Compiled by Mary Angela Barlongay, Sara Grace Fojas, and Cessa Gatmaytan   Out with the old, in with the new—but before we banish the crazy, rollercoaster year that is 2016 and start fresh with a new, more positive stance for 2017, let’s take a look back at some people who made a splash in the past year in ways that are inspiring, sometimes frustrating but nonetheless enlightening. REUTERS Jaclyn Jose Mary Jane Santa Ana Guck, better known as Jaclyn Jose first started in the 1984 sexy comedy movie Chikas. The next year, she started doing sexy roles and starred in Lino Brocka’s White Slavery, Chito Roño’s Private show, and many more. In 1997 she portrayed Magda in the hit TV show Mula sa Puso. She has been in the showbiz industry for more than two decades and won several prestigious awards including Best Actress (thrice) at the Gawad Urian. But her biggest win yet is winning Best Actress at the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival in France for her role as Rosa, a small-time drug dealer who was arrested by corrupt officials in the indie film Ma’ Rosa by Brillante Mendoza. The veteran Filipina actress joined Hollywood actresses Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, and Rooney Mara who also won the prestigious award. During the awards ceremony, where her win had a seven-minute standing ovation, she admitted that she did not expect to win and shared the award with her daughter actress Andi Eigenmann and director Brillante Mendoza. Jaclyn is the first Southeast Asian to win the award. EPA Lav Diaz Best known for his long-form narrative films, Lav Diaz has been making independent films since the ’90s. He won several awards including Gawad Urian Award, Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards, and many more. He gave pride to the independent films in the country when he won the Silver Bear (Alfred Bauer Prize) at the 66th International Film Festival Berlin for his eight-hour-long independent film Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis (Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery) starring John Lloyd Cruz and Piolo Pascual; and a Golden Lion (Leone d’Ore per il miglior film) for Ang Babaeng Humayo (The Woman Who Left). The film, which stars Charo Santos-Concio, is about a schoolteacher who was released after 30 years in jail for a crime she did not commit. She then seeks revenge on her former lover who is believed to have framed her. The movie was inspired by Leo Tolstoy’s short story God Sees the Truth, But Waits. His triumph was recognized by President Rodrigo Duterte in a statement saying: “This triumph of Lav Diaz is the latest addition to the Philippines’ biggest ever haul of awards in this year’s A-list film festivals—Berlin, Cannes, and now Venice. The luster of the world-class Filipino talent has continuously shone.” Image by EPA Hidilyn Diaz For being capable of lifting a 53-kg barbell, Hidilyn Francisco Diaz, silver medalist of the 53-kg weightlifting division of the 2016 Rio Olympics, is probably one of the strongest Filipinas today. She’s the first Filipina to win an Olympic medal after years of drought. Hidilyn’s weightlifting training didn’t start in the gym or with a professional trainer, but walking 50 meters to her home with two buckets of water for her family to use. Now, she showed the world that Filipinas excel not only in beauty pageants but also in sports, an inspiration to young girls. “I showed them that even women can excel in sports and compete in other countries. They belittle women in sports, so I showed them that I could do it, too,” says Hidilyn when she was awarded as one of The Outstanding Women in Nation Service (TOWNS). Now, Hidilyn plans to promote sports and plans to build a proper gym for young Filipino athletes. Image by Federico Cruz Leni Robredo Born and raised in Naga, Bicol, Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo is the wife of the late Secretary of the Interior and Local Government, Jessie Robredo. Her inauguration as the 14th vice president of the Philippines was done separately with the President, an event that eventually started her “love-hate relationship” with President Duterte. On July 7, the President appointed Robredo as cabinet head of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council. She chose to ignore the inappropriate remarks said to her by the President during the third anniversary of typhoon Yolanda in Tacloban, where Duterte teased the VP about her short skirt. On Dec. 5, Robredo left her post as Housing czar when she was banned from attending cabinet meetings. “This is the last straw, because it makes it impossible for me to perform my duties,” she in a statement posted on her official website. Image by Kevin DelaCruz Pia Wurtzbach Confidently beautiful with a heart, 2016 was a year of fulfilling her duties as Ms. Universe for Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach. As the third Filipina to win the title, after Gloria Diaz in 1969 and Margarita Moran in 1973, Pia described her reign as “filled with memories for a lifetime.” “I know that most of you feel like the year has gone by so quickly but it’s actually the opposite for me. My year as Miss Universe felt longer than that. Without sounding too corny but I think it’s because so much happened. It’s filled with memories for a lifetime. The best ones are the life lessons I learned the hard way. But even when things get tough it’s really your love that keeps me pushing forward,” said Pia in an Instagram post. She will make her final walk and pass on her crown on Jan. 30 at the MOA Arena as the Philippines hosts the 2017 Miss Universe. For one year, Pia has been traveling around the world fulfilling her duties and fighting for her advocacy HIV/AIDS, specifically raising awareness and educating LGBT communities. She also became a correspondent for Super Bowl 50, cooked with Food Networks’ celebrity chef Anne Burrel, walked the runways of New York Fashion Week, and appeared in various shows like Good Morning America, Extra TV, Access Hollywood, and Live! with Kelly and Michael. The 64th Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach gave an enormous sense of pride to the Filipinos around the world