Many may be vying for his title, but Coco Martin proves he’s still on the throne as Primetime King, with the successful premiere of his series FPJ’s Batang Quiapo. Coco appeared formidable in his action scenes in the pilot week, which we collated in this edition of Friday 5.
He commenced the teleserye with action right off the bat, taking us viewers to the main characters’ tragic history. Coco’s character Ramon, garbed in a stylish white suit, led a bank robbery with Olga (Ryza Cenon) which caused a commotion in Quiapo. The movie-like scene highlights Ramon’s prolific gun skills as a shootout ensued and led to an incredible chase.
He was trapped in the cramped labyrinth of the slums and climbed up onto the roof for easier escape from the cops and the residents who took out their weapons ready to fight for their territory. The men said that in their area, strangers likely come out dead, especially if they cause trouble as Ramon did.
He tried to evade Rigor (Ejay Falcon)’s bullets, but the latter furiously avenged his wife Marites (Miles Ocampo), who Ramon violated. The opening scenes mingled emotions, aggression, incredible stunts, and captivating cinematography, sending shivers down the spine.
The pilot week featured multiple scenes where Coco pulled off elaborate fights. One of the best crafted shows his character as Tanggol versus a group of men trying to steal the necklace he snatched from a lady because there are rules about who can pass which territory. Fighting back was Tanggol’s only option. He maximized the use of props like ‘palamig’ and vegetable carts to showcase his unmatched skill.
The next scene is a riot involving his younger brother Santino (Ronwaldo Martin) and the gang of a person he agreed to fight in a boxing match.
Also making it to this list is Taggol’s power punch that landed on the gut of Mokang (Lovi Poe)’s pervert professor. What happened was Tanggol volunteered to take Mokang to the campus and noticed she wasn’t in the mood to attend her classes. When asked, she said her professor looks at her with ‘X-ray eyes.’ Though Mokang isn’t a damsel in distress, Tanggol felt offended for his friend that he didn’t think twice about giving the professor his lesson.
Catch more action and comedy in FPJ’s Batang Quiapo, weeknights, on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z.