Who is Matanglawin?
This was the question of Fidel, a character played by David Licauco in one of the episodes of the GMA fantasy series “Maria Clara at Ibarra.”
In the 97th episode of the series, Fidel and his love team, Klay, portrayed by Barbie Forteza, found a paper with the text that reads “Matanglawin” above the pile of dead bodies.
“Sino si Matanglawin?” Fidel asked.
Facebook entertainment page Cinema Bravo reposted stills from the scene and asked news personality Kuya Kim Atienza who Matanglawin is.
Who is Matanglawin?
Kuya Kim, who is known for sharing trivia, gave a lengthy answer.
“Matanglawin ang show na binidahan ko from 2007 to 2019,” the television personality said.
He is referring to ABS-CBN‘s youth-oriented science educational show that discusses anything from pets to wildlife, science experiments to budding science inventors, and pop culture, among others.
The TV host also said that “Matanglawin” is also the name of one of Ateneo de Manila University‘s student publications.
Ateneo’s Matanglawin started in 1975 as a mosquito press under the dictatorship of late president Ferdinand Marcos Sr..
Several years later, Ateneo formally recognized “Matanglawin” as an organization and publication.
Kuya Kim added that “Matanglawin” is also the moniker of General Isidoro Torres, who founded Katipunan in Bulacan.
Aside from Isidoro, “Matanglawin” is also the alias of Kabesang Tales, a fictional character from Jose Rizal‘s novel “El Filibusterismo.”
In the novel, Tales is a tenant farmer in the town of San Diego.
In the GMA television series, the character of Tales is portrayed by Arnold Reyes.
The series “Maria Clara at Ibarra” reimagines the world of Jose Rizal’s Spanish-era novels with a modern twist.
It shows a Generation Z point of view through Klay, its main character. She is a nursing student who wakes up and finds herself in the world of “Noli Me Tangere” in 1887.
In the second part of the series, Klay went into the world of “El Filibusterismo” to help her friends.
“Maria Clara at Ibarra” series has been extended and is currently airing on GMA Telebabad on weekdays after “24 Oras.”
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