What Topped the Recap: Yahoo’s Year in Review 2021 Philippines

It’s no secret that the pandemic brought the world to a standstill in 2020, but 2021 offered hope to the nation as vaccination went underway, Filipinos slowly eased into the new normal, and the latter part of the year saw the COVID-19 cases steadily going down. The enthusiasm translated online as Filipinos continued to search for topics that piqued their interest and Yahoo Philippines listed down the top searches of 2021 with their annual Yahoo’s Year in Review.

The calm before the storm in politics

Politics seemed to have occupied Filipinos’ minds as the 2022 elections draws near. Senator Manny Pacquiao made headlines for several reasons. Following his loss to World Boxing Association (WBA) welterweight champion Yordenis Ugas via unanimous decision in August, the boxing legend announced his decision to run for presidency under the PDP-Laban party in September and officially filed for candidacy in October.

“Ferdinand Marcos” is the 3^rd most searched after Bongbong Marcos declared his own bid for presidency in the coming year. Meanwhile, President Rodrigo Duterte placed 5^th on the list following his decision to retire from politics while his daughter and Marcos Jr. ‘s running mate, Sara Duterte-Carpio, made it to the 7^th spot. Former President Benigno Aquino III (6^th) was remembered for fighting against corruption and championing economic reforms following his unfortunate passing in June due to renal disease.

Major events that made waves

While COVID-19 remains a major concern for the country, Filipinos also found themselves concerned with natural disasters such as the threat of Taal Volcano (2^nd) which continued from last year. In July 2021, another volcanic unrest was reported, prompting the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology to place Batangas province under Alert Level 3. Typhoon Maring (9^th) also caused great concern after ravaging parts of Northern Luzon, resulting in floods that made 15 national roads and highways become impassable, the displacement of thousands who were affected, and the deaths of 40 people while several others were missing and injured. Many users also kept themselves updated on the tragedy of the Philippine Air Force C-130 (10th) crash in July that took the lives of 53.

2021 is also a year for making history, with weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz (4^th) winning a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, giving the Philippines its first-ever gold medal. Diaz also got engaged to boyfriend and coach Julius Naranjo. Meanwhile, Rappler CEO and journalist Maria Ressa (8^th) became the first Filipino individual Nobel laureate after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov.

Celebrities in the headlines

It’s evident that nothing stops netizens from gushing over celebrities whether they’re Filipino celebrities or Hallyu stars, with award-winning actress Bea Alonzo and Korean star Lee Min-ho emerging as the most searched female and male personalities, respectively. Alonzo, a prized ABS-CBN talent, made headlines after transferring to rival network, GMA-7. Her latest relationship with actor Dominic Roque, following her breakup with Gerald Anderson, also caught the attention of users in the Philippines.

YouTuber and Kapamilya star Ivana Alawi takes the 2nd spot on the list while Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray places 3^rd after hosting this year’s Binibining Pilipinas and getting her online class embroiled in the controversial Nas Academy. Miss Universe 2020 Rabiya Mateo (4th) and actress Angel Locsin (5th) rounded off the top 5. Stars such as Sarah Geronimo (6th), Julia Barretto (7th), TikTok’s Bella Poarch (8th), Ara Mina (9th), and Kathryn Bernardo (10th) completed the list.

Crash Landing on You star Hyun Bin (3rd) continued to be popular in searches, as well as Ji Chang-wook (7th). However, more Pinoy celebrities made up this year’s list, led by Ang Probinsyano’s Coco Martin (2nd) followed by Robin Padilla (4th). Heartthrobs such as Daniel Padilla (5th), Gerald Anderson (6th), Xian Lim (8th), Paulo Avelino (9th), and Dingdong Dantes (10th) rounded up the list.

Success in sports

Aside from Diaz (2^nd), young basketball star Kai Sotto (3rd) got many fans following his budding international career while billiards legend Efren Bata Reyes (4th) continued to be popular in searches. Sports enthusiasts also kept tabs on Filipino-Japanese golf star Yuka Saso (5th) who won the US Women’s Open this year, and Australian Open titleholder Alex Eala (6th).

Olympians Nesthy Petecio (7th), Carlos Yulo (8th), Carlos Paalam (9th), and Eumir Marcial (10) rounded up sports searches.

The cryptocurrency fever in the Philippines

2021 was also a big year for cryptocurrency in the Philippines, as interest surged in the country. Binance Coin (1st), Bitcoin (2nd), Tether (3rd), Ripple (4th), and Uniswap (5th) topped crypto searches, while “meme coins” Shiba Inu (6th) and Dogecoin (8th) also made the list.

The Review

Yahoo’s Year in Review recaps the year through top trends, happenings, events, and personalities that Pinoys cared about the most using anonymized interest patterns based on what Yahoo users searched for. This year, sports, politics, and history evidently dominated the searches of Yahoo Philippines.

The recap is also indicative of Filipino netizens’ online activity remaining at an all-time high as they sought out their passions and interests online like never before, and understandably so. After all, searching for the latest trends and news offers a welcome breather from the real-life stress and gives hope on what 2022 may bring.

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