Second Travel Abroad

The friars asked Governor General Terrero to deport Rizal, but the latter refused
because there was no valid charge against Rizal in court. Rizal was compelled to leave
Calamba for reason that:

• his presence in Calamba was jeopardizing the safety and happiness of his family
and friends
• he could fight better his enemies and serve his country's cause with greater
efficacy by writing in foreign countries.

Shortly before Rizal left Calamba in 1888, his friend from Lipa requested him to write a
poem in celebration of the town's promotion to a city by virtue of the Becerra Law of
1888. The poem is entitled Himno Al Trabajo (Hymn to Labor) dedicated to the diligent
and hard-working folks of Lipa, Batangas.

1. In Hongkong - Macao - Hongkong (1888)

Pursued by dominant enemies, Rizal voluntary left his country for the second time in
February of 1888. He was then a matured man of 27 years of age, a practicing physician,
and a recognized man-of-letters.

• On February 3, 1888, Rizal left Manila for Hong Kong on board the Zafiro. After
four days, Zafiro made a brief stopover at Amoy. Rizal did not get off his ship at
Amoy for three reasons:

o he was not feeling well

o it was raining hard

o he heard that the city was dirty.

The following day, Rizal arrived in Hong Kong and stayed at Victoria Hotel. He was
welcomed by Filipino residents, including Jose Maria Basa, Balbino Mauricio, and Manuel
Yriarte (son of Francisco Yriarte, alcalde mayor of Laguna). A certain Spaniard, Jose Sainz
de Varanda, who was a 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.

 • Rizal described "Hong Kong" to Blumentritt on February 16, 1888, "as a small, but
very clean city."
• On February 18, 1888, Rizal, accompanied by Basa, boarded the ferry steamer,
Kiu-Kiang for Macao. At that time, Macao was still a Portuguese colony near
Hong Kong. According to Rizal, the city of Macao is small, low, and gloomy. There
are many junks, sampans, but few steamers. It looks sad and is almost dead. While
in Macao, Rizal and Basa stayed at Don Juan Francisco Lecaros' home, a Filipino
gentleman who was married to a Portuguese lady.
• On February 18, 1888, Rizal witnessed a Catholic procession, in which the
devotees were dressed in blue and purple dresses and were carrying unlighted
candles
• Two days after, Rizal and Basa returned to Hong Kong, again on board the ferry
steamer Kiu Kiang.
• On February 22, 1888, Rizal left Hong Kong on board the Oceanic, an American
steamer, and his destination was Japan.

Rizal's cabin mate was a British Protestant missionary who called Rizal "a good man"

2. In Japan (1888)

One of the happiest interludes in the life of Rizal was his stopover in the Land of the
Cherry Blossoms for one month and a half from February 28-April 13, 1888. On
February 28, 1888, early in the morning of Tuesday, Rizal arrived in Yokohama. He
registered at the Grand Hotel but stayed in Tokyo Hotel from March 2 to March 7,

Rizal wrote to Professor Blumentritt: "Tokyo is more expensive than Paris. The walls are
built in cyclopean manner. The streets are large and wide."

• Juan Perez Caballero, secretary of the Spanish Embassy, visited Rizal at his hotel
who later invited him to live at the Spanish Embassy. Rizal accepted the invitation
for two reasons:

o he could economize his living expenses by staying at the embassy

o he had nothing to hide from the prying eyes of the Spanish authorities. On
March 7, 1888, Rizal checked out of Tokyo Hotel and lived at the Spanish Embassy.

• Rizal was satisfactorily impressed by Japan. The things which favourably

impressed Rizal in Japan were:

o the beauty of the country-its flowers, mountains, streams and scenic panoramas
 o the cleanliness, politeness, and industry of the Japanese people

o the picturesque dress and simple charm of the Japanese women

o there were very few thieves in Japan so that the houses remained open day and
night, and in hotel room one could safely leave money on the table

o beggars were rarely seen in the city streets, unlike in Manila and other cities.

• However, Rizal did not like in Japan the rickshaws which is a popular mode of
transportation drawn by men.
• On April 13, 1888, Rizal left Japan and boarded the Belgic, an English steamer, at
Yokohama, bound for the United States.

Rizal encountered Tetcho Suehiro, a fighting Japanese journalist, novelist and champion
of human rights, who was forced by the Japanese government to leave the country and a
fellow passenger whom Rizal befriended on board the Belgic.

