Republic of the

Pangasinan Philippines
State University
PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Bayambang
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EDUCATION

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College of Social
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Education
Quezon Blvd. Bayambang, 2423, Pangasinan, 6320268
Department of Social Science

Name: James Bryan Macaranas Prima Date: April 17, 2020

Topic: El Filibusterismo: Content and Context Rating: _________

I. INTRODUCTION
The second and last novel completed by José Rizal (though he left behind the
unfinished manuscript of a third one), El Filibusterismo is a sequel to Noli Me Tangere.
A dark, brooding, at times satirical novel of revenge, unfulfilled love, and tragedy, the
Fili (as it is popularly referred to) still has as its protagonist Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra.
Thirteen years older, his idealism and youthful dreams shattered, and taking advantage of
the belief that he died at the end of Noli Me Tangere, he is disguised as Simoun, an
enormously wealthy and mysterious jeweler who has gained the confidence of the
colony’s governor-general.
A number of other characters from the Noli reappear, among them: Basilio, whose
mother and younger brother Crispin met tragic ends; Father Salví, the devious former
curate of San Diego responsible for Crispin’s death, and who had lusted after Ibarra’s
love, María Clara; the idealistic schoolmaster from San Diego; Captain Tiago, the
wealthy widower and legal father of María Clara; and Doña Victorina de Espadaña and
her Spanish husband, the faux doctor Tiburcio, now hiding from her with the indio priest
Father Florentino at his remote parish on the Pacific coast.
Where Ibarra had argued eloquently against violence to reform Manila society,
Simoun is eager to foment it in order to get his revenge: against Father Salví, and against
the Spanish colonial state. He hopes to liberate the love of his life, María Clara, from her
suffocating life as a cloistered nun, and the islands from the tyranny of Spain. As
confidant to the governor-general, he advises him in such a manner as to make the state
even more oppressive, hoping thereby to force the masses to revolt. Simoun has a few
conspirators, such as the schoolmaster and a Chinese merchant, Quiroga, who aid him in
planning terroristic acts. In sum, Simoun has become an agent provocateur on a grand
scale.
Basilio, now a young man, has risen from poverty to become Captain Tiago’s charge.
Close to acquiring his medical degree, he is pledged to Julí, the beautiful daughter of
Cabesang Tales, a prosperous farmer whose land is taken away from him by the friars.
Tales subsequently murders his oppressors, turns to banditry, and becomes the scourge of
the countryside.
In contrast to Simoun’s path of armed revolution, a group of university students—
among them, Isagani, Peláez, and Makaraig—push for the founding of an academy
devoted to teaching Castilian, in line with a decree from Madrid. Opposed even to such a
benign reform, the friars manage to co-opt the plan. Subsequently the students are
accused of being behind flyers that call for rebellion against the state. Most observers see
the hand of the friars in this whole affair, which results in the incarceration of the student
leaders, even of Basilio, though he was not involved, and the break-up between Isagani
and the beauteous Paulita Gómez, who agrees to marry the wealthy Peláez, much to the
delight of Doña Victorina, who has favored him all along.
In the meantime, Tiago, addicted to opium, dies of a drug overdose while attended to by
Father Irene. A meager inheritance is all that is given to Basilio and all the incarcerated
students are soon released except for him. Julí approaches Father Camorra to request him
to obtain Basilio’s release. The friar attempts to rape her but she commits suicide rather
than submit to his lustful designs. Released from prison, with Julí dead and his prospects
considerably dimmed, Basilio, one of the few who knows who Simoun really is,
reluctantly becomes a part of the latter’s plot.
The lavish wedding celebration is to be held at the former residence of Captain
Tiago, purchased by Don Timoteo Peláez, the bridegroom’s father. Simoun has mined the
residence, so it will blow up once a fancy lamp—packed with nitroglycerin, it is
Simoun’s wedding gift—has its wick lit. The resulting assassination of the social and
political elite gathered at the feast will be the signal for armed uprising. But Isagani,
informed by Basilio of what will happen, rushes into the house, snatches the lamp, and
throws it into the river, and in the confusion is able to escape.
The planned uprising is aborted, and Simoun’s true identity is finally revealed,
partly through a note he leaves for Father Salví at the feast. Wounded, he eludes capture
and manages to seek refuge at Father Florentino’s residence. There, he commits suicide
but not before revealing to the priest what he has wrought. He leaves behind his case of
jewels, which the good father throws into the sea, with the injunction that the precious
stones yield themselves only when the country needs them for a “holy, sublime reason”
VOCABULARY

Filibustero ( nineteenth century context) – translated as “subversive” a patriot who was

actually associated with revolutionary activities.

