El filibusterismo 

(transl. The filibusterism; The Subversive or The Subversion, as in the Locsín

English translation, are also possible translations), also known by its alternative English title The
Reign of Greed,[1] is the second novel written by Philippine national hero José Rizal. It is the sequel
to Noli Me Tángere and, like the first book, was written in Spanish. It was first published in 1891
in Ghent.
The novel centers on the Noli-El fili duology's main character Crisóstomo Ibarra, now returning for
vengeance as "Simoun". The novel's dark theme departs dramatically from the previous novel's
hopeful and romantic atmosphere, signifying Ibarra's resort to solving his country's issues through
violent means, after his previous attempt in reforming the country's system made no effect and
seemed impossible with the corrupt attitude of the Spaniards toward the Filipinos.
The novel, along with its predecessor, was banned in some parts of the Philippines as a result of
their portrayals of the Spanish government's abuses and corruption. These novels, along with Rizal's
involvement in organizations that aimed to address and reform the Spanish system and its issues,
led to Rizal's exile to Dapitan and eventual execution. Both the novel and its predecessor, along
with Rizal's last poem, are now considered Rizal's literary masterpieces.
Both of Rizal's novels had a profound effect on Philippine society in terms of views about national
identity, the Catholic faith and its influence on the Filipino's choice, and the government's issues in
corruption, abuse of power, and discrimination, and on a larger scale, the issues related to the effect
of colonization on people's lives and the cause for independence. These novels later on indirectly
became the inspiration to start the Philippine Revolution.
Throughout the Philippines, the reading of both the novel and its predecessor is
now mandatory for high school students throughout the archipelago, although it is now read using
English, Filipino, and the Philippines' regional languages.

In the events of the previous novel, Crisóstomo Ibarra, a reform-minded mestizo who tried to