Rizal had eight months of intimate acquaintanceship with Tetcho from April 13 to
December 1, 1888. On December 1, 1888, after a last warm handshake and bidding each
other "goodbye", Rizal and Tetcho parted way and never met again.

4. In the United States (1888)

Rizal was on board the steamer Belgic, on April 28, 1888 which docked at San Francisco
on Saturday morning. On May 4, 1888, one fine Friday afternoon, Rizal was permitted to
go ashore. Rizal registered at the Palace Hotel which was then considered a first-class
hotel in the city. Rizal stayed in San Francisco for two days from May 4 to 6, 1888. And
on May 6, 1888, Sunday, at 4:30pm, Rizal left San Francisco for Oakland.

• On May 13, 1888, Sunday morning, Rizal reached New York, thus ending his trip
across the American continent. Rizal stayed three days in this city, which he called
the "big town." Three days after, Rizal left New York for Liverpool on board the
City of Rome. According to Rizal, this steamer was "the second largest ship in the
world, the largest being the Great Eastern"

- Rizal had good and bad impressions of the United States. The good impressions were :

• the material progress of the country as shown in the great cities, huge farms,
flourishing industries and busy factories
• the drive and energy of the American people
 • the natural beauty of the land
• the high standard of living
• the opportunities for better life offered to poor immigrants.
• On the other hard, one bad impression Rizal had of America was the lack of racial
equality:

"America is the land par excellence of freedom but only for the whites." This remark of
Rizal could be attributed to his experience before entering America where Belgic, the
steamer which brought him to this so-called land of democracy was put on hold.
Allegedly, the ship was carrying passengers who were possibly carrying cholera disease
only to learn later that it was a political maneuver of the American politicians to win the
votes of the whites. They want to show to the people that they were concern in
prioritizing the white laborer's placements in jobs.

At that time, many Asians were migrating to US to work and were easily getting
employed due to cheaper labor thus displacing the white laborers. More than 600 of the
passengers who were with Rizal in that trip were Chinese workers who followed their
American dream.

5. In London (1888-1889)

After visiting the United States, Rizal lived in London from May, 1888 to March, 1889
for three reasons:

• to advance his understanding of the English language

• to read and add notes to Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, a rare print of
which he heard to be obtainable in the British Museum
• London was the appropriate city for him to forward his nationalistic work to battle
against the Spaniards.

" The trans-Atlantic voyage of Rizal from New York to Liverpool was a pleasant one. He
entertained the American and European passengers with his marvelous skills with the
yo-yo as an offensive weapon and made of a small wooden disc attached to a string from
the finger.

• On May 24, 1888, Rizal arrived in Liverpool, England. He spent the night in
Adelphi Hotel while staying for one day in this port city. According to Rizal,
"Liverpool is a big and beautiful city and its celebrated port is worthy of its great
fame. The entrance is magnificent and the customhouse is quite good."
 • A day after docking at Liverpool, on May 25, 1888, Rizal went to London. He
stayed as guest at the home of Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor, an exile of 1872 and a
practicing lawyer in London. By the end of May, Rizal found a modest boarding
place at No. 37 Chalcot Crescent, Primrose Hill with the
Beckett family as landlords.

Dr. Reinhold Rost- librarian of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, editor of Trubner's Record,
a journal devoted to Asian studies and an authority on Malayan languages and customs
was impressed by Rizal's learning and character and he gladly recommended him to the
authorities of the British Museum. He called Rizal "a pearl of a man" (una perla de
hombre). Later on, he requested Rizal to contribute some articles and response to his
request, the latter prepared two articles:

• Specimens of Tagalog Folklore, which was published in the journal in May, 1889
• Two Eastern Fables, published in June, 1889. And on March 19, 1889, Rizal bade
goodbye to the kind Beckett Family and left London for Paris.

Rizal was faced with good and bad news from home while in London. The good news
was that of the defenders of Noli like Reverend Garcia Vicente were successful in
defending the Noli against the friars. On the other hand, there were more bad news.
Injustices were continuously inflicted by the Spanish authorities to the Filipino people
and his very family:

The greatest achievement of Rizal in London was the annotating of Morga’s book,
Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (Historical Events of the Philippine Islands), which was
published in Mexico in 1609. On September 1888, Rizal visited Paris for a week in order
to search for more historical materials in the Bibliotheque Nationale. Real was
entertained in this French metropolis by Juan Luna and his wife (Paz Pardo de Tavera),
who proudly showed him their little son Andres (nickname Luling).

