RIZL211- NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO
WEEK 13 killed in a sabotage had Elías — a mysterious man who had
NOLI ME TANGERE
A. NOLI ME TANGERE
 Noli Me Tangere is a novel by Filipino polymath and national hero
José Rizal first published in 1887 in Berlin. Early English
translations used titles like An Eagle Flight (1900) and The Social
Cancer (1912), but more recent translations have been published
using the original Latin title.
 Though originally written in Spanish, it is more commonly
published and read in the Philippines in either Filipino or English.
Together with its sequel, El Filibusterismo, the reading of Noli is
obligatory for junior high school students throughout the
archipelago.
PLOT SUMMARY
 Having completed his studies in Europe, young Juan Crisóstomo
Ibarra y Magsalin comes back to the Philippines after a 7-year
absence. In his honor, Don Santiago de los Santos, a family friend
commonly known as Captain Tiago, threw a get-together party,
which was attended by friars and other prominent figures. One of
the guests, former San Diego curate Fray Dámaso Vardolagas
belittled and slandered Ibarra. Ibarra brushed off the insults and
took no offense; he instead politely excused himself and left the
party because of an allegedly important task.
 The next day, Ibarra visits María Clara, his betrothed, the beautiful
daughter of Captain Tiago and affluent resident of Binondo. Their
long-standing love was clearly manifested in this meeting, and
María Clara cannot help but reread the letters her sweetheart had
written her before he went to Europe. Before Ibarra left for San
Diego, Lieutenant Guevara, a Civil Guard, reveals to him the
incidents preceding the death of his father, Don Rafael Ibarra, a
rich hacendero of the town.
 According to Guevara, Don Rafael was unjustly accused of being
a heretic, in addition to being a subservient — an allegation
brought forth by Dámaso because of Don Rafael's non-
participation in the Sacraments, such as Confession and Mass.
Dámaso's animosity against Ibarra's father is aggravated by
another incident when Don Rafael helped out on a fight between a
tax collector and a child fighting, and the former's death was
blamed on him, although it was not deliberate. Suddenly, all of
those who thought ill of him surfaced with additional complaints.
He was imprisoned, and just when the matter was almost settled,
he died of sickness in jail. Still not content with what he had done,
Dámaso arranged for Don Rafael's corpse to be dug up from the
Catholic Church and brought to a Chinese cemetery, because he
thought it inappropriate to allow a heretic a Catholic burial ground.
Unfortunately, it was raining and because of the bothersome
weight of the body, the undertakers decide to throw the corpse into
a nearby lake.
 Revenge was not in Ibarra's plans, instead he carried through his
father's plan of putting up a school, since he believed that
education would pave the way to his country's progress (all over
the novel the author refers to both Spain and the Philippines as
two different countries as part of a same nation or family, with
Spain seen as the mother and the Philippines as the daughter).
During the inauguration of the school, Ibarra would have been
warned Ibarra earlier of a plot to assassinate him — not saved him.
Instead, the hired killer met an unfortunate incident and died. The
sequence of events proved to be too traumatic for María Clara who
got seriously ill but was luckily cured by the medicine Ibarra sent.
 After the inauguration, Ibarra hosted a luncheon during which
Dámaso, gate-crashing the luncheon, again insulted him. Ibarra
ignored the priest's insolence, but when the latter slandered the
memory of his dead father, he was no longer able to restrain
himself and lunged at Dámaso, prepared to stab him for his
impudence. As a consequence, Dámaso excommunicated Ibarra,
taking this opportunity to persuade the already-hesitant Tiago to
forbid his daughter from marrying Ibarra. The friar wished María
Clara to marry Linares, a Peninsular who had just arrived from
Spain.
 With the help of the Governor-General, Ibarra's excommunication
was nullified and the Archbishop decided to accept him as a
member of the Church once again. But, as fate would have it, some
incident of which Ibarra had known nothing about was blamed on
him, and he is wrongly arrested and imprisoned. The accusation
against him was then overruled because during the litigation that
followed, nobody could testify that he was indeed involved.
Unfortunately, his letter to María Clara somehow got into the hands
of the jury and is manipulated such that it then became evidence
against him by the parish priest, Fray Salví. With Machiavellian
precision, Salví framed Ibarra and ruined his life just so he could
stop him from marrying María Clara and making the latter his
concubine.
