SUMMARY OF EL FILI

The protagonist of El Filibusterismo is a jeweler named Simoun. He is the new identity of Crisostomo
Ibarra who, in the prequel Noli, escaped from pursuing soldiers. It is revealed that Crisostomo dug up his
buried treasure and fled to Cuba, becoming richer and befriending Spanish officials. After many years, the
newly fashioned Simoun returns to the Philippines, where he is able to freely move around. He is a
powerful figure not only because of his wealth but also because he is a good friend and adviser of the
governor general. Outwardly, Simoun is a friend of Spain; however, in secret, he is plotting a terrible
revenge against the Spanish authorities. His two obsessions are to rescue his paramour Maria Clara from
the nunnery of Santa Clara and to foment a Philippine revolution against Spain. The story of El
Filibusterismo begins on board a steamer ship sailing up the Pasig river from Manila to Laguna de Bay.
Among the passengers are Simoun; Doña Victorina, a pro-Spanish native woman who is going to Laguna
in search of her henpecked husband, Tiburcio de Espadaña, who has deserted her; Paulita Gomez, her
beautiful niece; Ben-Zayb (anagram of Ibañez), a Spanish journalist who writes silly articles about the
Filipinos; Padre Sibyla, vice-rector of the University of Santo Tomas; Padre Camorra, the parish priest of
the town of Tiani; Don Custodio, a pro-Spanish Filipino holding a position in the government; Padre Salvi,
thin Franciscan friar and former cura of San Diego; Padre Irene, a kind friar who was a friend of the Filipino
students; Padre Florentino, a retired scholarly and patriotic Filipino priest; Isagani, a poet-nephew of
Padre Florentino and a lover of Paulita; and Basilio, son of Sisa and promising medical student, whose
medical education is financed by his patron, Capitan Tiago. A man of wealth and mystery, Simoun is a
very close friend and confidante of the Spanish governor general. Because of his great influence in
Malacañang, he was called the “Brown Cardinal” or the “Black Eminence”. By using his wealth and political
influence, he encourages corruption in the government, promotes the oppression of the masses, and
hastens the moral degradation of the country so that the people may become desperate and fight. He
smuggles arms into the country with the help of a rich Chinese merchant, Quiroga, who aspires to be
Chinese consul of Manila. His first attempt to begin the armed uprising did not materialize because at the
last hour he hears the sad news that Maria Clara died in the nunnery. In his agonizing moment of
bereavement, he did not give the signal for the outbreak of hostilities. After a long time of illness brought
about by the bitter loss of Maria Clara, Simoun perfects his plan to overthrow the government. On the
occasion of the wedding of Paulita Gomez and Juanito Pelaez, he gives a wedding gift to them a
beautiful lamp. Only he and his confidential associates, Basilio (Sisa’s son who joined his revolutionary
cause), know that when the wick of his lamp burns lower the nitroglycerine, hidden in its secret
compartment, will explode, destroying the house where the wedding feast is going to be held killing all the
guests, including the governor general, the friars, and the government officials. Simultaneously, all the
government buildings in Manila will be blown by Simoun’s followers. As the wedding feast begins, the poet
Isagani, who has been rejected by Paulita because of his liberal ideas, is standing outside the house,
sorrowfully watching the merriment inside. Basilio, his friend, warns him to go away because the lightened
lamp will soon explode. Upon hearing the horrible secret of the lamp, Isagani realizes that his beloved
Paulita is in grave danger. To save her life, he rushes into the house, seizes the lightened lamp, and hurls it
into the river, where it explodes. The revolutionary plot is thus discovered. Simoun is cornered by the
soldiers, but he escapes. Mortally wounded, and carrying his treasure chest, he seeks refuge in the home
of Padre Florentino by the sea. The Spanish authorities, however, learns of his presence in the house of
Padre Florentino. Lieutenant Perez of the Guardia Civil informs the priest by letter that he will come at
eight o’clock that night to arrest Simoun. Simoun eludes arrest by taking poison. As he is dying, he
confesses to Padre Florentino, revealing his true identity, his dastardly plan to use his wealth to avenge
himself, and his sinister aim to destroy his friends and enemies. The confession of the dying Simoun is long
and painful. It is already night when Padre Florentino, wiping the sweat from his wrinkled brow, rises and
begins to meditate. He consoles the dying man saying: “God will forgive you Señor Simoun. He knows that
we are fallible. He has seen that you have suffered, and in ordaining that the chastisement for your faults
should come as death from the very ones you have instigated to crime, we can see His infinite mercy. He
has frustrated your plans one by one, the best conceived, 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!” Watching Simoun
die peacefully with a clear conscience and at peace with God, Padre Florentino falls upon his knees and
prays for the dead jeweler. The priest then takes the treasure chest and throws it into the sea.
