El Filibusterismo

The novel begins on the on board the steamer Tabo, plying the Pasig river to Laguna de Bay. With Simoun were Dona Victorina, Don Tiburcio de Espadana, Paulita Gomez, Isagani, Fr. Florentino, Baslio and other passenger. Simoun arrived in the Philippines as an ominous figure whose origin was unknown to many but he wielded unlimited influence to the governor general.

He was known by many as a jeweler, who always sported large dark spectacles that concealed much of the upper part of his face. Inasmuch as Simoun enjoyed the patronage of the governor- general, many considered him influential in securing privileges from the country’s chief executive

Meanwhile, Basilio, a young medical student returned to San Diego, his native town. He was the brother of Crispin, who was beaten to death by the head sacristan of Father Salvi in the Noli. Upon arriving at San Diego, he went to the spot in the forest where many years ago, he had met an exhausted man who assisted him in burying his mother and had built a funeral pyre for Elias, who was shot to death at the chase in the lake.

Upon arriving at the grave of his mother, Basilio found Simoun, without his dark glasses digging there. Basilio soon recalled then incident that happened in the same spot where Simon was, 13 years ago. He recognized Ibarra, believed by many to have died during the chase in the lake. Simoun thought of exterminating Basilio for fear that his identity will be revealed by the latter.

Soon, Simoun realized that he should spare Basilio considering that he also had a grievance to solve – that of avenging the brutal death of his mother, Sisa, as well as his brother Crispin. In the conversation that ensued between the two, Simoun informed Basilio of his true intention of returning to the country – that of destroying the brutal system that had destroyed him.

At the time that Simoun had worked out his plan of fomenting revolution, Filipino students like Basilio and his friends, earnestly pressed for assimilation, the spread of the Spanish language and the appeals for loyalty to and confidence to the colonial government. Simoun reacted vehemently to the program of Hispanization that young students were advocating.

For Simoun, this would mean death of people, destruction of national identity and constitution of tyranny in the country. HE even contradicted the students in the plan of establishing an Academy of Spanish Language. According to him, Spanish will never be a lingua franca in the country since the people will never speak it because the ideas of its brain and the sentiments of its heart find no phrases to express themselves in that language.

Meanwhile Simoun continued preparing the way for his ultimate plan. He created abuses when they are not in existence. He encouraged the governor-general to order the demolition of all nipa houses for a substantial bribe from a businessman engaged in the selling of iron roofing. When everybody is ready for the uprising, he again approached Basilio and convinced him to support the revolution that was to breakout within an hour.

Simoun informed Basilio of the role he was playing in the uprising. Basilio was to take a group of men to destroy the gates of the convent of Sta. Clara at the height of the revolution to rescue Maria Clara.

When Basilio informed Rizal of the demise of Maria Clara, Simoun became dumbfounded and was not able to give the signal of the commencement of the hostilities to his followers, who were eagerly waiting to begin the revolution. Out of his dejection and depression, the revolution did not take place.

For the time being, the project of the young students to establish an academy for the teaching of Spanish language was rejected by the administrators of the university, despite the all-out support of Fr. Fernandez. The students, therefore, sought the assistance of Don Custodio, a pseudo-liberal official counselor.

The next day, anti-friar posters were posted at the doors of university. What followed was the arrest of the members of the student association; including Basilio. Eventually, all were released from prison except Basilio, who was jailed for a number of months to uphold the prestige of the authority.

After his release from prison, Basilio presented himself to Simoun, ready to follow the latter’s orders. A wedding feast was to take place that night, to be attended by the Governor-general, the friars and the high officials of the government. Simoun prepared a magnificent lamp, filled with nitroglycerin and dynamite, as the governor’s wedding gift to Paulita Gomez and Juanito Pelaez.

Seeing the lamp already in place, he suddenly left and met Isagani, the frustrated lover of Paulita Gomez. Aware of what was to take place, BAsilio tried to convince Isagani to leave the place. Upon learning the horrible secret device in the lamp, Isagani, who was still in love with Paulita, realized that Paulita’s life was in danger. He rushed into the house, grabbed the lighted lamp, and hurled it into the river.

Simoun was able to escape despite the cordon of soldiers surrounding the place. Nonetheless, the soldiers pursued Simoun relentlessly. Mortally wounded, Simoun, with his treasure chest, sought refuge in the home by the sea of Fr. Florentino, a retired Filipino priest.

The Spanish authorities learned that Simoun was hiding in the house of Fr. Lieutenant Perez of the Guardia Civil sent a word that he would be coming to arrest him. Upon learning that he would be arrested by the guardia civil, Simoun took a poison before Fr. Florentino could save him. Before he died, Simoun divulged his secret to the kind-hearted priest.

Fr. Florentino gazed at the lifeless body of Simoun and took the treasure chest and threw it to the sea. At the chest sank into the sea, he said:

May nature guard you in her deep abysses maong the pearls and corals of her eternal seas. When for some holy and sublime purpose man may need you, God wills in His wisdom draw you from the bosom of the waves. Meanwhile, there you will not work woe, you will not distort justice, you will not foment avarice.

The end~

El Filibusterismo

The message~

Rizal’s message in El Filibusterismo is very clear: that the present system of the government in the Philippines through corrupt officials, dominated by the friars can lead to the downfall of the Spain. This point was stressed by Simoun in the novel when he said, “what is a man to do when he is denied justice,? Take the law into his own hands or wait for the Spain. To give him rights…” From the foregoing, Rizal was very certain that because of the nature and operation of the government, those who are intelligent, generous, hard-working, courageous and loyal citizens were driven into opposition and subversion.

The Spanish colonial government for Rizal was arbitrary, cruel, lacking in a sense of justice and responsibility, without interest in the people under its tutelage. While Rizal described the government in a very negative way, his picture of the friars in the Fili was harsher. In this novel, Rizal painted them as abusing their power for the following reasons; to satisfy their evil desires; to preserve their control of education; to rob men of their land; and to seek their own interests.

The Spanish colonial government for Rizal was arbitrary, cruel, lacking in a sense of justice and responsibility, without interest in the people under its tutelage. While Rizal described the government in a very negaticve way, his picture of the friars in the Fili was harsher. In this novel, Rizal painted them as abusing their power for the following reasons; to satisfy their evil desires; to preserve their control of education; to rob men of their land; and to seek their own interests.

Rizal did not spare his fellow Filipinos from his criticism of the regime. He condemned them for their greed, corruption, hypocrisy and cowardice, which contributed so much to the abuses of the civil officials and friars

Another message communicated by Rizal was on the course of action Filipinos should take if Spain would not listen to his warning. As Filipinos had desired assimilation for a long time, Spain should grant it. Should Spain not accede to the clamor for assimilation, the people may eventually prefer to die rather than endure the miseries any longer. Violent means to effect change would thus become inevitable to achieve their goal.