 Meanwhile, in Capitan Tiago's residence, a party was being held
to announce the upcoming wedding of María Clara and Linares.
Ibarra, with the help of Elías, took this opportunity to escape from
prison. Before leaving, Ibarra spoke to María Clara and accused
her of betraying him, thinking that she gave the letter he wrote her
to the jury. María Clara explained that she would never conspire
against him, but that she was forced to surrender Ibarra's letter to
Father Salvi, in exchange for the letters written by her mother even
before she, María Clara, was born. The letters were from her
mother, Pía Alba, to Dámaso alluding to their unborn child; and
that María Clara was therefore not Captain Tiago's biological
daughter, but Dámaso's.
 Afterwards, Ibarra and Elías fled by boat. Elías instructed Ibarra to
lie down, covering him with grass to conceal his presence. As luck
would have it, they were spotted by their enemies. Elías, thinking
he could outsmart them, jumped into the water. The guards rained
shots on him, all the while not knowing that they were aiming at the
wrong man.
 María Clara, thinking that Ibarra had been killed in the shooting
incident, was greatly overcome with grief. Robbed of hope and
severely disillusioned, she asked Dámaso to confine her into a
nunnery. Dámaso reluctantly agreed when she threatened to take
her own life, demanding, "The nunnery or death!" Unbeknownst to
her, Ibarra was still alive and able to escape. It was Elías who had
taken the shots.
 It was Christmas Eve when Elías woke up in the forest fatally
wounded, as it is here where he instructed Ibarra to meet him.
 RIZL211- NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO
Instead, Elías found the altar boy Basilio cradling his already-dead
mother, Sisa. The latter lost her mind when she learned that her
two sons, Crispín and Basilio, were chased out of the convent by
the sacristan mayor on suspicions of stealing sacred objects. (The
truth is that, it was the sacristan mayor who stole the objects and
only pinned the blame on the two boys. The said sacristan mayor
actually killed Crispín while interrogating him on the supposed
location of the sacred objects. It was implied that the body was
never found and the incident was covered-up by Salví).
 Elías, convinced that he would die soon, instructs Basilio to build
a funeral pyre and burn his and Sisa's bodies to ashes. He tells
Basilio that, if nobody reaches the place, he come back later on
and dig for he will find gold. He also tells him (Basilio) to take the
gold he finds and go to school. In his dying breath, he instructed
Basilio to continue dreaming about freedom for his motherland with
the words:
 “ I shall die without seeing the dawn break upon my homeland.
You, who shall see it, salute it! Do not forget those who have fallen
during the night.”
 Elías died thereafter.
 In the epilogue, it was explained that Tiago became addicted to
opium and was seen to frequent the opium house in Binondo to
satiate his addiction. María Clara became a nun where Salví, who
has lusted after her from the beginning of the novel, regularly used
her to fulfill his lust. One stormy evening, a beautiful crazy woman
was seen at the top of the convent crying and cursing the heavens
for the fate it has handed her. While the woman was never
identified, it is suggested that the said woman was María Clara.
Publication of the Noli
 Rizal finished the novel on December 1886. At first, according to
one of Rizal's biographers, Rizal feared the novel might not be
printed, and that it would remain unread. He was struggling with
financial constraints at the time and thought it would be hard to
pursue printing the novel. A financial aid came from a friend named
Máximo Viola which helped him print his book at a fine print media
in Berlin named Berliner Buchdruckerei-Actiengesellschaft. Rizal
at first, however, hesitated but Viola insisted and ended up lending
Rizal P300 for 2,000 copies; Noli was eventually printed in Berlin,
Germany. The printing was finished earlier than the estimated five
months. Viola arrived in Berlin in December 1886, and by March
21, 1887, Rizal had sent a copy of the novel to his friend
Blumentritt.
 On August 21, 2007, a 480-page then-latest English version of Noli
Me Tangere was released to major Australian book stores. The
Australian edition of the novel was published by Penguin Books
Classics, to represent the publication's "commitment to publish the
major literary classics of the world”. American writer Harold
Augenbraum, who first read the Noli in 1992, translated the novel.
A writer well-acquainted with translating other Hispanophone
literary works, Augenbraum proposed to translate the novel after
being asked for his next assignment in the publishing company.
Intrigued by the novel and knowing more about it, Penguin nixed
their plan of adapting existing English versions and instead
translated it on their own.
