NOLI ME TANGERE
Learning Outcome:
1. Appraise important characters in the novel and what they represent
2. Examine the present Philippine situation through the examples mentioned in the Noli
Lesson 14
Noli Me Tángere, Latin for "Touch me not", is an 1887 novel by José Rizal during the
colonization of the Philippines by Spain to describe perceived inequities of the Spanish Catholic
friars and the ruling government. Rizal finished Noli Me Tangere on February 21, 1887.
IDEA OF WRITING ON PHILIPPINES:
The reading of Harriet Beecher Stowes“Uncle Tom’s Cabin”- which portrays the
brutalities of American slave-owners and the pathetic conditions of the unfortunate Negro,
Slaves, inspired Dr. Jose Rizal to prepare a novel on the Philippines
Rizal was a student in the Central University of Madrid
Rizal proposed is writing of a novel about the Philippines during the reunion of Filipinos
in the house of the Paternos in Madrid on January 2, 1884.
The end of 1884 – Rizal began writing the novel in Madrid and he finished one half of it.
1885
• He went to Paris for completing his studies in the Universidad Central De Madrid
• He continued writing the novel, finishing the one half of the second half.
GERMANY 1886
• During the dark days
• While his spirit was at its lowest ebb, he almost threw the manuscript into the fire
• The novel was almost finished
• He was desperately desponded because he saw no hope of having it to published for he
was utterly penniless
FERNANDO CANON – friend of Rizal
MID DECEMBER – a telegram from Barcelona arrived
THE TELEGRAM
• Sent by Dr. Maximo Viola, informing Rizal of his coming visit to Berlin
• The message revived the author’s Hope
Dr. Maximo Viola
• A scion of a rich family of San Miguel Bulacan
• Would surely lend him the money for the publication of the novel
• The man had saved “Noli”
• Viola was a Godsend
• Viola came to Berlin to invite Rizal to join him in a tour of Europe
• When he learned of Rizal’s predicament, he kindly agreed to postponed the tour and
instead, advanced some money so that the novel could be printed
1887
• First edition of Noli Me Tangere was printed in Berlin
• P300.oo cost of printing (advance by Viola) for 2000 copies
MARCH 29, 1887
• Rizal gave the Galley Proofs of the Noli
• A significant date for it was the date when the Noli Me Tangere came off the press
MARCH 1887
• Rizal writing to Felix R. Hidalgo in French
• “Noli Me Tangere” words taken from the gospel of St.Luke
• Rizal made a mistake. It should be the gospel of St. John, on the first Easter Sunday St.
John(chapter 20:13-17)
ST. MARY MAGDALENE - visited the Holy Sepulchre, and to her our Lord Jesus, just arisen
from the dead
The author’s dedication
Rizal dedicated the Noli Me Tangere to the Philippines “to my country” his dedication runs as
follows:
Recorded in the history of human sufferings is a cancer so malignant a character that the least
touch irritates it and awakens in it the sharpest pains. Thus, how many times, when in the midst
of modern civilization i have wished to call thee before me, now to accompany me in memories.
Now to compare thee with other countries, hath thy dear image presented itself showing a social
cancer like a to that other!
Desiring thy welfare which our own, a seeking the best treatments, i will do with thee what the
ancient did with their seek exposing them on the steps of the temple so that everyone who
came to invoke the divinity might offer them a remedy.
And to this end, I will strive to reproduce thy condition faithfully, without discrimination, I will raise
a part of the veil that covers the evil, sacrificing to truth everything, even vanity itself. Since, as
thy son i am conscious that I also suffer from thy defects and weaknesses.
NOLI ME TANGERE
• Contains 63 chapters and an epilogue
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The first of two canonical 19th-century novels, Noli Me Tangere revolves around Crisostomo
Ibarra who, after a seven-year stay in Europe to study, comes home to his town of San Diego,
brimming with the desire to contribute to the development of the townspeople. More specifically,
as a reformist, he aims to make education accessible to more people. His idealism, however,
cannot bear fruit because of insidious forces bent on destroying him. Ibarra learns that his
father, Don Rafael, had been embroiled in a conflict with Padre Damaso, who eventually causes
his humiliation and death. It is not only political power that the friar wields; he has also used
power to seduce the mother of Maria Clara, Ibarra’s sweetheart. Ibarra has another enemy in
the person of Padre Salvi, who lusts after Maria Clara. It is also Padre Salvi who almost causes
Ibarra’s death at the groundbreaking ceremonies for the school. Things come to a head when
Ibarra is implicated in a failed uprising instigated by Padre Salvi. The young man is imprisoned
but is eventually rescued by Elias, whose life Ibarra has saved in the past. As the novel ends,
the thoroughly disillusioned Ibarra sees a bleak future.
