El Filibusterismo

El Filibusterismo, also known by its English title The Reign of Greed, is the second novel written by Jose Rizal and the sequel to Noli Me Tangere. Published in 1891, it continues the Noli's criticisms of the abuses and corruption perpetrated by the Spanish government.

Summary
On the upper deck of the steamship Tabo, presumably in 1894, the passengers discuss its slow pace as it sails along Pasig River on the way to Laguna Lake. Meanwhile on the lower deck, the students Basilio and Isagani discuss their plans to establish an academy that teaches Spanish to Capitan Basilio, who expresses his doubts that their plan will be approved by the governor-general. Back on the upper deck, the passengers tell legends about the lake, including the tale of Crisostomo Ibarra.

The narration then shifts to the tale of Cabesang Tales; a religious order laid claim to his land and taxed him for it, which he tried to oppose but ended up losing against. With Tales captured by bandits, his daughter Juli borrows money from Hermana Penchang to ransom him and works as her servant in exchange.

Arriving at San Diego on Christmas Eve, Basilio learns of Tales' abduction, and makes his way to his mother's grave. He recalls the events from thirteen years prior; it is also explained that he studied with the help of his foster father Capitan Tiago and plans to marry his sweetheart Juli. As Basilio is about to leave, he runs into the jeweler Simoun, who turns out to be Crisostomo Ibarra in disguise. Simoun attempts to recruit Basilio into his plans for revolution, but Basilio refuses.

On Christmas Day, Juli starts her work as Hermana Penchang's servant; her grandfather Selo discovers he has become dumb. As people gossip about the misfortune of Selo and his family, Tales returns and entertains Simoun at his house as he sells jewelry to clients. He exchanges Juli's locket, which originally belonged to Maria Clara, for Simoun's revolver and becomes a bandit, killing the friar administrator stealing his land as well as the new tenant and his wife.

On the last day of December, the governor-general and his advisers, as well as some friars, take a rest in Los Baños. The governor-general asks their opinion on the students' plans for a Spanish academy; met with disparate opinions, no decision is made.

In Manila, the student Placido Pentitente goes to school; his sycophant friend Juanito Pelaez speaks with him on the way. In his class in physics, Placido gets in an argument with his professor Padre Millon and walks out in anger. At the students' dormitory, the wealthy Makaraig announces that the decision to establish the Spanish academy has been passed to a commission headed by Don Custodio. The students devise plans to convince him, as well as the lawyer Señor Pasta, to approve the plan.

Isagani then approaches Señor Pasta, only for him to refuse for fear of angering the friars. At his house, the Chinese businessman Quiroga entertains guests for dinner. Simoun asks him to store rifles in his warehouse in exchange for absolving part of his debt to him. The guests then leave Quiroga's house to attend the Quiapo Fair; at the American Mr. Leeds' show, the supposed Sphinx tells a story similar to that of Ibarra's and calls out Padre Salvi, causing him to faint.

Later on, Placido meets with Simoun and learns of his plans to instigate a revolution and rescue Maria Clara from the nunnery. As Don Custodio puzzles over his decision, people of Manila go to Teatro de Variadades to watch Les Cloches de Corneville. During the performance, the students learn of Don Custodio's decision.

At Capitan Tiago's house, Basilio is visited by Simoun; the man attempts to recruit him once again, only to become distraught when Basilio informs him that Maria Clara has died. In Malecon, Isagani meets with his sweetheart Paulita Gomez and tells her about his dreams for reform; Paulita dismisses them as being idealistic and unattainable.

The students later organize a banquet to order Don Custodio's decision; Don Custodio has decided that the academy be supervised by a Dominican order and that the students merely collect contributions. Basilio later goes to the hospital and learns that seditious posters have been seen, with the student organization being implicated. As he goes to Makaraig's house to ask for a loan, he is ultimately arrested as well. Meanwhile, Isagani and Padre Fernandez argue regarding the friars' education of the students.

As gossip spreads regarding the students' imprisonment, Capitan Tiago dies and his will is executed by Padre Irene, who has forged it and distributed his properties, which were meant for Basilio, to the Sta. Clara convent and other religious corporations. Back in San Diego, Juli learns of Basilio's imprisonment and is reluctantly convinced to seek the help of Padre Camorra; she then kills herself when the priest assaults her.

As a high official attempts to convince the governor-general to release Basilio, whom he believes to be innocent, the governor-general refuses. Later on, the students Pecson, Tadeo, and Juanito, are freed from prison but suspended from their classes; it is revealed that Juanito is to marry Paulita.

Basilio is released from prison, having learned of Juli's death, and joins Simoun in his revolution, learning that the man plans to place a dynamite-laden lamp at an important gathering as a signal for the attack. As Basilio walks along the streets later on, he sees the wedding reception of Juanito and Paulita, surmising it to be the gathering Simoun was referring to. He then sees Isagani, whom he tells to leave because of the bomb; as the guests panic over the lamp bearing a note from Ibarra which is presumed to be dead years ago, Isagani rushes into the house and throws the lamp into the river before escaping.

Later on, news circulates about bandits attacking a friar country house. The bandits confess to a mestizo matching Simoun's description being the mastermind of the attack. The day after the wedding reception, Isagani discusses the events with several individuals; the silversmith Chichoy reveals Simoun was the one who planned the attack.

As members of the Guardia Civil escort prisoners, they are ambushed by bandits; one of the soldiers, Carolino, kills their leader, Cabesang Tales, and another one kills the old man Selo. It is then revealed that Carolino is actually Tano, Tales' son and Juli's brother. Later on, Simoun escapes to the house of Isagani's uncle Padre Florentino; pursued by the Guardia Civil, he kills himself by taking poison in order to avoid arrest. Afterward, Padre Florentino throws his jewel chest into the sea.

Major Characters

 * Simoun
 * Basilio
 * Isagani
 * Cabesang Tales
 * Don Custodio
 * Paulita Gomez
 * Makaraig
 * Juli
 * Juanito Pelaez

Trivia

 * The novel's title is Spanish for "the subversion", referring to the characters' actions against the Spanish colonial government.
 * Rizal dedicated the novel to the memory of priests Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora.
 * Both Noli and Fili were banned in some parts of the Philippines because of Rizal's portrayal of the Spanish government, and are one of the reasons that led to Rizal's exile and execution.
 * Rizal's novels later on indirectly became the inspiration to start the Philippine Revolution.
 * Rizal regretted that he killed Elias instead of Ibarra because he believed that he would never write a continuation and talk about a revolution. (still needs more reliable sources)