Spooked by FPJ

The most jolting press statement received by our newsroom yesterday was one that opened with: "Susan and I join the nation…"

Susan, as everyone knows in this show biz-crazy nation, is Susan Roces. So the statement was obviously from her husband, action king Fernando Poe Jr. If "Da King" is going to be crowned come May 2004, we might as well get used to more statements that start with "Susan and I…"

Susan and her king issued the statement to condole with the family of Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople, who died in Taiwan en route to Bahrain yesterday. I had no idea of how popular Ople was until I received a steady stream of text messages throughout the morning yesterday about his condition in Taiwan.

He was finally pushed out of the text network by news that broke early in the evening about the capture of Saddam Hussein in a raid in Tikrit, Iraq. One memorable line from Paul Bremer, US administrator for Iraq: "Ladies and gentlemen, we got him."

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Why do people like Blas Ople and Joker Arroyo remain as senators while someone like Joseph Estrada gets to become president? That’s one of the great misfortunes of this nation, and it could happen again next year in the case of Fernando Poe Jr.

Sources told me that Senate President Franklin Drilon is being considered as the running mate of Sen. Noli de Castro, in case the broadcaster-cum-lawmaker decides (possibly today) to run for president.

Considering the qualifications of the two men, shouldn’t that be the other way around – Drilon for president, "Kabayan" for veep? In IQ, educational background and political track record, there simply is no contest. Unfortunately for this nation, Noli is the more telegenic, which counts for a lot among voters who think all Philippine politicians are the same anyway, so why not vote for the folks on TV and the movies?

Also, we all know that Drilon stands no chance against FPJ, whereas Noli has a reasonable chance of stopping the show biz juggernaut.

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The entry of FPJ into the race has spooked everyone. There was talk yesterday – and I don’t think it was pure black propaganda – that Sen. Panfilo Lacson was considering just staying put at the Senate and giving way to FPJ to ensure an opposition victory in 2004. Lacson is reportedly mulling the possibility of becoming Senate president in an FPJ administration.

The talk is that Lacson’s handlers are negotiating to be reimbursed for the expenses, already substantial, that their camp has incurred to increase public awareness of his bid for the presidency. Despite all the expenditures, Lacson’s rating in the surveys has not improved. President Arroyo is doing better than him, and FPJ’s entry could bury him.

Malacañang is also spooked, although it will never admit this. The Palace must have been shaken more than the markets.

It’s useless and a waste of taxpayers’ precious money for President Arroyo to be pressing the flesh and giving away raffle prizes to Filipino workers in Hong Kong, Bahrain and other places. Less than 364,000 of an estimated seven million Filipinos overseas registered for absentee voting. Not all of those workers will go for her, as some Pinoys in Hong Kong showed during her visit.

On the other hand, we have to concede that being President gives her the equity of the incumbent, including the privilege to jet around the globe ostensibly to check on the conditions of overseas Filipino workers.

Even the entire 364,000 OFW voters, however, will hardly make a dent if FPJ translates his fan base into votes.

Already there is a horde of people making a pilgrimage to FPJ. People are still talking about the former Erap Cabinet member, the one who said "may I go out" at Malacañang at the height of EDSA Dos, only to make his way to EDSA where he was booed. He reportedly went down on his knees and in near tears begged forgiveness for betraying Erap, asking for a chance to join the FPJ camp. His offer of support was reportedly welcomed by the FPJ camp, but with much snickering behind his back, and he’s being kept at arm’s length.

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Why does FPJ’s likely run for the presidency grab so much national attention while the announcement of Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr. that he’s still interested in the nation’s highest post barely registers?

This is what our nation has come to in the third millennium. People think an action star can lead them to salvation. To blunt his popularity, a broadcaster moonlighting as a senator will be fielded as a presidential contender.

These presidential aspirants will have to make up their minds this week, before Christmas. Waffling too long will project an image of indecisiveness – the last thing the nation needs.

FPJ’s press statement on Ople, by the way, was well crafted — a combination of Filipino and grammatical English. We should all be reminded that FPJ is the son of an American, so presumably his English is so much better than Erap’s contrived mangling of that language.

Today marks the start of the period for filing certificates of candidacy. There are Filipinos who await those certificates with trepidation. You’ve seen the text jokes: If you have to choose between FPJ and Ping, answer honestly – to which country will you migrate? Noli’s name will probably be added to that joke as soon as he declares he’s running.

FPJ’s supporters are saying that by keeping silent and staying away from public gatherings, FPJ is setting his own terms, refusing to allow even the press to dictate his agenda. That may be true, but he owes it to a confused nation to tell us where he stands on crucial issues. Does he even have a stand on anything beyond the movies?

We don’t expect him to announce what he plans to do with Erap in case he wins in 2004; even an actor knows that could be tantamount to political suicide. But FPJ can calm a jittery nation by giving at least some indication that he is capable of governance. This isn’t going to happen unless he starts talking — not just to his wife Susan but in public.