El Filibusterismo (El Fili) – Chapter 28
Chapter Title: Panic
Setting: Manila
Characters:
- Ben Zayb
- Horatius
- Chinaman Quiroga
- Simoun
- Padre Irene
- Chichoy
- Silversmith
- Placido Penitente
- Pyrotechnist / Schoolmaster
- Don Custodio (mentioned)
- Capitan General (mentioned)
- Padre Sibyla (mentioned)
- Padre Salvi (mentioned)
- Tadeo (mentioned)
- Isagani (mentioned)
- Paulita Gomez (mentioned)
Plot:
Everyone in town is anxious after hearing about the students’ arrests.
Chapter Summary:
Ben Zayb is happy because the poster incident confirms what he said in an article a few days earlier: that education is bad for the Philippines. Horatius, his rival, made fun of him for it in an article, calling Ben Zayb a Muslim when he writes (because Muslims are known to have burned the library of Alexandria).
Even the Chinese are tense, and the friars do not go to Chinaman Quiroga’s bazaar anymore. Chinaman Quiroga does not allow stranger Indios to enter, and even hires a veteran guard escort. He thinks of the rifles and shells in his warehouse (that Simoun told him to keep) and is afraid he will be searched, since people frame others by placing illegal objects in their homes, then force the owner to pay a fine.
Simoun told Chinaman Quiroga he doesn’t want to see him and instead tells him to keep the weapons where they are. Chinaman Quiroga wants to go to Don Custodio to ask if he should get weapons to guard his bazaar but Don Custodio doesn’t want to see him either. Chinaman Quiroga decides to ask Ben Zayb, but sees him armed and using revolvers as paperweights so instead he locks himself in his house.
At 4:00 pm the rumors spread that the students had a deal with fugitives of San Mateo to surprise the city. It is said the students were going to Malacanang to pretend to protest but were actually going to see Capitan General, but Capitan General was meeting with the provincial governors at that time, as well as Padre Sibyla and Padre Irene (who was sent by Padre Salvi).
Padre Irene had visited Capitan Tiago and told him that Capitan General was advised to spread terror and teach the subversives a lesson. Some people say that the subversives should be shot, while others say that soldiers should guard the streets and catch subversives. Others want to take advantage of the situation and want a disturbance, so that the rich and ilustrados will be arrested, to help clean up the country. Padre Irene claims that if not for him the streets would be in chaos. He is sad that Simoun got ill and couldn’t counsel Capitan General also.
Capitan Tiago is already panicking because Basilio was arrested and his house house was searched. Because of Padre Irene’s words he has what appears to be a heart attack and collapses, holding onto Padre Irene. Padre Irene is so scared he runs out of the room, and Capitan Tiago falls to the floor.
Meanwhile, everyone in town is tense and there are many incidents:
- Some cuartos are thrown to the children during a christening at church and an officer thinks it’s an act of subversion. He pulls out his sword and gets tangled in the curtains. People see him and panic, thinking there is a revolution. Stores are suddenly closed.
- Neighbors find two people burying shotguns, and they get into a fight.
- Someone sees a shadow near his house in Ermita and shoots it, thinking it’s a student. It turns out to be a veteran guard. The witnesses bury the body of the veteran guard.
- In Dulumbayan, a sentinel shoots a pig and a deaf old man by accident, who did not hear him ask who was there.
- In a confectionary shop, people speculate: one asks about Tadeo, who owes her money. There are rumors that Isagani surrendered himself and that Paulita Gomez will probably marry a Spaniard. There are also rumors that Tadeo and Isagani were shot.
- Women pray and people stay off the streets.
At the silversmith’s house, people also talk. A worker says it is Padre Salvi who put the posters. The silversmith says there might be people spying on them right now. A clerk tells Chichoy that it was Chinaman Quiroga because he has a hundred thousand pesos in Mexican silver waiting at the bay, and he’s creating a distraction to get the goods in. They all hear footsteps and become quiet. The silversmith says San Pascual Bailon is a great saint.
Placido Penitente arrives with the pyrotechnist and says that he couldn’t talk to the prisoners. There are about thirty of them in jail. The pyrotechnist says there is going to be a slaughter that night. The silversmith gets scared and starts shaking. Chichoy says there won’t be a slaughter because Simoun is sick.
The pyrotechnist asks what they should do now that the revolution has failed. Chichoy says they have to revolt for real because they are going to die. The pyrotechnist tells them to be prepared since now it’s kill or be killed. The silversmith starts coughing. They all go home with hammers, saws and weapons, worried they are going to die.
Peninsular artillerymen replace the sentries at the city gates. Ben Zayb takes a walk the next morning and sees near the Luneta walls, a corpse of an India, half-naked. He thinks he should write an article about it but no one is discussing it in the newspapers. Instead there are articles about accidents and falls caused by banana peels.
Ben Zayb instead writes about a cyclone in America that destroyed towns and killed two thousand people. His article says that the cause of the cyclone is because charity is more common in Catholic countries, so the Philippines should be thankful it does not suffer incidents like in the United States.
Horatius writes an article criticizing Ben Zayb for “reducing himself to pleading for the Philippines” since Ben Zayb is not Catholic.
Trivia:
- Silversmith’s advice of “Prudence!” is similar to Tandang Selo’s advice “Patience!”
Quotes:
Pyrotechnist: A revolution failed, and what shall we do then?
Chichoy: Well, make it real then, now that they are going to slaughter us.
Pyrotechnist: A revolution failed, and what shall we do then?
Chichoy: Well, make it real then, now that they are going to slaughter us.
Pyrotechnist: Nevertheless, prepare yourselves, prepare yourselves. If they want to force us to kill or be killed…
Silversmith: Prudence, prudence!
