Spain's 333 years of Philippines colonization ends in 1898.

Unwilling to surrender to the

Filipinos, Spain sells the archipelago for $20 million.
While the Americans prepare to claim their latest colony, the Filipinos argue amongst
themselves, unaware of their country's fate under the Treaty of Paris.
December 1898. In Bulacan, President of the First Philippine Republic, Emilio
Aguinaldo (Mon Confiado), his Prime MinisterApolinario Mabini (Epi Quizon) and his
presidential cabinet are debating the issue of the American presence in the Philippines.
Filipino ilustrados Felipe Buencamino (Nonie Buencamino) and Pedro Paterno (Leo
Martinez) argue for an American alliance with Philippines as its protectorate. This angers
the military leaders present in the cabinet meeting: General Antonio Luna(John Arcilla) and
General José Alejandrino (Alvin Anson) who want to continue the revolution for Philippines
independence. They are wary of the presence of American forces in the country, believing
another imperialist nation will simply replace the Spaniards. They are concerned about the
latest American orders barring Filipino troops out of the walled city of Intramurossince the
mock Battle of Manila in August. Intramuros is the seat of government and power base of
the Spaniards in the archipelago.
Luna's military instinct senses something afoot. He asks the Cabinet to authorize a pre-
emptive strike against their liberators to take control of Intramuros while the Americans
forces have not yet landed their ground troops and the Philippine Revolutionary Army still
have the advantage.
Prime Minister Mabini specifically warns the cabinet of the 7,000 additional American
reinforcement arriving to fight any insurgencies. The Generals want to strike now, reiterating
their soldiers' willingness to sacrifice their lives for their country.
Aguinaldo is swayed by the elitist voices in the cabinet and leans towards continuing
American peace and trade discussions and sends Buencamino and Arguelles to meet with
them. He assures his cabinet that the Americans promise to help win freedom from their
Spanish overlords.
The truth was that months earlier on August 13, 1898, local Spanish and American
generals, secretly and jointly planned a land engagement, later known as the Battle of
Manila"[12] to transfer control of Intramuros from the Spaniards to the Americans.
Following the surrender of the Spaniards, the Americans turn their attention to keeping
General Aguinaldo's men out of Intramuros, an unusual order questioned by the Filipinos
who provide support for the Americans. Filipino forces were not able to capture Manila,
increasing anti-American sentiments and suspicions that the liberators are our next
conquerors.
As it turns out, the peace talks come up empty-handed for the Filipinos. On December 10,
1898, Spain and United States of America sign the Treaty of Paris that ends the Spanish
American war. Spain cedes authority of the Philippines to the United States. They turn
over Intramuros to the Americans, while American troops begin to engage with Filipino
soldiers and seize control of cities like Santa Mesa, San Juan, Paco and Pandacan,
showing aggression against any Filipinos resistance. After their fight against the Spaniards,
the Filipinos fight another war.
Luna and his trusted comrades – General José Alejandrino, Colonel Francisco “Paco”
Román (Joem Bascon), Captain Eduardo Rusca (Archie Alemania), Captain José Bernal
(Alex Medina) and Major Manuel Bernal (Art Acuña) – embark on an arduous campaign
against the invading American forces. During an intense battle against American troops led
by General Arthur MacArthur Jr. (Miguel Faustmann) and General Elwell Otis (E.A. Rocha),
Luna asks for reinforcements from the Kawit Battalion but its commander, Captain Pedro
Janolino (Ketchup Eusebio), refuses to comply because the order did not come from
President Aguinaldo himself. Luna angrily rides to Janolino's camp, humiliates him in front
his men, and dismisses the battalion for insubordination. Luna then assembles an army of
4,000 soldiers by declaring his infamous "Article One", stating that all who refuse to follow
his orders shall be executed without the benefit of a trial in a military court. He also recruits
Lieutenant García (Ronnie Lazaro) after witnessing his marksmanship skills, and makes
him commander of his elite unit of snipers and sharpshooters.
As the new war drags on, Buencamino and Paterno indicate their support of a proposal for
Philippine autonomy as the protectorate of the United States. Enraged by this, Luna orders
their arrest as traitors to the constitution they swore to uphold. Aguinaldo reluctantly arrests
them, especially as Prime Minister Mabini validates Luna has grounds.
Luna's military campaign is undermined by General Tomás Mascardo (Lorenz Martinez),
who opposes Luna's order for reinforcements, stating that he will only follow the President's
direct orders. While the two generals are about to clash in Pampanga, the Americans
advance steadily as other Filipino generals like Gregorio del Pilar (Paulo Avelino) retreat to
the north. Luna visits Aguinaldo and Mabini to file his resignation, knowing that Buencamino
and Paterno have been set free. Aguinaldo refuses to accept his resignation, and approves
Luna's request to establish the Philippines Military headquarters in the north.
Later, Luna is summoned to the President's headquarters in Cabanatuan. Although his
officers are suspicious of the telegram, Luna rides to Cabanatuan, bringing only Román and
Rusca with him. Upon arrival, the streets are unusually empty, most of the soldiers had
already left the president's headquarters under Aguinaldo's orders, with the exception of
some elements of the Kawit Battalion and presidential guards. Luna discovers that
Aguinaldo had already left that morning, and only Senator Buencamino remains in the
office. As they exchange heated words, a single shot is fired outside. Luna investigates and
encounters Captain Janolino and his men, who attack him. Luna is shot, stabbed, and
hacked repeatedly to death. Román is also killed while a wounded Rusca surrenders to the
Kawit soldiers. Most of Luna's remaining loyal officers are arrested during the purge, while
some are tortured and killed, including the Bernal brothers, Heneral Luna's closest aides.
