General Santos Doctors’ Medical School Foundation, Inc.

Bulaong, West Dadiangas, General Santos City

SOCSCI 102 REVIEWER FOR FINAL EXAM

WEEK 13: EL FILIBUSTERISMO: CONTEXT AND CONTENT

CONTEXT
“represents Rizal's more mature judgement on political and social conditions in the
islands, and in its graver and less hopeful tone reflects the disappointments and
discouragements which he had encountered in his efforts to lead the way to
reform.”
- Charles Derbyshire, The Reign of Greed

Filibustéro:
 (19th century context)
-translated as “subversive”
-a patriot who was usually associated with revolutionary activities
 Wenceslao Retana , 1890
“the one eager for the independence of the country, resorts to various extralegal
proceedings in order to reach the objective that he pursues”
 19th century Spanish colonial government
“someone who works for the separation of our overseas provinces”
 Rizal’s letter to Blumentritt
-“The word filibustero is little known in the Philippines …I heard it for the first time in
1872 when the tragic executions [of the Gomburza] took place. I still remember the
panic that this word created. Our father forbade us to utter it, as well as the words
Cavite, Burgos (one of the executed priests), etc. The Manila newspapers and the
Spaniards apply this word to one whom they want to make a revolutionary suspect.
The Filipinos belonging to the educated class fear the reach of the word. It … means
a dangerous patriot who will soon be hanged or well, a presumptuous man.”

Writing the Novel

 started to be written in October 1887 in Calamba during his first homecoming
 Rizal continued working on his novel abroad (London, Brussels, Paris) and made
some revisions in 1888.
 Rizal had finally completed the El Filibusterismo by March 29, 1891 in Biarritz,
France
 Jose Alejandrino who later became a general in the Philippine revolution, may
have been the first person to read the novel aside from the author

Intentions to Write the Second Novel

The main intention of the El Fili is to fulfill the revenge of the main character, Ibarra
(Simoun in El Fili). Rizal aslo discussed the political defects of the evil Spanish
administration where there were discrimination, hatred, revenge, which continued to
destroy the society at that time. The novel also discussed the defects of the Church
that triggered the struggle of the Filipinos against the Spanish tyranny.

Challenge faced in Writing the El Fili

Just like the previous novel, lack of funds delayed the publication of the El
Filibusterismo.

Valentin Ventura, Savior of the El Fili

He was Rizal’s friend who partially financed the novel’s publication

Publication of the El Fili

 July 9, 1891, Rizal wrote in a letter, “For the past three months I have not
received a single centavo, so I have pawned all that I have in order to publish
this book. I will continue publishing it as long as I can; and when there is
nothing to pawn I will stop …”
 47 whole pages were erased from the 279-page manuscript to save expenses

Dedication of the novel

Rizal dedicated the book to the memory of the GOMBURZA, the three Filipino
patriotic priests who were accused of being ‘filibustero’ and thus executed
WEEK 14: EL FILIBUSTERISMO: CONTENT

CONTENT
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 had in fact
escaped, fled to Cuba, become wealthy, and made connections with influential
Spanish officials.

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.

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.

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 was not carried out because Simoun, upon
hearing that Maria Clara died in the nunnery, decided not to give the signal for the
outbreak of the uprising.

Another plan was made some months later. At the venue of the wedding reception
of Juanito Pelaez and Paulita Gomez, Simoun planted many explosives—enough to
kill the invited guests, primarily the friars and government officials.

According to the plan, the big explosion shall be started by the gift he would 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 newly-weds. 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 was
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 was thus known and he is thus hunted by the law
enforcers. He managed to escape but was 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 that he would 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 the 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
would not be used by the greedy. The priest hopes that when the right time comes,
they would be recovered and used only for the good.

Which shall prevail: Noli or El Fili

Noli
It is a social novel.
The novel is centered on the primary characters---Ibarra, Maria Clara, and Padre
Damaso.

