The official street team of the award-winning folk-pop band Ben&Ben contributed to the annual #RP612FIC trend on local Twitter which becomes relevant every 12th of June or the Philippines’ Independence Day.
The band’s supporters edited a picture of the nine-piece band when they performed for the music video of “Susi,” the theme song they performed and wrote for the historical epic film “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral.”
The latter is the sequel to Jerrold Tarog’s “Heneral Luna.”
Reports described “Susi” as an “acoustic ballad about refusing to give up and finding one’s self amid the adversaries of chasing a dream.”
One of the band’s pictures on the set of the music video was edited by its supporters as contribution to the annual #RP612FIC which tops local Twitter’s trending list every June 12.
“Rare photo of a band getting ready to serenade a mañanita celebrant. Circa 1899 #rp612fic,” the caption of the picture reads.
Rare photo of a band getting ready to serenade a mañanita celebrant. Circa 1899 #rp612fic pic.twitter.com/lCxSmhjgdE
— Ben&Ben BBs (@BenAndBenBBs) June 11, 2020
The term “mañanita” first entered the mainstream news cycle and social media when Metro Manila Police Major General Debold Sinas had a birthday “salubong” and broke quarantine rules his police force was supposedly enforcing in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The picture of the band for the #RP612FIC has gained more than 4,100 likes and more than 920 retweets as of this writing. It was also warmly received by some Filipino Twitter users.
“The best one so far #rp612fic,” wrote an online user.
“Ay eto ang cute,” another online user commented with a sparkling heart emoji.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA PANALOOOO AHAHAHAHAHAHA,” a Filipino exclaimed as she tagged two of the members of the band, Agnes Reoma and Muñoz.
“#RP612FIC” stands for the following: “RP” for the Republic of the Philippines, number six for the month of June, while twelve stands for the day of the Philippines’ Independence and “FIC” stands for fiction.
It is a trend started by writer Paolo Chikiamco of RocketKapre.com in 2009 as an alternative way of telling Philippine history to celebrate the country’s Independence Day.
It was initially used by local writers and artists to post their contributions to the trend but the hashtag later on featured Filipino online users “mashing up Philippine history with popular culture.”
Some of this year’s trending posts include:
The Katipuneras showing up at Balintawak as they get ready to fight the Spaniards.
Colorized. Circa 1896. #rp612fic
— katya 💐| #JUNKTERRORBILL (@lonelychicagos) June 11, 2020
A rare photo of a filipina before doing the “mirror wipe challenge” #rp612fic pic.twitter.com/6VNwWlS9PL
— Joseph Cedron (@cedronfranz) June 11, 2020
How Filipino parties are called then and now:
#rp612fic pic.twitter.com/hMnr7VopJ9
— pawl • #FreeMassTestingNowPH (@tob1az) June 11, 2020
a photo of the first ever shopee delivery #rp612fic pic.twitter.com/qciNHjenSi
— Earl (@earIvincent) June 11, 2020
A rare photo of Andres Bonifacio fighting against the spanish to achieve our freedom. #rp612fic #ArawNgKalayaan pic.twitter.com/JW69mK61Aw
— 𝐟𝐫𝐥𝐧.𝐚𝐬𝐟 (@froiishy) June 11, 2020
A rare photo of a lovely Filipina debutant having her first dance. Circa 1920 #rp612fic pic.twitter.com/alR5qZXYRU
— Edgar Dee (@iamedgardjoseph) June 11, 2020
