EL

FILIBUSTERISMO
 EL FILIBUSTERISMO
• El Filibusterismo ( Spanish for
"The Filibustering"), also known by its
English alternate title The Reign of
Greed, is the second novel written by
Philippine national hero José Rizal.
• 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,
Belgium.
 PLOT SUMMARY
• Thirteen years after leaving the
Philippines, Crisostomo Ibarra returns
as Simoun, a rich jeweler sporting a
beard and blue-tinted glasses, and a
confidant of the Captain-General.
Abandoning his idealism, he becomes a
cynical saboteur, seeking revenge
against the Spanish Philippine system
responsible for his misfortunes by
plotting a revolution.
• Simoun insinuates himself into
Manila high society and influences
every decision of the
Captain-General to mismanage the
country’s affairs so that a revolution
will break out. He cynically sides with
the upper classes, encouraging them
to commit abuses against the
masses to encourage the latter to
revolt against the oppressive Spanish
colonial regime.
• This time, he does not attempt to
fight the authorities through legal
means, but through violent
revolution using the masses.
Simoun has reasons for
instigating a revolution. First is to
rescue María Clara from the
convent and second, to get rid of
ills and evils of Philippine society.
• His true identity is discovered by a
now grown-up Basilio while visiting
the grave of his mother, Sisa, as
Simoun was digging near the grave
site for his buried treasures. Simoun
spares Basilio’s life and asks him to
join in his planned revolution against
the government, egging him on by
bringing up the tragic misfortunes of
the latter's family.
• Basilio declines the offer as he still
hopes that the country’s condition will
improve.
• Basilio, at this point, is a graduating
student of medicine at the Ateneo
Municipal de Manila. After the death
of his mother, Sisa, and the
disappearance of his younger
brother, Crispín, Basilio heeded the
advice of the dying boatman, Elías,
and traveled to Manila to study.
• Basilio was adopted by Captain
Tiago after María Clara entered the
convent. With Captain Tiago’s help,
Basilio was able to go to Colegio
de San Juan de Letrán where, at
first, he is frowned upon by his
peers and teachers not only
because of the color of his skin but
also because of his shabby
appearance.
• Captain Tiago’s confessor, Father
Irene is making Captain Tiago’s
health worse by giving him opium
even as Basilio tries hard to prevent
Captain Tiago from smoking it. He
and other students want to establish
a Spanish language academy so
that they can learn to speak and
write Spanish despite the opposition
from the Dominican friars of
the Universidad de Santo Tomás.
• With the help of a reluctant Father
Irene as their mediator and Don
Custodio’s decision, the academy
is established; however they will
only serve as caretakers of the
school not as the teachers.
Dejected and defeated, they hold
a mock celebration at a pancitería
while a spy for the friars
witnesses the proceedings.
• Simoun, for his part, keeps in close
contact with the bandit group of
Kabesang Tales, a former cabeza de
barangay who suffered misfortunes
at the hands of the friars. Once a
farmer owning a prosperous
sugarcane plantation and a cabeza
de barangay (barangay head), he
was forced to give everything to the
greedy and unscrupulous Spanish
friars.
• His son, Tano, who became a civil
guard, was captured by bandits; his
daughter Hulî had to work as a maid
to get enough ransom money for his
freedom; and his father, Tandang
Selo, suffered a stroke and became
mute. Before joining the bandits,
Tales took Simoun’s revolver while
Simoun was staying at his house for
the night.
• As payment, Tales leaves a locket
that once belonged to María
Clara. To further strengthen the
revolution, Simoun has Quiroga, a
Chinese man hoping to be
appointed consul to the
Philippines, smuggle weapons
into the country using Quiroga’s
bazaar as a front.
•Simoun wishes to attack during
a stage play with all of his
enemies in attendance. He,
however, abruptly aborts the
attack when he learns from
Basilio that María Clara had
died earlier that day in the
convent.
• A few days after the mock
celebration by the students,
the people are agitated when
disturbing posters are found
displayed around the city.
The authorities accuse the
students present at the
pancitería of agitation and
disturbing peace and have
them arrested.
• Basilio, although not present
at the mock celebration, is
also arrested. Captain Tiago
dies after learning of the
incident and as stated in his
will—forged by Irene, all his
possessions are given to the
Church, leaving nothing for
Basilio. Basilio is left in
prison as the other students
are released.