 This novel and its sequel, El Filibusterismo (nicknamed El Fili),
were banned in some parts of the Philippines because of their
portrayal of corruption and abuse by the country's Spanish
government and clergy. Copies of the book were smuggled in
nevertheless, and when Rizal returned to the Philippines after
completing medical studies, he quickly ran afoul of the local
government. A few days after his arrival, Governor-General Emilio
Terrero summoned Rizal to the Malacañang Palace and told him
of the charge that Noli Me Tangere contained subversive
statements. After a discussion, the Governor General was
appeased but still unable to offer resistance against the pressure
of the Church against the book. The persecution can be discerned
from Rizal's letter to Leitmeritz:
 “My book made a lot of noise; everywhere, I am asked about it.
They wanted to anathematize me ('to excommunicate me')
because of it... I am considered a German spy, an agent of
Bismarck, they say I am a Protestant, a freemason, a sorcerer, a
damned soul and evil. It is whispered that I want to draw plans, that
I have a foreign passport and that I wander through the streets by
night...”
 Rizal was exiled to Dapitan, and then later arrested for "inciting
rebellion" based largely on his writings. Rizal was executed in
Manila on December 30, 1896 at the age of thirty-five.
 Rizal depicted nationality by emphasizing the qualities of Filipinos:
the devotion of a Filipina and her influence on a man's life, the deep
sense of gratitude, and the solid common sense of the Filipinos
under the Spanish regime.
 The work was instrumental in creating a unified Filipino national
identity and consciousness, as many natives previously identified
with their respective regions. It lampooned, caricatured and
exposed various elements in colonial society. Two characters in
particular have become classics in Filipino culture: Maria Clara,
who has become a personification of the ideal Filipina woman,
loving and unwavering in her loyalty to her spouse; and the priest
Father Dámaso, who reflects the covert fathering of illegitimate
children by members of the Spanish clergy.
 The book indirectly influenced a revolution, even though the author
actually advocated direct representation to the Spanish
government and a larger role for the Philippines within Spain's
political affairs. In 1956, the Congress of the Philippines passed
the Republic Act 1425, more popularly known as the Rizal Law,
which requires all levels of Philippine schools to teach the novel as
part of their curriculum. Noli Me Tangere is being taught to third
year secondary school students, while its sequel El Filibusterismo
is being taught for fourth year secondary school students. The
novels are incorporated to their study and survey of Philippine
literature.
Major Characters
 Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin, commonly referred to the
novel as Ibarra or Crisóstomo, is the protagonist in the story. Son
of a Filipino businessman, Don Rafael Ibarra, he studied in Europe
for seven years. Ibarra is also María Clara's fiancé. Several
sources claim that Ibarra is also Rizal's reflection: both studied in
Europe and both persons believe in the same ideas. Upon his
 RIZL211- NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO
return, Ibarra requested the local government of San Diego to
construct a public school to promote education in the town.
 In the sequel of Noli, El Filibusterismo, Ibarra returned with
different character and name: he called himself as Simoun, the
English mestizo.
 María Clara de los Santos y Alba, commonly referred to as María
Clara, is Ibarra's fiancée. She was raised by Capitán Tiago, San
Diego's cabeza de barangay and is the most beautiful and widely
celebrated girl in San Diego. In the later parts of the novel, María
Clara's identity was revealed as an illegitimate daughter of Father
Dámaso, former parish curate of the town, and Doña Pía Alba, wife
of Capitán Tiago. In the end she entered local covenant for nuns
Beaterio de Santa Clara. In the epilogue dealing with the fate of
the characters, Rizal stated that it is unknown if María Clara is still
living within the walls of the covenant or she is already dead.
 The character of María Clara was patterned after Leonor Rivera,
Rizal's first cousin and childhood sweetheart.
 Don Santiago de los Santos, known by his nickname Tiago and
political title Capitán Tiago is a Filipino businessman and the
cabeza de barangay or head of barangay of the town of San Diego.
He is also the known father of María Clara.
 In the novel, it is said that Capitán Tiago is the richest man in the
region of Binondo and he possessed real properties in Pampanga
and Laguna de Bay. He is also said to be a good Catholic, friend
of the Spanish government and was considered as a Spanish by
colonialists. Capitán Tiago never attended school, so he became
a domestic helper of a Dominican friar who taught him informal
education. He married Pía Alba from Santa Cruz.
