Coinciding with the fireworks as we welcomed the new year last December 31, “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” ended 2025 by leaving avid viewers thrilled and shocked with the riveting clash between the Montenegros and the Guerreros, which resulted not just in the deaths of the latter’s henchmen, the civilians, and the members of the police force, but also one of its main characters—Don Gustavo Guerrero, impeccably portrayed by veteran actor Dante Rivero.
It can be recalled that he died on the spot as Ramon (Christopher de Leon) furiously and ruthlessly riddled him with bullets when he was able to get him cornered while escaping from him and his son, Tanggol (Coco Martin), who were coming after their family. Instead of begging for him not to kill or trying to either fight for his life or to run away from him, Don Gustavo even prompted Ramon to shoot him if that would please him or give him peace, which he really did.
Following the demise of his character, with whom viewers couldn’t help but feel sorry for, especially since we’ve been seeing his character development over the recent months, CCM Film Productions caught up with Dante to quiz him regarding his most unforgettable and fondest experiences on the show.
He began by reminiscing on his favorite scenes, one of which was when Ramon and Don Julio (Tommy Abuel) introduced Tanggol to their allies, friends, and business partners as the real Hesus Nazareno Montenegro—the one and only legitimate heir of the Montenegro clan. It was the first-ever appearance of the Guerrero family in “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo”, making it a big scene since many of the main characters were included in it.
At the same time, he also loved every scene that he had shared with the actors behind the members of the Guerrero family, such as Albert Martinez, Angel Aquino, and Jake Cuenca, revealing that they used to always tell each other not to easily let go of their scenes and to give their best in order to provide whatever the viewers are expecting from them.
When asked about his most important takeaway from his stint on the show, he implied that Don Gustavo’s being self-conceited and full of himself, to the point that he didn’t take into consideration anymore the feelings or situation of other people, is something that viewers should never, ever emulate.
He then went on to impart how much he enjoyed working with everyone in the production, from the staff and crew to his co-stars, because he really felt that they were indeed one happy family. He’s thankful that the production people respected and took care of him throughout his time in “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” and that his fellow actors were a breeze to work with since they were fun to be with, saying, “Walang payabangan, walang sikat, walang pasaway.”
The screen legend went on to share that the actors and directors collaborate and brainstorm off camera before filming certain scenes in their collective pursuit of providing avid viewers with top-notch entertainment and well-executed scenes.
Aside from thanking Coco for this remarkable opportunity that he had given him, Dante also talked about Coco since he has known him for quite some time already. According to him, he had witnessed his humble beginnings in showbiz and knew since then that he would go far in life, especially because of his humility, kindness, and compassion for other people despite already being famous. Thus, he wishes him nothing but more progress and more projects to come that will surely deliver happiness to his fans and supporters of his every endeavor.
The video ended with him expressing his gratitude to everyone who has supported “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” and assuring us that he and his co-actors give nothing but their best in every scene. A clip from his last day on set was also shown, in which he was seen leading the prayer, blowing the candle on his farewell cake, and thanking the staff and crew for taking good care of him and for the respect that they had shown him.
Now that both their patriarchs are gone, are we going to see more explosive clashes between the Montenegros and the Guerreros? Let's see by not missing the next episodes of “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo,” weeknights at 8 PM on Kapamilya Channel, A2Z, ALLTV2, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL) and iWant.