Name: Placido Penitente
Sex: M
Race: Indio
Occupation: Student (at UST)
Aliases: Placido Soplon, Tattle-tale, Placido Soplado, Swellhead
Affiliations:
Background
Placido Penitente was originally from Batangas. He was considered a very good student and was so smart that the parish priest called him a subversive. His father passed away though it is unclear what the cause of death was, and how old Placido Penitente was when it happened. His mother, Cabesang Andang, promised his father at some point that Placido Penitente would finish school and become a lawyer. Sometime during his childhood, he had an uncle who taught him while tugging his ears that one should never sign something without reading it. Since then, Placido Penitente began associating signing things with that sensation.
Eventually, Placido Penintente went to Manila to study in UST and fulfill his parents’ wishes. However, by the time he reached fourth year, he hated school and wanted to leave. He wrote to his mother twice to ask if he could leave his studies and work, but Cabesang Andang said he should graduate or else it would be a waste of four years.
In the beginning of El Filibusterismo (El Fili), he is currently a student enrolled in UST. While in Manila, he boards at the house of a silversmith.
Story
Chapter 12: Placido Penitente is first introduced and is the main focus of the chapter. He walks on Escolta street toward UST, after having arrived from his hometown one week ago. When he gets to the gate of Sto. Domingo, Juanito Pelaez sees him and greets him.
Placido Penitente just says “so-so” when Juanito Pelaez asks him how he’s been. Juanito Pelaez talks about his own experiences going to Tiani with Padre Camorra. Placido Penitente is surprised when hears that Padre Camorra tackled two people who were serenading Juli. Juanito Pelaez then asks what happened in class the past week and Placido Penitente tries to show him Ramos’ lesson in Physics. Juanito Pelaez just slaps it out of the way and says they should have a dia pichido. Placido Penitente calls Juanito Pelaez stupid.
When Juanito Pelaez tries to collect money for the monument of Padre Baltazar, Placido Penitente is confused at first but gives three pesos because he remembers a student who gave away canaries and therefore passed his subjects. Juanito Pelaez also tries to collect money for the birthday of the professor natural history. Placido Penitente gives 2 pesos but Juanito Pelaez asks for 2 more pesos to “serve as bait”. Placido Penitente points out that it will just be returned to him anyway, and that Juanito Pelaez should just write down that Placido Penitente gave 4 pesos. Juanito Pelaez calls himself stupid, but asks for the 2 pesos anyway as proof to show. Placido Penitente gives 2 more pesos.
They arrive at the University and soon the professor of Physics and Chemistry arrives so students start entering the building. Placido Penitente is stopped by a fellow student who asks him to sign a counter-petition against the Academy for Spanish. Placido Penitente refuses because he is going to be late and doesn’t want to go against Macaraig. Placido Penitente gets to class but finds out he missed roll call, as the professor (Padre Millon) is already at Q. He looks at Placido Penitente and shakes his head.
Chapter 13: Placido Penitente listens to the lesson on Physics, being taught by Padre Millon. When Juanito Pelaez (his seatmate) gets called to recite, Juanito Pelaez nudges Placido Penitente for answers. Padre Millon asks Juanito Pelaez if the substance behind has any influence on the surface. Juanito Pelaez cannot answer and steps on Placido Penitente’s foot. Placido Penitente calls him an idiot, which catches the attention of Padre Millon.
Padre Millon calls Placido Penitente, wanting to humiliate him. He asks Placido Penitente to explain if a glass mirror can also be considered a metal mirror since glass mirrors have tin, which is a metal. Placido Penitente keeps answering “so the book says” and stutters. Padre Millon scolds him for not studying yet trying to coach Juanito Pelaez. The entire class laughs.
Padre Millon asks for Placido Penitente’s name and makes fun of his last name ‘Penitente’, then orders him to recite the lesson. Because of nerves, Placido Penitente makes more than three mistakes. Padre Millon finds Placido Penitente’s name on the roll call and says that he has fifteen absences.
Placido Penitente argues that he was only absent 5 times (including today). Padre Millon says that since he rarely does roll call, he places 5 rayitos per absence, so the total becomes 25. He says he has not caught Placido Penitente more than 3 times, so 2 x 5 = 15. One more absence and Placido Penitente will be kicked out of the class.
Padre Millon places a rayita on Placido’s name for getting the lesson wrong. Placido argues that if he was present and failed the lesson then an absence should not be marked, since he cannot be absent and at the same time recite the lesson wrong. Padre Millon points out that not being present means absence of knowledge. Placido Penitente has an outburst and says Padre Millon has no right to insult him. He leaves the class.
When Placido Penitente is gone, Padre Millon lectures the class on youths trying to “teach their teachers by setting up an academy for the teaching of Spanish.” He says that Placido Penitente most likely supported the project, and uses him as an example of students that would have no time to attend the academy when they can barely pass their classes. Because of Placido Penitente’s outburst, Padre Millon is in a bad mood and spends the rest of the class ranting, making the students more resentful of friars.
Chapter 19: Placido Penitente walks around after storming out of the classroom. He feels angry at any priest he looks at. He sees Don Custodio and Padre Sibyla in a carriage and wants to throw Padre Sibyla into the water.
Placido Penitente goes home to the silversmith’s house and wonders what to do. He wants to go back to the province or move to Ateneo, but knows the Dominicans would not allow it. His mother Cabesang Andang has come to visit, and cries when Placido Penitente tells her he left school. She tells him to have patience even if he doesn’t support the friars. Placido Penitente leaves the house for a while, then gets hungry and, because he has no money, goes home. Cabesang Andang is still there and tells him she will help the Dominicans accept him again. Placido Penitente tells her he would rather jump into the sea or join the tulisanes rather than go back to school.
