In the past few weeks, social media platforms have been host to major throwbacks– unearthing 2016 finds with shared themes that had shaped the contours of an era that is now exactly a decade old.
From iconic photos, to world-famous song releases and nostalgic outfits, it indeed was a period of its own, and in this #TB trend’s fashion, here are some of the prominent names and topics that sculpted the Philippines’ corners in 2016.
START OF DUTERTE ADMINISTRATION
Plausibly the biggest, most impactful shaper of news in 2016 was the national elections, where former state chief Rodrigo Roa Duterte became the first Philippine president from Mindanao.
Against Liberal Party’s Mar Roxas, independent candidate Grace Poe, United Nationalist Alliance bet Jejomar Binay, and People’s Reform Party contender Miriam Defensor-Santiago– Duterte won the presidency by a clear margin.
The Leyte-born, Davao-raised former mayor raked in 15,970,018 total votes– six million more than what second placer Mar Roxas received– en route to a full-term presidency shaped by his tough stance against crime and drugs.
As of this writing, Duterte is detained at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands while awaiting trial on allegations of crimes against humanity.
HIDILYN DIAZ’ HISTORIC OLYMPIC STINT
Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo made Philippine sports history when she won a silver medal in the women’s 53-kg category in weightlifting during the 2016 Rio Olympics.
By bagging that silver medal, Diaz-Naranjo became the first ever Filipino woman to become an Olympic medalist.
She also snapped the Philippines’ 20-year medal drought at the largest and most prestigious sporting event, as the last Olympic silverware snagged by any Filipino prior was boxer-turned-actor Onyok Velasco’s silver in 1996.
Diaz-Naranjo would go on to win the country’s first-ever Olympic gold medal when she topped the 55-kilogram weightlifting event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, etching her name in the annals of Philippine sports history as one of the most decorated and celebrated Filipino athletes.
At present, the two-time Olympic medalist is a lecturer at the University of the Philippines Diliman, teaching two Physical Education classes in weightlifting, while also running the July 2024-established Hidilyn Diaz Weightlifting Academy in Jalajala, Rizal.
PIA WURTZBACH’S REIGN AS MISS UNIVERSE
Despite her title being Miss Universe 2015, former titleholder Pia Wurtzbach spent most of her reign as Miss Universe in 2016.
The Cagayan de Oro-raised beauty queen spent possibly one of the busiest years of her life, travelling all the different corners of the world– paying courtesy visits, serving as judge in major pageants, doing ceremonial guestings, and representing her advocacy–as she fulfilled her duties as the Miss Universe crown-bearer.
She ended her Miss Universe reign in January 2017 when she crowned her successor Iris Mittanaere of France as Miss Universe 2016.
POKEMON GO PHENOMENON
In July of 2016, mobile gaming phenomenon Pokémon Go was launched globally, taking the gaming world by storm by merging physical activity and digital interaction under the banner of one of the most popular Japanese media franchises.
Developed and released by software development company Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokemon Company, Pokemon GO allowed users to detect, follow, and catch digital creatures– pokemons– in mapped locations and in real-time.
GMA Integrated News reported the game’s arrival in the Philippines in early August. It instantly became a fever followed not only by hardcore gamers and Pokemon fans, making significant impact as soon as it landed on Android and iOS, even reaching a point where government agencies had to release precautionary memorandums warning employees to refrain from playing the app during work hours.
Using a smartphone’s natural features such as camera and GPS, Pokemon GO made users travel places in pursuit of Pikachus and Charmanders.
PCA RULING ON SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE
The Philippines scored a legal victory regarding its maritime dispute with China over the South China Sea after the Permanent Court of Arbitration– an international tribunal based in The Hague, Netherlands– concluded that China’s ‘nine dash line’ and claimed historic rights have no legal basis under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The landmark victory included major resource-rich maritime features and islands that, to this day, have been disputed as to who is authorized to claim and operate, such as the Scarborough Shoal or Panatag Shoal, Spratly Islands, Mischief Reef, and Ayungin Shoal.
Since the ruling was released in July 2016, China has reiterated its stance of non-acceptance and non-participation.
Ten years is enough, if not a lot, of time to welcome shifts, departures, and evolutions. By 2036 – 10 years from this day – who knows how that future generation of nostalgia army will remember the trends and behavior we’re espousing today.
