RESCUE ATTEMPTS BY KATIPUNAN • Rizal must be immediately sent to trial
• In the early days of August 1896 before the
outbreak of the Philippine Revolution, Andres
Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto and other katipuneros
plotted to rescue Rizal from the cruiser “Castilla”,
then anchored at Manila Bay.
• Jacinto and some Katipuneros. Disguised as
sailors on the motor launch Caridad boarded the
cruiser. Jacinto approached Rizal and told Rizal
about the planned rescue.
• Rizal refused to be rescued.
• Rizal could have escaped with the aid of the
Katipunan. But he chose to remain within the
clutches of Spain rather than flee. Being a man of
honor, he thought that the Spanish Colonial
authorities were also honorable men. This was his
mistake, his tragic undoing.
FINAL GLANCE ABROAD
• Aboard the streamer, Isla de Panay, Rizal left
Manila for Spain on September 2, 1896, not
knowing that this will be his last travel abroad.
• While Isla de Panay was on its voyage along the
Mediterranean Sea, a telegraphic message was
received by Captain A. Alemany, the ship skipper,
ordering him to arrest and confine Jose Rizal in his
cabin until they arrive in Barcelona on the 3rd of
October.
• Such occurrences had already been known among
Rizal's friends in Europe and Singapore. His friends
from London, Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor and Sixto
Lopez
• Atty. Hugh Fort whom they requested to do the task
of rescuing Rizal – by issuing writ of habeas
corpus on the steamer Colon. Unfortunately, the
judge in Singapore denied Fort's request and
contention that Rizal was illegally detained
• During his stay, Spanish authorities were searching
for evidences against him. In fact, Filipinos who had
been recognized at his side were brutally tortured to
implicate him.
PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION
• He was put under interrogation without the benefit
of knowing who testified against him. Presented
before him were two kinds of evidences –
documentary and testimonial.
• There were a total of fifteen exhibits for the
documentary evidence
• These evidences were endorsed by Colonel Olive to
Governor Ramon Blanco who designated
Captain Rafael Dominguez as the Judge Advocate
assigned with the task of deciding what
corresponding action should be done. Dominguez,
after a brief review, transmitted the records to
Don Nicolas de la Peña, the Judge Advocate
General, for an opinion. Peña's recommendations
were as follows:
• He must be held in prison under necessary security
• His properties must be issued with order of
attachment, and as indemnity, Rizal had to pay one
million pesos
• Instead of a civilian lawyer, only an army officer is
allowed to defend Rizal.
TRIAL AND MARTYRDOM AT BAGUMBAYAN
CHARGES AGAINST RIZAL
• On the 11th of December 1896, in the presence of
his Spanish counsel, charges against Rizal were
read. When asked regarding his sentiments or
reaction on the charges, Rizal replied that:
• He does not question the jurisdiction of the court
• He has nothing to amend except that during his
exile in Dapitan in 1892, he had not dealt in political
matters;
• He has nothing to admit on the charges against him
• He had nothing to admit on the declarations of the
witnesses, he had not met nor knew, against him.
• Two days after, Rizal's case was endorsed to
Blanco's successor, Governor Camilo de Polavieja,
who had the authority to command that the case be
court martialed.
• Rizal wrote the controversial Manifesto addressed
to his countrymen – a letter denouncing bloody
struggle, and promoting education and industry as
the best means to acquire independence.
RIZAL’S TRIAL
• The next day, December 26, about 8 o'clock in the
morning, the court-martial of Rizal commenced.
The hearing was actually a kind of moro-moro – a
planned trial wherein Rizal, before hearing his
verdict, had already been prejudged.
• Unlike other accused, Rizal had not been allowed to
know the people who witnessed against him.
• The trial took place at Cuartel de España, a military
building, with a court composed of seven military
officers headed by Lt. Col. Jose Togores Arjona.
Present at the courtroom were Jose Rizal, the six
other officers in uniform
• the three crimes accused to him were rebellion,
sedition and illegal association – the penalty for the
first two being life imprisonment to death, while the
last, correctional imprisonment and a charge of 325
to 3,250 pesetas.
• Lt. Taviel de Andrade, on the other hand, later took
the floor reading his speech in defense of Rizal.
• To supplement this, Rizal read his own defense
which he wrote in his cell in Fort Santiago.
According to Rizal, there are twelve points to prove
his innocence:
➢ he had not written a letter addressed to the
Katipunan comprising revolutionary elements
 ➢ without his knowledge, his name was used by the
Katipunan; if he really was guilty, he could have
escaped while he was in Singapore
➢ if he was guilty, he should have left the country
while in exile; he shouldn't have built a home,
bought a parcel of land or established a hospital
in Dapitan.
➢ if he was really the leader of the revolution, the
revolutionists should have consulted him.
➢ he did not deny that he wrote the by-laws of the La
Liga Filipina, but to make things clear, the
organization was a civic association, not a
revolutionary society.
➢ after the first meeting of La Liga, the association
banished because of his exile in Dapitan, thus, did
not last long.
