SB19 on stage: something distinctly Filipino in their performances. — CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

BANGKOK — I am inside a performance hall here in Central World, one of Bangkok’s biggest malls, together with mostly-Filipino fans who are waiting for SB19 to begin their concert. 

Most of the fans, who call themselves “A’TIN” (pronounced “eighteen”), seem to feel at home in the venue, singing along to every song even without the lyrics flashing on the screens. Some are wearing fan merchandise (shirts, hats) and are carrying the signature light sticks; others have come prepared with posters, many addressed to their bias (i.e., their favorite member) among the quintet composed of Pablo, Josh, Stell, Ken and Justin.

Some of the fans are based in Bangkok, but many have flown in from different parts of the Philippines, especially with the concert conveniently taking place during the long Undas weekend. The concert is part of the band’s “Simula at Wakas” world tour that has taken them to North America, the Middle East, and other Asian cities.

Other fans came from Singapore and other Asian cities. As fans were quick to tell me, SB19’s fandom transcends borders; later, one would share a social media post reporting that a Thai actor was in attendance. 

I am no stranger to SB19’s songs, which routinely figure in the OPM playlists that I listen to during my daily workouts and runs. Beyond their pop-catchy tunes, I like their playful deconstruction of language. For instance, “Gento” turns the word ginto (gold) into a rhythmic pun on ganito (like this), imbuing social commentary with lyrical alchemy. “Dam” derives from the last syllable of pakiramdam (feeling), but also doubles as an expression in itself while doubling a rhythmic device. 

Their songs also capture the zeitgeist of the contemporary Filipino experience. What can be more Filipino (and Asian) than paying tribute to one’s parents, as they do so beautifully in “MAPA”? And there can’t be anything more relatable for Filipinos than the triumphant underdog given voice in “SLMT”: 

“Sabi nila ‘di ko raw kaya (hm)

‘Lang mapapala wala raw pag-asa

Bukambibig ng madla’y puro panggagaya

Pero salamat sa lahat ng naniwala.”

“Nyebe” (Snow), meanwhile, speaks to and for feelings of desire, longing, and hope that surely hits differently for our diasporic nation:

“Ohh nyebe nyebe nyebe

Malamig ma’y ‘di na bale

Nyebe nyebe nyebe

Basta’t nand’yan ka parati

Nanlalamig ang bisig

May kaba pa sa ‘king dibdib

Marinig lang ang ‘yong tinig

Matutunaw din lahat ng nyebe.”

Indeed, unlike bands whose repertoire revolves mostly around hugot (an elicited emotion), sex, or both, SB19’s songs—alongside, I must add, those of Bini and other P-pop acts that have followed their footsteps—encompass a broader range of themes, emotions, and aspirations. In their musical universe, we glimpse fragments of a Filipino dream.

But, of course, far beyond the music, the appeal also lies in the choreography—the dance moves, the lights, the charisma, and the band members themselves whose bodies and faces align with the aesthetics of pop stardom. Their perfectly synchronized movements and carefully curated visuals are undeniably inspired by K-pop (the band was trained, after all, by a subsidiary of a South Korean entertainment company), but there is also something distinctly Filipino in their performances, from their sense of humor to their efforts to connect to the crowd. During their concert in Japan, for instance, a friend told me about how they referenced the ongoing corruption scandal in the Philippines when singing “Kapangyarihan” (Power), their protest anthem featuring Ben&Ben.

The life stories of the band members likewise resonate with their fandom, from Ken who moved from Mindanao to Manila to pursue his dreams, to Josh who has opened up about growing up in hardship and being evicted from their apartment at the age of 15. Their narratives of hardship, perseverance, and self-belief mirror the aspirations and struggles of Filipinos of all ages, making their success story—and their songs that narrate this story—feel both personal and collective.

Then, as with all fandoms, there is also the sense of belonging: something that is particularly true in foreign venues where Filipino musical acts serve to bring together the diaspora. Listening to conversations in the packed venue, I hear friendships made, discussions about life in Chiang Mai or Phuket; comparisons between life in Bangkok and Manila. The SB19 band members themselves, while on stage, reflect on how being in Bangkok “feels like home,” and such an observation surely resonates with the experiences of Filipinos across the region, as well as the Thais and other Asians in the audience, who, I would like to think, comprise the emergence of a regional pop culture. 