MAJOR CHARACTERS
1. Crisostomo Ibarra
Juan Crisostomo Ibarra y Magsalin, commonly called Ibarra, is Filipino-Spanish and the only
descendant of the wealthy Spaniard Don Rafael Ibarra. He was born and grew up in the
Philippines, but during his adolescence, spent seven years studying in Europe. Those years
prevented him from knowing what was happening in his country. When he returned to the
Philippines, he found his father had died and the corpse was (supposedly) moved to a Chinese
cemetery (but the body ended up in a river). He heard tales of how helpful and kind his father
had been and decided to honor the memory of his father by doing as his father did.
Crisostomo Ibarra exemplified the vision that Jose Rizal had aimed for the youth of the
Philippines during his time. Others attribute Ibarra as Rizal’s reflection of himself.
2. María Clara
María Clara de los Santos y Alba, is the most dominant yet weakest representation of women in
the setting. When thinking of Noli, the name of María Clara can be seen predominantly as the
image of the ideal Filipino woman. María Clara is the primary female character in the novel. She
is the daughter of Capitán Tiago and Doña Pía Alba. Doña Pía died while delivering Maria
Clara. The poor child grew under the guidance and supervision of Tíya Isabél, Capitán Tiago's
cousin.
María Clara is known to be Ibarra's lover since childhood. When Ibarra was away in Europe,
Capitán Tiago sent Maria Clara to the Beaterio de Santa Clara where she developed into a
lovely woman under the strict guidance of the religious nuns.
Later in the novel, María Clara discovers that her biological father is not Capitán Tiago, but San
Diego's former curate and her godfather Padre Dámaso. After hearing about Ibarra's death, she
persuaded Padre Damaso to let her be endorsed into a nunnery. Padre Damaso wouldn't let her
at first but finally relented for fear that Maria Clara might take her own life. She remained in the
nunnery and died before Ibarra (Simoun in El Fili) could rescue her.
Maria Clara symbolizes the purity and innocence of a sheltered native woman during the time of
Spanish occupation. She does not value material things that were abundantly bestowed upon
her by admirers and family alike but holds in high esteem her parents’ honor and the promise
she had given to her sweetheart.
3. Padre Dámaso
Dámaso Verdolagas (commonly known as Padre Dámaso/Padre Damaso or Father Damaso),
of Franciscan order, was the former curate of the parish church of San Diego. He was the curate
for almost twenty years before he was replaced by the much younger Padre Salvi. Padre
Damaso was known to be friendly with the Ibarra family, so much that Crisóstomo was surprised
by what the former curate had done to Don Rafaél.
Padre Dámaso is described to be a snobbish, ruthless and judgemental extrovert. He does not
control his words when speaking and does not care if the person he is talking to will feel
embarrassed or remorseful. He always berates or criticizes other people around him-- especially
Ibarra. Enraged, Ibarra once almost stabbed the priest after he embarrassed him in front of the
people in the sacristy. This made everyone think that he was slain before Ibarra was being
issued for arrest.
There are also issues that he and Donya Pia had a relationship and also revealed that he is the
biological father of Maria Clara.
He symbolizes the Spanish friars of Rizal's time and is a comment on the Spanish control of the
Philippines.
4. Kapitán Tiago
Don Santíago de los Santos, commonly known as Kapitán Tiago, is the only son of a wealthy
trader in Malabon. Due to his mother's cruelty, Kapitán Tiago did not attain any formal
education. He became a servant of a Dominican priest. When the priest and his father died,
Kapitán Tiago decided to assist in the family business of trading before he met his wife Doña
Pía Alba, who came from another wealthy family. Because of their consistent devotion to Santa
Clara in Obando, they were blessed with a daughter who shared the same features as Padre
Dámaso, named Maria Clara.
