Google: Rody, Pia most searched personalities in Philippines

MANILA, Philippines - President Duterte and Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach are the most searched male and female personalities in the Philippines this year, according to technology giant Google.

The annual #YearInSearch list released by Google on Wednesday showed that “Rodrigo Duterte” and “Pia Wurtzbach” topped the categories for male and female personalities.

Duterte also ranked 7th in the overall trending searches list by the technology company, which was dominated by pop culture references in 2016.

The song Love Yourself by Justin Bieber topped the overall rankings, followed by game applications slither.io and Pokemon Go, which sent shockwaves in the gaming industry this year.

Slither.io is a multiplayer game that resonates the classic pre-smartphone mobile game Snake, requiring players to collect gems and defeating other snakes to grow theirs.

Pokemon Go, meanwhile, is a highly anticipated virtual reality game that brought players to the world of pocket monsters, allowing them to catch virtual creatures through their smartphones.

Google Philippines said the results of the overall trending list reaffirmed Filipino’s love for pop culture.

Other pop culture terms in the most searched list included the hit Korean zombie film “Train to Busan” (4th), chart toppers “Closer” by Chainsmokers (5th) and “Secret Love Song” by Little Mix and Jason Derulo (8th) and the film Suicide Squad (10th).

Completing the top ten are Comelec (6th) and Olympic Games Rio 2016 (9th).

“From pressing issues, to sports, to entertainment, this year’s list shows that Filipinos continue to take part in different conversations by keeping themselves informed about what’s happening around them, not just locally but also internationally,” said Gail Tan, head of communications and public affairs of Google Philippines.

“Year in Search is Google’s way of celebrating the year with the Filipinos with the things they cared about,” she added.