He leaves and goes to the docks. When seeing ships leaving for Hong Kong he wants to go there. Placido Penitente goes to the fair and sees Simoun saying farewell to someone, while mentioning Hong Kong. Placido Penitente remembers Simoun as the man who sold jewels in his hometown. Placido Penitente asks Simoun if he can go to Hong Kong, too.
Simoun tells Placido Penitente to go with him to Iris Street. On the way there, they see Isagani, Paulita Gomez, Juanito Pelaez and Dona Victorina together. Placido Penitente notices “he” seems happy though it is unclear if he is referring to Isagani or Juanito Pelaez.
Simoun brings Placido Penitente to a hut and introduces him to a pyrotechnist. Placido Penitente is surprised that the pyrotechnist speaks Spanish well. Simoun explains that the pyrotechnist was a schoolmaster who used to teach Spanish to children but was exiled.
Placido Penitente accompanies Simoun as they go back to the main street. Simoun greets a Spaniard with a crutch, telling him “it” will happen that week. Simoun explains to Placido Penitente that the man’s enemies made him work in Balabak, so he got rheumatism and malaria and now needs crutches.
They go to Simoun’s house. Two hours later, Placido Penitente leaves. The next morning, Placido Penitente listens to his mother’s plans about convincing the Procurator of the Augustinians. He tells her to return to the province to give the Procurator a gift and several masses to convince him to help.
Chapter 23: Camaroncocido sees Simoun near the theater during the performance and notices that he is talking to a student. This unidentified student may have been Placido Penitente.
Chapter 28: As the silversmith and his workers wonder who put up the posters, Placido Penitente’s footsteps are heard. The workers become quiet. Placido Penitente has arrived together with the pyrotechnist and says that he couldn’t talk to the prisoners, who are around thirty in number. Placido Penitente listens while Chichoy says that there won’t be a revolution because Simoun is sick. The pyrotechnist tells everyone to be prepared. Everyone goes home with hammers and saws, wondering if they are going to die.
Physical Description
Placido Penitente is not well-described, and in fact the only notable physical feature of this is that he is often well-dressed. In Physics class, he is stated to be wearing leather boots.
Personality
In Chapter 19, Placido Penitente’s attitude is described as “most worthy of his name when he was not shaken up, but once irritated, he was a veritable torrent, a wild beast stopped only by dying or killing.” He is respectful of everyone and helps his fellow students when asked, but his kindness has limits. He sometimes loses his temper. In Chapter 13, he becomes very emotional after being insulted by Padre Millon. When in this state, he becomes very indecisive and acts rashly: in the span of one chapter (Chapter 19), Placido Penitente changes his mind several times when deciding what to do after quitting school and has to walk around town for a while in order to clear his head.
Placido Penitente is said to be highly intelligent, but hates his classes, most likely due to his teachers disliking him and thinking he is a subversive. He himself tends to look down on other people’s intelligence, as he constantly calls Juanito Pelaez an idiot to his face.
Placido Penitente is superstitious and tends to makes decisions based on folktales, such as when he gives money only because he heard another student did something similar and passed their classes. Another example is when he is asked to sign a petition, but decides not to because he heard from his uncle a story about a cabeza de barangay who went to jail after signing something without reading it beforehand. In Chapter 19, he decides to go to Hong Kong just because the silversmith told him a story about friars having fake silver items made in Hong Kong, interpreting that as a sign that business is going well there.
“And thinking of Hong Kong [Placido Penitente] asked himself whether the moonlit evenings in that city were as poetic, as sweetly melancholic as those in the Philippines, and a deep sadness settled in his heart.” (Chapter 19)
Even though he wants to go to Hong Kong for a better life, Placido Penitente still loves the Philippines and feels sad about having to leave.
Skills
Studying
Placido Penitente was a good student ever since childhood, and even in University he is described as “one of the most dedicated” in classes. He is a brilliant debater and one of the best Latinists even though his hatred of classes is well-known even among his fellow students. It is due to his intelligence that priests dislike him, thinking he is a subversive.
Relationships
See Relationships of Placido Penitente
Beliefs
On School
Placido Penitente seems to have no strong beliefs about social issues. The only reason he doesn’t want to go against the petition for Academy for Spanish is because he does not want to contradict Macaraig. However, he hates his classes, especially his professors. It is likely that they are the main reason he refuses to go back to school. After leaving Padre Millon’s class, Placido Penitente feels angrier just from seeing Padre Sibyla passing by. It is unknown if he hates all priests or just Dominicans, seeing as at first Placido Penitente is willing to transfer to Ateneo to finish his studies, before he decides on going to Hong Kong.
It is unknown what Simoun tells Placido Penitente to convince him to stay in the Philippines and join the cause. Because Placido Penitente does not appear to care for Hispanization or the government, it is possible he only joined Simoun for the sake of getting revenge against the priests and the University.
Trivia
- Even though he admits to have signed the petition for the Academy for Spanish, it is unknown whether he is a member of the Students’ Association.
- While the fates of the other student characters are explained, Placido Penitente is no longer mentioned by name after Chapter 28 and it is unknown what happens to him by the end of the book.
Quotes
“Enough, Padre, enough! Your Excellency can mark me with all the absences he wishes, but he has no right to insult me. Your Reverence may stay with the class; I cannot stand it any longer.” (to Padre Millon, Chapter 13)
“They say that we do not know how to get even. Let the lightning strike and we shall see!” (Chapter 19)
