There was indeed a slew of exhilarating and nail-biting encounters that we’d seen in the previous week’s episodes of “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” – from the intense shootout of Tanggol’s (Coco Martin) group with the police to the exciting face-off among the love triangle of Marites (Cherry Pie Picache), Rigor (John Estrada), and Lena (Mercedes Cabral).
With Marites still not back from her meet-up with Olga, a.k.a. Beng (Irma Adlawan), which nobody in their household was aware of, Lena and Rigor assumed that she already stowed away with her mother, Tindeng (Charo Santos), after their altercation earlier that day. Little did they know that she actually got kidnapped by the henchmen of Olga and struggled to escape as the groups of Ramon (Christopher de Leon) and the Red Phoenix were clashing at the same time and place where her abductors took her.
Thus, Lena didn’t waste time grabbing the opportunity to take the place of Marites, literally and figuratively. She immediately renovated the bedroom of Marites and Rigor and considered it hers. She removed almost everything inside the room and change it the way she wanted it to appear. However, just when she thought that Rigor would be delighted about it, he instead felt appalled by what he’d seen.
Just a few moments after Marites left him in the clinic, where she rushed him to have his gunshot wounds treated, Ramon swiftly fled, especially when the nurse mentioned that a group of police would come to interrogate him regarding what happened. He was able to call Bullet (Renz Fernandez) and asked him to fetch him, only to arrive at the sight of David (McCoy De Leon) having a mini party with Olga and their other minions. The two were also shocked and, at the same time, disgusted to see that Ramon was still alive and that their supposed merriment for his anticipated death had to be stopped.
While escaping from the police during their group’s intense shootout with them, Madonna (Kim Domingo) got shot by PLT Luis Jacobe (Victor Silayan) and PLT Mario Samonte (Jorel Ramirez). She dropped the precious diamonds, including the Star of Venus, giving Tanggol the chance to get close to them as he saved her from the two officers who were after her.
As Don Facundo (Jaime Fabregas) immediately checked the attaché cases containing the gems upon their arrival, he got furious upon seeing that the Star of Venus was missing. He berated Madonna, who confessed that it was Tanggol who picked up the diamonds when she dropped them and put them all back before helping her. As Marcelo (Nonie Buencamino) and Don Facundo chided him, Tanggol simply reiterated what Madonna just said and told them that they would never betray the people who placed their trust in them.
He was apparently able to make them fall for it and even went on to impress them when he suggested that Don Facundo use the remaining gems and the illegal drugs in their possession to pay Ramon back. As the old man announced that they would pursue their old plan of running their own drug business and would need Tanggol and his team to be part of it, he also warned him about deceiving and double-crossing because they do not know what he can do to them. Even though Tanggol swore loyalty to him, Don Facundo still had a hunch that it was really him who took the Star of Venus.
After her unexpected and emotional encounter with Ramon, Marites went home totally distraught. She completely broke down upon learning from Mando (Allan Paule) that it was actually Tanggol who shot Rigor during their encounter with the fugitives, in which Tanggol was one of those who helped them escape. This convinced Marites that everything they said about her firstborn was all true – that he has indeed turned evil like his biological father, Ramon.
Just when Lena thought that Rigor would side with her anew after Marites went amok upon seeing what she had done to her bedroom, she got reprimanded by him instead and told her to return to her previous room. She attempted to object, but Rigor threatened her that she would be the one to lose her place in the house, which left her with no choice but to brood.
Even though Marites was obviously in distress, Rigor still confronted her about Tindeng’s complaint against him and told her not to keep any secrets from him. Since she decided to stay with them, he reiterated his foremost rule to not let either Tindeng or Tanggol in their house ever again.
As Pacing (Malou Crisologo) discovered that Tindeng snuck out of the mansion during work hours to visit her family in Quiapo, she immediately reported it to Señora Bettina (Tessie Tomas), who got fuming mad at her. She instantly fired her, but Don Facundo just came right in time to stop it. This led to a heated argument between the old couple, with Bettina putting Facundo in charge of Tindeng and everything that she would do next.
The group of Tanggol expressed their disappointment to Marcelo after he only gave him a meager amount after taking on their first mission. Marcelo reasoned out that it was just a down payment and they will receive the other half once they’re able to return the “Star of Venus” to Don Facundo. Just when we thought that the discussion over the missing gem was already over, Amanda (Lorna Tolentino) couldn’t help but doubt Tanggol, which he once again denied.
While they were underpaid, the group of Lucio (Ronnie Lazaro), on the other hand, received a hefty amount from Angkong (Joonee Gamboa) for “accomplishing” their mission of killing Ramon and seizing all the drugs manufactured and stored at their family’s laboratory. However, a fight also ensued between Kidlat (Bryan "Smugglaz" Lao) and Teban (Lordivino "Bassilyo" Ignacio) due to the deaths of their comrades.
The following day, Tanggol and his friends took a day off, telling Primo (Lito Lapid) and his group that they would just go to Quiapo to visit their loved ones. However, instead of really going to their destination, they went back to the place where their encounter with the authorities happened the day before.
That’s when he revealed to them that Don Facundo and Amanda’s suspicion about him was true, which impressed them because he really made a smart move. They went straight to a gambling place where Tanggol plans to find a buyer for their Star of Venus or just figure out how they’re going to make money off it.
As she asked David to accompany her to the hospital for her ultrasound, Camille (Yukii Takahashi) once again got declined by him, who was, unbeknownst to her, in a rush to attend his wedding with Katherine (Ara Davao).
Lena and Rigor once again had an argument as she asked him for money to buy a crib and some stuff for their baby, which he declined since he didn’t have a budget for it. She attempted to ask for help from David, but Rigor stopped her and berated her, saying that it’s not David’s responsibility to take care of their baby’s needs. After chasing David on his way out of their house to thank him for his generosity, she caught Rigor talking to Marites upstairs, which exasperated her.
Thinking of ways to make amends with the mother of his one and only heir, Ramon was eager to get closer to Marites by apparently inviting her to attend the wedding of their “son.” Thus, he asked Olga for her name, which she refused to provide since she knew that it’d be the end of her.
Rave comments from netizens
The previous week’s episodes of “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” indeed didn’t fall short of providing viewers with excitement, based on the reactions posted by Kapamilya netizens on X (formerly Twitter). We’d witnessed intense encounters among its ensemble – from the main characters to the supporting ones – that both amused and astounded us, as well as a number of scenes that either tugged at the heartstrings or provided us with good vibes.
Here are some of the rave comments from netizens who got to watch last week’s episodes:
Will Camille be completely harmed? Will David and Katherine’s wedding push through? Will Barbie Imperial’s character be a friend or a foe to Tanggol? Let’s all answer these questions and more by watching next week’s episodes of “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo,” weeknights at 8 p.m., on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, A2Z, and TV5.