Golden Grace
The daughter of two superstars. Wife, mother, friend, senator, presidential candidate, showbiz royalty.
From the moment she came into the lives of “Da King” Fernando Poe Jr. and his queen Susan, Mary Grace Poe lived a life fiction writers could only envy. It had plots and sub-plots, twists and turns, a King, a Queen, a Prince Charming and a Palace by the Pasig. It also had — still has — a happily ever after.
And so Sen. Grace PoeLlamanzares’ 50th birthday party last Monday was like having characters step down from the silver screen or a NetFlix original. And yet there they were, in real life, with the “Probinsiyano” in the same room as tycoons Manny V. Pangilinan, Jaime Zobel de Ayala, Ricky Razon, Erramon
Aboitiz and Alice Eduardo, to name a few. Aside from Coco Martin, there were the celebrant’s own radiant mother Susan Roces and half-sister Lovi Poe. King of Pop Martin Nievera, Rico J. Puno, Ogie Alcasid and Regine
Velasquez performed on stage, as did Grace’s classmates from high school, who did a rousing dance number. If you ask me, I don’t know who among them stole the show. On second thought, perhaps Rico Puno did, because he came straight out of the hospital to Whitespace to sing for Grace’s party.
Susan’s tribute brought tears to many eyes when she said, “Grace, you were a grace to Ronnie and me the moment you came into our lives…I love you.”
Neil Llamanzares recounted their love story. Grace is his first girlfriend, his first and his last love. The first time he came to pick up Grace from the Poe home, he had no idea she was FPJ’s daughter till he saw the Amorsolo portrait of Susan Roces in the living room. But he was in for the ride of being the husband of a celebrity’s daughter, though he wasn’t prepared to be a senator’s and presidential candidate’s husband. And all this he embraced for the love of Grace.
“I mean for somebody who withstood so much, to stay with me. I mean, to go through what we’ve gone through — and I know you didn’t bargain for this — this is not what we expected in life. But it threw us a curve ball. Thank you for not leaving me — this is what I’m asking. I think my fellow senators can totally relate to this, nagpasalamat na ba kayo sa mga asawa ninyo? Maraming salamat. So, to my husband, thank you,” Grace, looking like a debutante in a white dress by Paul Cabral, said.
Her son Brian said he was born when his father was still in graduate school, and his mom, a hands-on mom who used to bring him to and pick him from school. “And I can’t believe you’re a senator now,” Brian said. “Five decades is a lot of days and a lot of hours and you are here today because you’re part of my 50 years and I thank you all, for making an effort to be here,” Grace told her guests.
“First I’d like to thank my mom, who without her I don’t think I would’ve stood a chance anywhere. She was the one who really taught me the basic foundations of what I believe in, of what should I do, how should I act. Thank you mom for your courage, thank you for showing by example that you should always be compassionate but you should always be wise.”
Grace also recounted that her mom recently chided her for not having enough bonding time with her. “She said, ‘Aba, kailan na tayo magkwekwentuhan. Baka nakalimutan mo hindi ka lang senador, anak din kita’. And so thank you mom for always reminding me what the important things are.” “To my children I’m so proud of you because — my high school friends are witness to this — we weren’t exactly as dedicated as you are now to your academic pursuits. So you are really a bonus for me…I guess nagmana kayo kay Neil, so salamat na lang,” she told Brian, Hanna and Nika. To her fellow senators, both from the majority and the minority, she said, “I think the important thing is we rally together for what we believe is important for the country, all of us.” She thanked her Assumption high school friends “for keeping our secrets.” “You make everything lighter for me.” Earlier, her half-sister Lovi thanked her Ate Grace for “filling in the gaps” after their father FPJ died. And to Lovi, Grace said, “Sa aking kapatid na si Lovi, maraming salamat. Alam n’yo, itong si Lovi, talagang mas na-touch ako dito. Umiyak pala ‘to kasi nakita niyang nangayayat ako noong kampanya. Sabi niya sobra daw payat ng kapatid niya and gusto ko lang sabihin sa’yo
actually masaya ako noon na pumayat ako ng ganun.”
But the Golden Girl said that she mostly dedicates the party, her life “to my mom, to my husband and to my children.”
“Thank you for standing by me,” she said. And I took out a Kleenex and dabbed the tear in the corner of my eye. And it was just like in the movies, but with a life that was ever so real.