Guardia civil – police or military force assigned by the colonial government to maintain peace
and order.

Cabeza de barangay – head of the barangay.

II. BODY
A. Filibustero: History and Context

Rizal started writing El Filibusterismo in October 1887 in Calamba during his first
homecoming. The novel was thus written against the background of threats and oppressions
he and his family suffered because of the Noli and the so-called Calamba agrarian trouble.

He continued working on it, making some revisions, in London in 1888. Rizal then
went on to write the novel in Paris, and then in Brussels where distractions were less and the
cost of living was cheaper. Being able to focus on finishing the book, Rizal had finally
completed it by March 29, 1891 in Biarritz.

Jose Alejandrino, Rizal’s roommate in Belgium related that he was the one who
canvassed printing press for El Fili. He delivered proofs and revisions to F. Meyer van Loo in
Ghent. For his assistance, Rizal gave him the El Fili’s corrected proofs and the pen used in
doing the corrections. Unluckily, these historical souvenirs were either lost or destroyed
during the revolution (Ocampo, p. 111).

Alejandrino, who later became a general in the Philippine revolution, may have been
the first person to read the novel aside from the author. However, the honor of being called
‘the savior of the Fili’ had gone to Valentin Ventura—Rizal’s friend who partially financed
the novel’s publication. (Ventura’s steal of the title, one may argue, is another classic
elucidation of the expression, “That’s what money can do.”)

Initially, Rizal financed El Fili’s printing by pawning his properties. In a letter to Jose
Basa dated July 9, 1891, he related: “For the past three months I have not received a single
centavo, so I have pawned all that I have in order to publish this book. I will continue
publishing it as long as I can; and when there is nothing to pawn I will stop …”

Rizal’s next letter to Basa carried the sad news that the printing had to be suspended
for lack of funds, and it was at this point where Valentin Ventura came into the picture.
Having known Rizal’s predicament, Ventura offered him financial help. In hindsight, we can
assume that Ventura was bothered by his conscience, hence his generous monetary assistance
for Rizal’s novel. Remember that Ventura was one of the Filipinos who promised to co-
author Rizal’s proposed first book but ended up contributing nothing.

But even with Ventura’s help, Rizal found it necessary to fundamentally shorten the
novel, erasing 47 whole pages from the 279-page manuscript to save expenses (Ocampo, p.
111). Thus, the printed El Fili, which came off the press by the middle of September, 1891,
turned out comprising only 38 chapters compared to the 64 of the Noli—contrary to his
original plan to make a longer sequel.

For Ventura’s salvific act, Rizal gave him the novel’s original manuscript, a pen, and
an autographed printed copy. In 1925, the Philippine government bought the El Fili
manuscript from Ventura for a large sum of 10, 000 pesos (Zaide, p. 194). It is now being
kept in the National Library.

Filibustero and Gomburza

The ‘Filibusterismo’ in the novel’s title is derived from the simpler term ‘filibustero’.
Rizal defined the word (‘filibustero’) to his friend Ferdinand Blumentritt who encountered
but did not fully comprehend the word in the ‘Noli’. Rizal thus explained in a letter:

“The word filibustero is little known in the Philippines …I heard it for the first time
in 1872 when the tragic executions [of the Gomburza] took place. I still remember the panic
that this word created. Our father forbade us to utter it, as well as the words Cavite, Burgos
(one of the executed priests), etc. The Manila newspapers and the Spaniards apply this word
to one whom they want to make a revolutionary suspect. The Filipinos belonging to the
educated class fear the reach of the word. It … means a dangerous patriot who will soon be
hanged or well, a presumptuous man.”

The word ‘filibustero’ thus contextually means subversive, dissident, revolutionary,

seditious, insurrectionary, and treasonous. Fittingly, Rizal dedicated the book to the memory
of the Gomburza, the three Filipino patriotic priests who were accused of being ‘filibustero’
and thus executed. In his dedication, Rizal fearlessly declared his conviction that the Spanish
officials’ treatment of the priests’ case was unjust “as [their] complicity in the Cavite Mutiny
is not clearly proved”.

