He arrived at 7:15, while our Editor-in-Chief of People Asia, Joanne Rae Ramirez to whom he’d given the scoop about jumping into the presidential race, was late. My partner, STARGATE Vice Chairman Jose Manuel "Babe" Romualdez, was very late. This publisher and chairman, a sheepish MVS, struggling with my column, was disgracefully late!
What did FPJ, alias Ronald Allan Poe, do? He entertained our sub-editors, staffers, advertising people, clerks and other staffers and their families, while patiently waiting for the errant "bosses" to arrive. They all had great fun, and our staff members and employees surrounded Da King with both awe and admiration – I think he won all their hearts that night.
He even rang me up on my cellphone when my wife and secretary Tess belatedly got there, ahead of me, to assure me: "Max, don’t be pressured to get here through all that traffic. I’ll be here waiting for you."
When I finally arrived, two hours late, he was there – smiling, and apologizing for his wife, Susan, not having been able to make the party, since she was at their home in Greenhills, "resting". He fervently joined the prayer led by our STARGATE Media Group President, Ramon "Choy" Cojuangco Jr. (Remember, Ronnie Poe had once dreamed of becoming a priest – did you know?)
FPJ was there to "thank" our STARGATE group, naturally, for having put him on the cover of our December magazine, our 4th anniversary issue of PEOPLE Asia – a cover scheduled long before he had announced his candidacy. That issue, by the way, sold out in a few days, and we will be forced to rush a re-run of 11,000 to 12,000 copies – which doesn’t include accommodating "orders" coming in from the United States and Canada.
He said he realized that if he and Ping were divided, the President would have the upperhand in the coming elections.
I know that Lacson is not only brave and tough (as adopted "Sons of Cebu", we’ve long addressed each other as "Brother"), but he’s got much more at stake in the coming election. Surely he knows that if GMA (and Mike) triumph in the election, and La Gloria is re-elected President, the Administration will go after Lacson with everything in its arsenal. Look at the Kuratong Baleleng case which has been resurrected time and again. If GMA gets a new term, the Government steamroller will be geared non-stop to reduce Lacson to a pulp. (Just consider that murderous-kidnapping Abu Sayyaf, Commander Robot alias Ghalib Andang. I’ll bet that when the military doctors gleefully sawed off his leg, they good-humoredly warned him: "Behave yourself, or we’ll take off your other leg, too.")
In Ping’s case, as in the days of wrath of the old English kings, he’d be hanged, drawn and quartered by Her Vengeful Majesty and Her Big Royal Consort.
However, don’t hold your breath. In the Philippine context, amor propio and pride almost always prevail. The Senator may hang tough and decline joining forces – egged on by his spokesmen and backers (minders?) the Brothers Karamazov – er, Zamora – or Butz the Aquino who detests Ed Angara like The Plague. Are these the noble knights and paladins of the Ping Crusade?
As for FPJ, those jousting to be his political champions don’t appear to be noble knights either. Sus – what to do with the likes of Tito, Jojo, Jinggoy, Erning, et cetera? Love ‘em or leave ‘em? No wonder he was a "no show" at his grand proclamation at the Inter-Con.
If you don’t use the TRAPOS, this writer bluntly asked Panday, what political machinery will you have? FPJ gave us his typically shy-type, aw-shucks smile – his screen heroes were Gary Cooper, James Stewart, Glenn Ford and Richard Widmark – and politely replied: "We’re working on that."
He revealed that when his political supporters and would-be braintrusters presented him with an already-prepared "political platform" and writ of priorities, he had read it and exclaimed: "This isn’t me!" He had informed his friends he would write his own platform and declaration of goals and principles, which, he averred, he is currently involved in doing.
He also disclosed he has been meeting with groups of businessmen practically every day ("you’d be surprised at he names," he cheerfully said), as well as diplomats. Now, that latter revelation is interesting. The American ambassador? Soon, soon.
One thing came across clearly: Panday is deadly serious about running. "It’s time we did something," he smiled sincerely – that’s how he sounded.
He didn’t speak Taglish. When he spoke Tagalog, it was Tagalog. When he spoke in English, it was in English (well, partly "American" – his mom, Bessie Kelly, had been an American).
Yesterday morning, FPJ was in the Club Filipino, dialoguing with Muslim groups. That’s why, he explained, he couldn’t join us yesterday in the Tuesday Club.
When he finally said goodbye and left the Christmas Party, he hopped into a silver Toyota Camry, with no bodyguards in sight. He got into the front seat, with the wry remark: "Riding in the back makes me dizzy."
Riding on horseback, on the other hand, makes him happy. Beer? But of course – by the gallon. Gets his engine going, but he never imbibes (he said) when there’s work to be done. Those who’ve worked with him say he’s hard-driving, workaholic, and very well-focused.
In another conversation, the other week, his booster former Senate President Angara had observed that Ronnie Poe was so meticulous – and one with such an eye to posterity – that he was the only "action star" who had preserved most of his movies in a well-kept film collection. In this manner, Angara pointed out, FPJ had the films of 190 of his best pictures in mint condition in his "library".
What about his next, hopefully, starring role: "The Candidate"? Will it shoot to the top in the electoral box office – or prove a flop? Abangan ang kasunod na kabanata.
It may not be true, as Alikabok alleges, that the Brother Eddie candidacy was hatched in the LTA building too . . . well, you know. God, not GMA, may have been the source of Brother Eddie’s divine inspiration. Brother Ed claims to have seven million members in his "crusade"; ergo, seven million votes. Are some of these ghosts or angels, therefore flying voters?
In any event, there is, in addition, an increasingly serious "Draft Noli de Castro" movement being promoted by The Wednesday Group – a bunch of solons and friends who meet every Wednesday for lunch in the Baron’s Bar of the Tower Club in the Philamlife building in Makati. We hear that Senators Joker Arroyo, Manny Villar, Kiko Pangilinan, and their group have been collecting the "three million signatures" needed to "convince" Senator-cum-ABS-CBN "Magandang Gabi Bayan" TV host De Castro to run for the Presidency (I should have realized that if Ambassador and former Finance Secretary Ed Espiritu is urging Noli to run, can Joker be far away? Ed and Joker have, through the years, been like two peas in a pod.)
The election may yet turn into "STAR Wars", with GMA getting the better of everyone else as a result. This would make them very happy in the LTA, which is not to be confused with the YMCA.
As Tiny Tim in Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol (having unscrooged Scrooge) said: "God bless us, everyone!"
Peace on earth, goodwill to men.