Kapitán Tiago owned numerous properties in Pampanga, Laguna and especially, in San Diego.
He also managed boarding houses along Daang Anloague and Santo Cristo (in San Diego too)
and had contracts for opening an opium business.
He is close to the priests because he had given numerous contributions of money during
ecclesiastical donations and always invited the parish curate to every formal dinner. He was
also entrenched with the government because he always supported tax increases whenever the
local officials wished. That was the reason he obtained the title of gobernadorcillo, the highest
government position that a non-Spaniard could have in the Philippines.
Later in the Noli sequel, El Filibusterismo, Kapitán Tiago loses all his properties and becomes
addicted to opium, which would eventually lead to his death.
Capitan Tiago was a typical character during the time of Jose Rizal. He is a rich native-born
Filipino who rubbed elbows with the powers that be during that time. He symbolizes the rich
Filipinos who oppress their fellow countrymen in exchange for the influence and the riches that
they might gain from their powerful associations.
5. Pilósopo Tasyo
Don Anastacio, commonly known as Filósofo Tacio (Philosopher Tasyo) is one of the most
important characters in Noli. On the one hand, he is referred to as a philosopher/sage (hence,
Pilosopo Tasyo) because his ideas were accurate with the minds of the townspeople. On the
other hand, if his ideas were against the thinking of the majority, he was considered the Imbecile
Tacio (or Tasyong Sintu-sinto) or Lunatic Tacio (Tasyong Baliw).
Filósofo Tacio was born into a wealthy Filipino family. His mother let him be formally educated,
then abruptly ordered him to stop. She feared Tasyo would become "too educated" and lose his
faith and devotion to religion. His mother gave him two choices: either go into the priesthood or
stop his education. Tasyo chose the latter because he had a girlfriend that time. Soon enough,
they married and after a year, Tasyo widowed while his mother also died. Most of his time was
taken up in reading and buying books that all his properties were lost and he became poor.
Tasyo symbolizes the learned Filipinos who had once embraced the culture of the Spanish
regime. They eventually became disenchanted when they return to the Philippines and observe
the stark contrast their countrymen receive from their colonizers. The more they turn to learning,
the more they become eccentric to the masses they seek to enlighten.
6. Eliás
Eliás came from the family which the Ibarra clan had oppressed for generations. He grew up in
a wealthy family until he discovered something that changed his life forever. Despite that
Ibarra's family subjugated his family; he is entirely indebted towards him. Furthermore, Ibarra,
who in turn, saved Elías' life when they tried to kill a crocodile. Elias helped him again before
Ibarra got arrested by burning his house. Elias and Ibarra continued supporting each other until
Elias sacrificed himself to help him one last time. He was shot by the guards (mistakenly took as
Ibarra trying to dive down the river and escape) and slowly died.
Elias represents the common Filipino who is not only aware of the injustices done to their
countrymen but would also like to deliver them from their oppressors. He is said to be the
personification of Andres Bonifacio.
7. Doña Victorina
Doña Victorina de los Reyes de Espadaña is the one who pretended to be a meztisa (a
Spaniard born in the Philippines) and always dreamed of finding a Spanish husband, in which
she married Don Tiburcio. She was feared by everyone in the town because of her odd
appearance, her ruthless personality, and her fierce rivalry against Donya Consolacion.
It actually came to pass that she did not like Don Tiburcio. She merely forced herself to marry
him despite having fallen in love with Kapitan Tiago.
As one of the lesser evils in the novel, Doña Victorina symbolizes those who have a distorted
view of their identity. Everything that is indigenous is inferior and everything foreign as superior.
It is the comedic form of “colonial mentality’’
8. Sisa
Narcisa is married to the man named Pedro and the mother of Basilio and Crispín. She depicts
how Filipino mothers love their children unquestionably.
After days when Crispin was held captive by Mang Tasyo, the owner of the sacristy, she was
arrested, locked up in the jail. One day later, she was pardoned by the town Alferez and was
released. However, when she returned home, Basilio was also gone. When she found Crispin's
clothes soaked with blood, she grew lunatic as she continues to find her children.
At the end of the novel, Basilio grievously mourns for his mother as he found her dying under
the tree.
Sisa, Crispín, and Basilio represent a Filipino family persecuted by the Spanish authorities.
