Poe family not interested in transferring FPJ's remains to Libingan ng Mga Bayani

Despite her father's status as a National Artist for Film, Senator Grace Poe said her family is not interested in transferring Fernando Poe Jr.'s (FPJ) remains from the Manila North Cemetery to the Libingan ng mga Bayani (Heroes' Cemetery).

In a speech delivered during a Thanksgiving Mass marking FPJ's 77th birth anniversary on Saturday, Senator Poe said she prefers that her father's final resting place be accessible to the ordinary people whom he loved.

"Mapayapa na ang kinalalagyan ni FPJ sa Manila North Cemetery. Malapit siya at puwedeng madalaw ng pangkaraniwang tao na sinimbulo at minahal niya. At nandoon din nakahimlay ang kanyang mga magulang," Poe said.

Aside from service personnel and former presidents, National Scientists and National Artists are also entitled to interment at the Heroes' Cemetery.

FPJ was posthumously declared a National Artist in 2006 by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, whom he ran against in the 2004 presidential elections.

The actor's family rejected Arroyo's motion. He was eventually conferred the title in 2012, after then President Benigno Aquino III affirmed the original proclamation.

The actor's family continues to honor his preference for simplicity, attending the Mass and laying flowers at his grave.

Poe, her mother Susan Roces, husband Neil Llamanzares and their children Brian, Hanna, and Nikka attended the ceremonies quietly.

Supporters from the Filipino for Peace, Justice and Progress Movement (FPJPM) and the Gawa and Prinsipyo Coalition also paid their respects to the late actor.

"Tuwing sasapit ang kaarawan ni FPJ, simpleng handaan lang ang nais nya. Ayaw nya ng magarbo. Gusto nya na sama-sama ang magkakatrabaho at mga tagahanga. Saan man sya abutin ng birthday, doon ang handaan," Roces said. — VVP, GMA News