A rare first-edition copy of Jose Rizal’s El Filibusterismo has been sold for ₱21 million, Leon Gallery announced on February 14, 2026. The copy, which started at a bidding price of ₱5 million at the Asian Cultural Council Auction 2026, now holds the record as the most expensive book ever sold in the Philippines.
Photo: Leon Gallery Makati/Instagram
This particular copy is signed with a personal dedication from Rizal to Dr. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera. The inscription, dated September 16, 1891, reads, “A mi querido amigo el doctor T. H. Pardo de Tavera, Jose Rizal, Gante,” which translates to, “To my dear friend, the doctor T. H. Pardo de Tavera, Jose Rizal, Ghent, 16 September 1891.”
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According to the auction listing, El Filibusterismo is considered rarer than Rizal’s earlier work, Noli Me Tángere. The description notes that it was printed when Rizal was “both emotionally and financially exhausted,” therefore, there are fewer copies than his first book.
“This edition’s unique value comes from the National Hero’s signature added below a dedication to Dr. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera,” the listing said. “Signed September 16, 1891, it predates the commonly known printing date and is literally the press’s first copy. Rizal held this very book, personally sending Pardo de Tavera a message with it.”
El Filibusterismo continues the story of Crisóstomo Ibarra, who adopts the identity of Simoun as he plans to ignite a revolution against Spanish colonial rule.
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