9. Doña Consolacíon
Doña Consolacíon, la musa de los guardias civiles y esposa del Alférez once a laundry woman
who worked for the town Alferez. She became wealthy after marrying a Spanish husband.
Despite that they are rivals with Donya Victorina, they are somewhat common.
She symbolizes the Filipinos in society who are ashamed of their race and nationality.
OTHER CHARACTERS
There are a number of secondary and minor characters in Noli Me Tángere. Items indicated
inside the parenthesis are the standard Filipinization of the Spanish names in the novel.
10. Padre Hernándo de la Sibyla – 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.
11. Padre Bernardo Salví – the successor of Padre Dámaso as the Franciscan curate of San
Diego who secretly lusts after María Clara. He is described to be very thin and sickly. It is also
hinted that his surname, "Salví", is the shorter form of "salvacion" ("salvation"), or that "Salví" is
short for "salvaje" ("savage", "wild"), hinting at the fact that he is willing to kill an innocent child,
Crispín, whom he accused of stealing money worth two onzas. Symbolizes the lecherous friars
of Rizal's time.
12. El Alférez (Alperes) – the unnamed chief of the local Guardia Civil and husband of Doña
Consolación. He is the sworn enemy of the priests in the town's power struggle.
13. Doña Consolación – wife of the Alférez, nicknamed as la musa de los guardias civiles
("the muse of the Civil Guard") or la Alféreza. She was a former laundrywoman who passes
herself as a peninsular, and is best remembered for her abusive treatment of Sisa.
14. Don Tiburcio de Espadaña – A Spanish quack doctor who is weak and submissive to his
pretentious wife, Doña Victorina. Don Tiburcio is a caricature of ignorant Spaniards who wreak
havoc in the provinces during the colonial era. His countrymen condone his actions for they do
not want him to become a burden to them.
15. Teniente Guevarra – a close friend of Don Rafael Ibarra. He reveals to Crisóstomo how
Don Rafael Ibarra's death came about.
16. Alfonso Linares – A distant nephew of Tiburcio de Espadaña who would later become
the fiancé of María Clara. Although he presented himself as a practitioner of law, it was later
revealed that he is, like Don Tiburcio, a fraud. He later died from medications Don Tiburcio had
given him.
17. Tíya Isabel – Kapitán Tiago's cousin, who helped raise María Clara and served as a
surrogate mother figure.
18. Governor-General (Gobernador-Heneral) – Unnamed in the novel, he is the most
powerful colonial official in the Philippines. He harbors great disdain for the friars and corrupt
officials, and sympathizes with Ibarra.
19. Don Filipo Lino – vice mayor of the town of San Diego, leader of the liberals.
20. Padre Manuel Martín – he is the linguist curate of a nearby town who delivers the
sermon during San Diego's fiesta.
21. Don Rafael Ibarra – the deceased father of Crisóstomo Ibarra. Though he was the
richest man in San Diego, he was also the most virtuous and generous.
22. Doña Pía Alba – wife of Kapitán Tiago and mother of María Clara; she died giving birth
to her daughter. Kapitán Tiago was supposedly the child's father, but in reality, Alba was raped
by Padre Dámaso.
23. Don Pedro Eibarramendia – Crisóstomo Ibarra's Basque great-grandfather who falsely
accused Elías's grandfather and ruined his family. The surname was later shortened to Ibarra;
hence, Elías did not realize the relationship at first.
24. Albino – a seminarian who follows Crisóstomo Ibarra in a picnic with María Clara's
friends.
25. Don Saturnino Eibarramendia – the father of Don Rafael and grandfather of Crisóstomo
who is said to have founded the town of San Diego when it was still a vast forest.
EL FILIBUSTERISMO
Learning Outcome:
1. Compare and contrast the characters, plot, and them of the Noli and the El Fili
2. Value the role of the youth in the development and future of society
Lesson 15
El Filibusterismo is Jose Rizal's second novel written as the sequel of his Noli Me Tangere.
Commonly nicknamed El Filior simply Fili, the novel was written also in Spanish. Its commonly
known English alternative title is The Reign of Greed.
A. The Writing and Printing of Fili
October 1887 Rizal started writing El Filibusterismo in Calamba during his first
homecoming.
