UNITS 6

RIZAL’S FIRST HOMECOMING

2ND TRAVEL ABROAD
JAPAN INTERLUDE
SIDE TRIP TO THE USA

LEARNING OUTCOMES: The learners are expected to:

 Evaluate the reasons of Rizal’s decision to come home

 Derive insights and inspiration from the encounters of Rizal with personalities
that contributed to the development of the Filipino culture
 Trace Rizal’s itineraries and describe the significant observations he had in
those places he went.

LEARNING CONTENT:

A. THE 1st HOMECOMING

August 1886, Rizal decided to return to the Philippines. He left Rome by train for
Marseilles, boarded the Djemnah bound to Saigon.

On July 30, 1886, Rizal arrived in Saigon, where he transferred to the steamer
Haifong.

On August 6, 1886, Rizal arrived in Manila. He noticed that Manila has not
changed that much.

On August 7, 1886, he reached Calamba, where there was a dramatic meeting.

After a few days, Rizal turned the ground floor of their house into a medical
clinic. His first patient was his mother who could hardly see. He successfully
restored the eyesight of his mother which had double cataracts.

The good news spread like wildfire as many sick people flock to seek medical
help. His professional fee was very simple: If the patient is poor, a simple “thank
you” is enough. Some patients gave him vegetables, fruits, chickens, etc. If the
patient is rich, he would charge in the European way. The people called him Dr.
Uleman having arrived from Germany.
1|THE LIFE AND WORKS OF DR. JOSE RIZAL
Rizal shared his blessings to his townmates. He built a gymnasium for the youth
to discourage them from engaging in different forms of gambling. He wanted
them to spend time on productive activities.

Unfortunately, Rizal failed to see Leonor in his six months’ vacation due to the
conflicts of his parents and Leonor’s.

Noli Me Tangere Controversy

Rizal received an invitation, a summons, a writ commanding the sheriff, or other

authorized officer, to notify a party to appear in court to answer a complaint
made against him and in the said writ specified, on a day therein mentioned from
Governor-General Emilio Terrero regarding the novel which has become a hot
issue. He went to Malacañang to answer any question surrounding his novel. He
denied that he was a spy from Germany. He explained that he was only
expressing the truth of what is going on in the society in his novel. The Governor
was satisfied with his answer and asked for a copy of the novel, since he had not
read the novel himself.

Rizal’s enemies kept doing everything to persecute him. They accused the novel
to have subversive ideas against the church and the Spanish government.

The kind Governor assigned a bodyguard for Rizal, to protect him from danger.
His bodyguard was a young Spanish Lieutenant, Don Jose Taviel de Andrade.
The two became true friends in no time at all because they have common
interests.

The powerful friars put the novel under strict scrutiny headed by Manila
Archbishop Msgr. Pedro Payo. He sent a copy to the UST Fr. Rector Gregorio
Echevarria for examination. The latter found the novel heretical, impious, and
scandalous.

The Governor sent the novel for further assessment to the Permanent
Commission on Censorship composed of priests and laymen headed by Fr.
Salvador Font, Tondo parish priest. The body found the novel with subversive
ideas against the Church and the Spanish government. The Commission
recommended that the book be banned and have its circulation in the islands be
totally stopped. The move boomeranged because it only made the Filipinos more
2|THE LIFE AND WORKS OF DR. JOSE RIZAL
curious in reading the novel. Thus, the novel’s price was exorbitantly priced. No
arrests were made, thanks to the liberal-minded governor.

Rizal’s Enemies from the Church

Among Rizal’s enemies were Manila Archbishop Msgr. Pedro Payo, UST Rector
Fr. Gregorio Echevarria, Fr. Salvador Font- head of the Permanent Commission
on Censorship.

Fr. Jose Rodriguez published an anti-Noli pamphlet entitled “Caiingat Cayo.” The
pamphlet stated that “whoever reads the novel commits a mortal sin.”

Another attacker of the Noli was Vicente Barrantes, a Spanish writer who openly
criticized the novel in the Spanish newspaper La Esperanza Moderna.

Allies of Dr. Jose Rizal

Meanwhile, Rizal also had allies like Marcelo H. Del Pilar- using the pen name
Dolores Manapat, who published a pamphlet entitled “Caiigat Cayo” that refuted
and ridiculed Fr. Rodriguez’ “Caiingat Cayo.”

The other one was Fr. Francisco Sanchez, Rizal’s beloved Ateneo teacher.

Calamba Agrarian Problem

On 6 September 1890, general Weyler began enforcing the will of the

Dominicans by sending artillery and military forces to Calamba which started to
demolish the house of Rizal’s parents. Rizal’s brother, brothers in law were
arrested and exiled to different places of the archipelago. On the first day 60
families were thrown out of their houses and the sugar mills and all other
buildings they had erected were destroyed. The Dominicans forbade the rest of
the townspeople to give the unfortunates lodging and hospitality. By the end of
September 400 tenants had been evicted.

The liberal governor-general Terrerro was at that time replaced by the

conservative general Valeriano Weyler in 1888. He was completely on the side
of the Dominicans. One of his first acts was to enforce the court ruling for the
eviction of the tenants. The first to be evicted was the Rizal family.

3|THE LIFE AND WORKS OF DR. JOSE RIZAL

The Dominicans put pressure on Malacañang to eliminate Rizal. Governor-
general Terrero advised Rizal to leave the Philippines for his own good.

The friars were furious because they were attacked on their most sensitive point:
money! The report never reached the desk of the governor-general. The
Dominicans responded by filing an action for eviction against the Calamba
tenants. However, when the justice of the Peace of Calamba ruled in favor of the
tenants, the Dominicans immediately brought the case to the Supreme Court in
Manila, which immediately decided in the Dominican’s favor. The tenants and the
Rizal family had no recourse but to appeal their case to the Supreme Court in
Madrid.

Rizal advised his family to stop paying the rent. The rest of the Calamba tenants
followed suit and with Rizal’s encouragement, petitioned the government to
intervene by authorizing and supervising the drawing up of a new contract
between the people of Calamba and the Dominican landowners.

Dominican Corruption and Financial Deceit on a Massive Scale

The original hacienda owned by the Jesuits consisted of only a small part of land
and included only a part of the town, but the Dominicans had claimed a much
more extensive area, no less than the whole town and its surrounding fields. The
Dominicans were paying the government only the income tax due on the original
smaller hacienda.

Rizal wrote down his findings, which were signed by the tenants in January
1888, and he submitted the report to the government.

The friars wanted to withhold the tenants to tell the truth. The Rizal family as well
as the other Calamba tenants wanted to tell the truth. The tenants asked Rizal to
draft a report for the town council. Rizal asked his town mates to supply him with
all the relevant facts about the estate from the very beginning. Rizal had not
anticipated but he soon became the center of the tenant’s struggle against the
Dominicans.

It started innocently. On 30th December 1887, when the government, wondering

why the revenue paid by the Dominicans Order had remained constant despite
the ever-increasing size of cultivated lands, formally asked the Calamba town
4|THE LIFE AND WORKS OF DR. JOSE RIZAL
council to determine whether there had been any increase in the products and
the size of the Dominican estate over the past three years.

What came out was a horror story of Dominican corruption and financial deceit
on a massive scale. The original hacienda owned by the Jesuits consisted of
only a small part of land and included only a part of the town, but the Dominicans
had claimed a much more extensive area, no less than the whole town and its
surrounding fields. The Dominicans were paying the government only the income
tax due on the original smaller hacienda.

Ownership of the Calamba hacienda passed on to the Dominicans after the

Jesuits, who originally owned it, were expelled in 1768. The Dominicans owned
practically all the lands around Calamba. The tenants suffered since many years
due to the unjustified taxes they had to pay. Even if there was an economic crisis
or the harvest was bad, the rent and taxes still went up. The tenants suffered
under the friars.

B. RIZAL’S 2ND TRAVEL ABROAD

Hounded by powerful enemies, Rizal was forced to leave his country for the
second time in 1888. He was 27 years old, a practicing physician, and a
recognized man of letters.

Rizal in Hong Kong and Macau

Amoy, in Hong Kong was the first stop over of the ship. After six months of
staying in the Philippines Rizal left via the steamer Zafiro bound for Hong Kong.

Rizal did not get off the ship for the following reasons: (a) He was not feeling
well. (b) It was raining hard. (c) He heard that the city is dirty.

Hong Kong is a British colony by that time. Rizal stayed in the Victoria Hotel.
There he met Jose Maria Basa, Balbino Mauricio, and Manuel Yriarte (son of the
alcalde mayor in Calamba)

Jose Sainz de Varanda, a Spaniard and former secretary of Governor-General

Terrero shadowed Rizal’s movement in Hong Kong. It is believed that he was
commissioned by the Spanish authorities to spy on Rizal.

5|THE LIFE AND WORKS OF DR. JOSE RIZAL

According to Rizal in his letter to Blumentritt, Hong Kong is a small, but very
clean city. Many Portuguese, Hindus, English, Chinese and Jews live here.
There are some Filipinos exiled in Marianas Islands since 1872. They were
former financiers and rich but now are poor, gentle and timid.

