1) The novel follows Simoun, a mysterious figure of unknown origin who wields great influence, as he arrives in the Philippines and plots revolution against Spanish colonial rule. 2) Simoun is revealed to be Crisostomo Ibarra in disguise, believed dead after the events of Noli Me Tangere. He plans to destroy the corrupt system that ruined his life. 3) As Simoun's plans progress, tensions rise between supporters of revolution and advocates of maintaining Spanish control, setting the stage for an uprising aimed at ending colonial abuses and injustice.

1. El Filibusterismo

2. The novel begins on the on board the
steamer Tabo, plying the Pasig river to
Laguna de Bay. With Simoun were Dona
Victorina, Don Tiburcio de Espadana, Paulita
Gomez, Isagani, Fr. Florentino, Baslio and
other passenger. Simoun arrived in the
Philippines as an ominous figure whose
origin was unknown to many but he wielded
unlimited influence to the governor general.

3. He was known by many as a jeweler, who
always sported large dark spectacles that
concealed much of the upper part of his face.
Inasmuch as Simoun enjoyed the patronage
of the governor- general, many considered
him influential in securing privileges from the
country’s chief executive

4. Meanwhile, Basilio, a young medical student
returned to San Diego, his native town. He
was the brother of Crispin, who was beaten
to death by the head sacristan of Father Salvi
in the Noli. Upon arriving at San Diego, he
went to the spot in the forest where many
years ago, he had met an exhausted man
who assisted him in burying his mother and
had built a funeral pyre for Elias, who was
shot to death at the chase in the lake.

5. Upon arriving at the grave of his mother,
Basilio found Simoun, without his dark
glasses digging there. Basilio soon recalled
then incident that happened in the same
spot where Simon was, 13 years ago. He
recognized Ibarra, believed by many to have
died during the chase in the lake. Simoun
thought of exterminating Basilio for fear
that his identity will be revealed by the
latter.

6. Soon, Simoun realized that he should spare
Basilio considering that he also had a
grievance to solve – that of avenging the
brutal death of his mother, Sisa, as well as
his brother Crispin. In the conversation that
ensued between the two, Simoun informed
Basilio of his true intention of returning to
the country – that of destroying the brutal
system that had destroyed him.

7. At the time that Simoun had worked out his
plan of fomenting revolution, Filipino
students like Basilio and his friends, earnestly
pressed for assimilation, the spread of the
Spanish language and the appeals for loyalty
to and confidence to the colonial
government. Simoun reacted vehemently to
the program of Hispanization that young
students were advocating.

8. For Simoun, this would mean death of
people, destruction of national identity and
constitution of tyranny in the country. HE
even contradicted the students in the plan
of establishing an Academy of Spanish
Language. According to him, Spanish will
never be a lingua franca in the country since
the people will never speak it because the
ideas of its brain and the sentiments of its
heart find no phrases to express themselves
in that language.

9. Meanwhile Simoun continued preparing the
way for his ultimate plan. He created abuses
when they are not in existence. He
encouraged the governor-general to order
the demolition of all nipa houses for a
substantial bribe from a businessman
engaged in the selling of iron roofing. When
everybody is ready for the uprising, he again
approached Basilio and convinced him to
support the revolution that was to breakout
within an hour.

10. Simoun informed Basilio of the role he was
playing in the uprising. Basilio was to take a
group of men to destroy the gates of the
convent of Sta. Clara at the height of the
revolution to rescue Maria Clara.

11. When Basilio informed Rizal of the
demise of Maria Clara, Simoun became
dumbfounded and was not able to give
the signal of the commencement of
the hostilities to his followers, who
were eagerly waiting to begin the
revolution. Out of his dejection and
depression, the revolution did not take
place.

12. For the time being, the project of the
young students to establish an academy
for the teaching of Spanish language was
rejected by the administrators of the
university, despite the all-out support of
Fr. Fernandez. The students, therefore,
sought the assistance of Don Custodio, a
pseudo-liberal official counselor.

13. The next day, anti-friar posters were
posted at the doors of university. What
followed was the arrest of the members
of the student association; including
Basilio. Eventually, all were released from
prison except Basilio, who was jailed for
a number of months to uphold the
prestige of the authority.

14. After his release from prison, Basilio
presented himself to Simoun, ready to
follow the latter’s orders. A wedding feast
was to take place that night, to be
attended by the Governor-general, the
friars and the high officials of the
government. Simoun prepared a
magnificent lamp, filled with nitroglycerin
and dynamite, as the governor’s wedding
gift to Paulita Gomez and Juanito Pelaez.

15. Seeing the lamp already in place, he
suddenly left and met Isagani, the
frustrated lover of Paulita Gomez. Aware of
what was to take place, BAsilio tried to
convince Isagani to leave the place. Upon
learning the horrible secret device in the
lamp, Isagani, who was still in love with
Paulita, realized that Paulita’s life was in
danger. He rushed into the house, grabbed
the lighted lamp, and hurled it into the river.

16. Simoun was able to escape despite the
cordon of soldiers surrounding the
place. Nonetheless, the soldiers
pursued Simoun relentlessly. Mortally
wounded, Simoun, with his treasure
chest, sought refuge in the home by the
sea of Fr. Florentino, a retired Filipino
priest.

17. The Spanish authorities learned that
Simoun was hiding in the house of Fr.
Lieutenant Perez of the Guardia Civil
sent a word that he would be coming
to arrest him. Upon learning that he
would be arrested by the guardia civil,
Simoun took a poison before Fr.
Florentino could save him. Before he
died, Simoun divulged his secret to the
kind-hearted priest.

18. Fr. Florentino gazed at the lifeless body of
Simoun and took the treasure chest and
threw it to the sea. At the chest sank into the
sea, he said:
May nature guard you in her deep abysses
maong the pearls and corals of her eternal
seas. When for some holy and sublime
purpose man may need you, God wills in His
wisdom draw you from the bosom of the
waves. Meanwhile, there you will not work
woe, you will not distort justice, you will not
foment avarice.

19. The end~

20. El Filibusterismo

21. The message~

22. Rizal’s message in El Filibusterismo is very
clear: that the present system of the
government in the Philippines through corrupt
officials, dominated by the friars can lead to the
downfall of the Spain. This point was stressed
by Simoun in the novel when he said, “what is a
man to do when he is denied justice,? Take the
law into his own hands or wait for the Spain. To
give him rights…” From the foregoing, Rizal was
very certain that because of the nature and
operation of the government, those who are
intelligent, generous, hard-working, courageous
and loyal citizens were driven into opposition

23. The Spanish colonial government for Rizal was arbitrary, cruel, lacking in a sense of justice and responsibility, without interest in the people under its tutelage. The Spanish colonial government for Rizal
was arbitrary, cruel, lacking in a sense of
justice and responsibility, without interest in
the people under its tutelage. While Rizal
described the government in a very negative
way, his picture of the friars in the Fili was
harsher. In this novel, Rizal painted them as
abusing their power for the following
reasons; to satisfy their evil desires; to
preserve their control of education; to rob
men of their land; and to seek their own
interests.

24. Rizal did not spare his fellow Filipinos
from his criticism of the regime. He
condemned them for their greed,
corruption, hypocrisy and cowardice,
which contributed so much to the
abuses of the civil officials and friars

25. Another message communicated by Rizal
was on the course of action Filipinos
should take if Spain would not listen to
his warning. As Filipinos had desired
assimilation for a long time, Spain should
grant it. Should Spain not accede to the
clamor for assimilation, the people may
eventually prefer to die rather than
endure the miseries any longer. Violent
means to effect change would thus
become inevitable to achieve their goal.