Rizal went to Spain, visiting Madrid and Barcelona on December 11, 1888. Rizal met, for
the first time, Marcelo H. del Pilar and Mariano Ponce, two geniuses of the Propaganda
Movement. He then returned to London on December 24, 1888 and spent Christmas
and New Year's Day with the Becketts.

• Rizal sent as Christmas gift to Blumentritt, a bust of Emperador Augustus and a

bust of Julius Caesar to another friend, Dr. Carlos Czepelak (Polish scholar). He
received a Christmas gift from Rizal's landlady, Mrs Beckett, which was The Life
and Adventures of Valentine Vox and the Ventriloquist.
 1. Rizal's Leadership in Europe

By unanimous vote of all members, Rizal was chosen honorary president of Asociacion
La Solidaridad (Solidaridad Association), a patriotic society, which works together in the
crusade for reforms.

This society was inaugurated on December 31, 1888, with the following officers:
Galicano Apacible (president); Graciano Lopez Jaena (vice president); Manuel Santa
Maria (secretary; Mariano Ponce (treasurer) and Jose Ma. Panganiban (accountant). Rizal
wrote a letter on January 28, 1889 addressed to the members of the Asociacion La
Solidaridad.

Graciano Lopez Jaena founded the patriotic newspaper called La Solidaridad in

Barcelona on February 15, 1889. This is a quarterly periodical which served as the organ
of the Propaganda Movement. Its aims were as follows:

• to work peacefully for political and social reforms

• to portray the deplorable conditions of the Philippines so that Spain may remedy
them
• to oppose the evil forces of reaction and medievalism o to advocate liberal ideas
and progress
• to champion the legitimate aspirations of the Filipino people to life, democracy
and happiness.

- Rizal's first article entitiled, Los Agricultores Filipinos (The Filipino Farmers) appeared in
La Solidaridad which is published on March 25, 1889, six days after he left London for
Paris.

1. Articles Published in La Solidaridad

Rizal wrote articles for La Solidaridad in defense of his oppressed people and to point
out the evils of Spanish rule in the Philippines. The following are the articles written and
contributed by Dr. Jose Rizal for La Solidaridad:

• "A La Defensa" (To La Defensa), April 30, 1889; this was a reply to an anti-Filipino
writing of a Spanish author Patricio de la Escosura which was published by
LaDefensa on March 30.
• "Una Profanacion" (A Profanation), July 31, 1889; a bitter attack against the friars
for denying Christian burial to Mariano Herbosa in Calamba because he was a
 brother-in-law of Rizal. Herbosa, husband of Lucia died of cholera on May 23,
1889.
• "Verdades Nuevas" (New Truths), July 31, 1889; a reply to Vicente Belloc Sanchez
letter published in La Patria, Madrid newspaper, on July 4, 1889, which asserted
that the granting of reforms in the Philippines would ruin the "peaceful and
maternal rule" of the friars.
• "Crueldad" (Cruelty), August 15, 1889; a brilliant defense of Blumentritt from the
scutrillous attack of his enemies.
• "Diferencias' (Differences), September 15, 1889; a reply to a biased article
entitled "Old Truths" published in La Patria on August 14, 1889, which
ridiculed those Filipinos who asked for reforms.
• "Inconsequencias" (Inconsequences), November 30, 1889; a defense of Antonio
Luna against the attack of Pablo Mir Deas in the Barcelona newspaper El Puieblo
Soberan
• "Llanto y Risas" (Tears and Laughter), November 30, 1889; a denunciation of
Spanish racial prejudice against brown Filipinos.
• "Ingratitudes" (Ingratitude), January 15, 1890; a reply to Governor General
Valeriano Weyler who, while visiting Calamba, told the people that they "should
not allow themselves to be deceived by the vain promises of their ungrateful
sons."

Simultaneous with Rizal's retirement from the Propaganda Movement, he ceased writing
articles for La Solidaridad. On August 7, 1391, Marcelo H. del Pilar wrote to Rizal
begging forgiveness for any resentment and requesting Rizal to resume writing for the La
Solidaridad. Rizal stopped writing for La Solidaridad, due to several reasons:

• Rizal needs to work on his second novel, the El Filibusterismo

• He wanted the other members of the propaganda to contribute to the cause too
• Rizal well-thought-out that it was very important to have unity at times like this
• Marcelo H. del Pilar was already at the top and Rizal had also his own ideas, thus
it would be best to leave del Pilar alone to direct the organization.

