Leona

A Deconstruction of Rizal’s Life Based on His Letter, “To the Woman of Malolos”

Summary
A writer who has always been on the receiving end of rave reviews on his body of work gets his
first 1-star. Following the mystery person’s recommendation, he meets a "real" girl and learns
what constitutes a real woman. Consequently, he changes the way he writes his female
characters.

Characters
● Ethan (Gabriel Pena) - a CNU student [scenes 1, 10]
● Marie (Yanti Nudalo) - a CNU student [scenes 1, 10]
● Enrique (Romer Ranoco III) - He is the writer who has been receiving praises for his
books until one person gives him a bad review. He is the deconstruction of Rizal’s self.
[scenes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 (voice only)]
● Leona (Jade Gecain Tahanlangit) - She is the girl who has meetings with Enrique. She
is an enthusiastic person. She is the deconstruction of Emilia’s self based on very few
available information on Emilia. [scenes 4, 5, 6, 7]
● Leon (Franics) - He is Leona’s father and is the reason why Enrique begins to meet with
Leona. [scene 3 (voice only)]
● Alexa (Merry Katerine) - She is the owner of Foresee Publishing where Enrique works.
He is very fond of Enrique because his works always sell out. [scene 3]
● Theodore (Kenny) - He is an interviewer who is the reason why Enrique starts talking
about what happened a year ago. [scenes 2, 8]
Locations:
- Food court
- Interview Room
- Enrique’s Bedroom
- Leona’s Bedroom
- Park
- Street
Clarifications
If you have questions regarding scenes 1-5,10, ask Recka. If you have questions regarding
scenes 6-9, ask Gwendolyn.

Scene 1: Emall Foodcourt

Ethan and Marie are sitting across from each other. Their meals are half-finished.

ETHAN

Have you started preparing for the Rizal exam?

MARIE

If by preparation, you mean reading the book, then yes, I have started.

Ethan frowns.

ETHAN

You mean, you read the whole book?

MARIE

Yeah, I did. Stop looking at me like that. It is not weird. You know that I love reading books.

ETHAN

Sorry. But did my face give it away?

Ethan chuckles.

MARIE

Sure did.
 ETHAN

But how do you feel about it?

MARIE

I think it’s just so-so. I mean, Rizal being a Casanova just reminds me of you.

Marie chuckles.

ETHAN

Ha! That’s where you are wrong. By any means, He is not a Casanova. We weren’t able to
discuss this in class and I don't think the book you are reading covers this but it has been
documented that he has a letter entitled “To the Woman of Malolos”. Have you heard of it?

MARIE

Hmmm. No.

ETHAN

At first, Rizal thought that all the women were the same. They are kind, modest, ignorant, and
they have agreeable manners. But then he heard of one woman who was different and this
mystery lady is from Malolos.

MARIE

Any legitimate source? Where can I find that? You might be fibbing at me again.

ETHAN

I think it will be hard to find the original copy. But, there’s a writer named Enrique and his work is
related to that letter. Lucky for you, I have an audiobook copy on my phone. Do you want to
listen together?

MARIE

Sure.
Ethan shares his earphones with Marie.

Scene 2: Zoom Interview (present day)

Enrique and Theodore are spotlighted in the Zoom meeting room. Enrique’s fans are in the
meeting room as well.

THEODORE

Enrique, I heard that the book you’re releasing is … quite different.

ENRIQUE

Word sure gets out fast. But yes, you’re right. The book I’m releasing is more unconventional
than my old books.

THEODORE

But it is still a love story. How is it different?

ENRIQUE

There are many writers, who, like me - are known for writing love stories between a man and a
woman. But I've always stood out because of the way I write and flesh out my female
characters. Critics' words, not mine. Please don’t attack me.

Enrique and Michelle chuckle.

THEODORE

You don’t have to worry about that. Who would even dare attack the great Enrique?

