As 2024 nears its end, Google has unveiled its annual Year in Search report, highlighting the topics that captivated Filipinos throughout the year. From global events to local personalities, the list underscores the nation’s reliance on Google Search to stay informed and engaged.
News dominated the overall top searches, with six out of the top ten terms reflecting Filipinos’ curiosity about current events and global developments. The Philippines also demonstrated a keen interest in technology, with three AI-related terms making it to the top ten—a sign of the country’s tech-savvy population, as noted in the e-Conomy SEA Report for 2024.
The term “heat wave” topped both the overall and news categories, reflecting widespread concern about extreme weather and its links to climate change, which ranked sixth overall and fifth in news.
The 2024 Paris Olympics was another major topic, ranking third overall and in news. Filipino Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo emerged as a standout figure, appearing in four categories: overall top trending, news, sports, and male personalities.
Celebrity searches also featured prominently. Jaclyn Jose, the award-winning actress who passed away in 2024, ranked second overall, while former One Direction member Liam Payne came in at eighth.
Meanwhile, BINI, dubbed the Nation’s Girl Group, led the female personalities category after a breakout year. Two of their hits, “Salamin Salamin” and “Pantropiko,” also entered the top ten in the songs and lyrics category, which was led by Dionela’s viral track “Sining”.
In the realm of entertainment, the Korean drama Queen of Tears dominated searches for both series and Korean titles. The show, which aired on Netflix, highlighted the growing influence of streaming platforms, with online media seeing a 12 percent rise in gross merchandise value this year, according to the e-Conomy SEA report.
