Ma. Antonette R.

Orsal BS Psychology II

- Noli me Tangere
Noli Me Tángere, Latin for "Touch me not", is an 1887 novel by José Rizal, one
of the national heroes of the Philippines during the colonization of the country by Spain,
to describe perceived inequities of the Spanish Catholic friars and the ruling
government.
Originally written in Spanish, the book is more commonly published and read in
the Philippines in either Tagalog or English. Together with its sequel, El filibusterismo
(Grade 10), the reading of Noli is obligatory for high school students (Grade 9)
throughout the country. The two novels are widely considered the national epic of the
Philippines and are adapted in many forms, such as operas, musicals, plays, and other
forms of art.
Rizal entitled this novel as such drawing inspiration from John 20:13-17 of the
Bible, the technical name of a particularly painful type of cancer (back in his time, it was
unknown what the modern name of said disease was). He proposed to probe all the
cancers of Filipino society that everyone else felt too painful to touch.
Early English translations of the novel used titles like An Eagle Flight (1900) and
The Social Cancer (1912), disregarding the symbolism of the title, but the more recent
translations were published using the original Latin title. It has also been noted by the
Austro-Hungarian writer Ferdinand Blumentritt that "Noli Me Tángere" was a name used
by local Filipinos for cancer of the eyelids; that as an ophthalmologist himself Rizal was
influenced by this fact is suggested in the novel's dedication, "To My fatherland".
Noli Me Tángere, known in English as Touch Me Not (a literal translation of the
Latin title) or The Social Cancer, is often considered the greatest novel of the
Philippines, along with its sequel, El filibusterismo. It was originally written in Spanish
but is more often read in either Tagalog or English in classrooms today. After reading
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which influenced many white Americans to
oppose slavery, Rizal wanted to write a similar novel about Philippine society.
Ibarra, the hero of the novel, is a mestizo, a term generally used throughout the
Spanish-speaking world to describe people of mixed Spanish and indigenous heritage.
In the Philippines, the term specifically refers to people of Filipino and other, typically
Spanish or sometimes Chinese, descent. (Rizal himself had Spanish, Chinese,
Japanese, and Filipino heritage.)
Finished in 1887, the novel was quickly banned by Spanish authorities in the
Philippines, but it was smuggled into the country often. In the more-than-a-century since
its original publication, Noli Me Tángere has become a classic. In 1956, the Philippines’
Congress passed a law known as the Rizal Law, which requires all schools in the
Philippines to teach the novel.
 The title is the Latin translation of a phrase spoken by Jesus to Mary Magdalene
after his resurrection, according to the Book of John. Swiss theologian Maurice Zundel
linked this moment to the disciple Thomas, often called Doubting Thomas, reaching out
to touch Jesus’s wounds and being told that "blessed are those who have not seen and
yet have believed.” Through this declaration, Jesus emphasizes the importance of
believing in his resurrection without tangible, physical proof. In medieval times, the
phrase was used in medicine to refer to “hidden cancers” that worsened when swellings
associated with them were handled; similarly, the central subject of Rizal’s book can be
understood as a hidden cancer that people were too afraid to touch.

- The making of Noli Me Tangere

In Wilhelmsfeld in April-June 1885, Rizal wrote the few chapters of Noli. In Berlin
during the winter days of February 1886, Rizal made the final revisions on the
manuscript of the Noli even though he was sick and penniless, no hope of having it
published. In March 5,1887, Rizal writing to Felix R. Hidaldo in French, said: "Noli Me
Tangere",words taken from the Gospel of St. Luke "do not touch me". In March 21,1887,
the Noli Me Tangere came off the press. Rizal immediately sent the first copies of the
printed novel to his intimate friends including Blumentritt, Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor, G.
Lopez Jaena, Mariano Ponce and Felix R. Hidalgo.
The Author's Dedication to "Noli Me Tangere"Touch me not; I am not yet
ascended to my father, but go to my Brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my
father, and your father; and to my God and your God." Rizal dedicated this novel Noli
Me Tangere to the Philippines, "To My Fatherland"
Rizal proposed the writing of novel about the Philippines by a group of Filipinos.
His proposal as unanimously approved by those present, among of them were the
Paternos (Pedro, Maximino and Antonio), Graciano Lopez Jaena, Evaristo Aguirre,
Eduardo de Lete, Julio Llorente, Melecio Figuerio,and Valentin Ventura.
The Writing of the Noli. Toward the end of 1884, Rizal began writing the novel in
Madrid and finished about one-half of it. In Paris, 1885, after completing his studies in
the Central University of Madrid finished the second half. At Germany, he finished the
last fourth of the novel. At that time, Rizal was suspected as a French Spy for he was
caught roaming house to house. He was asked for his passport but could present
nothing so he was given 4 days to give. So he was escorted by Viola to the immigration
office to apply for it. But it was not approved. Rizal, in fluent German language, present
himself to the office and impressed them with his explanation.
In the bleak winter of 1886 it was a memorable in the life of Rizal for two reasons:
first, it was a painful episode for he was hungry, sick and despondent in a strange city
and second, it brought him great joy, after enduring so much sufferings, because his
first novel "Noli Me Tangere" came off the press.
 Dr. Rizal was inspired from the book entitled "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet
Beechers Stowe which portrays the brutalities of american slave-owners and the
pathetic conditions of the unfortunate slaves.
To prepare a novel that would depict the miseries of his people under the lash of
Spanish tyrants because the novel is a reflection of what the Filipinos were going
through during that time. He wrote it to open the eyes of the Filipinos to the reality that
they were being oppressed. The title "Noli Me Tangere" translates to "Huwag Mo Akong
Salingin" in Filipino which means "Don't touch me."
The first half of Noli me Tangere was written in Madrid, Spain from 1884-1885
while Dr. José P. Rizal was studying for medicine. While in Germany, Rizal wrote the
second half of Noli me Tangere from time-to-time starting February 21, 1887. After he
read the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, he had an inspiration to
write his own novel with the same topic–to expose Spanish colonial abuse in print.
Beecher Stowe's novel describes black slavery abuse done by white men. Rizal
suggested to his fellow Filipino friends in Europe, through writing, to have a meeting and
plan for writing a novel similar to that of Beecher Stowe's. (At this moment, Rizal
planned not to write the novel himself, but through collective efforts done by other
Filipinos who shared ideals with him.) In 1884, Rizal and his friends including the
Paterno brothers–Pedro, Maximo, and Antonio; Graciano López-Jaena, Evaristo
Aguirre, Eduardo de Lete, Melecio Figueroa, Valentín Ventura and Julio Llorento;
decided to meet at the Paternos' house in Madrid. Each of them agreed to write a
unified novel. Suddenly, when the writing began, most of them wanted to change the
topic from Spanish abuse to somehow relate to women. Rizal walked-out of the hall and
decided to write the novel himself.
The title of Noli Me Tangere is not Spanish, nor Tagalog, but Latin. Rizal, in his
letter to his friend and Czech scientist Ferdinand Blumentritt, admitted that he obtained
the title from the Bible. Rizal took the passage in John 20:17 where Jesus said to Mary
Magdalene "don't touch Me!" when she recognizes him after his resurrection. The
passage, when translated in Latin, is equivalent to noli me tangere. At the time when the
novel is ready for printing, he ran out of fund. He contacted his friend, Maximo Viola,
who agreed to lend him money for publishing. According to accounts, Rizal is about to
throw Noli manuscripts to the fireplace when he received Viola's telegram agreeing for
lending him. Viola gave him an amount equal to three hundred pesos as preliminary
payment for the first 2,000 copies of Noli. In 1887, the first edition of Noli was published
in Berlin, Germany. To express his gratitude, he gave the original manuscript plus the
plume he used to Viola. Rizal also signed the first print and gave it to Viola with
dedication.

