Solons mourn veteran actress’ passing

HOUSE Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez expressed his deepest condolences to Sen. Grace Poe following the passing of her mother, veteran actress Susan Roces last Friday at the age of 80.

“I express my deepest condolences to Sen. Grace Poe on the passing of her mother. Ms. Susan Roces was an icon of grace and epitome of professionalism. The Philippine movie industry has been truly blessed for having been the working home of one of the country’s most prolific and popular actresses. Philippine cinema would never be the same without her,” said Romualdez.

Poe announced Roces’ passing on Facebook with this short message: “With great sadness, we announce the loss of our beloved Jesusa Sonora Poe, whom many of you know as Susan Roces. She passed away peacefully on a Friday evening, May 20, 2022, surrounded by love and warmth, with her daughter Grace, her nephews Joseph and Jeffrey and many of her family and close friends.

She lived life fully and gracefully. Remember her in her beauty, warmth and kindness. She is now with the Lord and her beloved Ronnie – FPJ. We will miss her sorely but we celebrate a life well lived. Susan Roces – daughter, mother, grandmother, a true Filipina and a national treasure.”

Senator-elect Raffy Tulfo on Saturday urged President Rodrigo Duterte to declare a national day of mourning on the day of burial of Roces.

At the same time, the broadcaster and several senators expressed sympathies to Poe and their family for the passing of the actress.

“Few celebrity icons are as loved as Ms. Susan Roces. Hindi mawawaglit sa alaala naming mga tagahanga niya ang kanyang di mabilang na mga pelikula, programang pang-telebisyon, at patalastas,” Tulfo said in a statement.

“Jocelyn, Ralph, my entire family, and I express to Senator Grace Poe our sincerest condolences on the passing of her mother, Susan Roces, beloved by all Filipinos… We ask President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to declare a national day of mourning on the day of her burial. (ACT-CIS) Rep. Jocelyn Tulfo will file a House Resolution next week extolling Ms. Susan Roces’ legacy and recommending her nomination for posthumous National Artist honors. Again, our sympathies to all who loved and adored Ms. Susan Roces,” he added.

Senator Lito Lapid, Roces’ co-actor in a teleserye, thanked her for being an inspiration to other personalities.

“Salamat sa pagiging inspirasyon hindi lamang sa aming mga taga-industriya ng pinilakang-tabing kung hindi sa maraming Pilipinong humahanga at tumitingala sa iyong galing at ganda. Malungkot man si Pinuno sa iyong pagpanaw mananatili at aking ipagdiriwang ang magagandang alaala ng ating pagsasama sa harap at sa likod ng kamera. Paalam at salamat Lola Flora,” Lapid said.

Meanwhile, Senate President Vicente ‘Tito’ Sotto III said their family was devastated upon hearing the sad news but admitted that he was not surprised.

“We were so sad last night nung nalaman namin and of course alam nyo naman siguro na very, very close hindi lang ang pamilya namin, si Helen mismo ay very close kay Inday Susan, so talagang she was devastated hanggang kaninang madaling-araw umiiyak pa,” Sotto said.

“Hindi ko na ikinabigla kasi about a few days ago nung andito si Sen. Grace Poe sa amin…pinag-uusapan nila na medyo hindi maganda ang timpla ni Inday Susan tapos nasa ospital. She was not eating properly masyado sya malungkot, dinadamdam nya siguro na mag-isa sya. I was expecting something na ganito. Yesterday nung tumawag sa akin na nasa ICU tapos inilipat sa kwarto, sabi ko is she better, sabi hindi raw,” explained Sotto.

For his part, Senator Panfilo Lacson is hoping that the fond memories of Mrs. Roces will bring comfort to the family during this hard time.

Senators Cynthia Villar, Nancy Binay, Sonny Angara, Richard Gordon, together with Senator-elect Chiz Escudero also sent their condolences and prayers to the family.

For his part, Pangasinan Rep. Christopher V.P. De Venecia said to honor Roces, he will enjoin the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) to spearhead a Susan Roces Film Festival wherein her films and other restored Filipino classics can be screened for the general public to appreciate her unparalleled legacy, or be made available through the FDCP streaming platform.

“Bilang kampyon ng creative industry sa kongreso at apo ni Doc Perez ng Sampaguita Pictures, nagdadalamhati po tayo sa pagpanaw ng ating national treasure na si Ms. Susan Roces. Lubos po ang ating pakikiramay kay Senator Grace Poe at sa kanilang buong pamilya,” De Venecia said.

“We also pay tribute to Tita Susan’s incredible cinematic and television legacy, being a pillar of the industry like her friend and my aunt Manay Ichu, and we take comfort in the fact that they are now reunited in heaven alongside the late King of Philippine movies, Fernando Poe, Jr.,” he added.

“We will continue to honor Tita Susan through the pursuit of policies and reforms for the audiovisual sector, particularly strengthening workers welfare, empowering the creation of more quality Filipino content, and paving the way towards the successful return of Filipino films to cinemas everywhere,” De Venecia also said.

De Venecia likewise enjoined all the stakeholders of the audiovisual sector, particularly film companies, the FDCP, Mowelfund and the Film Academy of the Philippines, to jointly set up a Health Care Fund to benefit workers from the Entertainment Industry, in honor of Roces.

Bagong Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera also issued a statement: “Nakikiramay po ako kina Senator Grace Poe, sa lahat ng naulilang pamilya, kaibigan, at milyun-milyong tagahanga ni Ms. Susan Roces. Ang mga pagganap ni Ms. Susan Roces bilang butihing ina, sa pelikula at telebisyon ang marahil pinakatatatak sa atin. At maging sa totoong buhay, ang ehemplo niya ng pagiging mapagkupkop at mapag-aruga ang huwarang maaaring pamarisan ng bawat Pilipino.”

“Sa mahaba at maningning niyang karera at di matatawarang ambag sa sining ng pag-arte, karapat-dapat si Binibining Susan Roces na kilalanin bilang Pambansang Alagad ng Sining,” Herrera added.

Senior Citizens party-list Rep. Rodolfo “Ompong” Ordanes, meanwhile, has also sought to honor the passing of Roces through a movie festival.

“On behalf of the legions of fans of Ms. Susan Roces, most of whom are seniors, I ask our fellow senior President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to order the Philippine Flag flown at half-mast all over the country to mourn the passing and honor the memory of Ms. Susan Roces. Magkasamang lumbay at masasayang alaala ang nararamdaman ngayon naming mga seniors sa pagpanaw ni Ms. Susan Roces,” Ordanes said.

“We ask the movie theaters to screen the movies of Susan Roces soon in select theaters so seniors can avail of the senior citizen privileges to watch their idol on the big screen yet again. The television networks would do well to follow suit by broadcasting the Susan Roces movies in their archives,” Ordanes added. By RYAN PONCE PACPACO & MARLON PURIFICACION