Batang ’90s favorite Serg’s Chocolates delays August 2026 comeback

Brand steward Randy Ong cited equipment issues and personal losses

Chocolate brand Serg’s—a fixture for Batang ’90s that went off the market in 2001 and announced a comeback this year—is halting its planned return in August due to equipment issues and personal “losses,” among other setbacks.

“I owe you an update—and more importantly, an apology. Earlier this year, we shared our goal of beginning the return of the Serg’s Classic Chocolate Bar by Q3. We did not meet that commitment,” said Randy Ong—the brand steward and son-in-law of owner Sergio Goquiolay—in a post on Serg’s official Facebook page Oct. 2.

Ong said part of the setback came from the “fabrication of our small-batch chocolate equipment,” with machines delivered “with specifications that did not meet what we required.”

“[W]e made the decision to correct and rebuild them rather than compromise the product and process,” he said. “There were also unforeseen personal circumstances and losses in my side of the family during this period that affected our progress during our stay in PH.”

Keeping the “Batang Serg’s” in mind, Ong said they won’t give another date “simply for the sake of giving one.”

“What I can tell you is that the work has not stopped,” he added.

Ong assured patrons that they are working on fixing their equipment, realigning their plans, and building the foundation “for the start of Serg’s—starting with the Classic Chocolate Bar that so many Filipinos remember and miss.”

“Our larger vision remains: to rebuild Serg’s for a new generation while respecting the Filipino heritage and memories that made the brand what it is,” he said. “But before asking you to believe in that bigger vision, we first have to deliver on the promise in front of us.”

Serg’s became known for products such as its chocolate bars, Egg Chocolate, Moonbits, Pralin, and Breakfast Cocoa, among others.

Businessman Antonio Goquiolay launched Serg’s in 1954 as a homegrown chocolate brand at a time when the local market was dominated by foreign names.

The brand began to decline by 1986 amid the Goquiolay family’s alleged ties to the Marcoses, according to a 2019 Philippine Daily Inquirer report. The family later migrated to the United States, while Sergio eventually returned to the Philippines to revive Serg’s.

Serg’s regained popularity in the 1990s, with its “Ikaw Pa Rin” jingle helping cement its place in pop culture.

Serg’s peaked with more than 5,000 employees in its network before the Asian financial crisis halted its expansion. The company, which Sergio had reportedly financed through foreign loans, filed for bankruptcy in 2001. Sergio died months later from a massive heart attack.

Ong, an IT consultant by training, took over Serg’s in 2019. That year, he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that he intended to restore the brand and the Goquiolay family legacy.

The brand’s planned comeback in early 2020 was put on hold by the COVID-19 pandemic. Subsequent attempts to restart were set back by severe flooding brought by Super Typhoon Carina in 2024.

In January, Ong announced plans to bring Serg’s back by the third quarter of the year, saying 2026 will be their “restart year.”

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