Manila, Philippines Three Filipinos are set to travel to Orlando, Florida in December for a chance to go to outer space in 2014.

In a press briefing Wednesday at a restaurant in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), Taguig City, Axe Philippines said the three Filipino representatives to the international Axe Apollo Global Space Camp in the US Evan Rey Datuin, Ramil Santos and Daniel Angelo Roque have been selected after a rigorous and competitive eight-month selection process.

He said the three Filipino hopefuls, who were presented before members of the media, are ready for the next stage of the search: Astronaut Training. Axes space camp in Orlando, Florida will house over a hundred candidates from more than 60 countries as they undergo training missions designed to stimulate space flight and real astronaut training.

Axe Philippine Brand Manager Gem Laforteza said the delegates will set out to bring honor to the countries they represent by proving their mettle as they compete for 23 tickets to space one of which is reserved for the best out of the three Filipino hopefuls. Through the Axe Apollo Space Academy, we have set out to inspire modern-day Filipino heroes to step forward. The title of first Filipino in space will go to the best candidate, someone all Filipinos can look up figuratively and literally, Laforteza said.

One of Filipino aspirants is Evan Rey Datuin, who believes that his aspirations can take him into the horizon or high up into space. The 24-year-old Datuin, who studied at De La Salle University (DLSU) Dasmarias, said although he sees himself as a regular Juan, his journey to space camp is no regular feat.

As among the three finalists, Datuin is the only one who emerged victorious from the mainstream competition as one of the finalists from more than 28,000 applicants who went through the regular selection process.

During the Axe National Challenges, he bested over 4,000 shortlisted candidates in tests designed to evaluate not only physical prowess but also intellect and determination. He added that as an ordinary man who has proven that he can rise above any challenge and do the extraordinary, he sees himself as an inspiration to other regular Juans, who also dreams big in life. Gusto ko maging patunay na kahit sino ay maaaring maging bayani para sa kanyang bayan (I want to prove that anyone can be a hero for his country), Datuin said during the press conference.

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3 Pinoys undergo astronaut training for space flight