Mga Tauhan sa El Filibusterismo ni Jose -Hermana Penchang
Rizal: Ang mayaman at madasaling babae na
-Simoun pinaglilingkuran ni Juli
Ang mapagpanggap na mag-aalahas na -Ginoong Leeds
nakasalaming may kulay Ang misteryosong Amerikanong nagtatanghal sa
-Isagani perya
Ang makatang kasintahan ni Paulita -Imuthis
-Basilio Ang mahiwagang ulo sa palabas ni G. Leeds
Ang mag-aaral ng medisina at kasintahan ni Juli Simoun – Mayamang mag-aalahas,
-Kabesang Tales pinagkakamalang Indiyong Ingles, Amerikano,
Ang naghahangad ng karapatan sa pagmamay- Mulato, Portuges at Cardenal Moreno
ari ng lupang sinasaka na inaangkin ng mga Isagani – Isang binatang may matayog na isipan,
prayle makata at katipan ni Paulita Gomez
-Tandang Selo Paulita Gomez Katipan ni Isagani, mayaman,
Ama ni Kabesang Tales na nabaril ng kanyang maganda, pamangkin ni Donya Victorina
sariling apo Basilio – Isang binatang nakapag-aral ng
-Ginoong Pasta medisina dahil sa sariling sikap
Ang tagapayo ng mga prayle sa mga suliraning Juli – Katipan ni Basilio, anak ni Kabesang Tales,
legal nagpaalila upang matubos ang ama
-Ben-Zayb Pari Camorra – Paring mukhang artilyero
Ang mamamahayag sa pahayagan Pari Salvi – Tinatawag na moscamuerta o patay
-Placido Penitente na langaw
Ang mag-aaral na nawalan ng ganang mag-aral Pari Sibyla- Vice Rector ng Unibersidad
sanhi ng suliraning pampaaralan Pari Irene – Kaibigan at tagapayo ni Kapitan
-Padre Camorra Tiyago, namamahala sa pagpapatayo ng
Ang mukhang artilyerong pari Akademya ng Wikang Kastila
-Padre Fernandez Pari Fernandez – May kaibang pangangatuwiran,
Ang paring Dominikong may malayang kaiba sa kapwa pari
paninindigan Pari Florentino – Amain ni Isagani
-Padre Florentino Kabesang Tales – Naging cabeza de barangay,
Ang amain ni Isagani dati’y isang tahimik na tao, ngunit nang angkinin
-Don Custodio ng korporasyon ng mga prayle ang lupang
Ang kilala sa tawag na Buena Tinta sinasaka ay sumama sa mga tulisan
-Padre Irene Don Custodio – Pinakamasipag sa lahat ng
Ang kaanib ng mga kabataan sa pagtatatag ng nagpapalagay, kilala rin sa tawag na Buenta Tinta
Akademya ng Wikang Kastila Ginoong Pasta – Isang abogadong sanggunian
-Juanito Pelaez ng mga prayle kung may suliranin,
Ang mag-aaral na kinagigiliwan ng mga propesor; pinagsanggunian din ng mga estudyante sa
nabibilang sa kilalang angkang may dugong pagpapatayo ng Akademya
Kastila Ben Zayb – manunulat at mamamahayag
-Makaraig Doña Victorina – Pilipinang kumikilos at umaasal
Ang mayamang mag-aaral na masigasig na na tulad ng isang tunay na Espanyola at
nakikipaglaban para sa pagtatatag ng Akademya itunuturing na mapait na dalandan ng kanyang
ng Wikang Kastila ngunit biglang nawala sa oras asawa
ng kagipitan. Quiroga – Kaibigan ng mga prayle, naghahangad
-Sandoval na magkaroon ng konsulado ng mga Instik
Ang kawaning Kastila na sang-ayon o panig sa Don Timoteo Pelaez – Isang negosyante,
ipinaglalaban ng mga mag-aaral mauswerteng nakabili ng bahay ni Kapitan
-Donya Victorina Tiyago, ama ni Juanito
Ang mapagpanggap na isang Europea ngunit isa Mataas na Kawani – Ang nagmamalasakit sa
namang Pilipina; tiyahin ni Paulita mga Pilipino na kawani ng pamahalaang Kastila,
-Paulita Gomez katunggali ng Kapitan Heneral sa pagpapalaya
Kasintahan ni Isagani ngunit nagpakasal kay kay Basilio
Juanito Pelaez Kapitan Heneral – Ang pinakamataas na pinuno
-Quiroga ng bayan, sugo ng Espanya, malapit na kaibigan
Isang mangangalakal na Intsik na nais ni Simoun
magkaroon ng konsulado sa Pilipinas Hermana Penchang – Ang manang na umampon
-Juli kay Juli na ginawang katulong ang dalaga,
Anak ni Kabesang Tales at katipan naman ni mahilig sa pagpaparami ng indulgencia
Basilio Placido Penitente – Nag-aaral ng
-Hermana Bali pagkamanananggol magaling sa Lati,
Naghimok kay Juli upang humingi ng tulong kay pinakamatalino sa bayan ng Batangas, hindi
Padre Camorra nakagiliwan ng mga propesor kaya binalak nang
huminto sa pag-aaral
Makaraig – Mayaman at isa sa pinakamasigasig
na magkaroon ng Akademya ng Wikang Kastila
Juanito Pelaez – mapaglangis at kinagigiliwan ng
mga propesor, mapanukso, kuba at umaasa sa
katalinuhan ng iba
Sandoval – Isang Kastilang kawani na salungat
sa mga ginagawa ng kaniyang mga kababayan,
nagpatuloy ng pag-aaral sa Pilipinas
Pecson – Isang mag-aaral na palaisip subalit
pesimistiko o laging may kabiguang laging
natatanaw sa hinaharap.
