Juan Tamad is a humorous Filipino folkloric character whose seeming mission in life is how to avoid work. And, this he does often by silly means but sometimes with a stroke of genius. There are countless stories about him but this film is a modern adaptation.
This time Lazy Juan is somehow elected to Congress where he is exposed to the corruption and venalities of politicians. Released during the allegedly corrupt Garcia administration (an unfair assessment),onion skinned officials made the Board of Censors disapprove the public showing of this film. President Garcia himself, however, rescinded the order and at the start of the film had a short written message to the effect that the film portrays some truth as to how some of our fellow Filipinos conduct politics. And he wrote that obviously the film is a satire and that if we (the Filipinos) wish to laugh at ourselves it may not be a bad idea in a democracy. That got more laughs from the audience than the jokes in the movie.
The director, Manuel Conde, stars as Juan Tamad with Tessie Agana as his love interest but you wouldn't think so if you saw the film. I distinctly remember wonderful shots of the pair viewing scenic spots in the archipelago with Juan Tamad (Conde) riding piggy back on Tessie Agana. He is that lazy, he uses his girlfriend like a mule.
