# Mara Clara

Mara Clara is a Philippine television drama series broadcast by ABS-CBN. Starring Judy Ann Santos and Gladys Reyes, it aired on the network's afternoon line up from August 17, 1992 to February 14, 1997, replacing Sebya, Mahal Kita and was replaced by Esperanza. It is the second longest running drama series of ABS-CBN (after FPJ's Ang Probinsyano).
The title is derived from María Clara, the mestiza heroine of José Rizal's Noli Me Tángere. It is a first release from Dreamscape Entertainment upon its establishment in 1992.
This series is streaming online on YouTube.

## Premise
### Book 1

Mara and Clara were switched at birth, and the details of this event were recorded by Kardo (Dan Fernandez), a hospital staff, in his diary. At the beginning of the story, both Almira and Susan gave birth to their children. Tragically, Susan’s twin baby died accidentally at the hands of Kardo. Desperate to cover up the incident, Kardo secretly switched Almira’s and Susan’s daughters at birth, replacing the deceased infant with Almira’s child. This deception led Amanthe to believe that it was their own daughter who had passed away. Seizing the opportunity, Gary took his surviving baby and placed her in the Del Valle family, setting the stage for a lifetime of mistaken identities and hidden truths. Mara (Judy Ann Santos) lived as the poor daughter of the couple Susan (Susan Africa) and Gary Davis (Eruel Tongco) while Clara (Gladys Reyes), the real daughter of Susan and Gary, was brought up the rich Amanthe (Juan Rodrigo) and Almira Del Valle (Beverly Vergel).
The good-natured Del Valle couple (Juan Rodrigo and Beverly Vergel) takes in Mara (Judy Ann Santos) as a servant and decides to spend for her education, not knowing that she is their real daughter. The Castillo-Del Valle family was widely recognized for their generosity and active involvement in charitable and volunteer work, particularly in supporting orphanages. Beyond their philanthropy, they also thrived in their respective businesses, excelling in both publishing and car manufacturing industries. Gary (Eruel Tongco), who is actually a gang and syndicate leader, approves of the idea that Mara lives with the Del Valles to extort money. Clara makes life for Mara difficult. At the beginning of the story, Enrico (Noel Colet), Almira’s adopted brother, harbored sinister intentions against the Del Valle family. However, his schemes were ultimately foiled when his involvement as the leader of a gun-running syndicate was exposed, forcing him to flee to the United States.
Mara's life took a devastating turn in the hands of Gary Davis. He not only made her suffer but went so far as to kidnap her, demand ransom, and then stage a fake rescue—all to paint himself as a hero in the eyes of others. Yet, through it all, her adoptive mother, Susan, remained a constant source of unwavering love and support. Gary was also unfaithful to his wife, Susan, engaging in an illicit affair with Lenita (Leni Santos). Interestingly, Lenita had a past romantic connection with Amanthe during their childhood days. Due to Gary’s relentless abuse, Susan repeatedly lost her sanity, suffering numerous breakdowns. At one point, she left their home and lived as a beggar, wandering aimlessly in despair. However, over time, she managed to recover and regain her strength, eventually healing from the trauma she endured. Gary, beyond being manipulative and abusive, rose to power as a syndicate leader in various criminal operations. He relentlessly extorted money from the Del Valle family, even using the funds to establish his own business. Despite being incarcerated, he and his fellow inmate, Waldo, continued their illicit dealings. Eventually, they were joined by Negro, Enrico’s former henchman, further strengthening their criminal network. At one point, Gary and Lenita joined forces to orchestrate sinister schemes against the Del Valle family, determined to bring them down through deceit and manipulation.
Meanwhile, Clara was adored by her adoptive parents Almira and Amanthe, who provided her with everything she needed, allowing her to live like a princess. Her personality was the complete opposite of Mara’s. Clara looked down on others, treating the maids (Nanay Binay and Querubin) and adopted individuals (Jepoy and Eris) in the Del Valle mansion as inferior. During the Del Valle family's transition to a new residence, while Almira and Amanthe were away on vacation, Almira’s cousin, Marina (Carol Dauden), temporarily took over the household’s management. Though she had a strict and conservative personality, she proved to be easily swayed by Clara’s manipulations during her stay. Clara bore a striking resemblance to her father, Gary, in terms of her cunning and manipulative nature. However, she once had moments of conscience, especially after discovering that Mara was the real Del Valle daughter. Despite this, she was easily swayed by her father’s influence, allowing greed and the desire for wealth and attention to consume her.
Mara was kind-hearted intelligent girl and the complete opposite of Clara. Although Susan initially treated her with coldness, she eventually grew to love Mara as her own, feeling a deeper maternal bond with her than she ever did with Clara. Raised by Susan, along with her godmothers, Ninang CG (Eagle Riggs) and Ninang Lagring (Minnie Aguilar), Mara was instilled with strong values of goodness and righteousness. As time passed, the Del Valle family adopted Mara and even granted her a college scholarship. This arrangement led to both Mara and Clara living under the same roof. When Clara discovered her true identity and Almira found that she was actually Gary’s daughter and rightfully belonged to the Davis family, many were convinced that Mara and Clara were biological siblings. However, this revelation triggered an identity crisis for Mara. She began to question her true origins, suspecting that she might not be Gary and Susan’s daughter after all, but instead the rightful heir of the Del Valle family.
In Book 1, a key conflict unfolded through the relentless confrontations and heated debates between Gary Davis and Kardo, as the latter condemned Gary’s wicked schemes against Mara and the Del Valle family. Determined to manipulate the truth, Gary twisted the narrative, deceitfully claiming that Mara’s real mother was Edna (Myrna Castillo), his former girlfriend. Meanwhile, one crucial piece of evidence proving Mara’s true identity as a Del Valle was Kardo’s diary. The diary changed hands multiple times, but it ultimately ended up with Jepoy (Paolo Contis), who successfully placed it in Almira’s room. Upon reading it, Almira finally uncovered the truth—Mara was her real daughter. The truth was further solidified when Kardo talked to Almira via phone call and revealed everything, leaving no room for doubt. Things escalated when Gary was mysteriously killed by an unknown assailant. Speculations quickly spread, suggesting that he was eliminated by the syndicate leader named Tamaguchi, with Nakamura, a member of the Yakuza being one of the suspects. Meanwhile, Almira was in a state in comatose after she reads the diary, and she finally discovers the truth about Mara.
At this point, Gary was replaced by his half-sister Louie (Maila Gumila), who wants to continue her brother's legacy. She was even more notorious than her brother having the same illegal activities with many henchmen aside from Waldo and Negro. Louie spent many years in prison and eventually returned to Metro Manila. Throughout her incarceration, Gary kept her consistently informed about his life events, ensuring she remained aware of everything that transpired in her absence. One of her driving motivations was to seek justice for her brother’s death. She had been led to believe that his demise was not orchestrated by the syndicate but instead blamed the Del Valle family, convinced that they were responsible. Louie and her niece, Clara, conspired to bring down Mara and the Del Valle family, determined to ruin their lives. However, Lenita refused to be part of Louie’s diabolic schemes, choosing to distance herself from the malicious plans. She wanted Amante, Almira and Mara die together. Louie kidnapped Mara, asked for ransom money of Php 100,000,000 from Amanthe, and accidentally shot Clara during the hostage taking. Fortunately, the policeman together with Kardo, Berting, and Simeon rescued them and Louie got wounded and arrested. At the end, as time progresses, the goodness wins, the damages are paid, Clara finally said sorry to Mara for her doings and Mara forgives her, and they all know where to stand.

