Naga College Foundation, Inc.

College of Arts and Sciences Office

SUBJECT: The Life and Works of Dr. Jose Rizal

Completion of First Semester 2020-2021
Period Covered: Midterm, Pre-final, Final
Professors: PAOLO P. PENARANDA
JAN KRISTOFER B. BORJA

Name of Student: ______________________________ Date Submitted: __________________

LESSON I: JOSE RIZAL`S EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
o Understand the system of education before
o Contextualize on the positive and negative aspects of the educational system during Rizal`s time
o Substantiate and create comparison between the educational system before and today

The Hero’s First Teacher

The first teacher of Pepe was his mother.
As a tutor, Doña Teodora was patient, conscientious and understanding. She first discovered that
her son had a talent for poetry so she encouraged him to write poems. She related many stories to lighten
the monotony of memorizing the ABC ‘s and to stimulate her son ‘s imagination. He learned the alphabet
and prayers at the age of three. Doña Teodora taught Pepe to read the poem, El Amigo De Los Ninos o
Ang Kaibigan ng mga Bata but he could not understand Spanish so he stared at the gas lamp for the
whole time. Doña Teodora noticed that her son seemed uninterested so she just told him The Moth story
so that young Pepe would get the moral of the story which is being obedient to their parents. However,
Pepe realized from the story that it is an honor to die for other people just like the moth did.
Rizal ‘s parents employed private tutors to give him lessons at home.

• Maestro Celestino – First tutor

• Maestro Lucas Padua – Second tutor (Arithmetic)
• Third Tutor: Leon Monroy A former classmate of Rizal ‘s father. This old teacher lived at the Rizal
home and instructed Jose in Spanish and Latin. He did not live long and died five months later. After
Monroy ‘s death, the parents of Rizal decided to send him to a private school in Biñan.
Academic Studies at the Village School
Pepe showed his intelligence even in his earlier educational stage.
He was accompanied by Paciano to the village school under the charge of Maestro Justiniano
Cruz, Paciano‘s teacher during his elementary school days. On Pepe`s first day in school, Pedro, the son
of Maestro Cruz bullied him for asking radical questions and being small for his age. Pepe challenged
him to a fight where he won against Pedro. After the class in the afternoon, his classmate named Andres
Salandanan challenged him to an arm-wrestling match. In succeeding days he had other fights with the
boys of Biñan. He was not quarrelsome by nature, but he never ran away from fight.
Even at this level of education, Rizal was able to demonstrate his intellectual superiority– the best
in his class in Latin, Spanish, and the rest of the subjects. Because of this, he was the object of jealousy
by his classmates; and thus, was made to look bad in front of the maestro and was punished. He did not
enjoy his schooling at the village school, under Maestro Justiniano Cruz. He did not even like his teacher,
who he described as a tall man with a long neck and a sharp nose and a body bent slightly forward.
However, though he did not like him, he considered him an expert in Latin and Spanish grammars. One
thing he hated from him was his use of corporal punishment in making the pupils learn the lesson for the
day (he considered it barbarous). He highlighted his hatred for that type of instruction in Noli me
Tangere. Through the character of Ibarra in Noli Me Tangere, Rizal emphasized that a school has to be a
playground of the mind and not a torture chamber.
Studies at Ateneo de Manila
Jose was sent to Manila four months after the martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za and with Doña Teodora
still in prison. He studied in the Ateneo Municipal, a college under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits.
On June 10, 1872, Jose, accompanied by Paciano, went to Manila to take the entrance examinations on
Christian Doctrine, arithmetic and reading at the College of San Juan de Letran, and passed them. His
father was the first one who wished him to study at Letran but he changed his mind and decided to send
Jose at Ateneo instead. Jose adopted the surname 'Rizal´ at the Ateneo because their family name
‘Mercado’ had come under suspicion of the Spanish authorities. Ateneo was located in Intramuros,
within the walls of Manila. He boarded in a house on Caraballo Street, 25 min walk from the college. The
boarding house was owned by Titay, who owed Rizal family P300. Jose boarded there to collect part of
the debt.
Jesuits trained the character of the student by rigid discipline, humanities and religious
instruction. They heard Mass early in the morning before the beginning of daily class. Classes were
opened and closed with prayers Students were divided into two groups. Roman Empire included students
living inside Ateneo. On the other hand, Carthaginian Empire included students living outside school.
This grouping increased the competition of the students.
In Rizal`s first year at Ateneo Municipal, his professor was Fr. Jose Bech. Rizal was placed at the
bottom of the class since he was a newcomer and knows little Spanish. He was an externo (Carthaginian),
occupying the end of the line. But at the end of the month, he become ‘emperor’ of his Empire. Rizal
took private lessons in Santa Isabel College during noon recesses to improve his Spanish language
paying three pesos for those extra lessons. In Rizal`s fourth year in school, he met Padre Francisco de
Paula Sanchez, a great educator and scholar who inspired him to study harder and to write poetry. Rizal
described this Jesuit professor as “model of uprightness, earnestness, and love for the advancement of his
pupils”. Rizal topped all his classmates in all subjects and won five medals at the end of the school term.
On March 23, 1877, Rizal received from his Alma Mater, Ateneo Municipal, the degree of Bachelor of
Arts, with highest honors.
Studies at University of Santo Tomas

