THE LIFE AND WORKS

OF RIZAL

Lowelly P. Cruz, MPS

2020
 MODULE 6

EL FILIBUSTERISMO

Learning Outcomes:

1. Compare and contrast the characters, plot and theme of the Noli and the El
Fili;
2. Value the role of the youth in the development and future of society.

Life and Works of Rizal Lowelly P. Cruz, MPS 1

The El Filibusterismo 1

 ‘El Filibusterismo’ is Jose Rizal’s second novel written as the sequel of 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
ofthreats and oppressions he and his family suffered because of the Noli
andthe 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

Life and Works of Rizal Lowelly P. Cruz, MPS 2

 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
tomake 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
governmentbought 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

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 it,as well as the words Cavite, Burgos (one of the executed priests), etc.
TheManila 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
ofthe 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.

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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
isthe “useless spilling of blood,” but not the uprising per se.

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Noli vs. Fili

 Rizal wrote the 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 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].”

Life and Works of Rizal Lowelly P. Cruz, MPS 6

  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.”

Noli and Fili Stolen

 In Rizal’s time, the Permanent Commission of Censorship recommended

the absolute prohibition on the importation, reproduction, and circulation of
the Noli. The copies of the Fili, on the other hand, was destroyed by
Customs in Manila upon shipment to the Philippines. The rare surviving
copies of the novels were secretly purchased and “according to one friend
of the family, had to be read in the smallest, most private room in the
house—the toilet” (Ocampo, p. 108).

 That was the fate of the first edition of Rizal’s novels. But that is nothing
compared to what happened to their original manuscripts about 70 years
after their publication.

 The original manuscripts of the Noli and Fili (along with that of the poem ‘Mi
Ultimo Adios’) were stolen from the National Library on the evening of
December 8, 1961. After some days, the thieves who outsmarted the
building’s sleepy guards sent a ransom note “made of newspaper cutouts”
to the Jose Rizal National Centennial Commission (JRNCC) (Ocampo, p.
148). The robbers demanded 1.4 million pesos for the return of the original

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 texts, else Rizal’s handiworks would be burned.

 To summarize the ‘historic robbery’, the then Education Secretary Alejandro

‘Anding’ Roces personally met with the burglars and, after some various
negotiations, had retrieved the documents without paying a single centavo.
The manuscripts were returned on installment basis—the ‘Ultimo Adios’
during the first meeting, the ‘El Fili’ on the next negotiation, and lastly, the
‘Noli’. There was a time when the demanded ransom was reduced to
100,000 pesos and then to 10,000 pesos (Ocampo, p. 148). But recognizing
perhaps that they would get nothing from the government, the robbers
ultimately settled on returning the expensive documents, free of charge.

 Many still find this ‘charge-free return of the manuscripts’ strange and mind-
blowing. But the following additional details about the story could perhaps
shed light on the account.

 During the negotiations, one of the burglars related to Roces that on the
night of the robbery, “the Rizal manuscripts suddenly became heavy as a
cavan of rice”. The thief thus exclaimed, “The manuscript must be holy or
haunted!” (Ocampo, p. 148). One robber even claimed that he read Rizal’s
handwritten novels and described the feeling, “Ang sarap basahin,
kinikilabutan ako!” (Ocampo, p. 148). It’s remarkably funny to note however
that the thief did not understand Spanish! Nonetheless, these indicate that
the stealers were probably bothered by their conscience, hence the consent
to just send back the national hero’s works.

 Anding promised not to identify the robbers or to be a witness against them

in court. Thus, the hilariously controversial thieves were never known.

The novel’s legacy

 For fearlessly depicting the corruptions and abuses by the Spanish clergy
and colonial government during the Spanish regime in the Philippines, the
two novels sketch of the country then, the Noli and Fili reveal the true

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 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
publishthe major literary classics of the world.
El Filibusterismo 2
The Reign of Greed
 El Filibusterismo (lit. Spanish for "The Filibustering"), also known by its
English alternative title The Reign of Greed, is the second novel written by
Philippine national hero José Rizal.

Life and Works of Rizal Lowelly P. Cruz, MPS 9

  It is the sequel to Noli me Tangere and, like the first book, was written in
Spanish. It was first published in 1891 in Ghent.

Copy of the first page of the manuscript of El Filibusterismo

Original Cover

Life and Works of Rizal Lowelly P. Cruz, MPS 10

Historical Background
 Rizal began writing El Filibusterismo in October 1887 while he was in
Calamba.

 In London (1888), he revised the plot and some chapters.

 Rizal continued to work on his manuscripts in Paris.

 He later moved to Brussels, Belgium where the cost was cheaper and he
would be less likely to be distracted by social events so he could focus on
finishing the book.

 In a letter, Rizal explained: “The word filibuster is little known in the

Philippines. The masses do not know it yet. I heard it for the first time in
1872 when the tragic executions (of 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 does not have the meaning
of freebooters; it rather means a dangerous patriot who will soon be
hanged or well, a presumptuous man.”

 By the end of the 19th century, the word filibuster had acquired the meaning
“subversive” in the Philippines, hence the book is about subversion.

 The book is dedicated to the memory of GOMBURZA, three priests who

were accused of being seditious and executed. in his dedication, Rizal
audaciously expresses his conviction that their treatment at the hands of
the Spanish authorities was unjust.

 Given the reaction to his first book, Rizal tried to avoid allowing the second
one to fall into the hands of the Spaniards.

 He had after all written El Filibusterismo not for the Spaniards but for the

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 Filipino people to read.

