Pulp Heroes

Fernando Poe Jr, (or FPJ) dead at the age of 64.

I have mixed feelings about hearing of the death of the Philippines' premiere movie star. FPJ, as he was well-known, wasn't just a popular action star-- he was an icon in Philippine movies and a hero of the poor.

For those who aren't from the Philippines, the best reference I guess would be of hearing the death of a Hollywood star with the stature of Clint Eastwood. But FPJ was more than that, considering the Filipino culture's penchant to personalize their fandom with movie stars.

In essence, FPJ had starred in more than 200 films since the 1950s, usually as the strong, silent hero who beat up the bad guys in movies such as "Muslim Magnum .357" or the children's epic "Ang Panday," about a blacksmith who crafts a magical sword.

I grew up watching his movies when I was a kid, his old black-and-white or color-faded movies shown on the television during lazy summer afternoons.

I suppose he was the quintessential pulp hero then: the strong underdog trying to beat the odds with his fast fists, his quick draw with the .357 Magnum, or his swinging longsword. During those same afternoons, I saw him gun down whole platoons of Japanese soldiers in WW2 flicks or open a can of whupass against villainous gangsters or even fend off armies of evil henchmen of the evil lord Lizardo.

FPJ usually played roles in these films that were mostly of lowly or oppressed persons. He showed up onscreen as one of the common man-- a taxi driver, farmer, mechanic, or a righteous policeman and an ex-convict who cannot find work because of his criminal past-- and gave them a heroic edge the masses long to either have or see.

Reports also had it that his fame had already translated into legend, what with stories circulating of Muslim Filipinos from the Muslim-dominated southern provinces of Mindanao shooting up the movie screen in sheer outrage that screen villains would actually try to harm their hero.

Another story I heard was that of his prodigious drinking and how he would go through cases of San Miguel Beer during parties, finishing a bottle of beer in three gulps. However, he was supposedly also a big tipper in restaurants and bars.

However, the events of the past year had shown that the icon had clay feet. At the urging of his best friend and another action star, deposed president Joseph Estrada, FPJ ran for presidency in what could have been the most dirtiest polls ever-- the May 2004 presidential elections.

His declaration had alarm bells ringing everywhere: businessmen and analysts were running scared of having another movie star as the Philippines' head of state. (Estrada had previously been ousted by a popular revolution allegedly for corruption and being stupid, i.e. he was blatant about it.) Motives were put in doubt, muckracking was thrown galore, and no dignity was spared.

Still, despite his extreme popularity with the poor, he lost (or was cheated)-- probably one of the few battles he had lost. It also showed how large the gap between the reel world and the real world was. I suppose one could say that 2004 was shaping up to be a bad year for him.

Anyway, raise a bottle of beer to FPJ-- the movie actor, not the would-be politician. The likes of him won't ever be seen again...