The dedication partly reads: “To the memory of the priests, Don Mariano Gomez (85
years old), Don Jose Burgos (30 years old), and Don Jacinto Zamora (35 years old). Executed
in the Bagumbayan Field on the 28th of February, 1872 … I have the right to dedicate my
work to you as victims of the evil which I undertake to combat…”

Rizal however made mistakes in indicating the ages of the priests and the date of their
execution. During their martyrdom on the 17th (not 28th) of February, 1872, Gomez was
then 73 (not 85), Burgos was 35 (not 30) and Zamora was 37 (not 35). Like many other
students today (especially men), Rizal was perhaps not that good in memorizing historical
details like dates and ages.

The foreword of the Fili was nonetheless addressed “To The Filipino People and
Their Government”. The original manuscript also includes a “warning” and an “inscription”
on the title page written by the author’s friend, Ferdinand Blumentritt.

Themes

Indeed a continuation of the Noli, the El Filibusterismo exposes the real picture of
Filipino society at the hands of the Spanish authorities. Socio-political issues mentioned in
the Noli are also dealt with in its sequel: the abuses and hypocrisy of the members of the
Spanish Catholic clergy, superstitions disguising as religious faith, the need for reform in
educational system, the exploitation and corruption of government officials, and the
pretenses of some social-climbing Filipinos and Spaniards.

What makes El Fili essentially different from its prequel is that it offers various
means of attaining social reform and somewhat hinted what the author believed was ideal.
Some dialogues and incidents seem to suggest the apparent improbability of any radical
socio-political change. The main character’s persistence to push through with the rebellion,
on the other hand, seems to suggest that independence is attainable through revolution.
However, the closing chapters rather insinuate that freedom must be attained without
bloodshed as the story ends with the failure of Simoun’s planned uprising.

The novel’s ending, some scholars explain however, should not be interpreted as
Rizal’s categorical stand against revolution. At best, Rizal can be said to be against
unprepared and disorganized rebellion of an uneducated people which could have slim
chance of victory. It is important to note that Rizal once commented that an upright, patriotic,
and selfless individual like Noli’s Elias would be a viable revolutionary leader. In fact, Rizal
was said to have confessed that he seriously regretted having killed Elias instead of Ibarra.
These seem to prove that Rizal, though practically promoting the attainment of reforms
peacefully, also advocated the idea of armed revolution under some conditions. Intelligent as
he is, what Rizal would never subscribe to is the “useless spilling of blood,” but not the
uprising per se.

Noli vs. Fili

Rizalwrote theEl Filibusterismoabout four years after the Noli. The experiences he
had in those four years spelled a lot of differences in the way he treated his two novels. In
depicting the social conditions in the country, both novels employ satires and caricatures. El
Fili however is more serious as there is less humor and more bitterness in the treatment of
situations.

In the Noli, the author reveals the cruelty and exploitation suffered by the natives at
the hands of colonizers. In El Fili, Rizal depicts a society at the brink of rebellion as the
natives’ minds have been awakened and revolutionary forces have been formed.

Generally, El Fili presents a gloomier depiction of the country under the Spanish
regime. More radical and revolutionary, the novel has less idealism and romance than the
Noli. The El Fili manifests Rizal’s more mature and less hopeful attitude toward the socio-
political situation in the country. The grimmer outlook and more tragic mood can be
attributed to the persecutions and sufferings the author and his family experienced from the
Spanish friars and officials in the years he was writing the novel.

Notwithstanding the sufferings caused by the Spaniards to the Rizal family, the Fili,
its author claimed, is not a matter of revenge. Jose wrote to Blumentritt: “I have not written
in it [Fili] any idea of vengeance against my enemies, but only for the good of those who
suffer, for the rights of Tagalogs ..."

Some of Rizal’s friends like Blumentritt and Graciano Lopez Jaena expressed that Fili
was more superior than Noli. Rizal himself apparently once believed in the superiority of the
Fili. When its printing had to be stopped for lack of funds, he wrote to Basa: “It is a pity
because it seems to me that this second part [the Fili] is more important than the first [the
Noli].”

After the Fili was published nonetheless, Rizal appeared to have a change of heart. In
his October 13, 1891 letter to Marcelo Del Pilar, he said: I appreciate what you say about my
work and I value your opinion highly that considered my Filibusterismo inferior to the Noli.
I, too frankly, without irony or words with a double meaning, share your opinion. For me, the
Filibusterismo as a novel is inferior to the Noli… You are the first one to tell me the truth
and I agree with you. This flatters me as it proves that I still know how to judge myself. “

As regards his friends who told him that Fili was better, Rizal explained in the same
letter: “Blumentritt, all those in Paris and Barcelona, for their benevolence towards me say it
[the Fili] is superior. I attribute it only to their benevolence.”

