Character Guide: Basilio

Sex: M

Race: Indio

Occupation: Student (medicine)

A!liation: Students’ Association

Background

Basilio is a character who was first introduced in Noli Me Tangere as a child. In El Filibusterismo, he
is an orphan following the deaths of his mother, Sisa, and brother, Crispin. Chapter 6 of El
Filibusterismo explains what happened to him after Noli Me Tangere, revealing that he went to
Manila and, while searching for a master, saw Capitan Tiago in a carriage. He followed them, and
because that was the day that Capitan Tiago’s daughter (Maria Clara) entered the cloister, Capitan
Tiago was depressed and accepted Basilio as a servant.

Basilio studied in San Juan de Letran, but because of his dirty attire his classmates and teachers
disliked him. In his second year, because he was able to take care of a fighting cock for Capitan Tiago
and help it win, Capitan Tiago gave him a tip and Basilio bought shoes and a hat. By his third year,
Basilio could a!ord shirts and boots. Eventually, because of his good grades, Capitan Tiago
convinced Basilio to transfer to Ateneo Municipal.
Basilio was able to finish five years of the secondary course in a single year. Although Capitan Tiago
wanted him to take up law, Basilio chose medicine instead, which Capitan Tiago still supported
because he believed Basilio would also learn to treat his fighting cocks.

At the beginning of El Filibusterismo, Basilio is currently in his last year of medical school and living
in Anloague Street, Manila. He is stated to be older than students such as Isagani.

Story

Chapter 2: Basilio is first introduced while riding the Steamship Tabo with his fellow students. He is
on his way to Tiana, San Diego, to visit his girlfriend, Juli. He is busy talking to Isagani and Capitan
Basilio, and asks Isagani what his uncle (Padre Florentino) thinks about Isagani’s girlfriend, Paulita
Gomez. He introduces Simoun to Isagani. When Isagani gets annoyed by Simoun, Basilio quotes
Isagani’s verses and asks why he is irritated.

Chapter 4: Basilio is mentioned by Juli when she remembers the locket that he once gave her. It is
revealed that in the past, the locket was given to Basilio by a leper after he treated it. Juli sells all her
jewels except the locket because it is very important for her. In the same chapter, Juli is aware that
Basilio is going to arrive the next day, but she is upset that because she is now poor, they cannot
marry. Basilio later appears in Juli’s dream, underwater in a stream, but his face is that of her
brother Tano’s instead.

Chapter 5: Basilio is the main focus, wherein he has arrived in San Diego but is stuck in tra"c during
Christmas Eve. The cochero, Sinong, asks him about the legend of the King of the Indios, but Basilio
has never heard of it. Basilio notices that the houses have less decorations this year and assumes it is
because of rising taxes, a poor economy and guardia civile abuses. After the cochero gets caught by a
guard because his rig’s light went out, Basilio gets impatient and gets down from the carriage,
deciding to walk to Capitan Basilio’s house. Despite being friends with Simoun, Basilio feels irritated
when he hears that Simoun is selling jewels to Capitan Basilio’s family, because he knows that
Simoun is swindling buyers with his prices.

Basilio later goes to Capitan Tiago’s house and asks for updates from the caretaker. When the
caretaker reveals that Cabesang Tales was kidnapped, Basilio loses his appetite.

Chapter 6: Basilio’s past is explained when he goes to the Forest of Ibarras to visit the grave of his
mother, Sisa. It is revealed that since the events of Noli Me Tangere, thirteen years have passed.
Basilio is in his final year and is set to graduate from medical school in two months. He will give the
valedictory address and with his speech, “plans to make his entry into the world”.

Chapter 7: Basilio discovers Simoun in the Forest of Ibarras and realizes that it was Simoun who
helped dig the grave of Basilio’s mother, Sisa, thirteen years ago. Basilio then realizes that Simoun
and Ibarra are the same person. He o!ers to help Simoun to return the favor but instead Simoun
pulls out a gun and thinks about killing him. Simoun decides not to because Basilio has a “thirst for
justice” after going through similar experiences as Simoun (referring to the events in Noli Me
Tangere).

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Simoun insults Basilio and the rest of the youth, calling them inexperienced and naive. Basilio
argues with Simoun about pro-Hispanism as he believes Spanish will unite the government and the
islands. Simoun tries to convince Basilio to join his cause but Basilio explains that all he wants to do
is help the sick. Simoun tells Basilio to visit his house in Escolta if ever he changes his mind.

