The woman for all

E·N·Q·U·I·R·Y
DEMAREE J.B. RAVAL

The woman for all
Tuesday, 12 28, 2004

The media frenzy over the death of Fernando Poe Jr. has now subsided, and very soon the images of grief - in the middle of this time of the year that has been traditionally regarded as a season of mirth - will give way to other scenes of sorrow, loss and pain of some other time, in some other clime. Then time and distance will splinter the memories of these scenes of tragedy, in the way acid ineluctably eats its way through adamant stone.

But some memories have a choosy persistence of their own. Such as that of the old woman from Sorsogon huddled in a corner of Santo Domingo Church, weeping silent tears now that her idol is gone. Such as the gross sight of a politician’s wife shedding crocodile tears before the camera as she self-consciously condoles with the rest of the nation. Such as the sweet confusion and the din created by the millions of mourners on their way to the North Cemetery. Such as the sight of Malacañang ridiculously barricaded with container vans, as a panicked reaction of its occupants to the rumor they themselves cooked up: that a howling mob of crazed fans and sympathizers of FPJ is all set up to storm the gates of the Palace at any time.

There is, however, one enduring memory that will stay and echo in the caverns of our minds for a long, long time. It is not the din of the grieving throng, nor the flights of impassioned oratory of those who eulogized FPJ, but the barely controlled anger in the voice of Susan Roces as she minced no words against those who had belittled, maligned and slandered her husband during the elections in May, 2004.

If she were alive today, my late mother would undoubtedly say it was very uncharacteristic of Susan Roces to come out and say honestly how she feels. My mother would probably remind me that FPJ had died without really articulating how he and Susan Roces, as a couple new to the rough-and-tumble of a politics that had to kowtow to media persons, viewed the way media had portrayed them. My mother, who had always seen Susan Roces as a gracious, gentle, dignified lady with an omnipresent smile on her face, would probably say that her outburst was definitely out of character.

But persons who know her intimately will say it is vintage Susan Roces. She might have put the things they said about FPJ out of her mind for a while, but napuno na ang salop and she could not put them entirely out of her feelings. So the dammed up feelings broke free, and the hurt found expression right on television for all the nation to witness and hear. We applauded this courageous woman because what she said were things we have always wanted to say but were frustrated at every turn by the police apparatus of the State and its mercenary media. When she declared that she will be the Voice of the People, Susan Roces, whether she liked or not, became at that moment not the grieving widow, but the crusading survivor. The dream that her husband kindled in the hearts of the masses has been rekindled.

The following comparisons need not be far-fetched: Susan in the league of a Sonja, Winnie, Jackie and Cory. Sonja Gandhi took over after the death of her husband Rajiv; Winnie Mandela carried the torch for her husband Nelson who was in prison. Jackie Kennedy continued to be the symbol of America’s dream of a new Camelot, long after her husband John had died at the assassin’s bullet; and Cory Aquino rising above her dead spread-eagled Ninoy at the tarmac. So how may Susan Roces fashion herself in the same mould as these brave, undaunted wives?

Susan Roces need not join the political Opposition. Not yet now, anyway. She is better off doing things on her own, in her own way, at a time of her own choosing. All she has to do now is give flesh to what she said that night she berated ABS-CBN and castigated the government for neglecting the poor: that she will be the Voice of the People.

It would do well for the political Opposition to let things as they are, and not inveigle Susan Roces to join this faction or that coalition. For as long as Susan Roces speaks her inner truths quietly but clearly, without being captive to labels, she will remain credible and believable.

Susan Roces is the new face of the people against a bad and insensitive government. She is critical without being offensive; combative without being obnoxious; effective without being malleable. She is credible without effort; articulate without the frills; sincere in every aspect; sharp, forthright, incisive and precise in her statements; and, honest. Above all, Susan Roces does not carry the grime and has not been tainted with the filth often generated by those in the political arena.

The way she put her foot down against any adventurism during the funeral of her husband was most commendable, and strikes everyone of her independence of mind.

This year had been a debacle to the political Opposition, not so much because they were robbed of the victory at the presidential polls, but more because they have not found a way to unite and carry on the fight against the entrenched government. Might not the political Opposition, just like the hopeful ordinary millions, now look to Susan Roces? Susan Roces not as a leader, but the exemplar on how one might deal with a government that is immensely corrupt, that is not governing, but most of all insensitive to the people’s needs?

When she declared that she was going to be the Voice of the People, I fervently hoped that Susan Roces, the non-politician, had not unwittingly set herself on a tortuous route that could lead to a private, personal hell. For hasn’t it been said that the road to hell is often paved with good intentions? I fervently hope that she would stay unaffected by the “good intentions” of those who may be merely out to use her. Thankfully, we have Susan Roces re-assuring us that she will not allow herself to be used.

Amid the uncertainties and catastrophes of this year, we have always thanked Providence even for the slightest favors that came our way. As the year draws to a close, perhaps we should also thank Fernando Poe Jr. for a Susan Roces, the Voice of the People and woman of the masses.

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