A first-edition copy of El Filibusterismo bearing the signature of Philippine national hero Jose Rizal and dated 1891 fetched a record-breaking P21 million at the 2026 Asian Cultural Council auction in Makati.
Leon Gallery confirmed the sale, which opened at P5 million before climbing to its final hammer price. The result makes it the most expensive book ever sold in the Philippines.
The rare copy carries Jose Rizal’s handwritten dedication to his friend, Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera, a physician and former Deputy Prime Minister of the Philippines. The inscription reads, “A mi querido amigo el doctor T.H. Pardo de Tavera, Jose Rizal, Gante, 16 / IX 1891” (To my dear friend Dr. T.H. Pardo de Tavera, Jose Rizal,
Ghent, 16 / IX 1891), indicating it was signed in Ghent on Sept. 16, 1891. With the buyer’s premium included, the total price climbed to P25.3 million.
El Filibusterismo is Rizal’s second novel, following Noli Me Tangere. It continues the story of Crisostomo Ibarra, who returns under the name Simoun while plotting resistance against Spanish colonial rule. Rizal completed and printed the novel in Ghent, Belgium, after facing financial hardship. He relied on a pay-as-you-print arrangement with the press because he had exhausted his funds.
Very few copies of the first edition were produced, making surviving examples rare. Spanish authorities later imposed strict penalties on the distribution and possession of the novel.
Many copies were confiscated, burned or destroyed. A copy of the book was also used as evidence during Rizal’s trial.
The P21 million sale surpasses the previous Philippine record of P19 million set by a signed Noli Me Tangere copy at another Leon Gallery auction last year. While two first editions are kept at the National Library of the Philippines, neither bears Rizal’s signature.
