On the Job: The Missing 8

Sisoy Salas (John Arcilla), a corrupt reporter for a local newspaper, is forced to start an investigation following the disappearance of his colleagues and pits him against his personal interests. Meanwhile, Roman Rubio (Dennis Trillo), an inmate who is routinely released from prison to carry out assassinations, is sentenced to life in prison for a crime he did not commit and, not wanting to spend the rest of his life as a hitman, begins to plan ways to regain his freedom by any means necessary.

• John Arcilla as Sisoy Salas[6]
• Dennis Trillo as Roman Rubio
• Dante Rivero as Mayor Pedring Eusebio
• Christopher de Leon as Arnel Pangan
• Lotlot de Leon as Weng
• Leo Martinez as Gen. Pacheco
• Agot Isidro as Senator Alice Samson
• Andrea Brillantes as Diane Salas
• Rayver Cruz as Bernabe
• Joey Marquez as Sgt. Joaquin Acosta

Director Erik Matti had originally intended the On the Job sequel to be a web series, until it was reported in 2018 that he was making it a feature-length sequel instead.[7] With On the Job 2, Matti wanted to tackle corruption in the Philippine media and deliver a social commentary on the current state of the Philippine government.[2] According to Matti, the film will pick up where the original left off and will feature four interwoven storylines in "a three-hour and 28-minute movie".[2] Erwin Romulo, reprising his role from the first film as musical director, has said On the Job 2 is Matti's "angriest work".[7] Matti agreed, having told NME in a February 2021 interview:

I think for On The Job, I guess… yes, it's the angriest I've been. But what I do mostly in my films is to explore. I'm interested in processes: how does a newspaper get its news? How does one build a church in the guise of getting money from its parishioners? Those are things that matter to me. There's a lot of research that went into it. Of course, we found out that in small towns mainly you have politicians taking care of newspapers and radio stations, and that's where the problems with self-interest come in.[2]

Dennis Trillo, Lotlot de Leon, Ricky Davao, William Martinez, John Arcilla, Dante Rivero, Vandolph Quizon, and Eric Fructuoso were reported to have joined the cast in 2018.[7] In 2019, Rayver Cruz, Christopher de Leon, Soliman Cruz. Ina Feleo, Isabelle de Leon, and Andrea Brillantes were announced as co-stars.[8] Filming began that same year,[7] and was completed in August 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.[9] Post-production was completed in June 2021, lasting for "around seven months".[10]

The film was screened for the main competition at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, with Matti and Trillo in attendance. It received a 5-minute standing ovation during the premiere. During the awards ceremony, John Arcilla became the first Southeast Asian and Filipino to win the Volpi Cup for Best Actor in the festival's history, with Matti accepting the award on his behalf and Arcilla giving his acceptance speech via online video call after not being able to attend the ceremony due to filming commitments.[11][12] It was also screened in 'Harbour' section at the 51st International Film Festival Rotterdam held from January 26 to February 6, 2022.[13]

On the Job: The Missing 8 had its Philippine premiere on February 18, 2022 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines as part of the "WAGI!" film screenings, an event celebrating Filipino film excellence.[14][15]

• List of submissions to the 95th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

• List of Philippine submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

• On the Job: The Missing 8 at IMDb