MANILA, Philippines – Perhaps one of the biggest misconceptions of being a fan is that it’s only for the young. But for Nanays Dynah Balinas and Mary Anne Fernandez, they believe that one’s age shouldn’t be a hindrance to supporting an artist. 

While the Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, April 10 was predominantly packed with teens and young adults waiting eagerly for the start of the 2022 PPOPCON concert, Nanays Dynah and Mary Anne stood out with their SB19 face masks, lightsticks, and easy smiles. 

When I approached Nanay Dynah and asked her if she was an A’TIN, a fan of SB19, she eagerly nodded. “Si Pablo ang bias ko (Pablo is my bias),” she said. 

She told me she was 72 years old, and before SB19, she wasn’t really a big fan of any group. “Noong bata nga ako eh, hindi naman ako ganito. Pero tuwang-tuwa talaga ako sa SB19,” she told me. (I wasn’t even like this when I was younger. But now, I really find joy in SB19.) 

Nanay Dynah was accompanied by her daughter. (We were so busy talking about Nanay Dynah’s fangirling that I had failed to get her name!) They told me their struggles in getting a ticket and how regretful they were for missing the live soundcheck, and asked me about the official merchandise available at the convention’s SB19 booth. They wanted to buy some and get some freebies, but most of them were already sold out.

Nanay Dynah said her favorite SB19 songs were “MAPA” and “MANA,” but her daughter also shared that Nanay had even memorized Pablo’s rap part in “What?” When Nanay Dynah asked me who my bias wrecker was in SB19, I was so shocked that she knew what a “bias wrecker” was that I couldn’t even answer her.

Nanay Dynah was also carrying a gift for Pablo, an inspirational book, and had even written a note for him. She said it was something she thought would fit the group leader. Her daughter said that since they had arrived late, they had missed the schedule to give it to the fanbase member in charge of collecting gifts. 

While Nanay Dynah and I were talking, Nanay Mary Anne (second from the right in the first photo) excitedly told us that Stell’s parents had passed in front of us. “Na-starstruck ako, hindi na ako nakapagpa-picture (I was starstruck, I wasn’t able to ask them for a photo),” she said. 

Like Nanay Dynah, Nanay Mary Anne was also accompanied by her daughter. “Mas fan nga ako kesa sa anak ko eh (I’m actually a bigger fan than my daughter),” she added. Nanay Mary Anne said that her husband had teased her that, at 52 years old, she might be the oldest A’TIN attending the concert. But Nanay Dynah was quick to reply, “Hoy, andito kaya ako! (Hey, I’m here!)” 

Before we entered the concert grounds and went to our separate seats, Nanay Mary Anne asked if we were going to the April 23 concert. SB19 would be performing again at the Big Dome at that date. The selling of tickets for the event was scheduled for Monday, April 11, and Nanay Mary Anne was already expecting that there would be a long queue. She recalled that they also had a hard time securing VIP tickets for the 2022 PPOPCON; in fact, she and her daughter were not even sitting beside each other because they just got tickets from resellers on Twitter. 

But Nanay Mary Anne shared that all the hardships would be worth it once she sees SB19 perform live.

I no longer have means to communicate with Nanay Mary Anne, but after hearing that some sections of the April 23 concert were already sold out, I really hope that she and her daughter were able to secure their desired tickets. I also wasn’t able to see Nanay Dynah after the 2022 PPOPCON concert, but I also hope that she was able to find a way to give her gift to Pablo. – Rappler.com