El Fili
It is a political and revolutionary novel.
Though it is a sequel of Noli, there are several characters which give color to the
story as the struggle of Placido Penitente, the fate of Basilio and the revolutionary
Simoun
WEEK 15: EL FILIBUSTERISMO: CONTINUING RELEVANCE

120 years after Rizal' execution, he's right thing to mean socially relevant. The ills he
rallied against--- inept leadership, corruption, abuse of women, and the influence of
the Catholic church over political and social affairs---are still persisting in the
Philippine society today. A thorough understanding of the historicity of his novels is
important as it serves as the background of the story. In reading historical novels
like El Filibuterismo, one must be knowledgeable about the social milieu of the
period when it was written. In this way, history can be used as a tool for interpreting
a literary work like El Fili.
As with Noli Me Tangere, Rizal's main objective in writing El Filibuterismo is to
expose the Philippine situation as he witnessed during his time. In reading this
novel, one can see the nation's past and present situations which make this literary
work enduringly significant.
Revolution as a Means of Social Change
In the novel, Simoun is the filibustero who encourages the principalia class to abuse
the poor so that the latter would be driven to revolt against the government. His
character may be interpreted as someone who represents the Filipino
revolutionaries that supported the idea of a bloody revolution against the
Spanish colonial government. Simoun's death in the story made some readers
conclude that Rizal was against the idea of a revolution. Simoun's failed uprisings in
the narrative, were interpreted as Rizal's abhorrence of violence and bloodshed.
They failed to see that Rizal, together with other reformists like Marcelo H. del Pilar,
regarded reform and assimilation as a firststep towards Philippine independence.
Rizal actually was not against the idea of violence if necessary. Historian Ambeth
Ocampo (2012) wrote: "Simoun failed-not because Rizal was against the
revolution, but because he reflected on the anger and bitterness in his
heart following the agrarian dispute in Calamba, and realized that one must start
with a good intention to succeed."
On Leadership and Governance
El Fili's message is very clear-the inept leaders, corrupt officials, and system of
government in the Philippines could lead to Spain's downfall. When Simoun said:
"What is a man to do when he is denied justice? Take the law into his own hands or
wait for Spain to give him rights..." he stressed that if the demands of the people
would not be granted, they would be driven to oppose the system and organize
movements to fight for their rights.
Rizal himself was admired as a good leader. His colleagues in the Propaganda
Movement respected him because he showed a kind of leadership that was not
motivated by personal interest.

The call for a good leadership could be gleaned from El Fili when he stressed the
importance of national sentiment to guard the society against all kinds of
injustices and oppression.
Rizal condemned the friar-led officials for their greed, corruption, and exploitation of
the natives. On the other hand, he also criticized his fellow Filipinos who did
not respond to the challenges under the abusive leadership of the
Spaniards. The character of Basilio, for example, who, despite the extreme
sufferings that he and his family experienced, did not support Simoun's plan of
overthrowing the government. He only joined the revolutionary group after being
arrested and imprisoned, followed by the death of his sweetheart, Juli. There was
also one character, Señor Pasta, who abandoned his noble ideas to serve only the
interest of those who hired him.
While Rizal exposed the injustices done by the colonial government, he also
challenged the Filipinos to guard their rights as one of their main responsibilities.
Good leadership and governance bring about social, economic, and political reforms
in the country. All this can be achieved if the leaders have moral fiber, and are ready
to give up their personal interests for the welfare of their constituents.
On Education and Language
At the time that Simoun was planning to launch the revolution, students including
Basilio were also fighting for the establishment of a school that would allow natives
to learn the Spanish language. Simoun strongly reacted against the project
advocated by the students. For him, it would mean the death of national identity and
the institutionalization of tyranny.
Basilio, on the other hand, believed that through education, he would be able
to alleviate the lives of his fellow Filipinos. He did not believe that revolution could
be an effective means to achieve freedom. For him, education and science would
save the country from its present situation.
On the Filipino Youth
Jose Rizal through the character of Padre Florentino, a patriotic Filipino priest
in El Fili. Rizal saw the youth as the future of the country because this
generation would one day lead the nation. Their actions today would shape the
path of tomorrow.
Rizal stressed the important role of the youth in challenging the
government as seen in the efforts of students like Basilio and Isagani to organize
themselves and unite to call for reforms. For Simoun, it was a way of embracing the
Hispanization of the country. On the other hand, it could also be seen as Rizal's way
of showing what the youth could do if they wanted reforms from the government.

NATIONALISM IN EL FILIBUSTERISMO

Rizal was a cultured man of ideas: a scholar with versatile talents, an intellectual
humanist obsessed with the fact that his people must be liberated from the
oppressive, ignorance and delivered into a conscious awareness of unity and
freedom means of education.

