Ricky Quezon Avanceña, grandson of former Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon, publicly criticized the new film about his grandfather during a Q&A session with the cast and filmmakers.
Videos circulating online show Avanceña questioning director Jerrold Tarog after a screening of Quezon, the third installment in Tarog’s Bayaniverse trilogy.
During the exchange, Avanceña asked Tarog whether the film was meant to be satire.
When the director answered "yes," Avanceña pressed, "So nagbibiro ka lang pala?"
("So you're just kidding?")
Tarog clarified, "No, the topic is serious," but Avanceña insisted, "So joke lang pala?"
("So it's just a joke?")
Tarog responded, "We will leave that to the audience to decide if it’s something that they would want to process."
Unconvinced, Avanceña turned to the audience, saying, "So you admit, this is a satire? So ‘wag natin papaniwalaan, joke pala ito. It’s a joke. It is satire."
("So you admit, this is a satire? So let's not believe it, it's a joke. It's a joke. It's satire.")
At that point, lead star Jericho Rosales stood up to intervene.
"With all due respect, sir, I understand your feelings. But this is a Q&A, sir, a Q&A for our film," Rosales said, urging Avanceña to allow others to ask questions.
When Rosales tried to explain, Avanceña interrupted, saying, “Jericho, ‘wag mo ‘kong ganyanin ah. Patapusin mo ‘ko, one minute, I’m done.”
("Jericho, don't do that to me. Let me finish, one minute, and I'm done.")
A staff member stepped in to de-escalate the situation, reminding Avanceña that other audience members also wanted to ask questions.
Addressing the crowd, Avanceña accused the filmmakers of disrespecting his grandfather’s legacy. “Hindi niyo alam ang ginawa niyo. Dahil kayo, gusto niyo kumita ng pera, gusto niyo sumikat, sinalaula ninyo ang alaala ng isang pamilyang nagbuwis ng buhay,” he said. “Anyway, tapos na ‘ko. Mahiya kayo.”
("You don’t know what you'v done. Because you want to make money, you want to be famous, you have desecrated the memory of a family that gave their lives. Anyway, I’m done. Shame on you.")
Before walking out, Avanceña declared, “China-channel ko ngayon ang aking lolo sa pagsabi ko sa inyo nito. Punyeta kayo, mga putangina niyo. Mga kupal kayo!” then dropped the microphone and exited the venue.
("I’m channeling my grandfather now by telling you this. Fuck you, you sons of bitches. You bastards!")
Later, Avanceña recounted the confrontation on his Facebook page, writing:
"So, I’m not saying don’t watch the movie. Hayaan na natin kumita 'yung mga bayarang puta na 'yun. Watch it, and then join me in a social media defense, mga Quezon followers."
("So, I’m not saying don’t watch the movie. Let those paid bastards make money. Watch it, and then join me in a social media defense, Quezon followers.")
He continued, "Nobody said he was a hero, so labas siya sa kabaduyan ng Bayaniverse. He was a President, and the best ever, most incorruptible."
("Nobody said he was a hero, so he's out of the realm of the Bayaniverse. He was a President, and the best ever, most incorruptible.")
Quezon is the third film in Tarog’s Bayaniverse trilogy, following Heneral Luna (2015) and Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral (2018). The movie focuses on the life and presidency of Manuel L. Quezon, who led the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944, and explores his political rivalry with Emilio Aguinaldo.