Susan prays for Grace

Veteran actress Susan Roces

“I can only pray that she chooses to walk down the right path,” said veteran actress Susan Roces when the Inquirer sought her reaction to President Benigno Aquino’s pronouncement that her daughter, Sen. Grace Poe, is capable of being his successor.

Reports said Aquino had begun talking with Poe, as well as with other possible administration candidates for 2016. Another political party, PDP-Laban, expressed interest in pairing Poe with Rodrigo Duterte should the Davao City mayor decide to run for president.

Roces said she was flattered by the attention given to her daughter, but added that she was “in no position to comment on it. As a mom, I have no advice to give Grace. The only way I can show support is to pray for her.”

At a press conference for “Ang Probinsiyano,” her latest drama series on ABS-CBN, Roces said she would help Poe by being the best grandmother to her daughter’s children. “I try to be there for the kids during times when Grace is busy with work that she cannot tend to them. But she tries her best to effectively juggle work and family life.”

COCO Martin

Poe is married to Neil Llamanzares and has three kids, Hannah, Brian and Nikka.

During the same event, ABS-CBN announced its plan to produce the TV adaptation of the 1997 film “Ang Probinsiyano,” directed and top-billed by Roces’ late husband Fernando Poe Jr. Production will start later this year.

Not political

“FPJ had entrusted to ABS-CBN and Charo (Santos-Concio, network president) the rights to all his films. For me, this project came at the right time. Maybe this is Ronnie’s way of reaching out to us, for us to notice what is happening to the police force, especially with the recent turn of events.”

Roces was referring to the failed operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, that resulted in the death of 44 members of the Philippine National Police’s Special Action Force in January.

Roces clarified that there was “nothing political” in turning “Ang Probinsiyano” into a drama series. “Our intention was simply to make FPJ’s past stories known to more people.”

Kapamilya actor Coco Martin will play the title role. “It’s unfair to compare (Coco to FPJ). He will not portray FPJ, but FPJ’s character in the film,” Roces said. “We will see Coco’s own interpretation. We should not expect him to mimic everything that FPJ did in the movie.”