and taught every girl that dreams will come true as long as you don’t stop trying. Image by Pia Puno Margarita Fores Filipinos don’t just cook, they create magic with food, and this is how seasoned restaurateur Margarita Fores captured the heart of Asia, and even the world. Hailed as Asia’s Best Female Chef for 2016 by Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards, she is the first Filipino to win the award. A public accountant by training, the chef and restaurateur began her culinary career three decades ago as a caterer specializing in Italian cuisine. Now, she runs her own top-notch restaurants like the Italian restaurant Cibo, champagne bar Lusso, farm-to-market concept restaurant Grace Park, and Ascott Hotel’s all-day dining restaurant Alta. “I believe food has the ability of generating attention for the country in a much more personal way,” she said in an exclusive interview. Margarita was also involved in Madrid Fusion Manila and cooked dinner, together with Glenda Barretto of Via Mare, for 21 heads of state on the opening night of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation held in Manila. Image by Mark Balmores Miriam Defensor Santiago (1945-2016) Dubbed as “The President We Never Had,” Miriam Defensor Santiago was renowned as the “Iron Lady of Asia” for her bravery, political will, and feisty spirit. She served as a judge, immigration commissioner for which she was awarded a Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service, and secretary of agrarian reform. With her strong foundation in law, she committed to fighting graft and corruption in both local and national government units by exposing illegal operations and filing charges against numerous government scandals. She also moved mountains in constitutional law that will benefit the poor and fought for the rights of women and children. Santiago was also the first Filipina to be elected judge of the International Criminal Court back in 2012. She later resigned the post, after she was diagnosed with lung cancer. But sickness didn’t hinder her for serving the country she loved. For the third time in her political career, she ran for President of the Philippines for the 2016 elections, but lost. On Sept. 29, 2016, at the age of 71, Santiago passed away. She was well-loved by the Filipinos, especially the young, for being the “backbone” of the government. Image by Cyrus Panganiban Kylie Verzosa Kylie Verzosa is more than meets the eyes. Possessing God-given beauty and intellect, she was destined to fulfill a greater purpose in life as a teacher, model, and beauty queen. After being crowned Binibining Pilipinas International 2016 on April 17, she was determined to proceed and represent the Philippines for the Miss International 2016 pageant held in Tokyo, Japan. She was successful. She is currently the sixth Filipina who has won the prestigious title. Verzosa was born and raised in Baguio City. She earned her degree in Business Management at Ateneo de Manila University. She is passion-driven in advocating against depression and for suicide awareness. This has prompted her to volunteer for the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation, which aims to educate people about mental health. In an interview with Manila Bulletin, Kylie explained that she does not stop until she achieves her goal that is “to be the best version of myself, better than who I was yesterday.” Image by Ali Vicoy Leila De Lima Born and raised in Camarines Sur, Sen. Leila de Lima is the eldest daughter of former Comelec commissioner Vicente de Lima and Norma Magistrado. De Lima became the justice secretary of the Department of Justine in 2010. After her term, she ran and won as one of the newest senators of the Philippines in May 2016. She made headlines when she became a very vocal critic of President Duterte’s anti-drugs campaign. The heated war between De Lima and Duterte started when Digong was still the mayor of Davao and De Lima was accusing the former mayor for his involvement with the DDS or Davao Death Squad. Duterte fired back by saying De Lima is an “immoral woman” for having an affair with her driver Ronnie Dayan and for being a drug protector. According to Kerwin Espinosa, a high-profile drug suspect, he allegedly gave De Lima a total of eight million pesos to fund her 2016 senatorial campaign. AFP Manny Pacquiao Manny Pacquiao is a living testimony that success can happen to anyone who has faith and endurance to overcome life’s battles. Pacquiao’s rags-to-riches story continues to inspire us today. We watched him from glory to glory bringing honor for his country as a boxer. He later carved a name in the political arena as elected senator. The most important piece of legislation he’s been involved in is the establishment of a boxing commission in the Philippines and he is also sponsoring the restoration of the death penalty. His senatorial duties notwithstanding, he continued his boxing career. His most recent match was with the Mexican defending world champion Jess Vargas for the WBC welterweight title, where he proved that he is still a boxing legend after easily snatching the title anticipated ring comeback in Las Vegas, Nevada. Manny is a role model, not only to aspiring boxing fighters but also for his ability to rise from poverty, his devotion to his mother and family, his generosity to his fellow countrymen, his learning the English language, his elevation to Congress and to the Senate. MB PHOTOS Mocha Uson From being a sexy dancer, singer, and model, changed has definitely come for Mocha Uson when she started blogging about and fighting for her political ideals and die-hard support of President Rodrigo Duterte. Despite having a lot of haters, bashers, and negative criticisms, Uson has an army of followers 4,612,698 strong (as of press time), who subscribe to her posts about her dedication to the President, her rants about the “dilawan” people or the supporters of the previous administration, and her views about the government. Before she became a phenomenal political and social media figure, Mocha was first known as the lead singer of Mocha Girls and her sexy image. She was also an ambassador of the Metro Manila Film Festival 2016.