None of Rizal's writings has had more tremendous effect on the Filipino people than
his two novels that courageously criticized Philippine life during the 19h century;
both express the theme of Philippine nationalism in a most profound and dramatic
manner to arouse the latent spirit of a frustrated Filipino people. To the Filipino
reader who understands the historical background of the novels, Rizal traced the
delicate portrait of a people faced with social problems and political enigmas. Many
of the predicaments presented have contemporary relevance.

To understand Rizal's purpose in writing the novels, one has to look at his dedication
of the El Filibusterismo, which reads this:

 Tlo the memory of the priests, Don Mariano Gomez, eighty five, Don Jose Burgos,
thirty, and Don Jacinto Zamora, thirty five, who were executed on scaffold at
Bagumbayan on 28 February 1872.

The Church, by refusing to unfrock you, has put in doubt the crime charged against
you; the Government by enshrouding your trial in mystery and pardoning your co-
accused has implied that some mistake was committed when your fate was decided;
and the whole of the Philippines in paying homage to your memory and calling you
martyrs totally rejects your guilt.

As long therefore as it is not clearly shown that you took part in the uprising in
Cavite, I have the right, whether or not you were patriots and whether or.not you
were seeking justice and liberty, to dedicate my work to you as victims of the evil I
am trying to fight. And while we wait for Spain to clear your names someday,
refusing to be a party to your death, these pages serve as a belated wreath of
withered leaves on your forgotten graves. Whoever attacks your memory without
sufficient proof has your blood upon his hands.
WEEK 16: Other writings of Rizal

MORGA’S BOOK AND RIZAL’S ANNOTATION

De Las Islas Filipinas was the title of the book written by Antonio Morga. He was a
Spaniard who was a high ranking official in the army, a lawyer, Anthropologist and
Historian. Jose Rizal was fond of his writing due to its unique exposition of what did
occurred and happened in the Philippines prior and during the management of some
of the Governador Generals.

The book “Succesos de las Islas Filipinas”: It talks about events from 1493-1603.
First published book about the Philippines showing the political, social, & economic
Systems. It Showed the country under the Spaniards, Spanish trade policies,
communication with Japan, China, & missionary movements, the envious motives of
the Portuguese, & the dangers of sea-sailing.

Rizal annotated Morga’s book and printed new editions whose foreword or
introduction was written by Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt. He purposely wrote the book
to record the Spaniard's discovery until its conquest and conversion of the
Philippines. But what was interesting was the later chapter of its book that tackles
the Philippines as an island inhabited by natives with its own antiquity, costume, and
government. With this in the book, Dr. Jose Rizal got interested and wants to
annotate the book, to show another side of the coin that leads to the Filipinos’
authenticity of culture, customs and government before the arrival of the Spaniards.
What were the reasons why Rizal chose to reprint Morga’s book rather than some
other contemporary historical accounts of the Philippines? It was a rare original
book; Morga was a layman; the writing was non-religious; Morga was sympathetic to
the indios; He was both an eyewitness and major actor of the historical events.

Antonio de Morga’s book was rare for 2 reasons: It was non-spiritual & chronicles of
Spanish colonial officials that time were rare. Secondly, Dr. Jose Rizal annotated
the book of Dr. Morga that expressed the loss of an important historical treasure due
to the dream and ambitious expedition of Spain for richness, fame, and conquest.

Why was Rizal’s annotation significant? It created a sense of national consciousness

or identity among Filipinos. Dr. Jose Rizal inflicted an Indio’s viewpoint of the history
of the Philippines to counter the writings of Spanish historians who often thought of
the Filipinos as “uncivilized”.Rizal’s annotation awakened the passive natives about
their rights and real setup in their homeland.

Jose Rizal’s Changing Views and the Spanish Rule

Little love for work and lack of energy is the common definition of Indolence. This is
an act of which a person may be near or beyond procrastination. The word
indolence is used casually consequently being misused.
INDOLENCE
In the Spanish time, it was stated that Filipinos are indolent. It means that Filipinos
do little work and always lack the energy to do the necessary things to have a better
life. It was the context of the Spanish Authorities' perception of the Filipinos as they
perceived Filipinos as indolent.

