Every聽end of December, 蜜桃工作室 compiles 49 of the most compelling stories and issues and groups聽them into seven key lists that encapsulate聽the year that鈥檚 been. The year 2015 in particular saw the Philippines thrust further into the global stage, whether for reasons good鈥撯�滺eneral Luna,鈥� COP21 and Miss Universe鈥搊r bad鈥揗amasapano, #APECtado and lumad kilings.
The sixth聽of the yearend series聽lists the seven聽most fist-pumping聽stories of Pinoy pride this聽year, from former child star聽Jiro Manio found homeless at Ninoy Aquino International Airport to Krisel Mallari鈥檚 scathing speech against her school鈥檚 officials for supposed bias in naming her graduating batch鈥檚 valedictorian.
The Inquirer #BestofSeven聽for 2015 runs from December 24聽to 30.聽Check out聽the聽rest of the lists聽聽or by clicking the image at the end of this article.
1. PH鈥檚 Pia Wurtzbach wins Miss Universe
Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach of Cagayan de Oro City was crowned Miss Universe title in December 2015, 42 years after the Philippines last won the beauty pageant. She is the third Filipino to win the tilt after Gloria Diaz in 1969 and Margie Moran in 1973. Her win, however, was not without controversy: she was first named 1st runner up before the announcement was corrected minutes after.
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2. Mineski competes in international eSports arena
Filipino powerhouse Dota 2 team Mineski beat the odds as it made its way to the Frankfurt Fall Major championship despite being the seen as the underdog. With a series of surprising wins before the main event, Mineski defeated some of the best Dota 2 teams in the world, including the former international champion and one of the tops teams in China.
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3. UP student attains highest grade since end of WWII
BS Biology graduate Tiffany Grace Uy sent the Internet abuzz in June after getting the highest post-war weighted average grade (1.004) from the University of the Philippines. Uy did not only break records but also earned the admiration of many Filipino. She said that 鈥済rade is just a number鈥� for her, she has a boyfriend, and a social life like any normal student.
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4. Filipinos wow聽in international singing contests
Local acts making waves in international competitions are not new, but the X-Factor talent shows in particular catapulted Filipino talent to the spotlight all year round. In the United Kingdom,聽all-girl group and former 鈥淚t鈥檚 Showtime鈥� champions 4th Impact in 鈥淭he X-Factor UK鈥� wowed viewers and judges with their renditions to pop tunes. In Australia, 19-year-old Fil-Aussie Cyrus Villanueva took home the gold聽with his versions of popular songs.
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5.聽PH a key player in COP21
At the 21st Conference of Parties in Paris, the Philippines was among 195 countries that drafted an agreement obligating the world to work together against climate change. The country鈥檚 delegation, led by Climate Change Commission Secretary Emmanuel de Guzman, was neither the biggest nor the richest, but it sure was one of the most influential as the current chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum.
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6. Gilas Pilipinas returns to Fiba Asia finals
Gilas Pilipinas may have failed to secure an outright berth to the 2016 Rio Olympics, but it proved that it鈥檚 still one of Asia鈥檚 most formidable after going toe-to-toe with powerhouse China in the final round of the 2015 Fiba Asia Championship. The Philippines鈥� run to the final was marked with strong wins over Kuwait, Hong Kong, Japan, erstwhile defending champion Iran, India, and Lebanon.
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7. Miss Earth back-to-back win for Philippines
The Philippines posted a historic back-to-back win in the Miss Earth beauty pageant in Vienna, Austria after Angelia Ong of Manila received the crown from last year鈥檚 winner, Jamie Herrell of Cebu. It was the first time in the pageant鈥檚 15-year run that a country sealed a back-to-back victory.
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Did we miss any other fist-pumping stories? Share with us your thoughts!