Rizal also Visited Macau, a Portuguese colony near Hong Kong. Rizal together
with Basa boarded a ferry named Kiu-Kiang going to Macau. Curiously, Jose
Sainz de Varanda is among the passengers. Rizal and Basa visited Don Juan
Francisco Lecaros, a Filipino gentleman who is married to a Portuguese lady.
Rizal and Basa stayed in his house for two days while they were in Macau.

During Rizal’s two week vacation in Hong Kong, he studied Chinese life,
language, drama and customs and found out the following which he wrote in his
diary:

 The celebration of the Chinese New Year was quite very noisy due to the
continuous explosion of firecrackers on the streets.
 The Lauriat party, wherein the guests were served a variety of dishes,
shows lavishness and hospitality among the Chinese.
 The Dominican Order, the richest religious order in Hong Kong, had
millions of dollars deposited in various banks earning very high interests.
 The graveyards for Catholics, Protestants and Muslims were well
maintained.

C. RIZAL in JAPAN, the Land of the Cherry Blossoms

Rizal left Hong Kong on board of the Oceanic, an American steamer on his way
to Japan. He arrived in Yokohama, Japan and stayed for one day in the Grand
Hotel.

After spending a day in Yokohama, Rizal went to Tokyo and stayed in Tokyo
Hotel for five days. Juan Perez Caballero – secretary of the Spanish legation
visited him in the hotel inviting him to stay in the Spanish legation. Knowing that
it is a plot to monitor him, Rizal accepted the offer for the following reasons:

 He could economize his living expenses

 He had nothing to hide from the prying eyes of the Spanish authorities.
6|THE LIFE AND WORKS OF DR. JOSE RIZAL
  He and Caballero became good friends.

In Japan, Rizal was embarrassed because he did not know how to speak
Nihonggo (Japanese Language) He was mistakenly considered as a
Europeanized Japanese because he looks like a Japanese and yet speaks in
different tongues.

Rizal’s Impression of Japan

 The scenic beauty of the country

 The cleanliness, politeness and industry of the Japanese people.
 The picturesque dress and simple charm of the Japanese women.
 There were few thieves in Japan.
 Beggars are rarely seen in the city streets.
 Rickshaw, a popular mode of transportation which he did not like in
Japan.

Rizal and O-Sei-San

Seiko Usui, or more fondly called O-Sei-San, is a former samurai’s daughter of

23 years old who had never experienced true love. She is a woman of beauty,
charm, modesty and intelligence. She speaks French and English fluently.

When Rizal first introduced himself to her, he took off his hat as a sign of respect
(A German custom).

O-Sei-San was more than Rizal’s girlfriend, for she was his guide, interpreter and
tutor. She improved his knowledge of the Japanese language. She eases the
pain left by Leonor Rivera.

Rizal fell greatly in-love with O-Sei-San that he was tempted to leave the
Philippines and settle down in Japan. He was offered a job in the Spanish
Legation but his brother Paciano wrote to him reminding him of his duty and why
he left the Philippines in the first place.

Rizal left Japan via the ship Belgic, an English steamer in Yokohama bound for
United States. It ended 45 days of his unforgettable stay in Japan and his
relationship with O-Sei-San.
7|THE LIFE AND WORKS OF DR. JOSE RIZAL
O-Sei-San after Rizal’s Departure

Alfred Charlton became the husband of O-Sei-San in 1897, one year after Rizal
was executed. He was a British teacher of chemistry in Peers’ School in Tokyo.
They had a daughter named Yuriko, who married a son of a Japanese senator.
Seiko-Usui died in 1947 at age 80 and was buried beside her husband.

D. RIZAL in the UNITED STATES

Rizal in steamer Belgic met a semi-Filipino family, Mr. Reinaldo Turner and his
wife Emma Jackson, their children and maid from Pangasinan. He also met
Tetcho Suehiro, a fighting Japanese journalist, novelist, champion of human
rights, who was forced by the government to leave Japan.

Tetcho Suehiro became a member of the Japanese Imperial Diet (Parliament).

He wrote to novels: Nankai-no-Daiharan (Storm over the South Sea) in 1891
resembling Noli Me Tangere and O-unabara (The Big Ocean) in 1894,
resembling El Filibusterismo. He died in 1896 at age 49 due to heart attack.

Via the steamer Belgic, Rizal arrived in San Francisco, USA on April 28, 1888.

According to the Americans, Cholera was an epidemic raging in the Far East.
Thus, all passengers are quarantined for safety. But, Rizal was surprised
because there is no outbreak of the disease in the Far East, thus he joined other
passengers in protest. In actuality, there were 643 Chinese coolies who boarded
the ship from China who came as illegal migrants wanting to displace the White
laborers in railroad construction camp. But Rizal was questioning how come 700
bolts of silk were unloaded without fumigation.

After a week Rizal together with other first class passengers were permitted to
land. But the Japanese and the Chinese and passengers belonging to the
second and thirds class remained aboard.

Rizal stayed in the Palace Hotel (then a first class hotel) in San Francisco. He
stayed there for two days. Grover Cleveland was the president when Rizal
visited the United States. There he met Leland Stanford, the founder and

8|THE LIFE AND WORKS OF DR. JOSE RIZAL

benefactor of the Stanford University who was then a senator representing
California.

Rizal Toured the United States

 Oakland, California was the first stop via ferryboat.

 Via train Sacramento, where he ate his supper 75cents and slept at his
couch.
 Reno, Nevada, where he had his breakfast
 Utah, where he saw Mormons, thickly populated
 Colorado, a lot of snow and pine trees
 Nebraska, Omaha City, as big as San Francisco
 Missouri River, twice as big as Pasig River
 Chicago, a lot of Indians in cigar stores
 Albany, where he saw the Hudson River
 New York, which he considers a big city, where he stayed for three days.

He left the United States for Liverpool, London on board the City of Rome, and
the second largest ship in the world. Great Eastern was the largest ship in the
world during his time.

RIZAL’S IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA

 Material progress of the country as shown in its cities, farms, and

industries
 The drive and energy of the Americans
 The natural beauty of the land
 The high standard of living
 The opportunities for better life offered to poor immigrants.
 America for Rizal was the land par excellence of freedom but only for the
Whites.
 Non-existence of true civil liberty, as Negro cannot marry an American
and vice versa.
 The existence of racial prejudice as shown in their hatred of the Chinese,
Japanese and Negroes.
 The valuing of money over human life
9|THE LIFE AND WORKS OF DR. JOSE RIZAL
 UNIT 7

STUDIES IN LONDON
PARIS EXPOSITION
LIFE IN BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

LEARNING OUTCOMES: The learners are expected to:

 Analyze Rizal’s significant studies in London

 Learn from the experiences he had in Paris.
 Recollect memories of Rizal’s stay in Belgium

LEARNING CONTENT:

A. STUDIES IN LONDON (1888-1889)

Trip across the Atlantic

After visiting the United States, Rizal boarded the S.S. City Of Rome en route to
London. While on board, he entertained the American and European passengers
with his skill of the yoyo.

He was to stay in London from May 1888 to March 1889

Why did he choose to stay in London?

 To improve his knowledge of the English language

 To study and annotate Antonio de Morga’s Sucesos de Las Islas Filipinas
 London was a safe place for him to carry out his fight against Spanish
tyranny

He reached Queenstown in Ireland on May 24, 1888. From there, he embarked

on a ferry boat going to Liverpool, England and stayed at Adelphi Hotel.
10 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
By train he arrived at London on May 25, 1888. Upon his arrival, he stopped at
Grand Hotel Midland.

He stayed, as a guest, at the home of Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor an 1872 exile and
a practicing lawyer. He transferred to a private home in No. 37 Chalcot Crescent,
Primrose Hill. This is owned by the Beckett Family.

Mr. Beckett, an organist of St. Paul’s Church and Mrs. Beckett had 4 daughters
(Gertrude, Blanche, Flory and Grace) and 2 sons.

Rizal came to know Dr. Reinhold Rost through a letter from Dr. Ferdinand
Blumentritt. He was the Librarian of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Dr. Rost was
an Authority on Malayan language and customs. He called Rizal “a pearl of a
man” as he was impressed by his learning and character

Bad News from Home

After Rizal left the country, the persecution of the Filipino patriots who signed the
Anti-Friar Petition 1888 escalated. The Calamba Agrarian Conflict of 1888 in
which the tenants, including Rizal’s family, were being persecuted by the
Dominicans.

Manuel T. Hidalgo (husband of Saturnina) was exiled to Bohol while Mariano

Herbosa (husband of Lucia) was denied of Christian burial because of the
malicious rumor that he had not confessed since marriage.

Laureano Viado, a medical student at UST and a friend of Rizal, was imprisoned
because of owning a copy of Noli Me Tangere.

