Susan Roces as First Lady

Around this time next year, a new president should have been installed into office — that is, if President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo doesn’t run and win.

Along with the new President is a new First Lady who shall be acting as the official Malacañang hostess.

The matriarchal society that we are, we’ll surely be paying a lot of attention to the First Lady and how she will run the Palace.

So far, we’ve had nearly a dozen First Ladies — with qualities all different from each other.

Doña Eva Macapagal was said to have been a fastidious housekeeper and frugal. In contrast, Imelda Marcos was statuesque, but extravagant.

Mrs. Amelita Ramos continued working at the International School in between Palace functions and attending to her environmental concerns, while Paciencia Laurel even refused to live in Malacañang (this was during the war years). Obviously, they all differ from each other.

But what if the First Lady were to come from show business? Of course, you and I know that that is not a far-fetched possibility since we have a lot of actor-politicians and politicians married to showbiz people.

Let’s start with Ms. Susan Roces. What if her husband, Fernando Poe, Jr., is finally convinced to run for President and wins and she becomes First Lady?

Jesusa Sonora Poe will actually make an ideal First Lady. Physically, she has the bearing of one — regal-looking that she is. To this day, in fact, she still looks very beautiful, queenly and radiant. Why, even her bouffant hairdo, which she has worn all these decades is, well, pang-First Lady.

When it comes to attitude, she is sweetness personified and one of the most polite and tactful people I’ve ever known in this life. Like Boots Anson-Roa (who must be her twin sister in another life), Ms. Roces never speaks ill of anyone and is so utterly careful not to offend anybody with whatever she says and does.

As a hostess, she once ran her own restaurant (Early American Times) and is adept at entertaining people.

As a housekeeper, she must be efficient because I went to her Greenhills home one time for an interview with this paper and I saw her personally supervising the general cleaning — and even sending out the drapes for dry cleaning.

I also know for a fact that she is not wasteful. Once I got to talk to her about dieting and she said that the worst enemy of a mother on a diet is the word "sayang." By then, her daughter Grace had already migrated to the United States and some of her young nephews had moved in with her and FPJ. At every mealtime, she said, she would end up eating her nephews’ leftovers "kasi sayang."

When it comes to faith, I know for a fact that she is a religious person, but never sanctimonious. On their staircase landing is an altar where they had enthroned an image of St. Jude that was originally used in one of the Fernando Poe, Jr. movies. Now, if her husband decides to run for President and wins, she’ll just be next-door to St. Jude Church when they move to Malacañang.

Charity work, of course, is nothing new to her. Her husband, to begin with, had been known to be extremely generous to various charities — but without talking about it to the press.

Finally, when it comes to dealing with the masses, there’s no doubt that she can handle them well. As a movie queen and, later, as producer you can bet that she’ll be at home with all kinds of people.

Ironically, I don’t think she welcomes the prospect of being First Lady. But the loving wife that she is, for sure, she’ll support her husband’s decision — whatever it may be.

However, if you ask me, my wish is for Fernando Poe, Jr. to think about running for President a hundred, no, a thousand times over. FPJ is a good man. Maybe he’ll become a good President because he has a good heart.

But I don’t want to see him — and especially his wife Susan — get hurt in this dirtiest game called politics because they’ll get hurt really bad and my heart will bleed for them.

As movie stars and as individuals, this wonderful couple has already given so much of themselves to the Filipino people and they can continue doing so without being in Malacañang.

Susan Roces need not be the First Lady of the land. After all, through all these years, she had always remained the First Lady in every moviegoer’s heart.

(Next: More possible showbiz First Ladies).