#ThisHappened in PH in 2016

RICHARD DREW/AP File

In this day and age where communications turned from the speed of sound to the speed of light, Filipinos were among those who quickly embraced this development. From being one of the most discreet and quiet, Filipinos metamorphosed to become one of the most outspoken people in the world, ready and willing to express their opinion at the click of a mouse-or a touch on their smartphones.

Thus, it was no surprise that 2016 turned out to be a golden opportunity for Filipinos to join the global conversations on the world’s largest “live” communications platform, Twitter.

Hashtags are the anchors of any solid conversation on Twitter since they enable users to discover what others are talking about or an issue they care about.

A wide range of topics—from politics, entertainment, sports—dominated the popular Twitter hashtag trends in the Philippines this year that showed the diversity of conversations Filipinos have every day.

Here are the top hashtag trends on Twitter in 2016

1. #PilipinasDebates2016

For the first time since 1992, Presidential candidates were pitted against each other in a series of debates to prove their readiness to be the next leader of the country. Filipinos tuned in to the three Presidential debates broadcasted on TV, while Pinoys flocked to Twitter using the #PilipinasDebates2016 hashtag with nearly 5 million tweets in total sent for all the debates.

2. #KCA

In the recent #KCA, Maine Mendoza (@mainedcm) won as the Favorite Pinoy Personality (FPP) beating fellow young Filipino teen celebrities Kathryn Bernardo (@bernardokath), Enrique Gil (@itsenriquegil), and James Reid (@JayeHanash), while basketball player Jeron Teng (@jeronteng) bagged the Favorite Asian Sports Star recognition.

3. #Election2016

Filipinos’ voices were heard on Twitter as they shared election sentiments on the platform using the #Election2016 hashtag. People from all walks of life participated in the election conversation on Twitter and supported the different candidates and political parties.

4. #OTWOLTheLastFlight

Over 8.2 million tweets were generated during On the Wings of Love’ final week on air (Feb. 22 to 26, 2016), where the #OTWOLTheLastFlight hashtag peaked at 13,000 tweets per minute on its last episode.

5. #AlDubWedding

AlDub finally tied the knot on Oct. 22 on live television in the Kalyeserye segment of the noontime show Eat Bulaga, where the #AlDubWedding hashtag was used 8 million times to celebrate this special occasion.

6. #WalangPasok

Because The Philippines is pummeled by typhoons every year with almost clockwork precision, Filipinos have come to anticipate the days when they can stay home. The #WalangPasok hashtag was used in tweets as a source of information for students, parents, educators and even workers so they will be updated about school and work suspension announcements, coming either from national or local government units..

7. #NBAFinals

In this basketball-crazy nation where you find people playing hoops in almost every street, basketball-crazed Filipinos were kept up to date on the NBA Finals games and shared their excitement by using the #NBAFinals hashtag on Twitter. As the Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) defeated the Golden State Warriors (@warriors) in seven games, Filipinos joined the global conversation on Twitter, with a total of 24.2 million tweets sent during the live games.

8. #PushAwardsKathNiels

The popular love team of Kathryn Bernardo (@bernardokath) and Daniel Padilla (@imdanielpadilla) were top contenders in the Push Awards of entertainment website Push.com.ph. On Twitter, fans used the #PushAwardsKathNiels hashtag to help Kathryn win Push Tweet Female Celebrity and Daniel the Push Tweet Male Celebrity.

9. #PrayforDavao

In September, two big explosions rocked Davao City, hometown of President Duterte. Filipinos united on Twitter for prayers, a call to stop the senseless violence and words of encouragement for victims and all Davao citizens using the #PrayforDavao hashtag.

10. #R3peatTheGloryAteneo

This was the official hashtag to commemorate the graduation of league MVP and Ateneo de Manila University lady spiker Alyssa Valdez (@AlyssaValdez2). Fans of the volleyball player went on Twitter to send their best wishes using the #R3peatTheGloryAteneo hashtag.—CONTRIBUTED