'Ang bayan na ito ay may kanser': Dennis Trillo's powerful monologue in 'Maria Clara at Ibarra' trends

MANILA, Philippines — Dennis Trillo has arguably led an unforgettable, powerful Philippine TV scene at Friday night's cliffhanger episode of the hit historical portal fantasy "Maria Clara at Ibarra." 

Trillo plays Crisostomo Ibarra, the male lead of the show which is inspired by Dr. Jose Rizal's novel "Noli Me Tangere."

Framed up for leading a fake revolution, Ibarra escapes the Alferez (Giovanni Baldisseri) and his men and runs towards the church where the townsfolk gathered for the first day of Misa de Gallo or Simbang Gabi. 

The townsfolk of San Diego, including his fiancee Maria Clara (Julie Anne San Jose), were surprised to see that instead of Padre Salvi (Juancho Trivino) standing on the pulpit, they found Ibarra with a pistol in hand. 

Tension ensues as Ibarra delivers a moving speech about turning a blind eye to the injustices suffered by the Filipinos on the hands of the colonizers.  

The almost four-minute speech was full of rage and desperation, a heartbreaking plea from Ibarra to his fellow Filipinos to wake up and voice out their sentiments. 

Admitting that he was an accessory to the further abuse by the powers-that-be by turning a blind eye to the Filipinos' maltreatment, he argued that he did it because he wanted to gain their approval so they would allow him to pursue his interests which included putting up a school for Filipino children.  

"Nagmistulang pilay at ginamit na saklay ang kapangyarihan ng mga dayuhan sa kagustuhang makatulong sa bayan ko ngunit kailangan ko munang yumukod sa kanila." 

"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 arguing for his actions, his speech went on cite the cruelty of the colonizers who had systematically curtailed the Filipinos' capacity to learn and to think for themselves by depriving them of education and treating them like slaves in their own country. 

"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.

Pertaining to the Philippines of his time as suffering from cancer, Ibarra called on his fellow Filipinos to heed his call to stand for themselves in a scene many viewers likened to the impassioned protest scene in the film "Les Miserables," based on the novel by Victor Hugo.  

Interestingly, Charles Derbyshire's 1912 English translation of "Noli Me Tangere" is titled "The Social Cancer." 

"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 surprise of the people, the first to stand up with him was Maria Clara, previously thought to be meek and subservient. In the show, Maria Clara is redefined as she grows more capable of thinking for herself, thanks to the interference of her namesake nicknamed Klay (Barbie Forteza), a 21st century nursing student who gets transported inside the book. 

Klay and Tala, the young girl who was punished by a whipping by Padre Damaso (Tirso Cruz III) for singing in Spanish followed Maria Clara in echoing Ibarra's plea of "Dinggin Niyo Kami" (Hear us!) with their arms raised. A couple of San Diego natives, including Fidel (David Licauco) and the rebel Elias (Rocco Nacino), also raised their fists. 

The hashtag #MCIDingginNiyoKami is still trending on Twitter as of this writing at 38,000 tweets. The cast, including Dennis Trillo and Julie Anne San Jose, as well as Ibarra and Noli Me Tangere, also trended. 

Here are some of the social media reactions on last night's trending episode. 

BEST ACTOR. that’s it. that’s the tweet.

FILAY AngPagmulat#MCIDingginNiyoKami pic.twitter.com/6N3lR08gBE

— atty. fidel reyes y maglipol ???? (@fidelitea_) January 6, 2023

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

GMA showing us how to produce a legit groundbreaking series and a huge milestone in ph tv! ??‍????#MCIDingginNiyoKami#MariaClaraAtIbarra#DennisTrillo @MyJaps @dealwithBARBIE @nacinorocco @davidlicauco pic.twitter.com/VZ4RiS86aG

— Kapuso League (@kapusoleague_) 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

And until now we are still in it.#MCIDingginNiyoKami #MCI pic.twitter.com/i7pqAymAvV

— Mr.Verskaye (@SheyDeley) January 7, 2023

This 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

RELATED: Are Jose Rizal and Crisostomo Ibarra one and the same? Professor answers