ON THIS DAY (November 30, 2019): The opening ceremony of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games took place on the evening of Saturday November 30, 2019 at the Philippine Arena, in Bocaue, Bulacan. The event commenced at 19:00 PST (UTC+08:00) and ended at 20:35 local time. Floy Quintos was the creative director of the ceremony. The ceremony featured LED strips and panels, which represent a bamboo forest, and was the first indoor opening ceremony of the Southeast Asian Games. The opening ceremony of the SEA Games was aired live at 6:50pm on ABS-CBN Channel 2.
The ABS-CBN telecast of the world-class opening ceremony of the 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) drew a huge audience nationwide last Saturday, making it the overall No. 1 program of the weekend.
The Philippine Arena event, which highlighted the diverse and colorful cultures of the country, registered a national TV rating of 29.2%, according to Kantar Media.
It was far and away the most watched program on November 30. The second in the list, “TV Patrol: Weekend,” also of ABS-CBN, had a 22.4% viewership.
The opening ceremony was reportedly inspired by the opening ceremonies of the 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. The organizers announced plans to conduct a digital lighting of the flame during the event but added that they have a backup plan for a "normal, traditional opening ceremony". FiveCurrents, the live content creators that produced the London 2012 opening and closing ceremonies, were the producers for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games opening ceremonies together with the local producers; Video Sonic and Stage Craft.
During the rehearsals of the ceremony, the gymnast Carlos Yulo was responsible for lighting the cauldron, however at the ceremony he was replaced by boxer Manny Pacquiao. Pacquiao's presence was the big surprise of this ceremony.
Filipino-American artist Apl.de.ap of The Black Eyed Peas performed for the opening ceremony. Collaborating with Ryan Cayabyab, he performed a remix of his troupe's song rendered in Filipino traditional instruments and orchestral accompaniment. Previously the organizers negotiated with another Filipino-American artist, Bruno Mars, to do the same.
In August 2019, organizers planned to have local artists Lea Salonga and Arnel Pineda perform in the opening ceremony. However, on November 25, Salonga announced that she will not be able to perform due to her prior commitments with Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Pineda was also unable to perform. Pineda would later perform at the closing ceremony on December 11.
"Isigaw Mo, Galing Natin Ito!" was the official theme song for the network's coverage of the games, while the official titlecard of the 2019 SEA Games opening ceremony at the beginning and the end of ABS-CBN's coverage of the opening ceremony of the 2019 SEA Games was created by ABS-CBN Creative Communications Management and NEP Group and was aired on all television stations in Southeast Asia whose were official broadcasters.
© 2019 ABS-CBN Corporation, NEP Group Singapore and Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee
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