- Meaning of Noli Me Tangere

 Noli me tangere ('touch me not') is the Latin version of a phrase spoken,
according to John 20:17, by Jesus to Mary Magdalene when she recognized him after
his resurrection. The biblical scene gave birth to a long series of depictions in Christian
art from Late Antiquity to the present. The original Koine Greek phrase, Μή μου ἅπτου
(mḗ mou háptou), is better represented in translation as "cease holding on to me" or
"stop clinging to me", i.e. an ongoing action, not one done in a single moment.
Most Filipino will recognize the Latin phrase “Noli me tangere” as the title of Jose
Rizal’s first novel, rather than as a biblical line from the gospel of St. John (20:17). In
English, it is usually rendered as “Touch me not.” This was what the risen Jesus told the
startled Mary Magdalene when she tried to approach him after he had called her name.
The meaning of this utterance has been the subject of much dispute, not least because
it appears only in John and not in the other gospels.
When later he appeared before his disciples, Jesus invited the doubting Thomas
to touch his wounds. Yet he would not allow Mary, whose faith needed no confirmation,
to hold him. Why? Was it because she was a woman and not one of the original
disciples, and therefore unworthy of being the first witness to Jesus’ triumph over
death? Or was it because “noli me tangere” meant something else other than “do not
touch me”?
Curiously, Rizal’s particular use of this phrase as the title of his novel might give
us a better understanding of its meaning. I remember as a child asking my father what
“noli me tangere” meant. He had come home one day with a freshly printed hardbound
edition of Charles Derbyshire’s translation titled “The social cancer.” Proudly, he
presented it to me as if it was the most precious book in the world, enunciating every
syllable in that enchanting phrase “noli me tangere.” He uttered it as if it was a magical
incantation. “What language is that?” I asked him. “Latin for ‘touch me not’,” he replied.
What’s that got to do with cancer, I pressed, pointing to the English title of the book. He
answered: “The cancer of our society in Rizal’s time was already so advanced that no
doctor would touch it anymore.”
Noli Me Tángere ( Latin for Touch Me Not) is a novel written by José Rizal, one
of the national heroes of the Philippines, during the colonization of the country by Spain
to expose the inequities of the Spanish Catholic priests and the ruling government.
Originally written in Spanish, the book is more commonly published and read in
the Philippines in either Tagalog or English. Together with its sequel, El Filibusterismo,
the reading of Noli is obligatory for high school students throughout the country.
Noli me tangere, meaning "don't touch me" or "don't tread on me", is the Latin
version of words spoken, according to John 20:17, by Jesus to Mary Magdalene when
she recognized him after his resurrection.The original Koine Greek phrase, (mē mou
haptou), is better represented in translation as "cease holding on to me" or "stop
clinging to me".
 The biblical scene of Mary Magdalene's recognizing Jesus Christ after his
resurrection became the subject of a long, widespread and continuous iconographic
tradition in Christian art from Late Antiquity to the present. Pablo Picasso, for example,
used the painting Noli me tangere by Antonio da Correggio, stored in the Museo del
Prado, as an iconographic source for his famous painting La Vie ( Cleveland Museum of
Art) from the so-called Blue Period.
The words were also occasionally used to describe a disease known to medieval
physicians as a "hidden cancer" or cancer absconditus, as the more the swellings
associated with these cancers were handled, the worse they became.
Noli me tangere (Titian) - Noli me tangere is a1514 painting by Titian of the Noli
me tangere episode in St John's Gospel. The painting is housed at the National Gallery
in London.
Noli Me Tangere (Bernini) - Noli Me Tangere is a large sculptural arrangement
that forms part of the Alaleona Chapel in the church of Santi Domenico e Sisto, in
Rome. The architecutal outline of the chapel was designed by the Italian artist
Gianlorenzo Bernini. The sculpture, which shows Jesus responding to Mary Magdalene
with the words 'Do not touch me' upon her recognition of him following the Resurrection,
was also designed by Bernini and carried out by his pupil Antonio Raggi, probably from
1649 to 1652.
- Characteristics of Noli Me Tangere
Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin (Ibarra) - A wealthy young mestizo who
has just returned to the Philippines after seven years of studying in Europe, Ibarra is
sophisticated, highly esteemed, and very idealistic. The priests of San Diego all view
him with great wariness on account of his highly liberal education and connections. His
father, the equally idealistic Don Rafael, was labeled a subversive and a heretic by the
corrupt priesthood and incarcerated, ultimately leading to his death. Ibarra hopes to
create a school in San Diego in order to carry out his father's dreams and ideals, but he
becomes entangled in conflicts with the church and is forced to flee San Diego as a
result of a conspiracy led by the scheming Father Salví. In contrast to his more radical
friend Elías, Ibarra generally wants to work within systems to reform the Philippines,
rather than overthrow them, but he shifts towards Elías's beliefs as the novel
progresses.
María Clara- A woman of high social standing, she is thought to be the daughter
of Capitan Tiago and goddaughter of Father Dámaso. She is actually the biological
daughter of Father Dámaso, the product of a scandalous relationship between the old
priest and Capitan Tiago’s wife. María Clara grew up alongside Ibarra and planned to
marry him, but Father Dámaso disapproved of the union. After Ibarra is
excommunicated from the church, her guardians set her up to be wed to Linares, a
wealthy young man of Spanish descent, and she tries to go along with the plan to avoid
hurting her father, the weak-willed Capitan Tiago. When Ibarra is put on trial for sedition,
she is coerced into surrendering the letters Ibarra has sent her as evidence of his guilt.
Ultimately, when she hears of Ibarra's apparent death, she refuses to marry Linares and
joins a convent.
Father Dámaso - Father Dámaso is an old, power-hungry, and shamelessly
corrupt Spanish priest who has lived among the native Filipinos for nearly two decades.
In spite of having spent all that time among them, the years have done nothing to
endear him or develop any sympathy in him for his “flock.” He is deeply racist, as well
as petty and vindictive, and he thinks nothing of using his considerable influence to ruin
the lives of those who have slighted him, regardless of how small the offense is. He
masterminded the death of Don Rafael Ibarra, then brazenly taunted the younger Ibarra.
After he publically insults Ibarra's father, Ibarra attacks him and he excommunicates
Ibarra from the church. He is also the godfather (and, in fact, the biological father) of
María Clara, giving him influence over her relationship with Ibarra.
Elías - A mysterious character, Elías is a man on the run from the law who
resents both the Spanish colonial government and the Catholic Church, despite his
strong religious convictions. He crosses paths with the more temperate Ibarra when
Ibarra bravely saves him from a crocodile. Elías uncovers a plot against Ibarra's life and
works closely with him throughout the second half of the novel. He and Ibarra have
several long conversations regarding the ethics of politics and governance, with Elias
taking a more revolutionary stance.
Father Salví - A younger, more cunning Spanish priest who assumes control
over Father Damaso’s post as friar curate of San Diego. He is in many regards more
dangerous that his precursor as he is a more gifted strategist who uses his religious role