Good News from Home

Rev. Vicente Garcia defended the Noli Me Tangere against the attack of the
friars. He heard this news from Mariano Ponce. On January 7, 1891, Rizal wrote
to Father Garcia expressing his personal gratitude.

Short Visit to Paris and Spain

Early in September 1888, Rizal visited Paris for a week in order to search for
more historical materials in the Bibliotheque Nationale. On December 11, 1888,

11 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
Rizal went to Madrid and Barcelona in Spain to meet with Marcelo H. Del Pilar
and Mariano Ponce

Christmas in London

Rizal returned to London on December 24, 1888 and spent Christmas and New
Year’s Eve with the Becketts. He was extremely delighted to experience the
holiday season. He reflected on the meaning of the holiday as it reminded him of
memorable days not just from his childhood but also from history. “How it shocks
me to see some people misuse His name to commit many crimes.”

Rizal sent to Blumentritt as a Christmas gift a bust of Emperor Augustus which

he had made. As another present, he sent to Dr. Carlos Czepelak a bust of
Julius Caesar. Mrs. Beckett, knowing of his interest in magic, gave Rizal a book
entitled “The Life and Adventures of Valentine Vox, the Ventriloquist.”

Annotating Morga’s Book

Annotating and studying the Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (1609) was the main
goal of Rizal in the English capital. Antonio De Morga. Annotate means to
supply with critical or explanatory notes; comment upon in notes.

 Antonio Pigafetta Chronicler of the Magellan expedition

 Gaspar De San Agustin Conquista de Las islas Filipinas
 Other Historical Accounts. All three mentioned about early Filipino Life
and Industry
o Early Filipinos already engaged in trade with other Asian nations
o The dominant religion of Manila and Visayan town was Islam.
o There was already a government

Aims of La Solidaridad

1. To establish reform for our country

2. To show the unfortunate conditions in the Philippines committed by the
Spaniards
3. To promote free and progressive ideas
4. To implement the patriotic vision of the Filipinos

12 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
Rizal published his work Los Agricultores Filipinos (The Filipino Farmers) on
March 25, 1889, 6 days after he left London for Paris. This was his first article in
La Solidaridad.

Rizal received news on Fray Rodriguez’s attack on his novel Noli Me Tangere.
He wrote a pamphlet entitled La Vision del Fray Rodriguez which was published
in Barcelona under his pen name Dimas-Alang.

Letter to the Young Women of Malolos

In this article, Rizal addressed Filipino women to work for their education and not
to merely be influenced by the friars.

Dr. Rost, editor of Trubners’ Record, a journal devoted to Asian studies,

requested Rizal to contribute some articles. Rizal submitted (1) Specimen of
Tagala Folklore and (2) Two Eastern Fables.

By unanimous vote of all the members, Rizal was chosen to be the president of
society called Asociacion La Solidaridad.

Goodbye, London

Rizal was forced to leave London because Gertrude’s love for him has become
serious. He could not take advantage of her affection and she would not be
happy because Rizal was still in love with Leonor Rivera. He decided to move to
Paris so she would forget about her.

Before leaving London, Rizal finished four sculptural works:

 Prometheus Bond
 The Triumph of Death over Life
 A composite carving of the heads of the Beckett sisters (gave as farewell
gift to the Beckett sisters)
 The Triumph of Science over Death

On March 19, 1889, Rizal departed for Paris. He was sad as he crossed the
English Channel for he had many beautiful memories of London.

B. THE PARIS UNIVERSAL EXPOSITION (1889)

13 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
The Exposition Universale Held in Paris, France from May 6 to October 31,
1889. The fair attracted exhibits from Europe, South America, United States, and
French colonies, yet it really was a celebration of French achievements on the
centennial of French Revolution. Because of the thousands of tourists, almost all
hotel accommodations were taken.

But he finally lived together with other Filipinos, Justo Trinidad and Jose Albert.
In the exposition, there was this International Art Competition where Felix
Hidalgo won the 3rd prize, Pardo de Tavera and Juan Luna won the 2nd prize,
and, unfortunately, Rizal got nothing.

He spent his time in Bibliotheque Nationale, reading and checking with his
historical annotations of Morga’s book. He visited his friends like the Boustead’s,
Luna’s, Tavera’s, etc. He also organized societies with his fellow Filipinos.

Kidlat Club

The Kidlat Club was founded on March 19, 1889. The purpose was to enjoy their
journey in the exposition.

It was called Kidlat because this was only a temporary group. The members
include Antonio and Juan Luna, Gregorio Aguilera, Fernando Canon, Lauro
Dimayuga, Julio Llorente, Guillermo Puatu, and Baldomero Roxas. Later, the
group’s name was changed to Indios Bravos which purpose was to stand and
not be ashamed of being called Indios.

William Frederick Cody a.k.a. Buffalo Bill, founder and performer of Wild West
shows Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show in 1890 which presented the skills and life of
American Indians became the inspiration of Rizal in naming his one societal club
as Indios Bravos.

Another group known only as R.D.L.M. which stands for Redencion de Los
Malayos was also formed. Its purposes were: (a) to propagate useful knowledge,
in any forms, in the Philippines; and (2) to promote the redemption of Malayan
race. This group’s members don’t know each other, and Rizal doesn’t know them
as well. It’s still a mystery. * Mentioned in the letters of Rizal to Jose Maria Basa
on Sept. 21, 1889, and to Marcelo H. del Pilar on November 4, 1889

14 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
Annotated Edition of Morga’s book

Although this was an outstanding achievement of Rizal, there were still some
errors:

1. Commits the error in appraising the history of the past in the light of the
present standard
2. Rizal’s attacks of the church were unfair and unjustified because the
abuses should not be construed to mean the Catholic is bad.

Plan to Establish Filipino College in Hong Kong

Rizal planned to establish a Filipino College in Hong Kong. The purpose was to
educate men of good family and financial means.

Mariano Cunanan promised to raise P40, 000 as initial payment for this college.

Its curriculum consists of: Ethics, Study of Religion, Natural Law, Civil law,
Deportment, Hygiene, Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, Natural History,
Geography, Political Economy, Universal History, Philippine History, Logic,
Rhetoric, Poetics Spanish, English, French, German, Chinese, Tagalog
Gymnastics, Equitation, Fencing, Swimming, Music, Drawing and Dancing.

Rizal had been coming back and forth from Paris to London, then Paris at last,
with his aim to check up or compare on his annotation of Morga’s book to its
original copy found in British museum. (January 1890)

C. LIFE IN BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

On January 28, 1890, Rizal left Paris for Brussels, Belgium. Two reasons why
Rizal left Paris:

 The cost of living in Paris was very high because of the Universal
Exposition.
15 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
  The gay social life of the city hampered his literary works, especially the
writing of his second novel El Filibusterismo.

While in Brussels, he lived in Rue Philippe run by 2 Jacoby sisters (Suzanne and
Marie). He was busy writing El Fili and articles for the La Solidaridad. Despite of
his European education and his knowledge of foreign languages, Rizal loved his
own native language. He was the 1st to advocate to the Filipinization of our
letters c and o and use instead K and w.

Rizal received news from Juan Luna and Valentin Ventura, that there are some
Filipinos who were destroying the reputation of Filipinos by gambling too much.
Thus, he wrote a letter address to Del Pilar, to remind the Filipinos in Madrid that
they did not come to Europe to gamble, but to work for their Fatherland’s
freedom. The gambling Filipinos were angry when they learned or Rizal’s
moralizing. They called him “PAPA” instead of Pepe.

Rizal received bad news from home as follows:

 Paciano and his brother-in-law were deported to Mindoro

 M. Hidalgo were vanished for the 2nd time to Bohol

In his moment of despair Rizal had bad dreams. And although he was not
superstitious, he feared that he would not live long. But he wanted to finish his
2nd novel El Fili before he went to his grave.

In his letter to MH Del Pilar he said: In my childhood I had a strange belief that I
would not reach 30 years of age In the face of sufferings, Rizal planned to go
home. All his friends objected to his plan and warned him of the danger that
awaited him at home. Something happened that changed his decision and he
informed MH Del Pilar that he was going to Madrid to supervise the handling of
the case of his family in Calamba.

While in Brussels, he wrote a poem entitled “A Mi Musa” (to My Muse) a pathetic

poem, lack of exquisiteness. While he was preparing for his trip to Madrid, two

16 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
things brought some measure of cheers. The summertime festival of Belgium,
which was celebrated in carnival style, with colourful costumes, fantastic floats.

His romance with Petite Jacoby, the pretty niece of his landladies Rizal was so
charming and dignified gentleman that Suzanne was attracted to him. He was
lonely in a strange country and Leonor Rivera was so far away. He found certain
bliss in the company of a pretty Belgian girl.

Like all the other girls in Rizal's life, Suzanne fell in love with Rizal. And she cried
when he left for Madrid.

