"Tigre ng Mindanao" (Tiger of Mindanao)

Tigre ng Mindanao (Tagalog: Tiger of Mindanao) is a 1994 action-drama film directed by Noli Salvador and Jerry Tirazona. Based on a story by Randy Santos and a screenplay by Jerry Tirazona, the film was produced by Buffalo Bill Films International. The film follows the story of Manuel Verano Jr., an engineer who entered the military service after a series of injustices.

PLOT

The film begins with establishing shots of hills, rice fields and fish ponds that showcase the abundance of natural resources in Mindanao. Right after the opening credits, there were some men overlooking a wide expanse of land.

One of them declares that the property will soon to be under the ownership of Mayor Galvez (Roldan Aquino). Blueprints of the said property are then handed over by an architect to the mayor, who plans to build a subdivision and a shopping complex.

On a beach, three of the mayor's cohorts are having a drinking spree. They ogle at a lady coming out of the water. The woman, named Monica (Cristina Gonzales), is approaching a man taking shelter under a makeshift hut. This man is Engineer Manuel Verano Jr. (Jess Sanchez), her fiancé. Manuel singled-handedly beat the inebriated trio that harassed Monica. 

The town is plagued with violence. Three men assassinated a passerby they had addressed as Kapitan (village chieftain). The noise from the gunshots caught the attention of Captain Mario (Jess Lapid Jr.) and Sergeant Romano (Nick Romano), who happened to be sharing a meal at an open-air eatery. They killed the gunmen in a shootout.

Monica's mother (Perla Bautista) is complaining to Monica that Mayor Galvez pressures them to sell their family's land to him. Monica expressed worry that the mayor does not stop until he gets what he wants.

At the Verano residence, Manuel Sr. (Bert Olivar) and Manuel Jr. agreed that they will not sell their property to the mayor. Lando (Derick Hizon), the younger son, told his brother that he and his father can manage.

The father told him to focus on his studies instead. Unbeknownst to Manuel Sr., Lando had impregnated his girlfriend Naida (Isabel Granada).

Manuel visited Monica in her house and informed her that he is going back to the construction site in Polomolok the next morning. He will come back after a month to prepare for their wedding.

Captain Mario, Monica's brother, arrived and greeted Manuel. During a brief chat, it was revealed that Manuel originally wished to become a soldier. As an obedient son, Manuel pursued a career in engineering to heed his father's wish.

Near the construction site, a group of soldiers led by Colonel Sacramento (Tony Ferrer) got entangled in a crossfire with rebels. Manuel admiringly observed the encounter from afar using his surveying tripod. Right after the encounter, Manuel greeted the victorious military leader. He called Colonel Sacramento his "idol."

In the aftermath of another clash between soldiers and rebels, Manuel exchanged pleasantries with an unnamed sergeant (George Estregan Jr. in a guest role). The latter informed Manuel that Colonel Sacramento has been promoted to the rank of a general.

A convoy of vehicles made a surprise visit to Mayor Galvez's house. It carried General Sacramento, who is revealed to be a corrupt ally of the mayor. The general's retinue is led by right-hand man Rigor (Romy Diaz) and a certain Major Sta. Maria.

General Sacramento provided the mayor with rogue insurgents under his employ, so that he can terrorize continue his reign of terror over the people. Rigor introduced these bandits, who have peculiar names such as Kojak, Kumander Aswang, Bondying, and Dodong Putol of Romblon.

Meanwhile, the chief of municipal police and some of the mayor's henchmen are coercing Monica's mother to sell the property for 150,000 pesos. She was adamant, only to change her mind after one of the henchmen tried to stab Monica.

Manuel Sr. remained unshaken, much to Mayor Galvez's dismay. The mayor was so disappointed that he vented his ire on the chief of police, who got slapped on the face. General Sacramento offered to help and asked Rigor to take charge in solving the mayor's problem.

Manuel took a bus to go home (with the song "I'll Be Home for Christmas" playing in the background). He was attending the wedding of Lando and Naida. On Mayor Galvez's behest, Kumander Aswang and the rest of Sacramento's bandits massacred almost everyone in the wedding reception. 

Manuel Sr., Lando and Naida were among the casualties. A few days later at the cemetery, the lone eyewitness to the bloodshed approached Manuel and suggested for him to seek help from the authorities.

Monica and her family took refuge in the house of Uncle Ponso (Pons de Guzman). Captain Mario got upset because Monica and their mother did not inform him about the incident. With the help of a few of his men, a vengeful Captain Mario broke into the mayor's house and forcibly retrieved the document.

Captain Mario told Manuel to consider entering the military service, since the latter's childhood dream was to become a soldier. Six months later, Manuel is already accepted into the service with the rank of lieutenant. 

A montage showcased Manuel's exploits during the counterinsurgency efforts. His acts of valor earned him the moniker Tigre ng Mindanao (Tiger of Mindanao). Captain Mario asked Lieutenant Verano to embark on a secret mission to weed out the corrupt elements in their hometown. Manuel saw this an opportunity to take revenge on the people who killed his father and brother.

Although Manuel succeeded in eliminating some of these elements, Monica was kidnapped by the others. Manuel broke into General Sacramento's lair alone, but was captured by Rigor's men. General Sacramento convinced him to join the gang.

Manuel's refusal was reciprocated with acts of torture. Two of General Sacramento's bandits tried to execute Manuel, but a concealed knife in his boots enabled him to reverse the dire situation. While trying to escape, Manuel was shot by one of the bandits and fell into a river. 

From a distant river bank, Sergeant Romano saw and rescued an unconscious Manuel. Later in the hospital, the soldiers assigned to Manuel's security detail were flirting with the nurses. Manuel regained his consciousness and eluded the distracted soldiers.

Manuel proceeded to the house where the kidnappers brought Monica. The soldiers, led by Captain Mario, were also on their way to this place. They gunned down all the kidnappers.

However, Monica was shot by one of the kidnappers and died on Manuel's arms. Captain Mario came too late and was left grief-stricken about the fate of his sister. Manuel left in a nonchalant manner.

Still physically weakened by the events, Manuel wandered into a rebel camp. One of the rebels, Ka Lita (Chai Romero), nursed him back to health. Despite his ideological differences with the rebel leader (Dan Fernandez), Manuel became a rebel himself to fulfill his quest for justice.

Captain Mario (Jess Lapid Jr.) and Manuel Verano (Jess Sanchez)

Photo Credit: Cinema One / Buffalo Bill Films Interational /  YouTube

Captain Mario informed his men regarding Manuel's AWOL status. General Sacramento asked Major Sta. Maria to communicate with a certain Kumander Brix. Brix and his fellow rogue insurgents were supposed to kill Manuel, but they were slain by Manuel instead. Manuel later finally took revenge on Kumander Aswang and company.

Captain Mario tried to arrest Manuel for putting law on his hands. Their heated discussion about inequality and rule of law did not end favorably. Manuel proceeded to take revenge on Mayor Galvez. Captain Mario and his men followed him. One by one, Captain Mario and Manuel killed their adversaries. 

In the final confrontation, General Sacramento fell onto the ground after getting shot by Manuel. Captain Mario's arrival at the scene distracted Manuel, allowing General Sacramento to shoot Manuel. Captain Mario then shot General Sacramento. A wounded Manuel surrendered. He agreed to be taken to the camp to answer for his offenses against military code of conduct.

Full Movie: Cinema One / YouTube