FPJ seeks to calm businessmen’s fears

Movie actor and presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. met business leaders in public for the first time yesterday and sought to calm their fears but failed to offer concrete policy details.

Poe met with the Philippines Inc. at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City as House Deputy Speaker Raul Gonzalez urged him to withdraw from the presidential derby as his camp has failed to prove that the actor is a natural-born Filipino.

Public opinion polls have put the high school dropout and political newcomer as the frontrunner in the May 10 presidential election, which has unnerved the Philippine business community.

The peso dove to an all-time low in November when Poe declared that he wanted to become president just like his friend and fellow movie star, former President Joseph Estrada, who was toppled in a military-backed popular revolt in January 2001.

Poe offered few concrete policy details in an hour-long open forum with prominent Filipino captains of industry, who quizzed him on what he planned to do in his first 100 days in office if he beats President Arroyo in May.

He also sidestepped difficult questions on birth control, agriculture and political fund-raising.

"In regards to business, I am also a businessman like you," said Poe, who produces his own films.

Poe, 64, sought to assure the businessmen that he was his own man and would not become a puppet of Estrada, who is detained and on trial for corruption.

The Poe campaign has been surrounded by senior politicians identified with Estrada.

"No one will dictate me. I don’t owe them a debt of gratitude. I will not be beholden to anyone," Poe said.

The business leaders pressed Poe on how he planned to boost the competitiveness of the Philippines and also asked whether he would offer perks to foreign investors, but he gave few details.

Poe said it was all a matter of striking a balance: "We have to compete. It’s just a matter of (where) we will compete."

Addressing his school record, he said that, "as for education, my life is an experience."

He said he quit school not because he was kicked out but because he had to become the family breadwinner after his father died suddenly.

"As an actor, I’ve gone almost around the country. I have seen the real problems of our country. I’ve been with squatters, virgin forests, mountains, seas. I’ve seen it all."

He said that with "my experience, with good, honest and transparent leadership, we can resolve a lot of things."

Poe urged Philippines Inc. to push for the development of the agriculture sector because agriculture "is the lifeblood of the majority."

He also said there is a need to restore the public’s trust in law enforcers and promote lasting peace in the country. — AFP, Raolo Romero, Ann Corvera, Marianne Go