The revelation of these posters throws the colonial establishment into a panic. The friars and civil authorities are furious, not only at the insults but at the public nature of the humiliation. A frantic investigation begins to find the culprit. Suspicion quickly falls on the usual intellectual and liberal suspects, particularly the students Basilio and Isagani. However, in a shocking twist, the blame is publicly shifted. The Spanish authorities, under pressure from the friars, arrest the harmless and elderly Jewish businessman, Mr. Leeds, the owner of the beheaded sphinx from the fair. The chapter ends with the real author still at large, and the authorities content to have found any scapegoat to calm public outrage.
Finally, the title “Pasquinades” connects Rizal’s novel to a long European tradition of underground political satire, named after the "Talking Statue" of Pasquino in Rome, where citizens would post anonymous verses criticizing the Pope and the government. By invoking this tradition, Rizal places the Filipino struggle within a global history of resistance against authoritarian power. The act of writing on a wall is small, but its implications are revolutionary. el filibusterismo chapter 26 summary and analysis
The chapter also brilliantly exposes the colonial system’s hypocrisy and weakness. The authorities are less concerned with justice than with maintaining an image of infallibility. Their immediate reaction is not to address the truth of the accusations—which the reader knows are valid—but to silence the messenger and find a convenient scapegoat. The arrest of Mr. Leeds, an outsider and a Jew, highlights the colonial tendency to blame the "other." It is an easier, safer solution than admitting that the anger could come from within the Filipino community they claim to govern and guide. The revelation of these posters throws the colonial
Chapter 26 of El Filibusterismo is far more than a scandalous interlude. It is the moment when the novel’s hidden tensions become visible. Through the simple act of posting a paper, Rizal demonstrates the potency of satire as a weapon, the corrupt cowardice of the colonial regime, and the tragic lack of unity among the colonized. The pasquinade is a cry of anger, but it is an anonymous one, reflecting the central tragedy of Rizal’s novel: until the oppressed find the courage to speak with a united voice and a clear identity, their rebellion will remain fragmented, and their enemies will always find an innocent man to blame. Suspicion quickly falls on the usual intellectual and
Chapter 26 is a masterclass in Rizal’s use of irony and social critique. The pasquinade itself is a powerful symbol. In a society where the native population has no freedom of the press or speech, the anonymous poster becomes the only weapon of the voiceless. It is a return to the classical art of satire—sharp, public, and humiliating. The fact that the posters are placed on churches and government buildings is a direct assault on the twin pillars of colonial power: the Church and the State.