Articles Published in La Solidaridad:

1. La Defensa
2. La Verdad Para Todos
3. Vicente Barrantes
4. Profanacion
5. Verdades
6. Nuevas
7. Crueldad
8. Diferencias
9. Inconsequencias
10. Llanto y Risas
11. Ingratitudes

UNIT 8

SAD EXPERIENCES IN EUROPE

RIZAL’S 2ND HOMECOMING
HONGKONG MEDICAL PRACTICE
BORNEO COLONIZATION PROJECT
LESSON OUTCOMES: The learners are expected to:

17 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
  Describe the various misfortunes and pains Rizal suffered in Europe prior
to his return to the country
 Analyze the moving forces that left with no option but to return to the
country for the 2nd time
 Figure out what Rizal tried to do in order to help his family and townmates.

LESSON CONTENT:

A. SAD EXPERIENCES IN EUROPE

Misfortunes in Madrid
August, 1890, Rizal arrived in Madrid. He immediately secured the help of the
Filipino colony and the association of the Hispano-Filipino and the liberal
Spanish newspaper. In securing justice for the oppressed Calamba tenants
including his family. Together with MH Del Pilar (acted as his lawyer) and Dr.
Dominador Gomez (secretary of the association) called on the Minister of
Colonies to protest the injustices committed against the Calamba tenants.

Nothing came out of Rizal's interview. More terrible news reached Rizal as he
was waging a futile war for justice. He learned that there was already an
ejectment order against Rizal's family and the other Calamba tenants. He further
learned that their parents were forcibly ejected from their homes and were then
living in the house of Narcisa. He even sought the help of liberal Spanish
statesmen but he was again disappointed. They just gave him honeyed words of
sympathy and nothing else.

Blumentritt urged him to talk with Queen Regent Maria Cristina (the ruler of
Spain). But he could not because he had neither powerful friends to bring him to
the queen nor gold to grease the palms of influential courtiers. Another
disappointment happened when his friend Jose Ma. Panganiban died in
Barcelona after lingering illness.

Towards the end of August, Rizal attended a social reunion. At that time Antonio
Luna was bitter because of his frustrated romance with Nellie Boustead. He was
blaming Rizal for his failure to win her. In a fit of jealousy, caused by his alcohol
be-fogged mind, he uttered unsavoury remarks about Nellie.

18 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
Rizal overheard him and due to his high regards to women. Angrily he
challenged Luna to a duel. The Filipinos was shocked and tried to pacify Rizal
and Luna pointing that it could damage their cause in Spain. Luna when he
became sober realized that he made afoul of himself and apologized to Rizal.

On another occasion, he challenged another man to a duel -Wenceslao Retaña,

his bitter enemy of the pen. He wrote in his article that the friends of Rizal had
not paid their rents so that they were ejected from their lands in Calamba. Such
insult stirred Rizal to action, he challenged Retaña to a duel and he said that
Retaña's blood or his apology could vindicate the good blame of Rizal's family
and friends.

Retaña to save his own skin, he published a retraction and an apology in the
newspaper after being warned of Rizal's superior skills in both pistol and sword.

End of 11-Year Engagement

Amidst Rizal’s frustrations in Madrid, he received a letter from Leonor Rivera, his
girlfriend for 11 years informing him that she was getting married. It pained his
heart greatly. He still loved Leonor despite having courted girls before. He grew
pale and sickly having been jilted by Leonor.

In his letter to Blumentritt, he accused Leonor of infidelity. His love turned to

hatred.

Galicano Apacible, a UST friend, consoled him by saying there are many girls in
the world. He informed Rizal that the daughter of Pi y Margall, was deeply in love
with him, ready to marry him.

On Leonor’s side, she was mad at Rizal having been very quiet. She said that
she still loved Rizal, that her decision to marry was not because she no longer
loved him. She did it because she thought Rizal no longer loved her. 11 years of
waiting was too long. Leonor wasn’t getting younger and lamented the fact that
Rizal didn’t bother to see her. Rizal could have misunderstood her. Leonor
married Henry Kipping, an Englishman in Manila.

The Leader of All Filipinos (Responsible)

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In a banquet at Calle de Atocha some Filipinos proposed for the creation of a
movement to bind the colony together. A leader called “Responsible” would be
the official representative of all Filipinos abroad. Rizal felt he would be the rightful
person.

Others thought otherwise. They endorsed MH del Pilar’s candidacy. In the 1st
meeting, Eduardo de Lete presided. Rizal was in favor of the creation of a new
movement. Del Pilar objected because to him they already have the La
Solidaridad and the AHP to take care of the said objectives. His argument lost
was overruled. A committee was formed to draw the statutes.

Rizal and Del Pilar became the two candidates. They both wanted to withdraw.
The rule of the election: the winner must garner 2/3 majority vote.

1st Balloting- Rizal was ahead but not enough. 2nd and 3rd Balloting gave the
same results. The meeting adjourned

The next day, del Pilar was absent. The results didn’t change. Rizal grew
impatient. He announced his withdrawal from the race. He bade farewell. But
Ponce quickly asked Lete, Sandiko, Luna and others to shift their votes to Rizal.
Dominador Gomez spoke in behalf of the Pilaristas saying they changed their
votes for the sake of unity. Thus, Rizal was voted unanimously.

Rizal gave his admonitions to the group in his acceptance speech. Rizal blamed
Eduardo de Lete for the election fiasco. Expressed disappointment with del Pilar
He said it would have been a disappointing news to the nationalist movement in
Manila to know that Rizal was defeated because he was the acknowledged
leader back home.

A Biarritz Interlude

Rizal went to see Nelly in Biarritz. He finally decided to marry Nelly Boustead.
Conditions made by Nelly’s father:

1. Abort all travels abroad and stay with Nelly

2. Practice medicine and stay away from politics
3. Become a Protestant before marriage

20 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
Rizal, however, decided to back down from his proposal thinking he wasn’t ready
yet to answer the given conditions set by Nelly’s father.

Printing of the El Filibusterismo

In February 1891, Rizal went back to Brussels to edit and revise the novel. By
end of May 1891, the novel was ready for printing. He brought the novel to
Ghent because printing was cheaper there. There was no financial aid sent by
the Centro de Propaganda. He had spent all his money for the printing cost.

He only received P100 from his countrymen as part of his allowance. He was
abandoned by the society after just a month. He was consoled by the financial
help given by Valentin Ventura.

The novel was printed at F. Meyer van Loo Press. Rizal gave the original
manuscripts to Ventura.

Rizal Resigns

Before leaving for Manila, He sent a letter of resignation as a contributor of the

La Solidaridad. He also sent a message to his compatriots his decision to give
up his political leadership and fight in his own. This news saddened many
Propaganda members.

He quickly visited Nelly to bid goodbye. He will go back to the Philippines to take
care of his family’s problems. He boarded the SS Melbourne, a ship from
Marseilles bound to Hong Kong. He was with the company of many friars
including Fr. Volunteri, less like Fr. Damaso.

B. DR. JOSE RIZALMEDICAL PRACTICE IN HONG KONG

Rizal and the German Ladies

Rizal was alone, having dinner; he overheard the German ladies which were
gossiping loudly about him, being lonely. The door in the dining room was blown
open when the steamer encountered a heavy squall (a gust of wind). One of the
ladies said “if this man in front of us were a gentleman, he would close the door”.

21 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
Rizal heard this, and, without saying a word, closed the door. This incident made
the ladies embarrassed and treated Rizal with respect and admiration.

Arrival in Hong Kong

On Nov. 20, 1891, Dr. Jose Rizal was welcomed by old friends, especially Jose
Ma. Basa. He established his residence in No.5 D’ Aguilar St., No.2 Rednaxela
Terrace where he also opened his medical clinic.

On Dec. 1, 1891, Rizal wrote to his parents to ask their permission for him to
come home.

His brother-in-law (Manuel T. Hidalgo) wrote him a letter regarding: “deportation

of 25 persons from Calamba including his father, Neneng, Sisa, Lucia, Paciano
and the rest of us.” He also stated in his letter that he’s preparing a letter to the
Queen Regent of Spain explaining the Calamba situation in order to secure
justice. “If the Queen will not listen, we will write to Queen Victoria of England to
appeal for protection in the name of humanity.”

Family Reunion in Hong Kong

Before Christmas of 1891, Rizal’s father, brother and Silvestre Ubaldo (brother-
in-law) arrived in Hong Kong. Not long afterwards his mother (who was then 65
years old and almost blind) and sisters, Lucia, Josefa and Trinidad arrived. The
Christmas of 1891 in Hong Kong was one of the happiest Yuletide celebrations
in Rizal’s life. He even wrote to Blumentritt on Jan. 31, 1892 about the pleasant
life they’re living in Hong Kong.

Ophthalmic Surgeon in Hong Kong

Rizal practiced medicine in order to earn a living for his family. Dr. Lorenzo P.
Marques, his friend and admirer, turned over to him many of his patients with eye
diseases; truly, he helped Rizal to build a wide clientele (customers/clients).

22 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
Rizal successfully operated on his mother’s left eye so that she was able to read
and write again. Some of his friends gave him moral and substantial aid in his
medical practice, from Biarritz, Mr. Boustead, Nellie’s father, wrote to him in
March 21, 1892, praising him for practising his medical profession.

