Name: Telesforo / “Tales”
Sex: M
Race: Indio
Occupation: Farmer, cabeza de barangay of Sagpang
Aliases: Cabesang Tales, Matanglawin (Hawkeye), “The Terror Luzon”
Affiliations: Tulisanes
Background
Telesforo, nicknamed “Tales” was the son of the woodcutter, Tandang Selo. They lived in the forests of San Diego, and eventually Tales had a wife and three children: Lucia, Tano and Juli. Originally, Tales worked as a tenant on someone else’s farm but he decided that he wanted his own. Because of this, the family cut down trees to clear lands that they could farm. One by one, they got sick, and Tales’ wife and eldest daughter Lucia died from illness. The family believed that the forest spirits cursed them and were getting revenge.
However, Tales had a successful first harvest. But right after that, a religious order claimed the family’s fees and began charging them an annual fee of twenty to thirty pesos. Tandang Selo advised Tales not to complain, so Tales did not protest. His farm became successful and he was able to build a house in Sagpang barrio in Tiani. Tales wanted to send his youngest daughter Juli to school but over time, the friars kept raising the annual fee.
Tales eventually became cabeza de barangay, then earning the nickname “Cabesang Tales” but ended up paying any costs out of his own pocket. Combined with the increasing rental fees for his farms, Cabesang Tales could no longer send Juli to school. He protested the annual fees but a friar administrator sent servants to possess the land.
Cabesang Tales stopped listening to Tandang Selo’s advice to not protest, and instead finally rebelled, saying he would only surrender his fields to “the first man who would water them with blood from his own veins.” Cabesang Tales used up his savings trying to get lawyers and officials to help him, and started patrolling his fields with a shotgun. The judges sided with the friars despite knowing that Cabesang Tales was right.
Cabesang Tales refused all negotiations from then on, and his son Tano soon left him to join the army. Everyone became afraid of Cabesang Tales, and Capitan General ordered all firearms be confiscated so Cabesang Tales started using a bolo instead. After his bolo was confiscated, he used an axe.
The tulisanes managed to capture Cabesang Tales and at the beginning of El Filibusterismo (El Fili), are holding him for ransom, threatening to kill him if his family doesn’t give 500 pesos within two days.
Story
Chapter 4: Cabesang Tales is the main focus, as the chapter is named after him. He is first introduced as the son of Tandang Selo, and his background is explained. He was a farmer who conflicted with a religious order when they started charging him to use their fields. As Cabesang Tales became more successful, the friars kept raising the rent. Cabesang Tales promised to send his daughter Juli to school and managed to build a house in Sagpang. He eventually became Cabeza de Barangay but because he kept paying tax deficits by himself, he got poorer. The friars raised the rent again and Cabesang Tales refused to pay so the friar administrator claimed his land. The conflict got worse until Cabesang Tales was kidnapped by tulisanes while patrolling his fields. They threaten to kill him unless his family pays the ransom of 500 pesos.
Chapter 5: The caretaker of Capitan Basilio’s house in San Diego tells Basilio what happened to Cabesang Tales.
Chapter 8: Juli thinks of Cabesang Tales on Christmas Day as she prepares to start her new job as a maid, to get money to pay for the ransom.
Chapter 9: It is revealed that the town does not feel guilty for what happened to Cabesang Tales. Padre Clemente says Cabesang Tales made him feel unsafe and that he deserved punishment for not listening to the demands of the church. Cabesang Tales returns home to find out that his father Tandang Selo is mute, and his daughter Juli is now a maid. He sees an order from the tribunal to evacuate his house in three days. He sits down beside Tandang Selo and both do not speak.
Chapter 10: Simoun asks to stay at Cabesang Tales’ house so he can sell jewels in San Diego. Cabesang Tales is ashamed that he cannot be hospitable. Simoun asks if Cabesang Tales’ revolver is good against the tulisanes. Cabesang Tales says their guns shoot far, but Simoun shows his own gun, shooting a palm to prove that his can shoot the same distance.
Capitan Basilio, Capitana Tika, Sinang and Sister Penchang go to Cabesang Tales’ house to buy jewels from Simoun. Cabesang Tales watches them and feels angry at Simoun for showing off his wealth, while he has to leave his house in three days. Cabesang Tales knows that even one diamond of Simoun’s would bring back everything he lost. When Simoun starts buying jewelry, he asks Cabesang Tales if he has anything to sell. He offers to buy the locket of Maria Clara for 500 pesos. Cabesang Tales says he will ask his daughter first.
Cabesang Tales leaves the house and sees the friar-hacandero and the man who took his land both laughing at his house. Simoun wakes up the next day to find his revolver missing, but with the locket replacing it and a letter from Cabesang Tales apologizing for stealing the revolver. He tells Simoun in the letter that he will join the tulisanes and that Simoun should stay out of their way.
Guardia civiles arrive at Cabesang Tales’ house to arrest him, but since he is gone they take Tandang Selo instead. The friar-hacandero and new tenant are found dead from headshots, with soil stuffed in their mouths. The tenant’s wife is also found dead, her throat slashed, and a paper is found with “Tales” written on it with blood. The novel tells the readers not to worry because they are not called Tales and therefore not guilty. The readers are told they have suffered more than Cabesang Tales, with no justice served.