In 1888 he continued working on it, making revisions in London.
By March 23, 1891 Being able to focus on finishing the book, Rizal had finally competed
it in Blarritz
Jose Alejandrino, Rizal's roommate on Belgium related that he was the one who looked
for a printing press for El Fili. He delivered proofs and revisions to F. Meyer van Loo in Ghent
Valentin Ventura, Rizal’s friend who partially financed the novel’s publication while Rizal
financed El Fili’s printing by pawning his properties.
Even with Ventura’s help, Rizal found it necessary to fundamentally shorten the novel,
erasing 47 whole pages from the 279-page manuscript to save expenses.
The printed El Fili, which came off the press bye the middle of September 1891, turned
out comprising only 38 chapters compared with the 64 of the Noli-contrary to his original plan to
make a longer sequel.
In 1925, the Philippine government bought the El Fili manuscript from Ventura for a large
sum of 10,000 pesos. It is now being kept in the National Library.
B. Filibustero and Gomburza
The Filibusterismo in the novel’s title is derived from the simpler term filibustero.
Rizal defined the word ‘filibustero’ to his friend Ferdinand Bluementritt who encountered
but did not fully comprehend the word in the Noli
The word filibustero, thus, contextually means subversive, dissident, revolutionary,
seditious, insurrectionary, and treasonous.
Rizal dedicated the book to the memory of the Gomburza, the three Filipino patriotic
priests who were accused of being filibustero and, thus, executed.
Rizal fearlessly declared his conviction that the Spanish officials’ treatment of the priests’
case was was unjust “as[their] complicity in the Cavite Mutiny is not clearly proved.”
The foreword of the Fili was nonetheless addressed “To The Filino People nd Their
Government.”
The original manuscript also included a “warning” and an “inscription” on the title page
witten by the author’s friend, Ferdinand Bluementritt.
C. Themes of Fili
Indeed a continuation of the Noli, the EL FIlibusterismo exposes the real picture of Filipino
society at the hands of the Spanish authorities.
Socio-political issues mentioned in the Noli are also dealt with in its sequel: the abuses and
hypocrisy of the members of the Spanish Catholic clergy, superstitions disguising as religious
faith, the need for reform in educational system, the exploitation and corruption of government
officials, and the pretenses of some social-climbing Filipinos and Spaniards.
What makes El Fili essentially different from its prequel is that if offers various means of
attaining social reform and somewhat hinted what the author believed was ideal. Some
dialogues and incidents seem to suggest the apparent improbability of any radical socio-political
change. The main character’s persistence to push through with the rebellion, on the other hand,
seems to suggest that the independence is attainable through revolution.
However, the closing chapters rather insinuate that freedom must be attained without bloodshed
as the story ends with the failure of Simoun’s planned uprising.
Rizal can be said to be against unprepared and disorganized rebellion of uneducated people,
which could have a slim chance of victory. It is important to note that Rizal once commented that
an upright, patriotic, and selfless individual like Noli’s Elias would be a viable revolutionary
leader. In fact, Rizal was said to have confessed that he seriously regretted having killed Elias
instead of Ibarra.
These seem to prove that Rizal though practically promoting the attainment of reforms
peacefully also advocated the idea of armed revolution under some conditions. Intelligent as he
was, what Rizal would never subscribe to is the “useless spilling of blood,” but not the uprising
per se.
The novel’s ending, some scholars explain, however, should not be interpreted as Rizal’s
categorical stand against revolution.
D. NOLI VS. FILI
Rizal wrote the El Filibusterismo about four years after the Noli. The experiences he had in
those four years spelled a lot of differences in the way he treated his two novels.
In depicting the social conditions in the country, both novels employ satires and caricatures. El
Fili, however, is more serious as there is less humor and more bitterness in the treatment of
situations. In the Noli, the author reveals the cruelty and exploitation suffered by the natives at
the hands of the colonizers. In El Fili, Rizals depicts a society at the brink of rebellion as, the
natives’ minds have been awakened and revolutionary forces have been formed.
Generally, El Fili presents a gloomier depiction of the country under the Spanish regime. More
radical and revolutionary, the novel has less idealism and romance than Noli.
