Here are 9 events that gave us hope in 2021

It’s no secret that 2021 was a rollercoaster of events, from surviving yet another year at home to finding ways to stay afloat and remain productive despite pandemic-infused anxiety and limitations.

Although this year marked the second year we all lived through the historic coronavirus pandemic, here are a few events that happened this year that managed to bring a sliver of hope to our lives and cast a silver lining on the country.

1. Vaccination rollout

Many will agree that the beginning of the vaccination rollout to combat COVID-19 was one of the best things that happened this year.

On March 1, the Philippines finally started its vaccination program to safeguard its citizens from the virus. After healthcare workers, senior citizens, persons with comorbidities, and other workers were given their doses, vaccination for minors aged 12 to 17 years began in November.

According to the National Task Force against COVID-19 in November, the Philippines have administered over 80 million COVID-19 jabs since the vaccination rollout.

Early this month, the government began allowing booster shots for fully vaccinated adults. According to the National Vaccination Operations Center, around 19 million individuals were estimated to be eligible for booster shots or additional doses of COVID-19 vaccines since the interval was lowered to three months.

Meanwhile, Food and Drug Administration announced that vaccination of minors aged 5 to 11 with Pfizer may begin as early as January 2022.

2. Community pantries

One woman’s inspiring act was enough to cause a ripple throughout the whole country.

When the country was put under strict lockdown as COVID-19 cases spiked in April, many citizens lost their sources of livelihood.

Ana Patricia Non then took it upon herself to help out her fellow Filipinos by setting up a “community pantry” in Maginhawa, Quezon City. Filled with grocery items and food supplies, it was run with one simple rule: “Magbigay ayon sa kakayahan, kumuha batay sa pangangailangan (Give only what you can and get only what you need).”

Her brilliant and compassionate idea began a movement and brought out the bayanihan spirit in Filipinos as more community pantries emerged in different areas all over the country.

Because of Non’s initiative which sparked change amid a devastating period, a Quezon City councilor filed a resolution to honor her and the movement she initiated.

3. Hidilyn Diaz’s historic Olympic win

Filipina weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz made history after she won the Philippines’ first ever Olympic gold medal.

During the 2020 Tokyo Games, Hidilyn conquered the women’s 55-kg weightlifting event and subsequently put an end to the near century-long gold medal drought since the Philippines first competed in the games in 1924.

Hidilyn’s win was celebrated by Filipinos so much that the Olympics’ tweet congratulating her was named this year’s most engaged tweet in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, other Filipino athletes also made history as the Philippines brought home more than one medal from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics for the first time since 1932.

Aside from Hidilyn’s historic gold win, Nesthy Petecio bagged the Philippines’ first ever silver medal in women’s boxing, Carlo Paalam won the silver medal in men’s flyweight boxing, and Eumir Marcial took home the bronze medal in men’s boxing middleweight division.

4. Maria Ressa’s Nobel Peace Prize

Veteran journalist and Rappler co-founder Maria Ressa made history after she was awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize in October.

The first Nobel laureate from the Philippines, Ressa received the award together with Russia’s Dimitry Muratov, editor in chief of independent newspaper Novaya Gazeta, in Oslo, Norway.

The pair was honored for their “efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace.”

Ressa, whose media company has been highly critical of the Duterte administration, is the subject of seven lawsuits for which she may be put in jail for 100 years.

She is on parole pending an appeal after being convicted for defamation last year and had to ask four courts for permission to travel to Oslo and collect her Nobel in person.

5. John Arcilla is best actor at Venice Film Festival.

John Arcilla made history after he became the first Filipino to win the Coppa Volpi (Volpi Cup) for Best Actor at the 78th Venice Film Festival.

Arcilla bagged the prestigious award in September for his performance as Sisoy Salas on Erik Matti’s film “On the Job: The Missing 8.”

Arcilla, who couldn’t receive the award in person, said in his video speech: “I am also the happiest actor tonight of course also because I know that we came from different countries and we have different languages and cultures and yet I can feel oneness tonight and I can feel that you understand me and we understand each other. It’s because of the art of cinema.”

The film, which also stars Dennis Trillo and Dante Rivero, revolves around a journalist who looks into the disappearance of his colleagues. It is the only Southeast Asian film selected for the main competition.

6. SB19’s Billboard nomination

SB19 is certainly on the path to world domination!

P-pop boy group SB19 made history after they were nominated for Top Social Artist at the Billboard Music Awards 2021, becoming the very first Filipino act to do so.

The Billboard Music Award for Top Social Artist is one of three fan-voted categories in the award show. Nominated alongside SB19 are Ariana Grande and K-pop groups BTS, Blackpink, and Seventeen.

The group, composed of Pablo, Josh, Stell, Ken, and Justin, was formed three years ago through a talent audition by Korean management agency ShowBT. After they released their debut single “Tilaluha” in 2018, they solidified their position in the Pinoy pop industry with “Go Up” and their single “What?” released in March 2021.

“What?” consistently trended on social media and skyrocketed the group to fame. In April, their performance of the song made the top 1 worldwide trends on Twitter just hours after its release.

7. Masungi Georeserve cited for restoring Marikina watershed.

The Masungi Georeserve Foundation, a conservation in Rizal, was honored with an international award for its efforts to restore and protect the Upper Marikina Watershed.

At the start of the year, Masungi’s project “The Masungi Georeserve Story: Restoring Forgotten Watersheds Through Youth-led Movements” won first place at the Water ChangeMaker Awards for its efforts to protect and restore the watershed from “large-scale threats such as quarrying, land trafficking, and timber poaching.”

Aside from winning the award, Filipina sisters Ann and Billie Dumaliang of Masungi Georeserve were also among the winners of Vanity Fair’s “Changing Your Mind Travel Awards” this year.

Tagged as “Conservation Starters,” the sisters were honored for opening up the Masungi Georeserve to sustainable tourism, showcasing the area’s natural richness such as its limestone peaks and lush rainforests.

The sisters and their family have protected the 430-hectare rainforest in Rizal for 20 years by helping establish monitoring trails and integrating with the local community.

8. 8 million new voters

After being heavily affected by the current administration’s pandemic response, Filipinos are hungry for good governance and leadership.

Over eight million citizens registered themselves to vote in the 2022 elections, according to Commission on Elections spokesperson James Jimenez.

Out of at least 65.5 million voters, 8,147,080 included 4,094,614 new voters aged 18 to 21, and those who reactivated their registration.

Voter applicants made headlines for forming devastating long lines under the heat of the sun as the deadline for registration drew near. Many even fell in line as early as 4 a.m. to finish their registration within the day.

9. First Filipino to reach 3rd deepest spot on Earth

Dr. Deo Florence Onda, a microbial oceanographer, made history in March after he became the first Filipino to reach the 34,100 feet Emden Deep, the third deepest spot on Earth.

Raising the flag during their successful exploration, Onda, who is also deputy director for research at University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute, said the voyage was “the first crewed descent into the bottom of the Philippine Trench, specifically to the Emden Deep.”

Joined by Victor Vescovo, the current record holder of the deepest manned descent in the Marianas Trench in 2019, Onda started the voyage from the port of Guam through the DSSV Drop, the only marine vessel capable of carrying humans and diving repeatedly to the deepest parts of the world’s oceans. – RC, GMA News