for political influence as well as personal vendettas. He frequently fights with the town's
ensign for power. His most significant role in the novel comes through his plot to ruin
Ibarra, who is engaged to María Clara, who he is in love with.
Captain Tiago (Don Santiago de los Santos) - Capitan Tiago is a rarity in that
he is a wealthy Filipino who is native-born. He keeps close ties with high-ranking
members of the Catholic Church, despite actually having no respect for religion, and
shamelessly joins in others' racist insults against his own people. His primary concern is
to marry off his daughter, María Clara, to an affluent man from an influential family. This
is one of the main reasons that he is quick to toss aside his loyalties to Ibarra when he
is labeled a subversive. His predilection for advantageous social pairings makes him
quick to assent to Linares as a potential new match for his daughter.
`The Ensign - The nameless head of the Civil Guard of the township of San
Diego. A man of Spanish descent, he is in a constant bitter feud with Father Salví to
gain power in the town. He imposes curfews that make it all but impossible for the
citizens of San Diego to attend mass at the proper schedule. He drinks excessively and
is married to Doña Consolación, who he frequently fights with.
 Doña Consolación - The pugnacious wife of The Ensign, Doña Consolación is
an older Filipina woman who is ashamed of her heritage and pretends to be unable to
speak Tagalog, her own native language. She fights with her husband frequently and
makes many of her husband's decisions for him. Despite being described as very ugly,
she is proud and demands respect from others.
Don Rafael Ibarra - Crisóstomo Ibarra’s father is posthumously mentioned in the
novel. A critic of the corrupt practices of the Spanish friars, he earns the ire of the
vitriolic Father Dámaso, who accuses him of sedition and heresy. He dies in prison
before his name can be cleared. His remains are buried in the Catholic cemetery in the
town of San Diego, but Father Dámaso hires a gravedigger to disinter his body to have
him buried at the Chinese cemetery because of his status as a heretic.
Crispín - A young boy studying to be a church caretaker, Crispín and his brother
Basilio work ceaselessly to send support money to their beleaguered mother, Sisa.
Crispín is blamed for stealing money from the church coffers by the head sexton and is
kept a virtual prisoner until the debt is paid. On the night that he and his brother were to
visit their mother, the head sexton keeps them until the curfew, effectively barring the
brothers from travelling. The head sexton beats him and he is never seen again
afterward, presumably dying at the hands of the cruel head sexton, though another
church official claims he escaped.
Basilio - Basilio is Crispín's older brother. Like his younger brother, he works as
a sexton. Basilio makes a desperate run for their home the night Crispín is dragged
away and attempts to locate his younger brother the day after, but his search efforts are
fruitless. The following day, the Civil Guard comes looking for him and his brother.
Fearing for his life, he runs to the forest where he goes into hiding, living with kind family
until Christmas Eve. When he finally locates Sisa, he learns that she has gone mad
from grief and is thus unable to identify him as her son. He follows her to the forest,
where she regains her wits temporarily and then dies from the shock.
Doctor Tiburcio de Espadaña - A fraud and a hustler, the Spaniard who calls
himself Doctor Tiburcio de Espadaña was actually a customs officer who was dismissed
from his post shortly after arriving in the Philippines. Despite having no medical
experience, he travels the countryside posing as a doctor, charging extortionate fees for
his so-called services after his wife encourages him to pretend to be a doctor. His
patients eventually catch wind of his schemes and he is forced to relocate to another
area where he is all but unknown. He finds his way to San Diego, where he resumes his
fake medical practice.
La Doctora Victorina de los Reyes de Espadaña - A brazen and determined
Filipina social climber, Doña Victorina is the spouse of the counterfeit doctor, Tiburcio
de Espadaña. She is well past her prime and relies on garish make-up to carry on a
façade of youth. She eagerly tries to marry off her nephew to María Clara, likely as a
means to further advance her social status.
 Lt. Guevara - A morally upright man of Spanish descent who holds both
Crisóstomo Ibarra and the late Don Rafael in high esteem, he is also the lieutenant of
the Civil Guard. He is one of the few who openly support the Ibarras and is vocal about
his dislike of Father Dámaso’s control. He informs Crisóstomo Ibarra of the fate of his
father and how Father Damaso was involved in his death.
Linares - Dr. de Espadaña’s nephew, a respectable young Spanish man. Like
his uncle, he has forged credentials and hopes to climb through the social ranks.
The Schoolmaster - A teacher that Don Rafael housed, thus allowing him to
suitably attend to the task of instructing students; he informs Crisóstomo Ibarra of the
sorry state of education of San Diego since the passing of his father. The friars closely
watch the material being taught in the school, forbidding him from teaching Spanish.
The schoolmaster is grateful to the Ibarra family, but he is not hopeful that he’ll make
headway in getting any lasting educational reforms to happen.
Don Filipo (Filipo Lino) - Don Filipo Lino is a representative of the younger, less
religiously shackled generation of movers and shakers in San Diego, and he also
serves as the vice mayor of the town. He despises the idea of spending lavish amounts
of money on the numerous feast days that mark the religious calendar, seeing it as both
wasteful and burdensome to the citizens. His words, however, fall on deaf ears as he is
only deputy mayor, and the mayor himself is a dedicated follower of the Catholic Church
and the de facto mouthpiece of the friars.
The Mayor - Nothing more than a marionette of the Catholic priesthood, the
unnamed mayor of San Diego is very conservative and bows down to the religious
officials of the town.
The Yellow Man - An assassin tasked to kill the younger Ibarra, his plot to
murder the young man is thwarted by the cunning Elias. He is given this moniker for his
permanently sallow, jaundiced complexion.
Sisa - The long-suffering mother of sextons-in-training Crispin and Basilio, she
goes mad upon the loss of her sons. Impoverished and married to a violent drunkard,
she is allied only with her sons. She wanders the town, clothes tattered and hair
disheveled, calling out for her sons. When she actually does meet Basilio, she cannot
recognize him.
Father Sibyla - A priest serving in the Binondo district in the city of Manila,
Father Sibyla serves as a foil to the otherwise largely corrupt Father Dámaso and the
perverse Father Salví as he is rational and calm. Father Sibyla is an adept and shrewd
orator who takes obvious delight in antagonizing the pompous Father Dámaso at
Ibarra’s return party.
Aunt Isabel - A cousin of Capitan Tiago who raised Maria Clara as her own child
after her mother’s untimely death.
 Old Tasio (Don Anastasio) - An old man who previously studied philosophy and
is believed to be crazy by most of the community. He respects Ibarra and gives him
valuable advice, and also helped Ibarra's father before him.
Doña Victorina de los Reyes de de Espadaña, commonly known as Doña
Victorina, is an ambitious Filipina who classifies herself as a Spaniard and mimics
Spanish ladies by putting on heavy make-up.[10] The novel narrates Doña Victorina's
younger days: she had lots of admirers, but she spurned them all because none of them
were Spaniards. Later on, she met and married Don Tiburcio de Espadaña, an official of
the customs bureau ten years her junior. However, their marriage is childless.

