Pinoy Top Thinkers Today!(2016)

This year, the Philippines made several breakthrough acts, carved by its leaders and thinkers. The results of the national elections gave mandate to an alpha male, chauvinist, and risk-taker president whose deconstructed values and post-modern family tree tries to outdo traditional norms. His oblique and shrewd diplomacy outwits estranged partnership with an old ally, instead, he has created a new bridge with emerging big powers. His tyrant and bloody banner policy on the war on illegal drugs supported by his youngest police chief and opposed by a lady senator has placed the country on the world map, but devoured by criticisms on his method in eradicating this national security threat.

Top lawyers contributed in shaping the current narratives of the Philippines, while the country is embattled with its sovereignty issues with a giant civilization. The Philippines may have won a landmark maritime and territorial case in the Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague, still it remains at the mercy of powerful naval states.

Both the elected president and vice president of the Philippines are lawyers but sit in a seesaw in dealing on different national and global issues,

Dean of law schools have topped the list. They are precisely tapped based from their expertise on constitutional law, maritime law and international humanitarian law. Senior journalists are also included in the gallery of thinkers given their powerful headlines and stories at the height of the conflict in the West Philippine Sea. Thus, the country is now blessed with strict guardian of the environment. The business sector remains a pillar in our list as they expand our economic prowess in the integrated ASEAN region.

Young thinkers bandwagon in delivering their expertise representing the millennials' crowd. We could also never be wrong with our top entertainers and athletes as they bring home laurels of honor to the country. Joining the ranks are topnotch Filipino filmmakers, actress, rock/alternative icons, Olympic medalist, senator-boxer, and beauty queen as they zoom glamour in our tradition of excellence.

Below are the names (in alphabetical order) of distinguished Filipino top thinkers this year! For more than half a decade of documenting our visionaries, the Philippines is still blessed to have nurtured colorful and world-class thinkers!

***Apologies this year for not highlighting the achievements of our top thinkers. This is to ink no biases for some personal political convictions! Thank you.

Ranhilio Aquino (law dean, priest) 

Jay Batongbacal (maritime law expert)

Ely Buendia & Rico Blanco (music icons, songwriters)

Danilo Concepcion (UP president, law dean)

Hidilyn Diaz (Olympics silver medalist)

Lav Diaz (filmmaker)

Nicollete “Nikko” Dizon (journalist)

Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte (16^th president of the Philippines)

Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa (police chief)

Richard Heydarian (TOYM awardee)

Jaclyn Jose (Cannes best actress)

Leila de Lima (senator)

Regina Paz “Gina” Lopez (environment secretary)

Manny Pacquiao (senator, eight-division world champion)

Raul Pangalanan (International Criminal Court judge)

Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo (15^th vice president of the Philippines)

Henry Sy (tycoon, richest Filipino)

Oscar Franklin Tan (columnist, lawyer)

Kylie Verzosa (2016 miss international)

Chiara Zambrano (broadcast journalist)