University of La Salette

Santiago City

LEARNING MODULE
GEC 005- The Life and Works of Rizal
Prepared by: MONINA P. BADUA, MAED

MODULE 6: NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO

Jose Rizal’s first novel, Noli Me Tangere, is considered one of the most important written
outputs by the national hero at the height of his intellectual endeavours in Europe. In the novel Rizal
mustered his academic acumens as he tapped his knowledge of various fields and wove a narrative
that aimed to represent, if not expose, the realities of nineteenth century colonial life in the
Philippines. Many appreciate the Noli for its narrative that takes the readers, through the eyes of its
characters, on a journey of love and deception, struggles and triumphs and in the process presents
pressing questions about power and social inequalities (Wani-Obias, 2018).

El Filibusterismo, is a story set in twilight years of the Spanish colonial government in the
Philippines. Rizal clearly stated that he wrote the novel to describe the Philippine society and expose
the injustices that he and his fellow Filipinos were experiencing. The novel may be written more
than a hundred years ago, but it cannot be denied that the social ills that Rizal depicted in his novel
are still present today (Ibid,p.152).

Learning Outcomes:

1. Appraise important characters in the novels and what they represent

2. Examine the present Philippine situation through the examples mentioned in the Noli Me Tangere
3. Compare and contrast the characters, plot, and theme of the Noli Me Tangere and the El
Filibusterismo

MOTIVATION: Creation of Symbol of the Characters

Below are some of the pictures of the characters from Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo. Make a symbol about their personality, contributions or part of the character in the
novels.

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 NOLI ME TANGERE

Crisostomo Ibarra Maria Clara Padre Damaso

EL FILIBUSTERISMO

Simoun Kabesang Tales Basilio

Process Questions:
1. What do you think are the characteristics of each character?
2. How do they relate with each other?

CONTENT
About Noli Me Tangere

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 (Francisco, 2018).

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 The Publication of the Noli

As a sojourner in Europe, Rizal participated in the movement of the ilustrados to utilize the
propaganda to campaign for reforms in the Philippines. Utilizing their intellectual prowess, the ilustrados
release various written outputs from news bits to feature articles and commentaries. They also produced
creative outputs from satirical pieces to world-class paintings. Within the artistic and literary collection,
Rizal’s exemplary mastery of words was clearly evident in one of his most celebrated works, his first
novel, Noli Me Tangere.(Wani-Obias, 2018).

The idea of publishing a book was not an alien to Rizal. In a meeting of the ilustrados in 1884, he
proposed to write a book project to be done collaboratively with his fellow writers. Unfortunately, the
project did not materialize. He eventually decided to write a novel on his own. He started work on the
project in1884 and completed it in 1887.(Ibid, p.109)

Many of his biographers cite several works that influenced Rizal in the writing of the Noli. One of
these is Juan Luna’s painting, Spoliarium, which depicted the sufferings faced by humanity in the face of
inequalities. Another is Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that dealt with Slavery in
America.(Ibid, p.109)

Rizal finished the first half of the novel in Spain, supposedly the other half in France, then
completed the draft in 1886. The novel was published the following year in Germany. Lack of funds
delayed the book’s publication until a fellow ilustrado, Maximo Viola, insisted on lending him 300 pesos,
for the printing of the first 2,00 copies. By 1887, Rizal was already sending out copies of the Noli to his
friends and the book began to take flight.(Ibid, p.109)

Motivations behind Writing the Noli

The title, Noli Me Tangere, had a biblical reference to the Gospel of John in which Jesus
appeared to Mary Magdalene and uttered these words: “Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my
Father.” The choice of title according to Rizal was fitting because he intended to write about themes that
were taboo in the Philippines for centuries; things that people dread not touch. (Wani-Obias,2018)

According to his biographers, Rizal first planted to write his novel in French, considered to be the
language of the intellectuals in Europe at that time. He, however shifted, to Spanish because intended to
reach the out to his countrymen in the Philippines. Rizal explained:” I must wake from it slumber the
spirit of my country... I must first propose to my countrymen an example with which they can struggle
against their bad qualities, and afterwards, when they have reformed, many writers would rise up to
present my country to proud Europe” (qtd. in Schumacher, 1991, p.93).

Summary of the Novel

Don Crisostomo Ibarra returned to San Diego after his stay in Europe for his studies. He learned
about the death of his father because of sickness inside the prison. He attended a dinner in the house of
Don Tiago to see his girlfriend, Maria Clara but in the same place he also saw Padre Damaso who had
negative remarks about him because he practiced the behavior that he learned from Europe. During the
dinner, Padre Damaso got mad because Crisostomo got the meaty part of the chicken tinola when he only
got the neck part. Señor Guevarra, a friend of his father, told Crisostomo about the misfortune that his
father suffered (Francisco, 2018).

