EL FILIBUSTERISMO: REIGN OF GREED

 

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EL FILIBUSTERISMO

"Ang paglisan sa tahanang sinilangan at nilakihan ay higit pa kaysa kung mawala ang kalahati ng sariling pagkatao" – Jose Rizal

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  “El Filibusterismo” was the sequel of the novel “Noli Me Tangere” written by Dr. Jose Rizal. Through the years, this novel just like its predecessor, had produced several versions both in text and illustrated (comic books) novel formats. A Filipino movie was also made based on this classic literary creation which starred Pancho Magalona, Charito Solis, Robert Arevalo and Carlos Padilla, Jr. among others. This film was directed by Gerardo de Leon who later became a National Artist.


Thirteen years after the events of Noli Me Tangere, Crisostomo Ibarra returns to the Philippines under the guise of Simoun, a wealthy bearded jewelry tycoon sporting blue-tinted glasses, and a confidant of the Captain-General. Abandoning his idealism, he becomes a cynical saboteur, seeking revenge against the Spanish Philippine system responsible for his misfortunes by plotting a revolution. Simoun insinuates himself into Manila high society and influences every decision of the Captain-General to mismanage the country’s affairs so that a revolution will break out. He cynically sides with the upper classes, encouraging them to commit abuses against the masses to encourage the latter to revolt against the oppressive Spanish colonial regime. This time, he does not attempt to fight the authorities through legal means, but through violent revolution using the masses. His two reasons for instigating a revolution are at first, to rescue María Clara from the convent and second, to get rid of ills and evils of Philippine society.

I recalled during my junior high school years, El Filibusterismo was an assigned reading in my Filipino subject. The related tasks with this were the preparation of cut out pictures for every chapter, making write-ups in the notebooks, submissions of written reports in handwriting and/or typewritten formats, class discussions and recitations, submission of several class projects and taking quizzes/tests/examinations. Looking back, I believe that after taking and reading this novel, the reading on the said novel should be a continuing process. It serves as an analysis of the pervading issues during the timeline of the novel about the Philippines, its society and its people. Almost everybody who went through high school knows about this novel, and I'm not kidding when I say that this novel became my starting point into reading. It depicts the societal issues that we, Filipinos, still go through up to this day. And what I love about this piece is that it tackles the bravery of the Filipino community. It shows the unimagined bravery of our countrymen who once fought against greediness and cruelty, and for me that's already a unique quality of this country and it's people as a whole.