Dr. Ariston Baustista Lin, from Paris, sent him a congratulatory letter and a book,
on Diagnostic Pathology by Dr. H. Virchow and another book, Traite
Diagnostique by Mesnichock. Don Antonio Vergel de Dios, also from Paris,
offered his services for the purchase of medical books and instruments which he
might need in his profession.

C. BORNEO COLONIZATION PROJECT

Rizal conceived the establishment of a Filipino colony in North Borneo (Sabah.

He planned to move the landless Filipino families to that rich British-owned
island. He also planned to carve out of its virgin wildness a “New Calamba”•
March 7, 1892. He went to Sandakan on board the ship Menon to negotiate with
the British authorities for the establishment of a Filipino colony

On May 26, 1892, Lopez-Jaena wrote to Rizal expressing his support and great
desire in the project along with their other friends: Juan and Antonio Luna,
Blumentritt, Dr. Bautista Lin, etc.

Manuel Hidalgo, the brave Batangueño, one of Rizal’s brothers-in-law, objected

to his project

Letter to Governor Eulogio Despujol

In hope of the Governor-General’s sincerity in his promises of a better

government, Rizal wrote to him offering him his cooperation. But governor-
general did not acknowledge Rizal’s letter, violating the simple rule of Spanish
courtesy.

On March 21, 1892 , after waiting for 3 months for a reply for his first letter, Rizal
wrote another letter which asked for permission for the landless Filipinos to
establish themselves in Borneo.

Borneo Colonization Project

23 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
Instead of performing the simple “courtesy of a reply”, Despujol notified the
Spanish consul general in Hong Kong. He did not approve the Filipino
immigration to Borneo, alleging that: “the Philippines lacked laborers” and “it was
not very patriotic to go off and cultivate foreign soil.”

Writings in Hong Kong

o Ang Mga Karapatan Nang Tao. The translation of “The Rights of Man”
which was proclaimed in the French Revolution 1789.
o A la Nacion Española (To the Spanish Nation) An appeal to Spain to right
the wrongs done to the Calamba tenants.
o Sa Mga Kababayan was written on December 1891, explaining the
Calamba agrarian situation.

In The Hong Kong Telegraph Rizal contributed articles to this British daily
newspaper. The editor was Mr. Frazier Smith, who was his friend.

On March 2, 1892 Rizal wrote “Una Visita a la Victoria Gaol” A Visit to Victoria
Gaol, an account of his visit to the colonial prison of Hong Kong.

To elucidate his pet Borneo colonization project he wrote:

 “Colonisation du British North Borneo, par de Familles de Iles Philippines”
 “Proyecto de Colonization del Vritish North Borneo por los Filipinos
 June 1892, He wrote “La Mano Roja” (The Red Hand)

D. DECISION TO RETURN TO MANILA

In May 1892, Rizal made up his mind to return to Manila. This decision was
spurred by the following:
1. To confer with Governor Despujol regarding his Borneo colonization
project
2. To establish the Liga Filipina in Manila
3. To prove that Eduardo de Lete was wrong in attacking him in Madrid

Last Hong Kong Letters

Relatives and friends of Rizal opposed his decision to return home because it
was like bearding the lions in their den.
24 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
On June 19, 1892, he spent his birthday in Hong Kong. Evidently, he had a
premonition of his death, for the following day, June 20, he wrote two letters
which he sealed, inscribed on each envelop “to be opened after my death” and
gave them to his friend Dr. Marquez for safekeeping. His first letter addressed To
My Parents, Brethren and Friends. The second letter addressed to The Filipinos.

On June 21, 1892, Rizal penned another letter in Hong Kong for General
Despujol. He informed the governor-general of his coming to Manila and placed
himself under the protection of the Spanish government.

On June 21, 1892, Rizal and his sister Lucia, widow of Herbosa, left Hong Kong
for Manila. They carried a special passport or “safe-conduct” issued by the
Spanish consul-general in Hong Kong.

Rizal Fell into Spanish Trap

Immediately after Rizal’s departure from Hong Kong: the Spanish consul-
general, who issued the government guarantee of safety, sent a cablegram to
Gov. Despujol that the victim “is in the trap” On the same day, a secret case was
filed in Manila against Rizal and his followers “for anti-religious and anti-patriotic
agitation”

Arrival in Manila with Sister

On June 26, 1892, Sunday at 12:00 noon, Rizal and his widowed sister Lucia
arrived in Manila. At 4:00PM, he went to Malacañang Palace to seek audience
with the Spanish governor-general. On June 27, 1892, at 6:00pm, Rizal boarded
a train in Tutuban Station and visited his friends in Malolos, San Fernando,
Tarlac, and Bacolor.

UNIT 9

FOUNDING OF THE LA LIGA FILIPINA

DAPITAN EXILE
LEARNING OUTCOMES: The learners are expected to:

 Analyze the rationale of the founding of the La Liga Filipina

25 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
 Assess the factors that led to Rizal’s exile in Dapitan; and
 Examine the significance of Rizal’s exile to the local populace.

LEARNING CONTENT:

A. FOUNDING OF THE LIGA FILIPINA

On July 3, 1892, on the evening of Sunday, following his morning interview with
Governor General Despujol, Rizal attended a meeting with patriots at the home
of the Chinese-Filipino mestizo, Doroteo Ongjunco, on Ylaya Street, Tondo,
Manila.

Rizal explained the objectives of the Liga Filipina, a civic league of Filipinos,
which he desired to establish and its role in the socio-economic life of the people.

The officers of the new league were elected, as follows:

o Ambrosio Salvador (President)

o Deodato Arellano (Secretary)
o Bonifacio Arevalo (Treasurer)
o Agustin de la Rosa (Fiscal)

The motto of the Liga Filipina: Onus Instar Omnium (One Like All)

The governing body of the league was the Supreme Council which had
jurisdiction over the whole country. It was composed of a president, a secretary,
a treasurer, and a fiscal. There was a Provincial Council in every province and a
Popular Council in every town.

The duties of the Liga members are as follows (1) obey the orders of the
Supreme Council (2) to help in recruiting new members (3) to keep in strictest
secrecy the decisions of the Liga authorities (4) to have symbolic name which he
cannot change until he becomes president of his council (5) to report to the fiscal
anything that he may hear which affect the Liga (6) to behave well as befits a
good Filipino (7) to help fellow members in all ways.

Rizal Arrested and Jailed in Fort Santiago

26 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
On July 6, 1892, Wednesday, Rizal went to Malacañang Palace to resume his
series of interviews with the governor-general. He was asked about the Pobres
Frailes (Poor Friars) incriminatory leaflets which allegedly found in Lucia’s pillow
cases. it is under the authorship of Fr. Jacinto and printed by the Imprenta de
los Amigos del Pais, Manila.

Rizal was placed under arrest and escorted to Fort Santiago by Ramon
Despujol, nephew and aide of Governor General Despujol

On July 7, 1892, the Gaceta de Manila published the story of Rizal’s arrest which
produced indignant commotion among the Filipino people, particularly the
members of the newly organized Liga Filipina. The same issue of the Gaceta
(july 7, 1892) contained Governor General Despujol’s decree deporting Rizal to
“one of the islands in the South.”

On July 14, 1892, shortly after midnight (that is 12:30AM of July 15, 1892), Rizal
was brought under heavy guard to the steamer Cebu which was sailing for
Dapitan. This steamer under Captain Delgras departed at 1:00AM, July 15,
sailing south, passing Mindoro and Panay and reaching Dapitan on Sunday, the
17th of July at 7:00PM. Captain Delgras handed Rizal to Captain Ricardo
Carnicero, Spanish commandant of Dapitan. So, July 17, 1892, Rizal began his
exile in lonely Dapitan, until July 31, 2896, for a period of four years.

B. JOSE RIZAL’S PERSECUTION AND EXILE IN DAPITAN

Jose Rizal's arrival in Manila on June 26, 1892 had become very sensational
among the Filipinos. His popularity feared the Spaniards, and as such, paid
careful attention to his every move – all houses where he had been searched
and the Filipinos seen in his company were suspected. As he had planned, on
July 3, 1892 he founded the La Liga Filipina in the house of Doroteo Ongjunco in
Tondo, Manila.

Four days after the civic organization's foundation, Jose Rizal was arrested by
the Spanish authorities on four grounds:

1. for publishing anti-Catholic and anti-friar books and articles;

2. for having in possession a bundle of handbills, the Pobres Frailes, in which
advocacies were in violation of the Spanish orders;
27 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
3. for dedicating his novel, El Filibusterismo to the three “traitors” (Gomez,
Burgos and Zamora) and for emphasizing on the novel's title page that “the
only salvation for the Philippines was separation from the mother country
(referring to Spain)”; and
4. for simply criticizing the religion and aiming for its exclusion from the Filipino
culture.

Aboard the steamer Cebu and under heavy guard, Rizal left Manila, sailing to
Mindoro and Panay, until he reached Dapitan at seven o'clock in the evening of
July 17.