Chapter 9: Basilio is mentioned when Sister Penchang hears rumors that Basilio went back to Manila
to get his savings so he can free Juli.

Chapter 11: Basilio is mentioned by Capitan General’s secretary while discussing the petition for the
Academy for Spanish. The secretary states that Basilio, Isagani and Macaraig are heading the
project, and that they have been accused of radicalism because of it. Padre Irene later says that he
does not know Basilio personally, but heard that his father was involved in a mutiny against the
guardia civiles.

Chapter 12: Juanito Pelaez mentions Basilio by name while telling Placido Penitente a story about
Juli, whom he refers to as “the sweetheart of Basilio”.

Chapter 21: An unknown man at the theater is said to have gotten gastritis after eating a jar of
mustard, and was cured of his sickness by Basilio. Later, Tadeo takes Basilio’s seat while watching
the play because according to Macaraig, Basilio could not make it.

Chapter 23: Basilio doesn’t attend the play because he is studying Medicina Legal y Toxicologia by Dr.
Mata. He thinks about Capitan Tiago, whom he visits often as he is in charge of Capitan Tiago’s
health. Capitan Tiago would get mad at Basilio for not giving him opium, but sometimes o!ers to
make Basilio his heir whenever he is on opium. Padre Irene is always reminding Basilio to do his
duty and keep Capitan Tiago alive, even promising to help Basilio become a professor and get him
assigned to a good province. Basilio thinks about letting Capitan Tiago die peacefully instead of
letting him su!er, and wonders who could be giving Capitan Tiago opium.

When Simoun visits to ask about Capitan Tiago’s health, Basilio explains that Capitan Tiago mistook
him for Padre Irene. After noticing that Basilio didn’t read the pamphlets Simoun sent him, Simoun
tells Basilio that the revolution will start soon. He asks Basilio to join, and Basilio is frightened,
imagining having to treat people who have been shot. Basilio asks what he would have to do, and
Simoun says Basilio’s job is to help get Maria Clara out of the cloister.
Basilio reveals to Simoun that Maria Clara died that afternoon. When Simoun leaves in tears, Basilio
feels pity for what happened to both Simoun and Maria Clara.

Chapter 25: Basilio is mentioned by Tadeo, who suggests to the other students during their party
that they should have invited Basilio so they could get him drunk and make him spill secrets.

Chapter 26: Basilio goes to the hospital in the morning, with no idea about the poster incident. At
San Juan De Dios hospital he is asked about a conspiracy, but believes people are talking about
Simoun. A professor of clinical medicine asks Basilio if he is a member of the Association of Students
and Basilio answers that he pays his dues. The professor tells Basilio to resign because subversive
posters were found in the University.

Basilio wonders if Simoun was involved with the posters. He leaves school and notices his fellow
students acting strangely. Basilio goes to the secretariat to ask about his degree but finds out that
the o"ce is closed.

Basilio goes to Macaraig’s house to ask for money since he spent all his savings on freeing Juli.
Macaraig is talking to the corporal of the guardias de la Veterana. The corporal says Basilio is under
arrest, and Macaraig explains what happened at the dinner. They get into a carriage and go to the
Civil Government. In the carriage, Basilio asks about the payment and Macaraig tells him there will
be no problem, and that they will invite the corporal and assisting o"cer to their graduation
festivities.

Chapter 29: Basilio is mentioned during Capitan Tiago’s funeral, as it said that his inheritance of
twenty pesos was annulled because of his “ungrateful conduct”, so Padre Irene supposedly gave him
money from his own share instead.

Chapter 30: Basilio is mentioned when news reaches San Diego that Basilio is now in prison. People
in town expect Basilio to be exiled and murdered during the trip. Sister Penchang thinks Basilio got
what he deserved because he would not cross himself if the holy water at church was dirty, while
other people in town think Basilio is just being punished by the friars for rescuing Juli.
Juli decides it his her turn to rescue Basilio. Her relatives only manage to raise thirty pesos for him
so she goes to see the Justice of Peace (Juez de Paz) who says only Padre Camorra can help Basilio.
While trying to decide if she should go to Padre Camorra, Juli has a dream of Tano being shot and
transforming into Basilio. She has several nightmares about Basilio dying.

A traveler from Manila tells Juli that all students have been freed except for Basilio, who was forced
to sign a petition and ask for exile to the Carolines. This convinces Juli to finally go to the convent to
ask for Padre Camorra’s help even if she knows that she has to sacrifice her life to free Basilio.

