#AlDub still top Pinoy Twitter trend in UAE

Dubai - Dubai expat Rochelle Mae Sanchez Cervantes, 23, an account executive, told Khaleej Times that Richards was her classmate from high school.

Are you a Pinoy twitterati? Chances are you've seen #AlDub or #ALDUBPwedeNaMag as a topic trending on Twitter. The Filipino couple is extremely popular and has smashed global social media records.
AlDubEBTamangPanahon - or "AlDub, in the right time" - drew more than 41 million tweets, breaking the 2014 Twitter record held by Brazil's World Cup defeat to Germany.
Now what is AlDub? Viewers across the Philippines have been watching the KalyeSerye segment of the longest-running noon-time show Eat Bulaga! featuring two people who have never met before. The show then adds on obstacles to prevent the two from meeting and they talk and get to know each other via a screen. "AlDub" is a portmanteau of the first names of Filipino actors Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza (who plays the character Yaya Dub on the show); both stars have huge followings on social media.
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One of the reasons why it's a hit is that the Filipinos are extremely big into social media and their own community.
Dubai expat Rochelle Mae Sanchez Cervantes, 23, an account executive, told Khaleej Times that Richards was her classmate from high school. But she's not a big fan of the show.
"I have to watch Filipino shows on the weekends... I watch TV shows to remind me of home. I always remember watching these kinds of action shows with my dad and I don't really have a family in Dubai so I watch it and I feel like I'm home on my couch with my family."
"I just like watching it because I like Alden Richards," Filipina student Nina Enriquez adds. "I follow him on all his social media accounts and I don't miss the show. If I'm away from the TV or have to do something I make sure it's recorded and that I can watch it later."
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Haydee Rosano, who works in the Emirates engineering department, is the UAE admin for the AlDub fan club, @aldub_ME, which has over 37,000 followers. "Until now, the Twitter count is one million tweets everyday on #AlDub," she said.

• Dubai
• Philippines