Brian, 14, stands in for ‘Da King’

Standing proud in a barong tagalog, 14-year-old Brian Poe Llamanzares stood in for "Da King" at ceremonies honoring this year’s Pambansang Alagad ng Sining or National Artists.

While no family member attended conferment rites at Malacañang Friday morning, Fernando Poe Jr. was represented by his grandson at the parangal, or commemoration ceremony, held at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines Friday night.

Poe’s daughter Grace and her husband Neil Llamanzares also attended the ceremonies, which paid tribute to seven artists for their achievements and contributions to the nation.

The honorees were Benedicto Cabrera or Bencab for visual arts, Bienvenido Lumbera for literature,
Abdulmari Imao for sculpture, Ramon Obusan for dance, and Ildefonso P. Santos Jr. for landscape
architecture, while posthumous awards were given to Ramon Valera for fashion and Poe for film.

In a text message sent to The STAR earlier in the day, Poe’s widow Susan Roces said she was grateful for the honor given to her husband by his peers and fellow artists, and for acknowledging his contributions to the Philippine film industry. Roces decided not to attend the CCP ceremonies to avoid fanning the controversy already surrounding her husband’s award.

Llamanzares said the family decided to have Brian represent his grandfather to signify Poe’s belief in and commitment to the youth of the country. This was also in tune with the theme of the parangal, which centered on children.

Children dressed in different Filipino costumes served as emcees of the program, and announced the entrance of the National Artists, to thunderous applause from the jam-packed crowd.

The tribute segment for FPJ entitled "Bakbakan" featured actress Boots Anson Roa, a close friend and colleague of Poe, and a young boy in a "conversation" with the late actor. The boy asked questions which Poe "answered" via appropriate clips from his movies.

Poe’s National Artist medallion and citation are still at Malacañang, and no schedule has yet been set for a formal conferment. — Doreen G. Yu