At 20, the Tambuli Awards puts purpose at the center of performance
For 20 years, the Asia Pacific Tambuli Awards has argued that marketing should be measured by the good it does, not only the numbers it moves. At its platinum anniversary, the festival made that argument its slogan, gathering the industry under the theme “Believe — performance only matters when people give it purpose.” The Awards Night was held on 5 June 2026 at the Grand Hyatt Manila.
Organized by the University of Asia and the Pacific (UA&P) School of Media and Marketing, Tambuli styles itself as an effectiveness award show that recognizes campaigns and corporate initiatives driving business performance through a positive impact on the world. To mark two decades of that mission, the 2026 edition introduced a new tier of honors—the Decade Awards—meant to single out the most purposeful and effective businesses, brands, and people to have shaped the industry since Tambuli Awards began. The night drew broad backing from the marketing establishment, with corporate sponsors including PwC Philippines - Isla Lipana & Co., Immrsv Asia Inc., Video Sonic, Unilab Group, Oliver, UnionBank of the Philippines, Mary Grace, and GCash; and media partners such as The Huddle Room, Campaign Brief Asia, Branding In Asia, adobo Magazine, Summit Media, Strong Media, QLED, and Nyxsys Philippines.
A Grand Prix sweep for purpose-driven work
The festival’s three Grand Prix—one of the highest competitive honors—were organized around purpose-themed pillars, and each went to work that tied a commercial brief to a public one.
Under Builders of Society, in the Arts, Culture, and Heritage category, the Grand Prix went to “Flight Patterns,” for Cebu Pacific Air, Inc., in partnership with Ogilvy Manila. Under Masters of Everyday Purpose, recognizing Human Centric Solutions, the prize went to “Safetynovela,” for Philippine Airlines, Inc., in partnership with BBDO Guerrero. And under Leaders for Corporate Purpose, in the Public-Private Partnership category, the Grand Prix went to “Grab Unblocks the Worst Airport in Asia,” for Grab Philippines.
The three winners read as a snapshot of the categories the festival most wants to reward: heritage and identity, everyday human problems, and the increasingly visible role of private companies in public infrastructure. Two of the country’s flag-carrying airlines anchored the top of the list, while the third winner pointed to the friction of daily Philippine life—in this case, the long-maligned experience of moving through the nation’s main gateway.
A decade of leaders and campaigns
If the Grand Prix honored the year’s work, the Decade Awards reached back across the festival’s full history. Two campaigns took the period’s signature creative honors, and both belonged to household-name advertisers. Brand Campaign of the Decade went to “Nescafé Bangon” (“To Rise”), for client Nestlé Philippines, Inc., created by Publicis Manila—a campaign whose Filipino title, a call to rise, fit neatly with the evening’s insistence that effective work carries a larger purpose. The companion honor, Corporate Program of the Decade, went to “McDonald’s: Feed the Mind,” for client McDonald’s Philippines, created by Leo Manila.
The Business Leader of the Decade citation went to two executives. Margot Torres, managing director of McDonald’s Philippines, accepted by video link, appearing onstage through the venue’s screens. Bernie Liu, executive chairman of Golden ABC, the company behind a stable of homegrown Filipino retail labels, accepted in person.
The Agency Leader of the Decade recognitions named three figures who have defined the local industry’s standing abroad: Merlee Jayme, founder, chairmom, and chief creative officer of Jayme Headquarters; Melvin Mangada, chairperson and chief creative officer of TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno; and David Guerrero, creative chairman of BBDO Guerrero—who also produced the Grand Prix-winning “Safetynovela.”
Each accepted onstage program’s horn-shaped trophy, a nod to the tambuli, the traditional Filipino horn that gives the Awards its name.
The evening’s single highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award, went to Dr. George T. Yang, chairman and founder of McDonald’s Philippines. Yang, who built one of the country’s most enduring consumer franchises, was recognized through an on-screen tribute. Together with the two McDonald’s-linked decade honors, his award made the chain one of the most-cited names of the night.
The year’s leaders, teams, and brands
The annual prizes looked to the present and to the next generation. Joaquin San Agustin, executive vice president for marketing at SM Supermalls, was named Chief Marketing Officer of the Year. The Young Marketing Leader of the Year went to Joshua Decena, senior manager for business development at Max’s Kitchen, Inc.—a generational marker for a show that has increasingly made room for early-career honorees.
The organizational awards underscored how often the same names recurred across the night. Grab Philippines emerged as one of the evening’s biggest winners, taking both Tambuli Company of the Year and Advertiser of the Year on top of its Grand Prix. Cebu Pacific Air was named Marketing Team of the Year, complementing the Grand Prix its “Flight Patterns” campaign won. And Ogilvy Manila, the agency behind that campaign, was named Agency of the Year.
How the top honors were decided
The festival’s top campaign honors are decided by a Grand Executive Jury, which elevates Gold winners to Grand Prix and Platinum Tambuli status. This year that jury was led by Samir Singh, Global President for Oral Care at Colgate-Palmolive and a former global marketing chief at Unilever, who presided over the final stage of judging.
The festival’s complete list of category winners is published on its official site at tambuliawards.asia.