B. Synopsis
The story in El Filibusterismo revolves around its main character Simoun who is
an affluent jeweler. Simoun is actually Crisostomo Ibarra of the Noli whom everyone
thought had been killed by the Guardia Civil at Laguna de Bay. He had in fact escaped,
fled to Cuba, become wealthy, and made connections with influential Spanish officials.
Upon his return to the Philippines after many years, he becomes very influential as the
governor general, who owes so much to him, consults him in making decisions.
In reality however, everything Simoun does is just part of his grand plan to take
revenge against the Spanish officials and rescue Maria Clara from the convent. Planning
to stage a revolution, he smuggles arms and looks for followers, mainly from the
exploited and abused natives. One of his recruits is Basilio, the son of Sisa, who with
Capitan Tiago’s help was able to study in Manila. Simoun also makes an alliance with the
revolutionary group of Kabesang Tales, a former ‘cabeza de barangay’ who suffered
maltreatments from the hands of the friars. Using his influence, Simoun encourages
corruption, decadence, and more oppressive government policies so that the citizens may
become more infuriated.
However, the planned revolt one night was not carried out because Simoun, upon
hearing that Maria Clara died in the nunnery, decided not to give the signal for the
outbreak of the uprising.
Another plan was made some months later. At the venue of the wedding reception
of Juanito Pelaez and Paulita Gomez, Simoun planted many explosives—enough to kill
the invited guests, primarily the friars and government officials. According to the plot,
the big explosion shall be started by the gift he would give to the newlyweds at the
reception—a kerosene lamp with an explosive. When the lamp flickers and someone
turns the wick, it will result into a big explosion that will become a signal to the
revolutionary troops to simultaneously attack all the government buildings in Manila.
During the reception, Simoun gives his gift to the newly-weds. Before hurriedly
leaving the venue, he leaves a piece of mysterious paper bearing the message “You will
die tonight” signed by Juan Crisostomo Ibarra.
Meanwhile, Isagani, the rejected lover of Paulita, is standing outside the
reception. His friend Basilio tells him to leave the place because the lamp will soon blow
up.
When Father Salvi identifies the handwriting in the note and confirms that it was
indeed Ibarra’s, the guests begin to panic. When the lamp flickers, Father Irene tries to
turn the wick up. But Isagani, wanting to save Paulita’s life, rushes into the house, grabs
the lamp, and throws it into the river where it explodes.
Simoun’s revolutionary plot was thus known and he is thus hunted by the law
enforcers. He managed to escape but was seriously wounded. Carrying his jewelry chest,
he finds shelter in the home of Padre Florentino by the sea. Learning of his presence in
the house of the priest, the lieutenant of the Guardia Civil informs Padre Florentino that
he will come in the evening to arrest Simoun.
 Simoun then takes poison that he would not be caught alive. As the poison’s
effects start to take toll on his body, he confesses to Florentino his true identity and his
plan of revenge through bloody revolution. After the emotional and agonizing confession
of the dying man, the priest absolves the dying man from his sins, saying: “God will
forgive you Señor Simoun. He knows that we are fallible. He has seen that you have
suffered … He has frustrated your plans one by one … first by the death of Maria Clara,
then by a lack of preparation, then in some mysterious way. Let us bow to His will and
render Him thanks!”
The story ends with the priest throwing Simoun’s treasures into the sea so that
they would not be used by the greedy. The priest hopes that when the right time comes,
they would be recovered and used only for the good.
III. CONCLUSION
For fearlessly depicting the corruptions and abuses by the Spanish clergy and colonial
government during the Spanish regime in the Philippines, the two novels arehistorically very
significant. Basically a social sketch of the country then, the Noli and Fili reveal the true
setting and condition of the Filipino society in the era.
As essential source of sociological and anthropological studies, the books provide
rich insights into the culture of the 19th and 20th century Philippines. Their realistic
depictions expose a conflicted colonial society seriously split between the oppressors and the
suffering local slaves. The novels’ characters mimic the various elements and types of
individuals in that society. Furthermore, they show favorable positive traits of the natives
then like the sense of gratitude, the fidelity of women to their loved ones, and the yearning
for freedom and equality.
For their explicit portrayal of what the locals really wished for their country, the
books were instrumental in forming the Filipino’s (Indios) sense of national identity.
Indirectly but significantly, the novels influenced the revolution led by the Katipunan as they
inspired Andres Bonifacio and other revolutionaries in their cause.
Rizal was arrested, exiled to Dapitan, and ultimately executed in 1896 based
principally on his writings. In 1956, the Philippine Congress passed the Rizal Law (Republic
Act 1425) requiring all levels of Philippine schools to teach as part of the curriculum the
hero’s two novels.
Originally written in Spanish, the Noli and the Fili had been translated into various
languages like Filipino, English, German, French, Chinese, and other Philippine languages.
In 2007, an English version of Noli Me Tangere was released to major Australian book
stores. It was published by Penguin Books Classics as part of the publication’s commitment
to publish the major literary classics of the world.
IV. REFLECTION
Dr. Jose P. Rizal wrote El Filibusterismo to show us how an individual planted anger
and develop thirst for revenge. I know that we all want to do good and we all want to be a
good person who choose what is right over what is wrong. Being a good person is fulfilling,
not totally in the sense of blessings but in the sense that we know that we did what is good
and our heart just feels over so light.
For me, Dr. Jose P. Rizal wanted to show us to do our best to never tie up ourselves
in doing bad. The El Filibusterismo also shared that violence is not the answer of the problem
that we encountered in our life. As what I observed, the El Filibusterismo is dark and brutal
with many happenings of killing, sexual abuse and suicide. We must think of it, we should
not lower our self to that level to cover ourselves with the violence and rage or anger.
“The Filibusterism” or literally the regime of greed. This was the second novel that Rizal
wrote and dedicated for his country specifically the three martyr friars, namely: Gomez,
Burgos, and Zamora. The three priests were accused by the Spaniards on being a traitor to the
government and were sentenced to death. Also, this novel was the continuation of the Noli
Mi Tangere. But, even though Noli talks about romance and love, El Filibusterismo talks
about the politics and governmental issues in our country. It targets the Spanish government
in indirect way.
This novel tell us how cruel and how purely evil the Spaniards was. Nevertheless, it
also tackles the bravery of the Filipino community. It shows the unimagined bravery of our
countrymen on fighting the greediness and cruelty of the Spaniards.
By reading this poetic novel, you can conclude that the sword is not the only one who
can cut through the steel armor but also words can shatter the pride of anyone in this world. It
cannot result in to a fatal death but the wound it can cause will gradually devour you. If I’m a
Spaniard and I’d read his novel, surely, I’ll lose my mind to anger and grudge. I am thankful
not only for Jose Rizal but also for the people who fight for freedom in a war of words and
thoughts. Even though it is not directly into war, but the effect was very unburden to the
enemy. El Filibusterismo, a novel about the word war for freedom.
V. REFERENCES

