They say that a lot can change in a year, but one can agree that 2016 was something else.

In the past year, major political earthquakes have sent shockwaves the world over: the United Kingdom chose to leave the European Union, more than a million South Koreans rallied to impeach President Park Geun-hye, and the United States elected Donald J. Trump as their new president.

The Philippines was no exception. With the Duterte phenomenon, the deadly anti-drug war, and the burial of Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, among others, 2016 served as a rude wakeup call.

For some, the rise of authoritarian leaders and illiberalism even in nations once considered as bastions of liberal democracy is enough reason to name 2016 as the “worst year ever” (more so if one considers the unusually number of high-profile celebrity deaths this year).

Many would hope that the new year would serve as a clean slate, but that probably won’t be the case. 2017 would simply be a continuation of what has been started in the past year.

Under a new administration

Change is coming. This was President Duterte’s campaign slogan, promise, and battle cry rolled into one. Simple as it was, the slogan, along with his iconic campaign symbol of a closed fist, persuaded enough Filipinos to vote for the former Davao City mayor last May.

Lizzie Ledesma, an architect from Bacolod, was one of the 16 million Filipinos who voted for Duterte. Ledesma said that she gets behind Duterte’s slogan because her idea of change is the same as his—one that involves a president that would do everything in his power to alleviate the corruption in the government and keep everything in order.

“As of now, I am elated by the speed and enormity of his projects. I am very satisfied with the way things are going. He has appointed his alter egos who are experts in the fields assigned to them and performs to the best of their abilities,” she said.

She recalls first hearing about Duterte back in 2015 from her Davaoeño friends. She says she was impressed when she found out that he “made Davao into one of the safest and cleanest cities in the country” and hopes that he could do the same thing to the whole country as well.

More than six months into his term, Duterte remains popular. Polling firm Social Weather Stations found 77% of Filipinos satisfied with the president in a survey conducted from December 3-6. Pulse Asia recorded Duterte’s approval rating at 83% based on a poll done December 6-11.

Enrique Niño Leviste, PhD, assistant professor at the Sociology and Anthropology Department, explained that Filipinos are seeking because they feel “let down” by establishment economics and politics. Because of people’s discontent with the way things are, Leviste says that there will always be people expressing their desire to change the system.

“I think calls for change have always been prominent. Activists in the 1980s chanted ‘Tama na, sobra na, palitan na’ to express their discontent and desire for change despite the late dictator’s attempts to remain in power. Joseph Estrada won because he purportedly represented and fought for the poor (‘Erap para sa mahihirap’), a stark contrast from his predecessors [former presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos who were] perceived [to have a] lack of connection and concern for the impoverished,” he said.

Leviste believes that the reason Duterte’s slogan became effective was because it followed a similar template and called out the inadequacies of the previous administration.

Taking a stand

However, not everyone is satisfied with the new administration.

As part of Duterte’s so-called change, he ordered for the burial of late president Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani for “national healing.” He says he was also influenced by how many Ilocanos felt “disheartened” when the late dictator was initially not allowed to be buried alongside the fallen heroes of the country.

He also said that the decision was lawful since Marcos was a former soldier and was thus qualified for burial in Libingan.

But some believe that the burial was Duterte’s way of paying back political debt to the Marcoses, whom he said were among the supporters of his campaign.

This brought about social unrest especially among the youth, sparking multiple mass demonstrations against the burial. On the day the Supreme Court announced its decision as well as on the day of the burial itself, spontaneous walk-outs and protests happened in Ateneo and in other universities across the country.

Rachelle Ng (2 BS CTM), one of those who joined the demonstrations, finds these rallies inspiring and a great way for people to come together and strive for what they believe is right.

“In my opinion, rallies can have several goals that they seek to fulfill. One of the strongest purposes is [to hear] that the [voices] of the people are demanding to be heard,” she said, adding that she was surrounded by people who rallied to fight for their beliefs despite their fears and the potential danger.

Part of why Ng rallied joined the protests despite her parents’ disapproval was because of what she learned in her history classes. She remembers a question posed by assistant professor Jo-Ed Tirol, PhD of the history department: “How much of history is made by people who decide take risks and how much of history stays stagnant because people would not?”

“It was there when I decided to be part of the story—the story that was going to give voices to those who are not heard, the story that would create ripples across generations to inspire them to fight for what they believe in,” Ng said.

Moving forward

Change has indeed come, for better or for worse. While misinformation and vicious trolling have made online discourse more toxic than ever, the events of 2016—if soberly and thoroughly examined – can serve as reality check of how society has really become.

“While we have made significant inroads economically, such inroads are not felt on the ground or by people who should have benefited most from poverty alleviation programs and the delivery of basic services. The inadequacy of the current system – not to mention untrammeled abuses in government – makes its constituency vulnerable to skepticism and disillusionment,” Leviste said.

The changes of the past year have also urged Filipinos to make a stand and today challenge them to think critically about what is happening and how to move forward.

“Through the different mediums of mass communication, people have become more aware of the different realities of political situations that are happening around the world and I believe that awareness is the first step to change,” Ng said.

Yet beyond just being aware, civic engagement will be key in strengthening Philippine democracy. Its importance cannot be discounted this 2017, as contentious issues such as the reinstatement of the death penalty, lowering of the age of criminal responsibility, and constitutional change are all expected to dominate public debate.

These are indeed exceptional times. While change can be overwhelming, the events of the past year and the challenges confronting the new year remind that change is spurred by a united and engaged people.