6. Accomplishments in London

While busy in his research studies at the British Museum, Rizal received news on Fray
Rodriguez unabated attack on his Noli. In order to defense his novel, Rizal wrote a
pamphlet La Vision del Fray Rodriguez (The Vision of Fray Rodriguez) which was
published in Barcelona under his nom-de-plume Dimas Alang. He demonstrated two
things:

• his profound knowledge of the Roman Catholic religion

• his piercing mockery.
Rizal likewise wrote a famous letter originally in Tagalog on February 22, 1889 known
today as Letter to the Young Women of Malolos. This letter is to praise the young ladies
of Malolos for their courage to establish a school where they could learn Spanish,
despite the opposition of Fr. Felipe Garcia, a Spanish parish priest of Malolos.

7. Second Visit in Paris for the France's World wide Show

France's Worldwide Show was scheduled to open on May 6, 1889. For Rizal, it would be
a big compunction to miss out events like this considering that he was already in the
nearby country. Finding quarters though during this time in Paris was exceedingly tough.
As a result, while looking for a place to stay, he found himself temporarily living with his
friend, Valentin Ventura at No. 45 Rue Maubeuge. He went on in polishing his annotated
edition of Morga's book.

This time also gave Rizal opportunity to catch up with the Pardo de Taveras and other
friends. He was a good friend of the three Pardo de Taveras -Dr. Trinidad H. Pardo de
Tavera, a physician by vocation and philologist by avocation, Dr. Felix Pardo de Tavera,
also physician by vocation and an artist and sculptor by avocation, and Paz Pardo de
Tavera, wife of Juan Luna. On June 24, 1889- a baby girl, their second child, was born to
Juan Luna and Paz Pardo de Tavera. Her baptismal godfather was Rizal, who chose her
name "Maria de la Paz, Blanca, Laurena, Hermenegilda Juana Luna y Pardo de Tavera".
When the WorldwideShow of Paris opened, the greatest attraction of was the Eiffel
Tower, 984 feet high, which was built by Alexander Eiffel, celebrated French engineer.

Associations Organized in Paris

Kidlat Club. On the same day he arrived in Paris from London(March 19, 1889), he
organized his countrymen into a society called Kidlat Club, purely a social society of a
temporary nature. He originated this society to organize the young Filipinos in the
French capital so that they could enjoy their sojourn in the city during the duration of
the WorldwideShow.

Indios Bravos. Rizal was delighted by the exalted and fulfilled bearing of the American
Indians in a Buffalo Bull show. He was influenced by this show that Rizal replaced the
short-lived Kidlat Club with Indios Bravos (Brave Indians). Its followers vowed to top in
cognitive and psychomotor expertise that they would gain the appreciation of the
foreigners. Rizal served as their mentor in learning fencing and marksmanship. Rizal
further taught his Filipino compatriots the art of self defense called judo, which he
learned during his stay in Japan.

Redencion De Los Malayos. Rizal founded a mysterious society Sociedad R.D.L.M.

(R.D.L.M Society) in Paris during the Universal Exposition of 1889. Its existence and role
in the crusade reforms are really enigmatic. Of numerous letters written by Rizal and his
fellow propagandists, only two mentioned this secret society, as follows:

• Rizal's Letter to Jose Maria Basa, Paris, September 21, 1889

• Rizal's Letter to Marcelo H. del Pilar, Paris, November 4,1889.

According to Zaide, Dr. Leoncio Lopez, Rizal's grandnephew, expressed that the society
has a symbol or countersign represented by a circle divided into three parts by two semi-
circles having in the center the interlocked letters I and B meaning Indios Bravos and the
letter R.D.L.M. placed outside an upper, lower, left and right sides of the circle. The
letters R.D.L.M. are believed to be the initials of the society's secret name Redencion de
los Malayos (Redemption of the Malays) or Redemption of the Malay Race. It was
patterned after Freemasonry. It had various degrees of membership, "with the members
not knowing each other." The aim of the secret society, as stated by Rizal, was "the
propagation of all useful knowledge - scientific, artistic, and literary in the Philippines.
Evidently, there was another aim that is, the redemption of the Malay race. It must be
noted that Rizal was inspired by a famous book entitled Max Havelaar (1860) written by
Multatuli (pseudonym of E.D. Dekker, Dutch author).

