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Quezon 

Fred Hawson

<div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vgr-ABdgy9c?si=FvDzrIj7TRkkpLk7" title="YouTube video player" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div><p>This film about Manuel Luis Quezon has been highly-anticipated ever since it was announced as the third film of the &quot;Bayani-verse&quot; trilogy by director Jerrold Tarog. Starting with &quot;Heneral Luna&quot; (2015) and &quot;Goyo&quot; (2018) set during the Philippine Revolution of 1896-98, Tarog&#x27;s third installment will take a significant time-jump to the 1930s, tackling the story of the rise to power of the charismatic politician who would be elected President of the entire Philippines. </p><p>The present generation of Filipinos have a shallow knowledge about Quezon -- his name, the province and the city named after him, the P20 bill and coin, his advocacy for the Philippine language and the Philippine Commonwealth of which he was the first President. This new biographical film paints a multifaceted portrait of this complex man by detailing the conflicts he had with his contemporary political personalities on the way to the presidency.  </p><p>The first conflict was a fictionalized one -- Quezon vs. Joven Hernando. The fictional character of Joven Hernando is the string that connected all three films of the trilogy as he wrote about their lives as a journalist and as their friend. Hernando, now played as a middle age man by Cris Villanueva, had just his newspaper called Alerta closed down, and he believed that none other that Quezon himself caused that to happen. </p><p>The second conflict was between Quezon and Sergio Osmena. While Quezon was the Senate President (following his role in the passage of the Jones Law of 1916 that put the Philippines en route to independence), Osmena, played by in a simpering manner by Romnick Sarmenta, was the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Their scenes together had an unexpectedly comic tone as their relationship was compared to a bickering married couple. </p><p>The third conflict was between Quezon and American Governor-General Leonard Wood. Wood is played by Scottish actor Iain Glen, more widely known as Ser Jorah Mormont in the HBO series &quot;Game of Thrones.&quot; He was sent to determine if the Philippines was ready for independence. Quezon felt insulted when Wood called him an &quot;unscrupulous chameleon,&quot; and tried to discredit the American even if it meant getting retired Emilio Aguinaldo involved. </p><p>The fourth conflict was between Quezon and Aguinaldo (still played with intensity by Mon Confiado), who actually ran against each other in a heated first national presidential election in 1935. As early as back then, underhanded tactics were already being used. Two of this film&#x27;s most memorable scenes happen in this chapter -- Aguinaldo&#x27;s campaign parade in Malolos, Bulacan, and the stressful presidential mudslinging face-off in Bagac, Bataan.</p><p>Tarog also touched on early Filipino filmmaking with the character of Nadia (Therese Malvar), Hernando&#x27;s daughter, Quezon&#x27;s god-daughter. She was an aspiring filmmaker whom Quezon commissioned to create campaign short films for him. Nadia&#x27;s films were silent and in black and white as she was a fan of Murnau and Lang. Quezon also namedropped Harris and Tait, producers of &quot;Zamboanga&quot; (1927), Americans with top-of-the-line movie equipment then.</p><p>Jericho Rosales was an inspired choice to play the charismatic president, who spoke, argued and cursed with oratorical flair and passion. This film was certainly not romanticized nor haigographic.  Rosales played him as domineering, devious, dishonest -- promoting a political culture so toxic that still pervades our government even almost century hence. Rosales&#x27;s Quezon was fiercely egotistical up to his ultimate declaration of &quot;I am the Philippines!&quot; before the final fade to black. </p><p>With this final installment, Tarog continues the high technical, production and entertainment value, signature of the whole trilogy. Cinematography, production design, hair and make-up, and musical scoring were all top-notch.  As before, there were lots to learn about the less well-known details about the country&#x27;s political scene during that time. Don&#x27;t leave right away after the last scene as Tarog inserts an exciting mid-credits surprise.</p><div><br/></div><p>This review was originally published in the author&#x27;s blog, “<a href="https://said-fred.blogspot.com/2025/10/review-of-quezon-commonwealth-chameleon.html">Fred Said</a>.”</p>

<p>Jerrold Tarog’s long-awaited '<i>Quezon'</i> closes his Bayani-verse trilogy with a bold, unsentimental portrait of the country’s first president — brought to life by Jericho Rosales in a performance that captures both the brilliance and the moral contradictions of power.</p>

Jerrold Tarog’s long-awaited ' Quezon' closes his Bayani-verse trilogy with a bold, unsentimental portrait of the country’s first president — brought to life by Jericho Rosales in a performance that captures both the brilliance and the moral contradictions of power.

'Quezon' review: Jericho Rosales embodies flawed, fiery leader

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'Quezon' review: Jericho Rosales embodies flawed, fiery leader

Fred Hawson

Published October 15, 2025 12:49 PM PHT

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Quezon

Jericho Rosales

Jerrold Tarog

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