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 The knowledge about the misfortune of his father led him to seek justice and to know the persons
behind this injustice. The next day, he was able to talk to Maria Clara and renew their relationship and
after their conversation he went to the cemetery to seek justice for his father. From there, he knew that
Padre Damaso was the one behind the sufferings of his father(Francisco, 2018).

On his travel to different parts of San Diego, he met Pilosopo Tasio with whom he had the
conversation about the school that he wanted to build for the reform of the society. He also learned about
the story of Sisa who became insane because of the search for her two sons who were abusedby the
Sakristan Mayor. In the midst of insanity, she only uttered the name of Basilio and Crispin.(Ibid, p. 88)

The friends of Crisostomo and Maria Clara had the picnic in the river. While riding in a boat a
crocodile attacked the group. Elias dove into thewater but the crocodile overpowered him so Crisostomo
also dove into the water and saved Elias. And this was the start of the friendship of Elias and Crisostomo.
So during the ground breaking of the school that Crisostomo planned to build, Elias saved Crisostomo
from the plan of assassination against him.(Ibid, p. 88)

The search for justice and his good intention of building school for the poor led Padre Damaso to
hate Crisostomo so he always delivered negative comments and criticism to Crisostomo during his
homily. And because he knew that Padre Damaso was the person behind the death of his father, in one
dinner he attempted to kill Padre Damaso but Maria Clara pleaded to him because Padre Damaso was her
true father. Crisostomo escaped after the incident.(Ibid, p. 88)

The people had an uprising against the government but it was not successful. And Crisostomo
was accused to be the leader of the said uprising. Elias helped him to escape and before they left they
went to the house of Maria Clara. Unfortunately, the Guardia Civil knew that they were there so after
bidding goodbye to Maria Clara the two jumped to the water to escape. The gurdia civil shot Elias
thinking that he was Crisostomo and as the two jumped into the water the truth was hidden from the
authorities. Crisostomo went to the cemetery to bury the body of Elias and in the same place there was
Basilio who also buried the body of her mother Sisa. It was only Basilio who knew the truth about
Crisostomo. At the end of the novel, the readers observed that evil things could overshadow the good
principles of the other people.(Ibid, p. 88)

About El Filibusterismo

The second novel of Jose Rizal was full of revenge and anger. This novel encouraged the people
who experienced abuse to revenge and seek for justice using violent means. This novel was written in the
memory of GomBurZa, the three priests who experienced injustice and executed in 1872. If Noli Me
Tangere described the society during the Spanish colonization in the Philippines, El Filibusterismo
encouraged the people to rise and unite to assert reform even with violent means.(Francisco, 2018).

Filibustero: History and Context

Rizal started writing El Filibusterismo as a sequel to the Noli Me Tangere after he returned to
Europe on February 1888 (Lacson-Locsin, 2004). The novel, therefore, was written in the midst of threats
and oppressions he and his family were experiencing because of the Noli and other Calamba incident
(Wani-Obias, 2018).

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 Rizal continued working on his novel and made some revisions while he was in London in 1888.
He was able to complete the novel after three years when he was in Biarritz, France on March 29, 1891.
However, because of financial constrints, it was not until September of the same year that the book was
published with the help of his friend, Valentin Ventura (Ibid, p.143)

In March 1887, after reading the Noli Me tangere, Blumentritt asked Rizal the meaning of the
word “filibustero” which he did not find in the Spanish language (Aguilar, 2011). To recall, Rizal replied:

The word filibuster is still very little known in the Philippines; the common people as yet do not
know it. I heard it for the first time in 1872 when the tragic executions took place. I still
remember the terror it aroused. Our father forbade us ever to utter it, as well as the words
Cavite, Burgos, etc. The manila newspaper and the Spaniards apply this word to one whom they
want to render suspect of revolutionary activities. The educated fear the reach of the word. It
does not have the meaning of freebooter, it rather means a dangerous patriot who will soon be
hanged, or a presumptuous fellow.

