MANILA, PHILIPPINES — It’s been a year since Leron Leron Sinta, the country’s proudly masa ad agency, opened its doors to some of the biggest names in marketing, like Potato Corner, Del Monte Philippines, National Book Store, NutriAsia’s UFC Overload, Fresca Tuna & Sardines, Hershey’s, Taptap Send, and more.
In less than 12 months, the agency bagged wins at the Kidlat Awards and MAD Stars, earning its spot as the 11th top agency in Campaign Brief Asia’s The Work 2024.
Behind the brave, brilliant, and business-driving ideas are real stories that have shaped the creativity of Leron Leron Sinta creatives.
Here are some of them:
The Forbidden Commute Jutsu
Meet Sajid Guerrero, Leron Leron Sinta’s Creative Director and Co-founder. His creativity doesn’t stop at the office — it follows him on his commute. (Interns, don’t try this!)
“Nag-intern ako sa Makati. Isang araw, kinulang ang pamasahe ko sa MRT pauwi kasi ang mahal pala ng mga pagkain sa Ayala. Naglakad ako mula Magallanes station hanggang Cubao. 12 kilometers. Humigit kumulang dalawang oras na walang tigil na lakad. Pagdating sa Cubao nag-1-2-3 ako sa jeep para makauwi.”
(“I interned in Makati. One day, I didn’t have enough money for the trip home because the food in Ayala turned out to be really expensive. I ended up walking for 2 hours from Magallanes Station to Cubao. That’s 12 kilometers! When I got there, I had to sneak a free ride on the jeepney just to make it home.”)
Now, he doesn’t walk but runs so brave ideas can become reality.
Someone spilled the…
Flashback to Dionie Tañada’s elementary days, before he earned his ad industry reputation;
“Grade 2. Sa public school, isa lang ang toilet sa bawat room. Tinatawag na ako ng kalikasan pero may tao pa sa toilet. Para ma-distract ang mga katabi ko, dinaldal ko na lang sila. Pero may isang pabibo na nagsabi sa teacher namin na ‘Ma’am parang may mabaho.’ Kaya pinatayo ang buong klase at pinasayaw ng ‘Watermelon, Watermelon, Papaya.’ Hindi ako tumayo. Baka matapon ang fruit salad.”
(“In public school, there was only one toilet for each room. But nature was calling. To distract the people around me, I just kept chatting with them. But one pabibo classmate told our teacher, ‘Ma’am, something smells in here.’ So, she made the whole class stand up and dance to ‘Watermelon, Watermelon Papaya.’ I didn’t stand up — I was worried I would spill my secret fruit salad.”)
Now Leron Leron Sinta’s Creative Director and Co-founder, Dionie proves that no idea is sh*t!
Let Him…Eat?
Forget saying, “Let him cook,” because, in his story, he literally ate. Varge Masanque shared;
“Nung elementary ako, lahat ng kaklase kong boys ay mapapayat. Kaya sinali silang lahat sa feeding program ng school. Dahil ako na lang ang maiiwan sa room, walang choice ang teacher ko kundi isama na rin ako. Ako lang mataba sa buong feeding program. Kahit gutom na ako, hindi halata. Kaya palaging masama ang tingin sa ‘kin ng mga nagbibigay ng champorado.”
(“When I was in elementary, all the boys in my class were skinny, so they were put into the school’s feeding program. Since I’d be the only one left in the room, my teacher had no choice but to take me along too. I was the only chubby one in the whole program. Even when I was starving, you couldn’t tell. So, the people serving champorado always gave me dirty looks.”)
As Senior Copywriter and Co-founder of Leron Leron Sinta, Varge is even more hungry to eat job orders at least three times a day.
Resting Aggressive Face
Gabe Pabelonia’s “resting aggressive face” got him into unintentional street fights as a kid in the streets of Manila.
“Noong bata ako, dream kong maging chinito. Lagi kasi akong napapaaway dahil malaki ang mata ko. Bawat tingin ko sa mga lalaking tambay sa amin, akala nila nanghahamon ako ng away. Kaya lagi akong napapahamak at nakikipagsuntukan dahil sa mata ko. Lagi akong nababatukan ng tatay ko pag-uwi ng bahay.”
(“When I was a kid, my dream was to have small, slanted eyes because my eyes are so big, I kept getting into street fights. Every time I looked at the guys hanging around in our area, they thought I was always picking a fight. So I’d end up in trouble. And every time I got home, my dad would smack me on the head.”)
Now, Gabe’s fights are intentional. Only this time, it’s for his ideas.
Slay, Accla!!!
Coming out wasn’t exactly a choice for Demy Pangilinan, Leron Leron Sinta’s Junior Art Director.
“Nung teenager ako, confused ako sa gender identity ko. Bilang sa catholic school ako nag-aaral, kailangan ko itong ikumpisal. Sa kumpisalang bayan, maraming pari, maraming nagkukumpisal nang sabay-sabay. Sinabi ko kay Father na nagkakagusto ako sa babae. Nawindang si Father at napasigaw. “ANO TOMBOY KA?!” Narinig ng buong simbahan at ng mga marites. Niresetahan n’ya ako ng tatlong ‘Glory Be,’ at saka tatlong ‘Hail Mary.’ Tapos okay na raw ako.”
(“When I was a teenager, I was confused about my gender identity. Since I studied at a Catholic school, I felt like I had to confess it. During a mass communion, with lots of priests and people confessing at the same time, I told the priest that I had feelings for a girl. Father was shocked and yelled, ‘WHAT, YOU’RE A LESBIAN?!’ The whole church and all the gossip queens heard about it. Father recommended that I pray three ‘Glory Be’s and three ‘Hail Mary’s and said I was good to go.”)
Now, that’s a gender reveal. Today, the only thing Demy’s focused on coming out with? Her colorful ideas.
As Leron Leron Sinta celebrates its first anniversary, one thing’s for sure: its biggest flex isn’t just about the clients it’s helped or the awards it proudly shares on social media. It’s about the real-life stories that fuel the agency’s creativity. By being proudly masa, it proves that there’s room for everyone in the ad industry — especially the ones crazy enough to dream big.
Here’s to another year of bold ideas, grassroots creativity, and storytelling that hits differently.
