Zephanie Dimaranan was named the first “Search for the Idol Philippines” grand winner as she impressed both the judges and the public with her crystal clear and powerful voice in the grand finals of the competition last Saturday and Sunday (July 27 and 28).

She received a total combined judges score and public text votes of 100%, beating her competitors Lucas Garcia (70.2%) and Lance Busa (41.89%). Zephanie took home a grand prize of P2 million, house and lot, trip for four to Taiwan, and a recording contract.

Last Saturday, the young singer from Laguna gave a show-stopping performance with her rendition of the OPM classic “Lipad ng Pangarap,” which helped her secure a slot in the top 3. Her momentum also kept going last Sunday as she belted another OPM gem, “Maghintay Ka Lamang” by Jonathan Manalo, and an original song written specially for her victory titled, “Pangarap Kong Pangrap Mo.”

Aside from the vocal battle of the Idol hopefuls, “American Idol” finalist and Filipino pride Jessica Sanchez graced the stage with her rendition of “And I Am Telling You.” Singing champions Jona, Elha Nympha, Janine Berdin, and KZ Tandingan also showcased their pipes as they sang along with the Idol hopefuls.

Meanwhile, more viewers tuned in to the two-night grand finals as the reality-singing competition scored a national TV rating of 31.4% last Saturday, compared to “Starstruck” (14.3%). It also led the weekend programming last Sunday with 34.2% versus its rival show (15.9%).

It was also a hit online as the show’s official hashtags ##IdolPHFinalShowdown at #IdolPHGrandWinner made it to the top trending topics worldwide.