Arroyo not afraid of movie actor's candidacy: official

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, November 26, 2003

Arroyo not afraid of movie actor's candidacy: official

The Philippine presidential palace said Wednesday that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is not afraid of the bid by local movie actor Fernando Poe, Jr. for presidential candidacy.

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The Philippine presidential palace said Wednesday that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is not afraid of the bid by local movie actor Fernando Poe, Jr. for presidential candidacy.

The movie icon will give the president a good fight at the polls, Jose Rufino, presidential liaison officer on political affairs, said in a statement.

Poe is dubbed Action King by local movie fans for the numerous action films he directed or in which he played the leading roles.

In a separate statement, the palace said it welcomes Poe to theworld of politics, and symbolically wished him all the best.

"There comes a day in a man's life when you have to decide and this is the day. I am running for president," Poe told a press briefing earlier on Wednesday as he formally threw his hat in the presidential race, which also put an end to months of speculation among the public on his political plan.

Investors, however, have expressed concern about his close tiesto the camp of Joseph Estrada, another movie actor whose presidency collapsed under corruption allegations in January 2001.

Observers here said the polls, set in May 2004, will be very possibly among Poe, President Arroyo, former Education Secretary Raul Roco, and Senator Panfilo Lacson.

Poe, 64, commands a huge following across the Philippines, especially among the Christians and Muslims in Mindanao. His real name is Ronald Allan Poe.

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