➢ if the La Liga was reorganized nine months later,
he had no idea about it
➢ if the La Liga had a revolutionary purpose, then
Katipunan should not have been organized.
➢ if the Spanish authorities found his letters having
bitter atmosphere, it was because in 1890 his
family was being persecuted resulting to their
dispossession of properties and deportation of all
his brothers-in-law.
➢ he lived an exemplary life in Dapitan – the politico-
military commanders and missionary priests in
the province could attest to that.
➢ if according to witnesses the speech he delivered
at Doroteo Ongjunco's house had inspired the
revolution, then he want to confront these
persons. If he really was for the revolution, then
why did the Katipunan sent an unfamiliar
emissary to him in Dapitan? It is so because all his
friends were aware that he never advocated
violence.
• But the military court remained indifferent to the
pleads of Rizal. After a short deliberation, he was
sentenced to be shot in musketry until death at 7
o'clock in the morning of December 30, 1896
at Bagumbayan. The decision was submitted to
Gov. Polavieja who immediately sought the opinion
of Nicolas de la Peña – the latter found the verdict
just and final. Two days later, the governor general
signed the court's decision and ordered Rizal's
execution.
MARTYRDOM AT BAGUMBAYAN
➢ Upon hearing the court's decision, Rizal already
knew that there's no way that his destiny would be
changed – Rizal knew it was his end, and had
accepted his fate. Captain Rafael Dominguez, at 6
o'clock in the morning of December 29, 1896, read
before him the official notice of his execution,
scheduled the next day. Rizal was immediately
transferred to the prison chapel where he spent his
last hours on earth.
MI ULTIMO ADIOS (MY LAST FAREWELL)
- “He who does not know how to look back at where
he came from will never get to his destination.”
➢ Mi Ultimo Adios is a poem that tells us how
beautiful the Philippines is and how Rizal wants us
to learn from our past and to see the truth about
how the world view us.
➢ Mi Ultimo Adios, written before Rizal died, which
was in December 30, 1896. Mi Ultimo Adios was not
entitled by Jose Rizal but by Mariano Ponce and his
fellow reformist entitled it “Mi Ultimo Pensamiento”
which means my last thought.
➢ Dr. Jose Rizal was visited by his mother, Teodora
Alonzo, and his sisters Lucia, Josefa, Maria,
Trinidad and Narcissa, and two nephews. When
they took their leave, an alcohol stove was given to
Narcissa by the guard, Rizal told Trinidad that there
was something in the small alcohol stove.
➢ September 25, 1898, the poem was published in the
first issue of the La Independencia entitled “Ultimo
Adios.” Father Mariano Dacanay is the one who did
the even though he is in the bilibid (jail) as a
prisoner.
➢ EXISTENTIALISM
o A philosophy concerned with finding self and the
meaning of life through free will, choice, and
personal responsibility. The belief is that people
are searching to find out whom and what they
are throughout life as they make choices based
on their experiences, beliefs, and outlook. And
personal choices become unique without the
necessity of an objective form of truth. An
existentialist believes that a person should be
forced to choose and be responsible without the
help of laws, ethnic rules, or traditions.
o Concepts of Existentialism
• Absurd – The notion of the Absurd contains
the idea that there is no meaning in the world
beyond what meaning we give it.
• Facticity – This is a concept defined by
Sartre in Being and Nothingness as the in-
itself, of which humans are in the mode of
not being.
• Authenticity – Authentic existence involves
the idea that one has to “create oneself” and
then live in accordance with this self.
• How Rizal gives meaning to the world, How Rizal
wanted us to learn from ones past, How Rizal
wanted us to see the world true happenings in the
world.
➢ Adoring the country
➢ Patriotism to Country
➢ Freedom to Speak
➢ Achieving ones Dream
➢ Sacrificing
➢ Slavery
➢ Peace and Order
➢ Faith in God
 ➢ Concern to others
➢ Starting innovation
➢ Acceptance
➢ Discrimination
• Rizal’s wisdom and perspective upon writing his
last poem “Mi Ultimo Adios” reflects in many edges
in present. His love for the country and many
advocates to fight for the country, to have freedom
of expression and criticism are still established
nowadays. Like as Rizal and many national heroes
are fighting for our country, we give significance to
what they did. Knowing the past and be updated to
what is the issue now, is Rizal’s wants to be in
ourselves as he did when he is living. His point of
view can relate in present by just opening our eyes,
see what is going on, be aware to happenings, that
we should speak what’s in our mind and stood by
our own feet.
• KUNDIMAN
Relevance of Mi Ultimo Adios to the Present
• The youth is forever the next chapter in our story as
a Filipino people. However, in our attempt to prove
ourselves as Filipinos and as human beings, we are
in a constant struggle with teaching the next
generation that they cannot simple write our next
chapter, but make the words worth reading.
LITERARY MASTERPIECES OF DR. JOSE
RIZAL
• TO THE FILIPINO YOUTH
➢ Rizal wrote this literary poem when he was still
studying at the University of Sto. Tomas (UST).
