ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Javi Benitez seeks House commendation for BINI after Coachella milestone

Javi Benitez seeks House commendation for BINI after Coachella milestone

Published Apr 21, 2026 09:53 am

At A Glance

  • All-girl P-pop (Pinoy pop) group BINI deserves commendation from the House of Representatives for scoring a "massive milestone" at the annual Coachella, says Negros Occidental 3rd district Rep. Javier Miguel "Javi" Benitez.
Negros Occidental 3rd district Rep. Javier Miguel "Javi" Benitez (bottom left) poses with BINI (Rep. Benitez's office)
Negros Occidental 3rd district Rep. Javier Miguel "Javi" Benitez (bottom left) poses with BINI (Rep. Benitez's office)


All-girl P-pop (Pinoy pop) group BINI deserves commendation from the House of Representatives for scoring a "massive milestone" at the annual Coachella, says Negros Occidental 3rd district Rep. Javier Miguel "Javi" Benitez.
For this reason, Benitez filed House Resolution (HR) No. 930, which sought to congratulate BINI for recently making history as the first Filipino pop group to perform at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival 2026.
"Their performances weren't just a win for the fans, it was a massive milestone for our creative industries and a masterclass in bringing OPM (original Pilipino music) to the global stage," Benitez wrote on his official Facebook page.
Benitez is the chairman of the House Special Committee on Creative Industries in the current 20th Congress.
BINI performed on April 10 and 17, 2026, at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, and delivered a 45-minute set at the Mojave stage. Their performance featured P-pop anthems such as "Pantropiko", "Karera", and "Salamin, Salamin", as well as the debut of their single "Blush".
BINI is composed of Maraiah Queen Arceta also known as "Aiah", Ma. Nicolette Vergara A.K.A. "Colet", Mary Loi Yves Ricalde A.K.A. "Maloi", Gweneth Apuli A.K.A. "Gwen", Lindtsey Stacey Aubrey Sevilleja A.K.A. "Stacey", Mikhaela Janna Lim A.K.A. "Mikha", Jhoanna Christine Robles A.K.A. "Thoanna", and Sheena Mae Catacutan A.K.A. "Sheena".
The resolution underscores the significance of BINI's achievement in promoting Filipino talent and culture globally, in line with the State's mandate to foster and develop a dynamic national culture.
"The success of BINI at Coachella 2026 serves as a source of immense national pride, proving that Filipino musicality and artistry can compete and excel at the highest levels of the international entertainment industry, thus serving as an inspiration to aspiring artists and creatives across the country," read HR No. 930.
"Participation in the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is considered a major milestone for artists, as it signifies global recognition, cultural influence, and entry into the international mainstream music industry," it also stated.
The measure recognizes the group's contribution to the growth of P-pop as a globally competitive subgenre of OPM, which helps expand the international reach of the Philippine creative industries.
It also emphasizes that while the Philippines has long been known as an importer of music, BINI's performance on the global stage marks a turning point--one that inspires more Filipino artists to export OPM and showcase homegrown talent to the world.
Benitez has also shared that they are currently considering and planning to include music explicitly as a commercial industry under the Philippine Creative Industries Development Act (PCIDA), through a proposed amendment that underscores the growing economic potential of the sector.

Related Tags

Javi Benitez BINI Coachella
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.