el

filibusterismo
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
THE WRITING AND PUBLICATION
OF THE NOVEL
Rizal's second novel, El Filibusterismo, is a story set in twilight years of
the Spanish colonial government in the Philippines.

It was translated into English by Charles Derbyshire in 1912 under

the title, The Reign of Greed. The book according to the translator
"represents” Rizal's more mature judgment on political and social
conditions in the islands, and in its graver and less hopeful tone
reflects the disappointments and discouragements which he had
encountered in his efforts to lead the way to reform.

filibustero (nineteenth century context) - translated as "subversive"; a

patriot who was usually associated with revolutionary activities
guardia civil — police/military force assigned by the colonial
government to maintain peace and order
cabeza de barangay - head of the barangay
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
THE WRITING AND PUBLICATION
OF THE NOVEL
Rizal started writing El Filibusterismo as a sequel to the Noli Me
Tángere after he returned to Europe on February 1888 (Lacson-
Locsin, 2004).
The novel, therefore, was written in the midst of threats and
oppressions he and his family were experiencing because of the Noli
and the Calamba incident. Rizal continued working on his novel and
made some revisions while he was in London in 1888. He was able to
COMPLETE the novel after three years when he was in Biarritz,
France on March 29, 1891. However, because of financial constraints,
it was not until September of the same year that the book was
published with the help of his friend, Valentin Ventura.
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
THE WRITING AND PUBLICATION
OF THE NOVEL

It was first printed in 1891 by F. Meyer-Van Loo Press, a printing shop

in Ghent, Belgium. Rizal immediately sent two copies to Hongkong
and gave the original manuscript and a printed copy with his
autograph to Valentin Ventura who funded the printing after Rizal
went out of budget.
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
THE WRITING AND PUBLICATION
OF THE NOVEL
In March 1887, after reading the Noli Me Tángere, Blumentritt asked
Rizal the meaning of the word "filibustero" which he did not find in
the Spanish language (Aguilar, 2011).

To recall, Rizal replied: The word filibustero is still very little known in
the Philippines; the common people as yet do not know it. I heard it for
the first time in 1872 when the tragic executions took place. I still
remember the terror it aroused. Our father forbade us ever to utter it,
as well as the words Cavite, Burgos, etc. The Manila newspapers and
the Spaniards apply this word to one whom they want to render
suspect of revolutionary activities. The educated fear the reach of
the word. It does not have the meaning of freebooter; it rather means a
dangerous patriot who will soon be hanged, or a presumptuous fellow.
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
THE WRITING AND PUBLICATION
OF THE NOVEL
In 1890, Wenceslao Retana wrote about the "filibustero" and
described the term as "the one who, eager for the
independence of the country, resorts to various extralegal
proceedings in order to reach the objective that he pursues"
. By the end of the nineteenth century, the Spanish colonial
government defined "filibuster" as "someone who works for
the separation of our overseas provinces." With these
definitions, one will have an idea about the plot of Rizal's second
novel. It deals with subversion. It pictures the lives of people
under an oppressive regime. It narrates the struggles of
every Filipino in fighting for independence.
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
THE WRITING AND PUBLICATION
OF THE NOVEL
El Fili is dedicated to Gomburza, the three priests who were accused of being filibusters in
1872. In his dedication, Rizal expressed his high regard for the priests who became victims
of "the evil that I am trying to fight."

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 on the scaffold at Bagumbayan on February 28, 1872

Rizal, however, made mistakes in indicating the age of the three priests and the date they
were executed. The Gomburza were publicly executed by garrote on the early morning of
February 17, 1872. Gomez was then 73, Burgos was 35, and Zamora was 37. In her
translation of the novel, Soledad Lacson-Locsin described the book based on the themes
that can be seen in the story: "El Fili begins where the Noli leaves off, where love, romance,
heroism, idealism and tragedy turn to hate, bitterness, anger, disillusionment and
vengeance" (Lacson-Locsin, 2004). Unlike Noli, El Fili burns with passion and ideology.
Rizal's biographers opined that El Fili showed his maturity as a novelist.
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
SYNOPSIS
The story of El Filibusterismo revolved around the main character, Simoun, who
was a rich jeweler. Simoun was actually Crisostomo Ibarra of the Noli whom
everyone thought was killed by the guardia civil at the Laguna de Bay thirteen
years ago. He was able to escape and fled to Cuba. He became wealthy and was
able to establish connections with prominent Spanish officials. Upon his return to
the Philippines, Simoun became very influential being the consultant of the
governor-general.
Simoun came back with his grand plan to revenge on Spanish officials and to
rescue Maria Clara who entered the convent after learning the news of Ibarra's
death. He planned to launch a revolution which he started by smuggling arms
and recruiting followers, mainly from the exploited and abused natives. One of his
recruits was Basilio, the son of Sisa. With the help of Capitan Tiago, Basilio was
able to study medicine in Manila. Simoun also began to establish an alliance with
Kabesang Tales and his revolutionary group. Kabesang Tales was a former cabeza
de barangay who was maltreated by the friars. Using his position, Simoun
encouraged corruption and more oppressive government policies to enrage the
people and thus, provoke them to revolt.
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
SYNOPSIS
Simon's plans of revolution failed twice. In his first attempt, he decided
not to give the signal for the outbreak of the uprising upon hearing the
news of Maria Clara's death. Basilio and other students were then
arrested for allegedly forming a seditious organization. Simoun arranged
the release of Basilio who became bitter and vengeful. However, he was
very grateful to Simoun and offered his full support for the revolution.
The second attempt at starting a revolution entailed the planting of a
bomb at the wedding reception of Paulita Gomez and Juanito Pelaez.
Illustrious guests at the mansion (formerly the house of Capitan Tiago)
included Padre Salvi and the governor-general. In Simon's plan, the
revolution would be triggered by his gift to the couple—a kerosene lamp
with an explosive. When the lamp starts flickering and someone turns
the wick, there would be an explosion, signaling the revolutionaries to
attack all government buildings in Manila
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
SYNOPSIS
As planned, Simoun gave the lamp during the reception.Before leaving
the venue, he left a note with a message: "You will die tonight," signed by
Crisostomo Ibarra.
Meanwhile, when Basilio saw all the people at the venue, his conscience
bothered him. He saw his friend, Isagani, who was secretly watching his
love, Paulita, celebrating her wedding. Basilio told Isagani about the
explosive and asked him to leave the place.
When Padre Salvi confirmed Ibarra's handwriting, the guests began to
panic. The lamp flickered and Padre Irene tried to turn the wick. But
Isagani, wanting to save Paulita, ran into the house, grabbed the lamp,
and threw it into the river where it exploded.
Simoun took refuge in the house of a kind Filipino priest, Padre
Florentino. The guardias civiles, however, learned about the whereabouts
of the fugitive, and informed the priest that they would come in the
evening to arrest Simoun.
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
SYNOPSIS

