CHAPTER 23

LAST TRIP ABROAD

(1896)
No longer an exile , Rizal had a
pleasant trip from Dapitan to
Manila , with delightful stopovers
in Dumaguete, Cebu, Iloilo,
Capiz and Romblon.
From Dapitan to Manila
July 31, 1896 (at midnight) -
leaving Dapitan, the “Espana”,
with Rizal and party on board,
sailed northward
Atdawn the next day (Saturday,
August 1) – it anchored at Dumaguete,
Capital of Negros Oriental.

“Dumaguete”, wrote Rizal in his travel

diary, “spreads out on the beach. There are
big houses, some with galvanized iron
roofing. Outstanding are the houses of a
lady, whose name I have forgotten, which
is occupied by the government and another
one just begun with many ipil posts”.
Dumaguete
Rizal visited a friend and former
classmate.
Herero Regidor – who was a judge of the
province
He also visited other friends, including
the Periquet and Rufina families.
In afternoon he operated the eye of the
a Spanish captain of Guardia Civil.
Cebu
About 1:00 p.m. the España left
dumaguete and reached Cebu the
following morning.
Rizal was fascinated by the entrance to
Cebu which he considered “beautiful”
At the house of Attorney Mateos he met
an old couple whom he had known in
Madrid.
“In Cebu”, he wrote in his diary, “I
did two operations of strabotomy,
one operated on the ears, and
another of tumor’
Iloilo
In the morning of Monday August 3, Rizal
left Cebu going to Iloilo.
“The voyage was fine,” he wrote, “At the right we
saw Mactan, an island famous for what
happened to magellan. The whole afternoon was
magnificent... We saw many island along our
way…The next day, in the morning, we entered
Iloilo”..
Rizal landed at Iloilo, went shopping in
the city and visited Molo. Of Molo
church, he commented,
“The church is pretty outside and the
interior is not bad, considering that it had
been painted by a lad. The paintings are
mostly copies of biblical scenes by
Gustave Dore”.
 From Iloilo, Rizals ship sailed to
Capiz. After a brief stopover, it
proceeded towards Manila via
Romblon

Iloilo Capiz Romblon Manila

Rizal Misses Ship Going to Spain
Early in the morning of Thursday,
August 6, 1896- the España arrived
in Manila Bay
Unfortunately, Rizal was not able to
catch the mail ship “Isla de Luzon” for
Spain because it had departed the
previous day at 5:00 p.m.
Writing to Blumentritt later, Rizal
mentioned this episode. “Unfortunately”,
he said,
“ I did not catch the mail ship for Spain, and
fearing that my stay in Manila for a month
might bring me troubles I made known to
the governor general, while remaining on
board the ship( España-Z.), of my wish to
be isolated from everybody, except my
family”
Near midnight of the same day,
August 6, Rizal was transferred to
Spanish cruiser Castilla, by order of
Governor General Ramon Blanco.
He was given good accommodation
by the gallant captain,
Enrique Santalo- who told him that
he was not a prisoner, but a guest
detained on board “in order to avoid
difficulties from friends and
enemies”.
Rizal stayed on the cruiser for about
a month, from August 6 to
September 2, 1896
Outbreak of the Philippine Revolution
While Rizal was patiently waiting on the
cruiser Castilla
for the next steamer to take him to Spain
On the fateful evening of August 19,
1896, the Katipunan plot overthrow
Spanish rule by means of revolution was
discovered by
Fray Mariano Gil- Augustinian cura of
Tondo
August 26, 1896- Bonifacio and the Katipunan
raised the cry of revolution
( Sigaw sa Pugadlawin) in the hills of Balintawak, a
few miles North of Manila.
At sunrise of August 30, the revolutionists led by
Bonifacio and Jacinto attacked with heavy losses.
In the afternoon, Gov. Gen. Blanco proclaimed a
state of war in the first eight provinces for rising in
arms against Spain
Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna,
Pampanga, Nueva Ecija and Tarlac
Rizal learned of the eruption of the
revolution and the raging battles around
Manila through the newspaper he read
on the Castilla. He was worried for two
reasons:
1. The violent revolution which he
sincerely believed to be premature and
would only cause much suffering and
terrible loss of human lives and
property, has started
2. It would arouse Spanish vengeance
against all Filipino patriots.
Departure for Spain
On August 30, 1896, the day when the state of war was
proclaimed in the eight provinces, Rizal received from Governor
General Blanco two letters of introduction for the Minister of War
and the Minister of Colonies, with covering letter which absolved
him from all blame for the raging revolution as follows:

Mr. Jose Rizal

My Dear Sir:

Enclosed are two letters for the Ministers of War and

Colonies which I think will be well received.
 I have no doubt that you will justify me before
the Government by your future behaviour not
only for your word of honor but because the
present happening must have shown you
palpably that certain actions which are the
product of foolish ideas yield no other result but
hatred, destruction, tears, and blood.
May you be very happy is the wish of your
attentive servant who kisses your hand.

