A – They call her Alexandra the Great. Tennis ace Alex Eala dominated the courts and brought pride to the country again and again and again, most recently by winning a gold medal in women’s singles tennis at the Southeast Asian Games—the Philippines’ first since 1999. Her breakout year in the 2025 WTA season had her reaching a career-high ranking of Top 50 in November, the first Filipino to break into the Top 50 of the WTA world rankings in history. She also won the 2025 Guadalajara 125 Open, becoming the first Filipino to win a WTA title. We cannot wait to see what she’ll do next.
Meanwhile, AI continued to advance, becoming embedded in everyday life—from workplaces and classrooms to creative fields and social media—sparking conversations about ethics, accuracy, and humanity in a tech-driven world.
B – It was a milestone year for Pinoy Big Brother and the show celebrated its 20th anniversary with Celebrity Collab Edition 2.0, with ABS-CBN Studios and GMA Network collaborating to bring together 20 young celebrities from Sparkle GMA Artist Center and Star Magic as housemates. The show had fans riveted and produced several breakout stars including Mika Salamanca, Brent Manalo, Will Ashley, Ralph De Leon, and Esnyr Ranollo.
C – Conan O’Brien visited the Philippines in October 2025 to film an episode of his travel show Conan O’Brien Must Go. He explored Quiapo and Fort Santiago, visited a fan’s candy factory, went to Batangas to work at another fan’s hotel and even made a cameo in Dennis Trillo and Jennylyn Mercado’s series Sanggang-Dikit FR. People were thrilled by Conan’s visit, giving him such a warm welcome that he called the Philippines “the friendliest country I’ve ever been to.”
D – The DPWH scandal dominated headlines, with revelations of mismanaged flood control initiatives, ghost projects, misallocated funds, nepo babies, and the rest of their families enjoying stolen taxpayers’ money, and the involvement of high-ranking officials, exposing just how pervasive and brazen corruption is in this country. This is an ongoing saga that will follow us into the new year and end, hopefully, with the corrupt in prison.
E – The Philippines had its mid-term elections in May with some surprising results. Some high-profile personalities—usually a shoo-in for victory thanks to people who vote for celebrities regardless of their qualifications—missed out on winning seats. Could it be that Filipino voters are finally getting smarter? Or are young voters changing the tide? One can only hope.
F – A delegation of Filipino publishers and creatives headed to Frankfurt for a special reason—the Philippines was the guest of honor at the 77th Frankfurt Book Fair, putting the spotlight on the country’s book market, literature and culture at the world’s largest international book fair.
G – Gordon Ramsay received a rock star welcome as he visited the Philippines months after the opening of Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill at Newport World Resorts. During his visit, he surprised diners, made time for culinary students, judged a halo-halo competition, spent time with his staff, and made exciting announcements including the opening of Hell’s Kitchen in Manila.
H – There’s no stopping Hallyu. 2025 was an exciting year for K-pop and K-drama fans, with all BTS members completing their mandatory service, J-Hope’s tour, Enhypen at Coachella, Twice at Lollapalooza, Stray Kids winning Album of the Year at MAMA, the rise of Katseye, the return of Squid Game, and When Life Gives You Tangerines making everyone cry. Real-life drama also had people riveted. The tragic death of Kim Sae-Ron shocked fans, while allegations of an inappropriate relationship with Kim Soo-hyun when she was underage sparked media scrutiny, legal battles, and heated online debate.
I – In March, former president Rodrigo Duterte was arrested and brought to the International Criminal Court in The Hague to face charges of crimes against humanity related to his war on drugs. He remains in ICC custody.
J – “Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday…” This viral track was inescapable—anyone who ever spent time on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube shorts this year heard this time and again, whether they liked it or not.
K – K is for K-Pop Demon Hunters, of course. If you were wondering why it was missing from the Hallyu entry, it’s because it’s so big it deserves its own letter. The animated Netflix movie became a worldwide phenomenon, giving us the smash hit Golden, and turning Huntrix into a real-world K-pop sensation. We are so happy that Ejae, Audrey Nuna, and Rei Ami, who gave Rumi, Mira, and Zoey their singing voices, are getting the spotlight they deserve.
L – The Louvre heist shocked the world in October. Thieves dressed as construction workers stole French crown jewels in broad daylight. Arrests have been made in connection with the robbery but the jewels are still missing.
M – 2025 was a major milestone for the Philippines’ culinary scene. Eight months after announcing its arrival, The Michelin Guide unveiled the inaugural selection in October, recognizing 74 establishments on the Selected list and awarding 25 with the Bib Gourmand distinction. Eight restaurants—Asador Alfonso, Celera, Gallery by Chele, Hapag, Inatô, Kasa Palma, Linamnam, Toyo Eatery—received one Michelin star, while Helm achieved the remarkable feat of earning two Michelin stars.