establish a modern school in his hometown of San Diego and marry his childhood sweetheart, was
falsely accused of rebellion and presumed dead after a shootout following his escape from prison.
Elías, his friend who was also a reformer, sacrificed his life to give Crisóstomo a chance to regain his
treasure and flee the country, and hopefully continue their crusade for reforms from abroad. After a
thirteen-year absence from the country, a more revolutionary Crisóstomo has returned, having taken
the identity of Simoun, a mysterious wealthy jeweler whose objective is to drive the government to
commit as much abuse as possible in order to drive people into revolution.
Simoun goes from town to town presumably to sell his jewels. Reaching San Diego, he detours to a
forested land once owned by the Ibarras to retrieve more of his treasures buried in the mausoleum.
There his true identity as Crisóstomo Ibarra is discovered by a now-grown Basilio, who was also in
the mausoleum visiting his mother's grave. In the years since the death of his mother, Basilio had
been serving as Capitán Tiago's servant in exchange for being allowed to study, and is now an
aspiring doctor on his last year at university as well as administrator and apparent heir to Capitán
Tiago's wealth. Simoun reveals his motives to Basilio and offers him a place in his plans. Too secure
of his place in the world, Basilio declines.
At Barrio Sagpang in the town of Tiani, Simoun stays at the house of the village's cabeza de
barangay, Tales. Having suffered misfortune after misfortune in recent years, Kabesang Tales is
unable to resist the temptation to steal Simoun's revolver and join the bandits. In Los Baños, Simoun
joins his friend, the Captain-General, who is then taking a break from a hunting excursion. In a
friendly game of cards with him and his cronies, Simoun raises the stakes higher and higher and
half-jokingly secures blank orders for deportation, imprisonment, and summary execution from the
Captain-General.
Later on, Simoun goes to Manila and meets Quiroga,[2] a wealthy Chinese businessman and aspiring
consul-general for the Chinese empire. Knowing Quiroga is heavily in his debt, Simoun offers him a
steep discount if the former stores his massive arsenal of rifles in Quiroga's warehouses, to be used
presumably for extortion activities with Manila's elite. Despite his hatred of guns and weaponry,
Quiroga reluctantly agrees to do the job and uses his bazaar as a front.
During the Quiapo Fair, a talking heads[3] exhibit[4] ostensibly organized by an American named Mr.
Leeds but secretly commissioned by Simoun is drawing popular acclaim. Padre Bernardo Salví, now
chaplain of the Convent of the Poor Clares,[5] attends one of the performances. The exhibit is set
in Ptolemaic Egypt but features a tale that closely resembled that of Crisóstomo Ibarra and María
Clara, and their fate under Salví. The show ends with an ominous vow of revenge. Deeply overcome
with guilt and fear, Salví recommends the show be banned, but not before Mr. Leeds sailed for Hong
Kong.
Months pass and the night of Simoun's revolution comes. Simoun visits Basilio in Tiago's house and
tries to convince him again to join his revolution. He reveals his plan for the attack: a cannon volley
shall be fired, at which point Kabesang Tales, now a bandit identifying himself as Matanglawin, and
Simoun who managed to deceive and recruit a sizable rogue force among the government troops,
will lead their forces into the city. The leaders of the Church, the University, scores of bureaucrats,
the Captain-General himself, as well as the bulk of officers guarding them are all conveniently
located in one location, the theater where a controversial and much-hyped performance of Les
cloches de Corneville[6] is taking place. While Simoun and Matanglawin direct their forces, Basilio
and several others are to raid the Convent of the Poor Clares and rescue María Clara.
However, Basilio reports to Simoun that María Clara died just that afternoon, after suffering the
travails of monastic life under Salví, who always lusted after her. Simoun, driven by grief, aborts the
attack and becomes crestfallen throughout the night. It will be reported later on that he suffered an
"accident" that night, leaving him confined to his bed.
The following day, posters threatening violence to the leaders of the university and the government
are found at the university doors. A reform-oriented student group to which Basilio belonged is
named the primary suspects; the members are arrested, including Basilio, despite his absence from
the group's mock dinner the night before. They are eventually freed through the intercession of
relatives, except for Basilio who is an orphan and has no means to pay for his freedom. During his
imprisonment, he learns that Capitán Tiago has died, leaving him with nothing; it is revealed that
Tiago's will was actually forged by his spiritual advisor Padre Írene, who also supplies him with
opium; his childhood sweetheart Juli has committed suicide to avoid getting raped by parish priest
Camorra when she tried asking for help on Basilio's behalf; and that he has missed his graduation
and will be required to study for another year, but now with no funds to go by. Released through the
intercession of Simoun, a darkened, disillusioned Basilio joins Simoun's cause wholeheartedly.
Simoun, meanwhile, has been organizing a new revolution, and he reveals his plans to a now
committed Basilio. The wedding of Juanito Peláez and Paulita Gómez will be used to coordinate the
attack upon the city. As the Peláez and Gómez families are prominent members of the Manila elite,
leaders of the church and civil government are invited to the reception. The Captain-General, who
declined to extend his tenure despite Simoun's urging, is leaving in two days and is the guest of
honor.
Simoun will personally deliver a pomegranate-shaped crystal lamp as a wedding gift. The lamp is to
be placed on a plinth at the reception venue and will be bright enough to illuminate the entire hall,
which was also walled with mirrors. After some time the light will flicker as if to go out. When
someone attempts to raise the wick, a mechanism hidden within the lamp containing fulminated
mercury will detonate, igniting the lamp which is actually filled with nitroglycerin, killing everyone in
an enormous blast.
At the sound of the explosion, Simoun's mercenaries will attack, reinforced by Matanglawin and his
bandits who will descend upon the city from the surrounding hills. Simoun postulates that at the
chaos, the masses, already worked to a panic by the government's heavy-handed response to the
poster incident, as well as rumors of German ships at the bay to lend their firepower to any uprising
against the Spanish government, will step out in desperation to kill or be killed. Basilio and a few
others are to put themselves at their head and lead them to Quiroga's warehouses, where Simoun's
guns are still being kept. The plan thus finalized, Simoun gives Basilio a loaded revolver and sends
him away to await further instructions.
Basilio walks the streets for hours and passes by his old home, Capitán Tiago's riverside house
on Anloague Street. He discovers that this was to be the reception venue – Juanito Peláez's father
bought Tiago's house as a gift for the newlywed couple. Sometime later, he sees Simoun enter the
house with the lamp, then hastily exit the house and board his carriage. Basilio begins to move away
but sees Isagani, his friend and Paulita Gómez's former lover, sadly looking at Paulita through the
window. Noting how close they were to the condemned house, Basilio tries to head Isagani off, but
Isagani was too dazed with grief to listen to him. In desperation, Basilio reveals to Isagani how the
house is set to explode at any time then. But when Isagani still refuses to heed him, Basilio flees,
leaving Isagani to his fate.
Seeing Basilio's demeanor, Isagani is temporarily, rather belatedly unnerved by the revelation.
Isagani rushes into the house, seizes the lamp leaving the hall in darkness, and throws it into the
river. With this, Simoun's second revolution fails as well.
In the following days, as the trappings at the reception venue are torn down, sacks containing
gunpowder are discovered hidden under the boards all over the house. Simoun, who had directed
the renovations, is exposed. With his friend, the Captain-General, having left for Spain, Simoun is
left without his protector and is forced to flee. A manhunt ensues and Simoun is chased as far away
as the shores of the Pacific. He then spends the rest of his days hiding in the ancestral mansion of
Padre Florentino, Isagani's uncle.
One day, the lieutenant of the local Guardia Civil informs Florentino that he received an order to
arrest Simoun that night. In response, Simoun drinks the slow-acting poison which he always kept in
a compartment on his treasure chest. Simoun then makes his final confession to Florentino, first
revealing his true name, to Florentino's shock. He goes on to narrate how thirteen years before, as
Crisóstomo Ibarra, he lost everything in the Philippines despite his good intentions. Crisóstomo
swore vengeance. Retrieving some of his family's treasure Elias buried in the Ibarra mausoleum in
the forest, Crisóstomo fled to foreign lands and engaged in trade. He took part in the war in Cuba,
aiding first one side and then another, but always profiting. There Crisóstomo met the Captain-
General who was then a major, whose goodwill he won first by loans of money, and afterwards by
covering for his criminal activity. Crisóstomo bribed his way to secure the major's promotion to
Captain-General and his assignment to the Philippines. Once in the country, Crisóstomo then used
him as a blind tool and incited him to all kinds of injustice, availing himself of the Captain-General's
insatiable lust for gold.
The confession is long and arduous, and night has fallen when Crisóstomo finished. In the end,
Florentino assures the dying man of God's mercy, but explains that his revolution failed because he
has chosen means that God cannot sanction. Crisóstomo bitterly accepts the explanation and dies.
Realizing that the arresting officers will confiscate Crisóstomo's possessions, Florentino divests him
of his jewels and casts them into the sea, proclaiming that should people need wealth for a righteous
cause, God will provide the means to draw them out. Until then it would be better for them to stay
hidden under the sea, where they cannot be used to distort justice or incite greed.