Chapter 31: Basilio is mentioned to still be in jail because he was found with prohibited books,
though it is unclear whether the prohibited books refer to the pamphlets of Simoun or Legal
Medicine and Toxicology by Dr. Mata.

Later, the discussion of Basilio’s fate starts an argument between Capitan General and the high
o"cial. Capitan General was advised to keep Basilio in jail so that people will continue to fear
authority, but the high o"cial thinks Basilio should be set free or else he will have to graduate a year
later.

Capitan General says that staying another year in school will help Basilio because studying will be
good for him. The high o"cial says that Basilio is innocent because he wasn’t at the students’
dinner. Capitan General agrees with this and knows Basilio is innocent, but decides to use Basilio’s
unfair punishment as a way to scare people. Capitan General says the good of one man (Basilio)
must be sacrificed for the good of many.

Chapter 32: Basilio is still in Bilibid prison and gets interrogated every three days. Sinong the
cochero is Basilio’s only visitor and updates him about news in his hometown. He reveals to Basilio
that Juli has died and Tandang Selo has gone missing.

Chapter 33: Basilio visits Simoun’s house after Simoun paid for him to be freed from prison. It has
been two months since Basilio was arrested and he realizes that Simoun was correct. Basilio decides
to join Simoun’s revolution. Simoun admits that if Basilio had joined earlier, the revolution would
have pushed through.
Simoun shows Basilio his laboratory and explains his plan to use a bomb. Even though Basilio is
supportive, he feels afraid when he recognizes the nitroglycerin. Simoun explains that Basilio’s role
is to lead people to Chinaman Quiroga’s house after the bomb has exploded. Basilio is supposed to
give them guns and then take over the bridges, and kill those who fight back or refuse to join them.

Basilio asks Simoun what the world will think, and Simoun says the world always praises violent
conquerors. Basilio receives a revolver from Simoun and agrees to wait in front of San Sebastian
church at 10:00 pm. Basilio cocks the gun and leaves.

Chapter 34: Basilio walks on the streets with no money. He visited Isagani to ask for money but
Isagani was gone, and went to Capitan Tiago’s house to get his stu!. While waiting for the plan to
start, Basilio imagines ruling over the people who have treated him badly. He sees guests arriving at
the party, including Paulita Gomez and Juanito Pelaez, and feels sorry for Isagani. Basilio thinks that
if not for his arrest he would be married, and practicing medicine in the province. He thinks of Juli
being dead and feels angry.

Chapter 35: Basilio starts having doubts about the plan when he watches people from outside
Capitan Tiago’s house. He feels guilty when seeing happy people who are about to die because of
Simoun, but remembers his anger when he sees Padre Irene and Padre Salvi arrive. He tries to
convince himself that he wants to see people die, but when Capitan General arrives, Basilio starts
shaking and tries to get into the house and save everyone. He is stopped from entering because of his
poor attire.

When Simoun comes out of the house, Basilio realizes he has to start running. On the way, he sees
Isagani and tries to convince him to come with him. Basilio explains that there is a bomb but Isagani
doesn’t want to leave. Basilio gives up trying to convince Isagani, so he leaves him and runs away.

Physical Appearance

Basilio is rarely described in the novel. One of the few times his physical characteristics are
mentioned is when he is first introduced along with Isagani in Chapter 2, when in comparison to
him Isagani is described as “bigger and more robust, but younger” than Basilio.

Basilio’s clothes are often highlighted, most likely due to him putting much emphasis on his attire
at all times. This is due to his childhood spent being made fun of in school due to his dirty attire.
When he was given money by Capitan Tiago, the first thing Basilio bought was new clothes. In
Chapter 2, it is noted that all students on Steamship Tabo are described to be wearing “spotless
white attire”, but Basilio is one of the few who is described as “completely attired in black” instead.
After being imprisoned, there is a big change in Basilio’s appearance:

“His cheeks were sunken, his clothes in disarray, his hair unkempt. The sweet
melancholic look had disappeared from his eyes, which now blazed with a dark light. It
could be said of him that he had died and his corpse had resurrected, horrified at what
it had seen in eternity.” (Chapter 33)

He no longer cares about dressing well, and in Chapter 35, he is stopped from entering Capitan
Tiago’s house because of his poor attire.

