Mar Ciana

Accounting Consultant. Minsan blogger. Fumafan gurl or is it fumafan tita (?) in between.

[hungry_pilgrim @txpilgrim]

I keep coming back to one question: Why is the burden on SB19 to not submit?

I respect BTS’s decision not to participate. They have every right to make that statement. Stray Kids also did not submit, and that is their right as well.

But when did one Asian artist’s decision become a moral obligation for every other Asian artist?

Were SB19 consulted before those decisions were made? Were Filipino artists, Thai artists, Indonesian artists, Japanese artists, or artists from smaller Asian music industries asked what they stand to gain, or lose, from this category?

Because “Asian music” is not one industry operating from one position of power.

BTS can walk away from the Grammys as one of the biggest acts in the world. Stray Kids comes from JYP, one of South Korea’s major entertainment companies. SB19 occupies a very different position.

SB19 is self-managed through 1Z, the company they themselves built. They are not simply five performers standing on a stage. Their success helps sustain the organization and artists they are trying to build around them. And beyond their own company, they are helping push a still-emerging P-pop movement into spaces where Filipino pop music has historically had very little visibility.

So if SB19 gives up an opportunity to make a principled statement, who replaces the opportunity they surrendered?

Will the K-pop industry give P-pop that platform?

Will HYBE or JYP finance the infrastructure Filipino artists still need to build?

Will K-pop’s enormous international machinery create an equivalent doorway for artists coming from smaller Asian markets?

If the answer is no, then perhaps we should be very careful about demanding that artists with fewer resources make the same sacrifice as artists who can afford to make it.

There is no shame in BTS saying, We have reached a position where we can walk away.

But there should also be no shame in SB19 saying, We are still building, and we are going through the door that is open to us.

Solidarity cannot mean that the most powerful decide what the principled position is and everyone with less power is expected to absorb the cost.

In fact, I would argue that leadership should work in the opposite direction.

When you are the biggest, you should be looking out for the smallest.

You should ask: If I close this door behind me, what will happen to those coming after me?

You consider whether the platform you no longer need might still be transformative for an artist from Manila, Jakarta, Bangkok, or another music industry that does not possess K-pop’s infrastructure, capital, distribution network or global institutional power.

And fans should extend the same generosity.

You can celebrate your artist for declining without shaming another Asian artist for submitting. Those choices can come from completely different realities and still both be legitimate.

Equality is not demanding the same sacrifice from people standing on very different ground.

[⊙⊝⊜ ⟭⟬∞Jimin's Minion⁷⟬⟭ 엘라 💜 @Jimins_Minion]

@billboard Since BTS isn’t on this, I’m rooting for SB19. These guys are Amazing! And the messages of their songs that they themselves wrote and produced, wow! Listen to Time and Liham live. And watch their Asia Artist Awards performance. 🤩

https://t.co/vq9ARqkzFI

[Huhh?? @bepblap]

Sometimes, you just gotta give my girlie, Alex Eala, a breather. 😮‍💨

If you guys want the GOLD, trust me, she wants it more. If you want her to play better than she did in her last matches, for sure, she’s aiming for that too.

But it’s honestly getting exhausting seeing the same dragging remarks every single time she’s “not performing well” according to people’s expectations. One shaky match and suddenly, people are online saying, “She’s gonna lose if she keeps playing like this.”

And some even go as far as saying, “Sayang lang yung spot na binigay sa kanya kung papatalo lang siya.”

OMFG. Are you hearing yourselves? 😭

Do we even realize what she has sacrificed just to be at the Asian Games and represent the Philippines? She could be somewhere else focusing entirely on her professional career, but she chose to show up and play for the flag.

And can we PLEASE acknowledge that the players on the other side of the net are also elite athletes who came here aiming for the exact same GOLD? They trained for this. They sacrificed for this. They want it just as badly. Alex is playing against athletes who are also fighting to win.

I really wanted to stay in full celebratory mode, but I can’t help pointing out how some Filipinos are becoming increasingly entitled to Alex Eala’s professional career, as if every match she plays for the country comes with an obligation to deliver us a GOLD medal.

Supporting an athlete shouldn’t mean only celebrating them when they win. It should also mean giving them grace when they struggle, respecting the competition, and remembering that they’re human beings carrying enormous expectations on their shoulders.

So I hope we learn to rally behind Alex in a healthier way, whether she wins in straight sets, survives a three-set battle, or has a day when her game simply isn’t clicking.

And most importantly, CONGRATULATIONS, ALEX! 🇵🇭❤️🎾

Thank you for showing up for the Philippines, fighting for every point, and carrying our flag on another international stage.

Laban lang, Alex! We’re rooting for you, not just for the medals, but through every match along the way. 🫶🇵🇭

[JoyceCullen @inlaojocelyn]

Pwede kang gumanti without dragging other members—especially my bias—into it. Hindi naman kami ang nang-shade sa bias mo, so leave us out of it. @felipsuperior itong fan mo paki callout nga.

