Tanggol (Coco Martin) is finally free! But unlike other stories of emancipation from prison, not everyone is happy about it, as seen in the previous week’s (April 1 to April 5) episodes of FPJ’s Batang Quiapo since his return to the outside world only means trouble and chaos, especially to his father Rigor (John Estrada) and brother David (McCoy de Leon). At the same time, Olga (Irma Adlawan) is also threatened by his freedom as it will hinder her and David’s wicked plans.
Just a day after Bubbles (Ivana Alawi) got out of the correctional, Tanggol was also freed after the court completely cleared him from all the charges filed against him. However, his cherished friends would not be coming with him since they were still not acquitted from their illegal possession of prohibited drugs case.
Thus, they couldn’t help but be turn emotional on Tanggol’s last day in prison as they wished him well and asked him to send their regards to their loved ones in the outside world. Celso (Soliman Cruz) did the same, as well as the other inmates who expressed how much they’ll miss their presence inside. Before leaving, Tanggol dropped by the office of Chief Espinas (Jaclyn Jose) who personally handed to him the copy of his release order and warned him against telling the authorities, especially his father Rigor (John Estrada) about their dirty business.
As soon as they got out of the facility, Marcelo (Nonie Buencamino) invited Tanggol to come with him and Dante (Dan Alvaro) as his way of paying back his good deed for him. But Tanggol declined and reminded him that he never promised to join them as he would pay him off someday in other way. Dante expressed his disgust as soon as Tanggol left, but Marcelo told him that they would never stop until they obtained his trust.
While they were supposed to be happy and excited about Tanggol’s homecoming, Marites (Cherry Pie Picache) and Santino (Ronwaldo Martin) were anxious instead since both Rigor and David (McCoy de Leon) were both at home. So, they hurriedly go to their stall at the market in an attempt to stop him just in case he would swung by there.
Unfortunately, that was not what happened as Tanggol went straight to their home after stopping by the Quiapo Church to pray. He was welcomed by an infuriated David, who assaulted and pointed a gun at him as he accused him of escaping from prison. David called out Rigor, who was as vehemently mad at Tanggol as him.
Even though he presented to them his release order to prove that he didn’t escape, both David and Rigor refused to accept it as they wanted him out of their sights and lives. Just when Tanggol expected that Marites would defend him, it truly broke his heart that even her shooed him away in order to prevent further trouble that their altercation would cause and to maintain the peace at their home.
As soon as they’re done dealing with Tanggol, Rigor castigated David for having a gun, which the latter explained was for his protection at work. He reminded him to use it responsibly, or else he would punish him just like what he did to Tanggol. Rigor also told Marites to never allow Tanggol to go back at their house if she does not want their family to be completely broken.
Escorting his brother out of Sandimas along with their barangay chairman and tanods, Santino imparted to Tanggol everything that happened in their family while he was still inside the prison. As Santino expressed his willingness to go with his beloved kuya since it’s only David who Rigor favors, Tanggol discouraged him and told him that their father is just being strict especially with the both of them because he loves them.
While walking aimlessly along the bustling streets of Quiapo, he almost got immediately involved in a crime after a thief intentionally passed on to him Roda’s (Direk Joel Lamangan) bag containing a huge amount of money. An intense chase ensued between him and the police, from which he was able to escape. Instead of keeping the money, he decided to give it away to an elderly woman and her grandchild that he spotted asking for alms.
Tanggol then proceeded to the street given to him by Bubbles and bumped into her friend Jelly (Kim Rodriguez), who accompanied him going to where Bubbles and her family live. Bubbles was, of course, delighted to see him again and got kilig when he showed off the cap she gave him.
Just like everyone, Bubbles also initially doubted that he was freed the legal way. But she accepted his explanation and even offered for him to stay with them for the meantime while he has still nowhere to go. She also treated his wounds, cleaned her blood-smeared face, and offered to help him get a job at the bar where she and Jelly work.
While Tanggol was away, Marites invited Beng, a.k.a. Olga (Irma Adlawan) to come over their house to vent out to her and asked for her help. Olga found out that Tanggol already came out of prison, which surprised her and got her agitated with David at the same time. They also tackled Marites marital woes as her doubts about Rigor still lingers, in which Olga advised her to act on it instead of just brooding and crying about it.
At the Caballero mansion, meanwhile, Tindeng cooked her signature dish tinolang manok again, but this time for Catherine (Ara Davao), as her peace offering following their disastrous first meeting. Unlike her grandparents Señora Bettina (Tessie Tomas) and Señor Facundo (Jaime Fabregas) and her brother Pablo (Elijah Canlas), Catherine is relatively gracious.
Upon learning that Catherine is communicating with someone named “Hesus,” Pablo got dubious that it’s the fake Montenegro heir. So, he asked his trusted right-hand Ruben (Yce Navarro) to investigate. Meanwhile, Marcelo and Dante headed straight to the Caballero mansion and tell Señor Facundo that Tanggol cannot be with them yet as he wanted to go home to his family first before joining them.
Meanwhile, as Primo (Lito Lapid) and Amanda (Lorna Tolentino) were preparing to leave, Lucio (Ronnie Lazaro) met with the Batang Tondo gang as he offered to be their leader, which they accepted after Edwin (Ping Medina) vouched for him.
Many viewers were indeed sorely touched by the heartfelt farewell of Tanggol with his friends as he left them inside the prison on the day of his release. But what ripped our hearts more was when we saw Rigor and David ganging up on him and Marites and Santino couldn’t do anything to help him out of fear. Making matters worse was when Marites chickened out in defending his firstborn from Rigor and even drove him away for the sake of maintaining the peace in their family and place.
Thus, a lot of netizens expressed their resentment on Rigor and David for having the audacity to mistreat Tanggol and repeatedly called him a criminal when, in fact, their offences are much graver and unforgivable than the misdeeds of Tanggol. At the same time, Marites’ decision on the situation drew ire from many as she once again proved – according to some netizens – how foolish she is for choosing her philandering husband again over her precious son.
On the other hand, while we felt sorry and upset about what happened to him, we also admire Tanggol for the unconditional love he has for his family, particularly for Rigor and David in spite of how cruel both of them are to him. He still chose to see them in a good light instead of holding grudges against them, especially Rigor.
Here are some of the tweets about the previous week’s episode of FPJ’s Batang Quiapo.
Will Tanggol be successful in fulfilling his aspiration to live a new life now that he’s finally free? Let’s find out by not missing an episode of FPJ’s Batang Quiapo, weeknights at 8 PM, on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z. You may also watch episode highlights on ABS-CBN Entertainment's official website and YouTube channel, as well as past episodes on iWantTFC.