Rochelle Pangilinan happy for BINI’s success, reveals daughter is a fan. Images: Instagram/@rochellepangilinan, @bini_ph
Rochelle Pangilinan said she is happy about the success of BINI, saying it’s nice to see a girl group with Filipino songs in the limelight.
Pangilinan is one of the founding members of SexBomb Girls which was formed in November 1999. They are noted as one of the trailblazers of P-pop and are known for their hit songs such as “Bakit Papa” and “Spageti Song” and their powerful dance moves. The members have been on their separate paths since then, although they would reunite for special appearances.
Meanwhile, BINI is an eight-member girl group consisting of Jhoanna, Aiah, Colet, Maloi, Gwen, Stacey, Mikha, and Sheena. They exploded in popularity in January 2024 when their song “Pantropiko” went viral.
When asked about BINI’s fame, Pangilinan said she’s happy for BINI while sharing that her daughter is a fan of the girl group.
“Natutuwa ako na may [sumisikat na girl group] na [may] Tagalog songs,” she told reporters in an ambush interview on the sidelines of “Lolong: Bayani ng Bayan’s” media con in Quezon City.
“Masaya ako na masaya ang anak ko na may gan’ung songs, happy ako at susuportahan ko ‘yun… Darating ang panahon na merong lalabas na girl group. Ilang taon na rin naman kami… kahit anak ko sinasayaw ang kanta ng [BINI], imagine? Anak ko na ang kasabayan nila?”
(I’m happy to see a girl group with Filipino songs gain popularity. I’m happy to see my daughter enjoying those kinds of songs. I’m happy and I support that. There will come a time when a girl group will come out and gain fame. We’re getting older. Even my daughter dances to BINI’s songs. Imagine? They are famous at the time I now have a child.)
A SexBomb and BINI showdown?
If there’s any advice Pangilinan wants to give to the group, she hopes that they will enjoy their success and continue to be thankful to God for the blessings they’ve been receiving.
“Hinay-hinay lang. Enjoy ‘yung moment and blessing na meron kayo ngayon. May taas at baba ‘yan. Dapat bawat pinagdadaanan niyo, i-enjoy niyo. Mahirap kapag nasa top [ka] lang. Dapat ineenjoy mo at pinagpepray mo lahat ng blessing na meron ka ngayon,” she said.
(Take it easy. Enjoy the moment and the blessings you have now. It has its ups and downs. Enjoy every moment you’re going through. It’s hard to simply be at the top. Just enjoy and pray for every blessing you have now.)
When asked if Pangilinan is open to a “dance showdown” with BINI, she laughed while admitting that it would be possible if she and fellow SexBomb members were younger.
“Ngayon, iba na kasi ang edad namin. Pero sana kapag sumayaw kami, maramdaman namin na as one pa rin kami… siyempre, nagkaanak na kami,” she said.
“Pero kung noong bata-bata ang SexBomb at lumabas ang BINI, siyempre laban kung laban. Sabi ko nga, wala kaming inaatrasan. Pero kung mabibigyan ng chance, at makakapag-practice ulit kami, laban kung laban,” she continued.
(We’re older now. But I hope when we dance, I can still feel that we can dance as one. Of course, we have kids now. But when the SexBomb girls are around during BINI’s time, of course, we’re up for it. We’re not ones to back down. If we’re given a chance to practice, we might pull it off.)
‘Laking SexBomb’
Pangilinan is also happy that the SexBomb Girls have inspired a generation of fans, to which they refer to themselves as “laking SexBomb (raised by SexBomb). For her, it means the girl group inspired their fans to be strong.
“Happy kasi ang daming palaban, maraming palaban, na hinding-hindi babagsak. Kung madapa man, alam mong babangon. Malamang napanood nila kami, nasubaybayan nila kami, na kahit sinong ka-showdown namin, hindi namin inaatrasan,” she said.
(I’m happy that we raised fans who are strong. Because of us, a lot are strong and won’t give up. They might fall but they will get up. They probably saw us and witnessed our careers. No matter what showdown we’ve been through, we won’t back down.)
While it remains unknown if there’s a chance for the members to reunite for a show, the actress is hopeful that it will happen. “Pinagpe-pray po namin, kahit kami nina Jopay [Paguia] and Mia [Pangyarihan]. Sana may maglakas-loob na mag-produce [ng reunion show] para sa’min.”
“Pakiramdam ko mahirap i-produce kasi hindi na kami iisang management,” she continued. “May manager na ako, si Jopay, bawat isa. Ang mahal.”
(We’re praying for it, even Jopay Paguia and Mia Pangyarihan. I hope someone will produce a reunion show for us. I feel like we’re hard to produce because we’re not under the same management. I have my own manager, even Jopay. All of us. It’s expensive.)
Pangilinan also admitted that she and her fellow SexBomb members are unsure of when they stopped promoting as a group.
“Sa totoo lang, sa isip namin kapag nag-uusap, hindi namin alam kung kailan kami nawala. Walang exact date, dahil bigla na lang… kinabukasan wala na kaming work,” she said. “Kaya nga sinasabi naming SexBomb, walang closure. Parang bigla na lang kaming nawala.”
(Whenever we talk, we honestly don’t know when we stopped. There was no exact date. It suddenly happened. We suddenly didn’t have work. This is why we believe that the SexBomb Girls have no closure. We were just gone.)