EL FILIBUSTERISMO

GROUP MEMBERS:
ADVIENTO, JOHN KENNETH
CRUZ, NEAL JUSTINE
CLAUDIO, JUDE
QUINTO, JERICHO
HISTORY OF THE WORD FILIBUSTER:

• The word filibuster goes back to a Dutch word for "freebooter," someone
who took booty or loot. It came to mean a legislator who was "pirating"
parliamentary proceedings.
• A filibuster or freebooter, in the context of foreign policy, is someone who
engages in an (at least nominally) unauthorized military expedition into a
foreign country or territory to foment or support a revolution. The term is
usually used to describe United States citizens who fomented insurrections
in Latin America, particularly in the mid-19th century (Texas, California,
Cuba, Nicaragua, Colombia). Filibuster expeditions have also occasionally
been used as cover for government-approved deniable operations.
HISTORY OF THE WORD FILIBUSTER:

• FILIBUSTERING is a term lately imported from the Spanish, yet

destined, it would seem, to occupy an important place in our
vocabulary. In its etymological import it is nearly synonymous with
piracy. It is commonly employed, however, to denote an idea peculiar
to the modern progress, and which may be defined as the right and
practice of private war, or the claim of individuals to engage in foreign
hostilities aside from, and even in opposition to the government with
which they are in political membership. ["Harper's New Monthly
Magazine," January 1853]
HOW IT INFLUENCED THE EUROPE AND THE PHILIPPINES

• This article traces the provenance and the multiple layers of meaning, as well
as the contradictions encoded, in the word filibustero from its origins among
pirates in the Caribbean in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to the
American military adventurers in the nineteenth century, whose complex
politics intersected with proindependence Cuban exiles. This history illumines
the word's specific meaning as it entered the Philippines before 1872. At the
same time, filibustero can be linked to the Manilamen, natives of the Spanish
Philippines who worked as international seafarers, who became involved in
mercenary activities, especially in Shanghai. This seaborne genealogy
contextualizes the analysis of the filibustero in José Rizal's second novel.
HOW IT INFLUENCED THE EUROPE AND THE PHILIPPINES

• 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.
THE BACKGROUND ON THE PUBLICATION OF THE EL
FILIBUSTERISMO

The writing and printing of El Filibusterismo

• 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.
THE BACKGROUND ON THE PUBLICATION
OF THE EL FILIBUSTERISMO
• 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.”)
THE BACKGROUND ON THE PUBLICATION
OF THE EL FILIBUSTERISMO
• 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.
CHARACTERS OF EL FILIBUSTERISMO

• Simoun
• Crisóstomo Ibarra reincarnated as a wealthy jeweler, bent on starting a revolution
• Basilio
• Sisa's son, now an aspiring doctor
• Isagani
• poet and Basilio's best friend; portrayed as emotional and reactive; Paulita Gómez' boyfriend
before being dumped for fellow student Juanito Peláez
• Kabesang Tales
• Telesforo Juan de Dios, a former cabeza de barangay (barangay head) who resurfaced as the
feared Luzón bandit Matanglawin (Tagalog for Hawkeye); his father, Old Man Selo, dies
eventually after his own son Tano, who became a guardia civil, unknowingly shoots his
grandfather in an encounter
CHARACTERS OF EL FILIBUSTERISMO

• Don Custodio
• Custodio de Salazar y Sánchez de Monteredondo, a famous journalist who was asked by the
students about his decision for the Academia de Castellano. In reality, he is quite an ordinary
fellow who married a rich woman in order to be a member of Manila's high society
• Paulita Gómez
• the girlfriend of Isagani and the niece of Doña Victorina, the old India who passes herself off as a
Peninsular, who is the wife of the quack doctor Tiburcio de Espadaña. In the end, she and Juanito
Peláez are wed, and she dumps Isagani, believing that she will have no future if she marries him
• Father Florentino
• Isagani's godfather, and a secular priest; was engaged to be 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.
CHARACTERS OF EL FILIBUSTERISMO