Dr. Sancianco nevertheless believed that it was false. The report was inconsistent,
and indolence did not exist in the Filipinos. In further discussions, it was stated that
Filipinos prior to the arrival of the Spaniards are diligent and trade with other
neighboring countries and took some time in learning their language to
communicate
better and developed themselves. It was stated in the Chinese manuscript of the
13th century that was translated by Dr. Hirth (Zaide&Zaide, 338).

The discussion progressed Dr. Sanciano prompted the idea of perceiving the devil to
be blamed for indolence. Why? It was because it was the strategy used by the
conquerors just as in the Middle Ages rather than facing the real problem. It stated
that it was the government officials, the friars, and the conquerors who were
indolent and not the Filipinos.

One of the examples are the life of these people. Spaniards tend to live a luxurious
life to the extent of been attended to the very least and easiest things to do. Friars
were doing nothing but collecting tithes and government official who did not do
what they're expected to do.

Well, Filipinos were one of the most active people in the world. Even though there
were challenges, sufferings against nature, and against men, Filipinos strived to go
on with life hoping for the better. They struggled silently and prayed for a brighter
future as they make every effort for their family and country.

THE HOT CLIMATE

The hot climate was believed to be “one of the predispositions that exist in the
Philippines. It was said that it is one of the main reasons why many of the Filipinos
were indolent for they tend to rest and stop at their works if the sun was high and
hot.
Farmers are the ones that were perceived in this matter. The one who viewed the
farmers as indolent s wrong; “it was a mistake!” It was a fact that we inhabitants of
hot countries live well in the north of Europe where the climate was quite opposite
provided that we take precautions from the people there and know what to do.
True enough a climate might change the pace of one’s progress but it is a matter of
choice. It was wrong to blame the weather or other external variables in defense of
indolence. It was wrong to generalize certain people and perceived them to be
indolent. What is right is to check oneself and understand the trend and honestly
tries to develop your own self and overcome leniency to the evil that struck many
“indolence.”

WEEK 17: Rizal’s Trial and Execution

Trial and Execution

The preliminary investigation of Rizal's case began on November 20, 1896. He was
accused of being the main organizer of the revolution by having proliferated the
ideas of rebellion and of founding illegal organizations. Rizal pleaded not guilty and
even wrote a manifesto appealing to the revolutionaries to discontinue the uprising.
Rizal's lawyer, Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade, tried his best to save Rizal. However, on
December 26, 1896, the trial ended and the sentence was read. José Rizal was
found guilty and sentenced to death by firing squad.

On December 28, 1896, Governor-General Camilo de Polavieja signed the court

decision. He later decreed that Rizal be executed by firing squad at 7:00 a.m. of
December 30.

Rizal, on his last remaining days, composed his longest poem, Mi Ultimo Adios,
which was about his farewell to the Filipino people. When his mother and sisters
visited him on December 29, 1896, Rizal gave away his remaining possessions. He
handed his gas lamp to his sister Trinidad and murmured softly in English, "There is
something inside." Eventually, Trining, and her sister Maria would extract from the
lamp the copy of Rizal's last poem.
At 6:30 in the morning of December 30, 1896, Rizal, in black suit with his arms tied
behind his back, walked to Bagumbayan.

The orders were given and shots were fired. Consummatum Est! (It is finished!)

Rizal died offering his life for his country and its freedom.

Essence of Rizal's Death

Rizal's death triggered the Philippine Revolution of 1896. His wife, Josephine as well
as his brother, Paciano joined forces with the revolutionaries. Governor General
Camilo de Polavieja wanted a peace truce with the rebels- stating his "policy of
attraction "; though it did materialize but Emilio Aguinaldo (Revolutionary General
and the First President of the Philippine Republic) collaborated with the Americans
(and the beginning of Uncle Sam's Empire in the archipelago). According to
Wenceslao Retana's book, Escritos, the death of Rizal was the end of the Spanish
Empire in the Philippines.

Filipinos' "Disillusionment"

The execution of Dr. Jose Rizal at the Bagumbayan made Filipinos rethink the
injustices committed by the Spanish authorities. The. revolutionaries were winning
with the sentiments of the masses and more of them joined the revolutionary
movement. The "disillusionment" was felt by most Filipinos who were fired up by the
spirit of "nationalism" instead of "regionalism".

WEEK 18: EXAMINATION WEEK