Chapter 10: El pueblo (The Town)

SALIENT POINTS

The town of San Diego is surrounded by vast fields near a lake and river. Its scenery is so beautiful that
many have visited this wonderful town. San Diego also has a forest with some history. A long time ago,
an old Spaniard, Don Pedro Eibarramendia, was interested in an area near the forest. Despite no one
owning the land, the old Spaniard gave a few coins and some things like clothes and jewelry to the
locals.

He was later found hanging from the branch of a balete tree. No one knew the actual reason of his
demise. His suicide disturbed the villagers even more, so they rid themselves of the goods he gave them.

A few months after, Don Saturnino Eibarramendia, a young Spanish mestizo claiming to be the Don
Pedro's son, came to San Diego and established himself there, devoting his energy to agriculture. At
some point, the family shortened its surname to "Ibarra".  Not long, he married a young woman from
Manila. She gave birth to Don Rafael Ibarra, the father of Crisostomo. Unlike Don Saturnino, Don Rafael
was love by the country people. He was able to prosper his land, which brought in new settlers. The
village eventually became a town and Father Damaso became its priest after the previous priest died.

REAL TIME HAPPENINGS DURING RIZAL’S TIME

San Diego represents many of the Philippines towns back during the Spanish colonization: lush greens
and vegetation, mountains, rivers, etc. Farming was also very prominent back then. However, the
foreigners such as the Spanish and the Chinese are the ones who had control over the Filipino farmers.

On the one hand, Ibarra’s great-grandfather’s suicide is seen as dishonorable (especially since suicide
goes against Christian doctrine).

ITO ANG BUOD NG IKA-SAMPO NA KABANATA

Ang San Diego, isang bayan sa tabi ng Lawa ng Laguna, ay gumagawa ng asukal, bigas, kape, at prutas, na
ibinebenta sa mga mangangalakal na Tsino. Bukod sa mga parang at palayan, ang bayan ay may
kagubatan na may mga lumang puno at tropikal na halaman na binili ng isang Kastila na lolo ni Juan
Crisostomo Ibarra.

In Chapters 11 to15, there are a few wonderful bits of side-splitting hilarity, as well as a delectable dab
of sarcasm.

Chapter 11: Los soberanos  (Rulers)

SALIENT POINTS

Two figures run the town of San Diego. One of them is the curate, Fray Bernardo Salvi, the young
Franciscan who replaced Padre Damaso. Although sickly, he is diligent in fulfilling his religious duties,
unlike Padre Damaso, he is more inclined to impose fines on his subordinates. Padre Salvi’s rival in
power is the Alferez of the Guardia Civil, a man unhappily married to the termagant Dona Consolacion.
Because of his bad marriage to the doña, he is frequently drunk and compels his soldiers to drill under
the hot sun.

When face to face, Salvi and the Alferez  are openly pleasant to each other. Behind each other’s backs,
they devise ways to get on each other’s nerves, with the Alferez  slandering the curate, and the curate
taking revenge by preaching extremely long sermons while the Alferez is in attendance.

REAL TIME HAPPENINGS DURING RIZAL’S TIME

Alferez and Father Salví both use their institutional powers to interfere with one another. It’s worth
noting that their energies would be better spent serving the town of San Diego, but they’re too
concentrated on spiting one another to care about how they’re treating the towns people. In Rizal’s time,
officials compete instead of focusing in their people’s welfare.

In Rizal’s time, Corruption is prevalent especially among Colonial Officials, The Philippines didn’t have
much stricter laws in the spanish colonial era and this motivated Spanish official to sail away to the
country to be able to gain money and material things. They also forcibly married heiresses of rich Filipino
families to instantly make a name for themselves and acquire their wealth. An example of this is
governor-general Primo de Rivera which operated a casino and accepted bribes among other things to
acquire huge amounts of money. Friars also used the word of God to collect and steal the offerings of
people, they are also considered powerful during these times.

ITO ANG BUOD NG IKA-LABING ISA NA KABANATA

Dalawang tao ang halos namumuno sa bayan ng San Diego: Padre Bernardo Salvi at ang Alferez ng
Guardia Civil, si Padre Salvi ay inilarawan bilang isang payat, sakitin, at tahimik na prayle at, hindi tulad ni
Padre Damaso, mas hilig niyang magpataw ng multa sa kanyang mga nasasakupan. .Ang Alferez ay may
asawang nagngangalang Doña Consolacion. Dahil sa kanyang masamang pag-aasawa sa doña, siya ay
madalas na lasing at pinipilit ang kanyang mga sundalo na mag-drill sa ilalim ng mainit na araw.

Chapter 12: Todos los Santos (All Saints)

SALIENT POINTS

Two gravediggers converse in the San Diego cemetery.  One of them mentions that he was ordered by a
fat curate to dig up the body of a person buried in the cemetery, and to rebury it in the Chinese
cemetery.  But since it was raining, he just dumped the body into the river.  Tasio the sage arrives at the
cemetery, unsuccessfully searching for the skull of his dead wife.