The El Fili manifests Rizal’s more mature and less hopeful attitude towards the socio-political
situation in the country. The grimmer outlook and more tragic mood can be attributed to the
prosecutions and sufferings the author and his family experienced from the Spanish friars and
officials in the years he was writing the novel.
Notwithstanding the sufferings caused by the Spaniards to the Rizal family, the Fili , its author
claimed, is not a matter of revenge, Jose wrote to Blumentritt “I have not written in it [Fili] any
idea of vengeance against my enemies , but only for the good of those who suffer, for the rights
of tagalogs…”
Some of Rizal's friends, like Blumentritt and Graciano Lopez Jaena, expressed that Fili was
superior to Noli. Rizal himself apparently once believed in the superiority of the Fili. When its
printing had to be stopped for lack of funds, he wrote to Basa: "It is a pity because it seems to
me that this second part [the Fili] is more important than the first (the Noli]" ("The El
Filibusterismo." 2013)
After the Fili was published, nonetheless, Rizal appeared to have a change of heart. In his
October 13, 1891 letter to Marcelo Del Pilar, he said: "I appreciate what you say about my work,
and I value your opinion highly that considered my Filibusterismo inferior to the Noli. I, too
frankly, without irony or words with a double meaning, share your opinion. For me, the
Filibusterismo as a novel is inferior to the Noli.. You are the first one to tell me the truth and I
agree with you. This flatters me as it proves that I still know how to judge myself. ("Rizal and
Other Reformers,” n.d.)
As regards his friends who told him that Fili was better, Rizal explained in the same letter:
“Blumentritt, all those in Paris and Barcelona, for their benevolence towards me say it [the Fili] is
superior. I attribute it only to their benevolence."
E. SYNOPSIS
The story in El Filibusterismo revolves around its main character Simoun who is an affluent
jeweler.
Simoun is actually Crisostomo Ibarra of the Noli whom everyone thought had been killed by the
Guardia Civil at Laguna de Bay. He has in fact escaped, fled to Cuba, become wealthy, and
made connections with influential Spanish officials. Upon his return to the Philippines after many
years, he becomes very influential as the governor-general, who owes so much to him, consults
him in making decisions.
In reality, however, everything Simoun does is just part of his grand plan to take revenge against
the Spanish officials and rescue Maria Clara from the convent. Planning to stage a revolution,
he smuggles arms and looks for followers mainly from the exploited and abused natives. One of
his recruits is Basilio, the son of Sisa, who with Capitan Tiago's help was able to study in Manila.
Simoun also makes an alliance with the revolutionary group of Kabesang Tales, a former
cabeza de barangay who suffered maltreatments from the hands of the friars. Using his
influence, Simoun encourages corruption, decadence, and more oppressive government
policies so that the citizens may become more infuriated.
However, the planned revolt one night is not carried out because Simoun, upon hearing that
Maria Clarahas died in the nunnery, decides not to give the signal for the outbreak of the
uprising. Another plan is made some months later. At the venue of the wedding reception of
Juanito Pelaez and Paulita Gomez, Simoun plants many explosives--enough to kill the invited
guests, primarily the friars and government officials.
According to the plot, the big explosion shall be started by the gift he will give to the newlyweds
at the reception-a kerosene lamp with an explosive. When the lamp flickers and someone turns
the wick, it will result into a big explosion that will become a signal to the revolutionary troops to
simultaneously attack all the government buildings in Manila. During the reception, Simoun
gives his gift to the newlyweds. Before hurriedly leaving the venue, he leaves a piece of
mysterious paper bearing the message "You will die tonight" signed by Juan Crisostomo Ibarra.
Meanwhile, Isagani, the rejected lover of Paulita, is standing outside the reception. His friend
Basilio tells him to leave the place because the lamp will soon blow up. When Father Salvi
identifies the handwriting in the note and confirms that it is indeed Ibarra's, the guests begin to
panic. When the lamp flickers, Father Irene tries to turn the wick up. But Isagani, wanting to
save Paulita's life, rushes into the house, grabs the lamp, and throws it into the river where it
explodes.
Simoun's revolutionary plot is thus known, and he is hunted by the law enforcers. He manages
to escape but is seriously wounded. Carrying his jewelry chest, he finds shelter in the home of
Padre Florentino by the sea. Learning of his presence in the house of the priest, the lieutenant
of the Guardia Civil informs Padre Florentino that he will come in the evening to arrest Simoun.
