FPJ! FPJ! Dokyu for yu

A contribution from Daye Caluza

BAGUIO CITY--Like national hero Dr. Jose Rizal, former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and even Jesus Christ, the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. is an archetypal hero that most Filipinos will value as part of their culture.
This was one of the findings of an undergraduate thesis, presented in a video documentary format, by communication students of the University of the Philippines Baguio.
The 41-minute documentary, “Alamat ng Pagkabayani,” explained why Poe rose as a “hero of the masses.”
Poe’s value as a cultural icon, the documentary said, would ensure that his name and relevance would endure among Filipinos.
The documentary gathered the views of communication and film teachers, filmmakers and psychologists to explain why Poe, in reel and real life, had made an impact in the life of the ordinary Filipino.
“It was timely to choose FPJ as our thesis subject because we saw in him the potential of being [categorized] as one of the archetypal heroes in contemporary times. We wanted to find out how his image as a hero was created considering that he was, figuratively, in every Filipino’s heart,” said Zig Dulay, one of the members of the group that produced the documentary. Its other members were Richelle Carr Cabrales, Marie Joy Gonzales and Jo Ann Papio.
The documentary opened by showing images of the political turmoil after the “Hello, Garci” tapes surfaced in July this year.
It also showed Poe’s widow, Susan Roces, criticizing President Macapagal-Arroyo for stealing the presidency “not once, but twice.” Images of the big anti-Arroyo protest that was joined in by Poe’s supporters on Ayala Avenue in Makati City served as a backdrop in the documentary.
The protests, according to the documentary, started because many Filipinos thought that Poe was cheated during the presidential elections last year. It said Filipinos are used to crisis, and through time, they look up to a hero who would save them.
Filipinos looked up to Poe as the “hero of the masses" because of the impact of his “hero role” in his films.
Prof. Roehl Jamon of the University of the Philippines Film Institute said Poe, in his films, was seen as an “ultimate savior” of the oppressed whose qualities (a
gentleman, brave, a skilled fighter, law abiding and discerning) were accepted by Filipinos.
Prof. Alfonso Deza of the UP College of Mass Communication’s Communication Research Department said Poe was admired because the character he portrayed in his films showed values acceptable in Filipino culture such as being humble, God-fearing and helpful.
He said these qualities made Poe an ideal model for the ordinary Filipino.
Poe’s most popular film, “Ang Panday,” embodied his character as a hero who possessed outstanding strength.
“FPJ’s extraordinary powers as portrayed in the [Panday] films were used to save his people from crisis and injustice,” the documentary said.
“Whether FPJ is Panday or a policeman from Tondo, his role is always about a person who is extraordinarily strong. His strength is always for the people. He is a hero because a hero lives for others,” said Prof. Nicanor Tiongson, dean of the UP CMC and a well-known scholar in film and theater arts.
The documentary said among the things that underscored Poe’s image as a hero was his respect for the women in his films.
“Women were portrayed as the main protagonists in his films and not him. This was opposite to common thinking of the Filipinos that men were always the protagonists,” it said.
“FPJ’s roles in his films are like magic which enter the minds of Filipinos. It reached a point that ‘Panday’ in film and FPJ in real life have become one,” it said.
It added that Poe endeared himself to the masses because his films gave people hope.
But Jamon said Poe’s charismatic image was not entirely natural.
He said it was planned and developed by his mother studio, Sampaguita Pictures, who molded their stars to be ideal and wholesome in real life during its peak in the 1950s and 1960s.
“Until the last, he still heeded to the wishes of the people. His decision to run as a president was proof that he lived for others,” the documentary said.
The documentary said like Rizal and Aquino, Poe is “alive for the people.”