REAL TIME HAPPENINGS DURING RIZAL’S TIME

Gravedigger justifies digging up a body by saying that the head priest ordered him to do it once again
shows the absurd power of the San Diego friars, who can seemingly demand anything.

In Rizal’s time Frailocracy is evident. Frailocracy is also called as a government of friars. During the
Spanish colonization, friars had so much power bestowed unto them. They took this as an advantage
and had their own corrupt ways to manipulate people into their abusive treatment. They had the
absolute control over religion and education, they were also able to gain political power which made
them even richer.
ITO ANG BUOD NG IKA-LABING DALAWA NA KABANATA

Dalawang sepulturero ang nag-uusap sa sementeryo ng San Diego. Binanggit ng isa sa kanila na
inutusan siya ng isang matabang kura na hukayin ang bangkay ng taong inilibing sa sementeryo, at ilibing
muli sa sementeryo ng mga Tsino. Pero dahil umuulan, itinapon na lang niya ang bangkay sa ilog.
Dumating si Tasio na pantas sa sementeryo, hindi matagumpay na hinanap ang bungo ng kanyang
namatay na asawa.

Chapter 13: Presagios de tempestad (Signs of Storm)

SALIENT POINTS

Crisostomo Ibarra and a servant arrive at the San Diego cemetery to look for the grave of his father, Don
Rafael Ibarra.  After failing to locate the grave, his servant asks the gravedigger for help.  The
gravedigger replies that he had dug up the body of the don and planned to bury it in the Chinese
cemetery, as instructed by Padre Damaso.  Since it was raining, however, he says, he threw the body
into the river.  Ibarra leaves the cemetery in anger, sees Padre Salvi and aggressively confronts him,
mistaking Salvi for the curate that had ordered his father’s exhumation. Salvi reveals it was not he, but
his predecessor, Padre Damaso.

REAL TIME HAPPENINGS DURING RIZAL’S TIME

In this moment, the gravedigger evokes his orders from the head priest, as if they justify his actions. This
is significant because it demonstrates the efficacy of the friars: in order for the friars to maintain their
authority, the people of San Diego must also believe in it, and clearly they do. The gravedigger doesn’t
feel guilty about exhuming Don Rafael’s body because he believes he had to follow the priest’s orders.

Considering how much the towns people—like, for instance, the gravedigger—are afraid of disobeying
the friars, Ibarra’s aggressive actions toward Father Salví are rather unprecedented. Indeed, by forcing
Salví to bend to the ground, Ibarra asserts his dominance over arguably the most powerful person in
town. As the novel progresses and Ibarra and Salví interact in other contexts, it’s important to
remember that their relationship began in this hostile moment when Ibarra subverts the town’s
previously established power dynamics.

ITO ANG BUOD NG IKA-LABING TATLO NA KABANATA

Dumating si Crisostomo Ibarra at isang utusan sa sementeryo ng San Diego upang hanapin ang puntod
ng kanyang ama na si Don Rafael Ibarra. Matapos mabigong mahanap ang libingan, humingi ng tulong
ang kanyang lingkod sa sepulturero. Sumagot ang sepulturero na hinukay niya ang bangkay ng don at
binalak itong ilibing sa sementeryo ng mga Intsik, ayon sa utos ni Padre Damaso. Dahil umuulan,
gayunpaman, aniya, itinapon niya ang bangkay sa ilog. Nagalit nang marinig ang ulat, umalis si
Crisostomo. Sa tarangkahan ng sementeryo, nakasalubong niya si Padre Salvi at inatake ang Kura, na
napagkakamalan niyang si Padre Damaso.

Chapter 14: Tasio: El loco ó el filósofo (Tasio: Lunatic or Sage?)

SALIENT POINTS

We are introduced to Tasio, an old man who had been a philosophy student whose mother convinced
him to abandon his education because she feared he would forget God. Soon after leaving school to be
married, both Tasio’s wife and mother died, and he soon returned to his books and neglected the rest of
his life.

After leaving the cemetery, Don Anastacio or Tasio the Sage by the cultured, or Tasio the Lunatic by the
ignorant, wanders about the street aimlessly.  He first encounters the gobernadorcillo whom he
reproaches for purchasing a church bell which could attract lightning and therefore be dangerous in a
storm. In church, he sees two sacristans he is acquainted with. He lets them know that their mother
prepared dinner. But the boys aren’t allowed to leave until eight. Don Filipo invites Tasio to his house,
and a discussion on the existence of purgatory follows.  Tasio thinks that the place called purgatory does
not exist since neither the bible nor Jesus Christ mentions it.

