El Filibusterismo

“What good are the friars doing here if the people can revolt?” (36) is a rhetorical question posed by Simoun, who is Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra in disguise, to the group above deck on the steamship in Chapter 1. It was a longstanding belief in both the Philippines and Spain that the friars were the primary reason the people did not revolt, because of religious devotion to the Catholic faith. However, as José Rizal’s first novel illustrates, and his second novel El Filibusterismo reinforces, the friars keep the population in check largely through intimidation, abusing the people and taking advantage of them.

In the colonial Philippines, several clerical denominations within the Catholic faith ruled much of the area along feudal lines. They had power over the people from birth to death, and this power led to many abuses. Antonio de Morga, a governor of the Philippines between 1595-1603, complained about priest behavior, and other Spanish figures critical of the clergy wrote similar reports. Abusive friars and priests were removed from their areas and sent elsewhere, which merely transferred problems. There are three types of clerical abuse addressed in the novel—financial, sexual, and educational.

The clergy’s financial abuse is best illustrated by Cabesang Tales’s story. A revealing aspect of Tales’s tale is how the friary claimed his land without any proof, and that Tales had no legal recourse but to give in to the friars’ demands. Stories like these are corroborated throughout the colonial history of the Philippines not only by Filipino and Spanish citizens, but foreigners too. In the late 18th century, a French scientist, Guillaume le Gentil, recorded that the Spanish clergy operate like sovereigns, that their power is more absolute than that of the King of Spain himself.

The second abuse discussed in the novel is sexual. Because of the prevalence of moral censorship at the end of the 19th century, this type of abuse was merely hinted at rather than explicitly detailed. However, it’s clear that the abuses María Clara and Julí experienced led to María Clara considering suicide (in Noli Me Tángere, she stands on the convent’s roof during a storm, hoping to be struck by lightning). In El Filibusterismo, Julí offers herself to Father Camorra in order to free Basilio and later throws herself from a window. Suicide in the Catholic faith was not a light matter, as it meant eternal damnation—which only speaks to the depth of these women’s turmoil. María Clara longed for death without having to inflict it herself, and Julí was so beside herself she couldn’t do anything else to deal with it. While specific historical instances were rarely recorded, other Philippine writers wrote about similar abuses. For example, Rizal’s contemporary, Graciano López Jaena, wrote about clerical lasciviousness in his Fray Botod.

The third abuse discussed in the novel is the clergy’s intransigence regarding education of the Philippine populace. Many Spanish officials were openly critical of this abuse: Francisco Leandro de Viana, writing in the 18th century, criticized the clergy for not educating Filipino citizens in Spanish so they wouldn’t be able to report on the clergy’s doings. With only these abuses enumerated, it’s easy to understand why political movements at the end of the 19th century (like the La Liga Filipina, of which Rizal was a member) requested intensive reform of clerical power. These movements not only sought to limit clerical power, but hold individual priests accountable. A reduction in clerical power and influence was achieved over the years, but the struggle for complete accountability is still ongoing.