Social media virality can be either good or bad.
Sometimes, things spread on the internet because they’re heartwarming but other times, it’s because they’re unbelievably terrible.
There are also moments that reassure people’s faith in humanity, while others that are so violent, they shock the world.
Of course, let’s not forget hilarious posts that simply make hundreds of thousands laugh out loud.
We had plenty of all those this year and here are just some of them.
Coconauts, we present to you the top viral stories from 2018, including the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Jeepney driver offers free rides on Christmas Day
Let’s start off with something good.
This elderly jeepney driver gives back in the best way he can every Christmas.
The 74-year-old from Cebu province went viral when he gave his passengers free rides on Christmas Day. And apparently, he’s been doing this for 14 years.
Read more here.
Human Fire Extinguisher: Dude puts out mall fire with flip-flops
It doesn’t get any more “Filipino” than this.
When a fire started inside a mall in Davao City, some people panicked, but not this man, no sir.
This man went straight to the source of the fire, threw both his tsinelas (flip-flops) at the fire and put it out like a badass.
Tsinelas really are multi-purpose.
Read more here.
Kid wins Halloween with ‘headless’ costume
Put that thing back where it came from, or so help me.
This Filipino kid won Halloween this year for wearing a costume that makes her look headless while carrying her head on a platter.
It was such a hit that she was featured on international websites like TIME, USA Today, Mashable, and People, among others.
Read more here.
Guy loses arm after falling asleep and getting hit by an incoming bus
Always take care while commuting, Coconauts. Falling asleep on public transport may be much more dangerous than it seems.
An incoming bus accidentally hit one man’s arm because it was hanging out of the window. He didn’t get to remove it because he was sleeping when the incident occurred.
In the video, viewers can see the man wailing, visibly in pain.
Read more here.
Angry customers berate Pizza Hut crew member, allegedly throw food at her
This one is filed under the “humans-are-horrible” section.
In this video, three angry customers, an elderly couple and their daughter, can be seen cursing and pointing fingers at a Pizza Hut crew member.
One of the reasons why they were mad was because the elderly woman tried to buy popcorn from her stall which clearly doesn’t sell popcorn.
They allegedly threw food at her too.
Read more here.
Woman aboard bus catches man exposing his penis
This one, on the other hand, is another “men-are-trash” story.
A woman caught a man on video exposing his penis to her while inside a jampacked bus.
The video shows the man’s penis dangling from his unzipped jeans. “Son of a bitch, you’re a pervert. Look, everyone, he has his penis out,” the woman shouts in Filipino as some people turn to look.
The man then hid his peen by moving his backpack to his crotch before quickly zipping up his fly.
Gross.
Read more here.
Dog performs Philippine folk dance ‘tinikling’ better than some humans
Ok, you can get your dog to sit, but can he perform a Philippine folk dance?
Bullet the Chihuahua went viral for performing tinikling, a traditional Filipino dance that involves people tapping bamboo poles on the ground and against each other, while several dancers step over and in between the poles.
It’s very complicated but this dog nailed it.
Read more here.
Video of angry mob attacking snatcher goes viral, gets mixed reactions from netizens
A video of an angry mob attacking a thief went viral and it wasn’t pretty.
In the video, a man can be seen pulling the thief out of a jeepney in Pedro Gil, Manila. He says to the snatcher in Filipino: “You son of a bitch, get down from there.”
The man proceeds to pummel the thief along with other men in the area.
At one point in the video, some men hold the snatcher’s arms so others could punch him. The thief shouts at them in Filipino: “Please have mercy!”
Read more here.
Distressing video of Golden Retriever attacking stray dog goes viral
This is a hard one to watch, especially for dog lovers.
In the video, a Golden Retriever’s owner can be seen trying to stop the large-sized dog from biting a medium-sized stray dog. The Golden Retriever bites the other dog’s nape unforgivingly. The owner tries to slap her dog’s head to stop but to no avail.
It’s not for the faint-hearted.
Read more here.
VIRAL: In the wake of supertyphoon, tornado crashes wedding ceremony in Marikina
It’s like a scene straight from a disaster movie.
