Azkals, Volcanoes draw online search crowd in mid-July

They may have brought pride to the country with their respective victories in international sports but last week, the football players of the Philippine Azkals and the raging rugby jocks of Philippine Volcanoes caused quite a stir online as controversies involving them erupted one after the other. According to localized trends data released by the Philippine subsidiaries of search engine sites Yahoo! and Google, Phil Younghusband and Neil Etheridge of the Azkals and the entire Philippine Rugby Team were among the top-of-mind topics of Filipinos online during the second week of July. Fresh from a 4-0 home victory against the Sri Lanka Brave Reds, some members of the national football team had to brave a rape allegation that spread like wildfire online. According to a Filipino gossip blog, Neil Etheridge, Anton del Rosario, Jason Sabio and Simon Greatwich allegedly raped a female model at the house of Azkals team manager Dan Palami. The rumor was said to have been started by a certain Paul Weiler, who reportedly applied as a consultant for the team but was rejected by Palami. Neil Etheridge, the Azkals' goalkeeper, was among the top trending searches according to Yahoo! Philippines data. In an unrelated development, Azkals star player Phil Younghusband also figured in both search engine's trends last week as he finally admitted that he and actress Angel Locsin are "exclusively dating," months after he asked her out on Twitter. "Locsin and Younghusband also spiked on Yahoo! Search after they were reportedly seen kissing at the Azkals victory party," Yahoo! added. Uproar vs PH Volcanoes Used to staying below-the-radar in the local sporting scene, the Philippine Volcanoes, the Philippines' rugby team, shot to fame because of their revealing billboards along a major Manila thoroughfare, where some members stripped down to only their underwear to endorse a local clothing brand. Authorities, however, weren't happy with the risqué advertisement, prompting Valenzuela Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian to prod Mandaluyong Mayor Benhur Abalos to order the takedown of the billboards, saying the giant billboards could be seen by innocent minors. Following this move by local government unit heads, authorities moved to enforce a stricter evaluation of billboards erected along EDSA, where more than 2 million vehicles pass by every day. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, for one, has called on lawmakers to legislate the need to regulate the content of billboards along major roads in the nation's capital. “We’re talking 24/7 exposure sa mga bata, sa senior citizens. Walang censorship sa billboards, yan ang concern namin," said MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino. Other hot topics that made it to Yahoo! Philippines search trends list include international singer Kylie Minogue; Harry Potter actress Emma Watson; the UAAP Season 74; FHM Philippines' Sexiest Woman for 2011 Sam Pinto; TV host and actress Ruffa Gutierrez; actress Kim Chiu; and Regal Films-GMA Films tie-up movie remake Temptation Island. For Google's Insights for Search, meanwhile, fast-rising search topics include the recent US court ruling absolving Casey Anthony of murder charges; singer Kylie Minogue; a recent fad called Planking; the opening of the UAAP Season 74; new social networking player Google Plus; the popular mobile game Angry Birds; the last installment in the film franchise of Harry Potter; and mixed martial arts league UFC. — TJD, GMA News