2. Trip to Brussels, Belguim (1890)

Two reasons impelled Rizal to leave Paris:

• On January 28, 1890, Rizal left Paris for Brussels, capital of the cost of living in
Paris was very high because of the Universal Exposition
• The extravagant social life of the city hampered his literary works, especially the
writing of his second novel, El Filibusterismo.
• Rizal was accompanied by Jose Albert when he moved to Brussels. They lived in a
modest boarding house on 38 Rue Philippe Champagne, which was run by two
Jacoby sisters (Suzanne and Marie). Later Albert left the city and was replaced by
Jose Alejandro, an engineering student.
• Rizal was the first to advocate the Filipinization of its orthography through Sobre
la Nueva Ortografia de la Lengua Tagala (The New Orthography of the Tagalog
Language) was published in La Solidaridad on April 15, 1890. In this article, he laid
down the rules of the new Tagalog orthography and with modesty and sincerity,
 he gave credit for the adoption of this new orthography to Dr. Trinidad H. Pardo
de Tavera, author of the celebrated work El Sanscrito en la Lengua Tagala
(Sanskrit in the Tagalog Language) which was published in Paris, 1884. "I put this
on record," wrote Rizal, "so that when the history of this orthography is traced,
which is already being adopted by the enlightened Tagalists, that what is Caesar's
be given to Caesar. This innovation is due solely to Dr. Pardo de Tavera's studies
on Tagalismo. I was one of its zealous propagandists."
• Letters from home which Rizal received in Brussels worried him such as: (1) the
Calamba agrarian trouble was getting worse; and, (2) the Dominican Order filed a
suit in court to dispossess the Rizal family of their lands in Calamba. In his
moment of despair, Rizal had bad dreams during the nights in Brussels when he
was restless because he was always thinking of his unhappy family in Calamba.
• Rizal feared that he would not live long. He was not afraid to die, but he wanted
to finish his second novel before he went to his grave. In the face of the
sufferings which afflicted his family, Rizal planned to go home. He could not stay
in Brussels writing a book while his parents, relatives, and friends in the distant
Philippines were persecuted.
• On July 29, 1890, Rizal wrote another letter to Ponce when he was in Brussels.
He announced that he was leaving Brussels at the beginning of the following
month and would arrive in Madrid about the 3rd or 4th of August. Rizal wrote a
moving poem, "To my Muse" in 1890. This was written alongside a circumstantial
of emotional distress in Brussels, during those wretched days when he was
troubled by family tragedies.

10. Back to Madrid (1890-91)

Early in August, 1890, Rizal arrived in Madrid. Upon arrival in Madrid, Rizal immediately
sought help of the Filipino colony such as the Asociacion Hispano-Filipina and the liberal
Spanish newspaper in securing justice for the oppressed Calamba tenants.

• El Resumen, a Madrid newspaper sympathized with the Filipino cause, said: "To
cover the ear, open the purse, and fold the arms," this is the Spanish colonial
policy. On the other hand, the newspaper La Epoca is an anti-Filipino newspaper
in Madrid. Rizal experienced the following adversities in Madrid, namely:

Jose Ma. Panganiban. His gifted co-worker in the Propaganda Movement, died in
Barcelona on August 19, 1890, after a lingering illness.

Halted fight with Antonio Luna. Luna was hostile because of his unfulfilled romance with
Nellie Boustead. He was putting the blame to Rizal of not gaining the favorable answer
of Nellie despite Rizal's explanation that he had nothing to do with it. Luna stated
distasteful comments about Nellie which Rizal overheard and caused him to be furious.
He confronted Luna and dared him to a fight. Fortuitously, Luna become conscious that
he had made a boob of himself during his drunken state, he apologized for his bad
remarks about the girl and Rizal accepted his apology and they became good friends
again.

• Rizal defies Retana to a Fight. Wenceslao E. Retana, his unpleasant enemy of the
pen, a talented Spanish scholar, was then a press agent of the friars in Spain. He
used to attack the Filipinos in various newspapers in Madrid and other cities in
Spain. Retana wrote an article in La Epoca, asserting that the family and friends of
Rizal had not paid their rents so they were ejected from their lands in Calamba by
the Dominicans. Such as insult stirred Rizal to action, immediately he sent his
seconds to Retana with his challenge to a duel.
• Unfaithfulness of Leonor Rivera. Rizal received a letter from Leonor, announcing
her coming marriage to an Englishman (the choice of her mother) and asking his,
forgiveness.
• Rizal-Del Pilar Conflict. Toward the end of 1890, ascended an ill-fated conflict
between Rizal and Marcelo H. del Pilar for power. Because of this, the Filipinos
were divided into two antagonistic actions the Rizalistas and the Pilaristas. The
condition becoming tense and serious. Notwithstanding was winning the votes,
Rizal tactfully declined the desired position. Rizal wrote a short letter
acknowledging his compatriots for electing him as Responsable. It was the last
time he saw Madrid.

