15 scenes that showcased Jaclyn Jose’s incredible versatility in FPJ’s Batang Quiapo

Whether in her quiet moments, intense confrontations, or action-packed sequences, Jaclyn Jose consistently delivered divine performances on screen. That’s why viewers knew she’d portray the ‘iron fist’ character Chief Dolores Espinas in “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” remarkably, but what caught us off guard was that this would be her final assignment after decades in her career.

As we grieve the loss of one brilliant star, we look back at her exceptional scenes that showcased her acting prowess in the series.

One of the skills of a true acting genius is being able to adapt to her co-stars’ thespic style, resulting in tangible rapport, which we witnessed in Jaclyn’s scenes with Robert Seña and Lao Rodriguez, who played Jail Warden Col. Balatucan and Jail Lieutenant Macasantos, respectively, her trusted right-hand men in the maximum-security prison. Although the only rose among the thorns, Jaclyn was able to paint Chief Espinas as the toughest among them, as the character applied force and violence in disciplining the inmates.

As the keepers of the correctional, the trio had mostly intense conversations about their ‘clients’ outside and their ‘trustees’, or the inmates they assigned with kill orders. But their camaraderie felt so organic that it allowed them to inject a bit of comedic twist into their otherwise fierce interactions. For instance, she playfully asked Macasantos if he was afraid of his "kapwa gago" as he suspected Balatucan of under-the-table transactions.

The thespian does not stare her audiences with something to look forward to, as everyone was on the edge of their seats watching her much-anticipated showdown with Irma Adlawan as Olga, the ‘contact’ who put a bounty on Tanggol (Coco Martin)’s head. Olga came like fire-breathing dragoness, spewing threats at Chief Espinas, but the latter had an even feistier response, “Araw-araw paggising pa lang namin, mga halang na bituka na ang kaharap namin kaya huwag mo akong tinatakot.” Her enemy had no choice but to leave her territory. Chief Espinas then ordered her men to return Olga’s money, declaring, “Akin si Tanggol.”

Her acting duel with Rigor (John Estrada) and Mando (Allan Paule) likewise kept viewers glued to their screens. In this scene, the cops checked on Tanggol’s situation in the correctional, as Rigor suspected the officers were using Tanggol for illegal businesses and missions outside the jail. Chief Espinas didn’t falter as she played mind games with the guys and insisted that she makes the rules inside her territory, pretending that Tanggol was only sent to the isolation cell or “bartolina.” She then asked Macasantos to escort the visitors out, not in the form of pleading, but by command.

Jaclyn would deliver the same amount of ‘badass’ in her scenes with Bong (Vandolph Quizon)’s group, especially when she lambasted them for their lapses, unaware that this would sow the seeds of vengeance in Bong’s mind.

In some instances, Jaclyn subtly revealed her character’s compassion, such as when she ordered Bubbles (Ivana Alawi) to prepare a special breakfast for Tanggol after he got punished by her men.

The veteran actress got to display her flair for action-packed sequences as well. She enthralled viewers with a perfectly choreographed gunfight as her team backed up Tanggol’s group in their mission to topple down the Red Phoenix mafia, leaving everyone in the dust with her sharpshooting skill.

Just when we thought Chief Espinas was unbreakable, she fell to Bong’s bullet during the commotion of prison week, although her character was said to have survived the shooting but is under critical condition.

Much like her unrelenting on-screen persona, Jaclyn showed no signs of slowing down as an actress, but, just like the plot twists in teleseryes, life can also be unpredictable. Jaclyn passed away on Saturday, March 2.