Her husband assumes the title of medical "doctor" even though he never attended
medical school; using fake documents and certificates, Tiburcio illegally practices
medicine. Tiburcio's usage of the title Dr. consequently makes Victorina assume the title
Dra. (doctora, female doctor).[16] Apparently, she uses the whole name Doña Victorina
de los Reyes de de Espadaña, with double de to emphasize her marriage surname.
She seems to feel that this awkward titling makes her more "sophisticated".
Sisa, Crispín, and Basilio represent a Filipino family persecuted by the Spanish
authorities. Narcisa, or Sisa, is the deranged mother of Basilio and Crispín. Described
as beautiful and young, although she loves her children very much, she cannot protect
them from the beatings of her husband, Pedro.
Crispín is Sisa's seven-year-old son. An altar boy, he was unjustly accused of stealing
money from the church. After failing to force Crispín to return the money he allegedly
stole, Father Salví and the head sacristan killed him. It is not directly stated that he was
killed, but a dream of Basilio's suggests that Crispín died during his encounter with
Padre Salví and his minion.
Basilio is Sisa's 10-year-old son. An acolyte tasked to ring the church's bells for
the Angelus, he faced the dread of losing his younger brother and the descent of his
mother into insanity. At the end of the novel, a dying Elías requested Basilio to cremate
him and Sisa in the woods in exchange for a chest of gold located nearby. He later
played a major role in El filibusterismo. Due to their tragic but endearing story, these
characters are often parodied in modern Filipino popular culture. Salomé is Elías'
sweetheart. She lived in a little house by the lake, and though Elías would like to marry
her, he tells her that it would do her or their children no good to be related to a fugitive
like himself. In the original publication of Noli Me Tángere, the chapter that explores the
identity of Elías and Salomé was omitted, classifying her as a totally non-existent
character.
Other characters:
There are a number of secondary and minor characters in Noli Me Tángere. Items
indicated inside the parenthesis are the standard Filipinization of the Spanish names in
the novel.
Padre Hernándo de la Sibyla – a Dominican friar. He is described as short and
has fair skin. He is instructed by an old priest in his order to watch Crisóstomo Ibarra.
Padre Bernardo Salví – the successor of Padre Dámaso as the Franciscan
curate of San Diego who secretly lusts after María Clara. He is described to be very thin
and sickly. It is also hinted that his surname, "Salví", is the shorter form of "salvacion"
("salvation"), or that "Salví" is short for "salvaje" ("savage", "wild"), hinting at the fact that
he is willing to kill an innocent child, Crispín, whom he accused of stealing money worth
two onzas.
El Alférez (Alperes) – the unnamed chief of the local Guardia Civil and husband
of Doña Consolación. He is the sworn enemy of the priests in the town's power struggle.
Doña Consolación – wife of the Alférez, nicknamed as la musa de los guardias
civiles ("the muse of the Civil Guard") or la Alféreza. She was a former laundrywoman
who passes herself as a peninsular, and is best remembered for her abusive treatment
of Sisa.
Don Tiburcio de Espadaña – A Spanish quack doctor who is weak and
submissive to his pretentious wife, Doña Victorina.
Tenyente Guevarra – a close friend of Don Rafael Ibarra. He reveals to
Crisóstomo how Don Rafael Ibarra's death came about.
Alfonso Linares – A distant nephew of Tiburcio de Espadaña who would later
become the fiancé of María Clara. Although he presented himself as a practitioner of
law, it was later revealed that he is, like Don Tiburcio, a fraud. He later died from
medications Don Tiburcio had given him.
Tíya Isabel – Kapitán Tiago's cousin, who helped raise María Clara and served
as a surrogate mother figure.
Governor-General (Gobernador-Heneral) – Unnamed in the novel, he is the
most powerful colonial official in the Philippines. He harbors great disdain for the friars
and corrupt officials, and sympathizes with Ibarra.
Don Filipo Lino – vice mayor of the town of San Diego, leader of the liberals.
Padre Manuel Martín – he is the linguist curate of a nearby town who delivers
the sermon during San Diego's fiesta.
Don Rafael Ibarra – the deceased father of Crisóstomo Ibarra. Though he was
the richest man in San Diego, he was also the most virtuous and generous.
 Doña Pía Alba – wife of Kapitán Tiago and mother of María Clara; she died
giving birth to her daughter. Kapitán Tiago was supposedly the child's father, but in
reality, Alba was raped by Padre Dámaso.
Don Pedro Eibarramendia – Crisóstomo Ibarra's Basque great-grandfather who
falsely accused Elías's grandfather and ruined his family. The surname was later
shortened to Ibarra; hence, Elías did not realize the relationship at first.
Albino – a seminarian who follows Crisóstomo Ibarra in a picnic with María
Clara's friends.
Don Saturnino Eibarramendia – the father of Don Rafael and grandfather of
Crisóstomo who is said to have founded the town of San Diego when it was still a vast
forest.

- Highlights of Noli Me Tange

Noli Me Tangere is more on romance nor a romantic novel. It is also known as
“work of the heart” and “a book of feeling”. It has freshness, color, humor, lightness and
wit. It also contain 64 chapters. Noli Me Tangere had a big impression on the narrator
because Jose Rizal portrayed himself as the protagonist and faced sufferings from the
hands of the Spaniards. His high emotional quotient could be perceived in the book.
Noli Me Tangere is considered to be romantic but is more socio-historical
because of its nature. Most of the issues discussed in Noli can still be seen today. After
publication, Noli me Tangere was considered to be one of the instruments that initiated
Filipino nationalism leading to the 1896 Philippine Revolution. The novel did not only
awaken sleeping Filipino awareness, but also established the grounds for aspiring to
independence. Noli was originally written in Spanish, so the likelihood that Spanish
authorities would read it first was very high;which is what Rizal wanted to happen.
Copies of books were redirected to churches, many were destroyed, and many anti-Noli
writers came into the picture. Catholic leaders in the Philippines at the time regarded the
book as heretical, while Spanish colonial authorities declared it as subversive and
against the government. Underground copies were distributed, so Rizal decided to
increase the price, the demand was so high.
The impact also included the expulsion of Rizal's clan in Calamba, Laguna.
Extradition cases were filed against him. This led to his decision to write the sequel of
Noli Me Tangere, the El filibusterismo. Unlike El Fili or Fili, as they called it, Noli Me
Tangere was more delicate and did not invoke rebellion. As El Fili does. So to ensure
revolutionary ideas and patriotic reaction, Rizal redefined his careful concepts in Noli to
aggression in El Fili.
Rizal described what he expects when the novel will be in circulation. he pointed
out his primary objective is to defend Filipino people from foreign accusations of
foolishness and lack of knowledge and to show how the Filipino people lives during
Spanish colonial period and the cries and woes of his countrymen against abusive
officials. To discuss what religion and belief can really do to everyday lives and also to
expose the cruelties, graft, and corruption of the false government at honestly show the
wrongdoings of Filipinos that led to further failure.