ENRIQUE

Anyways, The critics always say that my works celebrate women. But between the two of us,
the book I’m releasing now is the only one that genuinely celebrates women. This time, the
caricature of a woman is written according to a woman.

THEODORE
 You have a lot of female fans here so I’m sure they’re pretty intrigued. What do you mean by a
woman written according to a woman?

ENRIQUE

I modeled the female character from somebody.

THEODORE

Oh, so, it’s a real woman. How did you think of writing the female character that way?

ENRIQUE

Well, it all began about a year ago when the company owner called to congratulate me on my
book.

Scene 3: Enrique’s Bedroom (1 year ago); Alexa’s Office

The phone, which is on the desk, rings. Enrique’s hand reaches out for it and answers it half-
asleep.

ENRIQUE

Hello?

ALEXA

Enrique, Enrique, Enrique. You did it again.

ENRIQUE

Upon realizing the owner of the voice, Enrique shots up and becomes fully awake.

Good morning, ma’am.

The setting switches to Alexa’s office.

ALEXA

Alexa is sitting on his office chair in a relaxed position.

 How many times have I told you to stop calling me ma’am? Call me Alexa. It’s an honor to be
addressed by my first name by my bestselling author.

ENRIQUE

Enrique answers with a hesitating tone.

Good morning … Alexa.

ALEXA

That’s more like it. But before I forget why I called you so early today, congratulations again for
selling out. Your new book was sold out in just a few hours and all the reviews are good. 4.9
stars in fact. Really, no one does it better than you.

The setting switches back to Enrique’s bedroom.

ENRIQUE

Enrique frowns.

4.9?

ALEXA

Yes, 4.9. You can look it up on our website. You can’t believe it either, right? Other authors who
have written more than 10 books get an average of 4.2 stars if they are lucky. But you, this is
your 13th book and you attained an average of 4.9. I knew I made the right call when I gave you
that offer years ago.

While Alexa is speaking, Enrique turns on his laptop and looks at the reviews for his book.

ENRIQUE

I guess it’s good news then, ma’am?

ALEXA
 There goes your ma’am again. And what’s with that hesitant tone? Of course, it’s good news. I
just explained it to you a while ago. Well, maybe you’re used to 5 stars so 4.9 might be a tad
little for you.

While Alexa is speaking, Enrique scrolls down on the reviews and stops when he finds the
review with 1 star.

ENRIQUE

It’s not real.

ALEXA?

Huh? What? Pardon Enrique?

ENRIQUE

Oh, it’s nothing. I just thought it’s unreal to still be doing so well after having this prolific body of
work because you know, at some point, readers usually get bored with an author’s writing style.

ALEXA

Say, Enrique, are you free this Sunday? We’ll have a company dinner.

ENRIQUE

Yes, I am free.

ALEXA

Great! Then Mr. Bestselling author, I’ll see you on Sunday and don't forget to look sharp mind
you.

Alex hangs up and Enrique puts his phone down. Enrique copies the email address
(leon2022@gmail.com) of the person who gave the 1-star review and sends an email. The
other person replies and this is how their exchange goes (with voice acting):

enrique@foreseepublishing.com
 Hello! I am Enrique from Foresee Publishing, and I just recently released my 13 th book. I
have seen mostly rave reviews on the Foresee Publishing website, so your review
struck me speechless. You gave a 1 star review with a comment saying, “It’s not real.”
As a writer, it is my foremost desire to improve my craft. So , could you please elaborate
yourself?

leon2022@gmail.com

It’s not real. That’s all there is to it.

ENRIQUE

Is this guy stupid?

enrique@foreseepublishing.com

The book is classified as fiction which means that the story is not real. With that out of
the way, I believe you made a mistake in giving a 1-star review.

leon2022@gmail.com

On the cover, in bold letters, it says that “it celebrates women”. But it’s not real. I don’t
know what you’re celebrating because I’m pretty sure the woman portrayed in the book
is not a real girl. Haven’t you ever met a girl?

