Libradilla, Camille L. Chapter 19 (p.

195-202)

Synopsis of El Filibusterismo

● El Filibusterismo is a sequel to the Noli Me Tangere.

● Its meaning in english is “The reign of Greed” (Ang Paghahari ng kasakiman)
● It is more revolutionary, more tragic than the first novel.

● The hero of El Filibusterismo is a rich jeweler named Simoun.

● He was Crisostomo Ibarra of the Noli, who, with Elias' help, escaped from the pursuing
soldiers at Laguna de Bay, dug up his buried treasure, and fled to Cuba where he
became rich.
● After many years, he returns to the Philippines as a powerful figure not only because he
is a rich jeweler, but also because he is a good friend and adviser of the governor
general.
 ● Outwardly, Simoun is a friend of Spain but he is secretly cherishing a terrible revenge
against the Spanish authorities
● His two magnificent obsessions are:
1) to rescue Maria Clara from the nunnery of Santa Clara and
2) to foment a revolution against the hated Spanish masters.

Synopsis of El Filibusterismo

● The story of El Filibusterismo begins on board the clumsy, roundish shaped steamer
Tabo
● This steamer is sailing upstream the Pasig from Manila to Laguna de Bay.
Among the Passengers are:
● Simoun, the rich jeweler
● Doña Victorina, the ridiculously pro-Spanish native woman who is going to Laguna in
search of her henpecked husband, Tiburcio de Espadaña
● 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 high 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
● Isa gani, a poet-nephew of Padre Florentino and a lover of Paulita
● Basilio, son of Sisa and promising medical student, whose medical education is
financed by his patron, Capitan Tiago.
● Simoun, is a very close friend and confidante of the Spanish governor general
● He was called the "Brown Cardinal" or the "Black Eminence".
● By using his wealth and his political influence, he;
○ encourages corruption in the government
○ promotes the oppression of the masses
○ and hastens the moral degradation of the country

● He smuggles arms into the country with the help of a rich Chinese merchant, Quiroga,
who very much wants to be Chinese consul of Manila.
● His first attempt to begin the armed uprising did not materialize because at the last hour
he heard 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.
● On the occasion of the wedding of Paulita Gomez and Juanito Pelaez, Simoun gives
them a beautiful lamp, as a wedding gift .

● Only he and his confidential associate, Basilio , know that when the wick of his lamp
burns lower the nitroglycerine, hidden in its secret compartment, will explode that will kill
all the guests.

● As the wedding feast begins, the poet Isagani, who has been rejected by Paulita
because of his liberal ideas, is standing outside the house, watching sorrowfully the
merriment inside.
● Basilio, his friend, warns him to go away because the lighted lamp will soon explode.
 ● Upon hearing the horrible secret of the lamp, Isagani realizes that his beloved Paulita
was in grave danger.
● To save her life, he rushes into the house, seizes the lighted lamp, and hurls it into the
river, where it explodes.

● The revolutionary plot was thus discovered.

● Simoun was cornered by the soldiers, but he escaped.

Mortally wounded, and carrying his treasure chest, he sought refuge in the home of Padre
Florentino by the sea.
● The Spanish authorities, however, learn of his presence in the house of Padre
Florentino.
● Lieutenant Perez of the Guardia Civil informs the priest by letter that he would come at
eight o'clock that night to arrest Simoun.

● Simoun eluded arrest by taking poison.

● As he is dying, he confesses to Padre Florentino.
● It is already night when Padre Florentino consoles the dying man until Simoun dies.
● Padre Florentino falls upon his knees and prays for the dead jeweler.
 He takes the treasure chest and throws it into the sea.

Other Charaters of El Filibusterismo

Cabesang Tales
● A man who is dispossessed of his land in Tiani by the friars like that of Rizal's father.
● In desperation, he becomes a bandit chieftain named Matanglawin.

Juli
● Daughter of Cabesang Tales.
● Sweetheart of Basilio (Sisa's son)
● Kills herself rather than be dishonored by Padre Camorra.

Macaraig
● A rich student and leader of the Filipino students in their movement to have an
academy where they could learn Spanish.

Padre Millon
● A bigoted Dominican friar-professor,the bigoted Dominican friar-professor
● Teaches physics in the University of Santo Tomas without scientific experiments.

Placido Penitente
● .One of Padre Millon’s students
● He is from Batangas
● He becomes discontented with the poor method of instruction in the university

Señor Pasta
● An old Filipino lawyer who refuses to help the Filipino students in their petition to the
government for educational reforms.
Tandang Selo
● Grandfather of Juli and Cabesang Tales' father

Sandoval
 ● A Spanish student who supports the cause of the Filipino students to propagate the
teaching of Spanish

Pecson
● One of the Filipino students who agitates for the teaching of Spanish

Cabesana Andang
● The mother of Placido Penitente

Pepay
● The pretty dancer and mistress of Don Custodio

Padre Fernandez
● A good Dominican friar and friend of Isagani

Don Timoteo
● The father of Juanito Pelaez

Tano
● The son of Cabesang Tales and brother of Juli

Chichay
● The silversmith who made the bridal earrings for Paulita Gomez.

As in the Noli the characters in El Filibusterismo were drawn by Rizal from real life.

