El Filibusterismo Paper

Course – Histo 11: Rizal and the Emergence of the Philippine Nation
Section – FF
Instructor – Mr. Micah Perez
TRUE FREEDOM, TRUE CHANGE
“Tomorrow we’ll be citizens of the Philippines, whose destiny is beautiful, because

its destiny will reside in loving hands...” (2011, 217) 1
In El Filibusterismo, we are made aware of the means by which Rizal wishes

the country to be renewed, of the hope that he holds for the youth of our nation, and
of the idea that he wishes to propagate that violence will only beget more violence,
and hate will breed nothing but more hate.
“Rizal’s prophecy was fulfilled. The leadership of the country had passed from
the men of peace to the men of violence,” (1967, 352)2 so goes the last lines of Dela
Costa’s “Nascent Philippine Nationalism.” It is very fitting to hold this statement in
contrast to the novel’s main protagonist, Simoun. After all the wrongs that have been
done to him and all the misfortunes that have befallen him, the idealist in the person
of Crisostomo Ibarra had died to give birth to the revolution-seeking Simoun, who
wishes to stir the Filipinos into action by means that are questionable at best and
deplorable at worst. He aims to overthrow the people he sees as oppressors by
highly violent and chaotic ways, without much regard for the value of the lives he
was so willing to sacrifice for the cause he deems necessary. But as mentioned by
Father Florentino in the novel’s last chapter, one cannot save something by the
same means that have destroyed it in the first place (2011, 323) 3. And as said in
Basilio’s musings, one man does not have in his hands the power nor the right to
deprive someone of their right to live (2011, 285) 4. From these, it is then fairly easy
1
Harold Augenbraum, El Filibusterismo, (New York: Penguin Group, 2011), 217.
2
Horacio dela Costa, “Nascent Philippine Nationalism,” (Kuala Lumpur: University of Malaya, 1967), 352.
3
Augenbraum, El Filibusterismo, 323.
4
Ibid., 285.
to see the reasons as to why Rizal decided to make the protagonist of his own story
fail in his quest for vengeance and revolution. Inasmuch as Rizal wants to awaken in
the Filipino people a heart of patriotism and a thirst for freedom, he wants this to be
done in a way that would not just breed more violence and hatred in the country. “…
redemption supposes virtue, sacrifice, and sacrifice, love!” (2011, 324) 5 The
redemption that Simoun idealizes is far from the true redemption that the Philippines
deserves; his is an idea of a freedom brought about by blood spilled and souls
broken, when what the nation truly needs is a freedom that stems from the
eradication of greed and corruption and crime—a cleansing that is the nation’s
collective effort, and not a purging that is forced upon by violence.
It is also a point worth noting how in the novel, the character of Simoun is very
much against the idea of any kind of subservience to Spain, and thus pushes for the
Philippines’ total independence from it. However, as discussed by Dela Costa in the
same article as abovementioned, Rizal actually values and holds in high esteem the
bond between Spain and the Philippines (1967, 346) 6. This then begs the question of
why Rizal chose to let Simoun reflect the opposite of his own ideals. Does this
contrast between two opposing ideas serve to make people see that the total
severance of the ties between Spain and the Philippines is a mistake, a goal that
should not be realized? Or did Rizal wish to make a reflection of the impossibility of
this goal of Simoun, if only because most of our old Filipino identity has been
completely overshadowed by the three centuries of subjugation under Spain?
Possibly though, this contrast of ideas is just a way for Rizal to make people see that
no matter what course the inevitable revolution takes, the most important thing would
be to make sure the Philippines develop its own identity and create its foundations—
with or without the help of Spain (2011, 55). 7
Now, what relevance does all this hold for the future of our country? From all
the points that have been made, one thing is clear: change must happen, and it is in
our hands to make sure it does. The context then may not be that similar to the
context we have now, but the message of Rizal is clear. This is emphasized in one of
Simoun’s tirades, in which he said, “Don’t put your hopes in them, put your hopes in
5
6
dela Costa, “Nascent Philippine Nationalism,”346.
7
yourselves and get to work.” (2011, 55) 8 It is even more highlighted in Simoun’s and
Father Florentino’s dialogue in the last chapter, in which the latter said that no matter
what difficulties we face, the blame must never lie on anyone but ourselves (2011,
325).9 Moreover, we must see the value of the youth in this change that we so desire
for our country. In the words of Jose Rizal himself, “Ang kabataan ang pag-asa ng
bayan.” It is very apparent in the entirety of the novel the role the youth has to play in
bringing to life Simoun’s visions. Basilio was a key player in the plans of Simoun, and
this could easily be symbolic of how the youth could act as the catalyst to set off the
change and the reformation we so ardently desire. Also, Rizal was so particular in
the details he provided regarding the group of young people in the story. In all of
them are visions of a society made better, of dreams freely realized and reached for
all the world to see (as seen in Basilio in the earlier chapters), of hope in love and a
future with those they hold dear (with Paulita Gomez and Juli), of a world free of
judgment and cruelty and inequality (as seen in Placido Penitente). All these ideas
and dreams are symbols of hope in a seemingly hopeless setting, which could be
applied even now in our current society. What the youth have is something that
hardened and weathered souls may have already lost in the course of their life—it is
the drive to be more than what they are, the desire to do more and achieve more.
Thus, it is fitting to now mention one of Father Florentino’s last lines: “Oh youth!
Come, we await you!” (2011, 327) 10 Only by our initiative can we start working
towards the change that we wish to achieve.
To conclude, let me give a brief explanation as to why I chose the quote that
opened my discussion. It is a quote by Isagani, uttered while his heart was filled with
so much adoration and affection for he was in the presence of his beloved Paulita.
Let us also fill our hearts with this same love, but with our attention turned towards
our nation. Let us—in our own simple ways—make the destiny of our country
beautiful, by bringing about change in beautiful, loving means.
MORALES
183387
8
9
Ibid., 325.
10
Ibid., 327.
Bibliography
Rizal, Jose. El Filibusterismo. Translated by Harold Augenbraum. New York:
Penguin Group, 2011.
Dela Costa, Horacio. “Nascent Philippine Nationalism.” Kuala Lumpur: University

of Malaya, 1967.

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Course – Histo 11: Rizal and the Emergence of the Philippine Nation

Instructor – Mr. Micah Perez

TRUE FREEDOM, TRUE CHANGE

“Tomorrow we’ll be citizens of the Philippines, whose destiny is beautiful, because

In El Filibusterismo, we are made aware of the means by which Rizal wishes

Rizal, Jose. El Filibusterismo. Translated by Harold Augenbraum. New York:

Penguin Group, 2011.

Dela Costa, Horacio. “Nascent Philippine Nationalism.” Kuala Lumpur: University

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