ENRIQUE

This must be one of those guys sent by the other publishing houses to sabotage my work and to
think that I have just successfully published another work. I think I’ll have some fun with this.

enrique@foreseepublishing.com

I guess I haven’t. Since you know a lot about real girls, can you help me meet one? I
believe it will greatly help me improve my writing.

leon2022@gmail.com

Visit the park tomorrow at 1:00 pm. Wear something blue.

Scene 4: Park (1 year ago)

(Enrique’s Voice: I went there but I thought the guy was just playing with me because I waited
for 10 minutes before the “real girl” came.)

During the voice acting, Enrique, wearing something blue, looks at his watch and looks around
the park. A girl’s hand taps his shoulder. Enrique turns around. He sees a girl with a smiling
face, wearing a dress.

LEONA

Are you Enrique from Foresee Publishing?

ENRIQUE

Enrique looks at her from top to foot.

Are you the real girl?

LEONA

Real girl? What do you mean by real girl? Of course, I’m a real girl.

Leona chuckles.

ENRIQUE

I’m sorry. My mind was somewhere else.

LEONA

It’s okay. By the way, the name’s Leona. My father told me that you want to spend a few days
with me for your new book.

ENRIQUE

Your father? Yes, you’re right. Is that okay with you?

LEONA
Very okay. I don’t mind but before I forget, I’m so sorry for being late. I didn’t mean to make you
wait, to disrespect you. I had to look for somebody wearing blue and a lot of people were
wearing it. I’m really sorry.

(Enrique’s Voice: I didn’t understand back then how Leona was a real girl when she was very
much the same with the girls in my books which were not real as claimed by Leon.)

During the voice acting, Enrique and Leona are having a conversation while strolling around the
park. Enrique’s demeanor is that of a calculating person while Leona’s demeanor is that of an
enthusiastic person.

*For a smooth transition, zoom in on Leona’s happy face and zoom out. When it zooms out, it’s
already another day.

Scene 5: Park (1 year ago)

(Enrique’s Voice: We met at the park on the second meeting. I was 5 minutes late, but I thought
it wasn’t a big deal.)

During the voice acting, Enrique is walking towards a happy Leona.

LEONA

Hi, Enrique.

ENRIQUE

Hi, Leona. I just came from a meeting. Shall we sit on that bench?

LEONA

Sure. The last time we met, we were just walking all the time and by the time I got home, my
legs were very sore. It felt like my feet had become miniature logs cut off from a tree. I don’t
want it to happen a second time.

While Leona is talking, she leads Enrique to the bench and they sit down.

(Enrique’s Voice: Like last time, we talked about how our days went. Well, it was mostly Leona
doing the talking. Her energy is really off the charts.)
 ENRIQUE

Leona, it’s already half past four and I have a team dinner to attend. We’ll have to cut our
meeting short today.

LEONA

It’s okay. I understand. I had a great time again. I hope you did as well.

ENRIQUE

Next time, let’s meet at night and have dinner.

LEONA

That would be great. I love eating food.

ENRIQUE

Good to hear that. I’ll see you next time, Leona.

LEONA

But Enrique, don’t you think you’re forgetting something important?

ENRIQUE

*pats pockets* I think I have all of my personal effects with me.

LEONA

Not that. It’s something you should be giving me.

ENRIQUE

Did I promise to give you something?

LEONA
 Respect. You were 5 minutes late today and you didn’t even say sorry. You didn’t even try to
not be late. You walked in a relaxed manner as if it’s totally okay to be late because you were
just about to meet with me. Because it’s just me.

(Enrique’s Voice: That’s the first time I saw something different.)

ENRIQUE

Oh… I’m sorry, Leona. I hope you will still meet me next time.

LEONA

Of course. Goodbye, Enrique.

Scene 6: Park (1 year ago)

(Enrique’s Voice: On our third meeting, I tried to be more careful with my actions in case I would
disrespect her again. What Leona said last time made me realize the error in my ways but I was
not able to gaze at it firsthand until she told me.)

