Rolling Stone Philippines will cover stories beyond music
Last Dec. 12, Rolling Stone Philippines finally launched at Salon De Ning, The Peninsula Manila. The event was capped by rollingstonephilippines.com going live, featuring stories beyond music, from culture to social affairs.
Apart from the brand’s launch and a performance by iconic rock band Razorback, the night featured a panel discussion moderated by Paolo Abrera featuring MMGI’s COO and group publisher Anne Bernisca, chief of editorial content Jonty Cruz, and digital editor Sai Versailles. The Rolling Stone Philippines team made clear they’d cover music, culture, and national news with the same attitude inspired by its iconic counterculture legacy, Rolling Stone.
The launch also announced Rolling Stone Philippines’ mission to reinvent the rules, reframe culture and redefine what it means to be a “rockstar” today—hitting the ground running with its initial digital lineup featuring an intimate yet compelling interview with rock royalty Ely Buendia, who reinvigorates his legacy with what he considers his first “official” solo album, “Method Adapter.”
“The original Rolling Stone reframed culture. It’s all about taking that legacy into the current state of media,” Cruz adds. “Rolling Stone Philippines is not just here to honor what came before; it’s here to create new narratives.”
And with elections coming up, Cruz says Rolling Stone Philippines is excited to “sink its teeth” into the most pressing stories from every side of local politics. Its interview with Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros, who had a breakout year heading some of the biggest senate hearings, offers a taste of the kinds of stories readers can expect from Rolling Stone Philippines.
Beyond digital, Rolling Stone Philippines is set to launch its first print issue this March 2025. “Expect the most compelling stories from the cutting edge of culture,” Cruz adds on what’s to come for the brand. “There’s such an overconsumption of media today and yet so much of it feels like the same old song. We’re here to show what separates Rolling Stone Philippines from everything else.”
The Philippine edition follows its parent publication’s digital expansion with Versailles as digital editor. A multimedia journalist, archivist, music curator, and grassroots organizer, she was previously a culture reporter for Vice, the provocative platform that championed “gonzo” journalism in the 2000s.
“We want to expand the possibilities of storytelling across text, image, video and sound while pushing the envelope for cultural journalism in the Philippines,” she says.
Apart from a print magazine and website, the local edition plans to launch a documentary series on YouTube featuring critical analysis on today’s pressing issues. Other YouTube programs, as well as several podcast series, will spotlight icons across music, culture, and politics, bringing “audiences closer to the story,” says Cruz.
Rolling Stone Philippines was created through a licensing agreement between Penske Media Corporation (PMC), Rolling Stone’s parent company, and AGC Power Holdings Corp. subsidiary Modern Media Group Inc. (MMGI), the American multimedia company that brought music and entertainment media Billboard to the country in 2023 and, last June, acquired local rights for luxury lifestyle magazine Robb Report.
Rolling Stone Philippines will be the Jann Wenner-founded publication’s 15th international edition and the only one in circulation in Southeast Asia as of writing.