• A high official tries to intervene
for the release of Basilio but the
Captain-General, bearing grudges
against the high official, coerces
him to tender his resignation.
Julî, Basilio’s girlfriend and the
daughter of Kabesang Tales,
tries to ask Father Camorra’s
help upon the advice of an elder
woman. Instead of helping Julî,
however, the priest tries to rape
her as he has long-hidden desires
for Julî.
•Julî, rather than submit to the
will of the friar, jumps over the
balcony to her death. Basilio is
soon released with the help of
Simoun. Basilio, now a
changed man, after hearing
about Julî's suicide, finally
joins Simoun’s revolution.
• Simoun then tells Basilio his plan
at the wedding of Paulita Gómez
and Juanito, Basilio’s
hunch-backed classmate. His
plan was to conceal an explosive
inside a pomegranate-styled
Kerosene lamp that Simoun will
give to the newlyweds as a gift
during the wedding reception.
•The reception will take place at
the former home of the late
Captain Tiago, which was now
filled with explosives planted
by Simoun. According to
Simoun, the lamp will stay
lighted for only 20 minutes
before it flickers;
• If someone attempts to turn the
wick, it will explode and kill
everyone—important members of
civil society and the Church
hierarchy—inside the house.
Basilio has a change of heart and
attempts to warn Isagani, his
friend and the former boyfriend of
Paulita.
•Simoun leaves the
reception early as planned
and leaves a note behind:
“Mene Thecel Phares.”
—Juan Crisostomo Ibarra
• Initially thinking that it was simply a
bad joke, Father Salví recognizes the
handwriting and confirms that it was
indeed Ibarra’s. As people begin to
panic, the lamp flickers. Father Irene
tries to turn the wick up when
Isagani, due to his undying love for
Paulita, bursts in the room and
throws the lamp into the river,
sabotaging Simoun's plans.
• He escapes by diving into the
river as guards chase after him.
He later regrets his impulsive
action because he had
contradicted his own belief that he
loved his nation more than Paulita
and that the explosion and
revolution could have fulfilled his
ideals for Filipino society.
• Simoun, now unmasked as the
perpetrator of the attempted arson
and failed revolution, becomes a
fugitive. Wounded and exhausted
after he was shot by the pursuing
Guardia Civil, he seeks shelter at the
home of Father Florentino, Isagani’s
uncle, and comes under the care of
Doctor Tiburcio de Espadaña, Doña
Victorina's husband, who was also
hiding at the house.
• Simoun takes poison in order for him
not to be captured alive. Before he
dies, he reveals his real identity to
Florentino while they exchange
thoughts about the failure of his
revolution and why God forsook him.
Florentino opines that God did not
forsake him and that his plans were
not for the greater good but for
personal gain.
• Simoun, finally accepting Florentino’s
explanation, squeezes his hand and
dies. Florentino then takes Simoun’s
remaining jewels and throws them into
the Pacific Ocean with the corals hoping
that they would not be used by the
greedy, and that when the time came
that it would be used for the greater
good, when the nation would be finally
deserving liberty for themselves, the sea
would reveal the treasures.
 CHARACTERS
OF THE
EL FILIBUSTERISMO
•Simoun •Basilio
A powerful man who The eldest of Sisa's
has a great influence two sons, now an
over the Kapitan aspiring doctor
Heneral. Using this, whose medical
he plans to destroy education was being
the Spaniards as his financed by Capitan
vendetta for the Tiago. He is now at
sufferings of the point of
Crisostomo Ibarra. graduation during the
events in the novel.
 • ISAGANI • KABESANG
Poet and Basilio's TALES
best friend; Cabeza Telesforo
portrayed as Juan de Dios, a
emotional and former cabeza de
barangay of
reactive; Paulita
Sagpang, a barangay
Gómez' boyfriend in San Diego's
before being neighboring town
dumped for fellow Tiani, who resurfaced
student Juanito as the feared Luzón
Peláez bandit Matanglawin
• DON CUSTODIO • PAULITA
Custodio de GOMEZ
Salazar y The girlfriend of
Sánchez de Isagani and the
Monteredondo, a niece of Doña
famous "journalist" Victorina. In the
who was asked by end, she and
the students about Juanito Peláez
his decision for are wed, and
the Academia de she dumps
Castellano. Isagani
 • MACARAIG • FATHER
One of Isagani's FLORENTINO
classmates at the Isagani's
University of Santo godfather, and a
Tomas. He is a rich secular priest;
student and serves was engaged to
as the leader of the
be married, but
students yearning
chose to be a
to build the
Academia de priest after being
Castellano. pressured by his
mother
 • JULI/HULI • JUANITO
PELAEZ
Juliana de Dios, the
girlfriend of Basilio, The son of Don
and the youngest Timoteo Pelaez, a
daughter of Spanish
Kabesang Tales. To businessman, he
claim her father from is also one of the
the bandits, she had members of
to work as a maid Macaraig's gang
under the who wish to have
supervision of the Academia de
Hermana Penchang. Castellano built.
