The man who would be king
The man who would be king
Updated 02:23am (Mla time) Dec 15, 2004
By Rina Jimenez-David
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A15 of the December 15, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
HE was and will forever be known as "Da King," but Fernando Poe Jr. could have really been "king" in these parts, where the president commands extraordinary powers way beyond even the scope of the political office, as the exploits of his "best friend" Joseph Estrada would prove.
He was "the man who would be king," the man who sought to turn the place he had earned in the hearts of the Filipino people, especially the movie-going public, into political capital. Or perhaps a better way of putting it would be that he was a man whose image and persona others had sought to mine for political gain. Up till the day he announced his candidacy, most everybody believed that FPJ had neither the heart nor the stomach for politics. And he would show this distaste for the nitty-gritty of partisan contests during the heated campaign, when he refused to meet with the media until his reticence began to take a toll on his poll numbers, and when he allowed his temper to get the better of him, most famously with a TV reporter.
By most accounts a regular nice guy, the only one in the crowded retinue of Joseph Estrada, it is said, who refused to exploit his closeness to the new President or even accept a justly-deserved reward, Poe would see his carefully guarded image tarnished in the course of his campaign. Intensely private, and protected from prying eyes by the entire movie industry and a compliant and adoring entertainment press, FPJ would see his most intimate secrets bared wide open, his family history and even the circumstances of his birth scrutinized and speculated on. He would be lampooned by those scornful of his lack of academic preparation, vilified by those who predicted doom for this country if ever he would win.
If anyone ever needed an object lesson on the perils of politics for the neophyte, Poe's electoral experience provides a sterling example.
* * *
IT WAS his wife Susan Roces who best articulated the sacrifice that Poe's political advisers were asking of him.
They could have both just faded into a comfortable retirement, she told the media soon after that tumultuous announcement of his candidacy at the Manila Hotel. They could have both retreated into private life and enjoyed the fruits of decades of hard work and courting the fickle public. Instead, at a time of well-deserved respite from their labors, Poe, as well as his wife, would be drawn into an arena that was alien to them and would call on all their energies, resources and fortitude.
True, they had both been public figures for most of their adult lives. True, they were not exactly political virgins, since FPJ had been embroiled in the campaigns of Estrada from mayor to senator to vice president and then president. But always, his role was that of loyal supporter and staunch friend. Now, as his career was fading and after many years of service to an industry and profession he loved and that loved him back, he was putting his life and reputation on the line, chasing after the highest office of the land.
* * *
IT DOESN’T take a medical degree to see the links between his failed run for the presidency and the resulting frustration and perhaps depression, and his stroke some days back. He may not have felt the physical signs, and might even have been in denial about the blow to his ego, but the stress of the campaign and then the contentious counting as well as the ongoing electoral protest would have surely taken its toll.
It's really sad that a man who was looking forward to a life of ease and comfort had to forsake that to heed the call of politics. Whose call was it? Was his candidacy the result of a blinding revelation or an inspiration? Or was it merely an accommodation to vindicate a lifelong friend?
Close friends of FPJ say he decided to cast his lot with the opposition after the "FPJ for President Movement" held its first rally, filling up the Cuneta Astrodome with avid supporters who did not need to be paid to show up, paying for their own transportation and toting their own packed meals. He was moved by this show of support, and felt he could not disappoint the thousands who had shown, in the most concrete way, their commitment to his cause.
With his death, the legions of FPJ's followers would surely have only cemented their loyalty, admiration and love for this icon of Philippine cinema.
And with his death, Poe himself has assured his immortality. If he had lived on to a gracious old age, he would not live as long in the nation's memory as he would today, dying all of a sudden, while the memory of his candidacy was still fresh, and his cinematic legend had yet to be enshrined.
* * *
STILL, spare his family. Spare his widow, the still lovely and gracious Susan Roces, the slimy back-splash of partisan opportunism.
I would not blame her for feeling that it was precisely her husband's entry into politics that caused his death. It seems the height of insensitivity, then, to even suggest that she take up the fallen banner of her husband. In the first place, it's said that it was Susan who most firmly stood in her husband's way when the politicos were ganging up on him and holding out the temptation of becoming president. In the second, now is the time for grieving and for remembering and celebrating the memory of the man. Don't tarnish that memory by bringing politics into the picture when it is absolutely uncalled for.
If fate is merciful, what Filipinos will remember of Fernando Poe Jr. will be the actor, director and film icon-not the tragic politician. They will remember him as “Ang Panday,” the man who embodied in his carefully nurtured image and body of work the underdog who bears his suffering stoically but prevails in the end. The man who was -- is -- the Filipino for all Filipinos.
