December 16, 2025
The year was 1969. Four policemen from the Manila Police District Station 4 were roaming the streets in their squad car #014. At the wheel was Lt. Billy Ojeda (Enrique Gil), and beside him was Capt. Homer Magtibay (Piolo Pascual). Seated at the back were Liwanag (Joey Marquez) and Meneses (Romnick Sarmenta). As news about Gloria Diaz and the moon landing were being reported over the car radio, they encountered a squad car of Philippine Constabulary Metropolitan Command officers, led by Lt. Danilo Abad (Cedrick Juan).
This set the tense mood for the whole film, as the PC Metrocom were encroaching into the operations of the local police units -- from the rumbles of the Sputnik vs. the Bahala Na gangs to the rallies by university student activists. Magtibay was not ready to give up his turf, even as there was a change in their station leadership, from his friend Maj. Conrado Belarmino (Ariel Rivera) to the new, more abrasive chief Epifanio Javier (Rico Blanco). Meanwhile, his junior partner Ojeda was showing signs of rebellion and may be turning to the darker side.
On a personal side, Magtibay also had potential conflicts brewing. He was a dutiful husband to his second wife Yolly (Rica Peralejo), but he also had a secret girl on the side, Janette (Jasmine Curtis Smith), who was seemingly the mistress of his whole station. He was also a doting father to Agnes (Ashtine Oliviga), his daughter from his first wife, now a freshman in UP Los Banos. She and her friends had started to join street protest rallies, the very activities which her father was dutybound to keep in check.
Piolo Pascual's Magtibay was not a perfect man or policeman, but he had his head squarely in the right place, remaining loyal to his profession and his organization. Enrique Gil played Ojeda with the impulsiveness of youth which led him to trouble later. Joey Marquez and Roomnick Sarmenta delivered the witty one-liners. Ariel Rivera's chief was dignified, while Rico Blanco's chief was dubious. The nature of Cedrick Juan's Abad and his Metrocom group was kept ambivalent. Also making a strong impression were Soliman Cruz as a photographer with inside scoops, and Dawit Tabonares as a curly-haired Visayan gang leader.
If the fan response at the premiere night was to be gauge of a star's popularity, Ashtine Olviga topped them all. Her fans were screaming every time she was onscreen, no matter what she was doing. These girls would also scream during scenes featuring Ethan David (as Agnes's not-yet-boyfriend Cecilio), Dylan Menor (as a rookie cop Efren Taguyonon), Paulo Angeles (as a mustachioed gang leader Remen), or Kiko Estrada (as rabble-rouser Carmelo de Leon). Pascual need not feel insecure about these young guys though, as the girls were also screaming their heads off when he bared his torso in a bed scene.
The production design, costume design, and hair and makeup teams were very meticulous with the details. The interiors of the MPD station should look familiar to boomers, especially those hand-painted letterings on the glass panels. Very interesting were those round shields seemingly made of woven rattan that were used by Magtibay and his men to ward off students. I have never seen them used like that before, except as patio tabletops. There were a few compromises, notably that Mendiola rally obviously shot in Liwasang Bonifacio. Curiously, song choices in the soundtrack were dirge-like kundimans instead of 60s rock and roll.
Director Raymond Red took on the story written by Michiko Yamamoto, Moira Lang and Sherad Sanchez, and told it with a realistic period vibe. The issues the students were fighting for then are still what those we hear up to now. The pace was deliberately slow but engaging, but with only a few action scenes than would be expected from a police movie. Just when the film might start feeling kind of long, something major suddenly happens abruptly with no buildup. This startling scene will surely have you straighten up in your seat wondering if you missed anything. 8/10
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