THE VIEW FROM RIZAL

We have to admit it: We were among the throngs of television viewers who got hooked to the telenovela “Maria Clara at Ibarra,” a material which won the hearts of many. In this telenovela, the lead character “Klay Infantes” – played by young actress Barbie Forteza – “jumped” into the time and scenes of the classic Rizal novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Like most of the avid viewers of the series, we found the treatment of the material to be exciting, funny, and enriching. More important, it gave us a fresh perspective of an otherwise old material. It glued us to our television sets, made us clamor for more, and made us fall in love both with the characters in the novels and with the actors and actresses who portrayed them. Last June 19, was the birthday of the genius who wrote those two novels. As we paid our respect to Dr. Jose Rizal, this thought flashed in our mind: why not a drama fantasy series about his life similar to what the writers and producers did in “Maria Clara at Ibarra”? If the novels of the national hero can be given a treatment that won viewership and hearts, why not do something similar about the life of the man who wrote them? The way we imagined it, the series can be titled, “Jose at Josephine” – a reference to the romance between Rizal and the woman who would become his common-law wife, Josephine Bracken. It will have all the ingredients that make Filipinos fall in love with drama series materials: love, intrigue, conflict, combat, suspense, and a tear-jerker of a conclusion featuring the execution of the beloved martyr. In our imagination, Klay would once again travel back in time in a bid to confront the author of the two novels. Klay would get her chance to ask Dr. Rizal why he made the plot and the characters of Noli and Fili so tragic. Klay would follow the national hero in his revolutionary exploits, in his exile in Dapitan, and his romantic pursuits. We imagine Klay developing a crush on the national hero even as she questions his patriotic motives, his initial objection to an armed revolution. We can even imagine Klay doing what she can to break Dr. Rizal out of his jail cell in Fort Santiago to prevent his death by firing squad in the fields of Bagumbayan. We can imagine Klay reading to herself Dr. Rizal’s letter to the women of Malolos and meeting these brave Filipinas herself, lauding them for taking a stand against the mores of their time. In our imaginary drama series, Klay would bring to her generation the timeless message of Dr. Jose Rizal: “It is a useless life that is not consecrated to a great ideal. It is like a stone wasted on the field without becoming a part of any edifice.” And, through Klay, Dr. Rizal would remind her fellow millennial Filipinos that the “youth is the hope of the fatherland”. It would be a joy to see the cast of “Maria Clara at Ibarra” portray the characters in the life of the author of Noli and Fili. Dennis Trillo has evolved into one of today’s finest actors whose versatility would make him perfect for the role of Dr. Jose Rizal. Julie Anne San Jose has a beautiful face with expressions so rich that she can resurrect the character she portrays right before our eyes. She should be perfect in the role of either Josephine Bracken or Leonor Rivera (a love triangle?). Of course, we would love to see Barbie Forteza reprise her role as Klay. Well, have to bring in David Licauco for the sake of the fans. He can be one of Dr. Rizal’s younger close friends: Marcelo del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena, Trinidad Pardo de Tavera, or Felix Resurrection Hidalgo. If our imaginary drama series were to come true, we believe that today’s youth would discover that Dr. Jose Rizal remains both relatable and relevant – to this very day. Like today’s youth, he was into sports, romantic pursuits, and was into a lot of fun and adventure with his friends. He occasionally lost his temper and even challenged someone to a duel over an object of his affection. He loved to travel. He once said, “Travel is a caprice in childhood, a passion in youth, a necessity in manhood, and an elegy in old age”. If he were alive today, he would be our youth’s envy when it comes to Instagram travel posts. He also loved to eat – just like young people. There are photographs of him enjoying meals with his colleagues. A number of current researcher-writers say his favorite food were tinola (which was referenced in Maria Clara at Ibarra), pancit, bistek, and munggo. He loved to challenge authority. How relatable is that to our young people? Just like today’s young people, he had big dreams. And, just like today’s young people, he spoke a lot about believing in one’s dreams, believing in oneself, to be free to pursue them. To the women of Malolos, he wrote: “All men are born equal, naked, without bonds. God did not create man to be a slave; nor did he endow him with intelligence to have him hoodwinked, or adorn him with reason to have him deceived by others.” Happy birthday, Dr. Jose Rizal. (For feedback, please email it to [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) or send it to Block 6 Lot 10 Sta. Barbara 1 cor. Bradley St., Mission Hills Subd., Brgy. San Roque, Antipolo City, Rizal.)