Da King quote unquote

If Muhammad Ali “floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee,” I should say that Da King, Fernando Poe Jr., walked like a kitten off screen and roared like a lion on screen.

“That’s one of the things I remember most about Ronnie,” his widow Susan Roces once told Funfare. “His footsteps were so quiet that, if you were not looking, you felt his presence only when he was already behind or beside you.”

FPJ, who would have turned 73 today (he was a Leo), reminded me of Harrison Ford whose footsteps at the lobby of Four Seasons in Maui, Hawaii, were inaudible; so soft-spoken that when he talked it was almost in a whisper. It so happens that they’re both superstars.

Last Thursday, Aug. 16, Da King was finally belatedly conferred a National Artist Award by Pres. Noynoy Aquino at the Malacañang Palace, received by Susan and daughter MTRCB chief Grace Poe-Llamanzares. “The long wait is worth it,” said Susan, “because it comes from a President duly elected by the people.” Da King must have been widely smiling from Up There.

The Poe family refused the award when it was given in 2006 by then Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo whom Susan accused of stealing the presidency “not once but twice,” first from former Pres. Joseph Estrada and then from FPJ. “This time,” added Susan, “wala itong halong pulitika.”

Best remembered for his screen personas Totoy Bato (the tough boxer) and Panday, Da King was down-to-earth and downright romantic. As a gesture of reconciliation after a lovers’ quarrel with Susan, he welcomed Susan (who came back from the States where she cooled off) by filling up their sala with flowers and asking Rico J. Puno to serenade her.

True to form, Da King was a man of few words (as an Action King should be). But in one rare Funfare interview barely a year before he died in December 2004, he unloosed his tongue like he never did before and casually bared his heart.

His widow Susan Roces and daughter Grace Poe-Llamanzares happily receive belated National Artist Award from Pres. Noynoy Aquino.

In a tribute similar to what Funfare gave to Dolphy, I am reprinting some quotable quotes from that memorable interview.

• “The first time I cried really hard was when my brother Andy (the real Fernando Poe Jr.; Da King was Ronald Allan Poe) died in 1995 because it was so sudden. It took me some time to get over his death.”

• “I’ve never been really angry, hindi ‘yung sukdulan. When I get angry, after a while I cool down na. Madaling mawala ang galit ko. How would people know that I’m angry? When I’m silent; kapag tumatahimik na ako.”

• “The day will come when we will all go, na magkakahiwa-hiwalay tayo, when we will all pass away. I pray that my family and I will be together again somewhere else. I think that’s what most everybody is praying for — for the grand family reunion elsewhere.”

• “My most embarrassing moment? It happened a long time ago at the Aristocrat Restaurant. May ka-date ako (not identified). I was short of money. The waiter came to my rescue; he helped me with the bill. I went back soon after to pay him back.”

• “The first toy I ever played with was Teks. That was the craze at that time among kids. Ang pamato ko noon si Phantom. As an adult, kami ni Susan used to play Pacman, the video game. We also solve crossword puzzles and play Monopoly or Scrabble.”

When he declared his candidacy in the 2004 Presidential elections.

• “Best lesson I learned from my dad (Fernando Poe Sr.): Never be a quitter.”

• “My mom (Bessie Kelly Poe) was a peaceful woman, very gentle and very artistic. She love(s); yes, she love(s). She taught us how to love. She always reminded us siblings to be sincere.”

• “Susan and I are early risers. We’re up at 4:30 or 5:30 a.m., earlier than the sun. After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I would linger in bed with Susan. We just talk and exchange stories. Kuwento-kuwento lang kami ni Susan. Or we read the papers together in bed. And then we have coffee together. She tells me kung ano ang lakad niya for the day and I tell her kung ano ang lakad ko. The last thing I do before I go to sleep? I pray.”

Asked how he wanted to be remembered, Da King broke into a shy smile.

“I want to be remembered simply as a man who held no grudge against anybody and, hopefully, against whom nobody held any grudge.”

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