Originally written in Spanish (A la juventud
• JUNTO AL PASIG
filipina), Rizal submitted this piece for a poem
contest organized for Filipinos by the Manila
Lyceum of Art and Literature. At the age of 18, this
work is beaming with strong messages to
convince readers, the youth in particular, that they
are the hope of the nation. He also stresses the
importance of education to one’s future. Rizal won
the first prize and was rewarded with a feather-
shaped silver pen and a diploma
• GOODBYE TO LEONOR
➢ This literary piece gives an insight into the
romantic relationship of Rizal and his beloved,
Leonor Rivera. The two met when in the province
of Dagupan when Rivera was only 13-years-old.
• NOLI ME TÁNGERE
Rivera’s parents were not in favor of their
relationship and though distance separated them,
the two kept in touch by sending letters and
photographs to each other. Rizal later found out
that her lady love would soon tie the knot with
Henry Kipping, and the news definitely
disheartened him. The lonely, heartbreaking
feelings he felt, resulted in this melancholic poem.
• TO THE YOUNG WOMEN OF MALOLOS
➢ Addressed to the Filipino women, Rizal’s letter
entitled To The Young Women of Malolos reflects
his inheritance and issues reminders to Filipino
women. In his letter, he addresses all kinds of
Filipino women – mothers, wives, and even the
single women. Throughout this literary piece, he
highlights the qualities that Filipino mothers
should possess, the duties of wives to their
husbands and children, and a counsel on how
young women should choose their lifetime
partners. The idea behind this letter sparked after
he was impressed by the women of Malolos who
won the battle they fought. Rizal advises women
to educate themselves, protect their dignity and
honor, and live with good manners – setting up as
a role model.
➢ A kundiman traditionally refers to a love song
where a man serenades the woman he loves. For
scholars, this word was derived from the Tagalog
phrase “Kung Hindi man” (if it should not be so)
which suggests that people put their faith in a
Higher Being who decides whether or not
something is meant for them. But in Rizal’s literary
work, he wrote a kundiman to profess his intense
love for his motherland. This piece reflects his
high hopes that one day, the Philippines would be
free from treachery and injustice. At the time, the
country faced great threats while he was in
Europe. And, through this work, he voices his
hopeful thoughts despite being far away from the
country.
➢ When translated into English, the title of this work
means Beside Pasig River. In response to the
Jesuits’ request, Rizal wrote this one-act play in
the Spanish language for the velada – a gala
variety program during the principal feast days.
The play centers around Leonido (a young Filipino
who has a strong faith in the Virgin) and the
Diwata/Satan, which symbolizes the Spanish
oppression towards Filipinos. Its theme highlights
Christianity, good vs. evil, and paganism.
The Philippines’ national hero wrote it in honor of
the Our Lady of Peace and Voyage of the UST, and
the play was staged on December 8, 1880.
➢ One of the most sought-after books in Philippine
literature until today, is Rizal’s famous novel
titled Noli Me Tángere (Touch Me Not). Driven by
his undying love for his country, Rizal wrote the
novel to expose the ills of Philippine society during
the Spanish colonial era. At the time, the
Spaniards prohibited the Filipinos from reading
 the controversial book because of the unlawful
acts depicted in the novel. Yet they were not able
to ban it completely and as more Filipinos read the
book, it opened their eyes to the truth that they
were being manhandled by the friars. In this
revolutionary book, you’ll learn the story of
Crisostomo Ibarra, how he dealt with Spanish
authorities, and how he prepared for his revenge,
as told in Rizal’s second book, El Filibusterismo
• EL FILIBUSTERISMO
➢ This is Rizal’s sequel to his first book, Noli Me
Tángere. In El Filibusterismo (The Reign of the
Greed), the novel exhibits a dark theme (as
opposed to the hopeful atmosphere in the first
novel) in which it depicts the country’s issues and
how the protagonist attempts a reform. The story
takes place 13 years after Noli Me Tángere, where
revolutionary protagonist Crisostomo Ibarra is
now under the guise of Simoun – a wealthy
jewelry tycoon. Because the novel also portrays
the abuse, corruption, and discrimination of the
Spaniards towards Filipinos, it was also banned in
the country at the time. Rizal dedicated his second
novel to the GOMBURZA – the Filipino priests
named Mariano Gomez, Jose Apolonio Burgos,
and Jacinto Zamora who were executed on
charges of subversion. The two novels of Rizal,
now considered as his literary masterpieces, both
indirectly sparked the Philippine Revolution.
• MI ÚLTIMO ADIÓS
➢ After being associated with the Katipuneros, Rizal
was arrested and later sentenced to death by
firing squad for acts of sedition and rebellion.
During his final days in Fort Santiago of Manila,
Rizal bid farewell to his motherland and
countrymen through letters. Mi último adiós or My
Last Farewell is one of the few last works that
Rizal wrote.
➢ Some historical accounts say he wrote it on the
eve before his execution, while others claim that
he wrote the poem a few days before his death in
Manila on December 30, 1896. But, because there
was no title ascribed to this poem, his good friend
and fellow reformist Mariano Ponce came up with
the title.