Personality

Basilio is calm, diligent and only cares about healing the sick as he believes everyone has a role in
society. He has chosen the path to devote himself to science. Unlike most of the other students,
Basilio does not seem to care much about the petition for the Academy for Spanish as he does
nothing to help get it approved. He also refuses Simoun’s o!er to help start a revolution, only
wanting to live his life.

In his mind, Basilio believes he does not have the aptitude for politics and would only help if it was
really necessary. It is for this reason that Simoun is initially disappointed by Basilio’s attitude, as he
thinks Basilio’s attitude is the result of him once being a servant and now only caring about
surviving and reproducing. Simoun considers Basilio the “ideal male”, who only wants a house, a
wife and rice. Basilio even ignores the foreign pamphlets that Simoun sent to him, which prove that
other countries look down on the Philippines. Even when Padre Irene tried to convince Basilio to
treat Capitan Tiago by saying he would get Basilio a good job and make him a professor, Basilio had
already decided to help Capitan Tiago because of his conscience.

Basilio has a good reputation in his province, and even when he is arrested, people in town assume
that he did not actually do anything wrong, “knowing the very peaceful and prudent character of the
student”. They think Basilio is instead being punished by the priests as vengeance for freeing Juli.
Basilio, even though he never speaks to Juli in the novel, shows that he is very much in love with her
through his actions. Without hesitation he sacrifices all his savings to buy her freedom from Sister
Penchang. His romance with Juli is well-known among his fellow students and the townmates of
San Diego.

After prison

In Chapter 33, Basilio is a very changed person after being in jail for months. When he is set free, this
time it is Simoun who feels pity when looking at Basilio (even though it was the other way around in
earlier chapters). After being released from jail, Basilio has realized that other people made him
su!er even though he did not harm anyone. He abandons his previous beliefs and agrees with
Simoun’s idea to use violence to start a revolution.

“You were right, and now I have come to tell you: arm my hands and let the revolution
break out!” (to Simoun, Chapter 33)

Basilio’s mind is said to have been “weakened” during his time in prison, so he does not argue
against Simoun’s claim that weak and indecisive people should be killed and that violence is
necessary for the country to change. Basilio, after his experiences, agrees that the world does not
care about the oppressed.

“He had a feeling of fierce pleasure in saying to himself that, hungry and all, that night
he was going to be dreaded; that from a poor student and servant, even the sun would
see him as terrible and sinister, standing upon pyramids of corpses, dictating laws to
all those who passed before him in their magnificent coaches.” (Chapter 34)

Basilio values glory and after his su!ering, looks down on people who have not gone through the
same thing. He has become bitter about his arrest and Juli’s death, and now only wants revenge,
following Simoun’s path. Even though he has doubts in Chapter 35, and at first tries to save the
people in the house, Basilio shows that he does not care about anyone else when the bomb is about
to explode. He runs away from the house, and when Isagani doesn’t want to come with him, he
decides to leave Isagani.

Skills

Intelligence
Basilio is highly intelligent and very observant. In Chapter 7, he manages to figure out Simoun’s
identity immediately despite only having seen Ibarra once, thirteen years ago. He argues against
Simoun’s claim that he needs to get revenge. He also immediately recognizes the nitroglycerin when
Simoun first shows it to him (Chapter 33).

After being imprisoned, however, Basilio’s mind is said to be “weakened” and it is for this reason
that he agrees with everything Simoun says instead of arguing with his flawed logic.

Medicine

Basilio has a good reputation among students and adults. He is well-respected due to his skills in
medicine. In Chapter 2, he is described as being “known for successful and impressive” treatments.
He once treated a leper successfully and as a result, was given a locket (which belonged to Maria
Clara) that he gifted to his girlfriend Juli. In Chapter 5, the caretaker of Capitan Tiago’s house is said
to respect Basilio because “of his calmness while performing surgery”. He is said to have cured a
man of gastritis in Chapter 21. Even Padre Irene respects Basilio’s abilities enough to entrust Capitan
Tiago to him, and because of that, Basilio spends most of El Filibusterismo (El Fili) managing
Capitan Tiago’s health.

Academics

Basilio is said to get outstanding marks and is known by all as a great student. After transferring to
Ateneo Municipal, he managed to finish five years of schooling in one year. But although he has
grades high enough for him to be named valedictorian of his class, Basilio actually has little respect
for schools, which he learned at a young age while studying in San Juan de Letran as a poor boy. In
Chapter 31, when arguing why Basilio should be freed from jail, the high o"cial says that Basilio is a
good student and that “the professors speak well of him”.