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Rizal ‘s academic performance in UST was not as impressive as that in Ateneo. He was a good
student in Medicine but not as gifted as he was in Arts and Letters. Despite this, he was still one of the
seven students who remained in the course in his last year out of the original batch of 24. (Jose, 2011)
Rizal was unhappy in the Dominican institution because of the following:
1. The Dominican professors were aggressive to him
2. The Filipino students were racially discriminated by the Spaniards
3. The method of instruction was obsolete and repressive.

ACTIVITY I: NARRATIVE ESSAY

Direction: Relate your own experience/s as a student to the educational experiences of Rizal when he
was a student. Provide a comparison between the educational system before and the educational system
today. Present your recommendations if you believe that our educational system now needs to improve.
(10 pts.)

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LESSON II: RIZAL IN EUROPE

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
1. Understand the development of Rizal`s educational journey associated to his prominent political
works and views
2. Contextualize on the works of Rizal by delving deeper on Rizal`s goal as a political and historical
figure of the country
3. Substantiate on the aspects of his educational attainment and political views which shape his national
character in people`s perspectives

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Jose Rizal finished his 4th year of medical course in the University of Sto. Tomas yet he was very much
disgusted due to outdated instruction and racial prejudice to Filipino Students. In 1882, Rizal and Paciano
made a secret pact – Rizal would go to Europe to complete his medical course there and prepare himself
for the great task of liberating the country from Spanish tyranny.
RIZAL`S FIRST TRIP IN EUROPE: A TIMELINE

• May 3, 1882 – Rizal left the Philippines for Spain. He boarded the Salvadora using a passport of Jose
Mercado.
• June 16, 1882 – Rizal reached Barcelona. He arrived during the summer vacation so he was able to
meet up with his former classmates in Ateneo. His classmates organized a welcome party for him at a
coffee house in Plaza Cataluña. In this city, Rizal found time to write an essay entitled “El Amor
Patrio” (Love of Country). This essay was published on August 20, 1882 in Diariong Tagalog where
he used the pen name Laong Laan.
• November 3, 1882 – He enrolled in Medicine and Philosophy and Letters at the Universidad Central
de Madrid.
• June 21, 1884 – Rizal was awarded with the degree and title of Licentiate in Medicine for passing
the medical examinations. With this title, he was able to practice medicine. The next year, he passed
all his subjects leading to a Doctorate of Medicine but the degree was not given to him because he
failed to pay the fee required to defend his thesis.
• January 2, 1884 – In one of the Filipino reunions at the house of Pedro Paterno. Rizal proposed the
writing of a novel about the Philippine society. The group approved the project but this plan did not
materialize. It was in Madrid that he was able to write the first half of his novel, Noli Me Tangere.
• June 19, 1885 – He obtained the degree Licenciado en Filosofia y Letras (Licentiate in Philosophy
and Letters) from the Universidad Central de Madrid with a rating of sobresaliente.
• August 8, 1887 - After 5 years in Europe, Rizal went home to Calamba. He spent time with the
members of his family who were delighted to see him again. He also kept himself busy by opening a
medical clinic and curing the sick. He came to be known to be Doctor Uliman as he was mistaken for
a German. His vacation was cut short because he was targeted by the friars who were portrayed
negatively in his novel Noli Me Tangere.
RIZAL`S SECOND TRIP IN EUROPE
Rizal became more active in the Propaganda Movement with fellow ilustrados Marcelo H.
del Pilar, Graciano Lopez-Jaena, Antonio Luna, Mariano Ponce and Trinidad Pardo de Tavera. He
became preoccupied with writing articles and essays which were published in the Propaganda
Movement’s newspaper – La Solidaridad. Propaganda Movement campaigned for 3 reforms:
1. For the Philippines to become made a province of Spain so that the native Filipinos would have equal
rights accorded to Spaniards.
2. Representation of the Philippines in the Spanish cortes
3. Secularization of the parishes 32 Rizal’s intellectual works in Europe

