MANILA, Philippines - Ever wonder what it’s like to live in an alternative reality? It’s a time wherein Ninoy Aquino landed safely upon his return to Manila, wherein Imelda didn’t actually marry Macoy, wherein Jose Rizal stuck to one woman and married her until his death, wherein the Diwatas took over the country and not the Catholics? All this speculation is the stuff of #RP612fic, an enthralling annual microfiction event in celebration of the country’s Independence Day.
Author and editor Paolo Chikiamco started this Twitter party in his Philippine Speculative Fiction site Rocket Kapre (rocketkapre.com) in 2009 and has grown considerably since.
This year, a lot of tweets ventured off into Westeros, with fans still high from the Game of Thrones season finale. There were also re-imaginings of Rizal as Tony Stark and Rizal as the 12th Doctor, national heroes attending hipsterfest Wanderland, a Mabini and Charles Xavier faceoff, and a Lovecraftian byway in the island of Cebu. And as usual, there were also tweets about celebrities like Jessica Soho, Vice Ganda, and Kris Aquino becoming presidents of the country. But that might be a future that we’ll see too soon.
What’s great about #RP612fic isn’t the numerous pop culture references and crossovers; it’s how an alternative Philippine history draws us closer to our roots, enabling us to imagine a world where every possibility can happen. So while you catch up on Doctor Who or Game of Thrones, brush up on your Philippine History and Literature to see how our battles and struggles have much in common with their themes and storylines. And in an era where Philippine myths and stories are slowly taking center stage (as showcased in Dean Francis Alfar and Nikki Alfar’s The Best of Philippine Speculative Fiction 2005-2010), maybe we’ll one day watch a movie or a TV show inspired by our own culture.
In case you missed it, we compiled the best #RP612fic tweets for your reading pleasure.
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Look for the #RP612fic tag for more alt history microfiction. Tweet the author @donutjaucian.