CHAPTER 8: EL

FILIBUSTERISMO
THE WRITINGS AND
PRINTING OF FILI
 THE WRITING AND PRINTING OF EL FILI
• Rizal started writing El Filibusterismo in October 1887 in Calamba during his
first homecoming.
• The novel was thus written against the backgrounds of threats and
oppressions he and his family received from the Noli and the so-called
Calamba Agrarian trouble.
• He continued working on it, making some revisions, in London 1888.
• Rizal then went to Paris, and then in Brussels where distractions were less,
and the costs of living was cheaper.
• Being able to focus on finishing the book, Rizal had finally completed it by
March 29, 1891 in Biarritz.
• Jose Alejadrino, Rizal’s roommate in Belgium related that he was the one who
looked for a printing press for El Fili.
 THE WRITING AND PRINTING OF EL FILI
• He delivered proofs and revisions to F. Meyer van Loo in Ghent. For his assistance
he gave him the El Fili’s corrected proofs and the pen used in doing the corrections.
• Alejandrino, who later became a general in the Philippine revolution, might have
possibly 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.
• 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
 THE WRITING AND PRINTING OF EL FILI
• 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
Rizaľ'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 (Ocampo. 2012, p. 111).
 THE WRITING AND PRINTING OF EL FILI
• Thus, the printed El Fili, which came off the press by the middle of September
1891, turned out comprising only 38 chapters compared with 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 (G. Zaide & S. Zaide, 1984, p. 194). It
is now being kept in the National Library.
FILIBUSTERISMO
AND GOMBURZA
 FILIBUSTERO AND GOMBURZA
• The Filibusterismo in the novel's title is derived from the simpler term
filibustero.
• Rizal defined the word ('filibustero') to his friend Ferdinand Blumentritt who
encountered but did not fully comprehend the word in the Noli. Rizal, thus,
explained in a letter ("El Filibusterismo," 2011):
"The word filibustero is little known in the Philippines I heard it for the first time in 1872 when
the tragic executions [of the Gomburza] took place. I still remember the panic that this word
created. Our father forbade us to utter it, as well as the words Cavite, Burgos (one of the
executed priests), etc. The Manila newspapers and the Spaniards apply this word to one
whom they want to make a revolutionary suspect. The Filipinos belonging to the educated
class fear the reach of the word. It means a dangerous patriot who will soon, be hanged or
well, a presumptuous man."
 FILIBUSTERO AND GOMBURZA
• The word filibustero, thus, contextually means subversive, dissident, revolutionary,
seditious, insurrectionary.
• Rizal dedicated the book to the memory of the Gomburza, the three Filipino patriotic
priests who were accused of being filibustero and, thus, executed.
• In his dedication, Rizal fearlessly declared his conviction that the Spanish Officials’
treatment of the priests' case was unjust "as [their] complicity in the Cavite Mutiny is not
clearly proved.
• " The dedication partly reads: "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 in the Bagumbayan Field on the 28th of February, 1872 I have the right to
dedicate my work to you as victims of the evil which I undertake to combat." ("El
Filibusterismo,“ n.d.)
 FILIBUSTERO AND GOMBURZA
• Rizal however made mistakes in indicating the ages of the priests and the
date of their execution.
• During their martyrdom on the 17th (not 28th) of February 1872.
• Gomez was then 73 (not 85), Burgos was 35 (not 30) and Zamora was 37 (not
35)
THEMES OF EL FILI
 THEMES OF FILI
• 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.
 THEMES OF FILI
• 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.
 THEMES OF FILI
• Rizal can be said to be against unprepared and disorganized rebellion of
uneducated people, which could have a 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 was, what Rizal would never subscribe to is the “ useless
spilling of blood,” but not the uprising per se.
NOLI VS. FILI
 NOLI V. FILI
• Rizal wrote the El Filibusterismo about four years after the Noli.
• The experiences he had in those four years spelled a lot of differences in the
way he treated his two novels.
• In depicting the social conditions in the country, both novels employ satires
and caricatures.
• El Fili, however, is more serious as there is less humor and more bitterness in
the treatment of situations.
• In the Noli, the author reveals the cruelty and exploitation suffered by the
natives at the hands of the colonizers.
• In El Fili, Rizals depicts a society at the brink of rebellion as, the natives’ minds
have been awakened and revolutionary forces have been formed.
 NOLI V. FILI
• Generally, El Fili presents a gloomier depiction of the country under the
Spanish regime.
• More radical and revolutionary, the novel has less idealism and romance than
Noli.
• The El Fili manifests Rizal’s more mature and less hopeful attitude towards
the socio-political situation in the country.