By July 1891, while in Brussels, Rizal completed his second novel, El Filibusterismo which
was published on September 18, 1891 through the help of his friend, Valentin Ventura. Compared with
his Noli, Rizal’s El Fili was more radical with its narrative portrayed of a society on the verge of a
revolution.

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In 1892, Rizal decided to return to the Philippines thinking that the real struggle was in his
homeland. On June 26, 1892, Rizal arrived in the Philippines. He visited his friends in Central Luzon and
encouraged them to join the La Liga Filipina, a socio-civic organization that Rizal established on July 3,
1892.

Unfortunately, just a few days after the La Liga’s formation, Rizal was arrested and brought to
Fort Santiago on July 6, 1892. He was charged with bringing with him from Hong Kong leaflets entitled
Pobres Frailes (Poor Friars), a satire against the rich Dominican friars and their accumulation of wealth
which was against their vow of poverty.

ACTIVITY II: CONTEXTUAL ESSAY

Direction: What reforms did Rizal want to become part of the Philippines` normalcy during the Spanish
Colonial Rule? How did his trips in Europe help in order for him to become a vital political and historical
actor during that time?
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LESSON III : RIZAL`S EXILE, TRIAL AND EXECUTION

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:
o Familiarize the events which took place during Rizal`s life in Dapitan
o Understand the underlying agenda that led to the execution of Dr. Jose Rizal
o Humanize Rizal`s life by relating other narratives of sacrifices of both sung and unsung heroes of
different times
Rizal arrived in Dapitan (city in Zamboanga del Norte) on board the steamer Cebu on July 17,
1892. Dapitan is a remote town in Mindanao which was under the jurisdiction of the Jesuits.
Father Superior Pastells informed Father Obach that Rizal could live at the parish convent on
the following conditions:

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 “That Rizal shall publicly retract his errors concerning religion, and make statements that were
clearly pro-Spanish and against revolution”.
 “That he shall perform the church rites and make a general confession of his past life”.
 “That henceforth he shall conduct himself in an exemplary manner as a Spanish subject and a
man of religion.”

Dapitan became Rizal’s home from 1892-1896.In this place, he practiced medicine, pursued
scientific studies and continued his artistic pursuits in sculpture, painting, sketching and writing poetry.

Other activities in Dapitan:

• On the eve of June 21, 1896, Dr. Pio Valenzuela visited Rizal in Dapitan and informed him about
the founding of Katipunan and the planned revolution. Rizal objected to it, citing the importance
of a well-planned movement with sufficient arms. Rizal also sent letters to the Governor General
Ramon Blanco in 1894 and 1895. He asked to review his case. If his request would not be
granted, he would volunteer to serve as a surgeon under the Spanish army fighting in the Cuban
revolution.
• On July 30, 1896 his request to go to Cuba was approved. The next day he left for Manila on
board the steamer España.
• On September 3, 1896, he boarded the steamer Isla de Panay which would take him to Barcelona.
–Upon arriving at the fort, however, Governor General Despujol told him that there was an order
to ship him back to Manila.
• On November 3, 1896, Rizal arrived in Manila and was immediately brought to Fort Santiago.

