A Love Letter for AlDub Nation

Thank you is not enough, so I wrote this letter for AlDub Nation.

 (ctto)

Dear AlDub Nation, 

I was never a fan of any artist before, because I usually pick my favorite songs, movies or anything showbiz based on the material and not really the artist. So if an artist is consistent, they would usually end up in my list of favorites. That’s it. Until AlDub and AlDub Nation came.

Since I’m not really into showbiz, I even tried blogging about events, but eventually stopped since I don’t know who the artists are. They usually promote albums, and I couldn’t write about them for I don’t know how they got that break of recording an album. Zero background is never good for writing. I had never been interested with showbiz until AlDub and AlDub Nation came.

I am not a TV person. In fact, I can live without TV as long as I have internet for news. I watch TV for news and that’s it. Until AlDub and AlDub Nation came.

I was a Kapuso ever since I can remember watching TV, because our TV then, only had GMA. We couldn’t watch other shows because our place is a certified deadspot for other TV channels. We grew up Kapuso, and yet never changed channels even if we can already afford cable connection. Growing up, I stopped watching TV when I stepped into college, then became a yuppie, because study and work consumes most of my waking hours. Until AlDub and AlDub Nation came.

I became a fan, a TV person, and a Kapuso again. And for all the things I’ve become since this AlDub phenomenon, I would like to thank, not only AlDub, but also the AlDub Nation.

A lot has been said about AlDub, and my words for Alden and Maine would just be a reiteration of all good things said before. So I prefer to talk about us, AlDub Nation. If there are millions of reasons to love AlDub, and so we can tweet 41 million about it, there are millions of reasons to love you, AlDub Nation. Here are seven of them:

(forgive me with my limited perspective because this is my first time to be a fan)

1.    It’s so organized it feels like another society.
A usual fandom would have big fan accounts that would give updates. AlDub Nation has more. We are organized according to purpose. There are accounts:

• to set the trend and set the Official Hashtag for the day starting 12 midnight
• to set reminders on what to avoid in tweeting so that tweets would be counted
• to monitor if hashtags are spammed or incorrect, so they would be deleted and stopped from spreading
• to warn the nation with spammed hashtags and those incorrect ones that climb the trend list and divide the number of tweets
• to remind, reprimand, discipline fans who can’t help breaking AlDub’s theme of spreading love and avoiding hate(rs)
• to discipline fans who start bashing other artists and their fans
• to report and encourage the nation to block accounts that bash AlDub instead of starting twitter wars
• to post statistical updates of trend list whether nationwide or worldwide, number of tweets, heat maps that illustrate the globe and where most tweets come from, the peak of number of tweets per minute, the rate of tweets per hour and the official count within 24 hours
• to defend AlDub from bashers, not through bashing, but through logical explanation and research to make valid points (arguments are so good, I tilt my hat to you, guys)
• to conduct twitter threads for forums that discuss the phenomenon
• to research (or stalk) previous interviews, videos, TV appearances, blog and social media posts of AlDub for more kilig
• to establish connection and meaning among things happening with AlDub (on and off cam/Twitter/IG) and their connection with divine intervention and destiny for more kilig
• to investigate issues and controversies and give clarifications for the nation
• to make clips for slow motion, zoom in, and to make the nation kilig over and over thru replay
• to update BTS (behind the scene) photos and videos for any AlDub project: photoshoot, film shoot, TVC shoot, mall tours, etc.
• to determine chapters based on location. And take note: fan chapters are based on towns, under a provincial chapter, under a country chapter. (i.e. AlDub/MaiDen Taytay is under AD/MD Rizal, which is under AD/MD CALABARZON, while those abroad identify themselves by country or city like AD/MD SG for Singapore Chapter). These accounts host twitter parties and keep the conversations on going for 24 hours as we receive updates from trendsetters, issues, fan arts, fan fictions, statistics and parody account kilig moments.
• to determine teams according to various ways people watch Eat Bulaga! (i.e. team replay, team twitter, team puyaters, team abroad (for live stream), while team bahay and team arena were organized for the Tamang Panahon event)
• to entertain through parody accounts of characters and props from Kalyeserye who usually add kilig every now and then thru their own twitterserye where fans create ideal kilig moments among these fictional characters
• to provide livestreams and youtube videos for team abroad and team replay
• to post fan arts that anticipate or recall all the kilig and fun of every episode thru digital and traditional artworks
• to post fan fictions that sometimes aim to predict what would happen next in the series, eventually building more anticipation
• to identify AlDub Nation citizens like me who spend time to tweet, watch and support Kalyeserye of Eat Bulaga

2.    Everyone’s committed with the benefit of AlDub and the nation. It was never for ourselves.
It has always been about AlDub and AlDub Nation. No fan accounts were singled out and considered dominant over the other. Since we serve different purposes, we respect one others' differences and believe that all are fans. All are equal. We work together for just one goal: support AlDub. Updates are consistent because other fans want to share the kilig and anticipation with other fans. It was never about who gets more access or what, or who gets closer with whom. It is always about getting updates and sharing them with the entire nation. Walang pasikat.