• The grimmer outlook and more tragic mood can be attributed to the
prosecutions and sufferings the author and his family experienced from the
Spanish friars and officials in the years he was writing the novel.
 NOLI VS. FILI
• Notwithstanding the sufferings caused by the Spaniards to the Rizal family,
the Fili , its author claimed, is not a matter of revenge, Jose wrote to
Blumentritt “I have not written in it [Fili] any idea of vengeance against my
enemies , but only for the good of those who suffer, for the rights of
tagalogs…”
• Some of Rizal's friends, like Blumentritt and Graciano Lopez Jaena, expressed
that Fili was superior to Noli. Rizal himself apparently once believed in the
superiority of the Fili. When its printing had to be stopped for lack of funds, he
wrote to Basa: "It is a pity because it seems to me that this second part [the Fili]
is more important than the first (the Noli]" ("The El Filibusterismo." 2013)
 NOLI VS. FILI
• After the Fili was published, nonetheless, Rizal appeared to have a change of
heart. In his October 13, 1891 letter to Marcelo Del Pilar, he said: "I appreciate
what you say about my work, and I value your opinion highly that considered
my Filibusterismo inferior to the Noli.
• I, too frankly, without irony or words with a double meaning, share your
opinion. For me, the Filibusterismo as a novel is inferior to the Noli.. You are
the first one to tell me the truth and I agree with you. This flatters me as it
proves that I still know how to judge myself. ("Rizal and Other Reformers,"
n.d.)
• As regards his friends who told him that Fili was better, Rizal explained in the
same letter: "Blumentritt, all those in Paris and Barcelona, for their
benevolence towards me say it [the Fili] is superior. I attribute it only to their
benevolence."
SYNOPSIS
 SYNOPSIS
• The story in El Filibusterismo revolves around its main character Simoun who is
an affluent jeweler.
• Simoun is actually Crisostomo Ibarra of the Noli whom everyone thought had
been killed by the Guardia Civil at Laguna de Bay.
• He has in fact escaped, fled to Cuba, become wealthy, and made connections
with influential Spanish officials.
• Upon his return to the Philippines after many years, he becomes very influential
as the governor-general, who owes so much to him, consults him in making
decisions.
• In reality, however, everything Simoun does is just part of his grand plan to take
revenge against the Spanish officials and rescue Maria Clara from the convent.
 SYNOPSIS
• Planning to stage a revolution, he smuggles arms and looks for followers mainly
from the exploited and abused natives.
• One of his recruits is Basilio, the son of Sisa, who with Capitan Tiago's help was
able to study in Manila.
• Simoun also makes an alliance with the revolutionary group of Kabesang Tales,
a former cabeza de barangay who suffered maltreatments from the hands of the
friars.
• Using his influence, Simoun encourages corruption, decadence, and more
oppressive government policies so that the citizens may become more infuriated.
• However, the planned revolt one night is not carried out because Simoun, upon
hearing that Maria Clarahas died in the nunnery, decides not to give the signal
for the outbreak of the uprising.
 SYNOPSIS
• Another plan is made some months later.
• At the venue of the wedding reception of Juanito Pelaez and Paulita Gomez,
Simoun plants many explosives--enough to kill the invited guests, primarily
the friars and government officials.
• According to the plot, the big explosion shall be started by the gift he will give
to the newlyweds at the reception-a kerosene lamp with an explosive.
• When the lamp flickers and someone turns the wick, it will result into a big
explosion that will become a signal to the revolutionary troops to
simultaneously attack all the government buildings in Manila.
• During the reception, Simoun gives his gift to the newlyweds.
 SYNOPSIS
• Before hurriedly leaving the venue, he leaves a piece of mysterious paper
bearing the message "You will die tonight" signed by Juan Crisostomo Ibarra.
• Meanwhile, Isagani, the rejected lover of Paulita, is standing outside the
reception.
• His friend Basilio tells him to leave the place because the lamp will soon blow
up.
• When Father Salvi identifies the handwriting in the note and confirms that it
is indeed Ibarra's, the guests begin to panic.
• When the lamp flickers, Father Irene tries to turn the wick up.
• But Isagani, wanting to save Paulita's life, rushes into the house, grabs the
lamp, and throws it into the river where it explodes.
 SYNOPSIS
• Simoun's revolutionary plot is thus known, and he is hunted by the law
enforcers.
• He manages to escape but is seriously wounded.
• Carrying his jewelry chest, he finds shelter in the home of Padre Florentino by
the sea.
