The Rise of ISCP: Filipino Humor on Another Level

DREAM UNIVERSITY. The International State College of the Philippines (A.K.A. ISCP) is a satirical and comedic university formed by students. © Destura

“Enroll na sa ISCP!” Filipino internet users thrive on creating something fun out of anything. Every now and then we run across trending satire pages that just crack us up. The International State College of the Philippines (ISCP) became one of the most popular pages that everyone has been talking about.

The ISCP is an emerging academic institution that has attracted the attention of users across the media, particularly students. In just a few days, the institution gathered thousands of followers on various social media platforms. It has gained so much attention online that majority of Filipino Gen Z support it.

The fact that students, especially those at the college level, can relate to the almost legitimacy of the school itself is a major factor in why ISCP is such a successful meme. A few examples of their cleverly-created postings are course offerings combined with Filipino meme culture, list of celebrities participating in school's activities, and announcements. Their website is even looking a lot better than most real schools. One can already conclude that the excessive use of sarcasm and humor in its posts, which ranges from profile picture blasts to giving courses, is the only thing preventing it from being taken seriously.

Netizens loved this meme and it has gone incredibly viral. "I Am An ISCPanian" frames have been added to the profile pictures of claimed students of the university. Major universities were also mimicked by ISCP. While La Salle already had the Green Archer, ISCP had the Blue Barking Aspin.

It would not be an exaggeration to claim that the humor of ISCP reached its peak when it started showcasing some of the extracurricular activities the satirical school provides for its students. The public was drawn by the smart use of old, well-known memes to fit each program. People joke about which program they wish to enroll in since they are so entertained by the creative and ingenious posts.

Despite being a viral meme, this school had to originate somewhere. ISCP's clever and well-designed curriculum did not appear out of nowhere. In reality, it is someone's hobby. Niño Ged, the “founder” of the “university” and the creator of the page is a prospective college student who revealed that the concept for ISCP was to satirize college life.

"It was intended to post mundane college experiences in a lighter brighter way than it is. The relevance makes in my life is that I'm also an incoming college student," - Nino Ged, ISCP founder

Filipinos are recognized for being cheerful because they always look for opportunities to smile and make other people smile during difficult times. In addition, Filipinos spend a lot of time in social media to share entertaining videos, images, and other information.

Despite ISCP not being an actual school, it taught us that there is still hope despite the chaos in the world.

As Ged said “The International State College of the Philippines is so much more significant than I envisioned. It captured the wholeness of Filipino humor and left a mark on Philippine Pop Culture.”