Future (im)perfect

Speculative fiction through the eyes of Victor Ocampo

- JOHANNES L. CHUA

It is perhaps one of the great ironies of literature that when readers think of speculative fiction-a genre encompassing science fiction, fantasy, dystopian fiction, apocalyptic horror, etc. they often turn to Western works, New York Times-listed authors, or worse, Hollywood. Rarely do they look to Philippine literature as a reference, despite the country's deep and rich tradition in this genre.

Unbeknownst to many, even avid readers of Philippine literature, the country holds the distinction of being the first in Southeast Asia to develop a written speculative fiction tradition.

This is according to noted writer Victor Ocampo, whose research traces Filipino speculative fiction as far back as 1933. It progressed further that in 1945, Mateo Cruz Cornelio had published "Doktor Satan," a short novel in Tagalog that stands as one of the earliest examples of Filipino science fiction.

"Doktor Satan was a tale inspired by R.L. Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr.