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15th December 2004, 00:23
Filipinos went into mourning yesterday after the country’s top movie star Fernando Poe Jr. — the man who would have been president — died shortly after midnight Monday.
The 65-year-old Poe, popularly known by his initials FPJ, slipped into a coma after a massive stroke late Saturday and never recovered.
Political figures and top show biz stars had trooped to St. Luke’s Hospital where Poe had been on life support since Sunday. Even President Arroyo — to whom he narrowly lost the presidency last May — praised him.
Poe was a "good man, a worthy adversary in politics and a great Filipino," the President said in a statement yesterday.
She said she prayed hard for Poe after he suffered the stroke, adding "he still had much to do for our people."
"This tragedy comes as a shock to us all. I mourn with the millions of Filipinos who loved him dearly and held him up as a symbol of their aspirations," she added.
Mrs. Arroyo appealed for unity after Poe’s passing, saying, "This is a time to gather around our common feelings of grief."
She sent Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye as her official representative to the wake, with a wreath expressing condolences to the Poe family.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. advised the President yesterday not to visit Poe’s wake. Pimentel offered to serve as a mediator to calm "hotheads" among Poe’s supporters.
"There will be an outpouring not only of grief but also resentment against the administration because the perception is that FPJ was really cheated of the presidency," he said.
Vice President Noli de Castro expressed sympathy for Poe’s family, saying the actor was known "not only for his greatness but also for his philanthropic deeds for the less privileged, which were worthy to emulate."
Poe’s running mate, former senator Loren Legarda, said she was a witness "to his kindness, generosity and compassion, which he demonstrated at all times to both friends and strangers. The poor and the oppressed had a special place in his heart. They were his constant inspiration in the numerous movies he made and the impetus that drove him to enter politics. May his passing inspire all of us to carry on his legacy."
Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. said Poe was "not only a movie idol," but "also served as an inspiration and idol to the Filipino masses who related to the upright characters he portrayed on screen. More importantly, Filipinos admired his character off screen as a humble, hardworking and helpful man."
Sen. Manuel Roxas II said he and his family "deeply grieve over the loss of such a good man."
The House of Representatives passed a resolution expressing its members’ profound condolences to Poe’s family.
Speaker Jose de Venecia expressed sadness over Poe’s death and expressed admiration for the late actor’s efforts to unify the opposition, "which has enriched our democracy and helped unite the nation."
House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles, Deputy Majority Leader Del de Guzman and Bacolod City Rep. Monico Puentevella said Poe’s death was a big loss for Filipinos.
Nograles said Poe could have helped unify the people since "he was not only a worthy figure in politics but a great example to Filipinos by his heroic deeds."
Puentevella said Poe touched the lives not only of his fans but of those who were inspired by his deep concern for the masses.
"His legacy will live on. He lived a good life, helping others and providing inspiration to ordinary people," he said.
Puentevella also vehemently denied that he allegedly spread news that Poe passed away Sunday night, saying he had been in Bacolod that day and did not talk to any member of the media.
"This is the working of a deranged mind. This is dirty politics. Let us not politicize the death of a great artist," he said. "Ronnie was a good friend of mine" and married to actress Susan Roces, a native of Bacolod.
Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, who served as the campaign manager of the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino, said Poe — who ran for president under the banner of the KNP — was not only a champion of the masses on screen, but in real life as well.
"He overcame adversity early in life, yet never lost his genuine compassion for the poor. FPJ was down to earth, devoid of any pretense. He only had genuine concern for the welfare of poor Filipinos and in his own way, through small acts of charity, changed the lives of ordinary people," Binay said.
Imelda Marcos, widow of deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos and a friend of the Poe family, issued a statement saying "it is sad that FPJ, a truly good person, died of a broken heart, denied of his vision of a dreamland country for the Filipino people."
Roces and other family and friends who had surrounded him since he was rushed to hospital Sunday were seen weeping outside the hospital’s intensive care unit.
One of Poe’s two daughters, Mary Grace, flew in from Los Angeles, but arrived minutes after her father passed away, TV networks reported.
Poe’s family said after his death that they wanted the public to keep alive his vision of helping the poor, FPJ Communications Group director Susan Tagle said.
The actor’s relatives in Barangay Caoayan-Kiling in San Carlos City, Pangasinan also expressed sadness over his death.
Sofia Pou Ferrer, 85, Poe’s first cousin, said her brother Rodrigo Pou, rushed back to Manila at dawn yesterday upon learning of his death.
Ferrer’s father, the late Don Alejandro Pou, and Poe’s father were brothers. Pou was a teniente del barrio (forerunner of chairman) of the barangay.
Hundreds of fans, many openly weeping and carrying pictures of their movie hero, also gathered outside the Arlington East Funeral Homes in Pasig City, where his body was transferred at 2:30 a.m.
Poe’s staff said on radio that his make-up artist for over 40 years had gone to the funeral parlor "to make him handsome for the last time" before his body is taken to the Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City for public viewing.
Poe’s body was dressed in a dark blue suit, a white shirt and a light blue tie as a sign of his devotion to Mother Mary.
Roces, a movie star in her own right who has been touted as a possible political replacement for her husband, tearfully thanked the crowd for their loyalty.
"We are indebted to your being with him in the face of the challenges in the life of Ronnie. The Filipino people are in FPJ’s heart."
Roces denied talk that Poe did not take care of his health, saying that he had been careful in maintaining his diet and exercise regimen.
"His doctors explained that it usually happens related to age and hereditary factors," she said, noting that other members of her husband’s family also had similar conditions.
Poe’s elder brother, Conrad, said in a TV interview that his brother may have known that he would die soon.
"He wanted everything orderly. I wondered why he wanted everything in order in the studio and the project" wherein he recorded the songs he sang in his previous films as a tribute to all the actors he worked with, Conrad said.
He added that his brother had spent the last three weeks in the studio, working on the recording project.
Poe had visited his parents’ graves last November and reportedly said he would be back before Christmas.
Among the estimated 200 mostly poor people outside the funeral parlor there were no signs of anger toward Mrs. Arroyo.
Analysts see little political impact from Poe’s death, but some of his supporters said the rightful president had died. Officials in Poe’s camp said they were considering asking Roces to lead the opposition as it presses its case that Mrs. Arroyo cheated her way to victory.
House Minority Leader Francis Escudero appealed to all sectors not to link politics with Poe’s death following reports that Sen. Edgardo Angara, chairman of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP), is pushing Roces to lead the opposition.
"This is not the right time to talk about politics," Escudero said. "I don’t think she is paying any attention to these things."
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said government authorities were closely monitoring certain groups within the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) that openly endorsed Poe’s presidential bid "might try to exploit" Poe’s death to achieve their goal of overthrowing the government.
"The CPP-NPA have the tendency to exploit anything that would help promote their cause," he said. "We have to watch out for that and we ask our people to remain vigilant."
Eastern Police District director Chief Superintendent Oscar Valenzuela deployed about 50 policemen to prevent fans and supporters from going through the gates of the funeral home, upon the orders of Poe’s family. As of 8 p.m. last night, his remains have yet to be moved to the Sto. Domingo Church.
Former senator Vicente Sotto III and other family friends came early yesterday morning to the church to prepare the wake.
"The family chose Sto. Domingo so that the most number of people who supported and loved him will be able to see him," Sotto, who was Poe’s personal campaign manager during the last elections, said.
He added that Poe’s family has asked television producer Tony Tuviera to oversee the physical arrangements for the wake.
Poe’s funeral has been tentatively set on Dec. 22 at the Manila North Cemetery where his parents and brother Andy are also interred.
Sotto said the church administration has allotted the right side of the church — where the altar of St. Martin de Porres is located — for Poe’s wake. A huge statue of the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of La Naval was also placed beside the saint’s altar.
Actor Rez Cortez, who heads the umbrella organization of volunteer groups that supported Poe’s presidential bid, said the church gate on N. Domingo Street will be used as the entrance for those who will attend the wake. Fade to black
Poe was one of the Philippines’ best known and best loved tough-guy actors who topped a successful acting career with a failed bid for the presidency.
