Search for first Pinoy astronaut launched

MANILA, Philippines - Axe Philippines, one of the world’s leading male grooming brands, launched yesterday the search for the first Filipino astronaut who will join 21 others from different countries in a space exploration in 2014.

The company had forged a partnership with the US-based space travel agency Space Expedition Corp. (Space XC) to embark on a project to send civilians to space.

“There are so few people who have been to space. We give the Filipinos the opportunity to do this,” Gem Laforteza, Axe Philippines brand manager, told reporters at the launching of Axe Apollo, the company’s latest product, in Makati City.

Laforteza said interested individuals could sign up for the space mission at www.AxeApollo.com.

“The selection process will consist of several stages and challenges designed to determine who the best person for the job of first Filipino astronaut would be,” he said.

People would be given the chance to vote for the person they would like to be the first Filipino astronaut, said Apples Aberin, head of public relations of Unilever Philippines, maker of Axe deodorant.

Aberin said Filipinos 18 years and above who are mentally and physically fit could join the search.

Two lucky winners will be chosen and they will undergo three to four days’ training at the Axe Apollo Global Space Camp in Orlando, Florida.

“After undergoing rigid training at the camp, one Filipino will be handed the mission to go where no Filipino has gone before,” Laforteza said.

They will name the winner by the first or second week of December.

The space exploration is set in 2014. He said the spacecraft is currently being developed by Xcor Aerospace based in California.

The other countries which also launched the search yesterday included the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia, Turkey, South Africa, India, Indonesia, China, Japan, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand, France, Canada, Brazil, Spain, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary.

“The program is an opportunity for our great nation to join the global community in taking the next big leap,” Laforteza said.

Aberin and Laforteza said while there is no scientific research involved in the space exploration, the project aims to choose people “who will represent the best of humanity.”

“This is a historical moment not only for Axe but for the Philippines,” Laforteza said.