On October 14, three key figures in Philippine cinema — director Erik Matti, producer Ronald “Dondon” Monteverde, and Coco Martin — announced two major blockbusters coming to Filipino audiences: On the Job: Maghari in 2026, and May Pagasa: The Battles of Andres Bonifacio in 2027.
Matti, who directed the first On the Job in 2013, stated that On the Job: Maghari will be an in-depth exploration of Joel Torre’s character, hitman Mario Maghari, before his imprisonment at the start of the film. Martin will take on the role of Maghari in this follow-up to the award-winning action thriller.
“[On the Job: Maghari] is set in the 1990s, and it’s the story of how Maghari fights to protect his family,” said Matti at the press conference announcing the upcoming releases.
In contrast, May Pagasa is set to be a biopic centered on the Father of the Philippine Revolution. Martin will play Bonifacio in a narrative that centers on the revolutionary leader’s hopes for the country, as well as his failures on the battlefield.
“It’s always scary to do a historical [retelling] of a person,” said Matti, “mainly because it’s so open to everyone’s opinion, what they learned in school, and historians have their own way of telling a story. But with [Bonifacio’s] story, it really speaks about the times and what is happening now.” The director also noted that the biopic, although primarily a period piece, will include several modern elements in its storytelling.
