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Google Year in Search 2025: NBA Finals, Halalan, Dionela, Alex Eala, more
Elections, AI, rising icons, sports, Korean series, more
Google has released its Year in Search 2025, revealing the trends and moments that shaped the online habits of internet users this year.
Specifically for Filipinos, Gemini AI topped the overall trending list. Just under that is “Halalan 2025 results”, as it is a mid-term general election in the country. It shows that Filipinos are still very invested in what’s going on as far as politics are concerned.
During the 2025 elections, citizens voted for 12 senators to elect into office, representatives from their legislative districts, as well as local positions in provinces, cities, and municipalities.
Netflix series Squid Game also made the Top 10 list at No. 6. Reflecting the Philippines’ unwavering love for basketball, “OKC vs Indiana” also made it to No. 9. The Oklahoma City Thunder, of course, beat the Indiana Pacers in seven games to hoist this year’s NBA title.
Curiously, Khan Academy also made it to the magic 10, pretty much implying that several Filipino professionals constantly have upskilling in their minds.
Alex Eala, Dionela rise
Moving on to more specific lists, Filipino tennis rising star Alex Eala was definitely a talk of the town this calendar year. She is the most searched female personality overall, topping the likes of Bea Borres, AJ Raval, Jessica Sanchez, and Mika Salamanca, to name a few.
She is also ranked fourth in the list of most searched sports terms, behind “OKC vs Indiana”, “Pacquiao vs Barrios”, and “NBA standings 2025”.
Interestingly, the Golden State Warriors are No. 8 on that list but the Los Angeles Lakers have not made an appearance in this year’s Top 10.
Meanwhile, for male personalities, Dionela is at No. 4 on a more diverse list which includes Andy Byron (No. 1), Ed Gein (No. 2), and even Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTr) Secretary Vince Dizon (No. 7) and Bronny James (No. 8).
Taylor Swift’s fiance, NFL star Travis Kelce (No. 9) and Kendrick Lamar (No. 10) wrap up the male personalities list.
OPM power
Dionela did make his presence felt on another list — Songs — where his famous track “Marilag” is at No. 2 behind Earl Agustin’s “Tibok”.
In fact, it’s a rather OPM-laden list, showing how invested Filipinos still are in their own music. There’s Cup of Joe’s “Multo” (No. 4) and even Ogie Alcasid’s “Nandito Ako” (No. 5) which has enjoyed quite a resurgence, thanks to social media and former American Idol runner-up David Archuleta even singing it during a recent music festival.
Trending social media hits “Gnarly” and “Opalite” by KATESYE and Taylor Swift, respectively, round out the most searched songs list.
Entertainment
And speaking of Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao, Netflix’s Physical Asia is curiously missing from the most searched shows and series this year. Although, they are No. 9 in the more specific Top Korean Series list.
Just behind Squid Game are When Life Gives You Tangerines, S Line,and Bon Appetit, Your Majesty on both lists.
For movies, the term “Final Destination” is the most searched, thanks to the franchise’s sixth installment, Final Destination Bloodlines.
Horror/mystery movies have been quite impressive this year, with “Conjuring” referencing Conjuring: Last Rites and Weapons at No. 8 and No. 10, respectively.
Of course, Kpop Demon Hunters has likewise made noise, coming in at second. Superman took the third spot, while another superhero movie, Thunderbolts, is at fourth.
Farewells
For farewells, the passing of Meteor Garden female protagonist Barbie Hsu shocked a lot of Filipino fans — especially those who grew up watching the hit Taiwanese drama series from the 2000s.
The death of Emman Atienza, the daughter of TV personality Kuya Kim Atienza, also resonated deeply among younger audiences as she spoke candidly about mental health issues prior to her passing.
Among other top searches under the category are for Pope Francis (No. 3), celebrities Nora Aunor (No. 5), Gloria Romero (No. 6), Pilita Corrales (No. 10), and former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile (No. 7).
