Overview
The Social Cancer (Noli Me Tangere) is a novel by hero José Rizal a writer and Filipino national.Having completed his studies in Europe, Juan Crisóstomo Ibarra y Magsalin comes back to the Philippines after a 7-year absence. In his honor, Don Santiago de los Santos, a family friend, throws a party, which was attended by friars and prominent figures. One of the guests, former San Diego curate Father Dámaso belittled and slandered Ibarra. Ibarra brushed off the insults and took no offense; he instead politely excused himself from the party.
Before Ibarra left for San Diego, Lieutenant Guevara, a guardia civil, reveals to him the incidents preceding the death of his father, Don Rafael Ibarra, a rich hacendero of the town. According to Guevara, Don Rafael was unjustly accused of being a heretic, in addition to being a filibuster - an allegation brought forth by Father Dámaso because of Don Rafael's non-participation in the Sacraments.
Ibarra's carried through his father's plan of putting up a school, he believed that education would pave the way to his country's progress. During the inauguration of the school, Ibarra would have been killed in a sabotage had Elías - a mysterious man who had warned Ibarra earlier of a plot to assassinate him - not saved him.