In 1890, Wenceslao Retana wrote about the “filibustero” and described the term as “the one, who eager
for the independence of the country, resorts to various extralegal proceedings in order to reach the
objectives that he pursues” (Aguilar, 2011). By the end of the nineteenth century, the Spanish colonial
government define “filibuster” as “someone who works for the separation of our overseas provinces.”
With these definitions, one will have an idea about the plot of Rizal’s second novel. It deals with
subversion. It pictures the lives of people under an oppressive regime. It narrates the struggles of every
Filipino in fighting for independence.(Ibid, p.144)

El Filibusterismo is dedicated to Gomburza, the three priests who were accused of being filibusters in
1872. In his dedication, Rizal expressed his high regard for the priests who became victims of “the evil
that I am trying to fight.” (Ibid, p.144)

To the memory of the priests:

Don Mariano Gomez (85 years old)
Don Jose Burgos (30 years old)
and Don Jacinto Zamora (35 years old)

Executed on the scaffold at Bagumbayan

on February 28,1872

Rizal, however, made a mistakes in indicating the age of the three priests and the date they were
executed. The Gomburza were publicly executed by garrotte on the early morning of February 17, 1872.
Gomez was then 73, Burgos was 35, and Zamora was 37(Ibid, p.144).

In her translation of the novel, Soledad Lacson-Locsin described the book based on the themes
that can be seen in the story: “El Fili begins where the Noli leaves off, where love, romance, heroism,
idealism and tragedy turn to hate, bitterness, anger, disillusionment and vengeance” (Lacson-Locsin,
2004). Unlike Noli,El Fili burns with passion and ideology. Rizal’s biographers opined that El Fili
showed maturity as a novelist.

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 The Plot

El Filibusterismo is the sequel of Noli Me Tangere, Simoun Ibarra or Crisostomo Ibarra in the
last novel sought for revenge against the people who did wrong to his family. He planned the revolution
to overthrow the existing government and the friars through encouraging other people who also
experienced misfortune because of them. (Francisco, 2018)

In the first scene in the Bapor Tabo, the order of the people aboard represented the social
stratification in the society where the native Filipinos were in the lowest part of the ship and the
peninsulares, government official and the friars were on top. (Ibid, p.100)

Simoun encouraged the people who experienced injustice in the hands of the friars and Spanish
authorities like Placido Penitente who experienced discrimination from his teacher—Padre Milton. One
day in his class in physics, Placido was asked to answer a question which was intended for Juanito
Pelaez. Padre Milton was a kind of teacher who would get mad if someone could answer his question and
he only accepted answers coming from the book. However, as an intelligent student, Placido could
expand well his answer and because of that he had an argument with Padre Milton. Because he could
answer the question, Padre Milton felt insulted so he mark Placido as absent and failed for that day. And
then Placido answered back that how could he receive a failing grade for that day if he was absent. The
Placido walked out from the university and decided to join Simoun.(Ibid, p.101)

Kabesang Tales was a farmer who lost his land because of the friars. He refused to pay taxes and
filed a case against the friars. He was kidnapped by the rebels because they thought that he had a lot of
money because he could afford to sue the friars. His daughter Juli decided to work as a house worker in
the house of Hermana Penchang to earn money for the ransom of her father. However, Kabesang Tales
chose to live with the rebels and fought against the government. His idea of revenge was encouraged by
Simoun and the later gave financial support for the rebels.(Ibid, p.101)

Isagani was the leader of the Filipino students who wanted to build an academy of Spanish
language so that the Filipino students could have the opportunity to know the language. He was an
idealist who was suspicious of Simoun. He was the boyfriend of Maria Paulita Gomez but Paulita married
Juanito Pelaez since he was a Spaniard and came from a wealthy family.(Ibid, p.101)

Basilio, the son of Sisa, was a medical student and was the adopted son of Kapitan Tiago. He was
the boyfriend of Juli and because he was part of the organization who fought for the foundation of the
Academy of Spanish Language, he was later imprisoned. And because he could not pay for his freedom,
Juli offered herself to Padre Camorra so that Basilio could be free. Juli could not bear the result of her
agreement with Padre Camorra so she committed suicide.(Ibid, p.101)

The plan of Simoun would be executed during the wedding of Maria Paulita Gomez and Juanito
Pelaez because the wedding would be attended by the friars and the highest officials in the government.
Simoun would give the oil lamp that would explode when the lid of the light pulled. The explosion would
be the cue for the rebels to attack. But his plan did not materialize because on the day of the wedding
Basilio warned Isagani about the explosion. And so Isagani went to the venue and threw the oil lamp to
the river. The explosion did not happen and the rebels thought that they were deceived by Simoun. The
Spanish authorities arrested those who were included in the plan and the secret of Simoun as Crisostomo
Ibarra was revealed. (Francisco, 2018)

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 Simoun was able to escape and reached the place of Padre Florentino. He confessed to the priest
and before he committed suicide by drinking poison, he entrusted his box of jewelry to the priest. Padre
Florentino threw the box of jewelry to the sea where it came from. (Ibid, p.101)

TASKS

1.CHARACTER RELATIONSHIP MAP

Instructions: After reading the novels, make a character map of the main characters listed
below. Describe each of the characters and write your impressions about them. Afterwards,
connect the characters to each other by stating their relationship in terms of the roles or parts
they play in the story.

