"But one of the things that have come out of this is that we now see [FPJ's wife] Susan [Roces] in a different light," said Reyes.

"She had always opted to be two steps behind her husband," the director explained. "Now, we see her as a woman of courage and dignity. Her behavior and stature is incomparable."

Reyes said he watched the FPJ necrological services and burial on TV from 11 p.m. Tuesday to 6:30 a.m. Wednesday because he would rather give FPJ's family and relatives "some time and space" to be with the actor.

"I feel the burial should just be for those who are really close to FPJ and those directly related to him," he said.

Very few show biz celebrities opted to join Wednesday morning's five-kilometer funeral march from the Sto. Domingo Church in Quezon City to the Manila North Cemetery where the king of Philippine movies was laid to rest. Many of the celebrities were uncertain about their safety.

While some of them rode in cars and buses going to the cemetery, others stayed home to watch the proceedings on television, like veteran actor Robert Arevalo, who said he was glued to the TV set all night and during the morning burial.

"I found it impractical to attend the funeral because of the huge number of people," Arevalo told Inquirer Entertainment last Wednesday. "Also, my wife [Barbara Perez] came home late from a trip to the province, and she decided to rest."

Singer-actress Cris Villonco sang at FPJ's necrological service Tuesday night, but she decided that it would be best to "just stay home" when the king of Philippine movies was buried the next day.

"That was really our plan," said Villonco, who came to the wake with her mother Monique and grandmother Armida Siguion-Reyna. "My mom and I went home because we were uncertain about the security measures [implemented during the funeral]. But my grandma was still there when we left the church at 2 a.m."

Director Joel Lamangan, who campaigned for FPJ in the May presidential election, said he left Sto. Domingo Church shortly after he delivered a poignant eulogy, saying he had a terrible headache.

"I watched the Mass on TV and then I slept," the director told Inquirer Entertainment on Wednesday afternoon. "I went to FPJ's wake for seven nights. Each night, I would stay for about four to five hours. I was not really close to the man but during the short time we were together, I became impressed by his honesty. His death is a great loss to society."

Actors Christopher de Leon, Tirso Cruz III, Jestoni Alarcon, George Estregan Jr. and Jimmy Santos were spotted among those who joined the funeral march.

FPI's spokesperson and Sorsogon Rep. Francis Escudero and Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco were also there.

As early as 2 a.m. Wednesday, some 200 FPJ fans were already waiting at the Welcome rotunda on Espana for the horse-drawn carriage bearing the actor's coffin. When it arrived at about 6:30 a.m., the crowd lighted candles, waved flags and chanted "FPJ! FPJ! FPJ!"

"The media did a good job in their coverage of FPJ's death," said Arevalo. "They sort of answered the people's clamor for more news about their idol. I tuned in almost everyday.

"It was nice to talk about the man," the actor added. "It's as if he's still with us."