• Huli
• Juliana de Dios, the girlfriend of Basilio, and the youngest daughter of Kabesang Tales
• Ben Zayb
• Abraham Ibañez is his real name. He is a journalist who thinks he is the only one thinking in the
Philippines
• Placido Penitente
• a student of the University of Santo Tomas who is always miserable, and therefore controls his temper
• Quiroga
• a Chinese businessman who dreamt of being a consul of a Consulate of China in the Philippines. He
hid Simoun's weapons inside his house
• Old Man Selo
• father of Kabesang Tales. He raised the sick and young Basilio after his mother Sisa had died
CHARACTERS OF EL FILIBUSTERISMO

• Father Fernandez
• the priest-friend of Isagani. He promised to Isagani that he and the other priests
will give in to the students' demands
• Attorney Pasta
• one of the great lawyers of mid-Hispanic Manila
• Captain-General
• (no specific name) the powerful highest official of the Philippines
• Padre Sibyla
• Hernando de la Sibyla, a Filipino friar and now vice-rector of the University of
Santo Tomas (U.S.T.)
PLOT

• Juan Crisostomo Ibarra has changed his name and identity to a rich jeweler
named Simoun. In disguise, he travels the world amassing wealth, which he
intends to use to topple the corrupt and abusive regime in his native land. But
Simoun's real motive is personal. He wants to rescue his beloved, Maria Clara,
from the convent and avenge the death of his father. In a forest on Christmas
Eve, Basilio, a medical student recognizes Simoun's true identity as the man
who helped bury his mother Sisa more than ten years before, under a tree.
Simoun is in the forest to retrieve the gems he buried near Sisa's grave. As the
film progresses, all the secrets and intrigues are revealed, and the plotters' plan
fails. A good Filipino priest throws Simoun's jewels away, thereby eliminating
the greed, violence and other evils they might have provoked.
MAJOR THEME

• The main themes of the novel El Filibusterismo are vengeance, cruelty,

patriotism, love and heartbreaks, and the right to education. Rizal
started writing El Filibusterismo in Calamba during his first
homecoming in October 1887. This novel was written by Jose Rizal in
dedication to the three martyred priests Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos,
and Jacinto Zamora, whose deaths left a permanent mark in his mind.
The message of the novel is clear: thus the corrupt and self-seeking
Spanish officials, dominated by the friars can only lead to disaster to
 Spain and Filipinos. El Filibusterismo  was set in the Philippines that is
under the ruling of then-colonial Spain
IDEAS OF THE NOVEL

• The moral lesson of the story is vengeance is not for man to undertake. Every action has its own
consequences.
• Though Dr. Rizal claims that he had written his second novel - El Filibusterismo not to express
vengeance against his enemies but for the sake of his fellow Filipinos, readers would certainly agree
that he still wants it since he is giving Filipino readers an understanding of what they need to
understand and things that they need to know from the past. The mere fact that he had dedicated
this book to the three priests: Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora then it must mean something.
• Relating to the novel, why would Rizal change the name of Crisostomo Ibarra to Simoun if he do not
want to take revenge? Obviously, the transformation from a fine, young man Ibarra to a bolder and
fierce Simoun is a sign that something must happen and that somebody must make it happen. The
boldness of Simoun's character in terms of his intentions in putting up his firearms and ammunition
to a public place such as the house of Quiroga might insinuate that he is partly threatening the
friars since they are constantly visiting the place and eventually will learn about his plan. In the end,
everybody will receive a dose of their own actions.
THE DIFFERENCES OF EL-FILIBUSTERISMO AND NOLI-ME-
TANGERE

