Family and friends of the late actor Fernando Poe Jr., known to all as “FPJ” or “Da King,” gathered at the Manila North Cemetery on Thursday to mark the 13th death anniversary of the King of Filipino Movies.
Poe’s widow, actress Susan Roces, and daughter Senator Grace Poe, together with other members of the Poe family headed the simple rites which started with a mass.
Prior to blessing FPJ’s grave, the officiating priest recalled in his homily the generosity of the late actor by offering a helping hand to those in need.
“At ngayong katabi na ni ‘Da King’ ang Panginoon, puwede tayong humiling sa kanya at siya itong magbubulong sa King of the Kings (And now that ‘The King’ is beside the Lord, we can ask him to whisper our requests to the King of the Kings),” the priest said.
After blessing the grave of FPJ with holy water, Poe’s family placed candles and flowers on it while the actor’s fans offered white and red flowers.
Some of the fans traveled miles to pay him a visit on his death anniversary. According to them, it has been their tradition every year to visit “Da King.”
Following the mass and a brief message of gratitude to those who remembered the late actor, Senator Poe and her mother handed out gifts to children at the Manila North Cemetery.
The Senator shared that her mother recently told her that a few months before the death of his father, he went to the said cemetery and vowed to the kids that he would come back with gifts. However, his promise of coming back did not happen as he suffered from stroke in December 2004 that caused his death at the age 65.
After hearing the story from her mother, the Senator fulfilled this year the unaccomplished promise of his father in time for Christmas. The family of ‘Da King’ had always conducted gift-giving activities in orphanages.
FPJ is best remembered as “King of Philippine Movies” for his long career as an action film star. The legendary actor bagged many awards during his time.
He appeared in over hundreds of movies including the most popular ones such as “Ang Panday” where he played the role of Flavio, “Iyo and Tondo, Kanya ang Cavite,” “Dito sa Pitong Gatang,” and “Ang Probinsyano.” His last film was “Pakners” along with the 9-ball billiards champion Efren “Bata” Reyes.
Aside from acting, he also ran for presidency in the 2004 elections but lost to former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Poe was posthumously declared a National Artist on May 23, 2006 for his outstanding achievement in film.