Bye, Roosevelt: LRT-1 Station in Quezon City is Now FPJ
Paparating na sa FPJ Station.
(SPOT.ph) Say goodbye to Roosevelt Station. LRT-1 just renamed its end station in Quezon City after the late king of the Philippine cinema, Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ) on his birthday this Sunday, August 20.
His daughter, Senator Grace Poe, led the renaming of the station on what would have been his 84th birthday. The name change follows the renaming of the 2.9-kilometer Roosevelt Avenue in Quezon City to FPJ Avenue, where "Da King" grew up.
"Sa pagbibigay ng pagkakataon na mailagay ang pangalan n'ya dito, ito po'y nagpapaalala sa bawat Pilipino para sa lahat ng kabutihan at lahat ng magagandang bagay na ginawa n'ya para sa ating bansa at sa kapwa, hindi lang sa aming industriya," actor Coco Martin, who played FPJ's Ang Probinsyano and Batang Quiapo, said during the unveiling.
"Hindi lang si FPJ ang magiging huli. Malay ninyo sa susunod iba naman sa ating industriya," the senator said.
Also read: Roosevelt Avenue in Quezon City is Now Fernando Poe Jr. Avenue
Who is FPJ, anyway?
A quick refresher: Poe was born Ronald Allan Kelly Poe in 1939 and rose to fame in the Philippines as an action star. He was called "Da King" for starring in over 300 movies in his almost five decades in the entertainment industry.
Among his many films, where he was usually the underdog, are Ang Probisyano (1996) and Batang Maynila (1962). He was also known as the mythical hero "Panday".
He ran for president in the 2004, coming second to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in an election hounded by alleged cheating. He died months later on December 14, 2004.
Two years later, in 2006, he was named as National Artist for Cinema.
Why LRT-1's Roosevelt Station was renamed FPJ Station
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Senator Lito Lapid filed Senate Bill No. 1822 to rename Del Monte Avenue in Quezon City to Fernando Poe Jr. Avenue to honor his legacy to Philippine culture and the arts.
"Much of his legacy lives on in FPJ productions located in Del Monte Avenue in Quezon City," Lapid said in his explanatory note.
The bill was opposed by priests as Del Monte Avenue was named after San Francisco del Monte, a Franciscan retreat founded by a missionary who was later canonized as a saint.
Senator Vicente "Tito" Sotto III asked to tweak the bill, saying Roosevelt Avenue—where Poe grew up—should be renamed instead.
Poe's daughter Grace, who was also a sitting senator at that time, abstained from voting. The bill was approved 22-0-1.
On December 10, 2021, then President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11608 to change the name of Roosevelt Avenue to reflect the actor's name. Almost two years later, LRT-1 follows suit.