Posted November 27, 2014 by Jom Guiao in Community

Bigger on the Inside: A Peek Inside WHOVIAN PHILIPPINES

Submitted by: George Salire

Did you ever feel you were the only fan of [insert tv show/movie/whatever] in the Philippines?

That’s what a lot of Doctor Who fans (or Whovians, love that term) in the country felt for a while as they went about their lives, quietly watching the latest episode of the world’s longest-running sci-fi series, and wondering if there was anybody out there they can discuss, cry, or squee with. But thanks to the Internet, that feeling is about to be obliterated like a blaster-fried fez…because Whovian Philippines is here!

Hi! I’m George and I’m an admin for Whovian Philippines, a group for Filipino fans of Doctor Who, and we’re here to tell you that no, you are not alone. Yes, we think bow ties are cool. And yes, we will squee and spaz with you!

WHO ARE WE?

Whovian Philippines is the brainchild of Charles Coralejo, who decided in 2010 to make an FB group for his close friends to talk about Doctor Who after accidentally ‘spoiling’ a plot point for a former girlfriend. “She was super pissed at me, so I made the group. And here we all are!”

Not exactly an epic origin story, but since the group has been opened to the public we’ve been growing steadily in number. Last April 2014 we reached 2,000 members, and as of this writing we’re the biggest all-Filipino Doctor Who group page on Facebook at almost 3,000 members, with more joining every day. We’re living proof that there is a HUGE Doctor Who fan base here in the Philippines!

We’re a diverse and talented bunch. We’ve got Whovian students (and their professors/teachers!), writers, librarians, musicians, doctors (albeit the medical kind), and even a celebrity or two (true story), all of us bound together for our love of the adventures of a madman with a box. From building their own TARDIS console to driving their very own Dalek, we share our love for Doctor Who in amazing ways.

WHAT DO WE DO-WEE-OO?

We’re more of a ‘group of fans’ than an organized fan organization or club, so when we’re not posting tons of Doctor Who-related content every day, our major activities mostly revolve around meet ups in real-life settings or during conventions. And boy, do we love our meet-ups.

We’ve held breakfast pot luck screenings for the first and last episodes of Peter Capaldi’s Series 8, regularly meet up for file swaps of Classic and New Doctor Who episodes, and we’re proud to have organized the kick-ass Doctor Who 50th Anniversary Party last year where we had a life-sized TARDIS on display!

Our most recent achievement happened during CosplayMania 2014, where we fielded a complete cosplay roster of all incarnations of the Doctor (13 male and 13 fem!versions), some of them being the first to cosplay that incarnation in the Philippines. Talk about making history!

THE FUTURE?

Like the Doctor, we like to take things one day at a time. We don’t have a grandiose plan for the group’s future as of yet, but we’re focusing on just being the biggest, happiest Doctor Who fan group that Filipinos would be proud to be a part of. Or maybe be big enough to influence the BBC to send one of the stars of Doctor Who for a meet-and-greet here? Who knows?

If you’re Filipino and a fan of Doctor Who, you are most certainly welcome to join the group and be a part of the most passionate bunch of Pinoy Whovians you’ll meet. Join us at facebook.com/groups/WhovianPH and have a jelly baby on us!