REAL TIME HAPPENINGS DURING RIZAL’S TIME

Tasio represents pure freedom of thought in a world that refuses to accommodate ideas that go against
prevailing power structures (like the Catholic church or the Spanish government).

The fact that two young boys trying to make a meager living must put themselves in danger by mounting
the bell tower in a lightning storm further reinforces the idea that the church doesn’t have the
townspeople’s best interests in mind. Tasio, on the other hand, shows concern for the boys’ safety. In
this way, Rizal invites readers to side with this secular old man, showing him capable of empathy in a
way the friars are not. As such, Rizal endorses rational thinking over the power-hungry religious zeal
promoted by the Catholic church.

All Souls’ Day commemorates deceased people living in purgatory. As these souls wait, they must repent
for the sins they didn’t repent for on earth. The friars of San Diego take advantage of this by selling
plenary indulgences to churchgoers. The priests claim that buying indulgences shortens the length of
time a soul languishes in purgatory. This is what Tasio refers to when he says that “Christian piety
permits robbery” on All Souls’ Day, because he doesn’t believe such economic transactions have any
effect on how long a soul must stay in purgatory. In addition, readers also see in this moment yet
another instance in which the government yields to the church, as Tasio points out that the government
sanctions the church’s greediness in the name of this holiday.

ITO ANG BUOD NG IKA-LABING APAT NA KABANATA

Pagkalabas ng sementeryo, si Tasio na pantas ay gumagala sa kalye nang walang patutunguhan. Nakita
niya ang dalawang batang lalaki na may edad sampu at pito, at sinabi sa kanila na ang kanilang ina ay
naghanda ng pagkain para sa kanila na dadalhin sa kanilang pag-uwi. Inaanyayahan ni Don Filipo si Tasio
sa kanyang bahay, at sumunod ang isang talakayan tungkol sa pagkakaroon ng purgatoryo. Iniisip ni
Tasio na wala ang lugar na tinatawag na purgatoryo dahil hindi ito binanggit ng bibliya o ni Jesu-Kristo.

Chapter 15: Los sacristanes (The Sacristans)

SALIENT POINTS

Crispin and Basilio are sacristans of the church at San Diego. They only get two pesos’ salary for a month
for working in the church. As the rain rages outside, seven-year-old Crispin and his brother, ten-year-old
Basilio ring the church bells. Both boys talked about the parish priest's lost coins. The two are worried
since the Sacristan Mayor and the Curate has accused Crispin of stealing two gold coins, since their
father is a drunkard and gambler and he was to remain in the church until the money is returned.  All
they want is to go home to take their supper. Crispin also complains about being starved and the
frequent beating and whipping that he receives.  He begs his brother to pay, but Basilio explains to him
that it is impossible to pay for it with his meager wages. While Crispin fantasizes about what two gold
coins could have bought, Sacristan mayor proceeds to drag Crispin out of the bell tower, despite Basilio’s
pleading. The Sacristan Mayor beats Crispin to make him confess his crime. Basilio hears his brother’s
anguished cries in the distance. Basilio uses the bell ropes to scale down the bell tower. Shortly after,
two shots are heard in the night.

REAL TIME HAPPENINGS DURING RIZAL’S TIME

Rizal was inspired by the two brothers, Basilio and Crispin, in the story of the Crisostomo brothers of
Hagonoy in real life. Townsfolk in San Rafael, Bulacan believed that this story was an actual and real
happening. They also believed that Bayan ng San Diego was in fact San Rafael.

On the other hand, Spaniards considered themselves as the highest in the social hierarchy and the
Spanish penal code was stricter to Filipinos. When Crispín says that the accusations heaped upon him by
the church make him wish he actually did steal, he hits upon the idea that sometimes unreasonable
rules and regulations actually lead to the very misbehavior they aim to prevent. Spaniards because of
their social standing, they were able to get away with crimes while Filipinos had their penalties.

Human rights were denied to Filipinos; The Filipinos were denied of basic human rights such as freedom
of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of association, and the like. The symbolic “Cry of Pugadlawin”
was a way to refute the oppression of the Spaniards because cedula was the manifestation of their
tyranny in the country. Since Noli Me Tangere is a political novel concerned with examining the impact
of oppressive power structures on Filipino citizens, this is an important notion to bear in mind.

ITO ANG BUOD NG IKA-LABING LIMA NA KABANATA

Sina Crispin at Basilio ay mga sakristan ng simbahan sa San Diego. Nag-aalala ang dalawa dahil
inakusahan ng Sakristan Mayor at ng Curate si Crispin na nagnakaw ng dalawang piraso ng ginto at
mananatili siya sa simbahan hanggang sa maibalik ang pera. Inirereklamo din ni Crispin ang madalas na
pambubugbog at latigo na natatanggap niya. Matapos ang pagtunog ng mga kampana ng simbahan,
binugbog ng Sakristan Mayor si Crispin para ipagtapat ang kanyang krimen.