➢ Today, Rizal’s literary works, specifically his two
novels, are alive and continuously being analyzed
by students and professionals. Colleges and
universities in the Philippines even require their
students to take a subject which centers around
the life and works of Rizal. Through his work, the
country’s national hero is always remembered and
looked upon with high regard for his contribution
towards the Philippine independence.
RESCUE ATTEMPT BY THE KATIPUNAN
• While Rizal was still in exile in Dapitan, the
Katipunan emissary, Dr. Pio Valenzuela, informed
the former of the secret organization's attempt to
rescue him and to sneak him on a ship destined to
Japan. However, Rizal was not in favor of this plan
as he had no plan of breaking his promises to the
Spanish authorities.
• For the second time, in August 1896, during Rizal's
stop over in Manila Bay, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio
Jacinto and other selected Katipuneros disguised
as sailors of the motor Caridad so that they can
easily penetrate the cruiser Castilla, then harbored
at Manila Bay. Rizal was on deck at that time when
he was approached by Jacinto who whispered that
they were Katipuneros and were there to rescue
him. However, despite the opportunity given to him,
Rizal refused to be rescued.
• On board Castilla, Rizal heard of the outbreak of the
revolution and was not surprised. However, his
worry was that Spanish authorities might think that
he incited the said struggle. Two recommendation
letters from Governor Blanco diverted Rizal's angst
– one for the Minister of War, General Marcelo de
Azcarraga; and the second, for the Minister of
Colonies.
• Being a man of honor, he thought that the Spaniards
Colonial authorities were also honorable men.
FINAL GLANCE ABROAD
• Aboard the steamer, Isla de Panay, Rizal left Manila
for Spain on September 2, 1896, not knowing that
this will be his last travel abroad. The night before
his departure, he wrote a letter to Doña Teodora
Alonzo telling her that his task required strength
and dedication, and if he died, at least he had done
something good for mankind.
• By the eve of September 7, the steamer reached
Singapore and on the 30th, while Isla de Panay was
on its voyage along the Mediterranean Sea, a
telegraphic message was received by Captain A.
Alemany, the ship skipper, ordering him to arrest
and confine Jose Rizal in his cabin until they arrive
in Barcelona on the 3rd of October. Early morning of
October 6, Rizal was transferred to Montjuich Castle
where he was visited by Eulogio Despujol who was
then the military Commander of Cataluña. By 8
o'clock in the evening, aboard the steamer Colon,
Rizal left Barcelona for Manila.
• Such occurrences had already been known among
Rizal's friends in Europe and Singapore. His friends
from London, Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor and Sixto
Lopez had their efforts to find a lawyer in Singapore
who could aid their in-need friend. They send a
telegraph to a certain Atty. Hugh Fort whom they
requested to do the task of rescuing Rizal – by
issuing writ of habeas corpus on the steamer
Colon. Unfortunately, the judge in Singapore denied
 Fort's request and contention that Rizal was illegally
detained in the said steamer because the voyage
cannot be delayed since it was, according to the
judge, a warship carrying Spanish troops to Manila.
• Thus, on November 3, Colon arrived in Manila –
Jose Rizal, under heavy security, was brought
immediately to Fort Santiago. During his stay,
Spanish authorities were searching for evidences
against him. In fact, Filipinos who had been
recognized at his side were brutally tortured to
implicate him. Some of them were as follows:
Deodato Arellano, Dr. Pio Valenzuela, Moises
Salvador, Jose Dizon, Domingo Franco and Timoteo
Paez. Even his only brother, Paciano was arrested
and inflicted with pains which the latter endured for
his younger brother's sake.
PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION
• After fishing as much evidence as possible, on
November 20, 1896, the preliminary investigation
on Rizal began. During the five-day investigation,
Rizal was informed of the charges against him
before Judge Advocate Colonel Francisco Olive. He
was put under interrogation without the benefit of
knowing who testified against him. Presented
before him were two kinds of evidences –
documentary and testimonial.
• There were a total of fifteen exhibits for the
documentary evidence.
• Testimonial evidences, on the other hand, were
comprised of oral proofs provided by Martin
Constantino, Aguedo del Rosario, Jose Reyes,
Moises Salvador, Jose Dizon, Domingo Franco,
Deodato Arellano, Pio Valenzuela, Antonio Salazar,
Francisco Quison, and Timoteo Paez.
• These evidences were endorsed by Colonel Olive to
Governor Ramon Blanco who designated Captain
Rafael Dominguez as the Judge Advocate assigned
with the task of deciding what corresponding action
should be done. Dominguez, after a brief review,
transmitted the records to Don Nicolas de la Peña,
the Judge Advocate General, for an opinion. Peña's
recommendations were as follows:
1. Rizal must be immediately sent to trial
2. He must be held in prison under necessary
security
3. His properties must be issued with order of
attachment, and as indemnity, Rizal had to pay one
million pesos
4. Instead of a civilian lawyer, only an army
officer is allowed to defend Rizal.