[🫆 ᥴᥙᥣᥣᥱᥒ һᥱs𝗍іᥲ @01hestia_cullen]

hi BBQyuts!
tara vote

#NETIZENSCHOICE #JOSHCULLENSANTOS for Asian Celebrity of the Year #ACOTY2025 #ACOTY2025JOSHCULLENSANTOS @thenreport

#JOSHCULLEN @JoshCullen_s #SB19_JOSH

[MARS 🦋 @Mars_OT5]

May tags tayo, pag dumaan 'to sa tl mo sign na para mag tags ka din 🫣🫶

KIC2025 MUSIC ARTIST SB19
@SB19Official #SB19
#HonorOfKingsxSB19

[jahzra (shey) 🧛💪 @Jahzra_29]

a nice saturday morning ☺️

#NETIZENSCHOICE #JOSHCULLENSANTOS for Asian Celebrity of the Year #ACOTY2025 #ACOTY2025JOSHCULLENSANTOS @thenreport #JOSHCULLEN @JoshCullen_s #SB19_JOSH

[NSG Official | SB19 @_OfficialNSG_]

DIPAPHY HARTBY SSOB!!! 💙
Join our "BIRTHDAY SALUBONG PARTY"

📻: https://t.co/pW4t9sDJYu

TREINTA Y JOSH
#KaarawanNiSB19Josh
@JoshCullen_s #JOSHCULLEN

[𝚡𝚘, 𝚐𝚎𝚕𝚊 | 𝚜𝚎𝚖𝚒 𝙸𝙰 •• @gelacullen_x]

Rest well. And save strength. 🫶🫂

#NETIZENSCHOICE #JOSHCULLENSANTOS for Asian Celebrity of the Year #ACOTY2025 #ACOTY2025JOSHCULLENSANTOS @thenreport

#JOSHCULLEN @JoshCullen_s #SB19_JOSH

[𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖘-𝕶 🍢 🫆 @tats_nijosh]

Korean bbq 🍢🔥

#NETIZENSCHOICE #JOSHCULLENSANTOS for Asian Celebrity of the Year #ACOTY2025 #ACOTY2025JOSHCULLENSANTOS @thenreport
#JOSHCULLEN @JoshCullen_s
#SB19_JOSH

[Love_Marie 🍢🛡 @loveinspire_]

TANDAAN NIYO, KUNG SINO MAN ANG KUMOKONTRA O UMAWAY SA BEYBI NA YAN AY KUMOKONTRA SA KAPAYAPAAN. KUNG SINO ANG KUMOKONTRA SA KAPAYAPAAN AY KALABAN NG BAYAN!!!!!

#NETIZENSCHOICE #JOSHCULLENSANTOS for Asian Celebrity of the Year #ACOTY2025 #ACOTY2025JOSHCULLENSANTOS @thenreport

[Love_Marie 🍢🛡 @loveinspire_]

Di po sya napapagod maging pogi 😭 partida walang tulog yan 🥰

#NETIZENSCHOICE #JOSHCULLENSANTOS for Asian Celebrity of the Year #ACOTY2025 #ACOTY2025JOSHCULLENSANTOS @thenreport

#JOSHCULLEN @JoshCullen_s #SB19_JOSH

[𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖘-𝕶 🍢 🫆 @tats_nijosh]

So may dumalaw gabie sa panaginip kaya eto magtatags na muna 😅. Slmt sa pagdalaw mahal 😍

#NETIZENSCHOICE #JOSHCULLENSANTOS for Asian Celebrity of the Year #ACOTY2025 #ACOTY2025JOSHCULLENSANTOS @thenreport #SB19_JOSH
#JOSHCULLEN @JoshCullen_s

[jahzra (shey) 🧛💪 @Jahzra_29]

your smile is addicting 😍

#NETIZENSCHOICE #JOSHCULLENSANTOS for Asian Celebrity of the Year #ACOTY2025 #ACOTY2025JOSHCULLENSANTOS @thenreport #JOSHCULLEN

@JoshCullen_s #SB19_JOSH

[𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖘-𝕶 🍢 🫆 @tats_nijosh]

Kids category peede oa rin 😄

#NETIZENSCHOICE #JOSHCULLENSANTOS for Asian Celebrity of the Year #ACOTY2025 #ACOTY2025JOSHCULLENSANTOS @thenreport #SB19_JOSH
#JOSHCULLEN @JoshCullen_s

[Love_Marie 🍢🛡 @loveinspire_]

@honeyko_623 @thenreport @JoshCullen_s Galit na galit Honey? Haha

#NETIZENSCHOICE #JOSHCULLENSANTOS for Asian Celebrity of the Year #ACOTY2025 #ACOTY2025JOSHCULLENSANTOS @thenreport #JOSHCULLEN @JoshCullen_s #SB19_JOSH

[Bxbyred 🖤 @Unnieered]

Boss JC, your talent deserves recognition. I’ll always believe in your passion and dedication.

#NETIZENSCHOICE #JOSHCULLENSANTOS for Asian Celebrity of the Year #ACOTY2025 #ACOTY2025JOSHCULLENSANTOS @thenreport #SB19_JOSH
#JOSHCULLEN @JoshCullen_s

[Love_Marie 🍢🛡 @loveinspire_]

That's our Josh Cullen! Slaying every stage 🥰

#NETIZENSCHOICE #JOSHCULLENSANTOS for Asian Celebrity of the Year #ACOTY2025 #ACOTY2025JOSHCULLENSANTOS @thenreport

#JOSHCULLEN @JoshCullen_s #SB19_JOSH