Photo from Instagram/@officialsb19
Measures cite the P-pop group’s tourism appointment, Josh Cullen’s ceremonial pitch and its Lollapalooza debut; both remain pending in committee
MANILA – Two resolutions filed in the House of Representatives seek to commend SB19 for recent international milestones, including the group’s appointment as Philippine tourism ambassadors and appearances at a Major League Baseball game and Lollapalooza in Chicago.
House Resolution No. 1280 was introduced by Negros Occidental Rep. Javier Miguel Benitez with Reps. Nelson Legacion, Sarah Jane Elago and Kathryn Joyce Gorriceta. House Resolution No. 1266 was filed separately by Calamba, Laguna Rep. Charisse Anne Hernandez.
Both proposed measures remained pending before the House Committee on Creative Industries as of Aug. 6 and had not yet been adopted by the chamber.
The Department of Tourism introduced SB19 as tourism ambassadors on July 26. Three days later, Josh Cullen threw a ceremonial first pitch before the Chicago White Sox played the New York Yankees at Rate Field. The resolutions and related reports described him as the first P-pop artist to take part in that pregame ceremony during a regular-season Major League Baseball game.
On July 30, SB19 performed an hourlong, 10-song set at Lollapalooza in Grant Park. The Grammy Museum described the group as the first homegrown Filipino act booked for the festival’s Chicago edition.
That distinction should not be broadened to “first Filipino artist,” because performers of Filipino heritage had appeared at Lollapalooza before. SB19’s milestone rests on its status as a group formed and based in the Philippines.
The set included “DAM,” “GENTO,” “MAPA,” “LAWLESS” and a preview of “Mga Kababayan,” associated with the late Filipino rap pioneer Francis Magalona. The performance linked the group’s contemporary P-pop sound to an earlier generation of Philippine music.
The House measures also cited SB19’s performance clothing, which the group and stylist Roy Back said drew from museum research, Indigenous embroidery and other Philippine cultural references.
A separate Senate resolution filed by Sen. Bam Aquino also seeks to commend SB19. Like the House measures, it remains a proposed expression of recognition unless formally adopted.
SB19 is next listed to perform at Summer Sonic in Osaka on Aug. 14 and Tokyo on Aug. 15. The appearances extend the group’s continuing international festival run this year.
