MANILA, Philippines — Considering its widespread impact on the lives of most people, the coronavirus pandemic may have been the most significant event that happened this year.
But for Filipinos using online search engine Google, it was the United States presidential elections that saw the defeat of reelectionist President Donald Trump that piqued their interest the most.
The annual Year In Search of the technology company released this week showed that “US election 2020” was the most search query among Filipinos in 2020.
“Coronavirus” was only third in the overall trending list in the Philippines, after “NBA score,” which refers to the National Basketball Association.
Other sports-related top searches include “NBA schedule” at sixth, “Kobe Bryant” at seventh and “Lakers vs Heat” at eighth.
NBA superstar Bryant, who retired in 2016 after a two-decade career with the Los Angeles Lakers, died along with his daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash in January.
The Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat faced off in the finals of the 2019-2020 season of the NBA, which was affected by the pandemic.
Fourth in the overall trending Google searches in the Philippines this year was the “DepEd Commons,” the online learning platform developed by the Department of Education.
“Taal Volcano” – which erupted in January – was sixth, while “first day of school” is ninth. Completing the list is “www.reliefagad.ph,” the online platform where Filipinos can register for the cash subsidy provided by the government during the lockdowns.
According to Google, the list of the most searched queries provide an insight on what mattered most to Filipinos this year and how they navigated the uncertainties and challenges brought about by the pandemic.
“Looking back at the year that was, many Filipinos realized the importance of going digital now more than ever to search for answers and cope with the new changes happening around them,” said Geia Lopez, analytical head for consumer packaged goods and retail of Google Southeast Asia.
“Google is committed to making Search constantly helpful to Filipinos as they rely on technology to look for useful and trusted information, and reap the benefits of the digital economy to succeed and grow,” she added.
Google also released the most search queries per category, with “US election 2020” and “NBA score” also topping the most searched news and sports items, respectively.
Korean hit Crash Landing on You topped both the most searched K-Drama and television series categories, while its lead actor Hyun Bin was the most searched Korean personality.
“When I Look at You lyrics” by American singer Miley Cyrus topped the songs and lyrics category, while the Filipino film Through Night and Day was the most searched movie. Mobile game Among Us was the most search game-related term.
Actress Issa Pressman and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un were the most searched female and male celebrities, respectively, while Bryant was the most searched among those who died this year.
“How to make dalgona coffee?” led the most searched how-to list, followed by “how to wear a surgical mask?”
Google said a new category for education emerged this year after a relative spike in academic-related searches following the shift to distance learning.
Following “DepEd Commons” and “first day of school” in the most search education-related queries were “English to Filipino translation,” “quadratic equation” and “Venn diagram.”
Worldwide, Google said “Coronavirus” was the most searched term, followed by “Election results,” “Kobe Bryant,” “Zoom” and “IPL” or the Indian Premier League for the sport of cricket.
Completing the global top 10 are “India vs New Zealand,” “Coronavirus update,” “Coronavirus symptoms,” “Joe Biden” and “Google Classroom.”