El

Filibusterism
o
“Reign of Greed”
Dr. Jose P. Rizal
Background
of the Novel
El Filibusterismo (The Subversive) is
the second novel by José Rizal (1861–
1896).
Like its predecessor, the better-known
Noli Me Tangere, the El Filibusterismo
was written in Castilian while Rizal was
traveling and studying in Europe
Rizal wrote El Filibusterismo in
dedication to the three martyred priests
Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and
Jacinto Zamora, expressing conviction
that their treatment and deaths at the
hands of the Spanish authorities was
unjust.
In Noli Me Tangere, there is aspiration,
beauty, romance, and mercy. In El
Filibusterismo, readers will feel is
bitterness, hatred, and antipathy. The
romance and aspirations are gone. Even the
characters' personalities seem to have
undergone radical change.
 The novel's dark theme departs
dramatically from the previous novel's
hopeful and romantic atmosphere,
signifying the character Ibarra's resort to
solving his country's issues through violent
means, after his previous attempt at
reforming the country's system have made
no effect and seemed impossible with the
attitudes of the Spaniards towards the
Filipinos.
 History of
El Filibusterismo
October, 1887 - Rizal began writing El Filibusterismo in Calamba, Laguna
1888 - Revised the plot and some chapters.
Continued to work on his manuscript in Paris. He later moved to Brussels where the
cost of living was cheaper and he would be less likely to be distracted by social events
so he could focus on finishing the book.
March 29, 1891 – He finally completed his book in Biarritz, France.
July 9, 1891 - Rizal once more wrote his friend, Basa, in Hongkong.
September 18, 1891 - the novel was published in Ghent, partially funded by Rizal's
friend Valentin Ventura.
Rizal immediately sent on this date two printed copies to Hong Kong- one for Basa and
other for Sixto Lopez. Rizal gratefully donated the original manuscript and an
autographed printed copy to Valentin Ventura.
The Characters of
El Filibusterismo
Who is Simoun and
who does he
represent?

• Main character
• Confidant
• Cynical Saboteur
• Symbolism Simoun represents the
revolutionaries
 Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin vs
Simoun

• Juan Crisostomo Ibarra y Magsalin aka Ibarra

• Ibarra was earnest and idealistic
• Love interest on Maria Clara
• Studied at Europe for seven years

• Simoun
• A wealthy man, a rich jeweler
Ibarra Simoun • Obstreperous and violent revolution.
 What is the difference between Crisostomo
Ibarra and Simoun?

• Ethereal • Colors are darker

• Highlighting the softness of the native saya • The textures richer
Basillio
• Son of Sisa and Pedro, and the older brother of
Crispin.
• In the start of El Filibustero, he is a student of
medicine.
• He was spared to death by an unknown man who
helped him thirteen years ago with the burial of his
mother. Later on, he learned that the man is
Crisostomo Ibarra, now in disguise as the wealthy
jeweler Simoun.
• He is the main love interest of Juli. Basilio joined
Simoun’s rebellion after realizing that Simoun is
right and revenge is his priority to let Spain pay
him with all he have lost fairly.
 What Pushed Basilio to join
Simoun’s Revolution?

His incarceration had caused Capitan Tiago’s death and Juli’s

suicide, as the latter avoided being raped by Padre Camorra.
 Isagani
• Isagani was an orphan taken in by Padre
Florentino
• He became lovers with Paulita Gomez, against
the advice of his uncle and guardian Padre
Florentino.
• The best friend of Basilio, he is a poor law student
and poet.
• He has little fear of authority and speaks openly of
his patriotic ideals, becoming the leading of a
group of students who plan to set up a school for
the teaching of Spanish to natives.
• Isagani is the symbol of the youth whose love for
the country is great to the point of being branded
as idealistic.
Pualita Gomez
• Paulita became an orphan at a young age
and was put under the care of her uncle
and aunt, Don Tiburcio and Doña Victorina.

• Paulita emulated her elders and also spoke

badly of the Philippines.

• became lovers with Isagani but following

Isagani’s imprisonment and eventual
release, Paulita broke off her relationship
with him and was married instead to
Juanito, having their reception at the old
house of Capitan Tiago.
Juliana De Dios
• Kabesang Tales’ daughter and Basilio’s
sweetheart.
• Upon the abduction of her father by the bandits,
she sold all of her jewelry for ransom money
except for the golden locket given to her as a
keepsake by Basilio, that was originally Maria
Clara’s.
• She also became a maid for Hermana Penchang
in exchange for the money she has borrowed.
• Desperate to help Basilio, she sought the help of
Padre Camorra, the parish priest of Tiani. While
there, she was assaulted by him, causing her to
jump off the church tower and commit suicide.
Padre Florentino

• Padre Florentino was the parish priest of the town of

Tiani.
• Florentino was eventually forced to become a priest by
his religious mother
• Became a Jesuit priest at twenty-five
• He adopted a nephew, Isagani.
• The only Indio priest that was introduced by Rizal on
his novels
Kabesang Tales
Early History
• The son of Selo de Dios
• Cabeza de barangay and married
• Having three children (Lucia, Tano and Juli)