 • DOÑA • FATHER
VICTORINA
CAMORRA
Victorina delos The parish priest
Reyes de of Tiani. He has
Espadaña, been desiring
known in Noli young women
Me Tangere as ever since. He
Tiburcio de nearly raped Juli
Espadaña's causing the latter
cruel wife. to commit suicide.
 • BEN-ZAYB •PLACIDO
The pseudonym PENITENTE
of Abraham A student of the
Ibañez, a University of Santo
journalist who Tomas who was
believes he is very intelligent and
the "only" one wise but did not
want, if not only by
thinking in the his mother's plea,
Philippines. to pursue his
studies.
 • HERMANA • TIBURCIO DE
PENCHANG - ESPADAÑA -
Sagpang's Don Tiburcio is
rich pusakal (ga Victorina de
mbler). She Espadaña's lame
offers Huli to be husband. He is
her maid so the currently on
latter can obtain hiding with
money to free Father
Kabesang Tales. Florentino.
 • FATHER • QUIROGA
ÍRENE A Chinese
Captain Tiago's businessman
spiritual adviser.
who dreamed of
Although reluctant,
he helped the being a consul for
students to establish his country in the
the Academia de Philippines. He
Castellano after hid Simoun's
being convinced by
weapons inside
giving him a
chestnut. his house.
• DON TIMOTEO • TANDANG
PELAEZ SELO
Juanito's father. He Father of
is a rich Kabesang Tales.
businessmen and He raised the
arranges a wedding
for his son and
sick and young
Paulita. He and Basilio after he
Simoun became left their house in
business partners. Noli Me Tangere.
 •FATHER • SANDOVAL
FERNÁNDEZ The
The priest-friend
vice-leader of
of Isagani. He Macaraig's
promised to gang. A
Isagani that he
and the other
Spanish
priests will give in classmate of
to the students' Isagani.
demands.
• HERMANA • PASTA
BÁLI One of the great
Another gambler lawyers of
in Tiani. She mid-Hispanic
became Huli's Manila, opposed
mother-figure and the students'
counselor; helped
demands for a
to release
Kabesang Tales
Spanish
from the hands of language
bandits academy
 • FATHER • TADEO
MILLON Macaraig's
The Physics classmate. He,
teacher of the along with the
University of other three
Santo Tomas. He members of their
always becomes gang,
vindictive with
supposedly
Placido and
always taunts him posted the
during class. posters
 •LEEDS • TANO
An American Kabesang
who holds Tales's elder
stage plays son after his
starring older sister,
decapitated Lucia died in
heads; he is childhood.
good friends
with Simoun.
 • PEPAY • GOBERNADO
Don Custodio's R GENERAL
supposed
The
"girlfriend". A
dancer, she is highest-rankin
always agitated of g official in the
her boyfriend’s Philippines
plans. She seems during the
to be a close
friend of Macaraig.
Spanish
colonial period.
 • PECSON • FATHER
Basilio's HERNANDO
classmate who
DE LA SIBYLA
had no idea on A Dominican
friar introduced
the happenings in Noli Me
occurring around Tangere, now
him. He the vice-rector
suggested that of the University
they held the of Santo Tomas.
mock celebration
at the panciteria.
 • FATHER • CAPTAIN
BERNARDO TIAGO
SALVI Santiago delos
Former parish Santos, although
priest of San making a cameo
Diego, now the appearance,
director and Captain Tiago is
chaplain of the Maria Clara's
stepfather and
Santa Clara
the foster-father
convent.
to Basilio.
 • MARIA CLARA 
Introduced in Dr. Rizal's first novel
"Noli Me Tangere". She was once
the girlfriend of Crisostomo Ibarra
but chose to became a nun despite
Father Damaso's (her real father)
arguments. She eventually
committed suicide, as witnessed by
Basilio when he visited the convent
of Santa Clara.