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Sitting for a free-wheeling, no-holds-barred Conversation at the sala of his house on Folk St. in North Greenhills, San Juan City, Pres. Joseph “Erap” Estrada simply smiles. His no-comment response seems to say it all.

But in a forthcoming TV commercial for an arthritis medicine, Erap will be shown running alongside that man in an earlier commercial for the same product, who is asking him, “Makakatakbo ka pa ba?,” with Erap answering, “Sino’ng may sabing hindi? Humabol kayo!”

He said that what he’s preparing for is his comeback movie, Ang Tanging Ama, produced by Star Cinema for the Metro Manila Film Festival in December, with Ai-Ai delas Alas as his leading lady, directed by Wenn Deramas who also directed Ai-Ai’s other hit Tanging Ina movies.

As he turns 72 today, Erap is still as playful as ever, his sense of humor intact.

He points to the wall where hang two huge paintings of him and his wife, Sen. Loi Ejercito, done by Isabel Diaz (sister of Gloria Diaz).

“Loi commissioned those paintings,” he says, “so the artist would make her look slimmer.”

Around the sala are piles of boxes to be distributed today among poor folks as part of his birthday celebration. Before this Conversation, Erap showed us a DVD titled DESTINY (Power Returns to the Masses) which showcases his rise in politics, from San Juan Mayor to President of the Philippines, and how he was robbed of the Presidency which he was never able to fully served.

Earlier that day, Star Cinema executive producer Malou N. Santos and company sat with Erap to finalize the production of Tanging Ama. No, he doesn’t reveal how much his talent fee will be (must be immaterial) but only how excited he is to return to a field he left more than two decades ago.

What’s on Erap’s mind on his birthday?

How will you spend your birthday?

“I’m giving away about 30,000 gift packs to residents of depressed areas in Metro Manila, like Payatas and Dagat-Dagatan...” (Adding in half-jest) “...instead na maghahanda ako para sa mga burgis. Maghahanda na ako, GRO pa ako. With so many hungry people around, I’d rather feed the poor.”

Do you still have a birthday wish?

“Yeah. Sana this government will concentrate on the problems of our people, like unemployment and food security. You know, an empty stomach knows no law. Kapag nagutom na ang tao, pati pagdadasal nakakalimutan na.”

Tell us more about your comeback movie, Tanging Ama.

“They are still preparing the script. It’s a comedy, like the Erap series (Erap Is My Guy, Ander de Saya si Erap, Tatay Na Si Erap, etc.). Maybe I’ll play a jeepney driver. The last time I did a comedy was many years ago, Machunurin, with Gloria Diaz. It was like an Erap movie. Comedy. The last time I did a movie was in 1988, Sa Kuko ng Agila, with (then Sen.) Nikki Coseteng. Comedy is better than drama these days. Sa dami ng naghihirap ngayon, bakit mo pa paiiyakin ang tao? It’s better to make them laugh. It will be a relief.”

Don’t you have any “first-time” jitters? Hindi ka ba naninibago?

“Technically, yes. High-tech na ang paggawa ng movies ngayon. And also, so many actors and actresses were discovered during my absence that I don’t know most of them.”

Is the movie in preparation for, uh, 2010?

(Emphatic) “No! Last year pa plinano ‘yan, eh, kaya lang na-delay. I chose Ai-Ai as my leading lady because she’s the Box-Office Queen; di ba her movie (Ang Tanging Ina N’yong Lahat) was the top-grosser in the (2008) Metro Manila Film Festival? Our movie will also be shown at the Metro Manila Filmfest in December.”

Are you and Ai-Ai really going to have a kissing scene?

“Maybe. She will play my wife.”

You look fit, as macho as ever.

“My doctor gave me a clean bill of health during my recent executive check-up. My blood pressure is normal, my blood sugar is normal, everything is normal. I undergo executive check-up every six months.”

How’s your diet?

“I should start going on a diet before I start shooting the movie in July or August. I eat three square meals a day, no more snacks in-between. I have to lose 10 to 15 pounds. Now, I’m 185 lbs.”

Are you still fond of lechon?

(Laughs) “Wala kasing bawal sa akin, eh! I can eat anything. But I should stop eating lechon muna and fatty food.”

Do you work out?

“I have my own gym at home. I work out every day on the stationary bike; I lift dumbbells, I do sit-ups. Nagsa-sauna bath din ako every other day.”

Do you sleep soundly?

“These days, since I’m busy, I go to sleep at around 2 a.m. and wake up at 7 a.m. Ayoko namang uminom ng sleeping pills because they affect my memory; nagkakaroon ako ng mental block. If I sleep five to six hours, okey na ako.”

How do you cope with stress? Do you get a massage; do you watch movies?

“Massage, yes; I don’t watch movies, kaya nga hindi ko na kilala ang mga artista, eh.”

What about your sex life?

“Yes, okey na okey! Somebody asked me, ‘Ayos ba ang sex life mo?’ I said, ‘Dati, araw-gabi. Ngayong more than 70 na ako, gabi-gabi na lang!’ Joke only ha!” (Followed by laughter)

Looking back, what are your fond memories about showbiz?