Land To Call His Own

• Cultivated some land in the forest
• His entire family fell ill with malaria
• He allowed Tano to be conscripted into the Guardia
Civil
• Tales took Simoun's revolver and left Juli's locket in
exchange
• Killing the three people involved and joined a
group of bandits
Kabesang Tales
Reign of Terror
• Known as the feared Matanglawin
• He organized his bandits to attack Sta. Mesa on the
night of Juanito and Paulita's wedding; however, the
plan fell apart due to Isagani's intervention.
• Tales’ bandits attacked a unit of Guardia Civil.
• , Tales was killed by his son, Tano.

Personality and Traits

• Industrious and patient man
• Following his struggles to gain ownership of said
land, Cabesang Tales became increasingly
embittered, eventually swearing vengeance and
becoming a bandit.
 Kabesang Tales
Aspiring to start his own farm, he suffered great losses. First, his wife
and eldest daughter died while clearing their land. Then most of his land
was seized and he was charged an exorbitant tax on the little left to him.
Known to be dependable, he was elected the kabesa or head of the
barangay, which meant often having to appease the higher officials by
shouldering the expenses of those who were unable to pay their taxes. His
son was conscripted by the Civil Guard and his daughter, Juliana, became a
servant to help pay off their debts. Finally, when Simoun comes to pass
the night at his house, he takes Simoun's revolver and goes to join the
tulisanes. He murders the friar-adminstrator and the new tenants of his
land. Later Juliana is killed in an encounter with a friar and his father,
struck dumb, dies in an encounter with the Guardia Civil, shot by his own
grandson.
Makaraig
• The rich student who offered his own house as
the dormitory of the students studying in Ateneo
de Manila.

• He leads the students with Isagani to set up a

Spanish school, but later they were defeated in
the movement.

• His character also provided readers a glimpse of

how different the rich and the poor were treated
during that time in society.
Don Custodio
• High official in the government
• He has a mistress, a dancer named Pepay
• With his wife's wealth, he was able to build a
business and do jobs for the government
• Able to position himself in prestigious society
• Obras Pias and the Economic Society
• Being diagnosed with a liver ailment
• Don Custodio believes that the natives should
not be allowed to develop themselves and they
should only be slaves
Don Custodio
Role in the Novel
The student leaders proposing for the establishment of
a Spanish academy for Filipinos sought Don
Custodio's assistance through his mistress, the dancer,
Pepay. His recommendation was to put up the
school but under the management of a religious
order. The decision was half-heartedly accepted by
the students that they "celebrated" it with a feast where
they mocked Padre Irene, Don Custodio and even the
Chinese merchant, Quiroga.
Ben Zayb
• Abraham Ybanez

• A journalist with an inflated sense of intellectualism

and self-importance in Jose Rizal's El Filibusterismo.

• It is said that Ben Zayb looks like a friar and has been
called Fray Ybanez by his critics and rivals in other
papers.

• Ben Zayb largely wants to ingratiate himself through

flattery to anyone he sees as in a position of power.

• He is petty, self-centered and interested only in his own

romantic notions of himself.
Ben Zayb
Role in the Novel
Ben Zayb is introduced along with other characters in
the first chapters of the novel. He appears throughout
the novel as the leading supporting character, most often
found in the company of other major characters.

Symbolism
Rizal critiques some of the journalists of his time with
Ben Zayb's character. As a social commentary, Rizal
laments the lack of ethics, impartiality and integrity in
most reporters.
Placido Penitente
• Placido Penitente is a very intelligent student from the
University of Santo Tomas

• He has lost his drive to study due to academic problems

• Placido Penitente is described as a healthy, simple, and

regular young student of the University.

• He is the product of his town's local college, their best

Latinist and dubbed a filibuster by the curate Padre Valerio
as a term of pride for a prized student.

• Placido's thinking nature allows him to conduct himself

wisely in class and in relation to his fellow students.
 Quiroga

A Chinese businessman who dreamed of being a

consul for his country in the Philippines. He hid
Simoun's weapons inside his house. Don Timoteo
Pelaez - Juanito's father.
Tandang Selo

• Father or Kabesang Tales.

• He was later seen with the bandits and was killed

in an encounter with the Guardia Civil
Father Fernandez

• The priest-friend of Isagani

• Padre Fernandez explains that it is better to teach

people fairness instead of ignorance.
Attorney Pasta

• One of the great lawyers of mid-Hispanic Manila

• Señor Pasta is a lawyer who also works as a

consultant for the friars.
Captain-General

(no specific name) the powerful highest official of

the Philippines. He is not an enthusiastic supporter of
the church and its over-inflated power, believing that
the friars have been afforded too much power in
Filipino society.
Padre Sibyla

• Filipino friar and now vice-rector of the

University of Santo Tomas.