In the wake of Supertyphoon ‘Ompong’ (international name Mangkhut), a rare tornado crashed a wedding party in Kapitan Moy, Marikina City.
The video shows the newlywed couple making their way to the stage when suddenly, they heard a loud noise coming from outside.
A few seconds of terror was followed by a black-out, which sent everyone in a flurry of panicked screams.
Read more here.
Viral video shows jeepney driver stopping traffic to save kitten [VIDEO]
Here’s something pawsitive: this hero jeepney driver stopped traffic to save a little kitten.
In the video, the jeepney driver can be seen suddenly stopping his vehicle, which was loaded with a handful of passengers, in the middle of the road.
The footage then shows the jeepney driver hustling his way through lanes of busy traffic in an attempt to reach the cat.
One taxi drives right past the kitten, but our jeepney driving hero stops another taxi from moving forward, picks up the feline, and takes it away from the dangerous spot.
Read more here.
Actor playing dead in body bag can’t resist itch and scratches nose on TV series ‘Ang Probinsyano’
Photo: John Henry Espadilla/FBYou had one job. ONE JOB.
Filipinos know too well how dead serious scenes are in ABS-CBN’s action drama TV series Ang Probinsyano. But apparently, slip-ups just can’t be avoided — especially when you’re supposed to be dead, as proven by this bit actor.
The clip from the series shows some actors putting “dead” bodies into body bags. However, one of the “deceased” scratched his nose when he should be playing dead — and it was all captured on the clip.
Read more here.
VIRAL: Man uses coconut as helmet
We here at Coconuts Manila can never resist interesting stories that have to do with our namesake fruit, especially this one about a man who turned a coconut husk into a helmet.
The photos were taken during the Pamulak sa Kadayawan parade on Aug. 19 as part of the annual Kadayawan festival in Davao City.
Photographer Dennis Tan shared with Coconuts Manila: “[I]t fascinates me that the coconut husk was cut and formed precisely. Even the vents are well placed and cut. Also the straps are attached properly. Really [d]etailed.”
Read more here.
VIRAL: Bedridden dad ‘walks’ daughter down aisle on her wedding day
A father’s love knows no boundaries.
This viral post shows how a bedridden father “walked” his daughter down the aisle for her wedding while lying on a stretcher.
We’re not crying, you are.
Read more here.
WATCH: Catriona Gray’s parents react to her Miss Universe 2018 win
Filipino-Australian Catriona Gray made Filipinos from around the globe proud when she won this year’s Miss Universe, but probably not as proud as her parents, as seen in their reactions captured in this viral video.
In the video, Catriona’s Australian-Scottish father Ian Gray can be seen giving her daughter a standing ovation as he clutches onto his walking cane to stand.
Her Filipina mother Normita Ragas Magnayon, on the other hand, can be seen crying tears of joy as she hugs and kisses her husband.
People from the audience, including Strahan, can be seen and heard congratulating the proud parents.
A touching moment for the proud parents.
Read more here.
Woman almost won huge lotto jackpot but placed her bet on a different game
Spare a thought for the poor woman who came this close to winning the Philippine lottery.
Lotto fever was high in the Philippines earlier this year, especially when the jackpot prize of one of the games breached PHP1 billion (more than US$19 million).
But imagine buying a ticket, getting all six winning numbers correct, and then finding out that you bought a ticket for the wrong lottery game.
Tears? Plenty. Empathy? Lady, you’ve got ours.
Read more here.
2 Fil-Ams create own McDonald’s poster for more Asian representation and the branch is actually keeping it
Two Filipino-Americans are the masterminds behind a viral fake McDonald’s poster that was hung in one of the fast-food giant’s outlets in Pearland, Texas. Their reason for doing the stunt? More Asian representation.
The poster was hung on the wall on July 13, but it was only after 51 days that one of the guys decided to share the mischievous deed on Twitter.
They went on The Ellen Show after the stunt and received $25,000 each.
Read more here.
What’s your favorite viral story from this year? Leave a comment below or tweet us @CoconutsManila.
