Body parts all the rage for online Pinoys in July

A combination of fingers, fists, and feet made the biggest headlines at the onset of July, according to localized search trends data from the Philippines released by two of the world's largest search engines. At the tail-end of June, Yahoo! Philippines data revealed that much interest was garnered online by the sheriff-punching incident in Davao City, headlined by its mayor Sara Duterte. Fresh from a flashflood disaster that wreaked havoc in several of its villages, Davao City once again figured in the news when Mayor Duterte's fist met the face of a court sheriff, who was insisting on pushing through with an ordered demolition despite the mayor's plea for a two-hour reprieve. Davao residents loyal to the Dutertes threw their support behind their embattled mayor, while camps in Manila and other cities condemned the public official's act. Bodily expletives In an interview following the incident, the mayor's father, Vice Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, defended his daughter from criticisms hurled at her, and flashed a dirty finger of his own to those threatening to press actions against the younger Duterte. “Kayong mga kolumnista: O!" said Duterte, quickly motioning with the expletive in body language. Authorities vowed to investigate the incident and possibly reprimand Duterte for her actions, but Mayor Duterte stood by her actions. In a similar finger-raising incident, Diamond Star Maricel Soriano became involved in allegations of physical and verbal abuse raised by her former house helpers. According to May Cachuela and Camille Acojedo, Soriano hit, kicked and threatened to shoot them when they were trying to sort some things the veteran actress was bringing to a studio recording. "Parang pinapakain nya sa'men yung mura niya. Tapos nung gabi nga po nang umalis kami, ang sabi niya po sa'men, 'ipokrita ka...ikaw alam ko ipokrita ka, intrimitida ka.' Tapos dinirty finger niya po kami," Acojedo said. The two sides were scheduled to meet at a Wednesday meeting called by Barangay Poblacion officials in Makati, but the actress failed to show up. As of the time of writing, the accusations hurled at Soriano have yet to be resolved. Foot fetish? In another search trend involving body parts, data from both Yahoo! and Google Philippines seem to indicate that Filipinos online are slowly growing a foot fetish. It is not, however, a paraphilia of the pleasurable or sexual kind. Pinoy Internet users simply rallied behind the Philippine Azkals, the country's football team, as they faced off with Sri Lanka's Brave Reds in the qualifying matches for the 2014 FIFA World Cup. The Azkals' match in Sri Lanka drew widespread interest among Filipinos despite the match ending in a draw on full time, but excitement escalated during the home game held at the newly refurbished Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila. At the end of the match, the Azkals demolished the Sri Lankans with a 4-0 game, boosting the team's bid toward qualifying in the World Cup playoffs. Meanwhile, tap-dancing duo Happy Feet, a finalist in a reality talent search, also made it to the search trends for the week. Google's search data also showed that individual team members such as Phil and James Younghusband, Aly Borromeo and Neil Etheridge grabbed online users' attention. Other trending search topics in Google for the week include former couples Andi Eigenmann and Albie Casiño; Kapuso star Grace Lee; tennis star Maria Sharapova; SM Cinemas; Philippines' Sexiest Woman Sam Pinto; the last Harry Potter film; and the newly released movie remake of Temptation Island. On Yahoo, meanwhile, other search trends include Andi Eigenmann; Kapuso star Kylie Padilla; TV host Andrei Felix; PBA results for the week; and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. — TJD, GMA News