With his unforgettable and powerful lines on the Philippine TV scene for January 6, Friday night's cliffhanger episode of the hit historical portal fantasy "Maria Clara at Ibarra," Dennis Trillo proved his acting skills which left viewers in awe and in a shiver, making his monologue the talk of the town in social media platforms.
Trillo portrays the character of Crisostomo Ibarra, the male lead of the show, from Dr. Jose Rizal's novel "Noli Me Tangere."
The scene was about Ibarra being framed for leading a fake revolution, which he escapes the Alferez and his men to deliver a moving speech at the church where the people gathered for the first of Misa de Gallo or what Filipinos call "Simbang Gabi."
Attendees were surprised, including Ibarra's fiancee Maria Clara - played by Julie Anne San Jose - that it wasn't Padre Salvi (Juancho Trivino) who led the church ceremony.
Ibarra was holding a pistol as he spoke to them about turning a blind eye to the injustices which Filipinos have suffered at the hands of the colonizers.
His speech was almost four minutes, full of anger and desperation, with a heartbreaking plea to his fellow Filipinos to wake up and voice out their sentiments.
"Ako ay nagbingi-bingihan sa mga hinagpis ng ina katulad ni Aling Sisa na ninakaw ang dignidad at buhay ng kanyang mga anak mula sa kanya. Ako'y nagbulag-bulagan sa mga isiniwalat ng aking kaibigan. Pinilit kong pumikit sa mga katiwalian, pang-aabuso at pang-aalipusta ng mga dayuhan sa ating mga ama, ina, kapatid, anak. Mestizo man o indio. Mayaman man o mahirap. Wala silang pinipili basta't may dugong indio," Ibarra said.
After defending his acts, he continued in his address to denounce the brutality of the colonists who had deliberately limited the Filipinos' ability for knowledge and independent thought by denying them an education and treating them like slaves in their own nation.
"Tinanggalan nila tayo ng dangal at winasak nila ang ating mga kinabukasan nang sa gayon ay masakop nila tayo ng kanilang kapangyarihan hanggang sa tayong lahat ay maging mahina, magkasakit at tuluyang mamatay."
"Ang bayang ito ay may kanser. Isang malubhang sakit na matagal nang dinadaing ng ating lipunan. Minana pa natin sa ating mga ninuno. Tinambak sa ating mga pamilya, maging sa ating lupang sinilangan," Ibarra stressed.
Ibarra referred to the Philippines of his time as having cancer and urged his fellow Filipinos to heed his call to defend themselves in a sequence that many viewers compared to the passionate protest scene in the Victor Hugo novel-to-movie adaptation "Les Miserables."
It's interesting to note that "The Social Cancer" is the title of Charles Derbyshire's 1912 English translation of "Noli Me Tangere."
"Parang awa niyo na, San Diego. Ako ay dinggin ninyo. Damayan ninyo ako. Dinggin niyo kaming sambayanan. Dinggin niyo kami na mga ninakawan ng kapangyarihan," a teary-eyed Ibarra ending his speech.
To the amazement of the crowd, Maria Clara, who had previously been viewed as meek and subservient, was the first to stand up with him, thanks to the involvement of her namesake nicknamed Klay (Barbie Forteza), a 21st-century nursing student who gets transferred within the book, Maria Clara is redefined in the show as she develops greater independence of thought.
Following Maria Clara, Klay, and Tala, the young girls who had whippings from Padre Damaso (Tirso Cruz III) for singing in Spanish, raised their arms to echo Ibarra's request, "Dinggin Niyo Kami" (Hear us!). Fidel (David Licauco) and the rebel Elias (Rocco Nacino), both from San Diego, likewise raised their fists.
Currently, with 38,000 tweets, the hashtag #MCIDingginNiyoKami is still trending on Twitter. In addition to Ibarra and Noli Me Tangere, the cast, which included Dennis Trillo and Julie Anne San Jose, trended.
Here are some comments made about the trending episode from last night on social media.
SEE WHEN YOU USE MEDIA RIGHT. It's not just hype, this teleserye is a hit right now because of its clear message and purpose- to reawaken something in us Filipinos. Ang namulat, hindi na muling pipikit. 🇵🇭 #MariaClaraAtIbarra #MCIDingginNiyoKami pic.twitter.com/otm21q7Zc7
— kams. (@a96zwatchlist) January 6, 2023
"Ang bayang ito ay may cancer, isang malubhang sakit na matagal nang dinadaing ng ating lipunan. Minana pa natin sa ating mga ninuno. Tinambak sa ating mga pamilya maging sa ating lupang sinilangan" - Crisostomo Ibarra
— Mr.Verskaye (@SheyDeley) January 7, 2023
And until now we are still in it.#MCIDingginNiyoKami #MCI pic.twitter.com/i7pqAymAvVThis is not part of the OG Noli but kudos to the writers of #MariaClaraAtIbarra for this powerful scene. “Dinggin n’yo kami!” - a fitting line (a prayer during a litany or Prayers of the Faithful) since Ibarra is delivering a strong monologue in the pulpit. #MCIDingginNiyoKami https://t.co/fchm6Cz0P8
— Jed Alegado 🇵🇭🇦🇺🌏 (@jedalegado) January 6, 2023