From that day until July 31, 1896, Dapitan became the bear witness to one of the
most fruitful periods in Rizal's life. His stay in the province was more than “he”
living in exile – it was the period when Rizal had been more focused on serving
the people and the society through his civic works, medical practices, land
development and promotion of education.

In Dapitan, Rizal had a scholarly debate with Father Pablo Pastells regarding
religion. This exchange of heated arguments revealed the anti-Christian Rizal –
his bitterness on the abuses performed by friars, doing such under the name of
the sacred religion. Father Pastells tried his best to win Rizal back to the faith but
fortunately or unfortunately, in vain. These series of debate ended inconclusively
in which neither of them convinced the other of his judgments/arguments.

Rizal had maximized his stay in Dapitan by devoting much of his time in
improving his artistic and literary skills; doing agricultural and civic projects;
engaging in business activities, and writing letters to his friends in Europe,
particularly to Ferdinand Blumentritt and Reinhold Rost. His careers and
achievements in different fields were as follows:

As a Physician

Rizal provided free medicine to his patients, most of them were underprivileged.
However, he also had wealthy patients who paid him well enough for his
excellent surgical skill. Among them were Don Ignacio Tumarong who gave Rizal
3000 pesos for restoring his sight, an Englishman who gave him 500 pesos, and
28 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
Aklanon haciendero, Don Francisco Azcarraga, who paid him a cargo of sugar.
His skill was put into test in August 1893 when his mother, Doña Teodora
Alonzo, was placed under ophthalmic surgery for the third time. The operation
was a success, however, Alonzo, ignored her son's instructions and removed the
bandages in her eyes which lead to irritation and infection.

As an Engineer

Rizal applied his knowledge through the waterworks system he constructed in

Dapitan. Going back to his academic life, Rizal obtained the title of expert
surveyor (perito agrimensor) from the Ateneo Municipal. From his practical
knowledge as agrimensor, he widened his knowledge by reading engineering-
related books. As a result, despite the inadequacy of tools at hand, he
successfully provided a good water system in the province.

As an Educator

Rizal established a school in Dapitan which was attended by 16 young boys from
prominent families. Instead of charging them for the matriculation, he made the
students do community projects for him like maintaining his garden and field. He
taught them reading, writing in English and Spanish, geography, history,
mathematics, industrial work, nature study, morals and gymnastics. He
encouraged his students to engage in sports activities to strengthen their bodies
as well. There was no formal room, like the typical classroom nowadays. Classes
were conducted from 2 pm to 4 p.m. with the teacher sitting on a hammock while
the students sat on a long bamboo bench.

As an Agriculturist

Rizal devoted time in planting important crops and fruit-bearing trees in his 16-
hectare land (later, reaching as large as 70 hectares). He planted cacao, coffee,
sugarcane, and coconuts, among many others. He even invested part of his
earnings from being a medical practitioner and his 6000-peso winnings from a
lottery on lands. From the United States, he imported agricultural machinery and
introduced to the native farmers of Dapitan the modern agricultural methods.
Rizal also visualized of having an agricultural colony in Sitio Ponot, within the
Sindañgan Bay. He believed that the area was suitable for cattle-raising and for

29 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
cash-crops as the area had abundant water. Unfortunately, this plan did not
materialize.

As a Businessman

The adventurous Rizal, with his partner, Ramon Carreon, tried his luck in the
fishing, hemp and copra industries. In a letter to his brother-in-law, Manuel T.
Hidalgo, he pointed out the potential of the fishing industry in the province (as
the area was abundant with fish and good beach). He also requested that two
good Calamba fishermen be sent to Dapitan to teach the fisher folks of the new
fishing methods, using a big net called pukutan. But the industry in which Rizal
became more successful was in hemp, shipping the said product to a foreign firm
in Manila.

As An Inventor

Little was known of Rizal as an inventor. In 1887, during his medical practice in
Calamba, he invented a special type of lighter called sulpukan which he sent to
Blumentritt as a gift. According to Rizal, the wooden lighter's mechanism was
based on the principle of compressed air. Another of his inventions was the
wooden brick-maker can manufacture about 6,000 bricks a day.

As An Artist

Rizal had contributed his talent in the Sisters of Charity who were preparing for
the arrival of the image of the Holy Virgin. Rizal was actually the person who
modeled the image's right foot and other details. He also conceptualized its
curtain, which was oil-painted by a Sister under his instruction. He also made
sketches of anything which attracted him in Dapitan. Among his collections were
the three rare fauna species that he discovered (dragon/lizard, frog and beetle)
and the fishes he caught. He also sculptured the statuette called “The Mother's
Revenge” which represented his dog, Syria, avenging her puppy to a crocodile
which killed it.

As A Linguist

Rizal was interested in the languages used in Dapitan, thus, studied and made
comparisons of the Bisayan and Malayan languages existing in the region. In
30 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
fact, Rizal had knowledge in 22 languages: Tagalog, Ilocano, Bisayan, Subanun,
Spanish, Latin, Greek, English, French, German, Arabic, Malayan, Hebrew,
Sanskrit, Dutch, Catalan, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Swedish and
Russian.

As A Scientist

Rizal shared his interest with nature to his students. With his boys, they explored
the jungles and searched for specimens which he sent to museums in Europe,
particularly in Dressed Museum. In return, scientific books and surgical
instruments were delivered to him from the European scientists. He also made a
bulk of other researches and studies in the fields of ethnography, archaeology,
geology, anthropology and geography. However, Rizal's most significant
contribution in the scientific world was his discovery of three species:

1. Draco rizali – flying dragon

2. Apogonia rizali – small beetle
3. Rhacophorus rizali – rare frog

Rizal also partakes in civic works in Dapitan. Upon arriving in the province, he
noticed its poor condition. He drained the marshes of Dapitan to get rid of
malaria-carrying mosquitoes. He also provided lighting system – coconut oil
lamps posted in dark streets – in the province out of what he earned from being
a physician. He beautified Dapitan by remodeling the town plaza, with the aid of
his Jesuit teacher, Fr. Francisco Sanchez, and created a relief map of Mindanao
(footnote: using stones, soil and grass) right in front the church.

Rizal had always been missing his family and their happy moments together in
Calamba and his despair doubled upon the announcement of Leonor Rivera's
death. Not soon, to his surprise, an Irish girl enlightened his rather gloomy heart.
This girl was the 18-year old Josephine Bracken who, to Wenceslao Retaña’s
words, was “slender, a chestnut blond, with blue eyes, dressed with elegant
simplicity, with an atmosphere of light (gaiety).”

From Hong Kong, she arrived in Dapitan in February, 1895 with his blind foster
father, George Taufer, and a Filipina named Manuela Orlac. Rizal's fame as an
ophthalmic surgeon reached overseas, and one of Rizal's friends, Julio Llorente

31 | T H E L I F E A N D W O R K S O F D R . J O S E R I Z A L
referred the group to Rizal. Rizal and Bracken instantly fell in love with each and
in just one month, they agreed to marry which appalled and disturbed Taufer.
However, the parish priest of Dapitan, Father Pedro Obach, refused to do so
unless they be permitted by the Bishop of Cebu.

On the other hand, Taufer returned to Hong Kong uncured. Because no priest
was willing to marry the two, the couple exchanged their vows before God in
their own way, which scandalized Fr. Obach. In 1896, their love bears its fruit –
Josephine was pregnant. Unfortunately, Bracken gave birth to a one-month
premature baby boy who lived only for three hours. The child was buried in
Dapitan, bearing the name Francisco, after Rizal's father.

Prior to the outbreak of the revolution, the Katipunan leader, Andres Bonifacio,
seek the advice of Jose Rizal. In a secret meeting on May 2, 1896 at Bitukang
Manok near Pasig River, the group agreed to send Dr. Pio Valenzuela as a
representative to Dapitan who will inform Rizal of their plan to launch a revolution
against the Spaniards. On board the steamer Venus, Valenzuala left Manila on
June 15, 1892 and in 6 days, arrived at Dapitan with a blind companion,
Raymundo Mata. At night, Rizal and Valenzuela had a talk in the former's
garden. There, Valenzuela told him of the Katipunan's plan. Regarding this, Rizal
outspokenly objected Bonifacio's “premature” idea for two reasons:

1. The Filipinos were still unready for such bloody revolution; and
2. The Katipunan lacked machinery – before plotting a revolution, there must
be sufficient arms and funds collected.

Valenzuela also told Rizal of their plan to rescue him in Dapitan. Again, the
exiled hero disagreed because he had no plan of breaking his word of honor to
the Spanish authorities.

During the peak of the Cuban revolution, Rizal offered his services as a military
doctor to compromise with the shortage of physicians in the said country. It was
his friend Ferdinand Blumentritt who informed him of the situation in Cuba and
suggested that he volunteer himself as army doctor. On December 17, 1895,
Rizal sent a letter to Governor General Ramon Blanco rendering his service for
Cuba. But for months Rizal waited in vain for the governor's reply, and loss hope
that his request will be granted. It was only on July 30, 1896 when Rizal received
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a letter from Governor Blanco, dated July 2, 1896, accepting his offer. The letter
also stated that Rizal will be given a pass so that he can go to Manila, then to
Spain where its Minister of War will assign him to the Army of Operations in
Cuba.