- Essay about corona virus

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the new coronavirus
outbreak, which originated in Wuhan, China, a pandemic. The coronavirus family
causes illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as
severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome
(MERS), according to the WHO. They circulate in animals and some can be
transmitted between animals and humans. Several coronaviruses are circulating in
animals that have not yet infected humans. The new coronavirus, the seventh
known to affect humans, has been named COVID-19.
Common signs of infection include fever, coughing and breathing difficulties.
In severe cases, it can cause pneumonia, multiple organ failure and death. The
incubation period of COVID-19 is thought to be between one and 14 days. It is
contagious before symptoms appear, which is why so many people get infected.
Infected patients can be also asymptomatic, meaning they do not display any
symptoms despite having the virus in their systems. Thousands of people have died
from the virus. The vaccine is yet to be found, but the best measure is to stop the
spread. The outbreak affects every sphere of economy worldwide. Trade, tourism
and transportation are in decline.
The WHO declared the virus a pandemic on March 11 and said it was "deeply
concerned by the alarming levels of spread and severity" of the outbreak. The WHO
recommends basic hygiene such as regularly washing hands with soap and water,
and covering your mouth with your elbow when sneezing or coughing. Maintain
"social distancing" - keeping at least 1.8 metres (six feet) between yourself and
others - particularly if they are coughing and sneezing, and avoid touching your face,
eyes and mouth with unwashed hands. Avoid unnecessary, unprotected contact with
animals and be sure to thoroughly wash hands after contact.
 The Coronavirus Disease 2019 or commonly known as Covid-19has changed
how we work, play, and learn. Schools are closing, sports leagues have been
canceled, and many people have been asked to work from home.
On March 14, 2020, the Duterte administration released a new guidelines to
slow the spread of the coronavirus, including closing schools and avoiding groups
more than 10 people, discretionary of travel, bars, restaurants and companies. The
president also implemented Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) to our country
and also promoting social distancing.
I can hardly believe that only a couple of weeks ago, life was normal. People
grunted upon waking up on Mondays. Restaurants were filled with couples, families,
and friends cracking jokes and chatting away. Cars piled up on the roads at all
hours. Kids went to school, parents went to work. It’s hard for me to imagine that
now because we have inevitably entered a new kind of normal – life in the midst of a
pandemic. The lives of people worldwide have been dramatically altered. We are all
put on pause, confined to our homes. Even going out to buy essential things holds
so much risk. Checkpoints separate cities, families, and friends. Relationships are
strained. Life has ceased to be predictable. I’ve realized so many things, and I want
to share some of them with you.
When the government announced that there will be an enhanced community
quarantine which means we have to stay at home. I felt happy at first because I don't
need to wake up early to go to school, I don't need to stress myself with school
works, and I can do everything I wished for. But as time passes by, quarantine got
me bored as hell, so these are the things I've been doing since the quarantine
started: I've been sleeping, eating, reading wattpad and watching k-drama all day.
And to be honest, it's not a good thing. I sometimes skipped meals just to finish the
k-drama I'm watching, I didn't have time to get enough sleep, and I can't take good
care of myself.
The fact that the coronavirus disrupts our day-to-day lives provides an
opportunity to reflect on things and to reconsider what we do, how we do it and why
we do it. Things we took for granted, like going to the gym but not possible anymore.
Furthermore, many people have had to change their mode of working and work from
home instead of at the office. This means that a lot of our routines are interrupted.
We are all fully aware of the difficulties of the students face right now and their
uncertainty about online education. We feel the same things as we face digital
platforms and teaching online. Further, many of us are committed to classrooms that
promote diversity and inclusivity, and we are trying to make our online spaces as
open and accessible as possible. This is all to say that those in traditional university
settings have been slapped in the face with the hard reality that much of our work
requires social interaction. Our world touts itself on being part of a digital age, and
yet we are all going to have to rework our instructional identities and rethink our
teaching practices as we transition from one space to another.
Quarantine is not a bad thing actually, we can spend more time with our
family and have a quality time together. I also spent my special day with them, my
birthday. I can also hangout with my cousins since our houses are not too far with
each other. Whenever we are together, we always eat merienda, watch movies, and
so on. Sometimes, we're watching kids playing along with their kites. Looking at the
kites flying in the sky is such a good scenery.
During this chaos, we then realize the weight of humanity, the implications of
our actions and how we all are connected. While we wait for borders to be opened,
so that we can go back home in the comfort of our bed, we hear the shouts of
refugees louder, we 'empathize' with those who have been uprooted from their
home, and force to flee, we understand their pain and suffering because we know
how it feels. We know that we share only religion that is humanity, and this crisis is
bringing humanity out of people. The world is changing, it is healing, there is light at
the end of the tunnel. Pollution is being cleared off, the equilibrium is being restored,
and at the end of this, the world will heal. There are so many lessons of humanity to
take on from there: racism, health, love and how to embrace uncertainty and make
something out of it!
The virus caused a shutdown or dramatically decrease of industrial activities.
Factories are closed or operate far below their capacity, road traffic has reduced
radically and air traffic collapsed, and the lack of tourism has emptied the streets in
overcrowded cities like in Manila and other cities. While this may be bad news for
most people and especially those working in the affected industries, this is also good
news for our planet. Covid-19 causes a significant reduction in greenhouse gasses
and other air, water and land polluting outputs. The fact is that the shutdown and
lockdown of large parts of our economy is good for nature—at least on the short
term. The opportunity this provides, is to keep parts of this in place also after the
crisis to make long-term improvements. Along the line of the previous opportunities,
the current crisis provides us an opportunity to reconsider our lives and reorganize it
in a way that has less impact on our planet.
Giving shape to time is especially important now, when the future is so
shapeless. We do not know whether the virus will continue to rage for weeks or
months or, lord help us, on and off for years. We do not know when we will feel safe
again. And so many of us, minus those who are gifted at compartmentalization or
denial, remain largely captive to fear. We may stay this way if we do not create at
least the illusion of movement in our lives, our long days spent with ourselves or
partners or families.
Compassion, kindness, sympathy, and caring are some of those spiritual
values that drive humanity in its basic form. Compassion desires to separate other
beings from suffering. Often these values get overshadowed in our intellectual
insight and strive for practical wisdom, yet beneath lie a love and care component
for fellow beings. Remembering what I watched in television, that there are some
citizen that being hero by doing good things. It also enhanced our faith in God and
human beings tend to turn to prayer in a time of crisis. Unfortunately, religious
places including mosques, churches, or temples are being closed. The COVID-19
pandemic reminds us we are-deep down-spiritual beings, whether we realize it or
not, and makes us recognize that the problem of coronavirus is right here at the face
of our global community; it’s a challenge that requires global cooperation and unity,
a component of compassion to alleviate suffering, and a greater responsibility to
exercise our faith to witness divine intervention. Though the COVID-19 crisis has
brought the world to a halt and sadly, the health and economic impact will be
disastrous, I feel that from a spiritual angle, the pros will outweigh the cons making
us a global community with spiritual connectivity.
We encouraging to empowering everyone, in the most challenging times, we
will continue to put people first, to be the voice of the voiceless. My heart goes to
people who live in a toxic environment at home and to all those with depression and
other issues that is making social distancing difficult. Please be strong, and let us
brave through this together. Let's practice self-care, work on ourselves, love
ourselves and others more deeply, sprinkle kindness around, and heal so that we do
not bleed on people who didn't cut us, spread more love and be there for each other.
I’ve learned that to survive, we need to help each other. Everyone has a role
to play in this crisis. It may be as simple as staying home, or as difficult as serving
as a frontliner. We all need to do our part. We should set aside our selfish desires
and look out for people who are more in need. Help out, in any way you can. Give
what you can. Smile and be polite to our frontliners. Pray for everyone’s safety.
Follow the rules; they are there to protect us. Don’t put our elderly at risk. Be
responsible and be proactive. Always wash our hands. We can get through this, but
we will need to work together.
Quarantine taught me to follow the rules implemented by the government. I
learned that we should take good care of our body to be healthy because corona
virus is no joke. It can take the lives of people. It's very sad to know that there are
some frontliners who died because of the virus. So all I can do to help them is to
pray for them. Also praying for those who are fighting with the illness right now, I
hope that they can survive the fight even though it's hard. I'm hoping that all of this
will end very soon.
When the time comes, where the Philippines and the world is finally Covid-
free, I can say that we did a great job for not giving up and conquering this
pandemic. It is an achievement on surviving in this crisis. I know we face so much
struggles physically and emotionally affected by virus. We may not forget the
knowledge that we learned during pandemic. Everything happens for a reason, and I
hope we could learned from these experiences and when we look back someday
you’ll probably say that “I’am a strong person, and so the people of the world”.
I know that we have a long road ahead of us. Life as we know it may be
permanently changed. There will be sadness, fear and heartbreak. But I hope that
among these, love, hope and faith will shine brighter. Let’s show this virus how
strong the Filipino heart is. We will fight and we will win together.
 - El Filibusterismo
El Filibusterismo, the second of José Rizal’s novels of Philippine life, is a story of
the last days of the Spanish régime in the Philippines. Under the name of The Reign of
Greed it is for the first time translated into English. Written some four or five years after
Noli Me Tangere, the book 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. Rizal’s dedication to the first edition is of special interest, as the
writing of it was one of the grounds of accusation against him when he was condemned
to death in 1896.

