VILLASIS, CHRISTINE JOY U.

ABELS 2A

REFLECTION PAPER: RIZAL’S NOVEL

MARIA CLARA AT IBARA TV ADAPTATION
EPISODE 41 (November 29, 2022)

Today's generation is likely to recall reading Noli Me Tangere in high school in hazy
detail. Characters like Padre Damaso, Sisa, Maria Clara, Elias, and Ibarra may still be in our
consciousness, but their symbolism, motivations, and representations have probably become
hazy due to neglect over time. Recently, the GMA Network has helped to restore the fame of our
national hero's book and reintroduce Rizal's characters to Filipinos, as well as the value of
understanding history and the relevance of their plots to our daily lives. Being really interested in
learning about Noli Me Tangere rather than just having it taught as part of the curriculum helps
to combat social cancer, which is undoubtedly still prevalent today. But does Maria Clara at
Ibarra fairly represent the book? Does it accurately reflect Jose Rizal's goal and idea?

Rizal borrowed the phrase "touch me not" from the Bible text John 20:17 to create Noli
Me Tangere. At a time when cancer was incurable and no one dared to touch it, medical
professionals historically used this term to describe cysts, tumors, and cancer cells in general
during Rizal's time. Rizal used this phrase to represent the cancer that is ravaging our society,
including the oppression of Spanish friars, the disregard for the suffering of one's own people,
government corruption, and many more. Klay, a nursing student who wants to work abroad in
order to escape the misery in the Philippines and free her family from injustice, was created for
the GMA series. But as the episodes have progressed, she has begun to recognize how, in an
effort to alter how the book would end, she might also "nurse the wounds" of Noli's characters.
Any contemporary adaptation of a novel will necessitate alterations to the plot to make it more
plausible or appealing to the target audience. Therefore, perhaps it is not up to us to decide
whether or not it does the book justice; rather, it depends on the viewpoint of each individual
viewer. However, I'd want to start by mentioning the dedication the author included at the
beginning of Noli Me Tangere, as Jose Rizal did. In it, Rizal writes to his countrymen, “Desiring
thy welfare, which is our own, and seeking the best treatment, I will do with thee what the
ancients did with their sick, exposing them on the steps of the temple so that everyone who came
to invoke the Divinity might offer them a remedy. And to this end, I will strive to reproduce thy
condition faithfully, without discriminations; I will raise a part of the veil that covers the evil,
sacrificing to truth everything, even vanity itself, since, as thy son, I am conscious that I also
suffer from thy defects and weaknesses.”
The reader is given the underlying purpose of the story by Rizal's dedication, which is to reveal
the problems of Filipino society in all its ugliness in the hopes that there will one day be reform,
which is also vivid in this episode. The episode never fails to portray the significant role of Klay
who always wanting to be more than just a submissive and seen as passive-weak-lady—like how
women should act and be treated at those historical times—which is a resemblance of Rizal’s
envision of the youth. Epesiode 41 also pointed its lens on the injustice of friars and conquerors,
their abuse on the power they hold, their perverted desire to virgin women and mostly how they
wanted to inflict only their teachings and nothing else on the minds of the subjugated people of
the Philippines which have driven them to build and gather groups with only one mission and
that is to free the motherland and its people.
VILLASIS, CHRISTINE JOY U. ABELS 2A

By starting with the current problem of Filipino youth—many of whom, like Klay, are
uninterested in history and many of whom are yearning for a route out of the country—GMA
Network parallels Rizal's goal in this regard. Even now, despite the fact that the Catholic Church
is constantly making reforms and that the Spaniards are no longer in power, there is still a
hierarchy of discrimination inside Filipino culture. Maria Clara at Ibarra portrays a much softer
and friendlier rendition of the events, yet it faithfully reproduces some significant elements from
the drama in its own unique way. To make the tale more interesting and approachable for the
audience, in particular the young, it is told from the perspective of a member of Generation Z. It
is written in a style that is both entertaining and educational. According to an interview, the
production crew used historians, advisors, and even Spanish language trainers to guarantee
historical correctness and adherence to the original material. The director and the cast were
required to read "Noli," "El Fili," and other books that are centered on the sociopolitical
environment of the period. All these alone, we can conclude that the TV adaptation reflect—
mostly if not all— Jose Rizal's goal and idea on his two great novels.

History demonstrates how past events contributed to the current state of affairs. The
development of technology, among other factors, has caused young people to gradually lose
track of historical facts and to disregard their relevance and importance. It would be wise—
possibly even necessary—to keep in mind that this teleserye isn't based on fanciful tales or
irrational love, but rather on a book written by a very significant man, whose life and views had a
real influence on the development of our country.