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. He pleaded not guilty and even wrote a manifesto appealing to the
revolutionaries to discontinue the uprising. Rizal was found guilty and sentenced to death by firing
squad. On December 28, 1896, Gov. General Camilo de Polavieja signed the court decision. He later
decreed that Rizal be executed by firing squad at 7:00 AM of December 30.
The death of Jose Rizal came right after a kangaroo trial convicted him on all three charges
of rebellion, sedition and conspiracy. Rizal, on his last remaining days, composed his longest poem,
Mi Ultimo Adios, which was about his farewell to the Filipino people. His mother and sisters visited
him on December 29, 1896, he gave away his remaining possessions. – He handed his gas lamp to his
sister Trinidad and murmured softly in English “There is something inside.” Eventually, Trinidad and
his sister Maria would extract from the lamp the copy of Rizal’s poem.
Rizal heard mass at 3:00 in the morning of December 30, 1896, had confession before
taking the Holy Communion. He took his last breakfast at 5:30 AM of December 30, 1896 and even
had the time to write two letters one for his family while the other letter was for his brother Paciano.
This was also the time when his wife, Josephine Bracken and his sister Josefa arrived and bade
farewell to Rizal. Execution. Rizal who was dressed in a black suit was a few meters behind his
advance guards while moving to his slaughter place and was accompanied by Lt. Luis Taviel de
Andrade, two Jesuit priests and more soldiers behind him. The atmosphere was just like any
execution by musketry by which the sound of the drums occupied the air. Rizal looked at the sky
while walking and mentioned how beautiful that day was. Jose Rizal’s execution was carried out
when the command “Fuego” was heard and Rizal made an effort to face the firing squad but his bullet
riddled body turned to the right and his face directed to the morning sun. Rizal exactly died at 7:03

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AM and his last words before he died were those said by Jesus Christ: “consummatum est,” which
means, “It is finished.”

MIDTERM EXAMINATION

TEST I: IDENTIFICATION
Direction: Write the term being described by the statements below.

__________________1. She is the first teacher of Pepe or Jose Rizal.

__________________2. It is the school where Rizal had his elementary years.
__________________3. It is the poem that Teodora taught to Pepe when he was young.
__________________5. He is Rizal`s first teacher in elementary.
__________________6. This professor inspired Rizal to strive for excellence when he was studying
at Ateneo Municipal.
__________________7. When Rizal started at Ateneo Municipal, he belonged to this empire.
__________________8. This is the place where Rizal lived when he was in exile.
__________________9. This is what Rizal wrote before he was executed.
__________________10. He is the governor general who decreed that Rizal be executed by a firing
squad.
__________________11. This is what he said before he died.
_______________________12-13. These are the two political novels that Rizal wrote when he was in
Europe.
__________________14. Rizal became an active member of this movement with Marcelo H. Del
Pilar
__________________15. Rizal was awarded with this degree on June 21, 1884.

TEST II: ENUMERATION:

Direction: Provide the needed subordinate/supporting details below every category.
16-18. Rizal`s reasons as to why he was saddened when he was studying at University of Santo
Tomas:
 ______________________________________
 ______________________________________
 ______________________________________

19-21. Three reforms that the Propaganda Movement campaigned for:

 ______________________________________
 ______________________________________
 ______________________________________
22-24. Father Superior Pastells` conditions before granting Rizal the request to live in a parish
convent.
 ______________________________________
 ______________________________________
 ______________________________________
TEST III: SHORT POEM COMPOSITION (25-30)

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Direction: Create a poem (single stanza). Choose a topic below. Use either English or Filipino
language in your poem.
o Educational system today
o Filipino in these trying times (pandemic and typhoons)
o Government today

LESSON IV: NOLI ME TANGERE

Learning Objectives:

The following are the learning outcomes are expected to achieve at the end of the lesson:

o Discuss the important information about Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
o Analyze the historical context of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibuterismo.
o Compare and contrast Rizal’s two novels.
o Relate the novels in the current Philippine society.

Introduction:
The novels of Jose Rizal were so powerful that they served as eye-opener for the
Filipinos and Spaniards on the social ills and defects perpetuated by Spanish authorities and clergies
and imbibed by some Filipinos. The novels reflected the social conditions of the Philippines at that
time. Though it must be noted that these novels particularly the Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibuterismo were written in Spanish and their publication and circulation were prohibited and
punishable by the law, Jose Rizal through theses had inspired the revolution that ended more than
three centuries of Spanish colonial rule in the Philippines. He also expressed his view and ideas about
the Philippine society and its people. His unfinished novel was another attempt to expose the social
ills and defects he had observed plaguing the Philippines.