At midnight of July 31, 1896, Jose Rizal left Dapitan on board the steamer
España, together with Narcisa, Josephine, Angelica (Narcisa's daughter), three
nephews and six of his students. Many were saddened as the adopted son of
Dapitan left.

In Cebu, on their way to Manila, Rizal successfully performed an ophthalmic

operation to a merchant who paid him fifty silver p esos. After almost a week, on
August 6, 1896, España arrived in Manila. Rizal was supposedly to board the
Isla de Luzon for Spain, but unfortunately, left ahead of time. Instead, he was
transferred to the Spanish cruiser Castilla to stay and wait for the next sail boat
that would sail for Spain next month. He was prohibited from leaving the vicinity
but was allowed to accept visitors so long as they were his immediate family. Of
course, all these delays were part of the drama – Rizal has now fallen to the
critical/deadly Spanish trap.

UNIT 12

THE 1896 REVOLUTION

END OF DAPITAN EXILE
ARREST, TRIAL AND MARTYRDOM

LEARNING OUTCOMES: The learners are expected to:

 Analyze the factors that led to Rizal’s execution

 Analyze the effects of Rizal’s execution on Spanish colonial rule and the
Philippine Revolution

LEARNING CONTENT:

A. THE 1896 REVOLUTION

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In 1895, the Cubans revolted against the Spaniards.In 1896, the Filipinos also
staged their revolt against Spain. The Filipinos thought that it would be
advantageous for them because Spain would have divided attention and
strength.

NOTE: Prior to the execution of Jose P. Rizal on Dec. 30, 1896, there was the
so-called "First Cry of Philippine Independence" on April 10, 1895, in Montalban,
Rizal. The more famous Cry of Balintawak was on Aug. 26, 1896. The Filipino
rebels fired the first shots of the revolution on the same day.

May 2, 1896 – Dr. Pio Valenzuela was sent by the KKK Supreme Council to
convince Rizal in Dapitan to join and lead the Katipunan, he being the
recognized leader and savior of the Filipinos.

Rizal did not adhere to the idea of the KKK. He believed the KKK would fail to
defeat the powerful Spanish army because of several reasons…

Reasons why Filipinos would fail according to Dr. Jose Rizal:

 The KKK does not have enough weapons to fight against the fully
equipped Spaniards
 The KKK members do not have enough skills and training to fight a
professional army tested in war
 The KKK hierarchy lacks credibility which would result to confusion in the
chain of command
 The enemy has allies which necessitates that the revolutionaries must
have foreign aid to ensure sufficient funds
 Naval ships are needed, especially in an archipelago like the Philippines
for communication purposes

Rizal believed that it was not yet time for a revolution. It must not be held solely
on the basis of sentiment and burning passion. It must be launched on the
context of the ability to succeed in the end. If the revolution is the last resort, it
must be prepared for another five to ten years to ensure victory.

He advised Valenzuela to seek the leadership of Antonio Luna, a man of military

expertise. The KKK must also seek the financial support of the Japanese

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B. END OF RIZAL’S EXILE

Rizal applied as a volunteer war physician to the Cuban revolution hoping to end
his Dapitan exile. His letter was finally approved after months of waiting.

On July 31, 1896, he left Dapitan together with Josephine, Narcisa, three
nephews and a niece on board the steamer España. This ended his Dapitan
exile.

The Arrival of España in Manila was delayed. The Isla de Luzon had left. Rizal
was told to wait for the Isla de Panay which will arrive in 28 days. Rizal was
transferred to the Castilla, manned by Enrique Santalo, where he would wait for
another 26 days.

Aboard a launch Caridad, some KKK members sneaked in and made a last ditch
attempt to rescue Rizal. Jacinto introduced himself and told Rizal he would be
rescued. Rizal politely refused the offer saying he knew what he was doing.

Inside the Castilla, while waiting for the arrival of the Isla de Panay, the
Katipunan was discovered.

On the 26 of August, Bonifacio and the rest of the KKK raised the “Cry of
Pugadlawin,” which marked the start of the Philippine Revolution.

Rizal expected this to happen.

On August 30, 1896, Rizal finally received the letter of Gov. Blanco, expressing
his congratulations and recommendation.

On September 3, aboard the Isla de Panay, he left for Spain. The ship
proceeded to Singapore. His co-passengers Pedro and Periquin Roxas escaped
and he was encouraged to do the same. Rizal refused because he didn’t want to
become a fugitive.

The discovery of the KKK led to the uncovering of its secrets. Bulks of
documents were uncovered. Many of these documents implicated Rizal to the
KKK. Pictures, copies of the Noli and Fili were also found. Documents declaring
Rizal as the KKK honorary president were likewise discovered.

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Spanish authorities learned that Rizal was used as a rally cry of the members.
He was regarded as their true leader and hero. These documents, together with
many letters and testimonies from those arrested led to the conclusion that Rizal
was part of the revolutionary group.

C. DR. JOSE RIZAL ORDERED TO BE ARRESTED

As per instruction of Gov. Blanco and the prodding of Manila Archbishop

Bernardino Nozaleda, Rizal was ordered to be arrested and detained inside the
ship

On September 30, 1896, Capt. A. Alemany followed the order and kept Rizal in
his cabin during the remainder of the trip

On October 6, the ship reached Barcelona. Rizal was imprisoned at the

Montjuich detention cell. Eulogio Despujol, the former Philippine governor who
banished him to Dapitan visited later that day.

On October 7, Rizal was transferred to a new ship the SS Colon bound for
Manila. Rizal kept records of the Philippines since he left for Barcelona

He was implicated by the Madrid newspapers to the bloody revolution. He

thought of coming home to confront his accusers and vindicate his name.

Few friends from Europe and Singapore tried to help Rizal escape his present
predicament. Ma. Regidor and Lopez sent a telegram to Atty. Hugh Fort asking
him to file a writ of habeas corpus in Rizal’s behalf. Chief Justice Lionel Cox,
however, denied the writ for lack of jurisdiction by the Singaporean government.

On November 20, 1896, the preliminary investigation (arraignment) on Rizal

began. During the five-day investigation, Rizal was informed of the charges
against him before Judge Advocate Colonel Francisco Olive. He was put under
interrogation without the benefit of knowing who testified against him. Presented
before him were two kinds of evidences – documentary and testimonial.

There were a total of fifteen exhibits for the documentary evidence. Testimonial
evidences, on the other hand, were comprised of oral proofs provided by:

 Martin Constantino  Aguedo del Rosario

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  Jose Reyes  Pio Valenzuela 
 Moises Salvador  Antonio Salazar
 Jose Dizon   Francisco Quison
 Domingo Franco  Timoteo Paez
 Deodato Arellano

These evidences were endorsed by Colonel Olive to Governor Ramon Blanco.

Blanco designated Capt.  Rafael Dominguez as the Judge Advocate assigned
with the task of deciding what corresponding action should be done. Dominguez,
after a brief review, transmitted the records to Don Nicolas de la Peña, the Judge
Advocate General. Judge Advocate General Peña's recommendations were as
follows:

 Rizal must be immediately sent to trial

 He must be held in prison under necessary security
 His properties must be issued with order of attachment, and as indemnity,
Rizal had to pay one million pesos
 Instead of a civilian lawyer, only an army officer is allowed to defend Rizal

Rizal chose Lt. Don Luis Taviel de Andrade, 1st Lt. of the Spanish Artillery to be
his defense lawyer. Rizal discovered that the said lieutenant was the brother of
Lt. Jose Taviel de Andrade who worked as Rizal's personal body guard
in Calamba in 1887.

On the 11th of December 1896, in the presence of his Spanish counsel, charges
against Rizal were read:

 Rebellion – punishable by death

 Sedition – also punishable with death
 Illegal Association – punishable with reclusion perpetua or lower

He was accused of being the principal organizer and the living soul of Filipino
insurrection. The founder of societies, periodicals and books dedicated to
fomenting and propagating ideas of rebellion.

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When asked regarding his sentiments or reaction on the charges, Rizal replied
that:

 He does not question the jurisdiction of the court

 He has nothing to amend except that during his exile in Dapitan in 1892,
he had not dealt in political matters;
 He has nothing to admit on the charges against him
 He had nothing to admit on the declarations of the witnesses, he had not
met nor knew, against him.

Two days after, Rizal's case was endorsed to Blanco's successor,

Governor Camilo de Polavieja, who had the authority to command that the case
be court martialed.

On December 15, inside his cell at Fort Santiago, Rizal wrote a controversial
letter, The Manifesto addressed to his countrymen. The Manifesto was a letter
denouncing bloody struggle, and promoting education and industry as the best
means to acquire independence. 

