Faye Faustino will be turning 53 in a few weeks' time and says the outcome of the Philippines presidential election is the perfect birthday present.
"I was awake for 24 hours, looking every hour for the updates," she told the ABC.
"I'm extremely happy."
Like Ms Faustino, the Filipino community across Australia wasn't shy in making their views known in the lead-up to one of the Philippines' most divisive elections in decades.
They faced a stark choice – the son of a dictator versus a human rights lawyer.
At times there has been some animosity between rival supporter groups.
And this week, many Filipinos across the country are not sharing Ms Faustino's elation.
Vice-president Leni Robredo — the main rival to frontrunner Ferdinand Marcos Jr, better known as "Bongbong" (or BBM for short) – won the most absentee votes at the Philippine Consulate General in Sydney and Melbourne.
That wasn't indicative of how it played out overall.
An official result is expected around the end of the month, but with more than 90 per cent of votes counted, Mr Marcos, who ran alongside the daughter of outgoing president Rodrigo Duterte, has clinched a runaway victory.
It is the first win by a majority since a 1986 revolution that toppled the two-decade dictatorship of Mr Marcos's late father.
"I'm disappointed, mad, and sad," 20-year-old Vince de Guzman said.
However, the Sydney student has vowed to not be disheartened.
"The moment that we, the youth, feel disheartened, that's when we actually lose. We all know that the fight for a better Philippines will never end," he told the ABC.
Several thousand protesters, mainly young people, held a demonstration outside the election commission headquarters in Manila after preliminary results were announced.
On Wednesday night at Melbourne's Federation Square, a "No to Marcos-Duterte 2022" event condemning what the organisers are calling the "fascist tandem" was also held.
Marcos supporters reject dictator narrative
Thousands of opponents of Marcos senior suffered persecution during a brutal 1972-1981 era of martial law, and the family name became synonymous with plunder, cronyism and extravagant living, with billions of dollars of state wealth disappearing.
However, the Marcos family denies any wrongdoing – and so too do many of today's Filipino voters.
Ms Faustino lived through Marcos senior's reign in the Philippines, but believes that time was "very, very good".
She said the narratives around Marcos senior's dictatorship were propaganda.
"Social media contributed a big help in enlightening, or opening the mindset of Filipino people," Ms Faustino said.
Liz Ficnerski, who is an organiser of a Melbourne supporter group for Mr Marcos and Sara Duterte, shares that opinion.
"I never thought that Ferdinand Marcos was a dictator anyway," the 55-year-old told the ABC.
Social media mastery rewrites history
Mr Guzman was taught about the notorious Marcos political dynasty at school and can't understand how so many BBM supporters, bloggers and social media influencers say historical accounts are distorted.
He said he and his friends were able to share information and keep up with the political situation back home through social media, but the role it has played in the election is a "double-edged sword".
"Having Bongbong Marcos as a candidate shows how much social media can play into this," he said.
"It's accepting the false fact that the Marcos era was the greatest and it just wasn't — so many people were harmed and tortured, and money was stolen."
Aim Sinpeng, a senior lecturer in the department of government and international relations at the University of Sydney, said this was not a unique situation for the Philippines.
Around the world, politicians have used social media as a tool to remake themselves by providing alternative information or facts, she said.
"It's clever political marketing on part of the BBM campaign in leveraging social media to rewrite history," Dr Sinpeng told the ABC.
"There's a fine line between rebranding and creating a new image and persona, and creating alternative information that counters facts."
She said what differed with this election compared to 2016 was the shift towards platforms like TikTok.
"Tik Tok is important because it is a home to amateurs, not professional influencers," she said.
"I think that kind of grassroots influence, which is far less monitored than Facebook, has given the space for the BBM campaign to really grow extensively."
Fears Philippines faces greater inequality
Marie Anne San Gabriel spoke at last month's "Paint Adelaide Pink Sunday" event in support of Ms Robredo.
Ms Gabriel said she wasn't only worried about corruption, but fears the Marcos government will leave many Filipinos behind.
Ms Robredo had promised a government that focused on the marginalised.
"My candidate was already helping people from really poor areas," Ms Gabriel said.
"For many people in the Philippines, their situation is critical."
While there has been speculation about electoral fraud and reports of faulty voting machines, Ms Gabriel said it was hard to deny the landslide result.
The unofficial tally shows Mr Marcos has 31 million votes, double that of Ms Robredo.
"We must accept the defeat, it's the bravest thing to do," Ms Gabriel said.
Terry Alpines – who organises fundraising events for her village back in the Philippines through Circulo Capizeno of Melbourne (CCM) – said the country needed an administration with heart.
"In the Philippines, if you're rich, you are really rich, but if you're poor, you are very, very poor," the 69-year-old said.
Following on the Duterte legacy
On the campaign trail, Mr Marcos gave few clues of what his policy agenda would look like, beyond pushing his message of "unity".
Analysts expect Mr Marcos to focus on completing Mr Duterte's multi-billion-dollar infrastructure upgrade and to seek closer ties with China.
Some thought existing problems of corruption and nepotism in the Philippines could worsen.
Rado Gatchalian, a vocal supporter of Mr Marcos and national rally organiser, said he wasn't worried about corruption.
Since Marcos senior was driven into exile by the "People Power Revolution" in 1986, nothing has happened to improve the Philippines political landscape, Mr Gatchalian said.
In fact, since then he believes it has worsened.
"There were many corruptions, there were many abuses. So the thing that they hate about Marcos, it happened after Marcos as well," he said.
He also trusts the accounts of elders in the Philippines who have told him that the Marcos senior era was the best the Philippines has seen.
"Many, many elders with conviction would say to me that president Marcos was the best president of the Republic of the Philippines – that the Philippines was better off during his time compared to those presidents succeeded him," he said.
The 43-year-old Sydney resident was happy with some of the changes Mr Duterte made, saying he made the streets safer and expected that Mr Marcos will continue with many of his policies.
Other Marcos supporters mentioned the campaign promise for cheaper utilities and a follow on of Mr Duterte's focus on big infrastructure projects.
In regard to talk of closer ties with Russia and China, Mr Gatchalian said he did not consider that as an issue.
Sophia Maranan, a 20-year-old Sydney university student, said however the next six years play out, she and her friends would keep fighting against misinformation and corruption.
"This is not the end of our fight," she said.
"We have to make sure they are accountable for their actions as the leaders of the country."