 Dámaso Verdolagas, or Padre Dámaso is a Franciscan friar and
the former parish curate of San Diego. He is best known as a
notorious character that speaks with harsh words and has been a
cruel priest during his stay in the town. He is the real father of María
Clara and an enemy of Crisóstomo's father, Rafael Ibarra. Later,
he and María Clara had bitter arguments whether she would marry
Alfonso Linares or go to a convent. At the end of the novel, he is
again re-assigned to a distant town and is found dead one day.
 In popular culture, when a priest was said to be like Padre Dámaso,
it means that he is a cruel but respectable individual. When one
says a child is "Anak ni Padre Damaso" (child of Padre Dámaso),
it means that the child's father's identity is unknown.
 Elías is Ibarra's mysterious friend and ally. Elías made his first
appearance as a pilot during a picnic of Ibarra and María Clara and
her friends. He wants to revolutionize the country and to be freed
from Spanish oppression.
 Filosofo Tacio, known by his Filipinized name Pilosopo Tasyo is
another major character in the story. Seeking for reforms from the
government, he expresses his ideals in paper written in a
cryptographic alphabet similar from hieroglyphs and Coptic figures
hoping "that the future generations may be able to decipher it" and
realized the abuse and oppression done by the conquerors.
 His full name is only known as Don Anastacio. The educated
inhabitants of San Diego labeled him as Filosofo Tacio (Tacio the
Sage) while others called him as Tacio el Loco (Insane Tacio) due
to his exceptional talent for reasoning.
 Doña Victorina de los Reyes de Espadaña, commonly known as
Doña Victorina, is an ambitious Filipina who classifies herself as
Spanish and mimics Spanish ladies by putting on heavy make-up.
The novel narrates Doña Victorina's younger days: she had lots of
admirers, but she did not choose any of them because nobody was
a Spaniard. Later on, she met and married Don Tiburcio de
Espadaña, an official of the customs bureau who is about ten years
her junior. However, their marriage is childless.
 Her husband assumes the title of medical doctor even though he
never attended medical school; using fake documents and
certificates, Tiburcio practices illegal medicine. Tiburcio's usage
of the title Dr. consequently makes Victorina assume the title Dra.
(doctora, female doctor). Apparently, she uses the whole name
Doña Victorina de los Reyes de Espadaña, with double de to
emphasize her marriage surname. She seems to feel that this
awkward titling makes her more "sophisticated."
 Sisa, Crispín, and Basilio represent a Filipino family persecuted
by the Spanish authorities. Narcisa or Sisa is the deranged mother
of Basilio and Crispín. Described as beautiful and young, although
she loves her children very much, she cannot protect them from
the beatings of her husband, Pedro.
 Crispín is Sisa's 7-year-old son. An altar boy, he was unjustly
accused of stealing money from the church. After failing to force
Crispín to return the money he allegedly stole, Father Salví and
the head sacristan killed him. It is not directly stated that he was
killed, but the dream of Basilio suggests that Crispín died during
his encounter with Padre Salvi and his minion.
 Basilio is Sisa's 10-year-old son. An acolyte tasked to ring the
church bells for the Angelus, he faced the dread of losing his
younger brother and the descent of his mother into insanity. At the
end of the novel, Elías wished Basilio to bury him by burning in
exchange of chest of gold located on his death ground. He will later
play a major role in El Filibusterismo.
 Due to their tragic but endearing story, these characters are often
parodied in modern Filipino popular culture.
 There are a number of secondary and minor characters in Noli Me
Tangere. Items indicated inside the parenthesis are the standard
Filipinization of the Spanish names in the novel.
 Padre Hernando de la Sibyla is a Dominican friar. He is described
as short and has fair skin. He is instructed by an old priest in his
order to watch Crisóstomo Ibarra.
 Padre Bernardo Salví is the Franciscan curate of San Diego,
secretly harboring lust for María Clara. He is described to be very
thin and sickly. It is also hinted that his last name, "Salvi" is the
shorter form of "Salvi" meaning Salvation, or "Salvi" is short for
"Salvaje" meaning bad hinting to the fact that he is willing to kill an
innocent child, Crispin, just to get his money back, though there
was not enough evidence that it was Crispin who has stolen his 2
onzas.