Supporters of Poe worshipped him as a champion of the underdog, a role he perfected on the silver screen.
But his critics mocked him as a dim-witted film star who would have led the Philippines to ruin if he had become president.
In a country in love with celebrity, Poe was the biggest movie star around, a self-made millionaire who was loved by the man-on-the-street for his depiction of heroes who overcame huge odds to protect the oppressed.
Known simply as "Da King," Poe dropped out of school at 15 and built a successful movie career and film business. His production company FPJ Productions is said to be one of the biggest in the country.
Outside of the Philippines, Poe was a relatively unknown figure until he decided to stand in this year’s presidential election despite his total lack of experience in politics.
He promised very little to the voters.
"Breakfast, lunch and dinner" was the slogan of his faltering campaign, which saw the actor blow a huge opinion poll lead to arrive at election day trailing the incumbent Mrs. Arroyo.
To impoverished Filipinos, Poe’s simple message offered hope and brought back memories of Joseph Estrada, the movie star president forced out of office in 2001 by a military-backed revolt.
Estrada, in detention fighting corruption charges, had endorsed Poe and was believed to have backed his campaign financially in the hope of winning a pardon if his close friend was elected.
Poe’s campaign was more about showbiz than politics. His aides were film stars, his bodyguards stuntmen and he liked to pepper his election speeches with some of his most famous one-liners.
But he proved to be a disastrous candidate. Though his rallies were colorful, flashy and glitzy, they were devoid of political substance as Poe, a high school dropout and political novice, struggled to challenge the tough-minded, hands-on incumbent Mrs. Arroyo.
He also stonewalled requests for interviews and grew increasingly surly with the media, once berating a reporter during a live broadcast while he was on stage.
Poe was born Ronald Allan Kelley Poe, the son of American Elizabeth Kelley and film star Fernando Poe, whose forebears were Spanish. His blood became the subject of a petition questioning his Filipino citizenship and eligibility for the presidency. He fought it off, but it also caused damage.
Poe lost the election by more than a million votes. Two months later, he asked the Supreme Court to nullify Mrs. Arroyo’s victory, accusing the President of massive electoral fraud. Her camp denied any wrongdoing and expressed confidence that the SC would eventually throw out Poe’s protest.
Some of his closest friends have said that he was reluctant to stand for the presidency and only did it as a favor to his old friend and acting buddy Estrada.
Poe always seemed destined for a life in the movies. He changed his name to Fernando Poe Jr. to bank on his father’s popularity.
He dropped out of high school after his father died and took a job as a messenger in a film exchange office.
Later he took bit parts as a stuntman for Everlasting Pictures before being given his first real acting role in the film "Son of Palaris" in 1950.
Poe’s biggest break was in the film "Lo Waist Gang" in 1957. It marked the local cinemas’ shift from the fantasy world of costume productions to the trendy realism of action movies.
He starred in some 200 films specializing in Robin Hood-style guerrillas and honest cops who overcame fearsome odds, corrupt politicians and gangsters to secure victory for the common man.
Just as Arnold Schwarzenegger is "The Terminator," Poe was "Panday" or "The Ironsmith," a working-class hero who struck down challengers with a giant magic sword modeled on King Arthur’s Excalibur.
A five-time winner of the Filipino Academy for Movie Arts and Sciences awards, one of Poe’s most memorable roles was a true story — in "Asedillo," he played a teacher who became a rebel leader fighting greedy landlords and bureaucrats in the 1920s, when the Philippines was still an American colony. He won a FAMAS award in 1971 for his role in the film.
His other award-winning lead roles were in "Muslim Magnum .357" (1986), "Umpisahan Mo... Tatapusin Ko" (1983), "Durugin si Totoy Bato" (1979), and "Mga Alabok sa Lupa" (1967).
In his last movie, released in May, Poe was the buddy of a billiards player portrayed by real-life pool champion Efren "Bata" Reyes.
Through his years in the spotlight, Poe had guarded his privacy closely and tried to cultivate an image of incorruptibility, revealing little about his supposed storybook marriage to Roces.
However, the image slipped a little in February when Poe was forced to admit he had fathered a child out of wedlock with a minor starlet, denting his reputation as "Mr. Clean."