### Book 2

Mara and Clara finally change their fate as they now live with their true parents but things became difficult and complicated. Almira's evil half-brother Enrico/Henry (Noel Colet (Book 1)/Jeffrey Santos (Book 2)) is back after many years in prison from America. He underwent plastic surgery to completely alter his appearance and assumed the identity of Henry Villafuerte. He vows a revenge to the Del Valle family especially to his half-sister, Almira. He brainwashes Clara to continue her evil doings and despise the Del Valle family. There are also a dark flashback of Almira that keeps haunting in her nightmares. Henry also keeps her believing that Almira is the mastermind of Gary's death. However, it was revealed later that Enrico/Henry was the real killer of Gary Davis.
The book starts as Mara was shot by unknown shooter during her welcome party as a daughter of Del Valle. She was saved by the unlicensed doctor, Derrick (Rico Yan) by performing the surgery. Derick, the son of a wealthy doctor named Dr. Federico Villa, is an intern doctor who in love with Mara but his life is complicated as was a victim of force marriage by his girlfriend Mitch (Erica Fife). He was also the rival of Christian (Wowie De Guzman) who courts Mara first. After the events of the welcome party, Mara happy as she now lives with her true parents but things are not gonna easy for her as there are still many people who wants to destroy her family: Henry who is his uncle, Inggrid (Glydel Mercado) who helps Henry to destroy the Del Valles by seducing Amanthe. Another problem was faced by Susan when Roy who seeks revenge after the death of his brother Gary and the imprisonment of his half-sister Louie, and Clara secretly protests her right as a Del Valle's heiress. Fortunately, Roy was captured by the police with the help of Jun (Daniel Fernando).
The things got escalated when Henry brainwashed Clara and he kept her believing that Almira is the mastermind of Gary's death. Clara vows revenge on the Del Valle family and make them suffer. She wants to steal the inheritance of the Del Valle. Meanwhile, the missing piece of the diary reveals that Almira was raped by Gary and Mara maybe the product of the two and not from Amanthe. Due to the constant chaos in the mansion, Almira decided that Mara should leave for her own safety and return to Susan. This deeply saddened Mara, especially when Clara manipulated the situation further by convincing Susan that Almira was behind Gary's death. Enraged, Susan turned against the Del Valle family, while Clara’s hatred toward them intensified. Fueled by vengeance, she became even more determined to despise them, blaming them entirely for her father’s fate.
Meanwhile, Captain Esguerra (Tom Olivar), a high-ranking police officer, uncovered critical evidence proving that Henry Villafuerte and Enrico Castillo were the same person, directly linking him to various syndicate activities. He informed Amanthe of the discovery, but Almira opposed Amanthe’s decision to expose Henry’s true identity. Her reluctance stemmed from Enrico’s sinister blackmail—he threatened to reveal the painful truth that Almira had been raped by Gary. The fear of this dark secret being exposed left Almira deeply troubled and conflicted.
Almira was allegedly killed in a car bomb suicide by one of Gary's kidnappers.

