From AI to ‘Halalan’: What Filipinos Googled most in 2025

• Photo from Pixabay

By TechWatch PH Staff

As 2025 draws to a close, Google released its annual Year in Search report, revealing the trends, personalities, and events that captured the attention of Filipino netizens throughout the year.

Topping the overall search list is Gemini AI, reflecting the growing reliance of Filipinos on artificial intelligence tools for work, school projects, and daily tasks.

The prominence of AI-related searches this year highlights how digital technology has become increasingly embedded in everyday life.

Several news-related queries also figured prominently among the year’s top searches, underscoring Google’s role as a key source of information for current events. “Halalan 2025 results” ranked second overall following the national midterm elections held last summer, while “earthquake near me” placed fourth amid the series of tremors that struck various parts of the country toward the latter part of the year, prompting Filipinos to seek real-time updates and safety guidance.

Other news topics that drew strong search interest included the Maguad siblings case, National ID concerns, senatorial candidates for 2025, developments involving the International Criminal Court, earthquake safety information, the election of a new Pope, the LET results, and updates on the government’s eGovPH platform.

Entertainment remained a major driver of online searches. Netflix series “Squid Game” ranked sixth overall after its comeback and highly anticipated finale, reaffirming its continued influence on global pop culture. Viewership habits among Filipinos also reflected the dominance of streaming platforms, as all top trending shows and series for the year — including “When Life Gives You Tangerines,” “S Line,” “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty,” and “Ang Mutya ng Section E” — were exclusive to online streaming services.

This trend aligns with data from the latest e-Conomy Report, which shows that the Philippines recorded one of the fastest-growing online media markets in Southeast Asia, with a 16-percent year-on-year growth rate from 2024.

Gaming searches likewise surged in popularity, led by “Grow a Garden,” an in-game experience from Roblox that ranked third overall due to its popularity among Filipino youth. Other titles that gained strong attention included “Sprunki,” “Blue Lock: Rivals,” “Arise Crossover,” “Minecraft,” and “Jujutsu Infinite,” among others.

In sports, the most searched matchup of the year was “OKC vs Indiana,” followed by high interest in “Pacquiao vs Barrios,” the NBA standings for 2025, standout athlete Alexandra Eala, and major tournaments such as the FIBA Asia Cup and Wimbledon 2025.

Volleyball continued to gain mainstream traction through searches for the Premier Volleyball League, while basketball-related topics like the Golden State Warriors, Eurobasket, and Tyrese Haliburton also ranked highly.

Filipino pride was evident in the personalities categories. Tennis ace Alexandra Eala topped the Female Personalities list and also placed fourth in Sports, marking a significant milestone for Filipino representation in international tennis.

Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao returned to the sports rankings, while rising local singer Dionela emerged as the most searched Filipino male personality of the year. His breakthrough hit “Marilag” also became one of the most searched songs for 2025, ranking second overall behind “Tibok,” and edging out “Golden,” the viral track from Netflix’s animated film “K-Pop Demon Hunters.”

Among the year’s most searched male personalities were Andy Byron, Ed Gein, d4vd, Pope Leo XIV, Dionela, Tyrese Haliburton, Vince Dizon, Bronny James, Travis Kelce, and Kendrick Lamar. On the women’s list, aside from top-ranker Alexandra Eala, Filipinos searched heavily for Bea Borres, AJ Raval, Twice, Katherine Luna, Andi Eigenmann, Jo Yuri, Claudia Barreto, Jessica Sanchez, and Mika Salamanca.

Film searches were led by titles such as “Final Destination,” “K-Pop Demon Hunters,” “Superman,” “Thunderbolts,” “Minecraft Movie,” “The Gorge,” “28 Years Later,” “Conjuring,” “How to Train Your Dragon,” and “Weapons.” Korean dramas also sustained their strong following, with “Squid Game,” “When Life Gives You Tangerines,” “S Line,” “Bon Appétit, Your Majesty,” “Friendly Rivalry,” “Head Over Heels,” “When the Phone Rings,” “Dear X,” “Physical: Asia,” and “Genie, Make a Wish” topping searches in that category.

Searches related to farewells reflected moments of collective mourning, with Filipinos looking up figures such as Barbie Hsu, Emman Atienza, Pope Francis, Kim Sae Ron, Nora Aunor, Gloria Romero, Juan Ponce Enrile, Ricky Davao, Michelle Trachtenberg, and Pilita Corrales.

Finally, AI-focused searches extended well beyond Gemini, as Filipinos continued exploring emerging platforms and prompts such as DeepSeek, Claude, BLACKBOX.AI, LMArena AI, Verse, ChatGPT, Veo 3, and Nano Banana, along with the trending prompt “humanize this,” reflecting widespread experimentation with generative tools for both professional and personal use.