Ejercito Estregan in the title role, along with Nora Aunor, Christopher de Leon, Cristine Reyes, and Cesar Montano.
When trouble breaks out in Manila in late August, the Philippine Revolution starts and Aguinaldo secretly mobilizes his army despite the lack of weapons.
As the Spanish–American War takes place, Aguinaldo returns to the Philippines and defeats the Spaniards, finally winning the country's freedom.
However, because of his brash and ruthless nature, Luna is brutally murdered by disgruntled troops and the Filipino forces are easily routed by the Americans.
American forces quickly catch up and a young general Gregorio del Pilar holds them off at Tirad Pass, allowing Aguinaldo to continue his escape.
After he formally acknowledges the American occupation of the Philippines, Aguinaldo lives a quiet life in the passing decades during which his wife Hilaria dies of illness.
He later marries Agoncillo's niece Maria, tries to run as President again but is defeated in the presidential elections, collaborates with the Japanese, and witnesses the restoration of full independence, where he is overjoyed when it's date was moved to June 12th.
As an elderly Aguinaldo suffers a series of strokes that affect his health, the old woman who gave him his prophecy appears to him at his deathbed one more time and reveals herself as Inang Bayan, the personification of the Philippines, before she transitions to her younger self.
Ejercito said Meily was chosen to direct the film due to his knowledge of Aguinaldo, experience in large productions, and personal belief in him.
He noted that the film's quality makes it almost stand out as much as Richard Attenborough's Gandhi, Steven Spielberg's Lincoln, and Martin Scorsese's The Aviator.
[10] Philibert Ortiz-Dy of ClickTheCity.com, on the other hand, gave the film two and a half stars out of five, describing El Presidente as "deeply flawed as an entertainment, but there's a lot in it to like."
[11] Rommel R. Llanes of the Philippine Entertainment Portal especially praised the performances of Montano and de Leon as Bonifacio and Luna, respectively.
Philippines, highly praised the film for "its breathtaking cinematography, well-choreographed fight scenes, haunting music and brilliant acting", but mostly for it being about the "triumph of good over evil.
She added that the film itself "does Emilio Aguinaldo a disservice by portraying him as a victim of circumstance" and even highlighted the "amnesia" prevalent among contemporary Filipinos.