Judge Advocate General Nicolas de la Peña requested to Gov. Polavieja that the
publication of the manifesto be prohibited.

D. THE TRIAL OF DR. JOSE RIZAL

The Spanish colonial government accused Rizal of three crimes:

a. The founding of La Liga Filipina, an “illegal organization,” whose single

aim was to “Perpetrate the crime of rebellion”.
b. Rebellion which he promoted through his previous activities.
c. Illegal association. The penalty for those accusations is life imprisonment
to death.

The prosecution drew information from the dossier on Rizal which detailed his
“subversive activities” some of which are the following:

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 The writing and publication of “Noli me Tangere”, the Annotations to Morga’s
History of the Philippines, “El Filibusterismo”, and the various articles which
criticized the friars and suggested their expulsion in order to win
independence. The El Filibusterismo was dedicated to the three martyr
priests who were executed as traitors to the Fatherland in 1872 because they
were the moving spirit of the uprising of that year.
 The establishment of masonic lodges which became the propaganda and
fund raising center to support subversive activities and the establishment of
centers in Madrid, Hong Kong and Manila to propagate his ideas.

After finishing as much evidence as possible on November 20, 1896 the

preliminary on Rizal began. During the five-day investigation, Rizal was informed
of the charges against him before Judge advocate Colonel Francisco Olive.

Two kinds of evidences were endorsed by Colonel Olive to Governor Ramon

Blanco:

 Documentary evidences-fifteen exhibits

 Testimonial evidences-provided by Martin Constantino, Aguedo del
Rosario, Jose Reyes, Moises Salvador, Jose Dizon, Domingo Franco,
Deodato Arellano, Pio Valenzuela, Antonio Salazar, Francisco Quison,
and Timoteo Paez.

The Judge Advocate Rafael Dominguez was assigned with the task of deciding
what corresponding action should be done. After a brief review, he transmitted
the records to Don Nicolas de la Pena.

Pena’s recommendations were as follows:

 Rizal must be immediately sent to trial

 He must be held in prison under necessary security
 His properties must be issued with order of attachment
 And as indemnity, Rizal had to pay one million pesos
 Instead of a civilian lawyer, only an army officer is allowed to defend Rizal.

E. THE EXECUTION OF DR. JOSE RIZAL

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Despite all valid pleadings, the military court, vindictive as it was, unanimously
voted for the sentence of death. Governor Polavieja affirmed the decision of the
court martial and ordered Rizal to be shot at 7:00 in the morning of December
30, 1896 at Bagumbayan field.

A Jesuit priest now came running and asked Rizal to kiss the crucifix that he
held. Rizal turned his back on the crucifix and thus, against the firing squad. He
was ready for the execution.

Dr. Jose Rizal’s Last Hours

Rizal spent his 24 hours in his death cell where he received members of his
family and writes his letter, the first one to his “second brother” Ferdinand
Blumentritt. He gave his sister Trinidad and old petroleum lamp and whispered to
her in English that there is something inside the lamp. Thus is Rizal’s famous
Farewell poem, “Mi Ultimo Adios”, (“My Last Farewell”) was found.

On December 29, 1896, 6 AM: Capt. Rafael Rodriguez was assigned by Gov.
Gen. Camilo Polavieja to read Rizal’s death sentence, - to be shot at
Bagumbayan by a firing squad at 7am the next day.

At 7AM: Rizal moved to the prison chapel, where he spent his last moments

At 7:15AM: Rizal reminded Fr. Luis Viza the statuette of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus whom he carved as a student in Ateneo.

By 9AM: Fr. Federico Faura arrived. Rizal reminded him that he said that (Rizal)
would someday lose his head for writing the Noli. “Father, you are indeed a
prophet.”

At 10AM: Fr. Jose Villaclara and Fr. Vicente Balaguer visited Rizal then
discussed with him his retraction letter. Santiago Mataix, a Spanish journalist,
followed for the newspaper, El Heraldo de Madrid.

From 11AM- 3PM: Rizal stayed in his cell. He was busy writing poems and
letters. He hid his farewell poem in an alcohol cooking stove. He also wrote his
last letter to Professor Blumentritt.
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At 4PM: Teodora Alonzo visited him. They had a very emotional encounter. Rizal
gave the alcohol cooking stove to Trinidad which contains his farewell poem.
Several priests have visited him afterwards.

At 6PM: Don Silvino Tuňon, the Dean of the Manila Cathedral visited Rizal.

At 8PM: Rizal had his last supper. He told Captain Dominguez that he forgave
his enemies including the military judges.

At 9:30PM: Rizal was visited by Don Gaspar Cestaňo, fiscal of the Royal
Audience de Manila.

At 10PM: The draft of the retraction letter sent by the anti- Filipino Archbishop
Bernardo Nozaleda was given by Fr. Balaguer to Rizal for his signature. He had
rejected It.

Upon Rizal’s death, his supposedly Retraction Letter became of one of the most
controversial documents in our history. This Retraction Letter allegedly contains
his renunciation of the Masonry and his ‘anti-Catholic Religious Ideas’
Depending on whose side you are on, some Rizalists claim that it is fake while
some believe it to be genuine. There had been some evidences but so far these
had only heated up the debate between two factions.

On December 30, 1896, 3AM: Rizal heard Mass, confessed his sins and took
Holy Communion.

By 5:30AM: He took his last breakfast. After which he wrote his last letters for his
family and his brother, Paciano.

Rizal said, “Now I am about to die, and it is to you I dedicate my last lines, to tell
you how sad I am to leave you alone in life, burdened with the weight of the
family and our old parents.”

At 5:30AM: Josephine Bracken arrived together with Rizal’s sisters, Josefa, with
tears in her eyes, bade him farewell. Rizal embraced her for the last time, and
before she left, Rizal gave her a last gift, a religious book, “Imitation of Christ” by
Father Thomas Kempis.

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By 6AM: As the soldiers were getting ready for the death march to Bagumbayan,
Rizal wrote his last letter to his beloved parents.

“My beloved Father, pardon me for the pain with which I repay you, for sorrows
and sacrifices for my education. I did not want it nor did I prefer it. Goodbye,
Father, goodbye!”

At 6:30 AM: a trumpet sounded at Fort Santiago to signal the death march to
Bagumbayan. Rizal walked calmly with his defense counsel and two Jesuit priest
at his sides. He was dressed elegantly in a black suit, black derby hat, black
shoes, white shirt and black tie. His arms were tied behind from elbow to elbow.

There’s a lot of spectators lining the street from Fort Santiago to Bagumbayan.
As he was going through the narrow Postigo Gate, Rizal looked at the sky and
said to one of the priests: “How beautiful it is today, Father. What morning could
be more serene! How clear is Corregidor and the mountains of Cavite! On
mornings like this, I used to take a walk with my sweetheart.”

While he was passing in front of Ateneo, he saw the college towers above the
walls. He asked: “Is that Ateneo, Father?” Yes”, replied the priest.

Rizal bade farewell to his Fathers March and Villaclara and to his defender, Lt.
Luis Taviel de Andrade. Although his arms were tied, he had firmly clasped their
hands in parting.

One of the priests blessed him and offered him a crucifix to kiss.

He requested the commander of firing squad that he be shot facing them. His
request was denied for the captain had implicit orders to shoot him at his back.

A Spanish military physician, Dr. Felipe Ruiz Castillo, asked his permission to
feel his pulse. He was amazed to find it normal, showing that Jose Rizal was not
afraid to die.

The death ruffles of the drums filled the air. Above the drum beats, the sharp
command “fire” was heard, and the guns of the firing squad barked. Rizal, with
supreme effort, turned his bullet- riddled body to the right, and fell on the ground
dead, with face upward facing the morning sun. At exactly 7:03 am, Rizal

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shouted “consummatum es” before the shot rang out. The hero’s life ended. In
the background could be heard, “Viva Espaňa!”; “Morir es traidores!” On that
fateful day, Rizal was 35 years, 5 months and 11 days old.

“I die just when I see the dawn break, through the gloom of night, the herald the
day; and if color is lacking my blood thou shalt take, poured out at need for thy
sake, to dye with its crimson the waking ray…”

It is interesting to note that 14 years before his execution, Rizal predicted that he
would die on December 30th. He was then a medical student in Madrid, Spain.

Martyrs are rare stars in the vast firmament of humanity. Every instance of
martyrdom is distinct in magnitude and direction. Indeed, martyrs are the
meteors of history, they flash across the sky and light the world and in the
process consume themselves.

They are the person who is put to death or made suffer greatly or other beliefs
because of religion. Other elements of martyrdom are usefulness of life and
dedication to a high purpose. Rizal’s death was an emotional event in our history
as it produced

A “martyr” and resulted in some form of social change or transformation in our

lives as a people. Rizal was put to death for “subversion” by the dominant
political forces. He presented a sector of society which had begun to trouble and
therefore constituted a real threat to the existing social order.

Source: https://www.slideshare.net/yazmin9457/martyrdom-at-
bagumbayan-jose-rizals-life

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