The Man Behind the Myth

Imagine this scenario: a poor, chaotic country is holding an election for president. On one side, the incumbent -- ruthless, cunning, steeped in the politics of power; on the other side, a very popular movie actor, beloved by the masses for his standard role as defender of the powerless, but with nary an experience in governance or political maneuverings. The actor would have won, but for the shameless "order" of the incumbent to her appointed election official (of which she was caught when a recording of her phone call was made public, now infamously remembered as "Hello Garci"), with the assistance of some of her loyal generals, for the manufacture of a million votes in her favor.

So now, 16 years later, we wonder: what if that election had been clean and the result an honest reflection of the will of the people, would a president, armed only with sincerity, honesty and an abiding faith in the rule of law, have changed the historical trajectory of our homeland? More curiously, would the masses' hunger for a strongman leader fighting on their behalf have been satiated with the actor/hero at the helm, and thus staved off the need for the authoritarian leader we now have? 

On the occasion of what would have been his 81st birthday on August 20, Fernando Poe Jr.'s long-time personal and business manager Susan V. Tagle provides us an intimate profile of the man behind the myth.

Our Stories This Week:

The President Who Never Was By Susan V. Tagle

Fil-Ams Among The Remarkable And Famous, Part 8 By Mona Lisa Yuchengco

My Uncle, The Visual Artist By Ivan Kevin Castro 

Read Again 

Filipino, the language, is no longer what we knew it to be: https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/why-the-f-in-filipino-and-how-did-it-get-there

We commemorate this week the beginning of the Philippine Revolution against Spain, with a tribute to the man who led it: http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/andres-bonifacio-the-other-national-hero

For our recipe of the week, we bring back Adobong Dilaw https://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/the-happy-home-cook-adobong-dilaw-a-timeless-recipe?rq=adobong%20dilaw

In The Know

In the Philippines, A Community Fights to Protect Its Ancestral Lands
https://e360.yale.edu/features/in-the-philippines-a-community-fights-to-protect-its-ancestral-lands

Why The Philippines Has So Many Teen Moms
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/08/21/787921856/photos-the-hidden-lives-of-teen-moms

17 Unique Business Names that Reflect Filipino Humor
https://www.trendszilla.net/2020/05/28/17-unique-business-names-that-reflect-filipino-humor/?fbclid=IwAR1O3hM55VYhXbjQJTM87-TnFr5AsxmS19-sW5YNZpBvlqPQGfUutU98MK4

Immigrant finds strength, solace in Carlos Bulosan
https://globalnation.inquirer.net/190266/immigrant-finds-strength-solace-in-carlos-bulosan?fbclid=IwAR2Qi0K3qZE2TAUgV0PhwdrvQ1MPrbpTeY9TUp9jgVJlSFDczRAUcTJAmsI