“It wasn’t really all glamour and money. Showbiz launched my political career. I acquired my assets through showbiz. FPJ and I learned our lesson early. When Jose Padilla Jr. died a pauper, na ni pampalibing ay wala, it was an eye-opener for us. Leopoldo Salcedo died under the same circumstances. And they were big stars during their time, ha! FPJ and I told ourselves that we should learn from those incidents. So we started producing movies in which we also starred. We banked on our status as superstars. Sa layout pa lang ng aming movies, with our names printed in big, bold letters, theater-owners all over the country nag-a-advance deposit na. You know, it’s easy to be a superstar but it’s hard to maintain it.”

You starred in more than a hundred memorable movies, most of them classic. What are your top three favorites?

“Markang Rehas for which I won my first FAMAS Best Actor award. There’s also Kumander Alibasbas. And Diligin Mo ng Hamog ang Uhaw na Lupa.”

Unlike most of the stars today who spend their earnings as if there were no tomorrows, you and FPJ led simple, if colorful, lives.

“And we started saving early. We spent wisely. If I earned P1 million per picture, I would save 70 percent of it and invest it on real estate. I also bought houses and lots.”

What were your whims... women?

“You know, one advantage of superstars is that sila ang nilalapitan ng mga babae, unlike those executives in Makati who couldn’t get women without spending too much.”

What do you miss most about FPJ?

“His friendship. He was like a brother to me, one person who I could really trust. He also gave me (pieces of) advice. When we started producing movies, he advised me to get my own directors and scriptwriters, ‘So they can take care of you,’ sabi niya.”

You’ve played all kinds of roles. Any more roles left unplayed?

“I played mostly marginalized characters — farmer, labor leader, taxi driver, squatter, etc. The public loved watching FPJ and me in those roles. They didn’t want us in glamorous roles. We did one movie together, Los Palikeros, and it was a big flop. Ayaw ng mga fans na naka-Amerikana kami, eh. All the movies that FPJ and I did together were box-office hits, except that one. Ayaw maniwala ng mga tao na palikero kami, eh. Pang-Romeo Vasquez ang ganoong pelikula, eh.”

Sa babae, pareho ba kayo ng taste ni FPJ?

“No. Kaya nga hindi kami nagkaribal, eh. Ako mahilig sa morena, siya mahilig sa maputi. If ever we had a crush on the same woman, nagbibigayan kami.”

No sharing?

“No!”

After everything that happened to you, especially in politics, haven’t you become more careful about choosing your friends?

“You know, maybe one of my faults is that I’m too trusting. That’s what I learned in politics. That’s what put me down — my being too trusting.”

Can you tell who are true and sincere friends?

“It’s hard. I haven’t found somebody like FPJ. When I ran for mayor (of San Juan back in the late ’60s), he helped me campaign from house to house. When I ran for Senator, he was with me in the campaign, at ganoon din when I ran for Vice President. When I ran for President, he stopped making movies and concentrated on campaigning for me; he was with me day and night. And he never asked me any favor. It’s hard to find a true friend like FPJ. He was one of a kind. Wala siyang katulad.”

Is it true that you were the one who convinced FPJ to run?

“Yes, it’s true. At first, he was reluctant. Pero nang maging malakas na ang clamor, pumayag na siya. He visited me at the Veterans (Hospital where Erap was detained — RFL). He was there from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Naka-six cups of coffee kami. He was honest. Sabi niya, ‘Erap, how could I be President? I don’t know anything about politics, how much more about government?’ I told him, ‘There’s no school for presidents. When I ran for mayor, I didn’t know anything about public administration but after three years I was chosen one of the Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM), in the field of public administration.’ A bar topnotcher could become president, but what would he know about medicine, about agriculture, about science and technology? I told FPJ, ‘What is important is for you to be surrounded by people who are experts in their respective fields. Let them do the work for you and make only the major decisions. And whenever you make decisions, you must always remember to decide for the greater good of the greatest number and you’ll never go wrong.’ The next day, FPJ talked to brilliant minds like Randy David and others. And then, he called a press conference and announced that he was running.”

You are known to be forgiving, one who doesn’t hold grudges...

“...That was what I learned during my incarceration. In the Lord’s Prayer, it says there, ‘Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.’ If you don’t know how to forgive, you are not a true Christian. When I learned how to forgive those who have sinned against me, nagkaroon ako ng peace of mind.”

...and you are prayerful.

“You know, I pray to the rising sun. God said, ‘I’m the Light and the Way and the Truth.’ That light was made by God and I see God’s image there.”

As a father, do you play favorites?

“No. But I’m a disciplinarian. I make sure that all my children get the best education. I remember my father telling me, ‘Ang dugo na nananalaytay sa kanilang mga ugat ay Ejercito, so they are your responsibility. Give them the best education’.”

How many children do you have all in all?

“Twelve lang.”

What if others would come up and claim that they are your children, too?

“Kung akin, akin talaga. Hindi ko idi-deny.”

If you were to live life all over again, would you do it the same way?

“Yes, I won’t change anything.”

And how do you want to be remembered?

“As the champion of the poor.”

From: yahoo.com news

(E-mail reactions at rickylo@philstar.net.ph or at entphilstar@yahoo.com) - CONVERSATIONS With Ricky Lo (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)