Updated 02:23am (Mla time) Dec 15, 2004
By Rina Jimenez-David
Inquirer News Service
Editor's Note: Published on page A15 of the December 15, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
HE was and will forever be known as "Da King," but Fernando Poe Jr. could have really been "king" in these parts, where the president commands extraordinary powers way beyond even the scope of the political office, as the exploits of his "best friend" Joseph Estrada would prove.
He was "the man who would be king," the man who sought to turn the place he had earned in the hearts of the Filipino people, especially the movie-going public, into political capital. Or perhaps a better way of putting it would be that he was a man whose image and persona others had sought to mine for political gain. Up till the day he announced his candidacy, most everybody believed that FPJ had neither the heart nor the stomach for politics. And he would show this distaste for the nitty-gritty of partisan contests during the heated campaign, when he refused to meet with the media until his reticence began to take a toll on his poll numbers, and when he allowed his temper to get the better of him, most famously with a TV reporter.
By most accounts a regular nice guy, the only one in the crowded retinue of Joseph Estrada, it is said, who refused to exploit his closeness to the new President or even accept a justly-deserved reward, Poe would see his carefully guarded image tarnished in the course of his campaign. Intensely private, and protected from prying eyes by the entire movie industry and a compliant and adoring entertainment press, FPJ would see his most intimate secrets bared wide open, his family history and even the circumstances of his birth scrutinized and speculated on. He would be lampooned by those scornful of his lack of academic preparation, vilified by those who predicted doom for this country if ever he would win.
If anyone ever needed an object lesson on the perils of politics for the neophyte, Poe's electoral experience provides a sterling example.
* * *
IT WAS his wife Susan Roces who best articulated the sacrifice that Poe's political advisers were asking of him.
They could have both just faded into a comfortable retirement, she told the media soon after that tumultuous announcement of his candidacy at the Manila Hotel. They could have both retreated into private life and enjoyed the fruits of decades of hard work and courting the fickle public. Instead, at a time of well-deserved respite from their labors, Poe, as well as his wife, would be drawn into an arena that was alien to them and would call on all their energies, resources and fortitude.
True, they had both been public figures for most of their adult lives. True, they were not exactly political virgins, since FPJ had been embroiled in the campaigns of Estrada from mayor to senator to vice president and then president. But always, his role was that of loyal supporter and staunch friend. Now, as his career was fading and after many years of service to an industry and profession he loved and that loved him back, he was putting his life and reputation on the line, chasing after the highest office of the land.
* * *
IT DOESN’T take a medical degree to see the links between his failed run for the presidency and the resulting frustration and perhaps depression, and his stroke some days back. He may not have felt the physical signs, and might even have been in denial about the blow to his ego, but the stress of the campaign and then the contentious counting as well as the ongoing electoral protest would have surely taken its toll.
It's really sad that a man who was looking forward to a life of ease and comfort had to forsake that to heed the call of politics. Whose call was it? Was his candidacy the result of a blinding revelation or an inspiration? Or was it merely an accommodation to vindicate a lifelong friend?
Close friends of FPJ say he decided to cast his lot with the opposition after the "FPJ for President Movement" held its first rally, filling up the Cuneta Astrodome with avid supporters who did not need to be paid to show up, paying for their own transportation and toting their own packed meals. He was moved by this show of support, and felt he could not disappoint the thousands who had shown, in the most concrete way, their commitment to his cause.
With his death, the legions of FPJ's followers would surely have only cemented their loyalty, admiration and love for this icon of Philippine cinema.
And with his death, Poe himself has assured his immortality. If he had lived on to a gracious old age, he would not live as long in the nation's memory as he would today, dying all of a sudden, while the memory of his candidacy was still fresh, and his cinematic legend had yet to be enshrined.
* * *
STILL, spare his family. Spare his widow, the still lovely and gracious Susan Roces, the slimy back-splash of partisan opportunism.
I would not blame her for feeling that it was precisely her husband's entry into politics that caused his death. It seems the height of insensitivity, then, to even suggest that she take up the fallen banner of her husband. In the first place, it's said that it was Susan who most firmly stood in her husband's way when the politicos were ganging up on him and holding out the temptation of becoming president. In the second, now is the time for grieving and for remembering and celebrating the memory of the man. Don't tarnish that memory by bringing politics into the picture when it is absolutely uncalled for.
If fate is merciful, what Filipinos will remember of Fernando Poe Jr. will be the actor, director and film icon-not the tragic politician. They will remember him as “Ang Panday,” the man who embodied in his carefully nurtured image and body of work the underdog who bears his suffering stoically but prevails in the end. The man who was -- is -- the Filipino for all Filipinos.
posted by Dante at 2:23 AM
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