Relationships

See Relationships of Basilio

Beliefs

On Education
 “In the end he became resigned when he saw that among the three or four hundred
students of his class only some forty deserved the honor of being asked questions,
because they attracted the professor’s attention through their looks, or bu!oonery, or
out of fellow-feeling, or for any reason whatsoever.” (Chapter 6)

Even though he has always been a good student, Basilio became resentful of his teachers and fellow
classmates at a young age, noticing the favoritism that teachers showed to certain students if they
had qualities like good looks or charm. In his third year, after reciting a lesson word for word, a
Dominican professor called Basilio a “parrot”. The professor then tried to humiliate him but Basilio
proved him wrong, and as a result, he was never allowed to recite ever again. Since then, Basilio has
continued to look down on schools’ teaching methods and is dismissive of formal education even in
college, having realized that college is all about memorizing notes:

“One goes to college not to learn or study, but to complete the course; and if they could
memorize the textbook nothing more could be expected from them and they would be
sure to pass the year.” (Chapter 6)

Despite being aware of this, Basilio continues to be very diligent in his studies as he knows it will
help him achieve his dream of curing the sick. He is not afraid to acquire an illegal medical book in
order to further his knowledge.

On the Government

Because of what the guardia civiles did to his mother Sisa and his brother Crispin, Basilio has
developed a fear and hatred of guardia civiles and blames them for all the terrible events of his
childhood.

“Basilio would smile bitterly, thinking how in this life the gratification of vice is better
rewarded than the fulfillment of duty.” (Chapter 23)

Basilio is also not blind to the faults of government and society and in fact tends to notice them
immediately.

On Justice

Basilio is a very fair and compassionate person. Even though he resents Simoun for swindling people
with jewelry, he still o!ers to help Simoun when he sees him in the forest of Ibarras. Basilio believes
in paying back to those who have once helped him, which is his main reason for choosing to o!er his
help to Simoun. Basilio takes pity on Simoun after finding out his identity, because he knows about
what he went through.

“I will let you live and I trust I will not regret it. You have labored, you have struggled
with energetic perseverance… And like me, you have accounts to settle with society.”
(Simoun to Basilio, Chapter 7)

Simoun trusts Basilio not to reveal his secret partly because he believes Basilio has been through the
same bad experiences. However, unlike Simoun, Basilio does not care about getting revenge for his
family (at first) because he knows he would just end up as another victim, and revenge would not
bring his family back.

“I have overlooked the murder of one and the tortures of the other, and God has
punished me! Now there remains in me only the will to return evil for evil, crime for
crime, violence for violence!” (to Simoun, Chapter 33)

When Basilio is released from prison, his views on justice become warped and he starts believing
that those who have made him su!er also deserve to su!er. In Chapter 35 he is angry at everyone
around him and thinks they all deserve to die. However, his past and present values start to
contradict each other and he becomes hesitant to act knowing innocent people will die. Eventually,
Basilio’s compassion is shown for the last time as he tries to get into Capitan Tiago’s house to get rid
of the lamp. But when he is stopped, Basilio becomes concerned only for himself (and Isagani),
running away as fast as he can. He leaves the choice up to “destiny” instead.

On Hispanization

Basilio is one of the students who signed the petition to approve the Academy for Spanish. However,
unlike the other students, Basilio admits that the main reason he wants Spanish to be taught is so
that it will help in his studies. This contradicts Capitan General’s secretary’s claim that Basilio is one
of those in charge of the project. While arguing with Simoun, Basilio first states that Spanish will
unite the government and islands. But when Simoun points out that they should work toward being
their own country instead of a province of Spain, Basilio reveals that he does not care much for
patriotism and in fact considers it dangerous.

Trivia
Quotes

“Everyone makes business in this country except us!” (on Simoun, Chapter 5)

“All the vindications of justice, all the vengeance of the earth, would not bring back a single lock of
my mother’s hair, or renew a smile on my brother’s lips.” (to Simoun, Chapter 7)

“What obligations have I to keep with society when she has not kept any with me?” (Chapter 33)

“What does it matter to me, let the righteous su!er with the sinners.” (Chapter 35)

“I have tried to forget and forgive; I su!ered every imposition and only asked that I be left in peace. I
bothered no one… What have they done to me? Let their mangled bodies fly through the air! We have
su!ered enough!” (Chapter 35)

“Let destiny have its way!” (Chapter 35)

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