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Andrea Brillantes’ special role as Fatima Benito in "FPJ’s Batang Quiapo" has come to an end, but before her character’s farewell, the creative team gave her one last intense and grittily executed fight sequence that allowed her to showcase her impressive potential in action.
In the recent episodes revolving around the cops’ chase of Tanggol (Coco Martin)'s group, in where Fatima's family got caught because of their connection to him, she went head-to-head with neophyte police officer Paula “Ponggay” Garcia played by Maris Racal.
The two actresses made the screen sizzle with their fierce 'harapan,' leaving viewers wondering just how authentic those physical scenes were. And as it turns out, they actually went through the fight without stunt doubles involved.
A short clip shared by CCM Film Productions gives fans an inside look at the making of this visceral female combat shot in a public marketplace. The ladies were more than willing to put in the work even if the scene required getting themselves dirty and sweaty.
In one frame, Andrea slammed Maris against a table scattered with trays of meat while the latter locked her in a tight grapple. There were also segments where Andrea was dragged across the grimy market floor, the two hurled whatever props they could grab from baskets, trays, even pots and eggs lying around, which made the showdown felt as raw and unfiltered as the setting itself.
One of the most nerve-wracking parts was when Andrea’s character got hold of a butcher’s knife, forcing Maris to dodge every strike, and levelling up the tension until she pinned her opponent to the ground. Maris desperately blocked Andrea's attempt to drive the blade toward her neck.
Just when we thought the aired version was already nail-biting enough, well, it looks even more suspenseful in the behind-the-scenes footage. Every move was so adrenaline-filled that a single misstep could’ve led to an accident. Kudos to Andrea and Maris for showing solid teamwork that made the whole takedown look brutally real without anyone getting hurt.
Maris shared that she had fun filming the sequence, “Masayang-masaya ‘yung shoot kanina.” It was Andrea’s first time doing an action scene that intense, while Maris, who already went full-on badass fighter in her previous teleserye “Incognito,” admitted that this one was on a different level.
Another woman proudly raising the flag for female strength in action is Via Antonio, who plays police officer Chona Vasquez. She shared that one of her takeaways from filming this arc was that staying active off set helps a lot in keeping up with physically demanding shoots. “Kailangan kumilos-kilos tayo sa mga panahong hindi tayo nagte-take o hindi tayo nagte-taping para hindi tayo hingalin,” she noted, emphasizing that warming up is a must before every take. “Kailangan talaga ‘yung readiness ng katawan, ‘yun ang pinakamahalaga."
Having a background in theater and dance, Via was already familiar with stage choreography, but this was her first time applying those skills to a teleserye setup where the movements, though just as technical, are captured up close and require more control, which means acting with both her body and her face in sync.
In stage performances, emotions are expressed in exaggerated gestures where looking “pretty” is the least of your concerns, but on television, where everything is more visual and intimate, actors have to bring in more control and balance to their performance. "Dito kailangan timplahin mo. Kasi hindi ka namang pwedeng [mukhang] galit na galit lagi at dudurugin mo lahat ng tao," she explained.
With Andrea pulling off these action sequences together with Maris and Via, we’re now seeing the series finally giving women the chance to be tough and the space to fight back, not just the ones who get hurt and stay helpless.
Don’t miss an episode of “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo,” weeknights at 8 PM on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, TV5, iWant, and Kapamilya Online Live (KOL). Viewers outside of the Philippines can watch on The Filipino Channel (TFC) on cable and IPTV.