Course Code and Title: GE 111 – Rizal’s Life and Works

Lesson Number: 13

Topic: EL FILIBUSTERISMO

INTRODUCTION
This lesson provides a discussion of Rizal’s follow-up novel to Noli Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo. It focuses
on Rizal’s ideologies implicit in the novel, particularly on the continuities and changes in Rizal’s ideas in the context of the
novel’s plot, characters, and events. The lesson also focuses on the importance of the youth in nation-building as presented
in the novel.

Learning Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
 Analyze the context of Rizal’s 2nd novel El Filibusterismo.
 Compare and contrast the characters, plot, and theme of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
 Discuss the background of the publication of El Filibusterismo.
 Value the role of the youth in the development and future of society.

LESSON PRESENTATION:
‘El Filibusterismo’ is Jose Rizal’s second novel written as the sequel to his ‘Noli Me Tangere’. Commonly
nicknamed ‘El Fili’ or simply ‘Fili’, the novel was written also in Spanish. Its commonly known English alternative title is ‘The
Reign of Greed’.

The writing and printing of Fili

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
the printing press for El Fili. He delivered proofs and revisions to F. Meyer van Loo in Ghent.
For his assistance, Rizal gave him 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.
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 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 that 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 to comprise only 39 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. Filipinos from the educated class are concerned about the
spread of the word. It... denotes a dangerous patriot who will be hanged soon or a conceited 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 [they're]
complicity in the Cavite Mutiny is not 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 at 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 of Fili
Indeed a continuation of the Noli, the El Filibusterismo exposes the real
pictures 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 disguised as religious faith, the need for
reform in the education 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 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 Simon's planned uprising.
The novel’s ending, some scholars explain, however, should not be interpreted as Rizal’s categorical stand
against the revolution. At best, Rizal can be said to be against the unprepared and disorganized rebellion of uneducated
people, which could have a 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. 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 was,
what Rizal would never subscribe to is the “useless spilling of blood,” but not the uprising per se.

Comparing Noli vs. El Fili

Rizal wrote El Filibusterismo about 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 are less humor and more bitterness in the treatment of situations.
In Noli, the author reveals the cruelty and exploitation suffered by the natives at the hands of colonizers. In El
Fili, Rizal depicts 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 superior to Noli. Rizal himself 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.”

SUMMARY:
To counter Noli Me Tangere’s hopeful and romantic atmosphere, Rizal followed it up with El Filibusterismo.
Rizal started writing El Filibusterismo in 1888 and finished it in 1889. But just like the fate of Noli Me Tangere, Rizal also had
difficulties in the publication of El Filibusterismo due to the expensive printing costs. Rizal had to move to Ghent to look for
cheaper ways of printing the book but still found it too costly. Fortunately, his friend Valentin Ventura offered him financial
assistance which led to the novel’s publication in September 1891. El Filibusteriso was much shorter with only 39 chapters
compared to Noli Me Tangere which has 64 chapters, Rizal gave Valentin Ventura the original manuscript of El Filibusterismo
as a token of gratitude for his contributions to the publication of the novel.
Rizal used his first novel, Noli Me Tangere, to expose to the Filipinos the abusive ways of the Spanish
authorities and friars. Through the characters and plot of the novel, Rizal was able to bring to light the corruption of the
Spaniards. Through the different characters in the novel, Rizal provided insights into the condition of Philippine society under
Spanish colonial rule. It was also through the experience of these characters that Rizal was able to direct readers into
recognizing the ills that plagued the country. At the end of the novel, Rizal challenged the youth, in the character of Basilio, to
recognize their role in society as the catalyst for social change.

References

 Galicia, R. D. (2019). The Life and Works of Jose Rizal. 2nd Edition. Mandaluyong City: Azes Publishing Corporation.
 Manebog, J. D. (2019). Life and Works of Rizal. Manila: Mutya Publishing. Inc.
 Clemente, J. E. (2019). The Life and Works of Rizal. Quezon City: C & E Publishing, Inc.