Title:
The title Noli Me Tangere is a Latin phrase which means “Touch Me Not”. It had a
Biblical reference to the Gospel of John (20:13- 17) in which Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and
uttered these words: “Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father”. The choice of title
according to Rizal was fitting because he intended to write about themes that were taboo in the
Philippines for centuries; things that people dared not touch.

Plot:
The story revolves around Crisostomo Ibarra, mixed-race, heir of a wealthy clan, having
completed his studies in Europe, young Juan Crisostomo Ibarra comes back to the Philippines after a
7-year absence. In his honor, Kapitan Tiago throws a get-together party, which is attended by friars
and other prominent figures. In an unfortunate incident, former curate Padre Dámaso belittles and
slanders Ibarra. But Ibarra brushes off the insult and takes no offense; he instead politely excuses
himself and leaves the party because of an allegedly important task.
The day after the humbling party, Ibarra goes to see María Clara, his love interest, a
beautiful daughter of Captain Tiago and an affluent resident of Binondo, Manila. Their long-standing

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love is 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, Tinyente
Guevara, a guardia civil, reveals to him the incidents preceding the death of his father, Don Rafael
Ibarra, a rich haciendero of the town. According to the Lieutenant, Don Rafael was unjustly accused
of being a heretic, in addition to being a filibuster—an allegation brought forth by Padre Dámaso
because of Don Rafael's non-participation in the sacraments, such as confession and mass. Padre
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 student 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 got sick
and died in jail. Still not content with what he had done, Padre Dámaso arranged for Don Rafael's
corpse to be dug up and transferred from the Catholic cemetery to the Chinese cemetery, because he
thought it inappropriate to allow a heretic such as Don Rafael a Catholic burial ground.
Unfortunately, it was raining and because of the bothersome weight of the cadaver, the men in charge
of the burial decided to throw the corpse into the lake.
Revenge was not in Ibarra's plans; instead he carries through his father's plan of putting
up a school, since he believes 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 which form
part of a same nation or family, being Spain the mother and the Philippines the daughter). During the
inauguration of the school, Ibarra would have been killed in a sabotage had Elías—a mysterious man
who had 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 her.
After the inauguration, Ibarra hosts a luncheon during which Padre Dámaso, uninvited and
gate-crashing the luncheon, again insults him. Ibarra ignores the priest's insolence, but when the latter
slanders the memory of his dead father, he is no longer able to restrain himself and lunges at Padre
Dámaso, prepared to stab the latter for his impudence. As a consequence, Dámaso excommunicates
Ibarra. Padre Dámaso takes this opportunity to persuade the already-hesitant father of María Clara to
forbid his daughter from marrying Ibarra. The friar wishes María Clara to marry a Peninsular named
Linares who just arrived from Spain.
With the help of the Governor-General, Ibarra's excommunication is nullified and the
Archbishop decides 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 is blamed on him, and he is wrongly arrested
and imprisoned. But the accusation against him is overruled because during the litigation that
followed, nobody could testify that he was indeed involved. Unfortunately, his letter to María Clara
somehow gets into the hands of the jury and is manipulated such that it then becomes evidence
against him.
Meanwhile, in Kapitan Tiago's residence, a party is being held to announce the upcoming
wedding of María Clara and Linares. Ibarra, with the help of Elías, takes this opportunity and escapes
from prison. But before leaving, Ibarra talks to María Clara and accuses her of betraying him,
thinking that she gave the letter he wrote her to the jury. María Clara explains to Ibarra that she will
never conspire against him but that she was forced to surrender Ibarra's letter to her 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 Padre Dámaso alluding to their unborn child; and that she, María Clara, is
therefore not the daughter of Kapitan Tiago, but of Padre Dámaso.
Afterwards, Ibarra and Elías board a boat and flee the place. Elías instructs Ibarra to lie
down and the former covers the latter with grass to conceal the latter's presence. As luck would have

