Oh, the things I miss when I fail to follow Philippine news for just a few days.

FPJ was the classic formula Filipino action star. It’s said that he could never be shown dying or being defeated in any of his films, because the one time it did happen that his character was killed, Filipino moviegoers rioted. I don’t know if that’s true (and if so, what movie was it?), but now the unthinkable has happened: Fernando Poe Jr. has quite suddenly passed away. Without warning: a stroke, a coma, and death, and so ends the career of one of the Philippines’ greatest celebrities. It’s my hope he is remembered for his illustrious career in Filipino cinema rather than for his notorious but mercifully brief stint as hapless political puppet.

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