LITERATURE UNDER SPANISH COLONIZATION
Filipino Writers during the Spanish Period
El Filibusterismo
Alternative English: The Reign of Greed
Tagalog: Ang Paghahari ng Kasakiman
Filibustero -
Second novel written by Jose Rizal
Sequel to Noli Me tangere
Written in Spanish
Consists of 38 chapters
Noli and El Fili Compared
In Noli Me Tangere, there is aspiration, beauty, romance, and mercy. In El Filibusterismo, readers will
feel is bitterness, hatred, and antipathy.
Rizal was not happy anymore seeing the situation of the Filipinos under the decadent of the Spanish
colonial system. He expressed his anger against the Spanish colonial rulers and priests because of the
sufferings that the filipinos have experienced.
Writing of El Filibusterismo
Rizal started writing the second novel as early as October 1887 while he was in Calamba.
He continued writing when he was in London, more chapters were written when he was in Paris
and Madrid.
It was in Biarritz where the manuscript was completed on March 29, 1891
It took him three years to finish it.
It came off the press on September 18, 1891 with publisher F. Meyer-Van Loo, Press., GHENT,
East Flanders, Belgium.
Broke and Broken
Rizal went to Ghent to find a cheaper printing press and residence for three months with limited
funds, Rizal lived in a cheap boarding house with Jose Alejandro (from Pampanga) as board
mate. They lived a frugal life.
No funds for El Fili printing
Rizal was broke
No financial support from his family
No more allowance from the propaganda movement
No more income from La Solidaridad
Copies of Noli Me Tangere were confiscated hence there was a deficit in its publication
El Filibusterismo printing
On the day Rizal arrived in Ghent, he looked for a printing press that could give him the
cheapest cost and he found the F. Meyer-Van Loo Press. He made the deal on installment
basis and he pawned his jewels to pay the downpayment.
Eventually, the printing was suspended on August 6, 1891. He could no longer provide
necessary funds for printing.
In the midst of the trouble, help came unexpectedly. A friend in Paris sent him necessary
funds to finance the El Fili hence, the printing was resumed. He was Valentin Ventura, the El
Fili savior.
With the complete awe and facilitation for the printing of El Fili, Rizal handed the manuscript
to Ventura. It was preserved at the Filipiniana Division of the Bureau of Public Libraries,
Manila. The government acquired it from Valentin for Php 1000.
At his young age, Rizal became aware of the first Filipinos who worked for liberty, justice,
and quality. Learning from Paciano, the priests Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora (GamBurZa)
were executed as they fought for their right to be recognized as Filipino priests. Rizal
dedicated the second novel, El Fili to them.
THE CHARACTERS
Simoun- The continuation of the characters of Crisostomo Ibarra disguised as a wealthy
jeweler, bent on starting a revolution. Using his wealth, he encouraged the people who
experienced abuse to join him in his rebellion against the church and the government.
Basilio- Sisa’s son and was adopted by Kapitan Tiago, boyfriend of Juli and an aspiring
doctor.
Isagani- A poet and Basilio’s best friend; portrayed as emotional and reactive student
leader; Paulita Gomez’ boyfriend being dumped for fellow student Juanito Pelaez.
Kabesang Tales- A former Cabeza de Barangay (Barangay Head) who was known as a
Luzon bandit Matanglawin.
Don Custodio- A famous “journalist” who was asked by the students about his decision
for the Academia de Castellano. In reality, he was quite an ordinary fellow who married a
rich woman in order to be a member of Manila’s high society.
Paulita Gomez- The girlfriend of Isagani and the niece of Dona Victorina, the old India
passing (racial identity) passes herself off as a Peninsulares. In the end, she and Juanito
Pelaez were wed, and she dumped Isagani, believing that she will have no future if she
marries him.
Father Florentino- Isagani’s godfather, and a secular priest; was engaged to be married
but chose to be a priest after being pressured by his mother, the story hinting at the
ambivalence of his decision as he chose an assignment to a remote place, living in
solitude near the sea.
Juli- Juliana de Dios, the girlfriend of Basilio, and the youngest daughter of Kabesang
Tales.
Ben Zayb- Abraham Ibanez is his real name. He is a journalist who thought he was the
“only” one thinking in the Philippines.
Placido Penitente- a student of the University of Santo Tomas who was very intelligent
and wise but did not want, if not only by his mother’s plea, to pursue his studies.
Quiroga- a Chinese businessman who dreamt of being a consul of a “Consulate of China”
in the Philippines. He kept Simoun’s weapons inside his house.
Tandang Selo- Father of Kabesang Tales. He raised the sick and young Basilio after his
mother Sisa died.
Father Fernandez- the priest-friend of Isagani. He promised Isagani that he and the other
priests would give in to the students’ demands.
Attorney Pasta- one of the great lawyers of mid-Hispanic Manila.
Captain-General (no specific name)- the powerful highest official in the Philippines.
Padre Sibyla- Hernando de la Sibyla, a Filipino friar and now vice-vector of the University
of Santo Tomas.
Synopsis of El Filibusterismo
The story in El Filibusterismo revolves around its main character Simoun who is an affluent jeweler.
Simon is actually Crisostomo Ibarra of the Noli whom everyone thought had been killed by the
Guardia Civil at Laguna de Bay. He had 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. 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, one night, the planned revolt was not carried out
because Simoun, upon hearing that Maria Clara died in the nunnery, decided not to give the signal
for the outbreak of the uprising.
Another plan was made some months later. At the venue of the wedding reception of Juanito Pelaez
and Paulita Gomez, Simoun planted 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
would 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 newly-weds. 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 was 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.
Simoun's revolutionary plot was discovered and he's hunted by the Guardia Civil. He managed to
escape but was seriously wounded. Carrying his jewelry chest, he finds shelter in the home of Padre
Florentino. 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 that he would 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. 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 the 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 would not be
used by the greedy. The priest hopes that when the right time comes, they would be recovered and
used only for the good.
2. What are the three kinds of deserts?
a. Coastal, polar, alpine
b. Subtropical, coastal, and arctic
c. Subtropical, coastal, and polar
3. This biome is an area of land that receives no more than 25 centimeters of precipitation a year.
a. Desert
b. Tundra
c. Taiga
4. This biome comes from the Finish word tunturi.
a. Desert
b. Tundra
c. Taiga
5. What are the two main seasons in the Tundra biome?
a. Winter and summer
b. Autumn and winter
c. Summer and spring
6. what are the three forms of destruction in the Taiga biome?
a. Fire, mining, and illegal fishing
b. Fire, logging, and mining
c. Mining, deforestation, and hunting
7. What are the 2 types of Taiga biomes?
a. Closed-canopy forest and Lichen woodland
b.
c.
8. This type of Tundra is located in the northern hemisphere surrounding the North Pole.
a. Alpine
b. Antarctica
c. Arctic
9. This type of desert is considered as the western most ecoregion in the Sahara Desert of North
Africa.
a. Subtropical desert
b. Coastal desert
c. Polar desert
10. This type of Taiga contains a great number of species, the warmest soils, the highest productivity,
and the longest growing season within the boreal zone.