Enrique and Leona were walking in the park.

ENRIQUE

Let’s have dinner. I know a good place to eat. Do you like some roasted chicken over chives?

LEONA

How about this instead

Leona walks over to the street food vendors.

ENRIQUE

Really? I’m quite sure the restaurant I had in mind would taste better.

LEONA
Leona bought tempura from the vendor and instead of using the sticks, she uses her hands to
feed enrique.

Delicious, isn’t it?

Enrique nods while slowly swallowing the food Leona fed him.

Scene 7: Street (1 year ago)

(Enrique’s Voice: On our last meeting, we went out to have some ice cream. She was wearing
something unusual that day - an oversized shirt paired with jeans. She didn’t look as elegant as
before when she wore dresses and while walking around the street, we saw girls wearing
beautiful dresses.)

ENRIQUE

Don’t you think you deserve beautiful dresses?

Leona looks at the girls.

LEONA

I think everyone deserves to feel beautiful in their dresses.

Leona then looks at Enrique.

But more importantly, I think everyone deserves to feel liberated, happy and comfortable
whether their clothes look beautiful or not to the beholder.

ENRIQUE

Um, Do you feel happy right now?

LEONA

Of course! I feel happy, because I am being true to myself.

Scene 8 *After Flashback * *Back in the Zoom meeting room*

 ENRIQUE
The me from a year ago was so naive. I was so narrow-minded. But because of that one
criticism, everything changed. A year later, I seemed to have surprised everyone. Haha”

THEODORE

Wow, That’s a really down to earth backstory for such a grandiose masterpiece entitled
‘Leona’. . It's so contrasting, she’s such an influential woman!

ENRIQUE
Influential indeed! She really went and changed my whole perspective without even trying!

THEODORE

Let me ask this then, Do you like that type of woman?

ENRIQUE
All I can say is that being true to yourself is what makes you most attractive. *Smiles*

THEODORE

Girls! Did you hear that? A way to attract Mr. Enrique is to just become true to yourself!

*Extras making Extra *kilig* Noises*

You hear that, Mr. Enrique? There are so many girls who are happy with that answer!

Enrique just laughs.

So one last question, Do you have anything you want to say to that woman?

ENRIQUE:
 Everything I want to say to her is already in the book. *Smile*
Scene 9
-On Leona’s house, and the computer: The Interview is being paused-

Leona stares at the television for a while and then opens the book on her lap and starts to read.
Camera scene should focus on Leona and her surroundings (joke ang camera director na
bahala hahahahaha)

In Enrique’s Voice

I have no idea what he really meant when he said that I have never known a real woman in my
entire life. Looking back retrospectively, I reviewed those I had known since my infancy and
there were many. They were all girls with agreeable manners, beautiful ways and modest
demeanor. But what was even a real woman? The question lingers in my mind.

However, the day I met you, I saw how flawed my thoughts were, how narrow my visions were
and how I have wronged all the women with my careless naivety. By meeting you, it brought me
great joy.

Because you appeared as a woman as I thought how women were, but at your core, you
embody the heart of the bravest by showing that kindness isn’t a weakness. Your voice carries
strength and gentleness that it’s a marvel how those two even come together in one voice. I
asked you once if you deserve to wear pretty dresses, but in your heart you already knew you
love the liberty you feel in the clothes you wear.

Your daring persona and your gentle nature defined a new sense of strength. No longer does a
woman stand with her head bowed or does she spend her time on her knees, because she
knows her true worth. You are a woman of strength, and a woman with a heart of a lion.

*Show Leona smiling while reading*

Scene 10: Emall Foodcourt

Ethan and Marie are sitting across from each other, sharing a pair of earphones.
 ETHAN
And that’s the end. What do you think?
Ethan and Marie take the earphones off.
MARIE
I want to listen to it again. Can you give me a copy?

END