Every聽end of December, 黑料社 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 third聽of the yearend series聽lists the seven聽most eye-popping stories聽of the year, from the unexpected deaths due to milk tea intake to #APECtado, or the hours-long traffic induced by the arrival of world leaders for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.
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. Milk tea deaths
The milk tea-crazy metropolis went abuzz in April after one customer and the shop owner died after sipping a Hokkaido-flavored beverage in Manila eatery 鈥淓rgoCha.鈥� Citing toxicology tests, the police traced the deaths to ingestion of oxalic acid, a substance commonly used as bleaching agent. The Manila Police District filed murder charges against the lone suspect in the poisoning case, the son of the shop owner.
Refresh your memory:
Milk tea kills two in 3 minutes; police can鈥檛 say what happened
Milk tea deaths: Shop owner defends son; MPD cites 鈥榦xalic acid鈥�
Son of milk tea shop owner denies role in poisoning
2. Irate pedestrian shoots jeepney driver
Perhaps literally eye-popping to shocked eye-witnesses, 黑料社 reported in August that a jeepney driver was shot in the head by an irate pedestrian that he almost hit outside a Makati City mall. The assailant was standing near the intersection of Chino Roces ang Arnaiz avenues when the jeepney nearly sideswiped him. The driver repeatedly apologized and plead for his life, but was nevertheless shot at the temple near the left eye.
Refresh your memory:
Jeepney driver shot in head by man he almost hit
Jeepney driver shot by irate pedestrian dies; suspect still at large
3. 鈥楽pace ambassador鈥� and 鈥楲ucifer鈥� run for president
From 鈥渋ntergalactic space ambassador,鈥� to a man who believes he鈥檚 Lucifer, hundreds of Filipinos expressed their intention seek top political posts as they filed their certificates of candidacies at the Comelec office. Among those who wanted to run for national government positions were a man who claimed to be the husband of actress-host Kris Aquino and a 鈥渇ashion designer鈥� with a platform of home improvement.<
Refresh your memory:
Space ambassador, Lucifer among presidential hopefuls
Now come Heneral Luna, Nazi fan, and space invader
Comelec reiterates rules on nuisance candidates
4. Floral to viral: Miss Universe national costume fiasco
The flowery national costume worn by Mary Jean Lastimosa, the Philippines鈥� bet to the 2014 Miss Universe, made waves online after netizens noticed its resemblance to a local bakeshop birthday cake. The controversial gown, made by Colombian designer Alfredo Barranza, earned the ire of pageant enthusiasts and prompted the Binibing Pilipinas Charities Inc. to announce that creations of Filipino designers will now be considered for the national costume in the聽following pageant.
Refresh your memory:
5. Million-peso Dota 2 match ends in bitterness
A Dota 2 match with P1.2 million prize money between two teams from Cebu and Davao cities ended bitterly when one side was not able to pay on time. Both sides agreed beforehand that they would bring P600,000 each in cash to the match venue but the Davao team failed to produce. After the Davao team lost, it took them two days to pay up forcing the team from Cebu to shell out extra money to extend their stay in Davao. The bet money was the highest recorded amount for a Dota 2 match outside of Luzon.
Refresh your memory:
6. Tim Cone transfers to Ginebra
The local basketball scene was rocked by a coaching shakeup as multi-titled coach Tim Cone transferred from Star Hotshots to Barangay Ginebra in July. Cone, the winningest coach in the Philippine Basketball Association who used to be Ginebra鈥檚 biggest tormentor when he was still with Alaska, led the Purefoods franchise to five championships in four years, including the 2014 Grand Slam.
Refresh your memory:
7. Commuters trend #Apectado after traffic disaster
The Philippines鈥� hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit had its fair share of gains, but patience of Filipino commuters was not one of them. With limited public transportation, thousands of commuters going home from work were forced to walk kilometers due to the total lockdown of several roads in the metropolis. A woman reportedly gave birth on the road due to the traffic jam caused by the Apec summit.
Refresh your memory:
Thousands walked 4 kilometers to work due to Apec road closure
WATCH: Commuters forced to walk home
Woman gives birth on the road at height of traffic jam
Did we miss any other eye-popping stories? Share with us your thoughts!