Metro Manila — Google Philippines reported on Tuesday that Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, a famous couple on-screen and in real life, were the most searched personalities in the Philippines last week.
Their top search ranking came just days before and after the pair announced the end of their 11-year romance on Thursday, Nov. 30, causing a stir among their extensive fanbase and fellow celebrities.
“Following this significant news, there was a swift surge in online interest, with fans and netizens rapidly turning to Google Search to find out more about Bernardo, Padilla, and their ‘KathNiel’ partnership,” Google Philippines stated.
Searches related to “KathNiel” and their breakup consistently trended across various social media platforms for several days.
The technology company noted that since 2011, topics about the duo have frequently topped Google searches in the Philippines and worldwide, including on YouTube.
This recent spike in searches marks the highest level of interest the duo has garnered on the search engine in the past five years.
Google Philippines also mentioned that the “KathNiel” search trend had gradually increased over the past few weeks, gaining momentum after talent manager Ogie Diaz hinted at the couple’s potential split in early November.
Google Trends, a tool for analyzing search patterns, helps gauge the volume of Google web searches on particular topics over specified periods.