Filipinos have a lot of internet moments, but there's one thing that surely brings back shared memories. No. we are not talking about the state of political disinformation that we are on. That's already given. We're talking about how at some point, all of our Facebook bios says that we all either working at Krusty Krab or living at Edi Sa Puso Mo.
Yes! You can deny it all you want, but your Facebook bio-history says otherwise, Bestie! Kidding aside, we are not here to shame everyone who lived at Edi Sa Puso Mo or worked at Krusty Krab. We are here to introduce something you might want to add to your bio— to complete everything. You might want to add: Enrolled at International State College of the Philippines!
Enroll na sa ISCP!
Aside from troll farms and spreading fake news, if there's another thing that Filipino internet users thrive at is that we can create something fun out of anything! it's true every now and then, we stumble upon new satire pages that really crack us up, and International State College of the Philippines is the latest page on everyone's news feed. The great thing about it is that it does not only point out national issues that we should be concerned about, but they also use memes that really sum up the Pinoy internet humor.
International State College of the Philippines is a satire Facebook page created to mimic university pages. From enrollment forms to hilarious college courses like "Bachelor of Science in Nursing Major in Funeral Services" and "BS Culinary Arts Major in Fire Bending," the page is very creative— their website is even more functional than some of our local government websites!
According to Niño, the idea of making a satirical institution started from the thought of satirizing college life. "The ISCP was originally born as an idea to satirize college life," He said. "It was intended to post mundane college experiences in a lighter brighter way than it is. The relevance makes in my life as it that I'm also an incoming college student," he added.
In just a few days, the satirical page has grown and become a community on its own. As of writing the page already has over 540,144 thousand likes on Facebook and 586.3 thousand members on its Facebook group, International State College of the Philippines (E-Youth Council).
"I didn't really expect that the main page really blows out of proportion with what I have expected," Niño said. "It became much bigger and almost has a life on its own. I am very proud of the people that made the ISCP grow much bigger than expected. It is like the idea has been born out of my mind and was nurtured by the community/students of the ISCP. It transgresses political, social, and every aspect that makes us divided."
Is it a school for cool?
Although satire pages like International State College of the Philippines are harmless for people that get its humor, some people might inevitably take it straight as it is. Luckily, the satire institution upholds not only great humor but also morals.
"Satirical pages on Facebook forces us to be vigilant about the information published," Niño said. "I believe that satire should exist as it checks the people whether or not they believe a thing without ever researching it. I believe that in this information age, we should be aware of the information presented to us. This is the new art of war, not fought by blood nor swords, but by brains and information. I advise that everyone should sharpen their minds and become as logical as possible in assessing information. Satire has always existed."
Moreover, International State College of the Philippines' goal is not to confuse people with misinformation that is why the staff of the main page and the e- youth page review their content before uploading it.
"For the followers of the ISCP, I thank you for your participation in memes, in classes, and everything in between," says Niño. "You all make this possible. I thank everyone as they made everything welcoming. I love the memes in the ISCP (E-Youth Council), ya'll do a great job in capturing the school-like essence. I am very proud of all the Aspins and ISCPanians. If I become a president, I would probably make the International State College of the Philippines a reality, so you all better start campaigning for it now."
Well, at this point, Metroscene Mag could be the next official school journal of International State College of the Philippines who knows?
━━ Art By Keen Mayormita
