With the early success and trove of awards received by “Manila’s Finest” at the 51st Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), award-winning veteran actor and Cornerstone artist Piolo Pascual – who top bills the film – can confidently say that he has indeed enjoyed a very fruitful and successful year as one of the country’s top actors.
“Manila’s Finest” (produced by MQuest Ventures, Cignal, and Spring Films and directed by Raymond Red) is a crime thriller that follows the story of a group of policemen in Manila during the First Quarter Storm from the late 60s to early 70s – a time characterized by political upheaval and instability especially in the country’s capital. The star-studded film also features Enrique Gil, Romnick Sarmenta, Joey Marquez, Ariel Rivera, Rico Blanco, and Cedrick Juan just to name a few. At the Gabi ng Parangal, the film received a total of eight awards, making it the most decorated entry of the 51st edition of the festival. Accolades include the 3rd Best Picture award, Best Cinematography award, and the Best Original Theme Song award for “Sandalan” which was performed by Piolo and composed by Vehnee Saturno.
“Manila’s Finest” has received critical acclaim with Palanca-winner Eric Cabahug’s high praise for Piolo and the movie best summarizing it. “We’re only halfway through the 2020s and yet Piolo Pascual has given us such a strong lineup of daring, high-quality, artistic and substantial movies as actor and as producer in the last three years that he already deserves to be hailed as MMFF Actor-Producer of the Decade, perhaps even in general,” he shared in a social media post.
“‘Manila’s Finest’ may be his [Piolo’s] finest work yet, a finely limned portrait of a deeply flawed man trying hard to resist systemic corruption and the eventual collapse of moral leadership during the Marcos Sr dictatorship in what is arguably the most impeccably produced MMFF film in the last 5 years,” Eric added.
“Manila’s Finest” marks Piolo’s fourth MMFF project in a span of three years. His previous entries are 2024’s “The Kingdom” and 2023’s “Mallari” and “Gomburza.” While Piolo top-billed “The Kingdom” with Vic Sotto and held the titular role in “Mallari,” he took on a special participation role in “Gomburza.” Those who missed “The Kingdom” during its original theatrical run will be able to stream the film on Netflix starting December 30, 2025.
Before the holiday and MMFF season kicked off in December, Piolo also played a lead role in the heartwarming family blockbuster “Meet, Greet & Bye” (produced by Star Cinema and directed by Cathy Garcia-Sampana) which ran in theaters in November. Piolo shares the screen with Joshua Garcia, Belle Mariano, Juan Karlos, and Maricel Soriano. As of writing, “Meet, Greet & Bye” is currently the highest-grossing Filipino film of 2025, having raked in at least P215 million globally (as of November 23).
And last September, Piolo starred in “The Ride” (produced by Cornerstone Studios, MQuest Ventures, and Spring Films and directed by Thop Nazareno) alongside fellow Cornerstone artist Kyle Echarri. The film is noted for showcasing Piolo and Kyle’s acting chops and dynamics front and center, managing to give cinemagoers a thrilling, gripping, and gritty father-and-son drama. The film is now also available to watch on Netflix.
The veteran actor also made cameos in the Kim Chiu-Paulo Avelino romcom “My Love Will Make You Disappear” and Antoinette Jadaone’s “Sunshine” starring Maris Racal.
Unsurprisingly, his acting prowess did not go unnoticed this year with Piolo receiving multiple acting awards and nominations. He became the Philippines’ National Winner for the Best Supporting Actor award for “The Kingdom” at the 2025 Asian Academy Creative Awards. At the 3rd Gawad Dangal Filipino Awards, he was inducted as a Best Actor Hall of Famer. He was also recognized as one of the Film Actors of the Year at the 53rd Guillermo Mendoza Memorial Scholarship Foundation Box Office Entertainment Awards, sharing the honor with his “The Kingdom” co-star Vic Sotto. For his television work, Piolo took home the Best Drama Actor award at the 38th PMPC Star Awards for Television for his performance on “Pamilya Sagrado” – a project also starring his “The Ride” co-star Kyle Echarri. And at the 51st MMFF Gabi ng Parangal, Piolo was nominated for the Best Actor honor.
Despite his busy schedule as an actor, Piolo still had the opportunity to grace multiple concert stages this year. He performed alongside his son, actor-singer and Cornerstone artist Inigo Pascual, in the aptly titled “Father and Son” concert tour in the U.S. in April and June. He also joined the lineup of “ASAP England” in August and “ASAP Vancouver” in October as part of the musical program’s 30th anniversary celebration. Also in October, he was part of the “Pinoy Festival” in Las Vegas. Lastly, he successfully held a concert with fellow Cornerstone artist Arci Muñoz titled “The Heartthrob and The Rockstar” in Oslo, Norway in September.
Piolo will cap off his 2025 with a special New Year Countdown performance at the Royce Hotel and Casino in Clark, Pampanga.
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