Julie Anne San Jose pens letter after ‘Maria Clara at Ibarra’ exit

MANILA, Philippines – Julie Anne San Jose paid homage to her role as Maria Clara in the GMA series Maria Clara at Ibarra, saying it was an honor to be part of the show. 

The tribute came a day after she made her official exit in the hit historical drama on its Friday, February 10 episode. In her last scene, Maria Clara sacrificed herself for Crisostomo Ibarra/Simoun (portrayed by Dennis Trillo) when Padre Salvi (played by Juancho Trivinio) attempted to kill him with a gun. 

Instead of what happened in the original Jose Rizal novel El Filibusterismo, where Maria Clara died alone in the monastery, the GMA series showed Maria Clara spending her last moments with Simoun and Klay (played by Barbie Forteza). 

In her social media post, Julie Anne shared her hopes of having more series that will spark conversations on Philippine history. 

“Para sa akin, isang obrang maituturing ang aming palabas. Ito ay siguradong kapupulutang aral, na maipamamana sa mga susunod pang henerasyon. Matapos man ang palabas na ito, ang kultura at kasaysayan natin ay habang buhay na nakatatak sa ating mga puso’t isipan,” she said.

(For me, our series can be considered a masterpiece. This will teach lessons that we could pass on to other generations. The series might come to an end, but our culture and history will forever be remembered in our hearts and minds.)

She added, “Ito ang nagpapaalala sa ating mga karapatan bilang tao, at sa ngalan pag-ibig – sa sarili, sa kapwa, at maging sa bayan – tayo ay lumalaban at patuloy na lalaban.” 

(This will remind us of rights as an individual and for the name of love – for ourselves, our fellowmen, and our nation – we will continue to fight.) 

Maria Clara at Ibarra, a GMA series that dramatizes Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Felibusterismo novels, has received several praises for its vision of instilling nationalism among its viewers. 

It follows the story of Klay, a modern Gen Z nursing student who woke up and found herself in the worlds of Rizal’s novels. 

Julie Anne then thanked the whole production team and praised the rest of the cast for the effort they gave in producing the show. 

She also recognized how the show’s supporters played a part in bringing success to the series. 

“Mas minahal ko ang aking larangan bilang artista sapagkat kami ay naging instrumento upang maipakita namin ang makulay at maalab nating kasaysayan,” she said. 

(I’ve learned to love my craft more because we became an instrument to show you our colorful and rich history.)

Maria Clara at Ibarra also starred Tirso Cruz III, Manilyn Reynes, David Licauco, Juan Rodrigo, and Rocco Nacino.  – Rappler.com