## Cast and characters
### Protagonist

* Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo as Mara Davis / Mara del Valle

### Antagonist

* Gladys Reyes-Sommereux as Clara del Valle / Clara Davis

### Main cast

* Juan Rodrigo as Amanthe del Valle
* Beverly Vergel as Almira Castillo-del Valle
* Eruel Tongco (1992–1996) and William Martinez (movie, 1996) as Gerardo "Gary" Davis
* Susan Africa as Susan Davis/Violeta
* Leni Santos as Lenita/Sylvia (Book 1)
* Dan Fernandez as Ricardo "Kardo" Enriquez
* Minnie Aguilar as Lagring
* Michael "Eagle" Riggs as Canuto "CG" Garcia
* Noel Colet (Book 1)/Jeffrey Santos (Book 2) as Enrico Castillo/Henry Villafuerte
* Maila Gumila as Louie (Book 1)
* Wowie de Guzman as Christian "Chris" Cruz
* Rico Yan as Derick Villa (Book 2)

### Supporting cast
#### Book 1

* Paolo Contis as Jepoy
* Christopher Roxas as Erris Reyes
* Naty Mallares as Lola Binay
* Ading Noche as Dado
* Jochelle Olalia as Karen
* Agatha Tapan as Denise
* Carol Magallanes as Carol
* Debbie Espileta (credited as Debbie Domingo) as Debbie
* Rolly Padilla as Simeon
* Mariche Marquez as Che-Che
* Daniel Fernando as Jun
* Roland Sanchez as Roland
* Romeo Pacheco as Pacheco
* Vincent Cebu as Negro
* Willy Delgado as Waldo
* Robert Perez as Berting
* Yuichiro Enomoto as Nakamura

#### Book 2

* Glydel Mercado as Inggrid
* Angelika Dela Cruz as Joyce
* Anita Linda as Pacita
* Ian Galliguez as Bekya
* Ara Mina as Tisay Davis
* Tom Olivar as Sgt. Esguerra
* Nita Grandea as Bridgette
* Erika Fife as Mitch
* Dinky Doo as John
* Pocholo Montes as Dr. Federico Villa
* Xenia Absalon as Dulce
* Francis Enriquez as Jojo
* Lorna Lopez as Gigi
* Piolo Pascual
* Nikka Valencia
* Jackie Aquino as Atty. Buencamino
* JR Herrera
* Tom Santos
* Anna Lumibao

### Former
#### Book 1

* Eva Darren as Aida
* Whitney Tyson (TV series, 1992–1995) and Jinky Oda (movie) as Kerubin
* Jenette Fernando as Risa
* John Salve as Lester
* Carol Dauden as Marina
* Edward Salvador as Joe Llamera
* Bangkay as Praning
* Raquel Monteza as Adelina
* Myrna Castillo as Edna

## Production

After the cancellation of Ula, Ang Batang Gubat, director Emil Cruz Jr. conceptualized a soap opera entitled "Mara Clara" and was presented to ABS-CBN for approval. Judy Ann Santos and Gladys Reyes were handpicked by the director for the titular roles. During the early years of the soap, majority of scenes, particularly the Del Valle mansion are shot inside the studio. It was around their second year that the series started shooting on an actual location.
On May 19, 1996, cast members Eruel Tongco, Ireneo Sevilla, Joy Clarise Cojuangco and Bienvenido dela Rosa died when their vehicle fell into a ravine in Palayan while driving home from a Nueva Ecija stage presentation. To fill in the sudden demise of the actor, they introduced Louie, the previously-unspoken sibling of Gary played by Maila Gumila to continue what could have been the storyline of Gary. However in the movie version which was shot the same year, they picked William Martinez to play the role of Gary. They eventually replaced Gumila's character as main antagonist during the end of Book 1 by Henry/Enrico, played by Jeffrey Santos on their second season.

