#AnimatED: 2016 begins with hope

Without fail, for the past 15 years, most Filipinos have been greeting every new year with hope. Survey after survey has shown that the lowest percentage of hopeful Filipinos was 81% (2004), still an overwhelming majority.

We hit the 80s only 5 times, Mahar Mangahas of the Social Weather Stations (SWS) pointed out; we were always cruising in the 90s. But never, never have the numbers dipped to below 80.

In Germany, where this kind of poll originated, the numbers have been low, from 31% – unimaginable in our country – to 58%, their highest. Since 1991, the SWS said, hopefulness among Germans for the new year has been at “50s levels in 9 out of 25 surveys.”

That we continue to be hopeful is a positive thing; we are not giving up on this country.

Cynicism and jadedness, we have little of even after we’ve been besieged by natural disasters, even as we live with our politicians’ failed promises, even after the struggles of daily life—from putting food on the table to commuting to work. Our hearts remain full. Hope is what we have lots of.

Look at the latest SWS survey: 92% of Filipinos embrace 2016 with hope. Similarly, Pulse Asia found 89% to be hopeful about the new year and only 1% utterly without hope.

The poorest among us, categorized as class E, have remained steadily hopeful, according to the SWS survey, even if “hope in the coming year fell slightly in all classes.” They, who are at the bottom, with the least in life, stood out as the exception.

The SWS numbers, through the years, apparently show that Filipinos’ hopefulness about a coming year is linked to the country’s leader.

The low period – the 80s – was during Joseph Estrada’s abbreviated presidency (2000, 2001), and President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s years in office (2004, 2005 and 2009). Twice during the term of President Benigno “PNoy” Aquino III, a “peak of 95%” was reached.

How a leader governs, after all, impacts our lives. How he or she addresses inequality, corruption, poverty and insurgency is a people’s wellspring of hope.

2016 will be a defining year for us as we vote for a new president in May. The stakes are high.

The challenge is to harness our hope into action, to push for good governance in our communities, towns, cities, provinces, and country; to hold our public officials accountable; to do our share in making people’s lives better; and, in May, to make wise choices.

Hope shouldn’t be left at a pedestal, revered and preserved. It should be a trigger for us to unite and take continuing steps to build our young nation. – Rappler.com