 El Alférez or Alperes is the chief of the Guardia Civil; mortal
enemy of the priests for power in San Diego and husband of Doña
Consolacion.
 Doña Consolacíon is the wife of the Alférez, nicknamed as la
musa de los guardias civiles (The muse of the Civil Guards) or la
 RIZL211- NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO
Alféreza, was a former laundrywoman who passes herself as a
Peninsular; best remembered for her abusive treatment of Sisa.
 Don Tiburcio de Espadaña is a Spanish Quack Doctor who is
limp and submissive to his wife, Doña Victorina.
 Teniente Guevara is a close friend of Don Rafael Ibarra. He
reveals to Crisóstomo how Don Rafael Ibarra's death came about.
 Alfonso Linares is a distant nephew of Tiburcio de Espanada, the
would-be fiancé of María Clara. Although he presented himself as
a practitioner of law, it was later revealed that he, just like Don
Tiburcio, is a fraud. He later died due to given medications of Don
Tiburcio.
 Tía Isabel is Capitán Tiago's cousin, who raised Maria Clara.
 Governor General (Gobernador Heneral) is the Unnamed person
in the novel, he is the most powerful official in the Philippines. He
has great disdain for the friars and corrupt officials, and
sympathizes with Ibarra.
 Don Filipo Lino is the vice mayor of the town of San Diego, leader
of the liberals.
 Padre Manuel Martín is the linguist curate of a nearby town who
delivers the sermon during San Diego's fiesta.
 Don Rafael Ibarra is the father of Crisóstomo Ibarra. Though he
is the richest man in San Diego, he is also the most virtuous and
generous.
 Doña Pía Alba is the wife of Capitan Tiago and mother of María
Clara, she died giving birth to her daughter. In reality, she was
raped by Dámaso so she could bear a child.
 These characters were mentioned in the novel, appeared once,
mentioned many times or have no major contribution to the
storyline.
 Don Pedro Y Barramendia is the great-grandfather of Crisóstomo
Ibarra who came from the Basque area of Spain. He started the
misfortunes of Elias' family. His descendants abbreviated their
surname to Ibarra. He died of unknown reasons, but was seen as
a decaying corpse on a Balite Tree.
 Don Saturnino Ibarra is the son of Don Pedro, father of Don
Rafael and grandfather of Crisóstomo Ibarra. He was the one who
developed the town of San Diego. He was described as a cruel
man but was very clever.
 Sinang is Maria Clara's friend. Because Crisóstomo Ibarra offered
half of the school he was building to Sinang, he gained Capitan
Basilio's support.
 Iday, Neneng and Victoria are Maria Clara's other friends.
 Capitán Basilio is Sinang's father, leader of the conservatives.
 Pedro is the abusive husband of Sisa who loves cockfighting.
 Tandáng Pablo is the leader of the tulisanes (bandits), whose
family was destroyed because of the Spaniards.
 El hombre amarillo (apparently means "yellowish person", named
as Taong Madilaw) is one of Crisostomo Ibarra's would-be
assassins. He is not named in the novel, and only described as
such. In the novel, he carved the cornerstone for Ibarra's school.
Instead of killing Ibarra, he was killed by his cornerstone.
 Lucas is the brother of the taong madilaw. He planned a revolution
against the government with Ibarra as the leader after he was
turned down by Ibarra. He was said to have a scar on his left
cheek. He would later be killed by the Sakristan Mayor.
 Bruno and Tarsilo are a pair of brothers whose father was killed
by the Spaniards.
 Ñor Juan (Ñol Juan) is the appointed as foreman of the school to
be built by Ibarra
 Capitana Tika is Sinang's mother and wife of Capitan Basilio.
 Albino - a former seminarian who joined the picnic with Ibarra and
María Clara. He was later captured during the revolution.
 Capitana María Elena is a nationalist woman who defends Ibarra
of the memory of his father.
 Capitán Tinong and Capitán Valentín are other known people
from the town of San Diego.
 Sacristán Mayor is the one who governs the altar boys and killed
Crispín for his accusation.
B. EL FILIBUSTERISMO
 El Filibusterismo ( Spanish for "The Filibustering"), also known by
its English alternate title The Reign of Greed, is the second novel
written by Philippine national hero José Rizal.
 It is the sequel to Noli Me Tangere and like the first book was
written in Spanish.
