LOOK: The intense work behind Tanggol and David’s record-breaking showdown in “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo”

You know the whole nation has been fuming at McCoy de Leon’s character, David, in "FPJ’s Batang Quiapo" as the series set a new all-time high record of 818,949 peak concurrent viewers with it's February 18 episode, which finally gave viewers the long-awaited moment of Tanggol (Coco Martin) finding out how David had been audaciously stealing his identity.

The episode picks up from David recklessly squandering money at a casino, which, unbeknownst to him, is run by Tanggol’s group. After losing everything, he desperately pawned a land title registered under Tanggol's real name, Jesus Nazareno Montenegro. That document lands right in Tanggol’s hands, and with extra information from Madonna (Kim Domingo), Tanggol finally connects the dots—David had been posing as him all along. 

And when Tanggol gets furious, he doesn’t just let things slide—he drags his enemies straight to the portals of hell. That’s exactly what happened when he nearly smashed David’s face with the punishment he served. Viewers must have found it beyond satisfying, with more than 800, 000 netizens tuning in to witness the intense showdown.

Behind the scenes, the cast and production team went all out for this big moment, as revealed in a video shared by CCM Film Productions.  

They meticulously planned every detail, from the cinematography to the all-important acting and fight choreography, making sure that Tanggol’s brutal beating of David would feel as visceral as possible. In the photos, David was literally sprawled across the casino tables after Tanggol sent him flying.

Coco delivered pure, unfiltered rage in every move, like when Tanggol showed no mercy by grabbing David and slamming his face down.  

Of course, the entire scene hinged on the actors’ nuances. Coco and McCoy embodied every ounce of wrath, fear, and everything in between, which is a stark contrast to their friendly off-screen dynamic. Check their BTS photo, where they’re all smiles once the cameras stop rolling:  

Will David still be able to flash that smug grin of his in the next episodes? Because with both Ramon and Tanggol now out to end his schemes—along with his equally shameless father, Rigor (John Estrada)—things are only about to get wilder. 

Don’t miss the intense action and confrontations in “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo,” airing on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, TV5, and A2Z! 

_{*Photos credit to CCM Film Productions IG}