On 29 December, Ayala Foundation, Inc. will premiere on its Facebook page the seventh edition of the Digital Magiting Conference with the theme "Rizal Revealed: Muling Kilalanin ang Magiting na Bayani."

The production and creative team of GMA Network's top-rating series Maria Clara at Ibarra takes part in this latest #MagingMagiting advocacy program of Ayala Foundation, which highlights the heroism of Dr. Jose Rizal.

Present during the recorded digicon were GMA senior vice president for Entertainment Group Lilybeth G. Rasonable; vice president for Drama Cheryl Ching-Sy; creative consultant of Maria Clara at Ibarra Suzette Doctolero; the show's director Zig Dulay; and Kapuso Drama King Dennis Trillo, who plays Ibarra.

Doctolero highlighted the nationalism of Rizal as seen in his works and now in the hit series: "Ang mga akda ni Rizal ay napaka-relevant pa rin hanggang ngayon. Kung ano ang usapin tungkol sa exploitation ng mga Pilipino noon ay nagaganap pa rin ngayon. Ang Noli Me Tangere ay napakayaman na content para i-adapt sa soap opera. Bilang manunulat, ang ambag namin para sa nation building ay ituro ang ganda ng kultura at kasaysayan natin kasi ang sarap maging Pilipino (Rizal's works are still very relevant now. Whatever issues they had about the exploitation of Filipinos at the time are still seen today. Noli Me Tangere is a rich source of content to adapt for soap operas. As writers, our contribution to nation-building is to highlight the beauty and culture found in our history because it feels good to be a Filipino)."

The idea for a Gen Z approach came during brainstorming for a series. "We were looking for material that would challenge the drama department in all aspects of production. It was Atty. Annette Gozon-Valdes who came up with the idea. Sabi niya, 'Why don't we do a retelling of Noli and El Fili?' And then Suzette Doctolero took the challenge and she added the element of Gen Z to resonate with the younger audience," said Ching-Sy.

Director Dulay said he was similarly challenged when he heard about the project. "Noong sinabihan ako na ire-reimagine ang obrang ito, sobrang saya ko kasi sino lang ba 'yung nabibigyan ng pagkakataon para makaambag sa bansa gamit ang sining. Super favorite ko ang Noli at El Fili dahil bukod sa great love story nina Maria Clara at Ibarra, itinataas niya rin ang konsepto ng pag-ibig maging sa bayan at sa sarili bilang isang Pilipino. Sa isang henerasyon kung saan usong-uso ang fake news, ang saya sa pakiramdam na magtanghal ng ganitong klase ng teleserye (When I was asked to reimagine this masterpiece, I was really happy because not everyone is given a chance to contribute to the nation through art. Noli and El Fili are my favorites because aside from the great love story of Maria Clara and Ibarra, it also brings forth the concepts of love for country and for oneself as a Filipino. For a generation so used to fake news, it feels good to produce this kind of series)."
Meanwhile, Trillo said the series is a significant way to commemorate the bravery of Rizal.

Rasonable reiterated that they hope to promote a newfound enthusiasm for the Rizal's novels through this presentation. "Each and every one of us in the broadcast industry has that responsibility to promote love of country," Rasonable said.

Maria Clara at Ibarra is on weeknights at 8 p.m. on GMA and at 9:40 p.m. on GTV.