People are writing Alice Guo fanfiction | Teka Teka

·19 min·1 clip

Senator Risa Hontiveros arrives to investigate Mayor Alice Guo, sparking a fanfiction romance between them.

The episode of Teka Teka, hosted by Bella Perez Rubio, investigates the unusual online fandom surrounding Philippine politician Alice Guo. It opens with a reading of fanfiction that romantically pairs Guo with Senator Risa Hontiveros, her political adversary. Guest CX Roque, Managing Director of social media intelligence firm Social Signals, explains how his team discovered this phenomenon. They found that within positive TikTok videos about Alice Guo, 8% promote a romantic 'ship' between Guo and Hontiveros. These videos edit Senate hearing clips to imply romantic tension, adding dialogue or music. Roque contextualizes this as a small but passionate part of a larger pro-Guo fandom. The broader support is prolific but superficial, with over 90% being 'fan videos' that portray Guo as relatable and funny without addressing the serious allegations against her. The analyst notes the fandom's culture differs from typical political debate, with attackers using personal accounts while supporters often remain anonymous. However, markers suggest authentic fan activity, such as fans expressing disappointment and dropping out as new evidence emerges. The demographic appears to be very young, likely female-coded and queer, treating the political scandal as a form of entertainment. The most popular fanfiction on Wattpad, 'Your Honor, I Need Cuddles', has 150,000 views. The episode compares this to other political 'ships', like between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, but notes the Guo-Hontiveros fandom seems less tongue-in-cheek. Roque draws a parallel to how former Chief Justice Sereno's antagonist, Larry Gadon, later became a meme and celebrity. The host expresses concern that romanticizing a real figure accused of grave crimes like trafficking and document falsification blurs important lines. The conversation concludes by noting the fandom's surface-level nature and its inability to halt legal proceedings against Guo, offering some reassurance about its limited real-world impact.

As heard by us

A fandom story that keeps running into the hard edges of a real case.

The episode works best when it stays close to the online fandom around Alice Guo, especially the anonymous fan accounts and the meet-cute framing that turns Senator Risa Antiveros and Senator Lauren Legarda into figures in the fantasy.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want the strange overlap where Alice Guo fandom starts to look like a case file.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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