Indie folk pop sensation Ben&Ben has been anointed as the first Filipino band to be the National Geographic (NatGeo) Asia #PlanetorPlastic Ambassadors.
Nat Geo Asia officially presented the Filipino band as its new advocates during the National Geographic Explorers Festival Night held on November 15 in Singapore.
Introducing Ben&Ben as “a very special band, a Filipino band that is quickly becoming the voice of the next generation”, Nat Geo noted how the group is using music to help people care about critical issues and has joined the fight against plastic.
Ben&Ben was credited with working against single-use plastic, against waste pollution, and collaborating on a campaign to revive the Pasig River in Manila through art.
Nat Geo also took note of how the group also committed to reduce single-use plastic in their own tours and use plastic-free instruments to perform.
The 9-member group of Ben&Ben, composed of twin brothers vocalists-guitarists Paolo Benjamin and Miguel Benjamin Guico, guitarist Poch Barretto, drummer Jam Villanueva, bassist Agnes Reoma, keyboardist Patricia Lasaten, percussionists Toni Muñoz and Andrew De Pano, and violinist Keifer Cabugao, said on social media, “We’re excited to be part of a bigger movement to save the earth.”
After being introduced on the Nat Geo stage, Ben&Ben told the audience the story of living beside a biologically dead Pasig River in Manila and of their parents’ stories of a healthy river where they swam in their youth.
The new NatGeo #PlanetorPlastic Ambassadors shared how they have realized that since the ill state of the river was due to the little things that people have done collectively, they are now involved in the Taga-Alog (shaker/mover) project that is working to revive the river by collectively changing and doing things together.
Ben&Ben shared how they are “changing our lifestyle as a band”, pushing for a zero single-use plastic policy during their performances, supporting upcycling projects like their shoes that are made of upcycled chips packaging.
Nat Geo, the multimedia organization which has risen to become the world’s premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure, has been featuring the Philippines as a recommended travel destination.
The renowned magazine has showcased Bohol’s Chocolate Hills among the World’s Most Wild Beautiful Places and recommended its food treats.
NatGeo also recommended northern Philippines’ Banaue for globetrotters and hailed Zamboanga’s Pink Beach among the world’s best.
Filipino maestro Gerard Salonga was also a featured artist for the National Geographic Symphony Tour.
WATCH Ben&Ben performing at the Nat Geo event and SEND them congratulations and cheers in the comments below for being hailed Nat Geo advocates!
Like, Follow, Subscribe to GoodNewsPilipinas.com Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Good News Pilipinas! TV on YouTube, new story notifications and e-mail newsletters for updates on more Filipino Pride stories.