 It was first published in 1891 in Ghent, Belgium.
PLOT SUMMARY
 Thirteen years after leaving the Philippines, Crisostomo Ibarra
returns as Simoun, a rich jeweler sporting a beard and blue-tinted
glasses, and a confidant of the Captain-General. Abandoning his
idealism, he becomes a cynical saboteur, seeking revenge against
the Spanish Philippine system responsible for his misfortunes by
plotting a revolution.
 Simoun insinuates himself into Manila high society and influences
every decision of the Captain-General to mismanage the country’s
affairs so that a revolution will break out. He cynically sides with
the upper classes, encouraging them to commit abuses against the
masses to encourage the latter to revolt against the oppressive
Spanish colonial regime.
 This time, he does not attempt to fight the authorities through legal
means, but through violent revolution using the masses. Simoun
has reasons for instigating a revolution. First is to rescue María
Clara from the convent and second, to get rid of ills and evils of
Philippine society.
 His true identity is discovered by a now grown-up Basilio while
visiting the grave of his mother, Sisa, as Simoun was digging near
the grave site for his buried treasures. Simoun spares Basilio’s life
and asks him to join in his planned revolution against the
government, egging him on by bringing up the tragic misfortunes
of the latter's family.
 Basilio declines the offer as he still hopes that the country’s
condition will improve.
 Basilio, at this point, is a graduating student of medicine at
the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. After the death of his mother,
Sisa, and the disappearance of his younger brother, Crispín,
Basilio heeded the advice of the dying boatman, Elías, and
traveled to Manila to study. Basilio declines the offer as he still
hopes that the country’s condition will improve.
 RIZL211- NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO
 Basilio, at this point, is a graduating student of medicine at
the Ateneo Municipal de Manila. After the death of his mother,
Sisa, and the disappearance of his younger brother, Crispín,
Basilio heeded the advice of the dying boatman, Elías, and
traveled to Manila to study.
 Basilio was adopted by Captain Tiago after María Clara entered
the convent. With Captain Tiago’s help, Basilio was able to go
to Colegio de San Juan de Letrán where, at first, he is frowned
upon by his peers and teachers not only because of the color of
his skin but also because of his shabby appearance.
 Captain Tiago’s confessor, Father Irene is making Captain Tiago’s
health worse by giving him opium even as Basilio tries hard to
prevent Captain Tiago from smoking it. He and other students want
to establish a Spanish language academy so that they can learn to
speak and write Spanish despite the opposition from the
Dominican friars of the Universidad de Santo Tomás.
 With the help of a reluctant Father Irene as their mediator and Don
Custodio’s decision, the academy is established; however they will
only serve as caretakers of the school not as the teachers.
Dejected and defeated, they hold a mock celebration at a
pancitería while a spy for the friars witnesses the proceedings.
 Simoun, for his part, keeps in close contact with the bandit group
of Kabesang Tales, a former cabeza de barangay who suffered
misfortunes at the hands of the friars. Once a farmer owning a
prosperous sugarcane plantation and a cabeza de barangay
(barangay head), he was forced to give everything to the greedy
and unscrupulous Spanish friars.
 His son, Tano, who became a civil guard, was captured by bandits;
his daughter Hulî had to work as a maid to get enough ransom
money for his freedom; and his father, Tandang Selo, suffered a
stroke and became mute. Before joining the bandits, Tales took
Simoun’s revolver while Simoun was staying at his house for the
night. As payment, Tales leaves a locket that once belonged to
María Clara. To further strengthen the revolution, Simoun has
Quiroga, a Chinese man hoping to be appointed consul to the
Philippines, smuggle weapons into the country using Quiroga’s
bazaar as a front.
 Simoun wishes to attack during a stage play with all of his enemies
in attendance. He, however, abruptly aborts the attack when he
learns from Basilio that María Clara had died earlier that day in the
convent. A few days after the mock celebration by the students,
the people are agitated when disturbing posters are found
displayed around the city. The authorities accuse the students
present at the pancitería of agitation and disturbing peace and
have them arrested. Basilio, although not present at the mock
celebration, is also arrested. Captain Tiago dies after learning of
the incident and as stated in his will—forged by Irene, all his
possessions are given to the Church, leaving nothing for Basilio.
Basilio is left in prison as the other students are released.
