A "mega-serye" three years in the making, GMA Network's Maria Clara at Ibarra continues to capture hearts of viewers of all ages with its right mix of drama, comedy, and fantasy.
Its latest episode trended again on Twitter, as it featured Klay's (Barbie Forteza) emotional outburst about women being trapped in the shackles of cultural norms, and how this prompted Maria Clara (Julie Anne San Jose) to question her limited role as future housewife of Ibarra (Dennis Trillo).
The episode highlighted that the show does not only aim to entertain through the well-loved comic antics of Klay or her sarcastic banter with Fidel (David Licauco), but also educate viewers with thought-provoking lines about women empowerment, equal opportunities, and value of education.
As GMA-7's VP for Drama Cheryl Ching-Sy would say, Maria Clara at Ibarra is "kumpletos rekados."
For PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal)'s Anatomy of A Teleserye: Maria Clara at Ibarra edition, Sy was among the panel of creators who detailed how this project came to be.
Joining Sy were director Zig Dulay, creative consultant and head writer Suzette Doctolero, head writer J-mee Katanyag, program manager Edlyn Tallada Abuel, and supervising producer Helen Sese.
Sy explained that the material came first before they tapped the network's stars to bring life to the story of a GenZ nursing student who unexpectedly finds herself going back in time and entering the world of Jose Rizal's classic novel Noli Me Tangere.
Talking about the show's conceptualization stage, Sy told PEP.ph: "We start with a germ muna.
"In the case of Maria Clara at Ibarra, it was Annette who thought of the germ. 'Ba't di natin gawin yung Noli at El Filibusterismo? Tapos saka na nagdagdag."
Atty. Annette Gozon is GMA-7's senior vice president overseeing the network's various departments.
Sy continued, "Kasi normally, nabubuo ang isang concept during a drama subcom. Nagbabatuhan diyan. Tapos pag may nabato si Ms. Annette.
"Itong creative people natin na kasama sa meeting, nagdadagdagan na. Sa POV [point of view] ng GenZ natin siya titingnan."
A drama subcom refers to the weekly meetings of GMA-7's show creators in charge of brainstorming, conceptualizing, and pitching for the network's new shows.
Sese went on to say that the concept was born as early as March 2019, and they made the pitch between August to October that year.
"I think yung Noli kasi puno ang kuwento, e. May filial, may family, si Sisa may anak. It's gonna be relatable sa mga viewers na nanay.
"Ta's may Crisostomo Ibarra na Jose Rizal, we can capture the male audience. Tapos may inject na GenZ para makuha ang young audiences natin.
"May love story si Maria Clara and Ibarra..."
To which Sy added, "Nung pinag-uusapan ito, sabi ni Ms. Annette, yung Noli, soap na soap siya. Dun siya nanggaling.
"Ta's parati naman kami nasa lookout ng mga material na puwede i-adapt or ma-inspire kami. So, maraming sources po iyan."
Who thought of giving the reimagined story of Noli Me Tangere a modern twist?
Sy answered, smiling, "Si Suzette. Siya ang nag-develop. After mabato ni Ms. Annette yung germ, excited na excited siya, 'Ako ang magde-develop niyan.'
"Tapos nag-uunahan sila [creators] kung sino magde-develop ng concept. Si Suzette ang pinakamaingay sa amin. As early as 2019."
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PITCHING TO THE BOSSES OF GMA-7
They admittedly had to brush up on their Noli Me Tangere know-how since the creators also had to undergo a TV network version of thesis defense, as in this case, a defense of a new show.
"Of course, several passes ito before a concept is approved," Sy explained.
"Very critical kami. Sa subcom pa lang, nakailang passes ito. First layer pa lang ito.
"Kasi kami mismo, kami na nagko-compromise ng drama subcom, kami ang nagbabato niyan. Kami ang unang critic.
"Pag di pumasa sa amin, wala na, tapon na yung material, or you redo it. Tapos akyat pa sa another layer."
Fortunately, they got a green light from the bosses from the very start.
"The final approvers are the owners. Ang aming mga boss na sina Atty. Felipe Gozon, Mr. Duavit...
"When this was presented to them, they liked it so much. Wala kaming halos binago. Excited sila. They saw the potential."
Atty. Felipe Gozon is the chairman and CEO of GMA-7, while Gilberto Duavit Jr. is the president and COO.
That's just the beginning of the work.
The development of the script goes through the rigorous process of constant meetings with the creative team, headed by Aloy Adlawan as creative director and National Artist Ricky Lee as content development consultant.
The writers of the show are Brylle Tabora, Benson Logronio, Melchor Escarcha, and Zita Garganera.
Sese pointed out, "When scripts come in, mas madugo yung pinagdadaanan.
"Kasi ang na-approve naman [sa pitching] is the basic storyline, the concept. But on a weekly basis, sila Edlyn, sina Suzette, si Sir Ricky, si Aloy, every week they still brainstorm."
DELAY IN PRODUCTION
But the production of the show got derailed when the COVID-19 pandemic happened in March 2020.
Sese said that the "bigness of the show," especially in terms of shooting in different out-of-town locations, was restricted by the stay-at-home protocol especially at the beginning of the pandemic.
So they had to wait for the right time to produce and launch the teleserye.
Agreeing with Sese, Sy added, "Three years in the making siya. Finally 2022 na-produce na. We did not want to compromise kaya it was delayed.
"Nung medyo maluwag na, that's the time na sabi natin, 'Ready na. Di mako-compromise yung material.' Kaya siya na-produce.
"Makikita niyo naman sa material na walang compromises na nangyari."
The timing was so right that the show's episode wherein Klay was supposed to go back to present time when the blood moon strikes coincided with the total lunar eclipse that happened in real life last November 8, 2022.
How were the cast members chosen? What are the challenges in translating the script into visual form?
Catch the full feature on Anatomy of A Teleserye: Maria Clara at Ibarra edition soon on PEP.ph.
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