• Padre Sibyla is a stark contrast to Padre Damaso.

He weighs his words and speaks little.

• Padre Sibyla symbolizes the liberal friar but

would rather stay in the background rather than
incur the wrath of other priests in power.
 PLOT
The sequel to Noli Me Tangere with its unarguably utopian vision, el Filibusterismo offers
a much bleaker picture of the last decades of the nineteenth century. Crisostomo Ibarra,
the reformist hero of the earlier novel, has come back to the Philippines as the enigmatic
stranger named Simoun, a rich jeweller. Driven by hatred and a fierce desire to avenge his
sufferings, and to rescue Maria Clara from the nunnery where she has fled, Simoun
embarks on a crusade the goal of which is to corrupt and thus weaken various institutions
that would eventually lead to a bloody revolution. He schemes and plans systematically
and plots with various characters, including Basilio, to bring about the downfall of the
government. The first plot fails, as does the second one. Simoun, carrying his huge stash
of jewelry, flees to the mountain retreat of Padre Florentino, who absolves the dying man
from his sins. The novel ends as the priest throws Simoun's treasures into the sea with the
hope that they could be retrieved and used only for the good of the people.
 THEMES

 The main themes of the novel El Filibusterismo are

vengeance, cruelty, patriotism, love and heartbreaks, and the
right to education.

 The theme and plot of El Filibusterismo was changed to

convey the message that the present system of government in
the Philippines through corrupt officials, dominated by the
friars can lead to the downfall of Spain.
 MESSAGE
MAIN FOCUS:

• Fighting for Freedom

• Presence of Corrupt Government
• Importance of Education

• In summary, Rizal’s message that he conveyed through El Filibusterismo is simple –

he wanted Filipinos to have better lives. As such, Rizal wrote El Filibusterismo to
show his countrymen that proper education and decent living for all are achievable.
 PURPOSE

1. To defend Filipino people from foreign accusations of foolishness and

lack of knowledge.

2. To show how the Filipino people live during Spanish colonial period and
the cries and woes of his countrymen against abusive officials.
 Rule of the Youth in the
Development of the Society

The Filipino youth has always been tagged as the “hope of the nation.” Dr. Jose P.
Rizal himself, in his firm conviction, emphasized that every Filipino, regardless of
their status in life can be a living Rizal only if they would integrate the blazing fire
of leadership and love in their respective noble undertakings. Each young Filipino,
living in the four corners of the archipelago, who embodies the values and
principles Dr. Rizal typified, has the capabilities of surmounting the seem-to-be
unsurpassable struggles which plague the different areas of national life.
He explicated through his masterpieces the imperative role of the youth in
building the nation and in molding the country’s future. In El Filibusterismo,
Rizal, appealed to the youth of all generations. Through the character of Padre
Florentino, Rizal proclaimed:

“Where are the youth who will consecrate their golden hours, their illusions, and
their enthusiasm to the welfare of their land? Where are the youth who will
generously pour out their blood to wash away so much shame, so much crime, so
much abomination? Pure and spotless must the victim be that the sacrifice may be
acceptable! Where are you, youth, who will embody in yourselves the vigor of life
that has felt our veins, the purity of ideas that has been contaminated in our
brains, the fire of enthusiasm that has been quenched in our hearts! We await
you, O youth! Come, for we await you!”
Undoubtedly, the Filipino youth – the new Rizals – are the hope of the nation. It
is their hands that would inscribe the next chapters of the country’s history. The
glorious victory or the tragic defeat that the nation might encounter in the future
is all set forth by the actions of these young people who are accorded the greater
responsibilities of contriving monumental changes towards national
advancement and welfare.
 Importance of History
 History is important in education and should be studied for several reasons.
It helps to show how we’ve gotten to where we are now, and understand
why our country is not progressing for many decades now.

 Our view of history shapes the way we view the present, and therefore it
could be easier for new generations to preserve history and pass it on into
the future generations to know what has really happened in the past. Just by
doing this, as a result, it dictates what we should do.
1. History helps us understand other cultures.
 Without history, it is impossible to understand how cultures come to be.

2. History helps us understand our own society.

 Similarly, to how we can understand others through the study of history,
we can also come to understand ourselves.

3. History helps us understand our own identities

 In order to understand our place within society, within our culture, and
even within our own family, it is essential to realize that our present is the
product of what came before, and the past provides a context for
everything we do as an individual.
4. History builds citizenship
 Learning about how we came to be as a community informs how we see
ourselves as a group in the present day, and we do this through knowing our
history.

5. History gives us insight into present-day problems

 If we want to stand any chance of confronting the pressing issues of our
world, we need to start at the root of the problem: we need to know history.

6. History allows us to learn from the past

 History has patterns. One of the continuities in history is the mistakes that are
made century after century as people live in pursuit of the same self-
interested motives.
 Thank you
grazie e buona
giornata