 After distributing the copies of the first edition to his friends in Europe, Rizal
designated most of the remainder to be sent to the Philippines.

 The books were first sent to his residence in Hong Kong, to be smuggled
to the Philippines by his friends.

 Upon shipment, the copies were immediately seized by the authorities,

making it a rare book overnight.

 The plot is similar to that of Alexandre Dumas pere’s classic The Count
of Monte Cristo. Both narratives revolve around a man’s determination to
avenge himself and reclaim his beloved fiancée. The protagonist of each
novel disguises his identity and comes up with an intricate plot of revenge
and retribution.

CHARACTERS

 Simoun a wealthy jeweler and the known protagonist of Noli, bent on

starting a revolution (Rizal).

 Basilio is Sisa’s son and an aspiring doctor.

 Isagani is a poet and Basilio’s best friend. Portrayed as emotional and

reactive. Boyfriend of Paulita Gomez before being dumped for fellow
student, Juanito Pelaez.

 Kabesang Tales (Telesoforo Juan de Dios) is a former cabeza de

barangaywho resurfaced as the feared Luzon bandit Matanglawin; his
father, Old man Selo, dies eventually after his own son Tano, who became
a guardia civil, unknowingly shoots his grandfather encounter. (Don
Francisco Mercado)

 Juli (Juliana de Dios) is the girlfriend of Basilio and the youngest daughter
of Kabesang Tales

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  Ben Zayb (Abraham Ibanez) is a journalist who thinks he is the only one
thinking in the Philippines

 Placido Penitente is a student of UST who is always miserable and

thereforecontrols his temper.

 Quirogais a Chinese businessman who dreamed of being a consul of a

“consulate of China” in the Philippines. He did Simoun’s weapons inside the
house.

 Old Man Selois father of Kabesang Tales. He raised the young and sick
Basilio after his mother Sisa died.

 Father Fernandez is the priest-friend of Isagani. He promised Isagani that

he and the other priests will give the students’ demands.

 Attorney Pasta is one of the greatest lawyers of mid-hispanic Manila

 Capitan-General is the powerful highest official of the Philippines

 Paulita Gomez is the girlfriend of Isagani and the niece of DonyaVictorina.

In the end, she and Juanito Pelaez are wed and she dumps Isagani,
believing that she will have no future if she marries him.

 Father Florentino is Isagani’s godfather and secular priest was engaged

tobe married, but chose the priesthood instead, the story hinting at the
ambivalence of his decision as he chooses an assignment to a remote
place, living in solitude near the sea.

 Padre Sibyla (Hernando de la Sibyla) is a Filipino friar and now vice-

rector of the UST

SYNOPSIS

 Simoun, a wealthy jeweler has recently come to the Philippines. His wealth
and connections – he is a friend of the Governor-General, make him a
sought after in society and influential as well. He uses his influence to

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 encourage government officials to
become corrupt and further abuse
the people.

 Only Basilio, now a young medical

student, recognizes his true identity.
Simoun is actually Crisostomo Ibarra
from Noli me Tangere, turned bitter
and vengeful. He has returned after thirteen years to foment revolution and
to rescue his beloved Maria Clara from the convent.

 He tries to convince Basilio to join him. Basilio owes him a debt of gratitude
for helping him bury his mother in the Ibarra forest. Furthermore, Simoun
knows of what his family suffered at the hands of the authorities. He tries to
convince Basilio to join him so that he may also take his revenge but Basilio
refuses.

 Simoun’s first attempt at revolution fails when he hears of Maria Clara’s

death and break down. Then Basilio, along with other students, is arrested
for forming an allegedly seditious organization. His sweetheart, Juli, goes
toplead with an influential friar to assist her in securing Basilio’s release.
Sheis killed trying to escape the friar’s amorous advances. When Simoun
arranges for Basilio’s release, Basilio is now also bitter and vengeful, as
well as grateful to Simoun.

 He offers his full support to Simoun’s second attempt at sparking a

revolution and watches as Simoun plants a bomb at the house where the
wedding reception of Paulita Gomez and Juanito Pelaez is taking place.
There are many illustrious guets at this mansion, formerly the house of Noli
Me Tangere’s Capitan Tiago, including Governor-General and Padre Salvi.

 Seeing all of the people, most of them innocent guests who are about to be
harmed, Basilio’s conscience starts to bother him but he knows he has to
escape. As he starts to run away, he sees his best friend Isagani standing

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 disconsolately near the house. Isagani had been working toward reform and
with his idealism, intelligence and eloquence had become something of a
leader among the students, until recently he had been the beautiful Paulita’s
sweetheart.

 Paulita had been charmed by his poetic nature but she was bored by his
patriotic ideals. The arrest of students convinced her that it would be more
practical to marry Juanito, a rich businessman’s son who did not involve
himself in such dangerous matters.

 Basilio feels compelled to tell Isagani of the plot. Knowing that the woman
he loves is inside, Isagani runs into the house, grabs the bomb and throws
it into the river, averting the explosion and the revolution.

 Simoun takes refuge in the home of a kind Filipino priest, Father Florentino,
knowing it is only a matter of time before he is arrested. Having abandoned
all hope, Simoun takes fatal poison. Before he dies, Padre Florentino hears
his last confession. He expresses his conviction that Simoun’s plan failed
because he chose to do them by unjust means. He assures Simoun that
there is still hope for the liberation of the country. Upon Simoun’s death, the
priest takes his jewels and commends them to the sea, praying that the
wealth that was once used for bribery and corruption would one day be
found by one who would use it for a just purpose.

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