MANILA — This year has been particularly busy for the media, politicians, and the government. In the past 12 months, many were brought into national prominence due to political scandals, bombshell revelations, intense police operations, as well as stories of triumph and hope.

As we bid goodbye to a dizzying year, here’s a look back at 10 personalities who made Philippine headlines this 2024.

Philippine National Police-Public Information Office Chief Col. Jean Fajardo shows a photo of former Bamban Mayor Alice Guo after her arrest in Indonesia. PNP-PIO 

1. Alice Guo a.k.a. Guo Hua Ping, the dismissed mayor of Bamban town in Tarlac, gripped the nation's attention from early this year during closely watched congressional hearings that tied her to illegal activities related to an offshore gambling hub in her municipality.

Lawmakers alleged Guo was not a Filipino — at least based on documents and fingerprint records — but a Chinese national who skirted Philippine civil registry, immigration, and election laws as an asset of the Chinese government.

Ordered dismissed by the Office of the Ombudsman, Guo has denied the allegations at the Senate, and faces graft and human trafficking charges in court.

The details that emerged at the inquiries and the succeeding events, like her escape to Indonesia and her eventual capture, became so interesting that many quipped they ditched streamings apps for what they called "Senateflix."

2. The stunning unraveling of the powerhouse tandem of Vice President Sara Duterte and President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., which some said was comparable to a political thriller, also dominated headlines this year.

Their falling-out landed Duterte in congressional hearings, where she made controversial moves and remarks that kept cameras rolling. It culminated when she lashed out at Marcos during a pre-dawn online press conference where she threatened to have him assassinated if she were killed.

She has since said the remarks have been taken out of context and that she said them out of concern for her own safety.

She has denied allegation of wrongdoing and has repeatedly said House hearings into her office's spending are meant to discredit her ahead of the 2028 presidential elections.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte sits beside former Sen. Leila De Lima at House quad comm inquiry in November 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News

3. Sara Duterte's father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, also attracted significant public attention this year when he for the first time attended a Senate hearing in October into his anti-narcotics drive that left thousands of alleged drug personalities dead, according to the government's records.

The tough-talking politician — who could face arrest under an International Criminal Court investigation for possible crimes against humanity linked to his brutal drug war — made explosive yet unclear admissions during the hearings.

He would later appear the House for a marathon hearing where he made similar statements.

The House has adopted findings of its quad committee — four panels hlding joint hearings on issues related to the Duterte administration — recommending charges against him, his former top aides, and police officials for alleged crimes against humanity.

Although welcomed by relatives of drug war victims, the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers and Rise Up for Life and for Rights said are "only as good and acceptable as the results in the courts will be." 

Duterte is running for mayor of Davao City, the position he held before running for president in the 2016 elections, in next year's midterm polls.

4. Kingdom of Jesus Christ founder Apollo Quiboloy, a powerful religious leader and political figure close to the Dutertes, captured headlines as well.

Quiboloy, who styles himself the "appointed son of God" has been wanted by US authorities for alleged sexual abuse and human trafficking and faces similar cases before Philippine courts.

An intense two-week police operation from late August to September to find him at his compound in Davao City led to his surrender and forced him to attend a Senate hearing where his alleged victims testified against him.

The police operation was criticized over alleged rights violations and created tension in Davao City, where Quibioloy's supporters blocked a highway in what they said was a prayer rally in support of the fugitive preacher.

Quiboloy, who denies the allegations, is now detained at the Pasig City Jail.

He is running for the Senate in the 2025 elections.

Sen. Risa Hontiveros skims the pages of Vice President Sara Duterte's children's book "Isang Kaibigan." Office of Sen. Risa Hontiveros

5. Sen. Risa Hontiveros of Akbayan Party and the Senate minority stood out during the hearings involving the high-profile personalities. 

She led inquiries into Guo and Quiboloy and was a voice of reason during hearings into the Office of the Vice President's budget and Rodrigo Duterte's war on drugs.

The lawmaker's investigative work, thanks to her staff, provided substance and weight to the Senate proceedings on Guo, which set off the mayor's dismissal from office, led to the filing of charges against her, and prompted the government to declare a ban on offshore gambling operators in the country.

Saying an executive order banning POGOs needs clarity, Hontiveros is pushing for passage a more comprehensive law against the controversial offshore gaming services.

6. Amid the frenzied political scene, Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo rose to glory in August, winning not just one but two gold medals at the world’s biggest sports stage: the Olympics.

Yulo made history with gold-medal finishes in the men's artistic gymnastics vault and floor exercise, becoming the country's first double Olympic gold medalist.

US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (R) looks on during a campaign rally at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on November 4, 2024, and US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris (R) walks on stage during a campaign rally at the Carrie Blast Furnaces National Historic Landmark outside Pittsburgh, in Rankin, Pennsylvania. Charly Triballeau and Rebecca Droke, AFP 

7/8. The US presidential elections also captivated Filipinos as Republican Donald Trump reclaimed the White House, defeating Democratic candidate Kamala Harris amid intense debates on issues like immigration, the US economy and on democracy itself.

The campaign leading up to the November vote was marked by dramatic developments, including President Joe Biden abandoning his reelection bid to give way to Harris due to a decline in popularity, along with assassination attempts against Trump.

With Filipinos comprising a large part of the US immigrant population, Filipino-Americans campaigned on both sides of the political aisle.

9. The year also saw former Sen. Leila de Lima's vindication after nearly seven years of incarceration on charges that she has maintained since 2017 as politically motivated and meant as retribution for her investigation into alleged extrajudicial killings in the Duterte drug war.

Courts have cleared her of all her drug charges and she is running in the 2025 party-list race as the first nominee of Mamamayang Liberal of the Liberal Party.

Mary Jane Veloso reunites with her family after arriving at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong on December 18, 2024. Maria Tan, ABS-CBN News 

10. Before the year ended, the Marcos administration secured a prison transfer deal with Indonesia to bring home Filipino drug trafficking convict Mary Jane Veloso, who was previously on death row and detained in Yogyakarta for 15 years.

Her return to the Philippines occurred in time for Christmas, and hopes are high that she will be granted freedom by the government through executive clemency or other forms of sentence reduction.

The Board of Pardons and Parole has already been tasked with evaluating Veloso's case and while President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has not ruled out granting clemency, he has also said "we're still at the very preliminary stage" and no decision is expected any time soon. 

Veloso's repatriation has spurred calls from lawmakers for government to improve support services to other Overseas Filpino Workers facing cases abroad.