Ram Revilla and Janelle Manahan
On the first week of the year, the top trending search topics on Yahoo! Philippines were:
1. Ram Revilla and Janelle Manahan. A video of an intimate moment between the late actor Ram Revilla and his girlfriend Janelle Manahan circulated on Facebook before the New Year. The leaked sex video enraged Ram's brother, Senator Bong Revilla, who asked for the National Bureau of Investigation's help in identifying those who uploaded it. Janelle's lawyers are reportedly planning to file a criminal case for violation of Republic Act 9995 or the Anti-Voyeurism Law of 2009 against Ram's siblings, who are also suspects in the killing of the young actor. The lawyers said the video may have been uploaded to discourage Janelle from testifying in the murder case. Meanwhile, Genelyn Magsaysay, Ram's mother, vehemently denied that her children were responsible for the video leak. She said Ram's belongings were with the police, but the police said his laptop and camera were not with them.
2. Tyron Perez. On the same night that Ram and Janelle's video spread online, 26-year-old actor Tyron Perez was found dead inside a black Toyota Altis parked along the North Luzon Expressway in Valenzuela City. He had a gunshot wound on his right temple and a .22-calibre firearm was found beside him. An initial police report suggested suicide as Tyron's right hand was also tested positive for gunpowder nitrates. Reports say he may killed himself due to marital and financial problems. Tyron rose to popularity in 2003 as a finalist in GMA Network's reality show "Starstruck." He moved to ABS-CBN in 2010.
3. 2012 predictions. Yahoo! Search users were curious about what the new year would bring to them—and the world. There was special interest in "2012 predictions," "Year of the Dragon" and "Nostradamus" because December 2012 marks the end of a 5,126-year cycle in the calendar of the ancient Mayan civilization. Many believe this means that the world is going to end this year. Still others have interpreted the writings of Nostradamus—a French author of prophecies who lived in the 1500s—as foreseeing the end of the world in 2012.
4. Jinkee Pacquiao. The wife of the Manny Pacquiao, the Philippines' "Pambansang Kamao," appeared on the cover of the January issue Mega Magazine looking, according to netizens, quite unlike herself. There were suggestions that her photo was heavily enhanced. Asked to comment on the issue, Jinkee told Yahoo! OMG that she just shrugged off the negative comments and respected the opinion of others.
Singing sensation Charice also faced the same criticism because of her cover photo in this month's issue of Preview magazine. This prompted the magazine to release a behind-the-scenes video of the young star's photo shoot to belie allegations her photo was altered. Reacting to the negative feedback, Charice said she expected as much from her "haters."
5. RJ Rosales. Around a month after his death, Filipino-Australian RJ Rosales again trended on Yahoo! Philippines. The cause of his death remains unknown and netizens must have been reminded of the mystery surrounding his death shortly after the lifeless body of another celebrity, Tyron Perez, was discovered in his car.
6. 2012 holidays. As Filipinos returned to work on the first week of the New Year, they were soon online, searching for the dates of Philippine holidays and long weekends for this year. Yahoo! Search helps them plan their vacations by providing them with this information.
7. UPCAT results. The list of the new "Iskolars ng Bayan" was not yet available on the first week of January, but high school seniors who took the University of the Philippines entrance exams were already eager to find out the names of those who passed. They have been searching for "UPCAT results" on Yahoo!
Searches for the results for the University of Santo Tomas Entrance Test (USTET) and the De La Salle University College Entrance Test also trended on Yahoo! on the first week of the year. Meanwhile, a status update on an unofficial Facebook fan page for UPCAT sparked an online war between students of UP and UST.
8. Mila Kunis. American actress Mila Kunis was recently named the new endorser for French luxury fashion label Christian Dior. She will be seen in ads for Miss Dior handbag.
Meanwhile, Jessica Biel, another American actress, also trended on Yahoo! Search after the announcement of her engagement to Justin Timberlake, Mila's co-star in the romantic comedy, "Friends With Benefits."
9. Stephen Hawking. The British physicist and author of popular science book "A Brief History of Time" turned 70 on January 8. This was a milestone because when he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the age of 21, he was given only a few years to live. Wheelchair-bound and speaking through a computer and voice synthesizer, Hawking became the subject of a project by the American chipmaker Intel Corp., which is working to help him reverse the slowing of his speech. When asked recently about what he thinks about most, Hawking reportedly answered: "Women. They are a complete mystery."
10. Angeline Quinto. "Star Power" grand winner Angeline Quinto slipped on stage while singing on ABS-CBN's "ASAP 2012" last January 8. She stepped on her dress and fell to her knees but immediately stood up and continued her performance. She earned praises from netizens for her professionalism.
These trending searches are for January 2 to 8, 2012. Check out the previous Yahoo! Search Trends article, "Netizens search for rumored couple, impeached chief justice."