Yahoo! Philippines announces 2012 Year in Review Spotlights Reveals a year of achievements that ignited Filipino pride

 

 

Yahoo Top Ten Searches Infographics

 American Idol contestant, Jessica Sanchez takes the top spot in 2012;

NBA captivates Filipino interest third year in a row

Music legacy continues with Sarah Geronimo in the 3rd place

 

 

Today, Yahoo! Philippines announced its annual edition of Year in Review that reflects the daily search habits of users and highlights the top stories and trends based on what millions of people searched for on the Yahoo! network. Year In Review (YIR) is a distinct way to portray a society in motion through online behavior.

 

 

The 2012 search list was dominated by celebrities, once again reinforcing Filipinos’ continued fascination with entertainment and showbiz, further fuelled by the passion for music, a shared obsession by all Pinoys. The top searches on Yahoo! in 2012 were American Idol runners-up, “Jessica Sanchez” followed by “NBA”, Filipina music star, “Sarah Geronimo”, “Anne Curtis” and “American Idol”. The latter five celebrity searches on the 2012 list stood out for their scandals that sent users to find out the latest reports on local stars such Angelica Panganiban’s break up with her long time boyfriend Derek Ramsey, Marian Rivera’s cover photo in the April issue of Cosmopolitan magazine, Grace Lee dating the President, and KC Concepcion and Bianca Gonzales’ cover page photo shoots on leading men’s magazines.

 

 

Topping this year’s searches on Yahoo! was the 16-year-old Filipino-Mexican-American music idol Jessica Sanchez. The music sensation lost to Phillip Phillips in the final round but went on to win the hearts of her countrymen, making them proud of her triumphs by becoming prominent in the global setting. Jessica also ignited the interest of Pinoys who logged on to Yahoo!

to search for American Idol and stay updated on her progress on the weekly charts. Keyword searches for “american idol 2012 winner”, “american idol top 2”, american idol 2012 jessica sanchez” and “who won the american idol 2012” spiked this year to an all time high making the reality TV singing competition the 5th most searched query on Yahoo!.

 

 

Extending the country’s music legacy was the 24-year-old Pop Princess Sarah Geronimo, who has enraptured her fans through her soulful voice and become a role model for the youth. Sarah was the 3rd most searched person this year. Searches peaked ahead of her 24SG concert on July 7 at the Araneta Coliseum when she celebrated her 24th birthday amidst screaming fans. The concert was a complete sell-out and Sarah did a repeat concert on July 21.

 

 

The only exception to the 2012 list that caught the attention of Filipinos online was sports. The National Basketball Association (NBA) ranked number two in the 2012 top searches on Yahoo!, at the same time retaining its top three position in the annual search results for the past three years[1].

 

Anne Curtis, who clinched OMG! Celeb of the Year Award in July this year, was the 4th most searched person on YIR’s 2012 list. News about Anne making a debut in a Hollywood film Blood Ransom set to be released in 2013 and modeling Pinoy designer Francis Libiran’s creations in America’s Next Top Model sent Filipinos searching for keywords including “anne curtis blood ransom”, “anne curtis in Hollywood” and “anne curtis antm”. Among other searches included “anne curtis concert at araneta” ahead of her AnneBisyosa: No Other Concert – The World Tour and “anne curtis pictures in boracay” where Anne was caught on camera for her swimsuit malfunction.

 

Television actress and comedian, Angelica Panganiban became the 6th most-searched celeb following her break-up with Filipino-British model and actor Derek Ramsey. Users searched for “angelica panganiban and derek ramsey break up”, “angelica panganiban and derek latest issue” and “angelica panganiban and derek ramsey cool off”.

 

Adding to the scandals and creating ripples on Yahoo! Search was Marian Rivera. Her bold cover photo in the April issue of Cosmopolitan magazine made her a top trending search topic for 2012. Users also searched for Marian’s verbal spat with Bela Padilla from last year as well as her photos on FHM where Marian ranked 5th in the 100 Sexiest Women in the World list. Korean born TV presenter and DJ Grace Lee, became the talk of the town for dating President Noynoy Aquino. Their dating saga reached its climax when Aquino himself admitted to the media that he is indeed ‘seeing’ the Korean beauty. However news of their supposed romance fizzled out eventually as Aquino focused on running the country.  The celebs were 7th and 8th most searched on Yahoo!. Actress and singer, KC Concepcion’s smoldering Rogue Magazine cover shoot put her in the 9th position on the search list while Bianca Gonzalez finished No 10 after going topless for Esquire magazine.