El Filibusterismo Summary Crisostomo Ibarra is back and as Simoun. During the period in
between the story line of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo which is 13 years, Ibarra left the
Philippines and became a wealthy jeweler. He came back to the Philippines as Senor Simoun,
disguised with a beard. He seems to have long abandoned his once vision of ending the
despotism of Spain with words and peace. He becomes hungry for vengeance for all the
misfortune our country has suffered under the tyranny of the Spaniards . And near the end of the
novel, when he discovers that his lover, Maria Clara, died in the convent, he becomes all the more
furious. Simoun is a confidant of the Captain-General. He encourages the government to make
bad decisions and to abuse their power so that it would spark a revolution among the masses.
Basilio, now all grown up, is at first reluctant to join in on Simoun’s idea but ends up being part of
the plan. Simoun started planning uprisings and stashed guns in the shop of an ally. At the
wedding reception of newlyweds (the bride being the ex-girlfriend of one of the friends of Basillo—
Isagani), Simoun tells Basilio that his plan was to conceal an explosive which contains
nitroglycerin inside a pomegranate-styled Kerosene lamp that Simoun will give to the newlyweds
as a gift during the wedding reception. The reception will take place at the former home of the late
Captain Tiago, which was now filled with explosives planted by Simoun. According to Simoun, the
lamp will stay lighted for only 20 minutes before it flickers; if someone attempts to turn the wick, it
will explode and kill everyone—important members of civil society and the Church hierarchy—
inside the house. Simoun leaves the reception early and leaves a note with the words: “Mene
Thecel Phares” which means “the future is predetermined” and is generally implied that a bad
event is going to happen. Simoun signed it with his real name “Juan Crisostomo Ibarra”. The
people at the reception were shocked because Ibarra is supposedly dead. One of the priests who
knew Ibarra before the ending of Noli Me Tangere confirmed to the people that it was the writing of
Ibarra. The lamp started to dim… Outside the house, Basilio was about to walk away because he
knew the lamp was going to explode anytime soon when he saw Isagani, the still heart-broken ex-
boyfriend of the bride whose reception was still going on in the house of Capitan Tiago. Isagani
said that he just wanted to congratulate the newly-weds. Basilio who then feared for the safety of
his friend told him about the plan of Simoun. Isagani ran to the house. A priest was about to fix the
lamp but once Isagani got in, he found the lamp and threw it out the window into the river outside
the residence. Since the guards were chasing Isagani, he himself jumped out of the window into
the river as well. There was an uprising planned by Simoun during the time of the reception. The
band got caught and confessed that Simoun lead them. Ibarra was now wanted both as himself
and as Simoun. Days passed and a good priest found Simoun walking along the shore, wounded
and weak. The noble priest tended to Simoun while the latter explained that he is Ibarra and that
he was greatly saddened and angry due to the failure of the revolution and that he was
questioning God as to why he was the one who is suffering and not the ones who have forsaken
the people of the Philippines. The priest explains that all punishments will come in due time. Ibarra
died as he weakly held the hand of the priest. The latter blessed the former and threw away all the
remaining jewels of Ibarra in the hopes that they may always be used for good.

REFLECTION

El Filibusterismo is far more dark and brutal. This novel can really make me a better person
because the novel’s message is violence is never the answer. The novel’s plot shows that. At first,
Simoun is planning to rescue Maria Clara by all means necessary. That means even if he has to
use force, he will do it just to achieve his goal, contrary to what Ibarra believed in. At the end, Jose
Rizal showed that violence is never the answer in Simoun’s death and Father Florentino’s
lamentations. The final event really showed that violence is never the answer to anything. It is just
a way to create and replace the old problem with a new one.