Noli Me Tangere

Crisostomo Ibarra Padre Salvi

Maria Clara Sisa
Elias Pilosopo Tasio
Capitan Tiago Basilio
Padre Damaso Doña Victorina
Schoolmaster Doña Pia

El Filibusterismo

Simoun Basilio
Isagani Juli
Kabesang Tales Placido Penitente
Mariia Paulita Gomez Juanito Pelaez
Don Custodio Padre Florentino

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 This is a sample of a character relationship map of Shakespeare’s Hamlet (Wani-Obias, 2018).

2. Noli Today: Examine how the contemporary society resembles the late nineteenth century
Philippines

Instructions: Imagine yourselves writing an updated version of the Noli Me Tangere today.
Juxtapose your observations about the contemporary society with what Rizal saw in the late
nineteenth century Philippines. In the second column on the table below, write Rizal’s observations
about the aspect mentioned. In the third column, write your observations of present day conditions.

Aspect of society Rizal’s observations as depicted Your observations in the

in the Noli Me Tangere present context
Government and
officials

Church and Religion

Education

Pastimes/hobbies

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 The rich and the poor

Life in the City

REFLECTION: Below are guide questions for you to respond in making your reflection.
1. Compare and contrast the characters, plot, and theme of the Noli Me Tangere and the El
Filibusterismo
2. Choose three (3) most important characters in the novels and explain why you consider them as
such.

NOLI ME TENGERE EL FILIBUSTERISMO

Provided herein is a comparison and contrast rubric for you to be guided in accomplishing the
activity.
Category 4 3 2 1
Purpose & The paper compares The paper compares The paper compares The paper compares
Supporting Detail and contrasts items and contrasts items and contrasts items or contrasts, but
clearly. The paper clearly, but the clearly, but the does not include
points to specific supporting supporting both. There is no
examples to information is information is supporting
illustrate the general. The paper incomplete. The information or
comparison. The includes only the paper may include support is
paper includes only information relevant information that is incomplete.
the information to the comparison. not relevant to the
relevant to the comparison.
comparison.
Organization & The paper breaks the The paper breaks the The paper breaks the Many details are not
Structure information into information into information into in a logical or
whole-to-whole, whole-to-whole, whole-to-whole, expected order.
similarities - to- similarities - to- similarities - to- There is little sense
differences, or point- differences, or point- differences, or point- that the writing is
by-point structure. It by-point structure by-point structure, organized.

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 follows a consistent but does not follow a but some
order when consistent order information is in the
discussing the when discussing the wrong section. Some
comparison. comparison. details are not in a
logical or expected
order, and this
distracts the reader.
Transitions The paper moves The paper moves Some transitions The transitions
smoothly from one from one idea to the work well; but between ideas are
idea to the next. The next, but there is connections between unclear or
paper uses little variety. The other ideas are nonexistent.
comparison and paper uses fuzzy.
contrast transition comparison and
words to show contrast transition
relationships words to show
between ideas. The relationships
paper uses a variety between ideas.
of sentence
structures and
transitions
Grammar & Writer makes no Writer makes 1-2 Writer makes 3-4 Writer makes more
Spelling errors in grammar or errors in grammar or errors in grammar or than 4 errors in
(Conventions) spelling that distract spelling that distract spelling that distract grammar or spelling
the reader the reader from the the reader from the that distract the
content. content. reader from the
content.
ComparisonandContrastRubric.(2004).RetrievedOctober4,2020from:
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson275/compcon_rubric.pdf

SYNTHESIS
In this Module, you have studied the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Choose a
character in each of the novel and relate it to current social issues that he/ she represents in the
present context of the country to conclude your realizations about this module.

REFERENCES:
 Franciso, V., Francisco,P.M.,Dulay M.J., Batung, J.T.,Bumidang,J.G.(2018). Rizal A Modular Approach.
Mindshapers Co., Inc.
 Pangilinan, M.C.,Franco-Igloria,M.D., Pasague,E.A. (2018). Life and Works of Dr. Jose P. Rizal A
Modular Approach. Mindshapers Co., Inc.
 Wani-Obias, R.,Mallari A.A.,Regindin-Estela,J. (2018). The Life and Works of Jose Rizal. C & E
Publishing, Inc.

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