The King is dead: Postscript

From the Philippine Star, December 16, 2004

EDITORIAL – Decency
The Philippine Star 12/16/2004

In the movies he consistently played the hero, and the image stuck. Fernando Poe Jr., "Da King" of Philippine movies, is getting a hero’s farewell from the millions who idolized him. There was more to Poe, however, than a mere screen image. Those who have known him swear by the genuine decency of the man. Off-screen, Ronald Allan Kelley Poe was a true hero to many, friend and stranger alike. Colleagues in the movies speak of his readiness to help, of his philanthropy where the main requirement was that he remained anonymous. He elicited fierce loyalty from those whose lives he had touched. While beloved of the masses, Poe failed to translate that affection into votes – although he was still contesting the election results at the time of his death. It is said that he died of heartbreak due to his ill-fated venture into politics, but the nation will ne-ver know. Always intensely private, Poe kept to himself throughout his campaign. The privacy enhanced his myth in the silver screen, but it was disastrous for a politician. In the aftermath of the elections he withdrew even further into himself. If he harbored ill feelings toward anyone, the public will never know. Poe did not speak ill of either friend or foe; the rare times that he criticized his main rival for the presidential race, it came off with great reluctance. By many accounts Poe had tried to inject something new in Philippine politics. It was said that if he ever won, he wanted to be beholden to as few individuals or interest groups as possible, so he could go-vern unencumbered by political debts. There were reports that he initially preferred to spend his own money for his campaign, turning down many proffered donations. When an entrenched system of patronage politics proved too much for him, Poe bowed out of the political limelight with grace. Always the decent gentleman, he refused to indulge those agitating him to lead street protests, preferring to take his case to the courts. He had fought the good fight and that was enough.

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This is the editorial from the Philippine Star (www.philstar.com), a Philippine newspaper, dated December 16, 2004