• Although given with “privilege” to choose his own
defense counsel, this was limited to a list of 100
names – both first and second lieutenants - that the
Spanish authorities provided him. Of the list, one
familiar name stood out – Lt. Luis Taviel de
Andrade. Rizal discovered that the said lieutenant
was the brother of Lt. Jose Taviel de Andrade who
worked as Rizal's personal body guard in Calamba
in 1887.
CHARGES AGAINST RIZAL
• On the 11th of December 1896, in the presence of
his Spanish counsel, charges against Rizal were
read. When asked regarding his sentiments or
reaction on the charges, Rizal replied that:
* He does not question the jurisdiction of the court
* He has nothing to amend except that during his
exile in Dapitan in 1892, he had not dealt in political
matters;
* He has nothing to admit on the charges against
him
* He had nothing to admit on the declarations of the
witnesses, he had not met nor knew, against him.
• Two days after, Rizal's case was endorsed to
Blanco's successor, Governor Camilo de Polavieja,
who had the authority to command that the case be
courtmartialed. On December 15, inside his cell at
Fort Santiago, Rizal wrote the controversial
Manifesto addressed to his countrymen – a letter
denouncing bloody struggle, and promoting
education and industry as the best means to
acquire independence. However, Judge Advocate
General Nicolas de la Peña requested to Gov.
Polavieja that the publication of the manifesto be
prohibited, and so, the governor did.
RIZAL’S TRIAL
• Accustomed to share the merry season with family,
friends and relatives, the 1896 Christmas was
indeed, Rizal's saddest. Confined in a dark, gloomy
cell, Rizal was in despair and had no idea of what
his fate may be. Under this delusion, he wrote a
letter to Lt. Taviel de Andrade requesting the latter
to visit him before his trial for there was a very
important matter they need to discuss. Likewise,
Rizal greeted the lieutenant a joyous Christmas.
• The next day, December 26, about 8 o'clock in the
morning, the court-martial of Rizal commenced.
The hearing was actually a kind of moro-moro – a
planned trial wherein Rizal, before hearing his
verdict, had already been prejudged. Unlike other
accused, Rizal had not been allowed to know the
people who witnessed against him. The trial took
place at Cuartel de España, a military building, with
a court composed of seven military officers headed
by Lt. Col. Jose Togores Arjona. Present at the
courtroom were Jose Rizal, the six other officers in
uniform (Capt. Ricardo Muñoz Arias, Capt. Manuel
Reguera, Capt. Santiago Izquierdo Osorio, Capt.
Braulio Rodriguez Nuñez, Capt. Manuel Diaz
Escribano, and Capt. Fernando Perez Rodriguez), Lt.
Taviel de Andrade, Judge Advocate Capt. Rafael
 Dominguez, Lt. Enrique de Alcocer (prosecuting • But the military court remained indifferent to the
attorney) and a number of spectators, including pleads of Rizal. After a short deliberation, he was
Josephine Bracken. sentenced to be shot in musketry until death at 7
• After Judge Advocate Dominguez opened the trial, o'clock in the morning of December 30, 1896 at
it was followed by Atty. Alcocer's reiteration of the Bagumbayan. The decision was submitted to Gov.
charges against Rizal, urging the court that the Polavieja who immediately sought the opinion of
latter be punished with death. Accordingly, the three Nicolas de la Peña – the latter found the verdict just
crimes accused to him were rebellion, sedition and and final. Two days later, the governor general
illegal association – the penalty for the first two signed the court's decision and ordered Rizal's
being life imprisonment to death, while the last, execution.
correctional imprisonment and a charge of 325 to
3,250 pesetas.
• Lt. Taviel de Andrade, on the other hand, later took MARTYRDOM AT BAGUMBAYAN
the floor reading his speech in defense of Rizal. To • Upon hearing the court's decision, Rizal already
supplement this, Rizal read his own defense which knew that there's no way that his destiny would be
he wrote in his cell in Fort Santiago. According to changed – Rizal knew it was his end, and had
Rizal, there are twelve points to prove his accepted his fate. Captain Rafael Dominguez, at 6
innocence: o'clock in the morning of December 29, 1896, read
➢ 1. as testified by Pio Valenzuela, Rizal was against before him the official notice of his execution,
rebellion scheduled the next day. Rizal was immediately
➢ 2. he had not written a letter addressed to the transferred to the prison chapel where he spent his
Katipunan comprising revolutionary elements last hours on earth.
➢ 3. without his knowledge, his name was used by
the Katipunan; if he really was guilty, he could have
escaped while he was in Singapore EL FILIBUSTERISMO PLOT SUMMARY
➢ 4. if he was guilty, he should have left the country
• The protagonist from the first novel, Noli Me
while in exile; he shouldn't have built a home,
Tángere, Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra, returns to the
bought a parcel of land or established a hospital
Philippines in the guise of Simoun, a suspected
in Dapitan.
American jeweler who is close to the Captain-
➢ 5. if he was really the leader of the revolution, the
General, the Spanish governor of the colonial
revolutionists should have consulted him.
