It was a night to remember as OPM icon Gary Valenciano and P-pop Kings SB19 collaborated for the first time at the 20th anniversary celebration for "finance super app," GCash.
The gala night was held at Manila Marriott Hotel on October 11, 2024.
Read: Highlights of SB19's PAGTATAG! Finale concert
Gary V—who happened to be the very first celebrity endorser of GCash when the brand was just starting as a money-transfer app in 2004—opened the production numbers with his danceable hit song "Hataw Na."
Flaunting his versatility, Mr. Pure Energy effortlessly nailed the rapping parts of his song.
SB19 followed with a riveting performance of their 2024 dance track "Moonlight," with matching visuals of a blown-up photo of a moon in a massive floor-to-ceiling LED screen.
@pepalerts SB19 performs Moonlight at GCash 20th anniversary happening tonight at the Manila Marriott Hotel. #PEPNews #EntertainmentNewsPH #NewsPH ? original sound - PEP.ph
Dressed in white ensembles, the five-member act wowed guests with their strong vocals and smooth dancing skills.
GARY VALENCIANO, SB19 PRODUCTION NUMBER
SB19 then performed their hit song "Gento," with Gary V joining the group to sing, rap, and dance at the same time.
The moment was made more special as it marked the meeting of its 2004 (Gary V) and 2024 (SB19) celebrity endorsers, spanning GCash's 20 years of service to Filipino consumers.
Read: How SB19's life changed since P-pop stardom
GCASH CHALLENGES AND TRIUMPHS
In his speech during the program, Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu relayed the challenges that the finance mobile app went through before it reached the widespread popularity that it enjoys today.
Recalling the measures the company did to keep the app alive, he recalled: "It was a very big struggle for us. The only guys using GCash were the Globe people.
"I remember moving into our new headquarters in BGC called the Globe Tower, and I told the HR people the only form of acceptance of money we will use in this building for the food hall was GCash.
"They gave the people six months, if you don't have GCash. You cannot eat in the Globe Tower.
"Guess what? When we opened the building, there was a long line of people signing up for GCash...
"We had to force people to use the service, but it worked. And that really gave us the impetus to continue doing the service, continue investing in the business."
In 2017, GCash invested P100 million in its partnership with Ant Financial group who gave the finance mobile app the much-needed tehnical platform needed for the improvements that made it a big hit to Filipino users.
Continuing, Cu remarked: "If you ask me where the 100M [pesos] came from, there is no basis. I just felt like it should have been a hundred million.
"And actually, I think they are still thanking us today, because that is worth multiples of that.
"So, I'm really very thankful for the entry of the app. I just said to them, 'Give us the platform. We will take care of building this business as we know the [Filipino] people very well.'"
GCash's migration to Ant's platform was completed during the pandemic, Cu said, and it "allowed us to continue to transform the app" and "to manage the different types of transactions" that the app offers now.
To date, GCash has "94 million" users and it offers up to 20 features addressing various finance services—from sending and receiving money anywhere in the Philippines and even abroad to paying bills (GCash Overseas and Global Pay) and purchasing from over six million partner merchants and social sellers.
The app also offers services for savings (GSave), credit (GCredit), loans (GGives & GLoan), insurance (GInsure) and investments.
GCash’s mobile wallet operations are handled by G-Xchange, Inc. (GXI), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mynt, also known as Globe Fintech Innovations, Inc., which is a joint venture of Ant Group, Ayala and Globe Telecom.
MORE STELLAR NUMBERS
Before the end of the program, OPM veteran composer Louie Ocampo led the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra for the powerful "Rise Up" duet of Morissette and Bituin Escalante, who occupied the towering stage with a massive LED as backdrop.
Then SB19 Stell entered the lower stage for his performance of "Defying Gravity" from the Broadway musical Wicked.
@pepalerts SB19 Stell wows crowd with his stellar performance of "Defying Gravity" at GCash 20th anniversary event. #EntertainmentNewsPH #PEPNews #NewsPH ? original sound - PEP.ph
For the closing number, Gary V also did a beautiful rendition of The Greatest Showman's "This Is Me."
He was joined by Morissette, Bituin, and Stell who were all able to showcase their amazing talents in the program.
@pepalerts What a performance by Gary Valenciano, SB19 Stell, Morissette, and Bituin! They sang "This is me" from The Greatest Showman with an orchestra led by Maestro Louie Ocampo at GCash's 20th anniversary celebration at Manila Marriott Hotel last night. #EntertainmentNewsPH #PEPNews #NewsPH #GCash20 ? original sound - PEP.ph
Hosted by Robi Domingo and Kaladkaren, the program was concluded with a celebratory toast.
Joshua Garcia joined Gary V and SB19 as the brand's celebrity endorsers for the final photo-op.