REMEMBER how you were eating your leftover spaghetti from New Year’s last January, and now, you are thinking how to survive the heat of May? In just a snap, we’re already five months into the year.
New stories in social media almost everyday prove the never-ending phenomenon of people who turn anything into a talk of the town for hours, days, weeks, and even months.
Feel lost yet? We got you! Here is a run down memory lane to rewind the viral stories during the first quarter of the year 2024.
In January, Kween Yasmin’s poetry was a never-ending syndrome.
Yasmin Marie Asistido, better known by her internet name Kween Yasmin, made noise (or an earworm infection) in the first month of 2024 with her on-the-spot spoken poetry entitled “Esophagus, Esophagus” that hyped Filipino netizens.
Kween Yasmin performed the piece during her guesting in the 595th episode of comedy Spotify podcast The Koolpals entitled “The Kween Yasmin” in December 2023.
As the title implies, “Esophagus, Esophagus” promotes caring for the organ and healthy living; no more hidden messages or any deep meanings. We stan a Kween advocating physical well-being.
Photo Courtesy: Kween Yasmin via Facebook Page
Kween Yasmin saw how social media users really enjoyed her spoken poetry, so she released another on-the-spot piece entitled “Pantog” which garnered a total of 11.6 million views on Facebook, 1 million reactions, and 58.5 thousand comments with netizens praising its effectiveness for entertainment.
Asistido became an internet personality for her entertaining singing, dancing, acting, and showcasing her songwriting skills—all in one package, coming from the one and only Kween.
February of 2024 was the ending for Bea Alonzo and Dominic Roque as a couple.
Remember the back-to-back breakup of well-known celebrities? Well Dominic Roque and Bea Alonzo known by their couple name as BeaDom, took the breakup peak in February.
In February 6, 2024, showbiz host Boy Abunda announced that Bea Alonzo and Dominic Roque have called it quits.
Photo Courtesy: Bea Alonzo via Facebook
The two sparked dating rumors in July 2020 when Roque posted on Instagram a photo of their covered faces while eating at a ramen restaurant in Tokyo, Japan with a caption “Tila ako’y nabighani (It seems I’ve been captivated). In July 2023, Alonzo shared black and white photos of their engagement proposal in Bataan.
Alonzo made headlines in March as she was noticed by netizens wearing her engagement ring again. However, in May, she deleted all her photos together with her now ex-partner Dominic Roque.
A rollercoaster career for Shaira Moro in March.
Who can’t recall the song that caught our attention with its rhythm and lyrics?
Shaira Moro’s Selos was skyrocketed to #1 in Spotify’s Daily Viral Songs Philippines and her other banger song “Forever Single (Walang Jowa)” at #3. Because of social media users’ adoration and love, Moro rose popularity instantly.
Photo Courtesy: Shaira Moro via Facebook and Lenka Music via Instagram
However, she didn’t escape the keen ears of listeners after noticing the song’s resemblance to Australian singer-songwriter Lenka’s single “Trouble Is A Friend” released in 2009. Selos was then immediately taken down in streaming platforms due to copyright issues.
After conversations and finding a resolution between Shaira and Lenka’s team, Selos was returned to all streaming platforms.
Moreover, Shaira’s other single “Selos Na ‘Yan Friend” sparked speculations that it is a diss track on the backlash she received during her copyright issue, although some netizens encouraged her to be humble and do the right thing.
In April, the sparkling opportunity on Diwata’s paresan began.
Fishball, kikiam, and kwek-kwek are among the Filipinos favorite street and comfort foods you will encounter. But aside from these, braised beef stew or “Pares” also dominates the street food scene for its warm, unique taste, and availability.
Diwata, or Deo Balbuena in real life, elevated the Filipino Pares with his version turned into a brand known as “Diwata Pares Overload.”
Diwata’s restaurant offers budget friendly pares for the price of Php 100 that includes unlimited soup, rice, and drinking water, with a bottle of soft drink. This business strategy of Diwata earned praise from many Filipino content creators.
Screengrab: Diwata Pares Overload via Youtube
Recently, vlogger and entrepreneur Rosmar Tan-Pamulaklakin brought Diwata to tears, as she gifted the pares restaurateur a house and lot and Php 1 million cash.
Diwata showed his gratitude to Rosmar saying “Mababago na po talaga yung buhay ko. Thank you so much.”
In May, Vice Ganda puts social issues on the hot seat.
Following the success of “Asoka,” a makeup challenge trend on video-sharing platform Tiktok inspired by a song used in a Bollywood film, Filipinos made their own trend with “Piliin Mo Ang Pilipinas” performed by singer Angeline Quinto.
The trend, however, is not just about showcasing makeup skills but also executing it.
Screengrab: praybeytbenjamin via Instagram
As of this writing, the “unkabogable” star and Showtime host Vice Ganda earned praise from netizens with her entry which did not only feature her makeup, but also the beauty of the Philippines and current social issues such as traffic, extreme heat, the jeepney phaseout, and even the ongoing head-to-head clash between China and Philippines over the West Philippine Sea.
Entertainment and digging social issues at the same time? Vice Ganda proved it is possible.
Her fellow celebrities and well-known personalities were amazed and commended Vice for using her platform to recognize Philippine social issues.
These viral stories made people invested but also became an opportunity to create discourse concerning different sectors of the nation, tackling vital concerns such as hate speech, cyberlibel, copyright, and participation in social issues. At the end of the day, may all these be a constant reminder to be responsible social media users.
With reports from Marvin Cabalhin
