Santelmo 3

The future is now—uneven, uncanny, and unmistakably Filipino.

In this third issue of Santelmo, we cast our gaze forward without turning our back on memory. We publish voices that imagine the nation not just as it is, but as it might yet become: scarred and stumbling, yes, but luminous with possibility. Whether through the prophetic lens of astrology, the sharp wit of satire, or the deep discernment of historical critique, our contributors grapple with the shape of things to come. They read signs—in Rizal’s exile and maps, in post-truth narratives and martial nostalgia, in planets and power plays, in silence and spectacle.

National Artist Virgilio S. Almario opens the issue with a searing meditation on the distortion of history and the urgent need for cultural reckoning. Jose Victor Z. Torres reflects on how we’ve learned history—and how we’ve failed to learn from it. Resti H. Santiago brings his astrological expertise to bear, charting a Scorpionic future for the Philippines marked by transformation, power, and peril. HG Severino revisits Rizal’s years in Dapitan, not as retreat, but as blueprint—a quiet vision of nationhood rooted in science, education, and daily labor. Alfred “Krip” Yuson speculates boldly and wryly, delivering a time-traveler’s diary of future absurdities and aspirations. And Eric Cabahug imagines the monarchy we never asked for, but may yet inherit, in a sharp, chilling satire that bends the arc of history into a crown.

The issue also gathers fiction from Angelo R. Lacuesta, Dean Francis Alfar, Che Sarigumba, and Jai Barrientos; poetry from Rio Alma, Marne Kilates, Aldrin Pentero, and others; tributes to the late Richard Gappi and Ericson Acosta; and visual works by Celeste Lecaroz, Agnes Arellano, and ManilaBang 2022. In dialogue, in divergence, and in defiance, they offer their visions of what is coming—and what must not be forgotten.

In an age of algorithmic predictions and “precogs”—from Duterte’s matrices to quantum surveillance—Santelmo chooses a more human fire: the light of culture, imagination, and critical inquiry. As ever, we invite you to walk with us through these pages lit by voices who dare to see ahead—and who, in doing so, never forget where we’ve been.

Let there be light in the dark.