Philippines. When first introduced, Simoun is
➢ 6. he did not deny that he wrote the by-laws of the
aboard a steamship with other characters from the
La Liga Filipina, but to make things clear, the
first novel, notably several clerics, and advises
organization was a civic association, not a
draconian means for dealing with insubordinate
revolutionary society.
Filipinos. The novel’s second protagonist and
➢ 7. after the first meeting of La Liga, the
returning character, Basilio, is below deck. The
association banished because of his exile in
wealthy Spaniards sit above deck, while the vast
Dapitan, thus, did not last long.
majority of the ship, Filipino and Chinese
➢ 8. if the La Liga was reorganized nine months
passengers, sit below deck. Basilio is a medical
later, he had no idea about it
student and speaking with his friend, Isagani.
➢ 9. if the La Liga had a revolutionary purpose, then
Simoun comes down and speaks with the two
Katipunan should not have been organized.
students; he invites them to have beer with him.
➢ 10. if the Spanish authorities found his letters
They decline, but Isagani goes above deck to speak
having bitter atmosphere, it was because in 1890
to his uncle. There, the reader learns of legends
his family was being persecuted resulting to their
about the Pasig River, specifically the legend about
dispossession of properties and deportation of all
Ibarra’s death.
his brothers-in-law.
• The novel shifts to Cabesang Tales, an important
➢ 11. he lived an exemplary life in Dapitan – the
secondary character in the novel. He’s worked hard
politico-military commanders and missionary
to obtain a parcel of land, farm it, and become
priests in the province could attest to that.
successful, but a local friar claims the land for the
➢ 12. if according to witnesses the speech he
Church and forces him to pay an ever-increasing
delivered at Doroteo Ongjunco's house had
portion of his earnings. Eventually, Tales is driven
inspired the revolution, then he want to confront
from his land; he flees and becomes a bandit, and
these persons. If he really was for the revolution,
his daughter becomes a servant. His daughter, Julí,
then why did the Katipunan sent an unfamiliar
is to wed Basilio, as he’s able to repay the debt she
emissary to him in Dapitan? It is so because all his
owes and free her from servitude to Señora
friends were aware that he never advocated
Penchang.
violence.
• One evening, Basilio visits his mother’s grave near
the mausoleum on the former Ibarra estate. Simoun
appears, and Basilio startles him when he
recognizes Simoun as Crisóstomo Ibarra. Ibarra
and Basilio know each other from the first novel, as
Ibarra helped bury Basilio’s mother. Basilio’s brother
disappeared in the first novel, supposedly murdered
by an angry sexton. Simoun informs Basilio of his
plan to sow resentment in the Filipino populace and
instigate a revolt against the Spanish government,
especially the corrupt clergy. Basilio has found
comfort and hope through the patronage of Captain
Tiago, and doesn’t want to participate in Simoun’s
plan. Simoun lets him go, assured that patience is
key, and that the system will eventually drive Basilio
to him.
• At a Manila university, students Basilio, Isagani,
Placido Penitente, Makaraig, and Juanito Peláez
suffer from the racial whims of their clerical
professors. They’re forced to memorize the
contents of books rather than learn their contents.
Placido feels so discriminated against that he tells
off his professor and leaves. The other students
form a Student Union that wishes to establish a
Castilian Academy attached to the university, for
the sole purpose of teaching the Spanish language.
The notion causes political concerns among the
Spanish, especially the clergy. Eventually, the
Student Union’s plan is approved with a major
caveat, devised by Don Custodio: The academy will
be established, but it won’t be attached to the
university, nor led by the Dominicans, but rather the
Franciscans. The students are unhappy with the
result and meet to discuss it.
• The next day, a series of broadsides against the
clergy, government, and university are posted on the
university gates. As a result, many students are
suspended or arrested; Basilio, Isagani, and
Makaraig are all arrested. Everyone is eventually set
free, because their families can pay for their release,
but because Basilio has no one, he remains in
prison. When he is finally freed by Simoun, Basilio is
a changed man, no longer confident in the system,
and joins Simoun’s plan. Simoun wishes to free
María Clara from the convent where she’s been
staying ever since she learned of his (Ibarra’s)
death, but before he can initiate his plan, he learns
from Basilio that María Clara recently died. Simoun
falls ill and disappears for a while.
• Things slowly go back to normal, except Basilio
remains aloof and even loses his patron, Captain
Tiago, to death. Student Juanito Peláez, the son of
wealthy merchant Timoteo Peláez, is able to win the
hand of Paulita Gómez. Their wedding is
announced and Simoun, now healthy again, plans to
use it to restart his revolutionary plans. He
constructs a special lamp filled with nitroglycerin to
be used at the wedding. Using his reputation, he is
also able to have many bags of dynamite placed
under the house where the wedding reception will
be held; the lamp will explode, killing everyone in the
room, and will ignite the dynamite to kill those who
try to escape. Cabesang Tales will then attack the
city with his armed bandits. Basilio is to help others
secure bridges and kill anyone who opposes their
plan.
• Basilio secretly follows Simoun to Timoteo Peláez’s
house, realizing it’s Captain Tiago’s old house. The
upper echelons, including the Captain-General, are
present. Basilio sees Simoun leave the house, pale.