Books:

The Cavite Mutiny: Toward a Definitive History John N. Schumacher, S.J. Philippine Studies
vol. 59 no. 1 (2011): 55–81

Schumacher, John N., S.J. 1981. Revolutionary clergy: The Filipino clergy and the nationalist
movement, 1850–1903. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press.

Montero y Vidal, José. 1895. Historia general de Filipinas desde el descubrimiento de dichas
Islas hasta nuestros días, vol. 3. Madrid: Tello.
Pardo de Tavera, T[rinidad] H. 1906. Reseña histórica de Filipinas desde su descubrimiento
hasta 1903. Manila: Bureau of Printing.

Plauchut, Edmond. 1877/1972. L’Archipel des Philippines [Originally in Revue des Deux
Mondes 232: 910–23], trans. Angelita Apostol-Rosal. In Readings on Burgos-Gomes
[sic]- Zamora, Part III: For colleges and universities, comp. Burgos-Gómez-Zamora
Centennial Commission, 37–56. Mimeographed.

Rizal, José, 1861-1896. (2007). El filibusterismo : subversion : a sequel to Noli me tangere.

Honolulu, Hawaii :University of Hawai'i Press,

Internet Sources:

http://www.personal.psu.edu/sam50/readings521/BA_Imagined-Communities.pdf

file:///C:/Users/JB/Downloads/Dialnet-
LaImportanciaDeComunidadesImaginadasYDeBenedictAnd-5715162.pdf

https://example18383.wordpress.com/2016/03/08/el-filibusterismo-a-reflection/

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/302595/el-filibusterismo-by-jose-
rizal/9780143106395/readers-guide/

https://ourhappyschool.com/journalism/el-filibusterismo

04-17-2020

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