N – The country faced natural disasters, including a magnitude‑6.9 earthquake in Cebu that killed dozens and injured over a thousand people in late September, a powerful 7.4‑magnitude doublet quake off Davao Oriental in October with hundreds affected, and back‑to‑back devastating typhoons in November—Kalmaegi (Tino) and Super Typhoon Fung‑wong (Uwan). These disasters were a stark reminder of the country’s vulnerability—and once again tested our disaster preparedness, infrastructure and response systems.
O – 2025 was a big year for OPM. Cup of Joe emerged as the most-streamed Filipino artist on Spotify Philippines and their hit Multo was the most-streamed local song. Rounding out the top five OPM artists are fan favorites December Avenue, Arthur Nery, Dionela and TJ Monterde.
P – Pope Francis passed away on April 21 at the age of 88, ending a 12-year papacy. In May, the 2025 papal conclave at the Sistine Chapel elected Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost as the new pope. Prevost, the first pontiff from the United States, chose the name Pope Leo XIV.
Q – Filipino drag queens continue to shine and make the country proud. They dominated Drag Race Philippines: Slaysian Royale, the first all-Asian competition that brought together queens from different RuPaul’s Drag Race franchises, with multiple local queens winning challenges and securing top spots episode after episode. In the end, Brigiding won the crown while Arizona Brandy’s campy, budots-style song Arizona B, which she performed in the finale, has become a viral hit, inspiring countless Instagram Reels and TikTok vids, topping iTunes Philippines charts, and its official music video getting over 3 million views on YouTube.
R – R, sadly, is for “rest in peace.” We said too many goodbyes in 2025. Margarita Fores. Gloria Romero. Jovito Salonga. Nora Aunor. Freddie Aguilar. Pilita Corrales. Jiggly Caliente. Ricky Davao. Larrie Silva. Delia Razon. Susan Joven. Haji Alejandro. Emman Atienza. Jane Goodall. Robert Redford. Ozzy Osbourne. Hulk Hogan. Giorgio Armani. Graham Greene. Connie Francis. David Lynch. Roberta Flack. Gene Hackman. Diane Keaton. Rob Reiner and wife Michele Singer Reiner. And so many more.
S – Sean “Diddy” Combs was convicted on prostitution‑related offenses and was sentenced to over four years in federal prison, where he remains incarcerated. Earlier this month, the four-part docuseries Sean Combs: The Reckoning premiered on Netflix, keeping his controversies and legal battles in the spotlight.
T – Her legendary Eras Tour may have wrapped up in 2024, but 2025 proved to be another monumental year for Taylor Swift and her fans. Taylor, the top artist on Spotify Philippines this year, released her 12th studio album The Life of a Showgirl, with great success. Just this month, she came out with the concert film The Eras Tour | The Final Show and her six‑episode documentary The End of an Era is now streaming on Disney+. In August, she announced her engagement to NFL star Travis Kelce, giving fans another reason to celebrate.
U – Unboxing continued to be a big obsession in 2025, with people opening all sorts of blind boxes—from the wildly popular Pop Mart characters Labubu, Molly, Skullpanda, Crybaby, and Hirono to other brands like Smiski, Sonny Angel, Mofusand, and more—enjoying the surprise of each reveal and often sharing the experience online.
V – There was no shortage of viral moments in 2025. Some memorable ones include the Coldplay kiss cam cheating scandal, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s It Ends with Us battle that got more attention than the actual film, Katy Perry’s trip to space that launched a million memes, Cardi B being her sassy self at her trial, and 6-7 (we still don’t know what it means). In the Philippines, Taylor Lautner lookalike Cristopher Diwata’s Twilight parody on a 2013 episode of It’s Showtime resurfaced and catapulted him to viral success. The “What hafen Vella?” guy became the subject of multiple memes, which also led to endorsements and launched his career as an influencer.
W – Fans finally got to see the second Wicked movie. Wicked: For Good hit theaters in November, bringing back the iconic duo of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande for another round of unforgettable, meme-worthy media moments.
X – In X-rated news, British content creator and porn actress Bonnie Blue attempted to set a world record by having sex with over 1,000 men in 12 hours and was later featured in the documentary 1000 Men and Me: The Bonnie Blue Story. Bonnie Blue made headlines again this week after being deported from Bali for breaking the country’s anti-pornography laws.
Y – Y is for yum. 2025 was a delicious year, packed with new restaurant openings and foodie experiences. The world continued to obsess over Dubai chocolate (which, by the way, is the creation of Filipino chef Nouel Catis), inspiring many mainstream versions and a newfound passion for pistachio. Matcha is another trend that continues to sweep the world, showing up in everything—from all sorts of drinks to pastries and savory dishes.
Z – Z is for Gen Z. This generation dominated every corner of pop culture—gaming, streaming, social media and more—and redefined the way people socialize with coffee raves and the sober curious movement. They do things their way while teaching us lessons about prioritizing mental well-being, focusing on inclusivity, caring about social issues—and we love them for it.