11. Cooling-off in Biarritz, France

Rizal took a vacation in the resort city of Biarritz to look for relief for his disillusionments
in Madrid. He arrived on February, 1891 on this magnificent French vacation place. He
stayed as a guest of the Boustead family in their home located in Villa Eliada.
Exasperated in love, Rizal found comfort in writing. Unmistakably, while courting Nellie,
the daughter of the Boustead's, and enjoying so "many magnificent moonlight nights"
with her, he kept working on his second novel which he began to write in Calamba in
1887.

• On the eve of his departure from Biarritz to Paris on March 29, 1891, he finished
the manuscript of El Filibusterismo. He bade farewell to the hospitable and
friendly Bousteads and proceeded to Paris by train on March 30, 1891.
• Upon arriving in Paris on April 4, 1891, Rizal wrote to his friend, Jose Ma. Basa, in
Hong Kong, expressing his desire to go to that British colony and practice
ophthalmology in order to earn his living. In the middle of April, 1891, he was
back in Brussels.
 • Since renouncing his leadership in Madrid in January, 1891, due to the
conspiracies of his jealous compatriots, Rizal retired from the Propaganda
Movement.

On May 1, 1891, he informed the Propaganda authorities in Manila to cancel his monthly
allowance and devote the money to some better cause. His notification was contained in
a letter addressed to Mr. A.L. Lorena (pseudonym of Deodato Arellano).

• On May 30, 1891, the revision of the finished manuscript of El Filibusterismo was
almost completed and in June 13 of the same year, Rizal informed Basa that he
was negotiating with a printing firm.

12. Publication of El Filibusterismo, Ghent, Belguim (1891)

Rizal needed focus after all the disorienting experiences in Madrid. For the next days, he
busied himself in reviewing and improving the manuscript of El Filibusterismo so that it
could be ready for the press. He had begun writing it in October, 1887, while practicing
medicine in Calamba. The following year (1888), in London, he made some changes in
the plot and corrected some chapters already written. He wrote more chapters in Paris
and Madrid, and finished the manuscript in Biarritz on March 29, 1891. It took him,
therefore, three years to write his second novel.

• On July 5, 1891, Rizal left Brussels for Ghent, a famous university city in Belgium.
His reasons for moving to Ghent were:
o the cost of printing in Ghent was cheaper than in Brussels
o to escape from the enticing attraction of Petite Suzanne.
• Rizal met two compatriots while in Ghent, Jose Alejandro (from Pampanga) and
Edilberto Evangelista (from Manila), both studying engineering in the world-famed
University of Ghent.

Rizal got the lowest quotation for the publication of his novel from F. Meyer-Van 100
Press located at No. 66Vianderen Street, a printing shop that was willing to print his
book on installment basis.

• On August 6, 1891, the printing of his book had to be suspended because Rizal
could no longer give the necessary funds to the printer. It was at this point that
Valentin Ventura learned of Rizal's predicament and immediately sent him the
necessary funds, thus becoming the savior of El Filibusterismo.
 13. Moving to Hong Kong as a Doctor (1891-1892)

Two weeks after the publication of El Filibusterismo on October 3, 1891, Rizal left Ghent
for Paris, where he stayed a few days to say goodbye to the Lunas, the Pardo de
Taveras, the Venturas and other friends. He then advanced by train to Marseilles. He
embarked the steamer Melbourne bound for Hong Kong on October 18, 1891.

Rizal left Europe for Hong Kong, where he lived from November, 1891 to June, 1892.
His reasons for leaving Europe were:

•
o life was horrendous in Europe because of his political dissimilarities with
Marcelo H. del Pilar and other Filipinos in Spain
o to be near his adored Philippines and family.

• Rizal enjoyed playing chess with Father Fuchs- a Tyrolese, whom he described to
Blumentritt as "a fine fellow, a Father Damaso without pride and malice"
• Rizal arrived in Hong Kong on November 20, 1891. He established his residence
at No. 5 D' Aguilar Street No. 2 Rednaxola Terrace, where he also opened his
medical clinic.

On December 1, 1891, Rizal wrote his parents asking their permission to return home.

