MANILA, 24 November 2003 — In what many Filipinos fear to be another nightmare for a divided nation, top action movie star Fernando Poe Jr. has declared that he will stand for the presidency in May.

Close political allies of the immensely popular 64-year-old actor said Poe announced before a select group of supporters at his studio in suburban Quezon City on Saturday that he has made up his mind and that there will be no turning back.

The supposed announcement was also reported yesterday by The Philippine Star, which quoted Poe as saying he didn’t have political ambitions but was giving in to popular opinion by running.

“I cannot turn my back on the people. I cannot be deaf to their clamor,” Poe told The Star.

Asked by The Star if there was any chance he would his change his mind about standing for president, Poe was quoted as saying, “No more.”

Boots Cadsawan, president of the FPJ for President Movement claimed Poe had said in the meeting that he’d enter the race for the good of the nation.

Cadsawan said his group has 8,000 coordinators nationwide, and has gathered at least 2 million signatures backing Poe’s candidacy.

Ernesto Macahiya, spokesman of the right-wing Philippine Guardians Brotherhood, Inc., (PGBI) a military fraternity led by Sen. Gregorio Honasan, said the group was all for the actor’s presidential bid.

“He (Poe) said he will fight for the people because they a need a leader that can unite them. He knows that the country is divided.” Macahiya said.

FPJ, or Da King, as his legions of fans call him, told reporters on Sunday, however, that he was still consulting with supporters in a “wait and see” situation.

Sen. Vicente Sotto III, who had been pushing for Poe’s presidential bid, denied that Poe made such an announcement.

Ill-Fit to Be President

The idea of making Poe follow in the footsteps of close friend Joseph Estrada had been opposed by many businessmen, academics, church leaders, military officers and leftist activists, who warned that he was ill-fit to lead a deeply divided nation facing huge economic problems, including a faltering peso and a massive budget deficit.

Estrada — also a former action film star — was elected president with the Philippines’ highest-ever victory margin in 1998. He was ousted in January 2001 by mass protests over his alleged corruption and misrule, and is on trial for the capital offense of plunder.

Unlike Estrada, who had been a town mayor, a senator, and vice president before becoming president, Poe had never been a public official.

Asked why he thought he’d make a good president, reportedly told the Star: “Because I am not beholden to anybody” and “because I am not corrupt.”

Poe started appearing in movies in his teens and has repeatedly claimed he has no interest in public office. But he’s been under increasing pressure from politicians, supporters and Estrada to seek the presidency.

Opposition Standard Bearer

The Star said Poe would run under the banner of a major opposition party, the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, or LDP, because he felt he needed the political machinery.

He also reportedly sees President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as the candidate to beat, because she’s the incumbent — but said that he will always consider her a friend.

Also touted as possible candidates are former national police chief Panfilo Lacson, who has accused Arroyo’s husband of corruption, and businessman Eduardo Cojuangco.

What was not clear yet was whether the LDP would be able to get Poe, Lacson and Cojuangco to slug it out in a convention to pick an opposition standard bearer.

Submitting to the selection process was what Poe discussed with his supporters and to the reporter of The Star, her spokeswoman said yesterday.

Susan Tagle said the reported announcement caught Poe unawares. “He had a very informal conversation with the reporter. They were just discussing possibilities. It is not an announcement and there is not going to be one in the next few days.”

Asked if the article was inaccurate, Tagle said: “He is open to the idea of running but whether he is officially declaring his candidacy, that was not his intention.”

If Poe runs for the May 2004 vote, he would likely appeal to the Philippines’ impoverished majority — the same group that widely supported Estrada.

A decision by the opposition to field a lone presidential candidate would result in a three-way race, with former Education Secretary Raul Roco as the third bet. (Additional input from agencies)