FPJ supporters mark idol's 71st birth anniversary

Supporters and kin of the late action movie king and defeated 2004 presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr. gathered at the North Cemetery in Manila Friday to mark his 71st birth anniversary. Radio dzBB reported Friday noon the supporters and relatives discussed plans to beef up a foundation that will help victims of poverty and calamity. The report said they wanted to strengthen the FPJ Foundation's capability, particularly to help the poor who are sick to buy the medicines they need. Among those who attended the event were Poe's daughter Mary Grace and niece Sheryl Cruz. Poe - Ronald Allan Kelley Poe in real life - gained immense popularity among the masses after starring in movies where he played a role of the champion of the oppressed. He ran for president in 2004 but lost to then administration candidate and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He claimed he was cheated but could not pursue an electoral protest as he succumbed to a stroke in December 14, 2004. — LBG, GMANews.TV