'What happens if Bongbong Marcos wins?' 'Why BBM?' among top Google questions during PH elections

Questions about Marcos Jr. being banned in the United States arose due to a reported contempt judgment handed down in 1995 by a U.S. court  in connection to a class suit against his father Ferdinand Sr. for human rights abuses under Martial Law. He and his mother Imelda are representatives of the late dictator's estate. 

During the press conference today, May 26, newly appointed press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles declined to answer a question if the president-elect could travel to the U.S. in light of the reported order.

"I apologize, I don't really have enough information yet. I could only answer questions pertaining to this morning's press briefings," said Cruz-Angeles.

Marcos Jr., who is now assembling his cabinet, has said that one of his priorities will be to take care of the economy, as the country emerges from the pandemic saddled with historic debt.

Meanwhile, here are the top questions fielded in Google related to outgoing Vice President Leni Robredo, Marcos Jr.'s closest rival in the elections:

• How old is Leni Robredo?
• Why Leni Robredo?
• What did Leni Robredo do for the Philippines?
• What party is Leni Robredo?
• Where is Leni Robredo from?

The 57-year-old Robredo was born on April 23, 1965, in Naga in Camarines Sur. She's the chairperson of the Liberal Party, though she ran as an independent during the polls.

As VP, her office launched Angat Buhay, an anti-poverty program that benefited over 320,000 families and 305,000 inviduals across 223 communities nationwide as of December 2021, according to her website. The program was able to mobilize over P520 million with the help of 372 organizations. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, Robredo's office also provided free shuttle services to medical frontliners, as well as free testing, care kits, and COVID-19 vaccines to the marginalized.

Netizens were also curious about the Duterte family, and asked the following questions:

• How many votes did Duterte get?
• How old is Kitty Duterte?
• How old is Sara Duterte?
• Is Sara Duterte a lawyer?
• How many votes did Duterte get in 2016?

Outgoing president Duterte got 16,601,997 votes in 2016 based on the Commission on Elections's final count. His daughter, vice president-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio, got 32,208,417 votes in the recent polls.

Kitty, Rodrigo's daughter with partner Honeylet Avanceña, was born on April 10, 2004, and is now 18 years old.

Sara, his daughter with ex-wife Elizabeth Zimmerman, was born on May 31 and will be turning 44 this year. She has a law degree from San Sebastian College Recoletos in Manila.

Many users also showed interest over election results in certain areas. The most searched Philippine areas for election results were:

• Quezon City
• Cebu
• Laguna
• Pampanga 
• Nueva Ecija

Quezon City has the most number of registered voters in the country, at 1.4 million.

Cebu is the most vote-rich province, with 3.25 million registered voters. It's also the only province in the country that has over three million voters.

Laguna, Pampanga, and Nueva Ecija are also considered vote-rich areas, with a voting population of 2.04 million, 1.58 million, and 1.5 million, respectively.

The country has some 65.7 million registered voters, around 3.87 million of whom are first-time voters. Comelec said the country posted a record 83.11% or 55-million voter turnout this 2022 elections.

The other top election-related questions users consulted with Google include:

• Who won in the Philippine election?
• How many partylist can win in the Philippine election?
• How many councilors to vote for in the Philippine election?
• How many voters are there in the Philippine election? 
• How many senators to vote for in the Philippine election? 
• How many partylist can I vote for in the Philippine election 2022?