3.    Selflessness is evident in everyone especially with big fan-base accounts. Bayanihan, from a dying culture, became a common trait for the nation, and hopefully for Filipinos once more.
All things are done voluntarily which inspires and motivates everyone to take their own role and participate for the love of AlDub and the entire nation. Bayanihan is in the mind of everyone, so this went out of Twitter world and began outside with charity works such as a Blood Drive in partnership with Red Cross and other chapters that conducted their outreach activities in nursing homes and orphanages near their chapters. AlDub nation began nation-building and we will continue to do so as we placed AlDub on top of national and worldwide trends for international recognition, which brings Philippines on a limelight. We have made noise on the possibility of considering Philippines for worldwide promotion of different international merchandise, where Filipinos do not just reach out to the world. Now, the world reaches out to us as we picked the curiosity of the world and international artists. This is just the beginning. Our unity can be coursed through other campaigns for the country, just as how Eat Bulaga! initiated a charity event like Tamang Panahon for AlDUb libraries all over the Philippines. We can build our nation once again.

4.    Creativity flourished out of inspiration.
Fan arts, fan fictions, AlDub-inspired songs, customized merchandise and the likes made their way to social media and local markets and they get free promotion thru AlDub Nation! We help them promote their pages and find ways how these sellers can be contacted by possible clients. "Para sa ekonomiya," we say. Really it is. We support these as we support AlDub! So many people got inspired, which includes me. I am currently trying to finish my novel that has been long postponed. Inspiration and support can really go a long way!

5.    Meeting strangers had never been so much fun. One effortlessly belongs. Twitter parties rock!
Because I only use Twitter as an extension of my Facebook account and blog before, I only have a handful of followers. As of now, I already have 884 followers because of AlDub Nation. They see my account worth following for updates, while some even started conversations especially during Twitter parties! These are complete strangers with the same goal in mind: to support AlDub, and that is enough to bridge the differences we all have. It never felt so comfortable in the company of people you don’t know. They address you as if they know you long time ago, with the same impression that AlDub fans would never snub another AlDub fan. With that, the nation has become a family. For an introvert like me, this is the number one reason I fell in love with the nation.

6.    It’s so influential that you feel so important as fans.
I can still recall when AlDub nation called the attention of TAPE Inc. boss, @DirekMike, Mr. Michael Tuviera to revise Alden’s segment in Sunday PinaSaya so that it won’t need to objectify Alden as a sex symbol with all the kissing, which is so far from the good role model image he upholds in Kalyeserye and in real life. The following Sunday, the segment was revised, and another Sunday gave way for a different segment that is much more fun and caters to Alden’s hosting skills. And recently, just as how a lot of fans requested for Maine to call during Alden’s segment, after the Tamang Panahon event, Maine together with Sunday PinaSaya production pranked Alden with an unexpected call from her, which caught Alden off guard. Also, the updates from the first photoshoot of AlDub for My Bebe Love, their movie for the Metro Manila Film Festival, were uploaded by no other than their director @DirekJoey, Mr. Jose Javier Reyes. Has any director done that for fans? With these, never had I felt so important as a fan when it comes to certain concerns or requests. I’ve always pictured a fan as a passive spectator at the other side of the screen, but AlDub Nation made all the difference. We are so big, we made all the difference.

7.    AlDub fans settle our misunderstandings instead of just hating each other over differences. We know how to compromise just to bridge individual differences, because we know that "united we stand, divided we fall."
Since we are a nation, we’re so big that it is difficult to handle and to maintain peace. Different points of view would occasionally come out and some fans would misunderstand others. There are those that commit mistakes, and others tend to correct them. Despite all these, we were able to maintain unity by settling differences wherein some learn to admit their mistake and ask for forgiveness, while others find the courage to forgive. We began to believe that those who do not possess such values for unity are not AlDub fans at all. Because we live up to our trademark: Make love, not war. In fact, we believe in fraternal correction; that when another tells you to correct something, we always see it as constructive criticism and cooperate. The best example of real and sincere pakikisama that I have witnessed.

These are just some of the reasons that I love you, AlDub Nation! I am so proud of AlDub and the entire nation. Thank you so much! AlDub you all!

With much love,

Jem Robles