For some reason, I’ve met about half a dozen Filipinos named Vladimir. (Given the number of Filipinos I’ve met total, that’s statistically significant.) I wondered for a long time if there were a St. Vladimir somewhere in the picture. Finally, the father of one of them explained it to me. Marcos was anti-Communist. People who opposed Marcos would name their kids after famous Communists. Vladimir was common, as were Karl and Nikita. (He said Joseph was too common otherwise to have made it as a political statement.)