Atheista -

While the recent 90-day Rossiya poll to come up with the greatest Russian to have ever lived straddles the fine lines between nationalism, historical editing and plain old kitschy nostalgia, it still generated enough momentum to be reported by various media outfits overseas. The state-run TV station came up with a short list of twelve candidates for the prestigious title of “The Name of Russia”. The voting was hardly scientific and the methodology was very reminiscent of how Pop Idol decides who gets eliminated.’

The results did raise eyebrows as Joseph Stalin emerged as the third highest vote getter ahead of great authors like Pushkin and Dostoevsky . Stalin was responsible for the deaths of millions due to starvation and the establishment of manual labor camps in the wastes of the Gulag. Alexander Nevsky and Pyotr Stolypin -two leaders with relatively greater mass market appeal among Russians – edged out Stalin at first and second, respectively.

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Now for a change in pace here in Filipino Voices, let’s venture into a realm wherein hypothetical scenarios and crystal balling will not fall into the category of “tililing rampages”. Let’s immerse ourselves in actual mental experiments and ask ourselves, if Filipinos were to vote for the BEST FILIPINO who ever lived, who would most likely be in the short list and who will get the most votes? I know this doesn’t quite help bring justice to the poor kid who got mauled in a golf course or reduce our foreign debt but it sure does make one think in a whole new other perspective. There are no right or wrong answers – just convincing cases preached to the right crowd. And besides, Pinoys love Idol-based shows (heck, we even had text votes cast to decide the winner of Survivor!) so it should be a perfect match.

Let’s get down to business. To make it simple, let’s follow what the Russians and Britons did (they picked Winston Churchill, by the way): only the dead may be part of the short list. They started it with hundreds of candidates and eventually whittled the list down to the final 12.

The Shoo-ins

The biggest shoo-ins are probably in your purse. History teachers and book writers love to romanticize events by singling out people responsible for the great events that changed our destiny as a nation so heroes like Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio have an edge. Both belong to the biggest ethnic group in the country (the Tagalogs) and are still very much relevant to our daily lives thanks to their continued presence in our paper bank notes and coins.

Among other heroes, Lapu-lapu could also get strong consideration. He is credited for challenging the first throws of the Spanish invasion as well as being one of the first Filipino paragons of bravery and pride. It also helps that his inclusion satisfies the almost implicitly required addition of someone from Cebu -one of the largest provinces in the country and an area that is associated with the most commonly used language outside of FIlipino.

Past leaders

If Gloria can have her way, her father Diosdado Macapagal would definitely be in the short list. But if we were to be realistic about it, the two presidents most likely to be within sniffing distance of the ballot would be the extremely popular Ramon Magsaysay and the immensely polarizing Ferdinand Marcos. Magsaysay comes from the Central Luzon while Marcos hails from the North. No other dead president can come close – ok, maybe Manuel Quezon has something to say about that, but if there were only two spots, Marcos and Magsaysay would take them.

TV stations love drama so they would probably play up the Yellow vs Red tussle here. Tarlac’s Benigno Aquino never became president but many people believe that he could’ve been a fine chief executive. The way he was killed as well as how his legacy has been preserved in society elevates him to hero status- almost at the same level as Rizal and Bonifacio.

The Arts

It’s a good thing that Nora Aunor and Vilma Santos are both very much alive because if they were six feet under, you know that the vote would only between the two of them. Entertainment has become so pervasive that it will not be shock if Fernando Poe Jr. will be among the favorites to take the title. As proven by the 2004 National Elections, the King of Philippine Movies has proven that he has what it takes to be relatable to people across the archipelago.

Honorata ‘Atang’ de la Rama could also generate buzz. She is widely seen as a pioneer in theater and in film as well as being the recipient of countless awards and citations. Her inclusion could also fulfill one of the unspoken requirements of the list – having a woman. The feminist movement is quite young in the country so the committee would be pretty hard pressed to take other individuals of comparable caliber. Atang is a stalwart in her field regardless of affirmative action.

Women

In our hypothetical poll, the organizers will be pressured to at least make women comprise a third of the possible candidates. Unfortunately, due to the gender roles back then and the way historians have emphasized how women have played second fiddle to the men in their lives, it’s fairly unlikely that a woman will have a realistic chance of winning. This could change soon though depending on when the polls are to be done and how fast the cancer spreads.

The Saints

When all is said and done though, I will not be surprised if Lorenzo Ruiz -the first Filipino Saint — gets the distinction of being the “Best Filipino”. Catholic influence is so immense that Jaime Sin and Pedro Calungsod could even be a dark horse.

Kitschy Fun

It’s obviously fluff, smoke and mirrors but I’m sure people will gain a renewed appreciation of their heritage and culture through this exercise should it ever materialize. If you feel I missed out on some obvious choices, feel free to sound off in the comment box.

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