Do we like Poch Barretto?
Our score: 7 out of 10. Nothing harmful or dodgy turned up, and the band's Pride and environment work is real, but little of it is his personally.
Poch Barretto is the electric guitarist in Ben&Ben, the Filipino folk-pop band that has become one of the biggest names in OPM. He's the member who tends to stand at the back and let the guitar do the talking. That also makes him the hardest one to write a column about, because there's very little on the record that comes from him personally.
The recent news is the band's farewell-flavoured Saranggola concert on 2 October. The Daily Tribune reported the show took fans through the albums one by one, and that members were seen wiping away tears. The paper wrote “There was hardly a dry eye in the room.” Drummer Jam Villanueva announced in December 2025 that 2026 would be her last year with the band.
Now the harm check. We searched for anything Barretto has said or done about LGBTQ+ people, women, migrants, vaccines or the climate, and for any political endorsements. Nothing turned up in his own words or acts. We also found no sign he's keeping dodgy company: the band's work in the sources we read is with its own members.
The band, though, has a track record worth a mention. For the end of Pride Month 2022, Ben&Ben released the music video for “Paninindigan Kita”, featuring two of its own members. GMA reported it reflected the real-life experiences of its stars as they live and love openly. That's the band's choice rather than a statement from Barretto, but it's a good sign about the house he plays in.
On the good-person test, there's no scandal to tell. We found no court rulings, lawsuits or accusations against him. We also found no stories of how he treats staff or fans, so a pass here means no red flags rather than a long list of kind acts. That's honestly the whole list.
So the verdict is a comfortable yes. He's a working musician who is quietly good at his job in a band with a decent record, with no harm on file and no scandals either. The only caution is how little of the good stuff is his own. Give us a bit more from him on the record and the score might climb.