Do we like Justin de Dios?
Our score: 7 out of 10. No harmful words or acts turned up and there is some real kindness, but the public record on his views is thin.
Justin de Dios is the youngest member of SB19, the group that put P-pop on the map after debuting in 2018. He's the sub-vocalist, but his real job is as the group's creative brain. He shapes the look of their music videos and concerts.
He graduated from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in 2018 in multimedia arts, and it shows in his work. He went solo in February 2024 with “Surreal”, followed by “Kaibigan”. He's also stepped into acting, as the warrior Ec'naad in GMA's Encantadia Chronicles: Sang'gre.
The recent news is a small stoush rather than a scandal. According to GMA, after landing in Los Angeles in July the group's manager politely asked a fan to wait while the members settled. A man who appeared to work at the airport then allegedly called the group snobs and pointed a phone in their faces. Justin told it in a tour vlog, and no one else's side was reported.
What stood out was how he told it. He said they hadn't had anything like it on earlier tours, and that it stung because it came from a fellow Filipino. He didn't go on a rant or name anyone. He just said the group were made to feel like the ones in the wrong.
On the harm check, honestly, there's not much to report either way. We found no posts or speeches from him against LGBTQ+ people, women, migrants or the planet. We also found no dodgy co-stars or studios in his recent work, which is mostly SB19, his own solo music and a GMA fantasy series. He's just not a political commentator, so that's a thin file rather than a glowing one.
On the good stuff, in November 2024 he joined Sony Music Philippines and Rise Against Hunger Philippines at Better World Tondo. He played games with the kids, performed and personally served them meals. It's one outing, not a lifetime of charity work, but it's a real thing a bloke did with his day.