Will ‘Quezon’ lead us to answers on politics, or just more questions?

Metro Manila, Philippines - Call it deja vu, but the upcoming theatrical release of Jerrold Tarog’s historical biopic “Quezon” is about a deepening rift between political allies and a corruption scandal in government projects.

“Quezon” is considered the third and final installment of TBA Studios’ Bayaniverse, wrapping up the trilogy that began a decade ago.

Tarog said “Quezon” shifts from the battlefield action of its predecessors “Heneral Luna” (2015) and “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral” (2018) to a “war of words.”

Starring Jericho Rosales, “Quezon” is about the life of the late President Manuel L. Quezon, particularly his fight in the 1935 presidential elections.

“Wala siyang [The film has no] specifics in choosing the right leaders but trying to find what has changed and what has not changed,” Tarog told a press conference on Tuesday, Oct. 8.

The director urged viewers to dig deep and explore the themes that bind the three films in a bid to shape the nation’s future for the better.

“Hopefully, that’s enough to inform people kung ano ‘yong pwedeng baguhin sa sarili nila and kung meron silang kayang gawin para baguhin ang sistema,” he said.

[Translation: Hopefully, that’s enough to inform people what they can change in themselves and in the system.]

It’s quite a parallelism for “Quezon” to reflect current issues, especially in the falling out of the Uniteam, the leadership changes in Congress, and the flood control project corruption that has shaken the foundation of governance.

Cast members who were part of the film’s promotional tour saw that students are now hyper-critical with socio-political issues, pushing them not to give flimsy answers during educational forums, but substantial responses on how the movie ties with history and politics.

Mon Confiado, who reprises his role as Emilio Aguinaldo, said it is evident in the film that the country’s politics has not changed.

“Ang politika hanggang ngayon ay siraan. Siyempre, ang ambisyon ay hawakan ang kapangyarihan,” Confiado said.

“Alam natin ang kasaysayan ay napakahalaga. Hindi tayo natututo sa kasaysayan natin kaya hanggang ngayon ang politika natin ganito pa rin,” he said.

[Translation: Our politics continue to undermine one another. Of course, the ambition is to hold power… Our history is important. We did not learn from our history, that's why our politics is still like this.]

For Rosales, the lead star of “Quezon,” working on the film helped him understand what he loves about the country and be more involved in today’s issues.

“Hindi trabaho ng isang tao ang pag-solve ng corruption. Trabaho natin ng buong Pilipinas, bawat isang Pilipino. Kaya pinili (sa trailer) ‘yong ‘I am the Philippines’ because we also should take responsibility,” he said when asked on how he can solve corruption.

[Translation: It’s not a job of one person to solve corruption. It’s the job of the whole Philippines, every single Filipino. That’s why the “I am Philippines” was also featured in the trailer because we also should take responsibility.]

But after portraying past Philippine presidents, will Confiado and Rosales step into politics as well? Both answered no.

“Quezon” will hit theaters nationwide on Oct. 15. Its international premiere is at the 45th Hawai’i International Film Festival on Oct. 26.