Fernando Poe Jr, "Da King" of Philippine cinema who rallied millions of fans in a daring bid for the presidency earlier this year, died yesterday after suffering a stroke and slipping into a coma, his doctor said. He was 65.
Poe had complained of dizziness while dining with friends at his suburban Manila film studio. He was brought late Saturday to St Luke's Hospital, where doctors diagnosed a blood clot in his brain, and he later fell into a coma, neurologist Abdias Aquino told reporters. Poe died early yesterday at St Luke's.
PHOTO: AP
The actor was a hero to millions of poor Filipinos who embraced the fast-punching, straight-shooting underdog hero he typically played in more than 200 action films. He also portrayed true-to-life heroes, including decorated policemen, and appeared in several World War II movies as a soldier or guerrilla fighting Japanese invaders.
A five-time winner in the local version of the Oscars, one of his most memorable roles was a true story -- a teacher who became a rebel leader fighting greedy landlords and bureaucrats in the 1920s, when the Philippines was still an American colony.
In his last movie, released in May, he was the buddy of a billiards player portrayed by real-life Filipino pool champion Efren "Bata" Reyes.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo called her rival "a worthy adversary in politics and a great Filipino."
"I mourn with millions of Filipinos who loved him dearly and held him as symbol of their deepest aspirations," she said in a statement.
Poe, better known as "Da King" or simply FPJ, started appearing in movies in his teens and never held public office. He had come under pressure from politicians, especially supporters of his close friend and another ex-actor, ousted President Joseph Estrada, to capitalize on his popularity and seek the presidency in the May 10 election.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
BACKLASH: The National Party quit its decades-long partnership with the Liberal Party after their election loss to center-left Labor, which won a historic third term Australia’s National Party has split from its conservative coalition partner of more than 60 years, the Liberal Party, citing policy differences over renewable energy and after a resounding loss at a national election this month. “Its time to have a break,” Nationals leader David Littleproud told reporters yesterday. The split shows the pressure on Australia’s conservative parties after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s center-left Labor party won a historic second term in the May 3 election, powered by a voter backlash against US President Donald Trump’s policies. Under the long-standing partnership in state and federal politics, the Liberal and National coalition had shared power
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
RSS