- The making 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.
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
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.”) 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.
But even with Ventura’s help, Rizal found it necessary to fundamentally shorten
the novel, erasing 47 whole pages from the 279-page manuscript to save expenses.
Thus, the printed El Fili, which came off the press by the middle of September, 1891,
turned out comprising only 38 chapters compared to the 64 of the Noli—contrary to his
original plan to make a longer sequel. For Ventura’s salvific act, Rizal gave him the
novel’s original manuscript, a pen, and an autographed printed copy. In 1925, the
Philippine government bought the El Fili manuscript from Ventura for a large sum of 10,
000 pesos (Zaide, p. 194). It is now being kept in the National Library.

- Printing the El Filibusterismo

In Biarritz, Paris en route to Brussels on March 29, 1891, Rizal finished writing
the draft for El Filibusterismo. Amid writing letters to friends asking for fare money to
Hong Kong, Rizal rewrote and revised El Fili until he had 20 chapters ready for
publishing by May 30. The book did not reach its final form until months later. In Ghent,
Belgium on September 18, 1891: hot off the press, Rizal took two copies of his
masterpiece El Filibusterismo and sent them to friends in Hong Kong. Four days later,
Rizal sent a copy to del Pilar with a letter informing the latter that he was planning to
return to the Philippines. Historians later discovered that Rizal also planned to write a
third novel and satire on the customs of Filipinos. By the end of September, Rizal was
able to pay his printing dues thanks to the help of his friend Valentin Ventura who
loaned him 200 francs.
After El Fili was published, copies of the book were smuggled into the Philippines
where they were hungrily read by Filipinos who were tired of the injustices they
experienced under the friars. The Spanish government naturally banned the book, but
this did not stop the Filipinos from using it as an anthem for revolution. Andres Bonifacio
was one of those directly inspired by Rizal’s book – it gave him the idea of forming
Katipunan, a revolutionary society which aimed to gain Philippine independence from
Spain. Katipunan would later on lead to the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution, which
imprinted the names of revolutionary heroes Emilio Jacinto, Melchora Aquino, Gregorio
del Pilar, Antonio Luna and Emilio Aguinaldo in history.
Rizal never intended for El Fili to be a call to revolution, though. Just like any of
us who face dilemmas, Rizal had to struggle with his “personal demons:” in the book,
Rizal’s Simoun stopped at nothing to start a revolution. But Rizal did not allow revolution
to happen in his book. Do you remember what Rizal did at the end of the book? Well,
don’t expect any spoilers from me! Yet the publication of El Fili also meant Rizal signed
his death warrant. While not directly involved with the revolution, Rizal was still taken
and executed in 1896 because of the power of his books.

- The manuscript of El Filibusterismo

Rizal gratefully donated the original manuscript and an autographed ptinted copy
to Valentina Ventura. The original manuscript of El Filibustirismo in Rizal’s own
handwriting is now preserved in the Filipiniana Division of the Bureau of Public libraries
in Manila. Acquires by the Philippine government from Valentina Ventura for 10,000
pesos. It consist of 279 pages of long sheet paper.
- Characters of El Filibusterismo

Simoun – Crisóstomo Ibarra in disguise, presumed dead at the end of Noli Me

Tángere. Ibarra has returned as the wealthy jeweler Simoun. His appearance is
described as being tanned, having a sparse beard, long white hair, and large blue-
tinted glasses. He was sometimes crude and confrontational. He was derisively
described by Custodio and Ben-Zayb as an American mulatto or a British Indian.
While presenting as the arrogant elitist on the outside, he secretly plans a violent
revolution in order to avenge himself for his misfortunes as Crisóstomo Ibarra, as
well as hasten Elias' reformist goals.

Basilio – son of Sisa and another character from Noli Me Tángere. In the events
of El fili, he is an aspiring and so far successful physician on his last year at
university and was waiting for his license to be released upon his graduation. After
his mother's death in the Noli, he applied as a servant in Kapitán Tiago's household
in exchange for food, lodging, and being allowed to study. Eventually he took up
medicine, and with Tiago having retired from society, he also became the manager
of Tiago's vast estate. He is a quiet, contemplative man who is more aware of his
immediate duties as a servant, doctor, and member of the student association than
he is of politics or patriotic endeavors. His sweetheart is Juli, the daughter of
Kabesang Tales whose family took him in when he was a young boy fleeing the
Guardia Civil and his deranged mother.
 Isagani – Basilio's friend. He is described as a poet, taller and more robust than
Basilio although younger. He is the nephew of Padre Florentino, but is also rumored
to be Florentino's son with his old sweetheart before he was ordained as a priest.
During the events of the novel, Isagani is finishing his studies at the Ateneo
Municipal and is planning to take medicine. A member of the student association,
Isagani is proud and naive, and tends to put himself on the spot when his ideals are
affronted. His unrestrained idealism and poeticism clash with the more practical and
mundane concerns of his girlfriend, Paulita Gomez. When Isagani allows himself to
be arrested after their association is outlawed, Paulita leaves him for Juanito Peláez.
In his final mention in the novel, he was bidding goodbye to his landlords, the
Orenda family, to stay with Florentino permanently.

