El Filibusterismo (El Fili) – Chapter 11
Chapter Title: Los Banos
Setting: December, Los Banos
Characters:
- Capitan General
- Padre Irene
- Padre Sibyla
- Padre Camorra
- Capitan General’s Secretary
- Don Custodio
- Padre Fernandez
- Simoun
- Ben Zayb
- Schoolmaster of Tiani (mentioned)
- Macaraig (mentioned)
- Isagani (mentioned)
- Basilio (mentioned)
- Juli (mentioned)
- Cabesang Tales (mentioned)
- Tandang Selo (mentioned)
- Teniente of Guardia Civil (mentioned)
Plot:
Capitan General tries to decide whether he should approve the students’ petition for a Spanish academy.
Chapter Summary:
Capitan General goes hunting in Bosoboso but has to be accompanied by a music band, friars, the military and bureaucrats so it is too noisy and he doesn’t catch anything.
The gobernadorcillos and cabezas de barangay are afraid because they think Capitan General will take his failure out on them. Capitan General says he would feel bad having to hurt animals anyway, but the truth is that he is afraid he will miss if they come across an animal. Capitan General chooses to end the hunt and instead tells fake stories about having hunted in other countries and how hunting in the Philippines doesn’t compare to them.
Capitan General is in the sala of his house playing tresillo with Padre Irene, Padre Sibyla and Padre Camorra. Padre Irene and Padre Sibyla are losing on purpose but Padre Camorra doesn’t know about their plan. He does not insult Padre Sibyla’s poor playing because he respects him. But Padre Camorra thinks Padre Irene is crude.
The secretary is doing business while serving as alcalde in the tresillo game. He lists topics that Capitan General should decide on. Don Custodio is talking to Padre Fernandez. Simoun and Ben Zayb are playing billiards. Padre Camorra curses the game and throws his cards down. He explains to the rest that Padre Irene is an idiot who made a bad move. Padre Irene makes excuses but hides his smile.
Padre Sibyla asks Padre Fernandez to play but he says he is a bad tresillista. Capitan General asks Simoun to join. The secretary asks about the decision on sporting firearms. Padre Irene tells Simoun to use diamonds instead of tokens and Simoun agrees. Simoun asks what Padre Irene will bet, asking if they will pay with acts of charity, prayers and virtues.
Simoun asks the friars to pay him with words. He states an example: “I renounce for five days poverty, humility and obedience/chastity, generosity”.
Simoun asks Capitan General to bet the following:
- 5 tokens
- An IOU for 5 days of incarceration
- Another IOU for 5 months
- A codicil (blank deportation order)
- An authorization (summary execution) expedited by the guardia civil
Capitan General asks what Simoun will gain from that. Padre Irene asks what he will do with deportations and summary executions. Simoun says he will use them to ‘clean up the country and destroy evil seeds’. Before, he had told them about being ambushed by tulisanes and being released the next day, but they took his two Smith and Wesson revolvers and two boxes of cartridges.
Simoun had told Capitan General that the tulisanes had shotguns and rifles, which is why Capitan General was about to issue a new decree about sporting firearms, to stop the tulisanes from acquiring more weapons. Padre Irene calls Simoun ungrateful for not appreciating getting to keep his jewels.
Simoun says he thinks the tulisanes are the most honest men in the country, because “they are the only ones who earn their rice properly”. He asks Padre Irene if he would have released him with all his jewels intact. Don Custodio thinks Simoun is being rude just because he is close to Capitan General.
Padre Irene jokes that Simoun is one of the tulisanes and Simoun agrees, saying they are not tulisanes “in the open”. He says that if they all lived in the forests then the country would be saved and Capitan General would be able to play tresillo without being distracted by the secretary, who yawns at that moment.
Everyone laughs. Capitan General asks if there are more matters to attend to. Everyone is thinking of the issue of teaching Spanish. Padre Sibyla, as Vice-Rector, is opposed to it. Padre Irene supports it (as well as Madame Countess).
The secretary brings up sporting firearms. Capitan General says to forbid them but the secretary argues that sporting firearms are allowed in all countries. Capitan General says they do not copy any country and the secretary argues that sporting arms are only good against rats and chickens. Capitan General says he has given proof that he is not a chicken so they will not be seen as such. The secretary says firearms were prohibited four months ago but importers were assured that sporting arms would still be allowed.
Simoun suggests that the only sporting arms that can be sold should not have 6 mm because most have a caliber of 6 mm. Everyone agrees except the secretary, who whispers to Padre Fernandez that it is improper.
The secretary asks about the schoolmaster of Tiani, who is asking for a better place because it is roofless. Capitan General says to direct the complaint to the Director of Administration or Governor of nuncio (province). Padre Camorra says the schoolmaster is a filibusterillo (subversive) and that someday he will punch the man in the face. Padre Sibyla says anyone who wants to teach can teach anywhere.