EL-FILIBUSTERISMO
• SETTINGS:
• The story EL- Filibusterismo is set in the Philippines. It is about a wealthy Cuban
jeweler who goes to the Philippines in an attempt to work for the governor
general, but he is planning to start a revolution against the authorities.
• CHARACTERS:
• Simoun, Basilio, Isagani, Kabesang, Tales, Paulitang Gomez, Macaraig, Father
Tolentino, Julianito Pelaez, Dona Victorina.
THE DIFFERENCES OF EL-FILIBUSTERISMO AND NOLI-ME-
TANGERE

• PLOT:
• The hero of EL- Filibusterismo is a rich jeweler names 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 and
befriended many Spanish officials. After many years he returned to the Philippines,
where he freely moved around. He is 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.
• MESSAGE:
• The message of the novel is clear: the present system of governing the Philippines
through corrupt and self-seeking officials, dominated by the friars and being submissive
to their interests in one fashion or another, can only lead to disaster for spain.
THE DIFFERENCES OF EL-FILIBUSTERISMO AND NOLI-ME-
TANGERE

NOLI-ME-TANGERE
• SETTING:
• The setting is 19th century in the Philippines during the latter yeas of
the country as Spain’s only colony in Asia.
• CHARACTERS:
• Crisostomo Ibarra. Maria Clara, Elias, padre Damaso, Capitan Tiago  
THE DIFFERENCES OF EL-FILIBUSTERISMO AND NOLI-ME-
TANGERE

• PLOT:
• ‘’Noli me tangere” is a 19th Century novel by Jose Rizal that dramatically showcase the
persecution of a socialite in the Philippines by religious hypocrisy and corruption. Rizal’s
main character, Juan Crisostomo Ibarra y Magsalin, has returned to the Philippines from
abroad. he is at first surrounded by good friends, a beautiful fiancée and a supportive
upper class, but a priest with a vendetta against Ibarra’s late father torments him.
• MESSAGE:
• The message of Noli Me Tangere, where the revolution was standing appreciation of the
natural rights of the Filipino. Became the subject of a talk by Simoun and Basilio’s
“Hispanization of right” , which is about changing the negative and foreign way of life.
ANALYSIS OF NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO

• Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo have similarities in terms of aim and purpose. Both aim
to enlighten the Filipinos on what is happening in the country. They want the people to fight
for their country and have the total freedom.
• One of the great books written by our national hero, Dr. Jose P. Rizal, is Noli Me Tangere. It is
a Latin word meaning "Touch Me Not". This book is a societal novel. He started writing it in
Madrid, Spain on 1884, continued in Paris, France and was finished in Berlin, Germany on
February 1887. Noli Me Tangere was dedicated to his Inang Bayan, the Philippines. The
history stated in the book "Uncle Tom's Cabin" of Hariet Beecher Stowe, that tells the
suffering of Negro slaves under the cruelty of the Americans, gave our hero the idea. in
writing this book. He saw the similarity of this to the cruelty experienced by the Filipinos
under the Spanish rule. This was published at Imprenta Lette in Berlin, Germany on March
1887 by the help of Dr. Maximo Viola. As a thanks, Dr. Rizal gave the original manuscript and
the PLUMA he used in writing the novel to Dr. Viola.
ANALYSIS OF NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO

• Another important writing of our hero is the El Filibusterismo. It comes from the word
"filibustero" which means a person who is against the Roman Catholic. This book is a
political novel. He started writing it on 1890 in London, England and was finished in
Brussels, Belgium on 1891. This was dedicated to the "Three Martyrs", GomBurZa (Fr.
Mariano Gomez, Fr. Jose Burgos, Fr. Jacinto Zamora). Dr. Rizal believed that the three
martyrs was only a victim of cruelty and loss of justice. They was blamed, with a Sgt.
Lamadrid, to be the leader of Cavite Mutiny on January 1872 and sentenced by garote
on February that year. El Filibusterismo was first published in a publication company in
Ghent, Belgium. The publication of the book were stopped because of financial
problem. By the help of Dr. Valentin Ventura, the publication resumed and was finished
on September 1891. As a favor, Dr. Rizal gave the original manuscript of the novel with
an autographed copy of the book.