 A high official tries to intervene for the release of Basilio but the
Captain-General, bearing grudges against the high official,
coerces him to tender his resignation. Julî, Basilio’s girlfriend and
the daughter of Kabesang Tales, tries to ask Father Camorra’s
help upon the advice of an elder woman. Instead of helping Julî,
however, the priest tries to rape her as he has long-hidden desires
for Julî.
 A high official tries to intervene for the release of Basilio but the
Captain-General, bearing grudges against the high official,
coerces him to tender his resignation. Julî, Basilio’s girlfriend and
the daughter of Kabesang Tales, tries to ask Father Camorra’s
help upon the advice of an elder woman. Instead of helping Julî,
however, the priest tries to rape her as he has long-hidden desires
for Julî.
 Julî, rather than submit to the will of the friar, jumps over the
balcony to her death. Basilio is soon released with the help of
Simoun. Basilio, now a changed man, after hearing about Julî's
suicide, finally joins Simoun’s revolution.
 Simoun then tells Basilio his plan at the wedding of Paulita Gómez
and Juanito, Basilio’s hunch-backed classmate. His plan was to
conceal an explosive inside a pomegranate-styled Kerosene lamp
that Simoun will give to the newlyweds as a gift during the wedding
reception.
 The reception will take place at the former home of the late Captain
Tiago, which was now filled with explosives planted by Simoun.
According to Simoun, the lamp will stay lighted for only 20 minutes
before it flickers;’
 If someone attempts to turn the wick, it will explode and kill
everyone—important members of civil society and the Church
hierarchy—inside the house. Basilio has a change of heart and
attempts to warn Isagani, his friend and the former boyfriend of
Paulita.
 Simoun leaves the reception early as planned and leaves a note
behind:
“Mene Thecel Phares.”
—Juan Crisostomo Ibarra
 Initially thinking that it was simply a bad joke, Father Salví
recognizes the handwriting and confirms that it was indeed
Ibarra’s. As people begin to panic, the lamp flickers. Father Irene
tries to turn the wick up when Isagani, due to his undying love for
Paulita, bursts in the room and throws the lamp into the river,
sabotaging Simoun's plans. He escapes by diving into the river as
guards chase after him. He later regrets his impulsive action
because he had contradicted his own belief that he loved his nation
more than Paulita and that the explosion and revolution could have
fulfilled his ideals for Filipino society. Simoun, now unmasked as
the perpetrator of the attempted arson and failed revolution,
becomes a fugitive. Wounded and exhausted after he was shot by
the pursuing Guardia Civil, he seeks shelter at the home of Father
Florentino, Isagani’s uncle, and comes under the care of Doctor
Tiburcio de Espadaña, Doña Victorina's husband, who was also
hiding at the house.
 Simoun takes poison in order for him not to be captured alive.
Before he dies, he reveals his real identity to Florentino while they
exchange thoughts about the failure of his revolution and why God
forsook him. Florentino opines that God did not forsake him and
that his plans were not for the greater good but for personal gain.
 Simoun, finally accepting Florentino’s explanation, squeezes his
hand and dies. Florentino then takes Simoun’s remaining jewels
and throws them into the Pacific Ocean with the corals hoping that
 RIZL211- NOLI ME TANGERE AND EL FILIBUSTERISMO
they would not be used by the greedy, and that when the time
came that it would be used for the greater good, when the nation
would be finally deserving liberty for themselves, the sea would
reveal the treasures.
CHARACTERS OF THE EL FILIBUSTERISMO
 SIMOUN - A powerful man who has a great influence over the
Kapitan Heneral. Using this, he plans to destroy the Spaniards as
his vendetta for the sufferings of Crisostomo Ibarra.
 BASILIO - The eldest of Sisa's two sons, now an aspiring doctor
whose medical education was being financed by Capitan Tiago.
He is now at the point of graduation during the events in the novel.
 ISAGANI - Poet and Basilio's best friend; portrayed as emotional
and reactive; Paulita Gómez' boyfriend before being dumped for
fellow student Juanito Peláez
 KABESANG TALES - Cabeza Telesforo Juan de Dios, a
former cabeza de barangay of Sagpang, a barangay in San
Diego's neighboring town Tiani, who resurfaced as the feared
Luzón bandit Matanglawin
 DON CUSTODIO - Custodio de Salazar y Sánchez de
Monteredondo, a famous "journalist" who was asked by the
students about his decision for the Academia de Castellano.
