Since 2016, the Philippines underwent profound policy changes under the leadership of firebrand and populist leader Rodrigo Duterte. Within the span of six years, these sea changes had widespread ramifications for the country's democratic regime as well as economic and social conditions that include a bloody war on drugs, a massive terrorist attack in Mindanao, a pivot away from orthodox foreign policies, a gripping global pandemic, and economic hardship, among others. Side by side with these changes are the reinforcement of strongman rule, militarized governance, and dynastic dominance in the political sphere of Asia's oldest democracy. This chapter introduces this edited volume by discussing the three narratives that currently describe the state of Philippine state and society since Duterte took power: games, changes, and fears. Games represent the continuity of elite competition and collusion at the expense of the public welfare and the difficulty to assert the republic's national interest given the superpower rivalry between the United States and China. On the other hand, the changes brought about by Duterte's populist playbook have further weakened institutions and perniciously polarized society. This in turn generated multiple fears of Duterte's legacies of autocratic politics, militarization, social violence, and economic uncertainty given the advent of the Marcos Jr. administration.