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it, they are spotted by their enemies. Elías thinks he could outsmart them and jumps into the water.
The guards rain shots on the person in the water, all the while not knowing that they are aiming at the
wrong man. María Clara, thinking that Ibarra has been killed in the shooting incident, is greatly
overcome with grief. Robbed of hope and severely disillusioned, she asks Padre Dámaso to confine
her into a nunnery. Padre Dámaso reluctantly agrees when María Clara threatens to take her own life.
Demanding, "the nunnery or death!". Unbeknownst to her, Ibarra is still alive and able to escape. It
was Elías who has taken the shots. It is Christmas Eve when Elias wakes up in the forest, gravely
wounded and barely alive. It is in this forest that Elias finds Basilio and his lifeless mother, Sisa.

Using satire brilliantly, Rizal creates other memorable characters whose lives manifest the
poisonous effects of religious and colonial oppression.
o Capitan Tiago - the social climber
o Doña Victorina de Espadaña and her toothless Spanish husband;
o the Guardia Civil head and his harridan of a wife – the sorority of devout women;
o Elias - the disaffected peasants forced to become outlaws

In sum, the novel is the microcosm of Philippine society.

In the afflictions that plague them, Rizal paints a harrowing picture of his beloved
but suffering country in a work that speaks eloquently not just to Filipinos but to all who have
endured or witnessed oppression.

Theme:
The novel is a symbol of the need for distance and longing and unfulfillment.
• There is no more tragic love and of course no greater love than of two beings
unable to reach each other, since such a love eternally remains unblemished.

Rizal’s book persistently unmasks the evils of Spaniards in the Philippines in every aspect.
 He exposes corruption and brutality of civil guards which drive good men to crime and banditry.
 He focuses on an administration crawling with self-seekers, out to make their fortune at the
expense of the Filipinos so that the few officials who are honest and sincere are unable to
overcome the treacherous workings of the system, and their efforts to help the country often end
up in frustration or in self-ruin.
 Also, the Noli Me Tangere is Rizal's exposé of corrupt friars who have made the Catholic
religion an instrument for enriching and perpetuating themselves in power by seeking to
mire ignorant Filipinos in fanaticism and superstition. According to Rizal, instead of teaching
Filipinos true Catholicism, they control the government by opposing all progress and persecuting
members of the ilustrado unless they make themselves their servile flatterers.

Rizal does not spare his fellow countrymen.

 The superstitions and hypocritical fanaticism of many who consider themselves religious people
 Ignorance, corruption and brutality of the Filipino civil guards
 Passion of gambling
 Servility of wealthy Filipinos to Spanish authorities
 Ridiculous efforts of Filipinos to dissociate themselves to their fellow countrymen

Rizal nevertheless balances the national portrait by highlighting the virtues and good qualities of
his unspoiled countrymen.

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 the modesty and devotion of the Filipina
 unstinting hospitality of the Filipino family
 the devotion of parents to their children and children to their parents
 the deep sense of gratitude
 the solid common sense of the untutored peasant.
It calls on the Filipino to recover his self-confidence, to appreciate his own worth, to
return to the heritage of his ancestors, and to assert himself as the equal of the Spaniard. It also insists
on the need of education, of dedication to the country, and of absorbing aspects of foreign cultures
that would enhance the native traditions.

Things we didn’t know about Noli Me Tangere

 The book was banned in China because the work is too influential to the Chinese communists that
time.
 Missing Chapter - Chapter 25 of the novel (entitled Elias and Salome) was discarded by Rizal for
being deemed irrelevant to the story.
 Streisand Effect - Naturally, the ban made more Filipinos much more interested about the book.
 Most major characters in Noli Me Tangere (as well as El Filibusterismo) are based on people
Rizal knew. Maria Clara was based on his fiancee Leonor Rivera, and Father Florentino was
based on Father Leoncio Lopez, the parish priest of his hometown.

LESSON V: EL FILIBUSTERISMO

Learning Objectives:

The following are the learning outcomes are expected to achieve at the end of the lesson:

o Discuss the important information about Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
o Analyze the historical context of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibuterismo.
o Compare and contrast Rizal’s two novels.
o Relate the novels in the current Philippine society.

