Right from the very moment he came into being, it was as if everyone could already see the life—or the fate—that awaited Hesus Nazareno Montenegro (Coco Martin), more popular by his nickname “Tanggol,” in “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo.”
Just like his namesake, who’s one of the most revered images of Jesus Christ among Catholics, he also had to carry and endure a lot of heavy burdens and face many challenges and battles, which put his courage, determination, and fortitude to the ultimate test.
One of them being his enduring battle against the Guerreros, the very powerful and dangerous political clan in the fictional version of Manila, who, from being the business partners of the Montenegro family in various illegal activities and transactions in the past, had gone on to become his formidable enemy, especially when he decided to begin his so-called “political era.”
It all began when then-Vice Mayor Olivia Guerrero (Chanda Romero) was suddenly disowned by the family whom she thought she really belonged to after learning the truth behind her parentage—that she was her mother’s child with the Montenegro patriarch, Don Julio (Tommy Abuel). Besides, the eldest member of the Guerrero family, Don Gustavo (Dante Rivero), also broke his initial promise of letting her run for the mayoralty seat in the latest elections, and gave the position instead to his grandson-turned-son Miguelito (Jake Cuenca).
Driven by her deep-seated rage and fervor to exact revenge, Olivia sought the help of the Montenegros, who expressed their support in her bid as the next mayor of Manila. Despite his initial hesitation over Olivia’s offer to become her vice mayor due to his lack of experience and education, Tanggol was eventually convinced to accept it. Aside from being buoyed by the encouragement and support from his family and friends he also saw it as an opportunity for him to bring positive change in Manila and to further help the underserved.
However, due to public clamor for him to run for mayor instead following his heroic deed at a barangay ravaged by fire, his family, friends, and allies urged Tanggol to heed it. Olivia initially refused to concede but eventually agreed to reprise her role as vice mayor. It was also her who made the official announcement during the filing of candidacies, in which a scorching spat and intense fistfight erupted between mayoralty candidates Tanggol and Miguelito.
The Guerreros got Tanggol arrested for assaulting Miguelito and ordered a group of inmates to torture him while inside the prison. But Tanggol managed to survive and get out of prison upon being bailed out by his family. Desperate to finish off his rival, Miguelito hired Tanggol’s brother, David (McCoy de Leon)—who he knew hated him so much—to kill him, yet backed out after a sudden change of heart. Thus, Miguelito tried to take matters into his own hands only to fail again.
As soon as he was able to recover, Tanggol joined his team’s campaign caravan again, unaware that Miguelito was not done yet with his pursuit of ending his life. As their caravans intertwined, a riveting shootout ensued between the groups of Tanggol and the Guerreros, which led to the tragic death of David after Miguelito murdered him upon learning that he had betrayed him.
Being the sole witness in the murder of David, not to mention her immense desire to get away from the Guerreros and to help Tanggol attain justice for his late brother, Fatima (Andrea Brillantes) confirmed to Tanggol during their chance encounter that it was indeed Miguelito who killed David. She went on to express her willingness to testify against the Guerreros, with Tanggol vowing to protect them from the enemies.
True to her promise, Fatima indeed appeared on Team Tanggol’s miting de avance, wherein she boldly exposed the crimes of the Miguelito and his family to the public. This resulted in Fatima and her family being hunted down by the minions of the Guerreros, led by PLTCOL Salvador Romero (Efren Reyes Jr). Tanggol and his friends had managed to save Fatima and his family, then brought them to a safer place where they hid for quite some time.
In a sudden twist of fate, Tanggol learned from Marites that he’s actually related by blood with the Guerreros as she revealed that she’s the daughter of Tindeng (Charo Santos) with Don Gustavo. Despite this shocking revelation, Tanggol remained keen in settling the score with Guerreros, as he still considered them enemies after what they’d done to David and the people of Manila.
On the day of the elections, the Montenegros and the Guerreros once again figured in another intense confrontation, wherein Tanggol strongly rejected Don Gustavo’s claim of him being part of the Guerrero family. It was followed by a barrage of biting remarks and mutual accusations among the members of the two families, which was further spiced up by Olivia, as she exposed the deepest, darkest secrets of the Guerreros in front of the press and the public. The tension went on to spiral into a violent clash between the two families.