• On the same date, his brother-in-law, Manuel T. Hidalgo, sent him a letter relating
the sad news of the deportation of twenty-five persons from Calamba, including
his father, Neneng, Sisa, Lucia, Paciano and the rest of the family.
• The Christmas of 1891 in Hong Kong was one of the happiest Yuletide
celebrations in Rizal's life because he had a happy family reunion. On January 31,
1892, Rizal wrote to Blumentritt, narrating satisfying life in Hong Kong. To earn a
living for himself and for his family, Rizal practiced medicine.

Dr. Lorenzo P. Marques- a Portuguese physician, became Rizal's friend and aficionado,
who assisted him to build up a wide clientele. In acknowledgment of Rizal's skill as an
ophthalmic surgeon, he turned over to him many of his eye cases.

In was in Hongkong where Rizal successfully operated on his mother's left eye so that
she was able to read and write again.
 14. Settlement Project in Borneo

While in Hong Kong, Rizal thought of establishing a settlement of the landless Filipinos
in North Sabah. Note that this portion of land in Borneo is historically a territory of the
Philippines. It was a gift given by the Sultanate of Borneo to the Sultanate of Sulu for
aiding them (the Borneans) gains their freedom from a dictatorial Datu in the ancient
times.

• Rizal planned to move the landless Filipino families to North Borneo (Sabah), a
rich British owned island and carve out of its virgin wildness a "New Calamba".

Rizal went to Sandakan (North Sabah) on March 7, 1892 board the ship Menon to
negotiate with the British authorities for the establishment of a Filipino colony. Rizal
looked over the land up the Bengkoka River in Maradu Bay which was offered by the
British North Borneo Company.

• Rizal was back in Hong Kong on April 20, 1892. However, Rizal's brother-in-law,
Hidalgo, objected to the colonization project.
• At that time, the Governor General of the Philippines was Valeriano Weyler by
whom the Cubans odiously called as" The Butcher." He was succeeded by
Governor Eulogio Despujol, the Count of Caspe.
• Rizal wrote his first letter to Governor Despujol on December 23, 1891. His
second letter was given on March 21, 1892 to a ship captain to be sure it would
reach Governor Despujol's hand. In this second letter, he requested the governor
general to permit the landless Filipinos to establish themselves in Borneo. But
Despujol could 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."

15. Accomplishments in Hong Kong

While Dr. Jose Rizal was in Hongkong, he wrote the following:

• "Ang Mga Karapatan Nang Tao", which is a Tagalog translation of "The Rights of
Man" proclaimed by the French Revolution in 1789.
• "A la Nacion Espanola" (To the Spanish Nation); Rizal wrote in 1891, which is an
appeal to Spain to right the wrongs done to the Calamba tenants.
• "Sa Mga Kababayan" (To my Countrymen); another proclamation written in
December, 1891 explaining the Calamba agrarian situation.
• A British daily newspaper, The Hong Kong Telegraph whose editor is Mr. Frazier
Smith is Rizal's friend where he contributed articles to this newspaper.
 • "Una Visita a la Victoria Gaol" (A Visit to Victoria Gaol); Rizal wrote on March 2,
1892, an account of his visit to the colonial prison of Hong Kong. In this article,
Rizal contrasted the cruel Spanish prison system with the modern and more
humane British prison system.
• "Colonisation du British North Borneo, par de Familles de Iles Philippines"
(Colonization of British North Borneo by Families from the Philippine Islands); an
article in French which Rizal elaborated on the same idea in anther article in
Spanish, "Proyecto de Colonizacion del British North Borneo por los Filipinos"
(Project of the Colonization of British North Borneo by the Filipinos)
• "La Mano Roja" (The Red Hand); Rizal wrote in June, 1892, which was printed in
sheet form in Hong Kong. It denounces the frequent outbreaks of intentional fires
in Manila.
• Constitution of La Liga Filipina is the most important writing made by Rizal during
his Hong Kong sojour, which a was printed in Hong Kong, 1892. To deceive the
Spanish authorities, the printed copies carried the false information that the
printing was done by the London Printing Press. It was through Rizal's friend,
Domingo Franco from Manila whom the copies of the printed Liga constitution
were sent.

Second Return to the Philippines (1892-1896)

Rizal made up his mind to return to Manila on May, 1892. This decision was spurred by
the following reasons:

• to discuss with Governor Despujol regarding his Borneo colonization project

• to launch the La Liga Filipina in Manila
• to substantiate that Eduardo de Lete was wrong in criticizing him in Madrid that
he (Rizal), being relaxed and safe in Hong Kong, had unrestrained the country's
cause. Lete's bout, which was published in La Solidaridad on April 15, 1892,
depicted Rizal as faint-hearted, self-centered, unprincipled and a nationalist only
in words.

