MANILA, Philippines – Over the years, P-pop girl group BINI has extended its impact from Philippine shores to the global stage with the help of successful world tours and international performances.

Through it all, the P-pop octet has not only put Filipino music on the map but has also made it a point to bring with them pieces of Filipino culture to every new stage they set foot on.

That’s precisely why they were tapped by the Department of Tourism (DOT) to become one of the Philippines’ newest tourism ambassadors.

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The members of BINI paid a courtesy visit on Friday, July 3, to the DOT office, where they had their first meeting with DOT Secretary Dita Angara-Mathay, who lauded them for their extensive knowledge of their respective hometowns.

“A fresh takeaway from this first meeting is each girl actually represents a province or a town, and they’re very, very knowledgeable about what is the charming feature of a town,” Mathay said, expressing that the DOT hopes to be able to highlight all the different regions of the Philippines through their partnership with BINI.

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Each BINI member comes from a different province, with Aiah hailing from Cebu; Jhoanna hailing from Calamba, Laguna; Colet from Tagbilaran, Bohol; Gwen from Albay, Bicol; Sheena from Santiago, Isabela; Maloi from Lemery, Batangas; and Stacey from Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya. Mikha, meanwhile, was born in Cebu and has lived in Laguna, Cavite, and Metro Manila.

“As much as possible, we want to engage them in almost all the regional and provincial events because these are the communities that need support most from the national government, especially [with] the oil crisis that’s happening now. The wealth really needs to be distributed. And we recognize the power of BINI and the influence that they have in bringing viewers, not even just within the Philippines but also from abroad,” Assistant Secretary Ren Sapitan said.

The DOT is eyeing a long-term relationship with the “Pantropiko” hitmakers, with Mathay stating that they need BINI for the long haul.

“We’re here to help promote not only OPM but the Filipino culture,” ABS-CBN Entertainment Production and Star Magic head Lauren Dyogi said. “We have not finalized anything, but there are a lot of possibilities that we’re looking at.”

Sapitan explained, however, that long before BINI’s ambassadorship became official, the members had already been working to showcase Filipino culture on the global stage whenever they had engagements abroad.

For instance, BINI incorporated ethnic elements into the arrangement of their historic Coachella performance in April, even wearing traditional outfits that paid homage to our local heritage — like the salakot hats they donned with their golden warrior ensembles.

“It would be remiss of the government if we don’t recognize the [Filipino] pride that they themselves are pushing for,” Sapitan added.

BINI’s official introduction as a Philippine tourism ambassador comes just days after Mathay teased members of the press that two P-pop groups would be tapped for the role. – Rappler.com