Simoun then takes poison so that he will not be caught alive. As the poison's effects start to take
toll on his body, he confesses to Florentino his true identity and his plan of revenge through
bloody revolution.
After the emotional and agonizing confession of the dying man, the priest absolves the dying
man from his sins, saying: "God will forgive you Señor Simoun. He knows that we are fallible.
He has seen that you have suffered ... He has frustrated your plans one by one ... first by he
death of Maria Clara, then by a lack of preparation, then in some mysterious way. Let us bow to
His will and render Him thanks!" The story ends with the priest throwing Simoun's treasures into
the sea so that they will not be used by the greedy. The priest hopes that when the right time
comes, they will be recovered and used only for the good.
F. NOLI AND FILI STOLEN
In Rizal's time, the Permanent Commission of Censorship recommended the absolute
prohibition on the importation, reproduction, and circulation of the Noli. The copies of the Fili, on
the other hand, were destroyed by Customs in Manila upon shipment to the Philippines. The
rare surviving copies of the novels were secretly purchased and according to one friend of the
family, had to be read in the smallest, most private room in the house--the toilet” (Ocampo,2012,
p. 108).
That was the fate of the first editions of Rizal's novels. But that is nothing. Compared to what
happened to their original manuscripts about 70 years after their publication.
The original manuscripts of the Noli and Fili (along with that of the poem "Mi Ultimo Adios") were
stolen from the National Library on the evening of December 8, 1961. After some days, the
thieves who outsmarted the building's sleepy quards sent a ransom note "made of newspaper
cutouts" to the Jose Rizal National Centennial Commission (RNCC) (Ocampo, 2012, p. 148).
The robbers demanded 1.4 million pesos for the return of the original texts, else Rizal's
handiworks would be burned. To summarize the "historic robbery," the then Education Secretary
Alejandro "Anding" Roces personally met with the burglars and, after some various negotiations,
had retrieved the documents without paying any single centavo.
The manuscripts were returned on installment basis-the "Ultimo Adios" during the first meeting,
the El Fili on the next negotiation, and lastly, the Noli. There was a time when the demanded
ransom was reduced to 100,000 pesos and then to 10,000 pesos Ocampo, 2012, p. 148). But
recognizing perhaps that they would get nothing from the government, the robbers ultimately
settled on returning the expensive documents, free of charge. Many still find this "charge-free
return of the manuscripts" strange and mind- blowing. But the following additional details about
the story could perhaps shed light on the account. During the negotiations, one of the burglars
related to Roces that on the night of the robbery, "the Rizal manuscripts suddenly became
heavy [as] a cavan of rice."
The thief, thus, exclaimed, "The manuscript must be holy or haunted!" (Ocampo,2012, p. 148).
One robber even claimed that he read Rizal's handwritten novels and described the feeling,
"Ang sarap basahin, kinikilabutan ako!" (Ocampo, 2012, p. 148). It is remarkably funny to note,
however, that the thief did not understand Spanish! Nonetheless, these indicate that the stealers
were probably bothered by their conscience, hence the consent to just send back the national
hero's works. Anding promised not to identify the robbers or to be a witness against them in
court. Thus, the hilariously controversial thieves were never known.
G. THE NOVELS' LEGACY
For fearlessly depicting the corruptions and abuses by the Spanish clergy and the colonial
government during the Spanish regime in the Philippines, the two novels are historically very
significant. Basically a social sketch of the country then, the Noli and Fili reveal the true setting
and condition of the Filipino society in the era. As essential sources of sociological and
anthropological studies, the books provide rich insights into the culture of the 19th and 20th
century Philippines. Their realistic depictions expose a conflicted colonial society seriously split
between the oppressors and the suffering local slaves. The novels' characters mimic the various
elements and types of individuals in that society.
Furthermore, they show favorable positive traits of the natives then, like the sense of gratitude,
the fidelity of women to their loved ones, and the yearning for freedom and equality. For their
explicit portrayal of what the locals really wished for their country. The books were instrumental
in forming the Filipino's (Indios) sense of national identity. Indirectly but significantly, the novels
influenced the revolution led by the Katipunan as they inspired Andres Bonifacio and the other
revolutionaries in their
