RIYADH/JEDDAH — Filipinos in the Kingdom yesterday expressed sadness and shock over the demise of movie star Fernando Poe. Jr., also called “Da King of Philippine movies.”

“It was a great shock to me to learn that FPJ is gone. I used to watch his films such as Ang Panday and for years he has remained the king of Philippine movies,” said Alina Navarra Articulo, president of the Filipino Nurses Society in Saudi Arabia.

She added that over five decades, FPJ was a household name, known not only for his role in his movies as the good guy fighting for the poor and oppressed but also for being a leader of the local movie industry.

“He’s such a great loss — not only in the local film industry but to the Filipino nation as a whole. His benevolence, especially among fellow movie stars, was a byword,” said Articulo, also the head nurse at the Medical Surgical ICUs of the King Faisal Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center in Riyadh.

Manuel “Bong” Amora, founding president of the Kalipunang Kaakbay ng Manggagawang Pilipino (Kakampi) sa Saudi Arabia, said the Filipino nation has lost an “institution.”

“Hearing that he had a brain attack, I was shocked but when I learned that he had passed away, I was greatly saddened. My heart sank. He has become an institution in Filipino way of life,” he said.

Millions of Filipinos all over the world also mourned their screen hero, who narrowly lost to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in a bitterly contested election earlier in the year.

Poe, 65, did not concede defeat to Arroyo and had asked the Supreme Court to nullify her May 10 victory, accusing her and her camp of committing massive electoral fraud.

The actor, who died shortly after midnight, suffered a massive stroke on the weekend and slipped into a coma.

Thousands of fans, mot of whom were crying and carrying photographs and other memoirs of their idol, gathered outside a funeral home where Poe’s remains were taken from St. Luke's Medical Center in Manila's suburb of Quezon City. hospital.

While the family had requested for some time alone, actress Susan Roces, Poe’s widow, later allowed the people to view his remains.

Roces hugged and consoled some of the weeping fans.

In Ras Tanura in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, Filipino workers likewise expressed extreme sadness.

“ I used to watch his films as a kid. I admired his films as a grown-up for their high quality, although I am not a fanatic supporter,” said Simeon Perez, president of the Ras Tanura Overseas Filipino Workers Association (ROFWA).

He added: “Life, however, must go on especially now that there are other things to worry about like the rehabilitation of our compatriots affected by floods and landslides...”

In Alkhobar, Buddy Alpuerto, adviser of the Saudi Arabian Hiligaynon, Inc. (SAHI), said: “FPJ’s death is a great loss to the movie industry. He produced quality films and acted in them with distinction, serving as an inspiration to the poor and the downtrodden,” he said.

He added that the “poor who were wallowing in poverty felt inspired watching FPJ’s films.”

“For a while, they forget that they lack many things in life-sometimes, even the wherewithal of living,” Alpuerto said.

In Jeddah, Benz Llavore, who is connected with Al Tazad, said “the death of FPJ is painful to his fans, who were legion.”

“FPJ entertained us and gave us inspiration to succeed in life. Now, he’s gone,” he said.

Aurelio Cagahastian, a computer system analyst at the Dallah Tower and a member of the Jeddah Scrabble Club, said: “Nakakabigla! Totally unexpected, considering that he had not yet been reported to be suffering from any ailment before. His death is mourned by his fans in the Philippines and all over the world,” he said.

Edris Tamano, chairman of the FPJ Movement in Jeddah that campaigned for Poe during the May election, described the actor’s death as an “irreparable loss of a great leader.”

That Poe had been helping the poor without much noise was proof that he was someone to depend on, said Tamano, an architect and a community leader.

Romy Long, a human resources staff of Drive Communication also in Jeddah, felt sorry for Poe and so with Sen. Panfilo Lacson for not agreeing to become Poe’s running mate during the May 11 presidential race.

“Had Lacson agreed, they would have won and Lacson would be president now,” he said.

Randel Mercado, a colleague of Romy Long, rejected suggestions that Poe’s political defeat may have taken its toll on his life. Rather, he said, Poe’s fondness for liquor is the likelier cause.

“Dati na siyang manginginom noon pa (he had been a known drinker long ago),” Mercado said, adding that Poe was not even observed to be bitter about his defeat.