AI-related
Lastly, when it comes to AI-related search terms, Filipinos continue to learn more about how AI can help their everyday lives.
Gemini AI comes in at first, DeepSeek is at second, while Claude rounds out the top three. There’s also ChatGPT (No. 8), Nano Banana (No. 10), and Verse (No. 6).
Enterprise
TikTok finally gets a buyer in the United States
The deal targets a closing date in late January.
The year started with a ban. A day before Donald Trump started his second term, TikTok went dark, in anticipation of an impending ban. The platform quickly went back online, leading to an ultimatum that saw TikTok hunt for an American buyer to full stave off a definitive ban in the United States. Now, as the year ends, a buyer is finally here.
Via CNBC, TikTok has reportedly inked a deal to finalize a deal in the United States, as stated in an internal memo from CEO Shou Zi Chew. The memo, which was sent just this week, details a plan that will see the deal close by January 26, 2026.
Fifty percent of TikTok’s newly restructured U.S. arm will be held by a collection of American investors including Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX. Meanwhile, already existing investors of TikTok will hold 30.1 percent. Finally, ByteDance will retain 19.9 percent.
Additionally, TikTok’s algorithm in the United States will be retrained with American data. The American arm will also handle the country’s “data protection, algorithm security, content moderation, and software assurance.” Oracle will be the “trusted security partner” in charge of making sure the company keeps within regulations in the country.
With a deal pushing through, the long-running TikTok saga in the United States might finally come to a close.
Gaming
Silksong is getting its first major expansion next year
The expansion is called Sea of Sorrow.
I still can’t believe that Hollow Knight: Silksong came out this year. After years of just waiting for the mythical title, it’s surreal to have it in my library. Now, barely waiting to catch their breath, Team Cherry is already working hard towards the next content drop, starting with Silksong DLC.
Just like the original Hollow Knight, Silksong is getting free DLCs to expand its story. The upcoming Sea of Sorrow DLC will be the game’s “first big expansion.”
The expansion’s trailer barely shows anything about the new content, besides vague allusions to what’s coming. At the very least, Team Cherry has confirmed, both via the announcement and the accompanying poster, that Sea of Sorrow will be nautical-themed.
It will feature new locations, new tools, and new enemies. By itself, Silksong is already a huge game. Adding more content then is a massive undertaking. Plus, Team Cherry says that this is just the first expansion, hinting at more coming in the future.
Sea of Sorrow will launch in 2026.
Besides the new expansion, the studio is also working on a Nintendo Switch 2 update for the original Hollow Knight. It will add higher framerates, resolutions, and more graphical effects. PC players will also get some upgrades to support larger screens.
The Switch 2 update, which will be free for those who already own the original game, will also launch next year.
SEE ALSO: Hollow Knight: Silksong finally releases on September 4
Before the new year starts, it’s already fair to assume that Supergirl might be one of the most anticipated movies of 2026. Premiering a year after the globally successful Superman, Supergirl will see the adventures of Clark Kent’s superpowered cousin, Kara Zor-El. Now, the next film in the sage finally has a teaser trailer.
As James Gunn mentioned previously, Supergirl will be based on Tom King’s Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow. Off traveling to other planets to party, Kara finds herself thrust back into the role of being a hero after a young girl named Ruthye Mary Knoll asks her for help.
Though the teaser trailer is mostly a montage of scenes, we already know what we can expect. According to Gunn, Supergirl will be tonally different from Superman, and we see this in the trailer.
However, we can still see influences from Gunn including the usage of “Call Me” by Blondie for the trailer. Also, the film’s space scenes look like they can fit right in with Guardians of the Galaxy.
Still, that’s what we have, and we’re excited. Supergirl will premiere on June 26, 2026.
The film will be directed by Craig Gillespie (Cruella). Milly Alcock plays the titular character. Meanwhile, she will star alongside Eve Ridley as Ruthye Mary Knoll.
SEE ALSO: Superman sequel, titled Man of Tomorrow, comes out in 2027
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