Introduction:
El Filibusterismo is the second novel written by José Rizal as the sequel to Noli Me
Tangere. Like Noli Me Tangere, it was written in Spanish. In English it is, “the reign of greed”. It
consists of 38 chapters. Rizal dedicated El Filibusterismo to the three martyred priests of Cavite Mutiny,
GOMBURZA. The execution of the three priests was significant to the title of the novel. The dedication
partly reads: “To the memory of the priests, Don Mariano Gomez (85 years old), Don Jose Burgos (30
years old), and Don Jacinto Zamora (35 years old). Executed in the Bagumbayan Field on the 28th of
February, 1872 … I have the right to dedicate my work to you as victims of the evil which I undertake to
combat…”

Title:
Rizal had to define the word filibustero to his German friend Ferdinand Blumentritt, who
did not understand his use of the word in Noli Me Tangere.

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In a letter, Rizal explained:
"The word filibustero is little known in the Philippines. The masses do not know it yet. I
heard it for the first time in 1872 when the tragic executions 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, etc. The Manila
newspapers and the Spaniards apply this word to one whom they want to make are revolutionary
suspect.”
The Filipinos belonging to the educated class fear the reach of the word. It does not have
the meaning of freebooters; it rather means a dangerous patriot who will soon be hanged or well, a
presumptuous man." The word ‘filibustero’ thus contextually means subversive, dissident, revolutionary,
seditious, insurrectionary, and treasonous. Fittingly, Rizal dedicated the book to the memory of the
Gomburza, the three Filipino patriotic priests who were accused of being “filibuster” and thus executed.
In his dedication, Rizal fearlessly declared his conviction that the Spanish officials ‘treatment of the
priests ‘case was unjust ―as [their] complicity in the Cavite Mutiny is not clearly proved.

Objectives of writing the novel:

 To defend Filipino people from foreign accusations of foolishness and lack of knowledge.
 To show how the Filipino people live during Spanish colonial period and the cries and woes of
his countrymen against abusive officials.
 To discuss what religion and belief can really do to everyday lives.
 To expose the cruelties, graft and corruption of the false government and honestly show the
wrong doings of Filipinos that led to further failure.

Plot:
Thirteen years after he left the Philippines, Juan Crisostomo Ibarra returned as Simoun, a
rich jeweler sporting a beard and blue-tinted glasses, and a confidant of the Governor-General of the
Philippines Captain-General. Abandoning his idealism, he becomes a cynical saboteur, the titular
filibuster, seeking revenge against the Spanish-Philippines system responsible for his misfortunes by
plotting a revolution.
Simoun insinuates himself into Manila high society and influences every decision of the
Governor-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 so that the latter
would be encouraged 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 was adopted by Kapitan 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 which he also experienced at Ateneo. Kapitan Tiago‘s confessor, Father Irene is making
Kapitan Tiago‘s health worse by giving him opium even as Basilio tries hard to prevent Captain Tiago

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from smoking it. He and other students want to establish a Spanish language academy so that they can
learn to speak and write Spanish language in the Philippines despite the opposition from the Dominican
Order Dominican friars of the Universidad de Santo Tomas.
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, he was forced to give everything to the greedy
and unscrupulous Spanish friars.
His son, Tano, who became a civilguard, was captured by bandits; his daughter Juli 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. Kapitan Tiago dies after
learning of the incident and as stated in his will—forged by Father 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 Governor General, bearing grudges against the
high official, coerces him to tender his resignation. Juli, 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 Juli,
however, Father Camorra tries to rape her as he has long-hidden desires for her. Juli, 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, and after hearing about Juli‘s suicide, finally joins Simoun‘s revolution.
Simoun then tells Basilio his plan at the wedding of Paulita Life and 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 Kapitan 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 the people inside, including Isagani, his friend and the former boyfriend of Paulita.
Simoun leaves the reception early as planned and leaves a note behind. Initially thinking that it
was simply a bad joke by those left behind, 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 soldiers, he

