Susan Roces: Woman of the Year

I watched with interest last Friday night Cesar Apolinario’s report in 24 Oras (and later in Saksi). It was another day of protest against the Arroyo administration and FPJ supporters had gathered earlier that day at the North Cemetery tomb of the late great actor/presidential candidate and were pressing for a snap elections. Through a signature campaign, they also wanted to convince Fernando Poe, Jr.’s widow, actress Susan Roces, to run for President.

While I’m sure Ms. Roces will decline the offer — politely and ever so graciously — I still felt proud that my Manang Inday (our term of endearment for her) is being considered to run for the highest office in the land.

A person who has no lust for power, Susan Roces, if ever she engages in politics, may just campaign for electoral reforms because she strongly feels that there is something wrong with the present system — and many will agree with her.

More than three weeks ago, the nation gave her a standing ovation after she called for peace and sobriety at the height of the Samuel Ong brouhaha at the San Carlos Seminary in Makati. Instead of taking advantage of the situation to avenge whatever wrongdoing was committed against her husband during the 2004 presidential race, Susan Roces acted calmly and with utmost dignity and thought of the nation’s welfare first. Such selflessness is rare these days and I hope some group would name her Woman of the Year for averting what could have been a bloodbath between the opposition group(s) and the government forces. Although I am not exactly jumping up and down with joy over the performance of the current administration, I feel we are not ready for another EDSA at this point. But I know — and I hope — changes will come. It will just happen in God’s perfect time.

I just feel sad that we never had the chance to see Susan Roces become First Lady. She could have been the best and we never had her.

Look-alikes

In a recent get-together at the Bel-Air home of Ali Sotto, one of the guests, Bibeth Orteza, beat me in verbally expressing what had been playing in my mind for quite sometime now.

Watching the news and seeing the face of self-confessed jueteng bag lady Sandra Cam on the television screen, I immediately thought that if her life story would be turned into a movie, there is one actress who would be perfect for the part: Amy Austria.

Although Sandra Cam is fair-skinned (at least that’s my perception of her on TV) and Amy Austria is beautifully dusky, somehow I see a strong physical similarity between them. Sometime in 1991 and 1992 (after the death of Jay Ilagan), Amy actually wore the same cropped hair now sported by Sandra and looking back now, I am even more convinced that they are look-alikes.

If ever a movie is made about the life of Sandra Cam and Amy Austria is asked to do it, that won’t be the first time the award-winning actress is doing a true-to-life story. In 1988, she also played the part of the ativan gang member, Celestina "Bubbles" Sanchez and even won the Metro Manila Film Festival Best Actress award for it.