''Chavit'', also known as ''Chavit Singson Story '' and ''Chavit: Blood Son of Ilocos'', is a 2003 Filipino

biographical drama film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudr ...

produced and directed by

Carlo J. Caparas Carlo Magno Jose Caparas (born December 15, 1948) is a Filipino comic strip creator and writer-turned film director and producer. He is best known for creating such Filipino superheroes and comic book characters as ''Panday'', '' Bakekang'' ...

and starring

Cesar Montano Cesar Manhilot (born August 1, 1962), known professionally as Cesar Montano (), is a Filipino actor, film producer and film director. Montano started in show business as a commercial model.

Eddie Garcia Eduardo Verchez Garcia (; May 2, 1929 – June 20, 2019), known colloquially as Manoy, was a Filipino actor, television personality, film director and producer. With almost 600 film and television roles and a career spanning seven decades, he ...

and

Dina Bonnevie Geraldine Schaer Bonnevie-Savellano (, formerly Sotto and Penson; January 27, 1961), known by her stage name Dina Bonnevie, is an actress in the Philippines. Before joining Philippine showbiz, Bonnevie was first runner-up in the Miss Magnolia 19 ...

Premise

This movie is about the story of Luis "Chavit" Singson (born 1941), a

Philippine The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking ...

, and the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

of the

Ilocos Sur Ilocos Sur, officially the Province of Ilocos Sur ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Sur; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Sur), is a province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital o ...

province in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Singson started

EDSA II The Second EDSA Revolution, also known as the Second People Power Revolution, EDSA 2001, or EDSA II (pronounced ''EDSA Two'' or ''EDSA Dos''), was a political protest from January 17–20, 2001, which peacefully overthrew the government of Jose ...

in October 2000 when he alleged he gave Philippine President

Joseph Estrada Joseph Ejercito Estrada, (; born Jose Marcelo Ejercito; April 19, 1937), also known by the nickname Erap, is a Filipino politician and former actor. He served as the 13th president of the Philippines from 1998 to 2001, the 9th vice presi ...

400 million

pesos The peso is the monetary unit of several countries in the Americas, and the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries the peso uses the same sign, "$", as many currencies named "dollar" ...

as payoff from illegal gambling profits. Estrada was put under investigation, but on January 16, 2001, a key piece of evidence was blocked in court, leading to protests in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

and other major cities backing Vice President

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously ...

resulting in the ouster of

Plot

The film starts with the origin of the Singsons of Ilocos Sur. Then came the birth of Jose and Caridad's second son Luis. Then came a series of killings within the province. It came as no surprise, that the Crisostomos were responsible for the killings especially during the wedding of Luis and Evelyn Verzosa. Then, Representative Claro Crisostomo endorses his wife Milagring for the governorship of the province in 1963. This became the start of the "Operation Withdraw" where all mayors of Ilocos Sur are threatened to withdraw their candidacy. Chavit became the chief of police in Vigan. Then the barangays want him to run for mayor of Vigan. But, his father decided to run and Chavit ran for councilor. Chavit became the champion of the Ilocanos especially those victims of the Crisostomos, most especially Biboy. This became the start of the rivalry between the Singsons and the Crisostomos. Chavit sought the help of Ninoy Aquino. Then came the burning in Ora Este and Ora Centro in Bantay, Ilocos Sur. It was perpetrated by Biboy. Then, on October 18, 1970, Congressman Claro was assassinated at the Vigan Cathedral. Chavit challenged Milagring for the governorship and won. Until Martial Law came. Biboy was convicted for arson and sentenced to life imprisonment. While behind bars, Biboy suddenly had a change of heart through bible studies. Afterwards, Biboy was released. During the People Power, Chavit was ousted, but due to his charisma, he was elected to Congress, and returned to his former post. Then came the controversy of Joseph Estrada, that led to the Second People Power.