Isagani passes by, and Basilio warns him of what’s
to come and runs away. Because Isagani and
Paulita used to be in love, Isagani rushes into the
house, grabs the lamp, and throws it and himself
into the nearby river.
• Rumors of what happened at Timoteo Peláez’s
house, and what might have happened had a thief
not taken the rigged lamp, course through Manila.
Isagani learns of what he hindered, and feels
apologetic, as do others who would have liked to
have been rid of the people at the wedding party.
Simoun is indicted of sedition, but escapes; the Civil
Guard tracks him down. He takes shelter with
Father Florentino (Isagani’s uncle) at the latter’s
seaside retreat. Simoun learns that the Civil Guard
is coming for him and takes a vial of poison. He
confesses to Father Florentino who he is and tells
him his history: After being falsely accused of
sedition, Ibarra fled with the help of a friend, Elías.
He used some of his family’s wealth, which Elías
secured for him, to escape to Cuba where he fought
for both sides (Cuban and Spanish), accumulating
wealth in the process. He befriended and aided the
Captain-General and accompanied him when he
became governor of the Philippines. Ibarra then
used the Captain-General’s lust for gold to influence
him to incite injustice and inflame the Filipino
people to revolt. Father Florentino explains that
Simoun failed because God could not condone
Ibarra’s methods for obtaining freedom.
Simoun/Ibarra dies, begrudgingly accepting
Florentino’s explanation. Father Florentino then
takes Simoun’s jewel case and tosses it into the sea
because he doesn’t want the Civil Guard to
confiscate it and use the wealth for evil.
EL FILI MAJOR CHARACTERS
• Simoun – Crisóstomo Ibarra in disguise, presumed
dead at the end of Noli Me Tángere. Ibarra has
returned as the wealthy jeweler Simoun. His
appearance is described as being tanned, having a
sparse beard, long white hair, and large blue-tinted
glasses. He was sometimes crude and
confrontational. He was derisively described by
Custodio and Ben-Zayb as an American mulatto or
 a British Indian. While presenting as the arrogant
elitist on the outside, he secretly plans a violent
revolution in order to avenge himself for his
misfortunes as Crisóstomo Ibarra, as well as
hasten Elías' reformist goals.
• Basilio – son of Sisa and another character from
Noli Me Tángere. In the events of El fili, he is an
aspiring and so far successful physician on his last
year at university and was waiting for his license to
be released upon his graduation. After his mother's
death in the Noli, he applied as a servant in Capitán
Tiago's household in exchange for food, lodging,
and being allowed to study. Eventually he took up
medicine, and with Tiago having retired from
society, he also became the manager of Tiago's vast
estate. He is a quiet, contemplative man who is
more aware of his immediate duties as a servant,
doctor, and member of the student association than
he is of politics or patriotic endeavors. His
sweetheart is Juli, the daughter of Kabesang Tales
whose family took him in when he was a young boy
fleeing the Guardia Civil and his deranged mother.
• Isagani – Basilio's friend. He is described as a poet,
taller and more robust than Basilio although
younger. He is the nephew of Padre Florentino, but
is also rumored to be his son with his old
sweetheart before priesthood. Isagani was
finishing his studies at the Ateneo Municipal and is
planning to take medicine. A member of the student
association, Isagani is proud and naive, and tends
to put himself on the spot when his ideals are
affronted. His unrestrained idealism and poeticism
clash with the more practical and mundane
concerns of his girlfriend, Paulita Gómez. When
Isagani allows himself to be arrested after their
association is outlawed, Paulita leaves him for
Juanito Peláez. In his final mention in the novel, he
was bidding goodbye to his landlords, the Orenda
family, to stay with Florentino permanently.
• Father Florentino – Isagani's uncle and a retired
priest. Florentino was the son of a wealthy and
influential Manila family. At his influential mother's
insistence, he broke off an affair with his
sweetheart and entered the priesthood, devoting
himself to his parish. An indio (native), Florentino
was a secular priest, one unaffiliated with the
Catholic religious orders, yet his parish drew in huge
income. When the 1872 Cavite mutiny broke out, he
promptly resigned from priesthood, fearing
unwanted attention. He retired to his family's large
estate along the shores of the Pacific. He is
described as white-haired, with a quiet, serene
personality and a strong build. He did not smoke or
drink. He was well respected by his peers, even by
Spanish friars and officials.
• Father Fernández – a Dominican who was a friend
of Isagani. Following the incident with the posters,
he invited Isagani to a dialogue, not so much as a
teacher with his student but as a friar with a Filipino.
Although they failed to resolve their differences,
they each promised to approach their colleagues
with the opposing views from the other party –
although both feared that given the animosity that
existed between their sides, their own compatriots
may not believe in the other party's existence.
• Capitán Tiago – Don Santiago de los Santos. María
Clara's father. Having several landholdings in
Pampanga, Binondo, and Laguna, as well as taking
ownership of the Ibarras' vast estate, Tiago still fell
into depression following María's entry into the
convent. He alleviated this by smoking opium,
which quickly became an uncontrolled vice,
exacerbated by his association with Padre Írene
who regularly supplied him with the substance.