 PAULITA GOMEZ - The girlfriend of Isagani and the niece of Doña
Victorina. In the end, she and Juanito Peláez are wed, and she
dumps Isagani
 MACARAIG - One of Isagani's classmates at the University of
Santo Tomas. He is a rich student and serves as the leader of the
students yearning to build the Academia de Castellano.
 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
 JULI/HULI - Juliana de Dios, the girlfriend of Basilio, and the
youngest daughter of Kabesang Tales. To claim her father from
the bandits, she had to work as a maid under the supervision of
Hermana Penchang.
 JUANITO PELAEZ - The son of Don Timoteo Pelaez, a Spanish
businessman, he is also one of the members of Macaraig's gang
who wish to have the Academia de Castellano built.
 DOÑA VICTORINA - Victorina delos Reyes de Espadaña, known
in Noli Me Tangere as Tiburcio de Espadaña's cruel wife.
 FATHER CAMORRA - The parish priest of Tiani. He has been
desiring young women ever since. He nearly raped Juli causing the
latter to commit suicide.
 BEN-ZAYB - The pseudonym of Abraham Ibañez, a journalist who
believes he is 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.
 HERMANA PENCHANG - Sagpang's rich pusakal (gambler). She
offers Huli to be her maid so the latter can obtain money to free
Kabesang Tales.
 TIBURCIO DE ESPADAÑA - Don Tiburcio is Victorina de
Espadaña's lame husband. He is currently on hiding with Father
Florentino.
 FATHER ÍRENE - Captain Tiago's spiritual adviser. Although
reluctant, he helped the students to establish the Academia de
Castellano after being convinced by giving him a chestnut.
 QUIROGA - A Chinese businessman who dreamed of being a
consul for his country in the Philippines. He hid Simoun's weapons
inside his house.
 DON TIMOTEO PELAEZ - Juanito's father. He is a rich
businessmen and arranges a wedding for his son and Paulita. He
and Simoun became business partners.
 TANDANG SELO - Father of Kabesang Tales. He raised the sick
and young Basilio after he left their house in Noli Me Tangere.
 FATHER FERNÁNDEZ - The priest-friend of Isagani. He promised
to Isagani that he and the other priests will give in to the students'
demands.
 SANDOVAL - The vice-leader of Macaraig's gang. A Spanish
classmate of Isagani.
 HERMANA BÁLI - Another gambler in Tiani. She became Huli's
mother-figure and counselor; helped to release Kabesang Tales
from the hands of bandits
 PASTA - One of the great lawyers of mid-Hispanic Manila,
opposed the students' demands for a Spanish language academy
 FATHER MILLON - The Physics teacher of the University of Santo
Tomas. He always becomes vindictive with Placido and always
taunts him during class.
 TADEO - Macaraig's classmate. He, along with the other three
members of their gang, supposedly posted the posters
 LEEDS - An American who holds stage plays starring decapitated
heads; he is good friends with Simoun.
 TANO - Kabesang Tales's elder son after his older sister, Lucia
died in childhood.
 PEPAY - Don Custodio's supposed "girlfriend". A dancer, she is
always agitated of her boyfriend’s plans. She seems to be a close
friend of Macaraig.
 GOBERNADOR GENERAL - The highest-ranking official in the
Philippines during the Spanish colonial period.
 PECSON - Basilio's classmate who had no idea on the happenings
occurring around him. He suggested that they held the mock
celebration at the panciteria.
 FATHER HERNANDO DE LA SIBYLA - A Dominican friar
introduced in Noli Me Tangere, now the vice-rector of
the University of Santo Tomas.
 FATHER BERNARDO SALVI - Former parish priest of San Diego,
now the director and chaplain of the Santa Clara convent.
 CAPTAIN TIAGO - Santiago delos Santos, although making a
cameo appearance, Captain Tiago is Maria Clara's stepfather and
the foster-father to Basilio.
 MARIA CLARA - Introduced in Dr. Rizal's first novel "Noli Me
Tangere". She was once the girlfriend of Crisostomo Ibarra but
chose to became a nun despite Father Damaso's (her real father)
arguments. She eventually committed suicide, as witnessed by
Basilio when he visited the convent of Santa Clara.