FPJ AND TITUS

April 5, 2025 Opinion

Titus was my uncle, from Gloria, the sister of my grandmother, Ola, based in Tanauan, Batangas. One summer, we took a vacation at Gloria’s grand home. A doctor by profession, she was a town legend, having birthed most of the children and took care of the community
through her small clinic at home. Gloria had successful children who all took care of her lovingly, renovating her humble home into a comfortable modern structure with gardens and pigpens at the back, help to keep all in place and weekly supply of food, groceries and
essentials, a well taken cared, as she should.

Titus, was a special child, he had a condition, I didn’t ask what exactly, but he couldn’t talk straight and was left disabled by polio, lower legs useless, but could move around, with impeccable. upper body strength. Titus lived with helpers at his beck and call, all day, everyday, a perk from his well off siblings, who saw to it that he got the best care as he lived with his ageing mother in the grand home. Titus had a schedule for everything, his meals, bath, naptime and the much awaited television screening in the afternoon, where he would watch Fernando Poe Jr. movies aired by local channel.

He loved FPJ and this is where all hell will break loose if not monitored well enough by the help who have grown accustomed to his quirks.
FPJ movies where mostly action flicks which featured the popular actor in fights scenes with goons whom he will always overcome by his famous combination punches or signature gun handling techniques. This is where the otherwise random day of Titus would take a turn for the worst or better, depending on the FPJ movie.

As a certified FPJ fan, Titus would grimace each time his screen idol would take a punch or would appear to be the underdog, when the movie would take a turn for the worse, meaning the action star seemingly on the brink of death, Titus would cluck his tongue in frustration and admonish inaudible words to anyone who would be in his vicinity, trying to explain why his beloved FPJ did not deserve the treatment he was getting. If things got out of hand Titus would appear to be very distraught and attempt to fight the TV or the help who would
patiently explain FPJ was ok and eventually become victorious (as the plot would always thankfully go), calming the die hard fan back to the couch to watch the movie unfold.

This went on every day, as Titus was a creature of habit and thrived on schedules. I was back in Baguio when the television station stopped
airing FPJ movies, and wondered how Titus would go about his day, but figured technology would have caught up with the grand household and the afternoon routine would be honored. Life went on with me remembering Titus each time I saw FPJ on TV and more so
when he ran and lost the presidency. Titus died when FPJ started his problematic political career and I was silently happy, he was not alive to see the defeat and death of his idol, because I would not know how to explain to him what happened.

I still associate Titus with FPJ and when he was declared a National Artist for film, I imagined the winning smile of Titus, the one he has after each movie where his idol reigned supreme. Over the years, as I think of Titus and the simplistic life he led and was only made
exciting by a movie icon, I grew appreciate the films of FPJ. I found myself watching his old films and thinking the themes were so universal and relatable that no wonder the masses loved him so much. ‘ I realized the enormity of the fandom of FPJ and way of life he presented, good triumphing over evil, the poor becoming rich, injustice being rectified, and almost always, a David over Goliath scenario, fanning the flames of his following and building new ones along the way. I was a late bloomer FPJ fan, with both the movie legend and
Titus gone when I appreciated the films, It is an unending irony that the King of Philippine Movies, did not get the happy ending he deserved and the injustice done to him was never rectified, as we see in his films. Making politics and movie icons, never a good
combination.