Capitan General says he has heard complaints against the schoolteacher and says he should be suspended. The secretary feels bad for the schoolteacher and tries to argue for him, but Capitan General says that he already gave money for the schooteacher to buy materials before. The secretary says the materials will be wasted without the proper site.
Capitan General says it is wrong to keep demanding for things when there are people dying of hunger. Ben Zayb interrupts, saying that country should come before anything else but everyone ignores him. Capitan General says anyone who will complain will be suspended.
Don Custodio speaks up and asks about his project, which involves using other buildings as schoolhouses. The friars are worried that he is referring to convents and churches but Don Custodio explains that the cockpits should be schools because they are not used during weekdays, only during fiestas.
Padre Camorra points out that cockfights sometimes take place on weekdays, and that cockpit concessionaires pay the government. Don Custodio says that classes will be canceled during those days but Capitan General says he would rather resign if schools are closed because there are games.
Capitan General ends the discussion and asks if there are more matters involving public education. The secretary asks about the request of students wanting to open an academy for teaching Spanish. The application had been waiting for six months.
People who approve of it:
- Secretary (he thinks that the petition is fair)
- Padre Irene
- Don Custodio
- Padre Fernandez
People who are against it:
- Padre Sibyla (he calls it an “assault on our prerogatives”, a “rebellion on stamped paper”)
- Simoun (“The solicitation has a suspicious character”)
- Padre Camorra (“The Indios should not understand Spanish because they will argue”)
The secretary admits that it is headed by youths accused of radicalism. Isagani, Macaraig and Basilio are mentioned. Padre Fernandez says he is pleased with Isagani. Padre Camorra says that Isagani was insolent on the ship. Padre Irene says Macaraig is charming and rich. Padre Irene says he knows nothing of Basilio but knows of his father, who was involved in a mutiny against the guardia civil. The secretary argues that they cannot deny the petition based on rumors.
Padre Sibyla says that it is not about teaching Spanish but rather about the school (UST) versus the students and the students will claim to have “defeated” them if they succeed.
Everyone knows Padre Fernandez has a “thinking head” so they listen to him when he speaks. He says the Dominicans should be the first to celebrate the teaching of Spanish. If they approve the petition, the people will be stronger and they (the priests) should teach people fairness instead of ignorance. The Indio “idolizes” justice and therefore what they desire is just and fair, and should be granted. Padre Fernandez says they should be like the “cunning Jesuits”. Padre Sibyla reacts to this as he hates the idea of Jesuits as a model.
Everyone starts arguing and Capitan General stands and says they should just discuss the matter tomorrow. The secretary brings up Juli, daughter of Cabesang Tales who is asking for her grandfather (Tandang Selo) to be freed. Capitan General is irritated, but Padre Camorra says he came to support the appeal of Juli.
Capitan General tells the secretary to send a note to the teniente of the guardia civil to release the grandfather to show they are forgiving and compassionate. He looks at Ben Zayb. Ben Zayb winks back.
Trivia:
- “Tresillo” is a card game
- From the balcony of Capitan General’s house, the island of Talim is visible, as well as the town of Calamba.
- Basilio is mentioned as one of the main students supporting of the petition, even though according to him he just signed it and did not help plan it.
- Simoun mentions wanting to throw virtues into the sea with his jewels. Padre Florentino eventually does this with Simoun’s jewels in Chapter 39.
Quotes:
Padre Camorra was unaware that on the table was at stake the intellectual development of the Filipinos, the teaching of Spanish, and had he known it, would have perhaps taken part in the subterfuge.
Padre Sibyla: You would know, Sir [Simoun], that the virtues one may possess are not like diamonds that can be passed from hand to hand, or sold and resold… They reside in one’s being, are attributes inherent in the subject…
Simoun: I am tired of hearing talk about virtues and I would like to have them all, all there are in the world,enclosed in a sack to throw into the sea, even if I have to make use of all my diamonds for ballast.
Simoun: The evil is not in that there may be tulisanes in the mountains and in uninhabited places. The trouble lies in the tulisanes of the towns and the cities.
Padre Sibyla: He who wants to teach teaches everywhere, in the open air: Socrates taught in the public plazas, Plato in the gardens of the academy,and Christ in the mountains and lakes.
Capitan General: The schoolteachers here do wrong to ask for edifices when those of the Peninsula die of hunger. It is great presumption to want to be better than the mother country itself!
Don Custodio: Even more immoral is that the vices have good buildings and for letters, there are none.
Secretary: My opinion is that the government, giving proof of its confidence in the people and the stability of its tenure, should grant what they ask of it; and be free afterwords to revoke permission when it sees that its kindness has been abused.
Padre Camorra: [The Indios] should not learn [Spanish] because then they will dare to argue with us; and the Indios should not argue, but only obey and pay.
Padre Fernandez: Why should we be in continuous tension with the people, when after all, we are the few and they are the many, when we need them and they do not need us?