• Learning of his presence in the house of the priest, the lieutenant of the
Guardia Civil informs Padre Florentino that he will come in the evening to
arrest Simoun.
• Simoun then takes poison so that he will not be caught alive.
• As the poison's effects start to take toll on his body, he confesses to
Florentino his true identity and his plan of revenge through bloody revolution.
 SYNOPSIS
• After the emotional and agonizing confession of the dying man, the priest
absolves the dying man from his sins, saying: "God will forgive you Señor
Simoun.
• He knows that we are fallible. He has seen that you have suffered ... He has
frustrated your plans one by one ... first by he death of Maria Clara, then by a
lack of preparation, then in some mysterious way.
• Let us bow to His will and render Him thanks!"
• The story ends with the priest throwing Simoun's treasures into the sea so
that they will not be used by the greedy. The priest hopes that when the right
time comes, they will be recovered and used only for the good.
 NOLI AND FILI STOLEN
In Rizal's time, the Permanent Commission of Censorship recommended the
absolute prohibition on the importation, reproduction, and circulation of the
Noli. The copies of the Fili, on the other hand, were destroyed by Customs in
Manila upon shipment to the Philippines. The rare surviving copies of the novels
were secretly purchased and according to one friend of the family, had to be
read in the smallest, most private room in the house--the toilet” (Ocampo,
2012, p. 108).
That was the fate of the first editions of Rizal's novels. But that is nothing.
compared to what happened to their original manuscripts about 70 years after
their publication.
NOLI AND FILI
STOLEN
 NOLI AND FILI STOLEN
The original manuscripts of the Noli and Fili (along with that of the poem "Mi
Ultimo Adios") were stolen from the National Library on the evening of
December 8, 1961. After some days, the thieves who outsmarted the building's
sleepy quards sent a ransom note "made of newspaper cutouts" to the Jose
Rizal National Centennial Commission (RNCC) (Ocampo, 2012, p. 148). The
robbers demanded 1.4 million pesos for the return of the original texts, else
Rizal's handiworks would be burned. To summarize the "historic robbery," the
then Education Secretary Alejandro "Anding" Roces personally met with the
burglars and, after some various negotiations, had retrieved the documents
without paying any single centavo.
 NOLI AND FILI STOLEN
The manuscripts were returned on installment basis-the "Ultimo Adios" during
the first meeting, the El Fili on the next negotiation, and lastly, the Noli. There
was a time when the demanded ransom was reduced to 100,000 pesos and
then to 10,000 pesos Ocampo, 2012, p. 148). But recognizing perhaps that they
would get nothing from the government, the robbers ultimately settled on
returning the expensive documents, free of charge. Many still find this "charge-
free return of the manuscripts" strange and mind- blowing. But the following
additional details about the story could perhaps shed light on the account.
During the negotiations, one of the burglars related to Roces that on the night
of the robbery, "the Rizal manuscripts suddenly became heavy [as] a cavan of
rice."
 NOLI AND FILI STOLEN
The thief, thus, exclaimed, "The manuscript must be holy or haunted!"
(Ocampo,2012, p. 148). One robber even claimed that he read Rizal's
handwritten novels and described the feeling, "Ang sarap basahin, kinikilabutan
ako!" (Ocampo, 2012, p. 148). It is remarkably funny to note, however, that the
thief did not understand Spanish! Nonetheless, these indicate that the stealers
were probably bothered by their conscience, hence the consent to just send
back the national hero's works. Anding promised not to identify the robbers or
to be a witness against them in court. Thus, the hilariously controversial thieves
were never known.
THE NOVEL’S
LEGACY
 THE NOVELS' LEGACY
For fearlessly depicting the corruptions and abuses by the Spanish clergy and
the colonial government during the Spanish regime in the Philippines, the two
novels are historically very significant. Basically a social sketch of the country
then, the Noli and Fili reveal the true setting and condition of the Filipino
society in the era.
As essential sources of sociological and anthropological studies, the books
provide rich insights into the culture of the 19th and 20th century Philippines.
Their realistic depictions expose a conflicted colonial society seriously split
between the oppressors and the suffering local slaves. The novels' characters
mimic the various elements and types of individuals in that society.
 THE NOVELS' LEGACY
Furthermore, they show favorable positive traits of the natives then, like the
sense of gratitude, the fidelity of women to their loved ones, and the yearning
for freedom and equality. For their explicit portrayal of what the locals really
wished for their country. the books were instrumental in forming the Filipino's
(Indios) sense of national identity. Indirectly but significantly, the novels
influenced the revolution led by the Katipunan as they inspired Andres
Bonifacio and the other revolutionaries in their cause.