“Manahimik ka nga! Pilipino ka ring ungas ka! Kapwa mo ang dapat pinoprotektahan mo. Pero ano? Kapwa Pilipino, babae– sinasaktan mo? Ilalaglag mo ang kababayan mo dahil nagpapabudol ka sa mga naghahari-harian sa bayang ‘to?
By: Princess Glyza Bermudez
In the television show Maria Clara at Ibarra, Klay Infantes or most commonly known as “Klay” is a character who takes us between the past and the present. Having been a nursing student in the present era, Klay is swept into the life in the Noli Me Tangere novel, in here the audiences get to see how both historical and contemporary social problems integrate in today’s time (Maria Clara at Ibarra, 2022, Episode 1). This is a character that I personally love in the drama “Maria Clara at Ibarra,” not only because I can relate with some of her qualities but also because her hardships depict what a lot of Filipinos are going through even today. Through Klay, we understand the contemporary issues such as dysfunctional families and emotional struggles in relation to social issues advocacy, and how all these relate to the age-old quest of fighting oppression and injustice.
Klay's narrative is quite essential to the development of her character. She is a product of a broken family, with a dismissive biological father and a violent abusive step-father towards her mother and brother. These family problems have affected her psychologically, that is why she has strong opinions on issues of feminism, social justice, and any other issues concerning oppressed communities (Maria Clara at Ibarra, 2022, Episode 15). In this way, Klay represents those with personal struggles that are considered modern and would appeal to a wide array of audiences. The majority of people especially those from broken families, endure the same inner struggles that alter their outlook towards life. Being a fair person who believes in justice, I can understand the position that Klay finds herself in. I do not think, for instance, that there is a reason why one should accept maltreatment in their personal life, especially in Klay’s case. In every aspect, be it friendship or in a work setting, I have always held on to the idea that there should be equality and respect among parties. Because of this reason, I find Klay to be a character with whom I have a lot in common as she deals with family issues and the pressures of society at the same time.
Being a student pursuing Information Technology, I have faced scenarios in my life where I felt marginalized as well as underestimated, especially given the fact that I am in a male-dominated field. Just like Klay, it is not possible for me to remain passive and quiet, her inclination to defy rules and challenge the status quo within the society is similar to my desire to be more than just a “woman” in my field, be it in the learning institutions or any other setting (Maria Clara at Ibarra, 2022, Episode 7). In both our worlds, there are hardships being faced, although the contexts differ, they all came from the need for respect and fairness. Many young Filipinos have Klay’s outlook in life, they wish to alter society for the better, even if it involves breaking restrictive practices of which some are accustomed to.
It is easy to see the similarity between Klay’s support for social justice seen in Noli Me Tangere and the present struggles of many in society today. Klay is the representative figure of the modern youth in the show “Maria Clara at Ibarra”, who has been seen to speak up even more against the pressing issues like corruption, sexism, or absence of effective reforms (Maria Clara at Ibarra, 2022, Episode 18). Her fight embracing feminist principles in opposition to the subjugating forces remains a projection of Filipinos today with the women’s movement for gender equality and the quest for both socio political and economic transformation being unrelenting. Accordingly, Klay is not simply an expression of the Gen Z psyche but rather a denotative character of an activist disposition that is present in the contemporary Philippines.
Lastly, Klay Infantes is an interesting character because of the complexities of her character and her relevance to both the story of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo as well as the contemporary connection in the Filipino society. Her personal family and emotional difficulties together with her intense commitment for social equality, while somewhat exaggerated on the level of emotional extremes, make her easy to empathize with. Klay shows us that the struggle for justice and equality has not yet stopped. And the generation after us also has the capacity to contribute to our society. She believes that no one should be afraid to take action to change the situations that they regard as “inflexible” or “unfathomable” as she does in her everyday life and through the stages of progress in her work.