Renejay Had a Very Unusual Way of Consuming MILO

The esports community erupted in congratulations after MILO, a popular malt-based chocolate drink and patron of sports athletes, decided to feature Blacklist International’s esports stars Renejay, Oheb, and Edward to celebrate its 60th anniversary. 

A brand as big as MILO lending its support to esports as a legitimate sport is seen as a significant boost not only to the Mobile Legends: Bang Bang community but also to the rest of Philippine esports. 

Blacklist International’s commercial partnerships director Icoy Rapadas reveals MILO didn’t hesitate to include esports in its campaign. 

“When we were having our renewal talks, we didn’t convince them to look at esports. MILO has always championed the values like discipline, teamwork, and grit learned from sports,” said Rapadas. 

“For its 60th year, the brand wanted to evolve and expand the definition of sports while staying true to the values it advocates for. MILO knows esports would be perfect. We’re excited and proud that these are values that they see Blacklist International embodies to merit us as one of their ambassadors.”

For years, the esports industry was relegated as inferior to traditional sports. It lacked government support, and acceptance from parents, and carried a stigma that it was all about playing games and being irresponsible. 

That stigma is now being erased: schools are now partnering with game developers to nurture esports. The government is now very proactive in supporting multiple titles in esports. Big networks and traditional media are now affording esports better coverage. 

“MILO recognizing that esports athletes have the same values as athletes from traditional sports is quite significant. This is something that we in the industry for years have been screaming to the void, and having them scream alongside us is huge,” said Rapadas. 

“Seeing Renejay, Edward, and Oheb walking alongside with the likes of Hidilyn Diaz and Alyssa Valdez is a powerful statement.”

Oheb’s MILO Memories: ‘Pinapapak ko po.’ 

During a press conference interview with Kiel Soriano, aka Oheb, the MLBB gold laner revealed he’s always loved MILO ever since he was a kid. 

“Lahat naman ng bata paborito ang MILO dati. Ako dati, palagi kong pinapapak iyon!” said Oheb. He made a gesture of opening a pack of MILO and pouring its powdered content into his mouth. 

“Snack ko siya tuwing naglalaro ako dati sa PC. Hindi laging nawawala ang MILO sa grocery list namin. Tuwing naglalaro ako, pinapapak ko lang ang MILO.”

Edward Recalls the MILO Dance

For Edward Dapadap, his fondest memory of MILO was its “Champ Moves,” which they regularly perform at school every morning. 

Naaalala ko po dati noong elementary ako, yung Milo Dance. Yung warm up po namin, tuwing 7 a.m., ginagawa namin yung MILO Dance, Grade 4 po ako. 

The MILO Champ Moves was a campaign launched in 2015 that schools adopted to keep their students physically fit and healthy.  

<iframe width=”1128″ height=”635″ src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/YcSSfUz69fw” title=”MILO | Champ Moves | Nestle PH” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share” referrerpolicy=”strict-origin-when-cross-origin” allowfullscreen></iframe>

For Edward, he still can’t believe he’s now among the brand ambassadors of the popular drink.

“Sobrang nakakatuwa kasi first time po iyon na mag feature ng esports. Nasama pa kami sa cover photo and commercial ng MILO. Para sa akin, malaking opportunity po iyon sa mga future projects na kunin po ako, mas gumanda pa po lalo ang image ko sa mga paparating na endorsements,” Edward told ALL-STAR. 

But between Oheb and Edward, it is Renejay who has the most unusual memory of MILO. 

Renejay’s Unusual MILO Hack

Renejay’s first reaction when he heard he was going to be the face of MILO for esports was disbelief. 

“Na-shock ako. As in sabi ko, totoo bang kami ang kukunin ng MILO? Alam mo naman ang MILO, simula bata pa lang ako, isa na iyan sa mga pinaka kilalang brands kasi iyan ang lagi kong napapanood sa TV. Saka andiyan ang mga idol natin, sila Hidilyn Diaz. At saka first time din ito sa esports na kinuha tayo kasali ng traditional sports,” said Renejay.

“Para sa akin, para rin ito sa buong esports community, hindi lang ng Mobile Legends,” he added. 

We asked Renejay about his fondest memory of MILO. 

“Ito legit ito, walang halong joke. Ginagawa ko siyang… alam niyo yung kanin saka MILO? Na-try mo ba iyon? Binubudbod ko sa kanin. Isa siya sa mga naging paborito ko noong bata ako. Iyon ang pinaka memorable sa akin sa MILO. Inuulam ko siya, tapos solve na!”

The highly unorthodox hack was even featured in the U.K.-based news site, the Daily Mail in 2021. 

But just like Oheb, Renejay also eats MILO straight from the pack. 

“Pinapapak ko rin po ang Milo. Tuwing bumibili yung mga magulang ko sa grocery, pumupuslit po ako ng Milo para papakin. Ayaw kasi ng mga magulang ko na pinapapak ko yung Milo, gusto nila, tinitimpla. Eh ang sarap kasi kapag pinapapak. Iniinom ko rin naman siya, pero ang pinakagusto ko ay yung nilalagay ko siya sa kanin. Solb na solb!” added Renejay. 

MILO was founded in 1964, and was named after the first Olympic champion wrestler of Croton, Milon. The MILO Legacy of bringing out champions began. It was also introduced in the Philippines in 1964. It was marketed as a nutritious drink that energizes Filipino kids to begin their journey to becoming champions because “big things start in small beginnings.”