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seeks shelter at the home of Father Florentino, Isagani‘s uncle, and comes under the care of Doctor
Tiburcio de Espadaña, the husband of Doña Victorina, who was also hiding at the house. Simoun takes
poison in order for him not to be captured alive by the authorities. Before he dies, he reveals his real
identity to Father Florentino while they exchange thoughts about the failure of his revolution and why
God forsaken him. Father Florentino opened that God did not forsake him and that his plans were not for
the greater good but for personal gain.
Simoun, finally accepting Father Florentino‘s explanation, squeezes his hand and dies. Father
Florentino then takes Simoun‘s remaining jewels and throws them into the sea, hoping that 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.
Theme
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 Filibusterismo essentially different from its prequel is that it 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 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.
The novel‘s ending, some scholars explain however, should not be interpreted as Rizal‘s
categorical stand against revolution. At best, Rizal can be said to be against unprepared and disorganized
rebellion of an uneducated people which could have 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 is, what
Rizal would never subscribe to is the ―useless spilling of blood, but not the uprising per se.
Things we didn’t know about El Filibusterismo
 The last chapter of Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo are both untitled.
 Rizal‘s friend thought El Fili is more superior to the Noli Me Tangere. He explained in
the letter to Ferdinand Blumentriit: “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.”
 Jose Alejandrino, Rizal‘s roommate in Belgium related that he was the one who
canvassed printing press for El Fili. He delivered proofs and revisions to F. Meyer van
Loo in Ghent. For his assistance, Rizal gave him the El Fili‘s corrected proofs and the
pen used in doing the corrections. Unluckily, these historical souvenirs were either lost or
destroyed during the revolution (Ocampo, p. 111).

ACTIVITY IV: RECALLING SCENES

Direction: Identify if the said scenes happened in Noli Me Tangere, in El Filibusterismo or Neither
(didn't happen in both novels). Encircle the letter that corresponds to your answer. Write NMT if the

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scene is from Noli Me Tangere, EL if it is from El Filibusterismo, and NR if the scene cannot be
found in the two novels.
________1. Kapitan Tiago throws a party at his house in honor of Ibarra’s coming home from Europe for
7 years.
________2. Father Florentino then took Simoun’s remaining jewels and throws them into the sea, hoping
that they would not be used by the greedy and that when the time came that it would be used for the
greater good.
________3. The students held a mock celebration for the approval of the academia at the panciteria.
________4. Maria Clara thought Ibarra was killed in a shooting incident, decided to enter the nunnery.
________5. All the students present at the panciteria were arrested including Basilio but as the students
were released, Basilio remained in the prison.
________6. After the school’s inauguration, Ibarra hosted a luncheon where Padre Damaso gate-crashed
and insulted him.
________7. Padre Damaso in the luncheon complained for the unsavory parts of the chicken such as the
neck were served to him for dinner.
________8. Tinyente Guevarra reveals to Ibarra the tragic fate his father experienced while he was in
Europe.
________9. Wounded Elias met Basilio in a forest and asked to bury him in exchange for the treasure that
he had buried in the forest.
________10. Ibarra and Maria Clara got married in secret with Padre Florentino's blessing.

ACTIVITY V: TRUE OR FALSE

Direction: Write T if the statement is correct. Write F if it is incorrect.

________1. Noli Me Tangere is constrained to the objective of exposing anti-Catholic accounts which
happened before.
________2. Noli Me Tangere glorifies the entirety of Filipino`s attributes and social involvement in the
country before.
________3. El Filibusterismo shies away from the objective of calling out the injustices committed with
the system ran by friars and colonial rulers.
________4. Both novels also expose the social impurities enabled by Filipino political elites.
________5. Both novels disagree on the claim that most Filipinos before are uneducated and foolish.

FINAL EXAMINATION
ESSAY- Direction: Create a comparative essay discussing both the similarities and the differences of the
matters presented below. Make sure to contextualize on your answer using the narratives in Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo. Every item is worth ten points.

1. Government before vs. Government now

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____________________________________________________________________________________
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2. Women before vs. Women now

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3. Social status of the Filipinos before vs. Social status of the Filipinos now
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4. Political opportunities for the Filipinos before vs. Political opportunities for the Filipinos now
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Reference:
1. De Viana, Augusto, et. al (2018). Jose Rizal: Social Reformer and Patriot. Manila. Rex
Publishing House Inc.

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2. Obias, Mallari, et.al. (2018). The Life and Works of Jose Rizal. CNE Publishing. Inc

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