Noli Me Tángere, Latin for "Touch me not", is an 1887 first novel written by our national
hero, José Rizal during the colonization of the Philippines by Spain. The story unravels the
cruelty and the perceived inequities of the Spanish Catholic friars and its government towards the
Filipinos. Its sole purpose is to enlighten us to fight back and not let them steal what’s ours
which is our country, Philippines. A fun fact is that, Rizal entitled the novel as “Touch me not”
due to the reason that he wanted to write about topics that were untouchable, such as the Spanish
friars who ferociously ruled and take over us. Its sequel is El Filibusterismo that was published
some months before Dr. Rizal's execution. It was indeed a worthy piece of wisdom and
knowledge authored by a true Filipino.

Chapter 17 highlights one of the hardships encountered by Basillo’s family from
merciless priests in San Diego church. Basilio was very close to his brother Crispin and they are
sacristans at the church. The problem started when Crispin has been accused for stealing two
gold pieces by the sacristan mayor. Upon knowing that they did not commit the crime, the priest
insisted and punished Crispin until his death. Crispin received countless beatings and painful
torture for the crime he didn’t do. The act of inflicting excruciating pain to a young boy was very
outrageous and unjustifiable. We should know how precious our life is and how not okay it is for
anyone to cause us any amount of suffering, ever. Additionally, another reason why the priest is
confidently disciplined the boy is that Crispin and Basillo are Indios. Indios were labeled as
“mangmang” and the lowest class within the society at that time. Basillo, being unable to
withstand the situation, he started to sort things out and decided to quit as sacristan. The death of
Crispin pushed him to work as herdsman and pursue his dream of becoming a doctor. I commend
the bravery and spirit of Basillo after all the things he has experienced. He grew stronger from
the pain and he doesn’t let it destroy him. It became his driving force to strive for the better. I
aspired to be like that. To overcome my fears and be the best version of myself. Like I always
told myself “You are more than what you are thinking” If one can do it, so can you.

Sisa was a woman living in San Diego and the mother of Basillo and Crispin. Having an
abusive husband, Basilio, being the eldest son and the older brother of Crispin, he protected and
guaranteed the safeness of his family. He was an optimistic and hopeful individual. Being a kid,
he exhibits a certain maturity and intelligence, knowing what’s best for his family and fulfilling
the responsibilities to become the breadwinner at a young age. As part of this maturity, he
dreamed for a good life in order to lift his family out of poverty. It displays the deep affection
and unconditionally love between a mother and sons. Their relationship was built to be stronger
than ever before out of everything that has happened. I admire how he’s devoted and how he
cherished his family as I treasure my family too. There is nothing more important than our
family and they are our life. Just like Basillo, I will do everything for my family.

​

One of the lines imprinted on my mind was “My good Crispin! To accuse my good
Crispin! It’s because we’re poor and we poor people have to endure everything” muttered by a
worried mother. After seeing Basillo, Sisa questioned why Basillo’s alone and why he can’t see
her youngest son. Basillo didn’t mind his injury and reassured his mom that Crispin is safe, not
knowing what will really happen afterwards with his younger brother. One thing that made me
furious is that the guardia civil uses violence such as guns to chase people who just violated
town’s curfew just like what happened to Basillo, only wishing to be with his mother, knowingly
that the gun can cause a death of a persom. I’m lost for words when I started to imagine how
Basillo successfully escaped the gunshots of the guardia civil. Sisa’s line rooted from the
heartache and longing for Crispin, it exemplifies how unfair and unequal poor people have to
experience because only they are poor. I just imagine how devastating it is for a mother who
didn’t saw her sons for a week and the first thing she saw was his wounded son. “The rich is
getting richer and the poor getting poorer” familiar right? This case is very evident until now.
Furthermore, poor children like Basilio and Crispín can’t even attend school in the first place
because they have to provide for their families. With this kind of treatment, it is inevitably not to
disregard this kind of issue especially today. We should help and educate more people for their
bright future ahead.

The outcome of Basilio’s dream was my favorite part of the chapter. Specifically, the
exchanging conversation of Sisa and Basillo regarding his plan.

“Listen, mother, to what I’ve been thinking about. Today there arrived from Spain the
son of the dead Don Rafael, and he will be a good man like his father. Well now, mother,
tomorrow you will get Crispin, collect my wages, and say that I will not be a sacristan any
longer. As soon as I get well I’ll go to see Don Crisostomo and ask him to hire me as a
herdsman of his cattle and carabaos—I’m now big enough. Crispin can study with old Tasio,
who does not whip and who is a good man, even if the curate does not believe so. What have we
to fear now from the padre? Can he make us any poorer than we are? You may believe it,
mother, the old man is good. I’ve seen him often in the church when no one else was about,
kneeling and praying, believe it. So, mother, I’ll stop being a sacristan. I earn but little and that
little is taken away from me in fines. Every one complains of the same thing. I’ll be a herdsman
and by performing my tasks carefully I’ll make my employer like me. Perhaps he’ll let us milk a
cow so that we can drink milk—Crispin likes milk so much. Who can tell! Maybe they’ll give us
a little calf if they see that I behave well and we’ll take care of it and fatten it like our hen. I’ll
pick fruits in the woods and sell them in the town along with the vegetables from our garden, so
we’ll have money. I’ll set snares and traps to catch birds and wild cats,[2] I’ll fish in the river,
and when I’m bigger, I’ll hunt. I’ll be able also to cut firewood to sell or to present to the owner
of the cows, and so he’ll be satisfied with us. When I’m able to plow, I’ll ask him to let me have
a piece of land to plant in sugar-cane or corn and you won’t have to sew until midnight. We’ll
have new clothes for every fiesta, we’ll eat meat and big fish, we’ll live free, seeing each other
every day and eating together. Old Tasio says that Crispin has a good head and so we’ll send
him to Manila to study. I’ll support him by working hard. Isn’t that fine, mother? Perhaps he’ll
be a doctor, what do you say?

​

What can I say but yes? said Sisa as she embraced her son.

The essence and effect of this excerpt made me so emotional. I was moved to tears how
Basillo still hanging onto things that’s sometimes impossible to make it happen. As well as when
Sisa just agreed in every time Basillo ask her about her opinion, that’s really priceless and
beautiful. In times of crisis, we always visualize our dreams to soothe our pain and agony
brought by the obstacles we’ve gone through. When life is unbearably hard, the easiest way out
is to run yet, Basillo never run away and did his very best in everything he come across in life.
He continued to live and eagerly study to achieve his goal, it was a way of keeping his brother's
memory alive. Basillo portrayed a young boy having courage and determination to reach his big
dream in life.

This chapter shows how can a person be too inhumane and devilish without showing any
kind of remorse to innocent ones. I’m really lost for words. This wickedness of the Spaniards led
to the heartbreaking adversities of Sisa’s family. Not just that, but all the wrongdoings they have
done to make people suffer, no one deserves that kind of maltreatment and oppression to
humanity. Selfishness and greediness will never do any good to all of us. This section informed
us that we really don’t know how much trauma we can caused to someone so bear in mind to be
kind always. It cost nothing to be a good person. The moral lesson that I learned is “It is seeing
the beauty of this world despite all sufferings and miseries and there is still hope left as long as
you’re breathing.”