On June 20, 1892, Rizal penned two letters which he stuck down, emblazoned on each
envelope "to be opened after my death" and gave them to his friend Dr. Marques for
safekeeping. The first letter, addressed to my parents, brethren, and friends. The second
letter, was addressed to the Filipinos.

Rizal wrote another letter in Hong Kong on June 21, 1892 for Governor Despujol, his
third letter to that ill-mannered Spanish chief executive.

Immediately after Rizal's departure from Hong Kong, the Spanish consul general who
issued the government guarantee safety, sent a cablegram to Governor Despujol that the
victim "is in the trap". On the same day June 21, 1892, a secret case was filed Manila
against Rizal and his followers "for anti-religious and anti-patriotic agitation” Luis de la
lorre, secretary of Despujol, ordered to find out if Rizal was naturalized as a German
citizen.

1. The Liga Filipina

Rizal's spirited return to Manila in June, 1892 was his second return to the
Philippines. He firmly believed that the fight for Filipino liberties had assumed a new
phase that it must be fought in the Philippines not in Spain. "The battlefield is in the
Philippines," he told countrymen in Europe, "There is where we should meet... There we
will help one another, there together we will suffer or triumph perhaps."

• On Sunday at 12:00 noon of June 26, 1892, Rizal and his widowed sister Lucia
(wife of late Mariano Herbosa) arrived in Manila. At 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon,
he went to Malacanang Palace to seek audience with the Spanish governor
general, General Eulogio Despujol, Conde de Caspe.
• Rizal boarded a train in Tutuban Station on June 27, 1892 at 6:00pm, and visited
his friends in Malolos (Bulacan), San Fernando (Pampanga), Tarlac (Tarlac), and
Bacolor (Pampanga). Rizal returned by train to Manila on the next day, June 28, at
5 o'clock in the afternoon.
• On the evening of Sunday of July 3, 1892, following his morning interview with
Governor General Despujol, Rizal attended a meeting with patriots at the home of
the Chinese-Filipino mestizo, Dorote Ongjunco, on Ylaya Street, Tondo, Manila.
He 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:

Ambrosio Salvador - President

Deodato Arellano - Secretary

Bonifacio Arevalo - Treasurer

Agustin de la Rosa - Fiscal

• The motto of the Liga Filipina was Unus Instar Omnium (One Like All). The
governing body of the league was the Supreme Council which had jurisdiction
over the whole country. There was a Provincial Council in every province and a
Popular Council in every town.
 • The duties of the Liga members are as follows:
o follow the orders of the Supreme Council
o to help in recruiting new members
• to keep in severest confidentiality the decisions of the Liga authorities
o to have symbolic name which he cannot change until he becomes
president of his council
o to report to the fiscal anything that he may hear which affect the Liga
• to behave well as befits a good Filipino
• to help fellow members in all ways.

Prelude to His Martyrdom

On July 6, 1892, Rizal went to Malacanang Palace to resume his series of interviews with
the governor general. After which, incriminatory leaflets were allegedly found in Lucia's
pillow case entitled Pr. Pobres Frailles (Poor Friars) but actually under the authorship of
Fr. Jacinto and printed by the Imprentia de los Amiigos del Pais, Manila. These leaflets
caused Rizal's arrest and he was 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 dated
July 7, 1892, contained Governor General Despujol's decree deporting Rizal to
"one of the islands in the South"
• When the Filipinos learned about the arrest of Dr. Jose Rizal, their growing light
of hope died down severely. But one man stood by the ideals of Jose Rizal and
encouraged his people to instead reorganize themselves and become more
militant in dealing with the Spaniards. This gave birth to the Katipunan which was
led by Andres Bonifacio. It was born on the night of July 7, 1892. It was the day
when Rizal's arrest was announced to the Filipino people.
• Shortly after midnight at around 12:30 am 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 1:00 in the morning of July 15, sailing
south, passing Mindoro and Panay and reaching Dapitan on Sunday, the 17th of
July at 7:00 in the evening. Captain Ricardo Carnicero, the Spanish commandant
of Dapitan whom Captain Delgras handed Rizal. From July 17, 1892- July 31,
1896, Rizal began his exile in lonely Dapitan, for period of four years.