industry. We believe that The Mega Sardines Museum offers experiential learning to students. Lessons of which can become a core memory that simply cannot be found in textbooks and theories,” she said.
She said The Mega Sardines Museum aimed to stimulate growth in the economy of Batangas and Calabarzon region as it gears up to become one of the newest tourist attractions in the province and the region. The movement in the region’s tourism landscape is expected to stimulate the local economy through jobs generation and development of domestic enterprises.
“Seen to attract up to 5,000 guests per month, the tour is bound to boost the local tourism of Sto. Tomas and the Batangas province with the presence of guests from educational and business institutions taking interest in the process of food production,” Tiu Lim-Chan said.
Tiu Lim-Chan said the company hopes to demonstrate how important it is for them to produce affordable, nutritious and safely-packaged seafood products that are suitable for every member of the Filipino household.
MPFI signed a partnership agreement with the Department of Tourism Region IV-A which elaborates the agency’s support for the promotion of the Mega Sardines Museum through the agency’s endorsement and inclusion of the museum in the DOT Region 4A promotions of tourism in CALABARZON region.
The museum will be included in the DOT-4A’s list of must-visit locations in the region and in the recommended itinerary in educational tours for elementary, high school, and college students.
MPFI formalized a partnership with the Philippine Amusement & Entertainment Corp., the biggest creator and operator of indoor interactive tourism and educational attractions in the country to help curate and manage the Senses of Sea.
The partnership will strengthen the support of both companies to the K-12 basic education and MATATAG Agenda of the Department of Education as well the Department of Tourism’s campaign to showcase the countless reasons to love the Philippines.
MPFI’s chief growth and development officer Marvin Tiu Lim spoke of the Mega Sardines Museum as a vehicle for strengthened nationalism.
“By partnering with local suppliers and talents, the Mega Sardines Museum strengthens the local economy and supports local entrepreneurship. This collaboration with local businesses fosters economic growth and contributes to the development of domestic industries,” he said.
He said MPFI through The Mega Sardines Museum wanted to set an excellent example in sustainability and marine conservation. The facility has features, such as a warehouse, a fishmeal plant with zero-waste system, and cold storage facilities that are eco-friendly with an installation of an energy efficient lighting system to lower carbon footprint emissions.
Department of Education assistant secretary for operations Dexter Galban, Sto. Tomas Mayor Arth Jhun Marasigan, Department of Tourism Region 4A director Marites Castro, PAEC president and CEO Lance Tan and other representatives from community and stakeholder groups attended the event.
The facility will officially open to interested groups, organizations and the general public in September 2023.
