Who will be the first Filipino astronaut?

Sports-loving Filipinos will never pass up an opportunity to grab a snapshot with their idols in athletics, but as the Axe commercial clearly suggests, the chance to meet an astronaut also happens just once in a person’s lifetime, so grab it if it does happen!

That’s clearly what happened the other week when the selection process for the first Filipino astronaut came to a close and Air Force pilot Lt. Mario Mendoza Jr. and Evan Rey Datuin emerged as the country’s top two candidates. 

They were mobbed by the press and hordes of countrymen lined up for pictures with the two winners!

The Axe Apollo National Challenge, organized by Axe and cable channel AXN, tested the candidates’ skill, determination, and what Axe calls the “hero-factor”. The first challenge was done in virtual space where over 4,000 of the top-voted candidates were invited to take an online test designed to select the top 400 applicants based on their intellectual prowess. The next challenge involved a rigorous test of physical fitness with the candidates undergoing a military-inspired obstacle course, from which the top 50 hopefuls emerged. Lastly, the candidates were asked to stand on pegs in a challenge called “the last hero standing,” a gruelling test of willpower.

They will now be sent to the Axe Apollo International Space Camp in Orlando, Florida for their training, together with over a hundred other candidates from all over the world.

Mendoza and Datuin will be joined by a 3rd candidate to be picked via an electronic raffle promo called the Axe  Hyperdrive promo, which gives every purchase of an Axe Apollo body spray a chance to win the last seat to the Space Camp.  

A total of 23 tickets to space are at stake, one of which is certain to go to a candidate from the Philippines, making this person the first Filipino astronaut.

“The moment it dawned on me that I was one of the winners, I could only say prayers of thanks. I’m excited and glad that things turned out really well, that one of my life dreams is about to come true, that is to reach outer space, and hope that my return can inspire people to not be afraid to pursue their dreams, too,” said Datuin.

“Winning this is probably one of the most exciting things I’ve experienced in my life. Little by little, I realized that winning gave me more than just the honor of being a winner – it also gave me a sense of national pride.  If there will be one Filipino who will go to space, why not [someone] from the Air Force? In other countries, their astronauts come from the Air Force. This will be a pride for the unit, for the Armed Forces, and for the military,” added Mendoza.