ONCE more, Filipinos showed the world that they are capable of scaling the heights of human greatness. Here are heroes we can surely be proud of. If only we could clone them!

1. Manny Pacquiao. Who the man? If anybody owned 2009, it was the Pacman. The year wasn?t half over yet when he dropped challenger Ricky Hatton and sealed his reputation as the best ?pound for pound? fighter in the sport. Six months later, he crushed the formidable Miguel Cotto, becoming the first boxer to win seven world titles in seven weight divisions, and prompting promoter Bob Arum to exclaim ?Pacquiao is the greatest boxer I?ve ever seen, and I?ve seen them all, including Ali, Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard.? Even away from the ring, Pacquiao could do no wrong. Fans shrugged off his rumored shenanigans with ?Wapakman? co-star Krista Ranillo (give him a break), imitated his distinctive Pinoy-accented English, and look set to indulge his lowering himself to the level of politician come 2010.

2. Corazon Aquino. In 1986, Cory demonstrated that right makes might. The force of her moral conviction withstood a tumultuous decade that saw her husband?s murder, a people?s revolt, and political divisions that threatened to split the country at the seams. As she lay dying on her hospital bed, Filipinos were forced to take stock of what we had gained, and what we had lost, since she stepped down from power. And with her passing, Tita Cory gave us a final gentle lesson: selflessness was the key.

3. Efren Peñaflorida Jr. It should have come as no surprise that CNN?s ?Hero of the Year? for 2009 is a teacher. In the Philippines, education is a heroic undertaking, no thanks to laughably low salaries, dilapidated classrooms, error-filled textbooks, a government bureaucracy riddled with corruption, thankless election duties every few years, and in some areas, the very real risk of being kidnapped, held for ransom and beheaded. What makes Efren Peñaflorida?s pushcart classroom concept so amazing is that it demonstrates the transformative power of learning, and that even with the most rudimentary resources, there is no limit to what a motivated and dedicated teacher can accomplish. We are indeed the change that we dream.

4. Muelmar Magallanes. Time Magazine honored the 18-year-old construction worker who saved 50 of his neighbors at the cost of his own life at the height of Typhoon Ondoy, by including him in their list of top 10 heroes of the year. The capacity for heroic action resides in all of us. If only it didn?t have to take a catastrophe to unlock it.

5. Evelyn Caja. While other underpaid teachers would jump at the lucrative offer to teach Special Education classes in the US, she instead chose to stay and teach visually-impaired students at the Ramon Magsaysay High School in Espana. For this selfless deed, Caja was elevated to the DepEd?s Hall of Fame

6. Arnel Pineda, newly minted lead vocalist for Journey, makes it big and performs for the pre-game entertainment program at the 43rd Super Bowl ? the championship of the National Football League of the United States ? in Tampa, Florida.

7. Wesley So becomes the youngest grandmaster by winning the Corus Chess Tournament for the Grandmaster C group

8. Issa Rodriguez. The former Rage vocalist is named to the Malaysian Vima Music Hall of Fame

9. Christopher and Victoria Carpio Bernido. Probably two of Bohol?s best-known attractions, this couple was given the Gawad Haydee Yorac Awards for transforming the way that Physics, Mathematics and other subjects are taught to high school students in the seaside town of Jagna, Bohol. ?