A TO Z OF 2025

Before the year ends, let's relive the biggest moments, milestones, scandals, and surprises that shaped the year that was.

- inked PAM PASTOR

They call her Alexandra the Great. Tennis ace Alex Eala dominated the courts and brought pride to the country again and again and again, most recently by winning a gold medal in women’s singles tennis at the Southeast Asian Games — the Philippines’ first since 1999.

Her breakout year in the 2025 WTA season had her reaching a career-high ranking of Top 50 in November, the first Filipino to break into the Top 50 of the WTA world rankings in history. She also won the 2025 Guadalajara 125 Open, becoming the first Filipino to win a WTA title. We cannot wait to see what she'll do next.

Meanwhile, AI continued to advance, becoming embedded in everyday life — from workplaces and classrooms to creative fields and social media — sparking conversations about ethics, accuracy and humanity in a tech-driven world.

It was a milestone year for Pinoy Big Brother and the show celebrated its 20th anniversary with “Celebrity Collab Edition 2.0,” with ABS-CBN Studios and GMA Network collaborating to bring together 20 young celebrities from Sparkle GMA Artist Center and Star Magic as housemates. The show had fans riveted and produced several breakout stars including Mika Salamanca, Brent Manalo, Will Ashley, Ralph De Leon and Esnyr Ranollo.

- Conan O’Brien visited the Philippines in October 2025 to film an episode of his travel show Conan O’Brien Must Go. He explored Quiapo and Fort Santiago, visited a fan’s candy factory, went to Batangas to work at another fan’s hotel and even made a cameo in Dennis Trillo and Jennylyn Mercado’s series SanggangDikit FR. People were thrilled by Conan’s visit, giving him such a warm welcome that he called the Philippines “the friendliest country I've ever been to.”