Ever since “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo” premiered in 2023, for sure, many have been wondering why Marites (Miles Ocampo/Cherry Pie Picache) has been calling Tindeng (Elisse Joson/Precious Lara Quigaman/Charo Santos) only by her nickname. Was she just being disrespectful to her mother, or was there a deeper reason behind it?  

And these questions that had been probably boggling the minds of avid viewers for a very long time were finally answered after the backstory of Tindeng was unraveled over the previous months and weeks as the formidable primetime action drama series opened its Book 2. It all started with the arrival of the influential Guerrero clan in the picture, with whom Tindeng had a grim and traumatic experience in the past when she was just a young adult, as exposed by the flashbacks interspersed in some episodes. 

Tindeng used to work for the Guerreros as one of the aides of former Mayor Gustavo Guerrero (Jhong Hilario/Dante Rivero), who repeatedly sexually abused her and eventually got her pregnant. She was able to escape from him and his wife, Pilar (Louise Delos Reyes/Celia Rodriguez), who found out about her, and hid until she was able to give birth to Marites. Since she was afraid that the Guerreros would be able to find them and figure out that she had a child with Don Gustavo, she raised Marites to call her “Tindeng” instead of any common names that we use to address our moms.  

Now that we’ve finally gotten to know Tindeng and Marites’ history, let us revisit 10 of their most intense confrontation and poignant dramatic scenes together in this episode of Kapamilya Toplist.  

Just in the pilot week of “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo,” we already got a glimpse of their relatable love-hate mother-daughter bond, such as when they had an intense altercation after Tindeng caught Marites attempting to have the baby in her womb aborted. While Marites’ reaction might be understandable since she had it after being molested by an outlaw who randomly trespassed at their house, Tindeng was compelled to finally tell the secret that she’d been hiding ever since Marites was born—that she was also a victim of sexual abuse and she was the product. 

As time went by, the mother-and-daughter tandem has become each other’s “frienemy,” as they tend to usually fight over the irrational and hasty decisions made by Marites, especially with regard to parenting her three children—not to mention her firstborn, Tanggol (Coco Martin)—and choosing to stick by her husband, Rigor (John Estrada), despite all the nasty things that she had experienced from him. We may often see them argue, yet they always choose to forgive and fix their misunderstandings, with Tindeng tirelessly trying to make her realize the things she may have failed to see and instill wisdom in her over and over again when she was blinded by Rigor’s gaslighting schemes. 

Marites may have chosen Rigor over her several times, but Tindeng never took it against her, for she knew that her daughter did it just because she cared so much for her family and she didn’t want her own children to go through the same thing that she had experienced. Instead of turning her back on her, Tindeng consoled Marites by telling her that she sincerely understands her and she still loves and supports her no matter what. 

Being the protective mother that she is, Tindeng never faltered to give her unica hija some tough love whenever she needed it, such as when Marites seemingly got delusional over Ramon (Christopher de Leon) after he expressed his resentment towards what he had done to her in the past and his promise to make it up to her and their son Tanggol. We also saw her do the same everytime Marites would opt to be at Rigor’s side during their quarrels or she would speak ill of Tanggol. 

Amidst all their misunderstandings, Tindeng would always be a mother to Marites, looking after her welfare and always being there for her regardless of what life throws at them. At the same time, they may tend to often go head-to-head with one another, yet Marites would always be the daughter who loves and cares for her mom, as well as who would always need her for guidance, motivation, and prayers of protection.  

Were you able to catch these heartwarming and highly emotional scenes of Tindeng and Marites, Kapamilya? We’re going to surely see more of these in the next episodes of “FPJ’s Batang Quiapo,” weeknights at 8 PM, on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live (KOL), A2Z, and TV5.