More of a changed and twisted plot?

Inaccurate revisions change history.

Michenela Grace Estrada CONTRIBUTOR

Maria Clara at Ibarra is a reimagination of Noli Me Tangere but with a modern twist from the concepts of GMA Senior Vice President Annette Gozon-Valdes, RJ Nuevas, and Suzette Doctolero and directed by Zig Dulay. Suzette Doctolero and J-mee Katanyag, head writers, created a character from the modern world, Maria Clara Infantes, a Gen-Z teenager also known as Klay, and made that character transmigrate to the novel. She tried to change the tragic fates of some original characters from the book but failed, like Sisa and her sons.

Modern twists, comedy, and changes are the elements that attract Gen-Z to watch the show. They can relate to Klay’s modern understanding of the novel. They also connect the social issues that happened in the Spanish Era to the current situation of the Philippines - the significance of reminiscing history, patriotism, and the power of love. Give farewell to days of mistresses, third parties, rags to riches, and sibling rivalries. The audience loves how Klay added some comedy to some serious events. In addition, they now want a different buzz from what they usually see on Philippine Television.

Maria Clara at Ibarra has been making headlines in the Social Media world since it aired on GMA Network. Some people find novels boring (Critic, 2022), so what made this reimagining of Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere wellliked among Filipino viewers? Why does everyone watch the show? Did they change the plot of the story, or did they add some modern twist for the Gen-Z viewers?

On the other hand, a muddle in the show changed some significant events in the novel and confused its fans. One prime example is the dreadful death of Elias in Noli Me Tangere. Klay, as a nurse, managed to save Elias in the teleseries. The youth nowadays are literal viewers and pragmatic thinkers (TAECF, 2023.) Despite the disclaimers, the young audience might see events in the show as the truth. These people misunderstand the novel if they no longer verify events by doing some research which may lead to misinformation - Maria Clara at Ibarra as the truth and not the Noli Me Tangere.

Several historical adaptations wowed the Filipino audience. Cesar Montano’s portrayal of Jose Rizal in 1998 by Marilou Diaz Abaya sparked the country’s continuous development of better historical retelling of stories. By far, the Philippines produced similar megahit movies such as Bonifacio, the life of Andres Bonifacio and the Philippine Revolution, El Presidente, about the life of Emilio Aguinaldo as the first president of the Philippines, Heneral Luna, the greatest general during the Philippines Revolution, and Goyo the epic war drama of the boy general. People relished and learned history by watching these movies with little to no change in the events guided by the country’s prominent historians.

As a request, can Filipino make more historical adaptations with a twist without inaccuracies in the actual events?