As ordered by Aguinaldo, Luna and Román are buried with full military honors by the Kawit
Battalion - the same men who killed them. Mabini, who is among the mourners, notices a
bloodied Bolo on one of the soldiers; however, the inquest exonerates the Kawit Battalion
and Luna's killers are never caught.
After the war, while American newspapers in the Philippines quickly blame Aguinaldo for
Luna's death, Aguinaldo denies his involvement on the assassination; calling Antonio Luna
as his most brilliant and most capable general. MacArthur and Otis acknowledge Luna as a
worthy adversary, laughing at the fact that the Filipinos killed the only real general they had.
In the film's post-credits scene at the end, General Gregorio del Pilar prepares to cover
President Aguinaldo's retreat to the north. Del Pilar inspects Luna's remaining men and
orders his aide, Colonel Vicente Enríquez (Carlo Aquino) to select 60 of them.
Following the assassination of General Antonio Luna, the task of purging Luna's loyalists in
the Philippine Army falls on General Gregorio "Goyo" del Pilar, a young, brash general and
a favorite of President Emilio Aguinaldo. During a five-month break from combat, del Pilar
and his unit, including his older brother Julian and his best friend Vicente Enriquez, capture
Angel Bernal, the younger brother of Luna's former aides-de-camp, Manuel and José. They
soon locate Manuel hiding with merchant Don Mariano Nable José and torture him into
joining del Pilar's military personnel. When Manuel refuses, they kill him. Meanwhile, Joven
Hernando, who now works for his uncle, is assigned to be del Pilar's photographer.
While the Philippine Army relaxes and the American forces prepare for a second attack,
General José Alejandrino, a Luna ally spared from the purge, meets with Apolinario Mabini,
who has since resigned from Aguinaldo's cabinet after the death of Luna. Mabini implores
Alejandrino to find out the real cause of Luna's death. Meanwhile, Aguinaldo joins del Pilar
in Bulacan and promotes him to Major-General of Pangasinan, while del Pilar begins to
court Remedios, the elusive daughter of Don Mariano. During this time, Aguinaldo meets
Mabini and offers him the post of Chief Justice, to which Mabini reluctantly accepts.
Alejandrino travels to Manila to negotiate with General Elwell Otis and General Arthur
MacArthur Jr., who reject his proposal. Soon after, hostilities resume and the Filipino side is
caught off-guard. Aguinaldo orders the march of the Army to Pozorrubioto meet with
General Manuel Tinio and organize a fighting force. However, Tinio's defeat by the
Americans, forces Aguinaldo to retreat further north. The arduous march escorting
Aguinaldo and his family through the western mountainous terrain of the Cordilleras, daily
American attacks and ongoing tensions between soldiers of Luna's old unit take a toll on del
Pilar, weakens their defenses against American forces attacking their rearguard and
captures Aguinaldo's mother and son.
The group soon arrive at Mount Tirad, where Heneral Goyo devises a delaying strategy to
buy Aguinaldo time to escape. Together with former Luna Sharpshooter Lieutenant García,
fortified trenches were dug along the route of the mountain. The following day, the
Americans quickly capture a town at the foot of the mountain but are initially unable to
penetrate the defenses. But with the aid of their Tingguian igorot guide, the 500 or so
Americans, mostly of the 33rd Volunteer Infantry Regiment under Major Peyton C. March,
find the secret path leading to the top of the mountain, behind the trenches, and flank the
Filipinos who are quickly overrun. Del Pilar, inspired by a vision induced by his PTSD,
resolves to finish the fight, but is shot and killed by an American sniper. As a result, his
army's morale breaks and the defenders quickly surrender, while Aguinaldo fled. Joven and
Kiko, Garcia's son, also flee, but Joven falls off a cliff after an encounter with an American
soldier. The Americans strip del Pilar of his uniform and belongings and crudely bury him at
Mount Tirad.
Aguinaldo is captured by the Americans in Palanan, Isabela on March 23, 1901, effectively
ending the war. Held as a prisoner of war in Malacañang Palace, he is visited by his former
aide-de-camp Manuel Quezon. Quezon surrenders to the Americans upon orders of his
superior, General Tomás Mascardo, And visits Aguinaldo to verify his capture and consults
whether Mascardo should surrender. Aguinaldo tells Quezon that the decision for Mascardo
to surrender is up to Mascardo himself.
Mabini is captured by the Americans and exiled to Guam where he pens his own narrative
of the war entitled La Revolución Filipina (The Philippine Revolution). His writings point to
Aguinaldo's failure as an ineffective leader of the Philippines. General Alejandrino's position
is also overrun. Remedios receives a letter from del Pilar.
In a series of mid-credit scenes, Joven is rescued by Kiko and Eduardo Rusca, Luna's
former aide; Aguinaldo in 1935 and his running mate, Raymundo Melliza, watch as
his presidential campaign posters are replaced by those of Quezon.