### Broadcast
#### Timeslot

The series originally aired at 2:30 p.m. as an afternoon drama series produced by its original director Emil Cruz Jr. from August 17, 1992, until September 30, 1994, after Anna Luna. It moved to a 2:00 p.m. timeslot on October 3, 1994, when its predecessor Anna Luna moved from the said network to RPN. The show's rights was later on purchased by ABS-CBN Entertainment and was moved to an evening slot on July 8, 1996 with its reformatted as a primetime drama series, after TV Patrol to challenge RPN's Tagalog-language dub of Mexican telenovela, Marimar and Villa Quintana of GMA. It ended on February 14, 1997, to make way for Esperanza as the replacement on February 17.

#### Reruns

The series re-aired in 2007 by affiliates Studio 23 (later S+A) and Kapamilya Channel (internationally subsidiary of The Filipino Channel) through 2008. It aired internationally in 1994 til its series finale on The Filipino Channel when it first aired as same day airings. It then re-aired in 2007-2008 for the first time on the Kapamilya Channel. The series is currently being uploaded on Jeepney TV's YouTube Channel.

## Adaptations
### Film adaptation

On September 18, 1996, a movie was produced based on the television series. This was the first television series created by ABS-CBN to be adapted by Star Cinema.
In the film, Gary Davis' character was changed. It was portrayed by Eruel Tongco in the series, while William Martinez played the role in the film due to Tongco's death from a car accident in 1996.
Additionally, Qureubin was originally portrayed by Whitney Tyson in the series but Jinky Oda portrayed the character in the film following a series of bullying cases to Tyson during shoots leading eventually to her withdrawal from the series.

### Remake

During the ABS-CBN trade event held on August 24, 2010, at the World Trade Center Manila, it was announced that a remake of the series will start its production in 2010. Kathryn Bernardo is slated for the role of Mara, with Julia Montes as Clara. It aired on ABS-CBN from October 25, 2010, to June 3, 2011.

## Difference between series and movie

| Series | Movie version |
| Later in the series, Kardo revealed the shocking truth to Gary: Mara was not his biological daughter. | From the very beginning, Gary knew that Mara was not his biological daughter. |
| Susan attacked Lenita after she ordered Mara to wash her clothes. | Consumed by rage after discovering Gary's affair with Lenita, Susan lashed out, attacking her in a fit of fury. |
| Clara brought the diary with her to the mansion. | Kardo entrusted the diary to Clara after she learned the truth about her identity. |
| Clara overheard a conversation between Amanthe and Gary, during which she learned that she was their daughter of Susan and the latter. | Witnessing Clara hurting her mother, Amanthe revealed to her that she was Gary and Susan's daughter. |
| To prevent Susan and Kardo from revealing Mara's true parentage – Amanthe and Almira – Gary kidnapped her. | Gary kidnapped Mara after Clara revealed that everyone knew she was Amanthe and Almira's biological daughter. |
| Almira learned she and Amanthe were Mara's true parents through Kardo's diary and a subsequent phone call from him. | Upon reading Kardo's diary, Almira's suspicions were confirmed: she and Amanthe were indeed Mara's true parents. |
| Louie ordered her henchmen to kidnapped Mara directly. | Gary tricked Mara that he would brought her to her real parents but eventually, she kidnapped her. |
| Louie was shot and wounded by a police officer after she attempted to kill Amanthe. | Gary was shot to death by Kardo and Amanthe simultaneously. |
| Mara was shot during her welcoming party. | This didn't happened in the movie version since Clara accepted her fate and was part of the party. |
| Almira was allegedly killed by kidnappers during a car bomb suicide. | Almira did not die in the movie. |

## Reception

The series had its highest rating of 45% in one of its episode in 1994, it is considered as one of the highest rating Filipino TV series of all time.
The TV series made waves through most of the Filipino audience and being called by ABS-CBN as, "Ina ng Pinoy Soap Opera" owing to the series' huge success.
The highly-overt antagonism of Gladys Reyes' main antagonist character, Clara, by way of her violent actions done throughout the series against Judy's character, Mara, had provoked a huge reaction on those who viewed the show's protagonist Mara, more favorably, such to the point that Gladys Reyes had earned the title "Bella Flores of the 90's".