Poe almost became a priest or a soldier, says wife

Action star and presidential aspirant Fernando Poe Jr. almost became a priest or a military man.

"Did you know that Ronnie (Poe's nickname) almost became a priest? Had his father lived, he would have let Ronnie become a priest or enroll him in a military school," said his wife Susan, also an actress.

New in the game, she said, "I cried because of the criticism that he could not rule; that he was a high school drop-out. His father died early and he became the breadwinner of the family at 11.

"When I look at the picture of Ronnie and his siblings around their father's coffin, it was as if they couldn't figure out what was really happening," she said. The actor would often talk about how his father appeared in his dream and ordered him to take care of his siblings.

"My mother-in-law did well in bringing up the family and in sending the children to school. But Ronnie, the eldest, took the initiative of helping his mom," said she, adding that Poe's mother produced his first film entitled the Son of Palaris.

"But Ronnie became restless; he couldn't focus on his studies (at San Sebastian High School). So he devoted his time to the movies," said Susan.

Talking about the actor's response to criticism against him, that he is a political tyro, his wife said, "Ronnie was not resenting that criticism because it's true, he doesn't have any experience in government."

She also turned sentimental about the venue where her husband declared his plan to run as president, saying that their romance blossomed after their first meeting at Manila Hotel in 1964.

Noting Poe's ultimate goal, she said, "All these past years he dedicated himself to being an actor. Now, he wants to do something for our country."