Instead of surrendering to the authorities, Simoun poisoned himself. As

the poison started to take effect on his body, he confessed to Padre
Florentino his true identity and his plans for revenge. After the long and
tedious confession, the priest told Simoun that his plans might have
failed because of the unjust means that were used.

He assured Simoun that there was still hope for the freedom of the
country. The story ended with Padre Florentino throwing Simon's jewels
into the sea so that they would not be used by the greedy. He also prayed
that when the right time comes, the treasure would be recovered and
used for a noble purpose.
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
CONTINUING RELEVANCE
As with Noli Me Tángere, Rizal's main objective in writing El Filibusterismo is
to expose the Philippine situation as he witnessed during his time. In reading
this novel, one can see the nation's past and present situations which make
this literary work enduringly significant.

Renato Constantino (1971, p. 137) wrote about the relevance of Rizal's teachings
where he said: The importance of Rizal's ideas for our generation has a
twofold basis-first, the applicability to present-day problems, and second, their
inspirational value. Rizal holds a mirror to our faces and we see ourselves, our
vices, our defects, our meanness. Because the conditions he describes are the
very conditions we see around us, and the characters he portrays are people
we continue to meet, we readily respond to his earnest desire for basic
changes in our society and in ourselves. One hand holds a mirror to shame us
and the other points the way to our regeneration. Yet, the truth is that the
mirror was not meant to reveal our image, but the image of the people and
the society of Rizal's time.
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
Revolution as a Means of Social Change

In the novel, Simoun is the filibustero who encourages the principalia class to
abuse the poor so that the latter would be driven to revolt against the
government. His character may be interpreted as someone who represents the
Filipino revolutionaries that supported the idea of a bloody revolution against
the Spanish colonial government. Simoun's death in the story made some
readers conclude that Rizal was against the idea of a revolution. Simon's failed
uprisings in the narrative, were interpreted as Rizal's abhorrence of violence
and bloodshed.
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
On Leadership and Governance

El Fili's message is very clear-the inept leaders, corrupt officials, and system
of government in the Philippines could lead to Spain's downfall.

Rizal himself was admired as a good leader. His colleagues in the Propaganda
Movement respected him because he showed a kind of leadership that was not
motivated by personal interest. The call for a good leadership could be gleaned
from El Fili when he stressed the importance of national sentiment to guard
the society against all kinds of injustices and oppression. Rizal condemned the
friar-led officials for their greed, corruption, and exploitation of the natives.
On the other hand, he also criticized his fellow Filipinos who did not respond
to the challenges under the abusive leadership of the Spaniards.
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
On Education and Language

At the time that Simoun was planning to launch the revolution, students
including Basilio were also fighting for the establishment of a school that
would allow natives to learn the Spanish language. Simoun strongly reacted
against the project advocated by the students. For him, it would mean the
death of national identity and the institutionalization of tyranny. In Chapters
6 (Basilio) and 7 (Simoun), Simoun expressed his disapproval of the students'
program, convincing Basilio to join him in his plan of revolution instead.
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
On the Filipino Youth
Where are the youth who will consecrate their golden hours, their illusions,
and their enthusiasm for the welfare of their country? -Rizal

Such were the words of Jose Rizal through the character of Padre Florentino, a
patriotic Filipino priest in El Fili. Rizal saw the youth as the future of the
country because this generation would one day lead the nation. Their actions
today would shape the path of tomorrow. Rizal stressed the important role of
the youth in challenging the government as seen in the efforts of students like
Basilio and Isagani to organize themselves and unite to call for reforms. For
Simoun, it was a way of embracing the Hispanization of the country. On the
other hand, it could also be seen as Rizal's way of showing what the youth
could do if they wanted reforms from the government.