The 65-year-old Poe, popularly known by his initials FPJ, slipped into a coma after a massive stroke late Saturday and never recovered.
Political figures and top show biz stars had trooped to St. Luke’s Hospital where Poe had been on life support since Sunday. Even President Arroyo — to whom he narrowly lost the presidency last May — praised him.
Poe was a "good man, a worthy adversary in politics and a great Filipino," the President said in a statement yesterday.
She said she prayed hard for Poe after he suffered the stroke, adding "he still had much to do for our people."
"This tragedy comes as a shock to us all. I mourn with the millions of Filipinos who loved him dearly and held him up as a symbol of their aspirations," she added.
Mrs. Arroyo appealed for unity after Poe’s passing, saying, "This is a time to gather around our common feelings of grief."
She sent Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye as her official representative to the wake, with a wreath expressing condolences to the Poe family.
Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. advised the President yesterday not to visit Poe’s wake. Pimentel offered to serve as a mediator to calm "hotheads" among Poe’s supporters.
"There will be an outpouring not only of grief but also resentment against the administration because the perception is that FPJ was really cheated of the presidency," he said.
Vice President Noli de Castro expressed sympathy for Poe’s family, saying the actor was known "not only for his greatness but also for his philanthropic deeds for the less privileged, which were worthy to emulate."
Poe’s running mate, former senator Loren Legarda, said she was a witness "to his kindness, generosity and compassion, which he demonstrated at all times to both friends and strangers. The poor and the oppressed had a special place in his heart. They were his constant inspiration in the numerous movies he made and the impetus that drove him to enter politics. May his passing inspire all of us to carry on his legacy."
Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. said Poe was "not only a movie idol," but "also served as an inspiration and idol to the Filipino masses who related to the upright characters he portrayed on screen. More importantly, Filipinos admired his character off screen as a humble, hardworking and helpful man."
Sen. Manuel Roxas II said he and his family "deeply grieve over the loss of such a good man."
The House of Representatives passed a resolution expressing its members’ profound condolences to Poe’s family.
Speaker Jose de Venecia expressed sadness over Poe’s death and expressed admiration for the late actor’s efforts to unify the opposition, "which has enriched our democracy and helped unite the nation."
House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles, Deputy Majority Leader Del de Guzman and Bacolod City Rep. Monico Puentevella said Poe’s death was a big loss for Filipinos.
Nograles said Poe could have helped unify the people since "he was not only a worthy figure in politics but a great example to Filipinos by his heroic deeds."
Puentevella said Poe touched the lives not only of his fans but of those who were inspired by his deep concern for the masses.
"His legacy will live on. He lived a good life, helping others and providing inspiration to ordinary people," he said.
Puentevella also vehemently denied that he allegedly spread news that Poe passed away Sunday night, saying he had been in Bacolod that day and did not talk to any member of the media.
"This is the working of a deranged mind. This is dirty politics. Let us not politicize the death of a great artist," he said. "Ronnie was a good friend of mine" and married to actress Susan Roces, a native of Bacolod.
Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, who served as the campaign manager of the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino, said Poe — who ran for president under the banner of the KNP — was not only a champion of the masses on screen, but in real life as well.
"He overcame adversity early in life, yet never lost his genuine compassion for the poor. FPJ was down to earth, devoid of any pretense. He only had genuine concern for the welfare of poor Filipinos and in his own way, through small acts of charity, changed the lives of ordinary people," Binay said.
Imelda Marcos, widow of deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos and a friend of the Poe family, issued a statement saying "it is sad that FPJ, a truly good person, died of a broken heart, denied of his vision of a dreamland country for the Filipino people."
Roces and other family and friends who had surrounded him since he was rushed to hospital Sunday were seen weeping outside the hospital’s intensive care unit.
One of Poe’s two daughters, Mary Grace, flew in from Los Angeles, but arrived minutes after her father passed away, TV networks reported.
Poe’s family said after his death that they wanted the public to keep alive his vision of helping the poor, FPJ Communications Group director Susan Tagle said.
