‘Maria Clara at Ibarra’ marks milestone achievements in its first two weeks

GMA Entertainment Group’s newest primetime masterpiece ‘Maria Clara at Ibarra’ is undeniably making headlines since its world premiere last October 3. 

The historical portal fantasy series not only topped the rating charts but is also included in Twitter’s list of top trending topics in its first two weeks.

Based on Nielsen Philippines TAM ratings data from October 3 to 7, the show posted a combined average people rating of 15.1 percent on GMA and GTV.

The program maintained its strong TV ratings from October 10 to 14 with a combined (GMA and GTV) average people rating of 14.8 percent based on Nielsen’s TAM preliminary/overnight data.

Maria Clara at Ibarra defeated its rival show Darna, which only managed to get a combined average people rating of 7.2 percent from October 3 to 7 (TV5, A2Z, Kapamilya Channel, and Cinemo). Furthermore, Darna only posted a 6.9 percent combined average people rating from October 10 to 14.

In its first two weeks, the show has received thousands of tweets with multiple trending hashtags such as #MCIAngSimula, #MCINoliYarn, #MCITinola, #MCIKlayMeetsIbarra, #MCIAngKaaway, #MCIICameFromTheFuture, #MCIHikawNiKlay, #MariaClaraatIbarra, #MCITulisanesAlert, #MCIMarites, and #MCITodosLosSantos.

(Supplied)

Netizens could not help but admire the educational yet entertaining story of Maria Clara at Ibarra, which is bannered by 2016 Fantasporto International Best Actress and Kapuso Primetime Princess Barbie Forteza as Klay, Asia’s Limitless Star Julie Anne San Jose as Maria Clara, and Kapuso Drama King Dennis Trillo as Ibarra. It tackles not only the rich history of the Philippines, but also some of the most crucial issues in the society.

“They discussed education, labor, misogyny, and ethnocentrism in a span of three episodes. GMA is brave enough to tackle feminism in the recent episode of MCI. This only manifests that they are taking our free TV experience into a more realistic point of view,” a netizen tweeted.

(Supplied)

Meanwhile, a netizen commended Dennis’ portrayal of the iconic role of Crisostomo Ibarra, “Super deserve! Wala nang ibang magfi-fit sa character na ito kung hindi si Sir Dennis. Another ‘Best Actor’ award in the future! Ang husay gumanap from head to toe, dama talaga ang vibe ni Ibarra.”

(Supplied)

The program also depicts more relatable problems as seen with the character of Klay who came from a broken family and had to grow up with an abusive stepfather. Barbie is undeniably earning rave reviews for her outstanding portrayal as the Gen Z Maria Clara.

“This is the series that I am waiting for. It talks about real human struggles. Barbie’s story is very realistic and her lines were so on point. Grabe ‘yung batuhan nila ng lines ng prof niya and ‘yung between sa kanila ng nanay niya. She deserves an award for this,” another netizen remarked.

(Supplied)

Viewers were also impressed with the show’s opening scene where Maria Clara was about to jump off the roof of a church. It was indeed a surprising start as Julie Anne delivered her strong, powerful, and emotional lines, both in Filipino and Spanish.

“Grabe ang ganda, simula pa lang! Napakagaling mo, Julie! Nakaka-goosebumps! Buhay na buhay ang “Noli Me Tangere” novel. I love listening to those Spanish words. Nakakabighani ang iyong kagandahan, binibini at katangi-tangi ang iyong pagganap,” some of Julie’s fans commented on Instagram.

Fans and netizens also stay tuned on social media for snippets and replays of the series. In fact, it has already accumulated 130M views and counting on TikTok, while thousands of people watch its livestream on GMA Network’s YouTube account every night. The first six episodes of Maria Clara at Ibarra also received over 1M views each on GMA Network’s Facebook page, another milestone for the GMA primetime series.

Even movie junkies, K-Drama enthusiasts, and some teachers and elementary students are hooked on the hit program.

According to the movie review blog ‘Maganda Ba Movie,’ “May magaling na cinematography yung serye na ito. With Maria Clara At Ibarra, buhay na buhay ang camera work and movements kaya hindi boring panoorin ang bawat eksena. Kapanapanabik na subaybayan ang mga pagbabago na maaaring mangyari (kung meron man) sa istorya ng aklat ni Dr. Jose Rizal.”

“Not K-Drama related, but this Philippine historical drama titled Maria Clara at Ibarra caught my attention! These emotions that can be rarely seen in Philippine drama make me want to know more about Noli Me Tangere. GMA should provide more historical dramas that are as excellent as this,” a K-Drama enthusiast group posted on Facebook.

One netizen also praised how the production team paid attention to the smallest details of Dr. Jose Rizal’s novels, “Fonda Francesca de Lala Ary is a famous hotel during the Spanish period in the Philippines. Dr. Jose Rizal may have stayed in this hotel during his stay in Manila as a student and he mentioned this place in Noli Me Tangere.” The said hotel can be seen in the show where Ibarra stayed after his sojourn in Europe.

Meanwhile, a video of Grade 3 students watching Maria Clara at Ibarra during recess went viral. Teacher Charlaine Alyssa Sese shared this wonderful moment, “Pinagbigyan ko po silang manood kasi may mga batang walang TV sa bahay. Although wala pa silang Noli Me Tangere, kahit papano nagkaka-idea na sila sa Noli. Ang dami nila tanong about sa past. Nakakatuwa lang po kasi seryoso silang nanonood talagang interested sila kaya vinideo ko po.”

(Supplied)

Fans are also shipping not just the pairing of Maria Clara and Ibarra, but also the chemistry between Klay and Fidel (David Licauco), “Dennis Trillo and Julie Anne San Jose are super effective as Ibarra and Maria Clara that I forgot they have this huge age gap in real life. Fidel as Klay’s future nobyo. They just don’t know it yet pero dadasalan namin ‘to.”

(Supplied)

Moreover, Juancho Triviño is definitely effective in his role, making the viewers furious over Padre Salvi. Those who have read the novel already know that he is one of the antagonists. “Ang creepy ni Padre Salvi! The main villain of Noli Me Tangere who caused the chaos! Everyone wants to protect Maria Clara from Padre Salvi at all costs. But just like the ones who knew the future, could we ever stop it?”

Playing equally important roles in the series are Mr. Tirso Cruz III as Padre Damaso; Ms. Manilyn Reynesas Narsing; Rocco Nacino as Elias; Mr. Juan Rodrigo as Kapitan Tiago; Ms. Ces Quesada as Tiya Isabel; Mr. Dennis Padilla as Mang Adong; Mr. Lou Veloso as Mr. Jose Torres; Ms. Gilleth Sandico as Donya Victorina; Karenina Haniel as Victoria. Completing the powerhouse cast is the special participation of Andrea Torres as Sisa.

Get ready for more plot twists and milestones as the series takes viewers to the world of Noli Me Tangere. Catch Maria Clara at Ibarra at 8:00 PM weeknights on GMA, and at 9:40 PM, Mondays to Fridays on GTV.

Viewers abroad can also catch the program via GMA Pinoy TV. To subscribe, visit www.gmapinoytv.com/subscribe.