SB19 accused of ‘racism’ after tweeting ‘Hello, Negros!’ for concert tour

SB19 during their concert in Negros province. Photo courtesy of @SB19Official on Twitter

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino boyband SB19 has been accused of being “racist” after a Twitter post ignited confusion among netizens.

SB19, the first Filipino group promoted by a Korean entertainment agency, recently brought their concert to Negros Occidental in the Visayas.

Hello, Negros!
We are now in your zone!
Excited na kami sa mga mangyayari sa aming first stop for our nationwide tour 😊#SB19inNegros #SB19 #SB19_JOSH #SB19_SEJUN #SB19_STELL #SB19_KEN #SB19_JUSTIN pic.twitter.com/oMRAI1wO4M

— SB19 Official ⚠️ (@SB19Official) December 21, 2019

“Hello, Negros! We are now in your zone! Excited na kami sa mga mangyayari sa aming first stop for our nationwide tour #SB19inNegros #SB19 #SB19_JOSH #SB19_SEJUN #SB19_STELL #SB19_KEN #SB19_JUSTIN,” the group’s official Twitter account said in a Twitter post last December 21.

The tweet, however, seemed to ignite confusion to those unfamiliar with the province, prompting some to accuse the group of racism.

“Imagine stanning racist asians,” one Twitter user said, quoting the boy group’s tweet.

https://twitter.com/dojadrip/status/1209064520330530816

“Be careful of the words you use,” another netizen said, replying to the same tweet.

https://twitter.com/HighLymonade/status/1209171080839155715

This urged SB19’s fans, collectively called “A’TIN,” to explain that the boy group was referring to a province in the Visayas, and was not meant to be a “racist” remark.

“It’s a name for an island in the Philippines. Unfortunately, colonizers named it that due to the skin color of the natives,” explained one Twitter user, whose tweet has gained over 5,000 likes, as of this writing.

It's a name for an island in the Philippines. Unfortunately colonizers named it that due to the skin color of the natives.

— Tala ⛱ (@lifeisahobi) December 22, 2019

“Hello everyone! We, A’TIN (SB19’s official fandom), would like to clarify that Negros is a place here in the Philippines. This post is not in any way racist. We hope that we can clear this misunderstanding. Thank you and good day!” one fan said.

Hello everyone! We, A'TIN (SB19's official fandom), would like to clarify that Negros is a place here in the Philippines. This post is not in anyway racist. We hope that we can clear this misunderstanding. Thank you and good day!

— mengü° (@LOVERSng_) December 23, 2019

SB19, composed of Sejun, Stell, Josh, Ken, and Justin, were trained under Seoul-based ShowBT and debuted in 2018 with the release of their single “Tilaluha.”

Edited by JE