 

 

 

No. Top 10 search queries in the Philippines Top 10 search queries in the US
1 Jessica Sanchez Election
2 NBA iPhone 5
3 Sarah Geronimo Kim Kardashian
4 Anne Curtis Kate Upton
5 American Idol Kate Middleton
6 Angelica Panganiban Whitney Houston
7 Marian Rivera Olympics
8 Grace Lee Political Polls
9 KC Concepcion Lindsay Lohan
10 Bianca Gonzalez Jennifer Lopez

 

 

 

Tailored around various topics, here is a deep dive into the Top 10 across some interesting categories:

 

 

 

 Viral/trending topics

 

  1. #Amalayer: Paula Jamie Salvosa, a 23-year-old student was caught on video berating a guard on Light Railway Transit. The video as well as the student’s Twitter handle went viral online.
  2. Carabuena: Robert Carabuena, an employee of Philip Morris International physically assaulting a Metro Manila Development Authority officer was caught on video and subsequently went viral
  3. #Sinotto: Following the plagiarism accusations involving Reproductive Health bill critic Senator Vicente Sotto, netizens coined the term “Sinotto”; the hashtag posts became immediately popular with those poking fun translating famous English quotes to Tagalog or vice versa
  4. Claudine vs. Tulfo brothers: A brawl involving showbiz couple Raymart Santiago and Claudine Barreto and Inquirer columnist Ramon Tulfo at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s Terminal 3 became an Internet sensation
  5. Noemi Lagman: Missing girl was reunited with her family thanks to social media’s help
  6. Noynoying: Antigovernment protesters in the Philippines found a new way to poke fun at President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III. “Noynoying” which means doing nothing, was a protest against the President.
  7. Anti-epal: Social media site that becamea venue for the public to share photos of public servants who’ve displayed their names or images in public places to advance their political careers.
  8. “Hero dog” Kabang:Philippine hero dog Kabang saved two young girls from being run over by a motorbike but lost her snout and upper jaw by being hit by the front wheel of the motorbike
  9. Batangas: A Hollywood style signage in Taal Volcano of Batangas became the butt of online jokes
  10. Zendee Rose Tenerefe: The “random girl” on You Tube lands recording contract and invited to Ellen DeGeneres show

 

 

 

Newsmakers: (People)

 

  1. Ronald Llamas: The prominent Filipino activist and the current political adviser of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, was caught buying pirated DVD in January this year.
  2. Iggy Arroyo: Late Negros Occidental Representative Ignacio Arroyo died due to liver ailment in London in February
  3. Renato Corona: Former Supreme Court Chief Justice was the first official to be impeached in May
  4. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo: Former President and the current Pampanga Representative’s arrest, hospitalization and failed attempts to seek medication abroad made her one of the top newsmakers of the year
  5. Jessie Robredo: The interior minister in President Aquino’s cabinet died in plane crash in  August
  6. Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III was accused of plagiarism during Reproductive Health Bill Debates in September
  7. Senator Antonio Trillanes IV was accused of working for Beijing in the dispute between the Philippines and China over Panatag Shoal in the West Philippine Sea
  8. Supreme Court chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno became one of the Top 10 newsmakers on Yahoo! for being the youngest appointed SC chief justice in September
  9. Peace panel chair Marvic Leonen: The chief negotiator signed the framework agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Oct
  10. Juan Ponce Enrile –Senate president who led impeachment of the former Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona 
 
 

Travel:

  1. Puerto Princesa Underground River was declared as one of the new 7 wonders
  2. Manila became the new favorite travel destination on Trip Advisor
  3. Cebu – new things to experience
  4. Baguio – favorite summer destination
  5. Tagaytay -Taal Lake view
  6. Potipot Island – the small island in Zambales was the most searched
  7. Calaguas – virgin island
  8. Camarines Sur- water sports destination
  9. Boracay- party place
  10. Siquijor- unlikely destination

 

 


About the Yahoo! Year in Review Methodology

To develop the Yahoo! Year in Review, our editors analyze Yahoo! Search queries based on a number of factors, including absolute volume and growth from previous periods, to see which themes and trends bubble to the surface. Individuals and their Search queries always remain anonymous.

 

 

 

About Yahoo!

Yahoo! is focused on making the world’s daily habits more inspiring and entertaining. By creating highly personalized experiences for our users, we keep people connected to what matters most to them, across devices and around the world. In turn, we create value for advertisers by connecting them with the audiences that build their businesses. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., and has offices located throughout the Americas, Asia Pacific (APAC) and the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.net) or the company’s blog (yodel.yahoo.com).

 

 

 

 


[1] NBA was No 1 most searched word in 2010 and No 2 in 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yahoo! Philippines announces 2012 Year in Review Spotlights  Reveals a year of achievements that ignited Filipino pride