Tiago hired Basilio as a capista, a servant who given
the opportunity to study as part of his wages;
Basilio eventually pursued medicine and became
his caregiver and the manager of his estate. Tiago
died of shock upon hearing of Basilio's arrest and
Padre Írene's embellished stories of violent revolt.
• Captain-General – the highest-ranking official in the
Philippines during the Spanish colonial period. The
Captain-General in the novel is Simoun's friend and
confidant, and is described as having an insatiable
lust for gold. Simoun met him as a major during the
Ten Years' War in Cuba. He secured the major's
friendship and promotion to Captain-General
through bribes. When he was posted in the
Philippines, Simoun used him as a pawn in his own
power plays to drive the country into revolution. The
Captain-General was shamed into not extending his
tenure after being rebuked by a high official in the
aftermath of Basilio's imprisonment.
• Father Bernardo Salví – a Franciscan friar, the
former parish priest of San Diego and now the
director and chaplain of the Santa Clara convent.
The epilogue of Noli Me Tángere implies that Salví
regularly rapes María Clara when he is present at
the convent. In El filibusterismo, he is described as
her confessor. In spite of reports of Ibarra's death,
Salví believed that Ibarra is still alive and lived in
constant fear of his revenge.
• Father Hernando de la Sibyla – a Dominican
introduced in Noli Me Tángere as the curate of
Binondo, who now serves as the director and
chaplain of the University of Santo Tomas. He is
described as a liberal friar who prefers reason.
• Father Millon – a Dominican who serves as a
physics professor in the University of Santo Tomás.
• Quiroga – a Chinese businessman who aspired to
be a consul for China in the Philippines. Simoun
coerced Quiroga into hiding weapons inside the
latter's warehouses in preparation for the
revolution.
• Don Custodio – Custodio de Salazar y Sánchez de
Monteredondo, a famous "contractor" who was
 tasked by the Captain-General to develop the despise. Following the confrontation, he meets
students association's proposal for an academy for Simoun at the Quiapo Fair. Seeing potential in
the teaching of Spanish, but was then also under Placido, Simoun takes him along to survey his
pressure from the priests to protect their preparations for the upcoming revolution. The
prerogatives as monopolizers of instruction. Some following morning Placido has become one of
of the novel's most scathing criticism is reserved Simoun's committed followers. He is later seen with
for Custodio, a Peninsular Spaniard portrayed as an the former schoolmaster of San Diego, who was
opportunist who married his way into high society, now Simoun's bomb-maker.
who regularly criticized favored ideas that did not • Paulita Gómez – the girlfriend of Isagani and niece
come from him, but was ultimately, laughably of Doña Victorina, the old Indio who passes herself
incompetent. off as a Peninsular, who is the wife of the quack
• Ben-Zayb – A columnist for the Manila Spanish doctor Tiburcio de Espadaña. In the end, she and
newspaper El Grito de la Integridad. Ben-Zayb is his Isagani part ways, Paulita believing she will have no
pen name and is an anagram of Ybáñez, an future if she marries him. She eventually marries
alternate spelling of his last name Ibáñez. His first Juanito Peláez.
name is not mentioned. Ben-Zayb is said to have the
looks of a friar, and believes that in Manila they think
because he thinks. He is deeply patriotic,
sometimes to the point of jingoism. As a journalist,
he had no qualms twisting details to make a story
sound better than it actually was. Father Camorra
derisively calls him an ink-slinger.
• Father Camorra – the parish priest of Tiani. Ben-
Zayb's regular foil, he is said to look like an
artilleryman in counterpoint to Ben-Zayb's friar
looks. He stops at nothing to mock and humiliate
Ben-Zayb's liberal pretensions. In his own parish,
Camorra has a reputation for unrestrained
lustfulness. He drives Juli into suicide after
attempting to rape her inside the convent. For his
misbehavior he was "detained" in his order's
luxurious riverside villa just outside Manila.
• Father Írene – Capitán Tiago's spiritual adviser.
Along with Don Custodio, Írene is severely criticized
as a priest who allied with temporal authority for the
sake of power and monetary gain. Known to many
as the final authority who Custodio consults, the
student association sought his support and gifted
him with two chestnut-colored horses, yet he
betrayed the students by counseling Custodio into
making them fee collectors in their own school,
which was then to be administered by the
Dominicans instead of being a secular and privately
managed institution as the students envisioned.
Írene secretly but regularly supplies Capitán Tiago
with opium while exhorting Basilio to do his duty.
Írene embellished stories of panic following the
outlawing of the student association Basilio was
part of, hastening Capitán Tiago's death. With
Basilio in prison, he then removed Basilio out of
Tiago's last will and testament, ensuring he
inherited nothing.
• Placido Penitente – a student of the University of
Santo Tomas who had a distaste for study and
would have left school if it were not for his mother's
pleas for him to stay. He clashes with his physics
professor, who then accuses him of being a
member of the student association, whom the friars