Cast

Some of the characters were changed and their real names are enclosed in parenthesis. *

as Luis "Chavit" Singson
Rotten Tomatoes Review *

as Congressman Claro Crisostomo (Floro Crisologo) *

as Evelyn Verzosa *

Tommy Abuel Tomas "Tommy" Abuel (born September 16, 1942) is an actor and lawyer from the Philippines. He won the FAMAS Best Supporting Actor Award in '' Maynila, Sa Kuko Ng Liwanag'' (1975), and ''Karma'' (1981); and Cinemalaya Best Actor Award in Dagsin ( ...

as Jose Singson *

Tirso Cruz III Tirso Silvano Cruz III (born April 1, 1952) is a Filipino actor, comedian, and singer. He currently serves as the Chairperson of the Film Development Council of the Philippines. Regarded as a "matinee idol", Cruz is a FAMAS Award and Gawad Ur ...

as Biboy Crisostomo (

Vincent "Bingbong" Crisologo Vincent "Bingbong" Pichay Crisologo (born May 31, 1947) is a Filipino politician who served as the Representative of Quezon City's 1st District from 2004 to 2013 and from 2016 to 2019. He also served as a councilor in Quezon City from 1998 to ...

) *Pinky de Leon as Governor Milagring Crisostomo (Carmeling Crisologo) *Clavel Bendaña as

Imelda Marcos Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who served as the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power during the dictato ...

Marita Zobel Mary Ann Respall Blanch-Roxas, better known by her screen name Marita Zobel (born June 18, 1941), is a Filipina actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the trad ...

as Caridad Crisologo *Rommel Montano as Chavit's driver *Ricardo Cepeda as Governor Evaristo "Titong" Crisologo *

Danita Paner Danita Paner (born 2 April 1989) is a Filipino pop-rock singer and actress. She is the daughter of former basketball player Manny Paner and actress Daisy Romualdez, and sister of Kristina Paner. She has an album produced by VIVA Records named ' ...

as Anita *

Jose Emmanuel Carlos Jose Emmanuel "Bobbit" Lozada Carlos (born December 25, 1957), is a Filipino physician and politician who last served as the Representative of the Valenzuela's 1st congressional district, 1st District of Valenzuela, Metro Manila, Valenzuela to ...

as Senator Ninoy Aquino *Tess Villarama as President Corazon Aquino *

Willie Nepomuceno Willie Nepomuceno (born July 8, 1948), is a Filipino impersonator, satirist, and best known for his impersonation of political personalities, especially Philippine presidents such as Ferdinand Marcos, Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Benigno Aqu ...

as President Ferdinand Marcos, President Joseph Estrada and

Fernando Poe Jr. Ronald Allan Kelley Poe (August 20, 1939 – December 14, 2004), known professionally as Fernando Poe Jr., and often referred to by his initials FPJ, was a Filipino actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, and politician. His long and s ...

Joel Torre José Rizalino "Joel" de León Torre (born June 19, 1961) is a Filipino actor and producer who is best known for his numerous films such as the biographical film ''José Rizal'' (1998), crime thriller film '' On the Job'' (2013) and the historica ...

as Sotero *Hardie del Mundo as

Ronald Singson Ronald Verzosa Singson (born November 18, 1968) is a Filipino politician, businessman and concert producer. A son of the patriarch of the Singson political clan Chavit Singson, he served as representative of Ilocos Sur's first district from 2013 ...

Production

The role played by Dina Bonnevie was originally intended for

Snooky Serna Maria Milagros "Snooky" Sumayao Serna (born April 4, 1966) is a Filipina film and television actress. Regarded as the “''Eternal Star''” by local media, she is best known for her portrayals in Anak ni Waray, Anak ni Biday (1984); Blusang It ...

. In the scene where Singson was shown crying following his brother's death, the former governor was played by his real son, Christopher.After the movie, comes the Chavit book

Philippine Daily Inquirer The ''Philippine Daily Inquirer'' (''PDI''), or simply the ''Inquirer'', is an English-language newspaper in the Philippines. Founded in 1985, it is often regarded as the Philippines' newspaper of record. The newspaper is the most awarded br ...

Retrieved December 4, 2006. Impersonator Willie Nepomuceno played three roles in the movie, playing Ferdinand Marcos, Fernando Poe Jr. and Joseph Estrada, one of his most popular roles.

Accolades

References

The day Chavit Singson confronted Crisologo again

External links

*
Official Luis Chavit Singson Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chavit 2003 films Cultural depictions of Benigno Aquino Jr. Cultural depictions of Corazon Aquino Cultural depictions of Ferdinand Marcos Filipino-language films Philippine biographical films Philippine films based on actual events 2000s Tagalog-language films Viva Films films Films directed by Carlo J. Caparas