The actor’s relatives in Barangay Caoayan-Kiling in San Carlos City, Pangasinan also expressed sadness over his death.
Sofia Pou Ferrer, 85, Poe’s first cousin, said her brother Rodrigo Pou, rushed back to Manila at dawn yesterday upon learning of his death.
Ferrer’s father, the late Don Alejandro Pou, and Poe’s father were brothers. Pou was a teniente del barrio (forerunner of chairman) of the barangay.
Hundreds of fans, many openly weeping and carrying pictures of their movie hero, also gathered outside the Arlington East Funeral Homes in Pasig City, where his body was transferred at 2:30 a.m.
Poe’s staff said on radio that his make-up artist for over 40 years had gone to the funeral parlor "to make him handsome for the last time" before his body is taken to the Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City for public viewing.
Poe’s body was dressed in a dark blue suit, a white shirt and a light blue tie as a sign of his devotion to Mother Mary.
Roces, a movie star in her own right who has been touted as a possible political replacement for her husband, tearfully thanked the crowd for their loyalty.
"We are indebted to your being with him in the face of the challenges in the life of Ronnie. The Filipino people are in FPJ’s heart."
Roces denied talk that Poe did not take care of his health, saying that he had been careful in maintaining his diet and exercise regimen.
"His doctors explained that it usually happens related to age and hereditary factors," she said, noting that other members of her husband’s family also had similar conditions.
Poe’s elder brother, Conrad, said in a TV interview that his brother may have known that he would die soon.
"He wanted everything orderly. I wondered why he wanted everything in order in the studio and the project" wherein he recorded the songs he sang in his previous films as a tribute to all the actors he worked with, Conrad said.
He added that his brother had spent the last three weeks in the studio, working on the recording project.
Poe had visited his parents’ graves last November and reportedly said he would be back before Christmas.
Among the estimated 200 mostly poor people outside the funeral parlor there were no signs of anger toward Mrs. Arroyo.
Analysts see little political impact from Poe’s death, but some of his supporters said the rightful president had died. Officials in Poe’s camp said they were considering asking Roces to lead the opposition as it presses its case that Mrs. Arroyo cheated her way to victory.
House Minority Leader Francis Escudero appealed to all sectors not to link politics with Poe’s death following reports that Sen. Edgardo Angara, chairman of the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP), is pushing Roces to lead the opposition.
"This is not the right time to talk about politics," Escudero said. "I don’t think she is paying any attention to these things."
National Security Adviser Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. said government authorities were closely monitoring certain groups within the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) that openly endorsed Poe’s presidential bid "might try to exploit" Poe’s death to achieve their goal of overthrowing the government.
"The CPP-NPA have the tendency to exploit anything that would help promote their cause," he said. "We have to watch out for that and we ask our people to remain vigilant."
Eastern Police District director Chief Superintendent Oscar Valenzuela deployed about 50 policemen to prevent fans and supporters from going through the gates of the funeral home, upon the orders of Poe’s family. As of 8 p.m. last night, his remains have yet to be moved to the Sto. Domingo Church.
Former senator Vicente Sotto III and other family friends came early yesterday morning to the church to prepare the wake.
"The family chose Sto. Domingo so that the most number of people who supported and loved him will be able to see him," Sotto, who was Poe’s personal campaign manager during the last elections, said.
He added that Poe’s family has asked television producer Tony Tuviera to oversee the physical arrangements for the wake.
Poe’s funeral has been tentatively set on Dec. 22 at the Manila North Cemetery where his parents and brother Andy are also interred.
Sotto said the church administration has allotted the right side of the church — where the altar of St. Martin de Porres is located — for Poe’s wake. A huge statue of the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary of La Naval was also placed beside the saint’s altar.
Actor Rez Cortez, who heads the umbrella organization of volunteer groups that supported Poe’s presidential bid, said the church gate on N. Domingo Street will be used as the entrance for those who will attend the wake. Fade to black
Poe was one of the Philippines’ best known and best loved tough-guy actors who topped a successful acting career with a failed bid for the presidency.
Supporters of Poe worshipped him as a champion of the underdog, a role he perfected on the silver screen.