Chapter 11: At Los Banos, the secretary tells Capitan General about Juli’s request for Tandang Selo to be set free. Juli is referred to as “Cabesang Tales’ daughter”.
Chapter 19: Cabesang Tales’ name is used as a password by Simoun and the pyrotechnist. The pyrotechnist is told to meet a man in a bangka in Lamayan. When he sees “Cabesa”, the man will say “Tales” and take his place. Simoun also tells the pyrotechnist that they don’t need the support of the suburbs because they have Cabesang Tales’ men, among others.
Chapter 23: Simoun visits Basilio at Capitan Tiago’s house. While trying to convince him to join the revolution, he tells Basilio that Cabesang Tales is waiting downstairs.
Chapter 30: Juli thinks of Cabesang Tales, knowing the guardia civiles arrested Tandang Selo just to get Cabesang Tales’ to come out of hiding. The people in town know that Cabesang Tales would be pardoned if Juli went to Padre Camorra. Juli later has a nightmare of Cabesang Tales being shot and turning into Basilio. While trying to decide if she should go to Padre Camorra, Juli has more dreams about Cabesang Tales and Basilio dying.
Chapter 31: Cabesang Tales is not mentioned by name but there are rumors about a band of tulisanes being led by a chieftain known as “Matanglawin” (Hawkeye).
Chapter 33: Simoun tells Basilio the plan for revolution. He explains that the bomb explosion will be heard in the mountains and that anyone who wants to join the revolution will meet Cabesang Tales in Santa Mesa and invade the city. Cabesang Tales and Simoun have planned to take over the city.
Chapter 36: Cabesang Tales is not mentioned by name, but the captured robbers in the friars’ villa in Pasig explain that they are the tulisanes of Matanglawin. They were supposed to help him invade Santa Mesa, but the shot never came, so the tulisanes disbanded and some became robbers.
Chapter 38: Matanglawin has become a terrorist in Luzon, destroying farms and killing city officials. He is known to capture villagers and torture them if they don’t join him. Most join him but economy in the towns worsens and even innocent people are thought to be allies of his, so soldiers capture them.
While soldiers escort prisoners through the mountain, they are attacked and shot at. The soldiers kill the prisoners but the shooting continues. The corporal tells Carolino (Tano) to use his marksmanship skills. A man (implied to be Cabesang Tales) comes out and makes signals with his rifle. Tano thinks he recognizes him but the corporal says to shoot, so Tano does and the man falls. Another man appears and the soldiers shoot him. As Tano approaches him, he realizes the man is Tandang Selo, who keeps looking at Tano and pointing behind the rock (probably at Cabesang Tales’ body, whom Tano killed without realizing).
Physical Description
Cabesang Tales’ appearance is not described.
Personality
Cabesang Tales starts out as a simple farmer who cares first and foremost about providing for his family. As he gains wealth, however, he shows himself to be quite naïve. His idealism and trust in the system lead him to become cabeza de barangay to help the town. That causes him to pay for costs with his own money. Cabesang Tales also puts his trust in lawyers and judges, hiring many to help him go against the friars and expecting them to make the right judgment. When they side with the friars, Cabesang Tales is left poor and cheated.
Cabesang Tales can also be stubborn, as eventually he refuses to listen to Tandang Selo’s advice that lawyers would just be a waste of money. When Tandang Selo is proven right, Cabesang Tales resorts to guarding his lands and refusing to pay. He is impulsive, reckless and does not seem to make good long-term decisions as he often lets emotions dictate his choices. Cabesang Tales patrols his lands just to prevent the friars from taking them, even though there is nothing left to protect. In another incident, Cabesang Tales ends up murdering officials just because they laughed at his house (Chapter 10).
Skills
Fighting
Cabesang Tales is shown to be very skilled in battling with various weapons, as he is able to wield shotguns, bolos and axes. Because of his shooting abilities, as a terrorist he becomes known as “Matanglawin” (Hawkeye). He also manages to get bandits to help him attack various towns, and is able to assassinate several officials throughout Luzon, gaining a fearsome reputation (Chapter 38).
Relationships
See Relationships of Cabesang Tales
Beliefs
Justice
Cabesang Tales starts out believing that doing the right thing is the best course of action, as advised by his father Tandang Selo (Chapter 4). However, the more Cabesang Tales suffers, the less he believes in following the rules and the more he relies on mindless violence, seeing it as justified if a crime has been committed against him. Cabesang Tales’ last act of fairness is to leave Juli’s locket for Simoun in exchange for taking his revolver, and he even warns Simoun to stay away from them to prevent from getting hurt (Chapter 10). But after that, he murders the friar-hacandero and tenant who laughed at his house, and kills the tenant’s wife as well even though she wasn’t involved.
From then on, Cabesang Tales becomes someone a murderer willing to kill anyone who gets in his way, even those that did not personally harm him. He joins Simoun’s cause and is ready to invade Manila even if it means killing innocent citizens, and after Simoun’s disappearance, invades various towns and becomes infamous for killing anyone who does not join him (Chapter 38).