Father Florentino – Isagani's uncle and a retired priest. Florentino was the son
of a wealthy and influential Manila family. He entered the priesthood at the
insistence of his mother. As a result he had to break an affair with a woman he
loved, and in despair devoted himself instead to his parish. When the 1872 Cavite
mutiny broke out, he promptly resigned from the priesthood, fearful of drawing
unwanted attention. He was an indio and a secular, or a priest that was unaffiliated
with the orders, and yet his parish drew in a huge income. He retired to his family's
large estate along the shores of the Pacific. He is described as white-haired, with a
quiet, serene personality and a strong build. He did not smoke or drink. He was well
respected by his peers, even by Spanish friars and officials.

Father Fernández – a Dominican who was a friend of Isagani. Following the

incident with the posters, he invited Isagani to a dialogue, not so much as a teacher
with his student but as a friar with a Filipino. Although they failed to resolve their
differences, they each promised to approach their colleagues with the opposing
views from the other party – although both feared that given the animosity that
existed between their sides, their own compatriots may not believe in the other
party's existence.

Kapitán Tiago – Don Santiago de los Santos. María Clara's stepfather. Having
several landholdings in Pampanga, Binondo, and Laguna, as well as taking
ownership of the Ibarras' vast estate, Tiago still fell into depression following María's
entry into the convent. He alleviated this by smoking opium, which quickly became
an uncontrolled vice, exacerbated by his association with Padre Írene who regularly
supplied him with the substance. Tiago hired Basilio as a capista, a servant who
given the opportunity to study as part of his wages; Basilio eventually pursued
medicine and became his caregiver and the manager of his estate. Tiago died of
shock upon hearing of Basilio's arrest and Padre Írene's embellished stories of
violent revolt.
 Captain-General – the highest-ranking official in the Philippines during the
Spanish colonial period. The Captain-General in El fili is Simoun's friend and
confidant, and is described as having an insatiable lust for gold. Simoun met him
when he was still a major during the Ten Years' War in Cuba. He secured the
major's friendship and promotion to Captain-General through bribes. When he was
posted in the Philippines, Simoun used him as a pawn in his own power plays to
drive the country into revolution. The Captain-General was shamed into not
extending his tenure after being rebuked by a high official in the aftermath of
Basilio's imprisonment. This decision to retire would later on prove to be a crucial
element to Simoun's schemes.

Father Bernardo Salví – the former parish priest of San Diego in Noli Me
Tángere, and now the director and chaplain of the Santa Clara convent. The
epilogue of the Noli implies that Salví regularly rapes María Clara when he is present
at the convent. In El fili, he is described as her confessor. In spite of reports of
Ibarra's death, Salví believes that he is still alive and lives in constant fear of his
revenge.

Father Millon – a Dominican who serves as a physics professor in the University

of Santo Tomas.

Quiroga – a Chinese businessman who aspired to be a consul for China in the

Philippines. Simoun coerced Quiroga into hiding weapons inside the latter's
warehouses in preparation for the revolution.

Don Custodio – Custodio de Salazar y Sánchez de Monteredondo, a famous

"contractor" who was tasked by the Captain-General to develop the students
association's proposal for an academy for the teaching of Spanish, but was then also
under pressure from the priests not to compromise their prerogatives as
monopolizers of instruction. Some of the novel's most scathing criticism is reserved
for Custodio, who is portrayed as an opportunist who married his way into high
society, who regularly criticized favored ideas that did not come from him, but was
ultimately, laughably incompetent in spite of his scruples.

Ben-Zayb – A columnist for the Manila Spanish newspaper El Grito de la

Integridad. Ben-Zayb is his pen name and is an anagram of Ybanez, an alternate
spelling of his last name Ibañez. His first name is not mentioned. Ben-Zayb is said to
have the looks of a friar, who believes that in Manila they think because he thinks.
He is deeply patriotic, sometimes to the point of jingoism. As a journalist he has no
qualms embellishing a story, conflating and butchering details, turning phrases over
and over, making a mundane story sound better than it actually is. Father Camorra
derisively calls him an ink-slinger.

Father Camorra – the parish priest of Tiani. Ben-Zayb's regular foil, he is said to
look like an artilleryman in counterpoint to Ben-Zayb's friar looks. He stops at nothing
to mock and humiliate Ben-Zayb's liberal pretensions. In his own parish, Camorra
has a reputation for unrestrained lustfulness. He drives Juli into suicide after
attempting to rape her inside the convent. For his misbehavior he was "detained" in
a luxurious riverside villa just outside Manila.

Father Írene – Kapitán Tiago's spiritual adviser. Along with Custodio, Írene is
severely criticized as a representative of priests who allied themselves with temporal
authority for the sake of power and monetary gain. Known to many as the final
authority who Don Custodio consults, the student association sought his support and
gifted him with two chestnut-colored horses, yet he betrayed the students by
counseling Custodio into making them fee collectors in their own school, which was
then to be administered by the Dominicans instead of being a secular and privately
managed institution as the students envisioned. Írene secretly but regularly supplies
Kapitán Tiago with opium while exhorting Basilio to do his duty. Írene embellished
stories of panic following the outlawing of the student association Basilio was part of,
hastening Kapitán Tiago's death. With Basilio in prison, he then struck Basilio out of
Tiago's last will and testament, ensuring he inherited nothing.

Placido Penitente – a student of the University of Santo Tomas who had a

distaste for study and would have left school if it were not for his mother's pleas for
him to stay. He clashes with his physics professor, who then accuses him of being a
member of the student association, whom the friars despise. Following the
confrontation, he meets Simoun at the Quiapo Fair. Seeing potential in Placido,
Simoun takes him along to survey his preparations for the upcoming revolution. The
following morning Placido has become one of Simoun's committed followers. He is
later seen with the former schoolmaster of San Diego, who was now Simoun's
bomb-maker.

Paulita Gómez – the girlfriend of Isagani and the niece of Doña Victorina, the
old Indio who passes herself off as a Peninsular, who is the wife of the quack doctor
Tiburcio de Espadaña. In the end, she and Isagani part ways, Paulita believing she
will have no future if she marries him. She eventually marries Juanito Peláez.
Characters from Barrio Sagpang:

Kabesang Tales – Telesforo Juan de Dios, a former kabesa of Barrio Sagpang

in Tiani. He was a sugarcane planter who cleared lands he thought belonged to no
one, losing his wife and eldest daughter in the endeavor. When the Dominicans took
over his farm, he fought to his last money to have it retained in his possession. While
his suit against the Dominicans was ongoing, he was kidnapped by bandits while he
was out patrolling his fields. Having no money to pay his captors, his daughter Juli
was forced to become a maid in exchange for her mistress paying his ransom. When
his son Tano was conscripted into the Guardia Civil, again Tales had no money to
pay for Tano's exclusion from the draft. When in spite of all Tales lost the case, he
not only lost his farm but was also dealt with a heavy fine. He later joined the bandits
and became one of their fiercest commanders. Tandang Selo, his father, would later
on join his band after the death of Juli.

