The crowd around the stage built on Quezon Avenue Sunday started thinning out after Dolphy had delivered his message and while Poe was still addressing the audience.
As Vice Mayor Jess Salazar introduced Poe, the crowd inched toward the stage. However, a significant number started to leave when Poe began reciting lines from his films without mentioning a specific program for residents of the Bicol Region.
"Kahit butas ng karayom papasukin ko. Kapag puno na ang salop, hindi na sila sisikatan ng araw," Poe said.
Dolphy managed to woo the crowd back with his jokes, and told them that he no longer knew himself because of the many roles he has portrayed and the number of names he used as a show business personality.
He added that if Poe is disqualified from running in the presidential race for being an American citizen, he will stand by the action’s star side in an election campaign against United States President George W. Bush, who is running for re-election in November.
"Pag-nadisqualify ka (referring to Poe), lalabanan natin si Bush (If you’re disqualified, we’ll fight Bush instead)," Dolphy quipped, drawing applause from the crowd.
Lawyers who filed petitions before the Supreme Court to seek Poe’s disqualification said the actor, being an illegitimate child, should follow the citizenship of his mother, American Bessie Kelley.
Dolphy was the last celebrity that Poe himself had introduced to the crowd to endorse the candidates running under the banner of the Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP).
A long, loud applause followed Dolphy’s speech. The crowd started to disperse even as Poe was still giving his closing remarks, which included, "Kunin na nila ang lahat sa akin ... huwag lang ang aking pagka-Filipino (They can take everything from me, but they cannot take away my being a Filipino)."
The emcees failed to hold the crowd’s attention for last-minute announcements after Dolphy bowed to the audience and handed the microphone back to Poe.
Some of those who attended and left before "Da King" finished his speech told The STAR they found nothing remarkable in Poe’s pronouncements.
"He told us nothing but either the titles of his movies or lines from these movies. He did not even mention any platform of government," said a clerk of a regional trial court here who attended the four-hour rally, which lasted until 11:30 p.m.
Observers here believed that most of the audience were interested only in seeing celebrities — Poe, Judy Ann Santos, and Eddie Garcia, who hails from Bicol — in the flesh.
Bicolanos are noted for not supporting candidates who do not have a track record and do not present a platform of government that will benefit the region.
Jovito Salonga emerged as the winner in Bicol during the 1992 presidential election. In the 1998 presidential race, Joseph Estrada lost convincingly to Bicolano candidate Raul Roco.
Organizers presented Poe and other show business personalities only after all the KNP candidates had delivered their speeches, in an attempt to keep the crowd from dispersing.