● Padre Florentino was Father Leoncio Lopez,

Rizal's friend and priest of Calamba
 ● Isagani, the poet was Vicente Ilustre, Batangueño friend of Rizal in Madrid

● Paulita Gomez, the girl who loved Isagani but married Juanito Pelaez, was Leonor
Rivera.

"Noli" and "Fili" Compared.

● The Noli is a romantic novel; it is a "work of the heart". - a "book of feeling"; it has
freshness, color, humor, lightness, and wit.
● The Fili is a political novel; it is a "work of the head". a "book of the thought"; it contains
bitterness, hatred, pain, violence, and sorrow.
● Fili is shorter than Noli
● Fili contains 38 chapters
● Noli contains 64 chapter
● Rizal had to cut the Fili drastically owing to lack of funds.

● Rizal himself considered the Noli as superior to the Fili as a novel, thereby agreeing with
M.H. del Pilar who had the same opinion.
● Retana, Rizal's first Spanish biographer, also believes that the Noli is superior to the
Fili."
● However, others including Blumentritt, Graciano Lopez Jaena, and Dr. Rafael Palma are
of the opinion that the Fili is superior to the Noli.
● Lopez Jaena, in a letter to Rizal dated October 2, 1891, said:

"El Filibusterismo is a novel superior to your Noli Me Tangere, as much for its
exquisite literary style, it's easy and correct dialogue, it's clear phraseology, vigorous
 and elegant, as for its profound ideas and sublime thoughts". However he was not
satisfied fully with the Fili as a political novel because its "end is not a worthy climax to a
work so beautiful".

● Accordingly, Jaena advised Rizal to write another novel which would give a definite
solution to the country's problem so that "the coming of the beautiful day of our
redemption" may be hastened.
● The issue of which is the superior novel, the Noli or the Fili- is purely academic
● Both depict with realistic colors the actual conditions of the Philippines and the Filipinos
during the decadent days of Spanish rule;
● Both are instrumental in awakening the spirit of Filipino nationalism;
● And both are responsible for paving the ground for the Philippine Revolution that brought
about the downfall of Spain.
● Neither the Noli nor the Fili are superior to one another.
● As Mariano Ponce aptly told Rizal, after reading the Fili:
"It is, indeed, excellent, I can say nothing of your book, but this: It is really
marvelous like all the brilliant productions of your pen. It is a true twin of the Noli".

Rizal's Unfinished Third Novel.

● On September 22, 1891, four days after the Fili came off the press, he wrote to
Blumentritt that he was thinking of writing a third novel.
● On October 18, 1891, Rizal boarded the steamer Melbourne in Marseilles bound for
Hong Kong.
● During the voyage he began writing the third novel in Tagalog which he intended for
Tagalog readers.
● In Hong Kong he continued it, but for some reason or another he did not finish it.
● The unfinished third novel has no title
● It consists of 44 pages (33 cm. x 21 cm.) in Rizal's handwriting, still in manuscript form.
● It is preserved in the National Library. Manila.

● The story of this unfinished novel begins with the solemn burial of Prince Tagulima, son
of Sultan Zaide of Ternate, on Malapad-na-Bato, a big rock on the bank of the Pasig
River.
● Sultan Zaide, with his royal family and retainers, was taken prisoner by the Spaniards
during the wars in the Moluccas and brought to Manila.
● The old sultan, his children, and followers were promised good treatment, but the
Spaniards forgot their promise and let them die one by one in misery.
● The hero of the novel was Kamandagan, a descendant of Lakan-Dula, last king of
Tondo.
● He plotted to regain the lost freedom of his fathers.
 ● One day he saved his two beautiful granddaughters, Maligaya and Sinagtala, from the
lustful Spaniards the cura and the encomendero of Bay, Laguna.

Rizal's Other Unfinished Novels.

Makamisa
● A novel in Tagalog
● It is written in a light sarcastic style
● Incomplete
● Only two chapters are finished.
● The manuscript consists of 20 pages. 34.2 cm. x
22 cm.

Dapitan
● It is unfinished.
● Written in ironic Spanish.
● He wrote it during his exile in Dapitan to depict the town life and customs.
● The manuscript consists of 8 pages, 23 cm. x 16 cm.

Untitled
● A novel in Spanish about the life in Pili, a town in Laguna is also unfinished.
● The manuscript consists of 147 pages. 8" x 6.5".
● Among the characters are the following:

● Padre Agaton, a Spanish friar;

● Capitan Panchong and Capitana Barang:
● Cecilia, their pretty daughter;
● Isagani, lover of Cecilia;
● Capitan Crispin, political rival of Panchong; and
● Dr. Lopez, a free thinker.

Untitled
● Another unfinished novel of Rizal
● It is about Cristobal, a youthful Filipino student who has returned from Europe.
● The manuscript consists of 34 pages, 81/2" x 6¹/4"
● Among the characters are;
● Cristobal, who has studied for 12 years in Europe
● Amelia, his sweetheart
● Capitan Ramon, the father of Cristobal
 ● A Dominican friar
● A Franciscan friar
● And a Spanish lieutenant of the Guardia Civil.

Untitled
● Contained in two notebooks
● First notebook contains 31 written pages, 35.5 - cm. x 22 cm
● The second 12 written pages, 22 cm. x 17 cm.
● Through the mouth of the celestial characters, the author describes the deplorable
conditions of the Philippines.
● This unfinished novel is written in Spanish
● The style is ironic.