Tandang Selo – father of Kabesang Tales and grandfather of Tano and Juli. A
deer hunter and later on a broom-maker, he and Tales took in the young, sick Basilio
who was then fleeing from the Guardia Civil. On Christmas Day, when Juli left to be
with her mistress, Selo suffered some form of stroke that impaired his ability to
speak. After Juli's suicide, Selo left town permanently, taking with him his hunting
spear. He was later seen with the bandits and was killed in an encounter with the
Guardia Civil – ironically by the gun of the troops' sharpshooter Tano, his grandson.

Juli – Juliana de Dios, the girlfriend of Basilio, and the youngest daughter of
Kabesang Tales. When Tales was captured by bandits, Juli petitioned Hermana
Penchang to pay for his ransom. In exchange, she had to work as Penchang's maid.
Basilio ransomed her and bought a house for her family. When Basilio was sent to
prison, Juli approached Tiani's curate, Padre Camorra, for help. When Camorra tried
to rape her instead, Juli jumped to her death from the church's tower.

Tano – Kabesang Tales's son, second to Lucia who died in childhood. He was
nicknamed "Carolino" after returning from Guardia Civil training in the Carolines. His
squad was escorting prisoners through a road that skirted a mountain when they
were ambushed by bandits. In the ensuing battle, Tano, the squad's sharpshooter,
killed a surrendering bandit from a distance, not knowing it was his own grandfather
Selo.

Hermana Penchang – the one among the "rich folks" of Tiani who lent Juli
money to ransom Kabesang Tales from the bandits. In return, Juli will serve as her
maid until the money was paid off. Penchang is described as a pious woman who
speaks Spanish; however, her piety was clouded over by the virtues taught by the
friars. While Juli was in her service, she made her work constantly, refusing to give
her time off so she can take care of her grandfather Selo. Nevertheless, when the
rich folks of Tiani shunned Juli because to support her family in any way might earn
some form of retribution from the friars, Penchang was the only one who took pity
upon her.

Hermana Báli – Juli's mother-figure and counselor. She accompanied Juli in her
efforts to secure Kabesang Tales' ransom and later on Basilio's release. Báli was a
panguinguera – a gambler – who once performed religious services in a Manila
convent. When Tales was captured by bandits, it was Báli who suggested to Juli the
idea to borrow money from Tiani's wealthy citizens, payable when Tales' legal
dispute over his farm was won.
Student association for the teaching of Spanish:

Macaraig – the leader. He is described as wealthy, with his own coach, driver,
and set of horses. He is said to own several houses, and that he is lending one to
serve as the schoolhouse for their planned Spanish language academy. After the
outlawing of the group, he was the first to post bail. He then left the country after his
release.

Sandoval – a Peninsular who had come to Manila as a government employee

and was finishing his studies, and who had completely identified himself with the
cause of the Filipino students. After the outlawing of the group, he still managed to
pass his courses through sheer oratorical skill.

Pecson – described as chubby, pessimistic, and having an annoying grin. He is

Sandoval's regular foil when Sandoval launches into any kind of patriotic, optimistic
speech. After they receive disappointing news about their Spanish language
academy project, it was Pecson who suggested a torch-lit dinner at the Panciteria
Macanista de Buen Gusto, just a block away from the Binondo Church and Convent,
served by naked Chinese waiters. From there Sandoval and Pecson became more
gracious to each other.

Tadeo – a truant and charlatan who regularly dreamed of an eternal "holiday"

from school, but was all the same beloved by professors and passed courses. A
longtime Manila resident, he is seen having fun by telling outrageous stories about
himself to a newcomer student from his home province. After the outlawing of the
group, he alone seemed to welcome imprisonment as it meant not going to school.
His holiday realized at last, he "celebrated" by setting up a bonfire using his books
upon his release.

Juanito Peláez – Isagani's rival for Paulita Gomez's affection. He was the son of
a Timoteo Peláez, a metalworks trader. He was a favorite of his professors. A
regular prankster, he was said to have developed a hump by playing some trick and
 then hunching behind his classmates. He paid his dues to the student association,
but broke away just as easily when the association was outlawed. Following
Isagani's arrest, Paulita breaks off from Isagani to marry Juanito.
- Highlights of El Filibusterismo
El Filibusterismo is a political novel. It was called “work of the head” or a book of
the thought. It contains bitterness, hatred, pain, violence and sorrow. The romance and
aspirations are gone. Even the characters' personalities seem to have undergone
radical change. This is how different Rizal's second novel is. Considering that both were
written by the same author, the plots are poles apart. Outright scorn and bitterness may
already be felt at the beginning of the story, where Simoun promotes abuse and tyranny
in the Spanish government, in the hope that the people will reach the limits of their
endurance and declare a revolution. Simoun, who is actually Noli's Ibarra in disguise,
conveys an entirely different personality in Fili. While Ibarra is trusting, aspiring, and
loving, Simoun is now cunningly careful in his dealings, distrusting, and extremely bitter.
Something changed in Rizal; and this is reflected in the personalities he gave his El
Filibusterismo characters. It has 38 chapter.
Indeed a continuation of the Noli, the El Filibusterismo exposes the real picture of
Filipino society at the hands of the Spanish authorities. Socio-political issues mentioned
in the Noli are also dealt with in its sequel: the abuses and hypocrisy of the members of
the Spanish Catholic clergy, superstitions disguising as religious faith, the need for
reform in educational system, the exploitation and corruption of government officials,
and the pretenses of some social-climbing Filipinos and Spaniards.
What makes El Fili essentially different from its prequel is that it offers various
means of attaining social reform and somewhat hinted what the author believed was
ideal. Some dialogues and incidents seem to suggest the apparent improbability of any
radical socio-political change. The main character’s persistence to push through with
the rebellion, on the other hand, seems to suggest that independence is attainable
through revolution. However, the closing chapters rather insinuate that freedom must be
attained without bloodshed as the story ends with the failure of Simoun’s planned
uprising.
The novel’s ending, some scholars explain however, should not be interpreted as
Rizal’s categorical stand against revolution. At best, Rizal can be said to be against
unprepared and disorganized rebellion of an uneducated people which could have slim
chance of victory. It is important to note that Rizal once commented that an upright,
patriotic, and selfless individual like Noli’s Elias would be a viable revolutionary leader.
In fact, Rizal was said to have confessed that he seriously regretted having killed Elias
instead of Ibarra. These seem to prove that Rizal, though practically promoting the
attainment of reforms peacefully, also advocated the idea of armed revolution under
some conditions. Intelligent as he is, what Rizal would never subscribe to is the “useless
spilling of blood,” but not the uprising per se.
- Poem entitled “The Rebellion”
Kumpletong pamilya ang tanging inaasam,
Tila dito nakadepende ang aking buhay,
Ngunit ako yata’y pinagkaitan,
Ginamit ito upang maging dahilan ng pagrerebelde.

Sakit ng ulo ang dulot sa inyo,

Nagging bulag at bingi sa mga payo ninyo.
Masisi nyo ba ako kung bakit ako nagkakaganito?
Dahil kayo mismo ang dahilan nito.

Kami ay inyong pinabayaan,

Parang basura na iniwan sa langsangan.
Sana hindi na lang nabuhay,
Kung hirap lang ang dadanasin.

Sana dumating ang araw,

Inyo kaming balikan at alagaan.
Matututong magmahal muli’t magpatawad,
Dahil kahit nagkulang, kayo ay aming magulang.