As I left the hall, I was filled with amazement about SB19’s music coming to life—a reminder that in our increasingly-digital age, there will always be the appeal of live performances; shows like this will surely go on.  

I also left with a reaffirmation of the wealth of our musical talent and a realization that we have much to say to the region and to the world—including in verse and in song. Although it is premature for me to call myself part of “A’Tin,” I am proud to call SB19 ours.

Gideon Lasco is an anthropologist and physician currently serving as professorial lecturer at the University of the Philippines Diliman and as Takemi Fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health. A Palanca Award-winning essayist and longtime commentator on health, culture and society, he is the author of five books, including “The Philippines Is Not a Small Country” (2020), a winner of the National Book Award.

First published in Cover Story — November 4, 2025

The Pandan Bay Youth Band.

PANDAN, Antique—Rising on his toes, Juanito Maglunob moved his arms upward as though he were hanging laundry on a clothesline to reach and capture that climactic moment in the musical score of “Beauty and the Beast.” Satisfied with the response, he resumed his normal stance and continued to conduct 14 musicians barely out of their teens and dressed in comfort t-shirts, blouses, shorts and rubber slippers.

It was the night of Jan. 12 and the members of the Pandan Bay Youth Band (PBYB) were immersed in playing their flutes, clarinets, trumpets, trombones, a tuba, and drums, giving their best to a handful of guests and benefactors in an impromptu show at Pandan Beach Resort in Barangay Dionela here.

Controlled bursts of breath marked their performance of “Thriller,” their nimble fingers touching and tapping the open-close holes and keys of their instruments. The notes were in photocopied compositions spread on old wooden planks.  

“Quality of performance? It was OK, nothing stupendous, but it was enjoyable,” said Leo Dioso, a retired auditor at the United Nations who supervises his family’s Leocadio Alonsagay Dioso Memorial Public Library in Pandan.

Admittedly, virtuosity, timing, harmony and showmanship were far from perfect for the hastily assembled band members that night. But then they were just emerging from more than two years of inactivity caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and, since June 2022, taking up twice-a-week practice sessions after classes.

Leaderless

“I was surprised to see them continue with the program,” said Daughlet Bautista Ordinario, a realtor visiting from her home base in San Diego, California.  

“By themselves, they were able to keep the team together even without leadership. Even the quality of their music has improved,” said Ordinario, who is the founding president of the California-based Panday Bay Foundation (PBF) and the Pandan-based Daughlet Bautista Foundation (DBF). 

Seventeen students aged 15 to 21 are currently active in the PBYB. They come from families whose breadwinners are vulcanizing shop workers, construction laborers, vegetable vendors, fishers, seamen, and teachers, and who struggle to put food on the table from their meager pay. 

The musicians “graduated” from the entry level or “juniors” to the “seniors” after learning to read musical notes and play an instrument. At least 60 instruments, mostly of the wind type and solicited or bought by the PBF, are kept and maintained in the Bautista family compound and are available for practice sessions and band appearances. 

The band, formed in April 1996, is Ordinario’s pet project. It is funded by PBF donations and administered by the DBF, which was set up by Ordinario and her siblings in honor of their parents and the latter’s musical legacy. 

The DBF is named after the Bautista siblings’ late mother, an opera soprano whose husband, Benbenuto, played the violin. All the Bautista couple’s nine children are board directors—Yolanda, Benbenuto Jr., Bayani, Bingcrosby, Daughlet, Ursula, Vicky (scholarships program administrator), Mary Joan (executive director) and Faith.

School allowances

Under the PBF’s free music program, elementary and high school students who belong to poor families are taught music appreciation and the musical skills and discipline to prop up their career plans. Apart from the teamwork and shared band goals, they enjoy monthly school allowances—P2,500 for band members who have entered college and P500 for those in high school.  

According to the PBF primer, the band music program emphasizes “musicianship and pride of accomplishment, followed closely by citizenship, tradition, morale, spirit, and loyalty.” The aspiration: “a highly successful band activity,” with the members maintaining “high scholastic standing.” 