But his critics mocked him as a dim-witted film star who would have led the Philippines to ruin if he had become president.
In a country in love with celebrity, Poe was the biggest movie star around, a self-made millionaire who was loved by the man-on-the-street for his depiction of heroes who overcame huge odds to protect the oppressed.
Known simply as "Da King," Poe dropped out of school at 15 and built a successful movie career and film business. His production company FPJ Productions is said to be one of the biggest in the country.
Outside of the Philippines, Poe was a relatively unknown figure until he decided to stand in this year’s presidential election despite his total lack of experience in politics.
He promised very little to the voters.
"Breakfast, lunch and dinner" was the slogan of his faltering campaign, which saw the actor blow a huge opinion poll lead to arrive at election day trailing the incumbent Mrs. Arroyo.
To impoverished Filipinos, Poe’s simple message offered hope and brought back memories of Joseph Estrada, the movie star president forced out of office in 2001 by a military-backed revolt.
Estrada, in detention fighting corruption charges, had endorsed Poe and was believed to have backed his campaign financially in the hope of winning a pardon if his close friend was elected.
Poe’s campaign was more about showbiz than politics. His aides were film stars, his bodyguards stuntmen and he liked to pepper his election speeches with some of his most famous one-liners.
But he proved to be a disastrous candidate. Though his rallies were colorful, flashy and glitzy, they were devoid of political substance as Poe, a high school dropout and political novice, struggled to challenge the tough-minded, hands-on incumbent Mrs. Arroyo.
He also stonewalled requests for interviews and grew increasingly surly with the media, once berating a reporter during a live broadcast while he was on stage.
Poe was born Ronald Allan Kelley Poe, the son of American Elizabeth Kelley and film star Fernando Poe, whose forebears were Spanish. His blood became the subject of a petition questioning his Filipino citizenship and eligibility for the presidency. He fought it off, but it also caused damage.
Poe lost the election by more than a million votes. Two months later, he asked the Supreme Court to nullify Mrs. Arroyo’s victory, accusing the President of massive electoral fraud. Her camp denied any wrongdoing and expressed confidence that the SC would eventually throw out Poe’s protest.
Some of his closest friends have said that he was reluctant to stand for the presidency and only did it as a favor to his old friend and acting buddy Estrada.
Poe always seemed destined for a life in the movies. He changed his name to Fernando Poe Jr. to bank on his father’s popularity.
He dropped out of high school after his father died and took a job as a messenger in a film exchange office.
Later he took bit parts as a stuntman for Everlasting Pictures before being given his first real acting role in the film "Son of Palaris" in 1950.
Poe’s biggest break was in the film "Lo Waist Gang" in 1957. It marked the local cinemas’ shift from the fantasy world of costume productions to the trendy realism of action movies.
He starred in some 200 films specializing in Robin Hood-style guerrillas and honest cops who overcame fearsome odds, corrupt politicians and gangsters to secure victory for the common man.
Just as Arnold Schwarzenegger is "The Terminator," Poe was "Panday" or "The Ironsmith," a working-class hero who struck down challengers with a giant magic sword modeled on King Arthur’s Excalibur.
A five-time winner of the Filipino Academy for Movie Arts and Sciences awards, one of Poe’s most memorable roles was a true story — in "Asedillo," he played a teacher who became a rebel leader fighting greedy landlords and bureaucrats in the 1920s, when the Philippines was still an American colony. He won a FAMAS award in 1971 for his role in the film.
His other award-winning lead roles were in "Muslim Magnum .357" (1986), "Umpisahan Mo... Tatapusin Ko" (1983), "Durugin si Totoy Bato" (1979), and "Mga Alabok sa Lupa" (1967).
In his last movie, released in May, Poe was the buddy of a billiards player portrayed by real-life pool champion Efren "Bata" Reyes.
Through his years in the spotlight, Poe had guarded his privacy closely and tried to cultivate an image of incorruptibility, revealing little about his supposed storybook marriage to Roces.
However, the image slipped a little in February when Poe was forced to admit he had fathered a child out of wedlock with a minor starlet, denting his reputation as "Mr. Clean."