Students are expected to exercise diligence and take utmost care in handling the instruments, which they can bring with them to college when they seek out its band program, and thus avail themselves of tuition benefits and scholarships.

As one measure of the program’s success, many band alumni are now teachers, a police officer, a medical technologist, hotel and restaurant management personnel, and nurses. They have performed in community events, concerts, fiesta and funeral parades, and before high-profile guests in Pandan and as far as San Jose, Antique’s capital, and Kalibo in Aklan.

The current crop is a vastly improved cast of young musicians from the original 12 who were involved in marching band music and were guided in 2000 by Rafael Bautista, a second cousin of the PBF directors and a retired trumpeter of the Philippine Army band.

Thinking forward

Jana Faye Tomines (left), 18, and Glaizelle Bermudo, 17. —PHOTOS BY JUN BANDAYREL

Jolannie Pearl Dalanon (left), 18, and Nicole Faith Montiel, 16

The band members are a hardworking lot.

Gileen Tomines, 21, who plays the flute along with her sister Jana Faye, 18, is bent on getting a degree in tourism management. A band member since Grade 5, she is now a sophomore at Aklan State University in Ibajay, Aklan. 

“Matutuloy sa pag-aaral (To continue my schooling),” Gileen said when asked why she was staying with the band. She has requested Gigi Bautista, the foundation’s executive director in Pandan, to help her become an intern at the latter’s glamp site in Barangay Duyong.

The Tomines sisters’ father is a fisherman whose third cousin was also in the music program. Their mother is a homemaker. Gileen has played the flute since she was in Grade 6 because, she said, “that was the only musical instrument available.” She wants to play the violin and piano also. 

John Neil Gregorio, the band’s sole drummer, is at 21 its oldest member. He is studying computer science and is due to graduate this year. A working student, he makes house-to-house deliveries of pan de sal by bicycle.

Playing the drums is “in his blood,” said Gregorio, who has been a PBYB member since he was in Grade 5. His expected departure upon graduation will leave a slot empty for a percussionist. 

The other band members are Glaizele Bermudo, 17, and Nicolette Barayas, 16, who play the flute; Jolannie Pearl Dalanon, 18, Nicole Faith Montiel, 16, Christine Andico and Katrina S. Perez, 18, clarinet; Renz Barrientos, 15, and Mark Yvan Abante, saxophone; Jero Ernest Suclan, 17, and Ram Timothy Cadalzo, trumpet; John Lloyd Gregorio, 20, and Retchie Alegre, 21, trombone; and Earl Artiga, 20, tuba.

Boot camp

In 2018, before Covid-19 health restrictions were enforced, some 20 PBYB members underwent an intensive five-day boot camp under Renan Manalastas, a conductor of the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra and one of the country’s top clarinet players. They performed at a group recital at the end of the training, drawing applause from the crowd. 

Last June, Myra delos Santos, a clarinet player from Bulacan, refueled the youths’ enthusiasm with another training camp on a P30,000 grant from the National Commission on Culture and the Arts’ community outreach project.

Juanito Maglunob, 21, acting band leader and trumpeter

Gigi Bautista, the PBF’s frontliner in Pandan, sees the band’s limitations in terms of funding, upgrading of skills, and teaching Maglunob, the acting bandmaster who never had formal training and is an engineering student in Iloilo.

Despite those limitations, the band’s repertoire has widened from the classical to contemporary and pop music, as demonstrated last week in an outright concert featuring 11 songs, including “A Thousand Years”, “Circle of Life” and “Malaguena” at the Pandan Beach Resort.

Daughlet Ordinario has encouraged the members to “continue to keep music in your life.” 

“Through music and experience, [the program] will help their careers move forward. It’s an experience they can relate to in their own life,” she said, adding:

“They should take the advantage. They don’t have to be good, but keep their experiences with them.”  

Donations to the Pandan Bay Youth Band are welcome. For details, interested parties may log on to www.pandaybayfoundation.org. Cash donations may be deposited in the Daughlet Bautista Foundation’s Producers Bank savings account no. 118851007694. —Ed.

First published in CoverStory – January 21, 2023