Ramon Blanco
The two letters of introduction were identical. The one addressed
to General Marcelo de Azcarraga, Minister of War was written as
follows:

Most Excellent Marcelo de Azcarraga

My esteemed General and distinguished friend,

I recommend to you with genuine interest Dr. Jose Rizal who is

departing for the Peninsula at the disposal of the Government, ever
desirous of rendering his services as physician to the Army in Cuba.
His conduct during the four years that he was in exile in Dapitan
has been exemplary and he is, in my opinion, the more worthy of
pardon and benevolence as he is in no way involved either in the
criminal attempt that we are lamenting these days or in any
conspiracy or secret society that they have been plotting.
With this object I have the pleasure to remain.

Your most affectionate friend and colleague who kisses

your hand.

Ramon Blanco

On September 2, 1896, the day before his departure

for Spain, Rizal, on board the Castilla , wrote to his
mother, as follows.

My Dearest Mother,
As I promised, I am addressing you a few lines before
leaving, to let you know about the condition of my health.
 I am well, thank God; I am only concerned as to what will
happen or shall have happened to you in these days of
upheavel and disorder, God will that my old father may not
have any indisposition.
I shall write to you from the places where the boat stops,
I expect to be in Madrid or at least in Barcelona at the end
of this month.
Do not worry about anything; we are all in the hands of
Divine Providence. Not all those who go to Cuba die, and is
the end one has to die; at least die doing something good.
Take good care of yourself and take care of my old father
so that we shall see each other again. Many regards for my
brother, sisters, nephews and nieces, aunt.,etc.,etc.
 I leave contented, confident that as long as you are
alive the family will remain united and the old intimacy
will reign in it. You two are the bond that unites all of us.
With nothing more, my very dear mother, I kiss your
hand and that of my father with all the affection and love
that my heart is capable of giving; give me your
blessings of which I am in much need.
A fond embrace for everyone of my sister; may they
love another just as I love all of them.

Your son,
Jose
At 6:00 p.m. September 2, Rizal was
transferred to the steamer Isla de Panay
which was sailing for Barcelona, Spain.
The next morning, September 3, this
steamer left Manila Bay.
At last, Rizal's last trip to Spain began.
Among his fellow passengers on board
were Don Pedro Roxas (rich Manila
creole industrialist and his friend) and his
son named Periquin.
Rizal in Singapore
Inthe evening of September 7 – Isla de
Panay arrived in Singapore.
The following morning Rizal and other
passengers went ashore for sightseeing and
shopping for souvenirs. In his travel diary, Rizal
wrote: “I have observed some changes. There
are more Chinese merchants and less Indian…I
bought a Chinese gown… Singapore has
changed much since I saw it for the first time in
1882”.
Don Pedro/ Don Manuel – advised
Rizal to stay and take advantage of
the protection of the British Law.
Rizal had given his word of honor to
General Blanco
Victim of Spanish Duplicity
By refusing to break his word of honor in
Singapore, Rizal sealed his own doom.
Rizal was unaware that Governor General Blanco
and the Ministers of War and the Colonies were
exchanging coded telegrams( secret conspiracy)
and confidential messages for his arrest upon
reaching Barcelona.
For all his wonderful talents, Rizal was
after all a mortal man who committed
mistakes
And one of his mistakes was to believe
that Governor General Blanco was a
man of honor and a friend because he
allowed him to go as a free man to
Spain to become physician- surgeon of
the Spanish army in Cuba.
Rizal Arrested Before Reaching Barcelona
September 8 at 1:00 p.m. the Isla de
Panay left Singapore, with Rizal on
board, Not knowing the Spanish
duplicity, he happily continued the
voyage towards Barcelona.
September 25- he saw the steamer
Isla de Luzon, leaving the Suez Canal,
crammed with Spanish troops.
September 28- a passenger told Rizal the
bad news that he would be arrested by
order Gov. Gen. Blanco and would be sent
to prison in Ceuta(Spanish Morocco),
opposite Gibraltar.
Shocked by the news, he realized that he
was fooled by the Spanish officials. That
made him to write a letter to his best friend,
Blumentritt, unburdening his disgust and
bitterness as follows:
S.S Isla de Panay, Mediterranean
September 28, 1896

My very dear Friend

A passenger on board has just told me a news that I
can hardly believe and should it be true, it would bring
to an end the prestige of Philippine authorities.
I cannot believe for it would be the greatest injustice
and the most abominable infamy, unworthy not a
military official but of the last bandit. I have offered to
serve, as a physician, risking life in the hazards of war
and abandoning all my business. I am innocent and
now in reward they are
sending me to prison!!
I cannot believe it! This is infamous, but it turns out
to be true, as everybody assures me, I am
communicating to you these news so that you may
appraise my situation.
Yours,
(Signed) Jose Rizal

On September 29, Rizal wrote in his diary; “These

are people on board who do nothing but slander me
and invent fanciful stories about me. I'm going to
become a legendary personage.”
September 30, at 4:00 p.m.- He was
officially notified by the Captain Alemany
that he should stay in his cabin until
further orders from Manila.
Arrival in Barcelona as a Prisoner (8 days)
September 30, about 6:25 p.m.- the steamer
anchored at Malta.
Being confined to his cabin, Rizal was not able
to visit the famous island-fortress of the
Christian crusaders, “ I saw through tiny
window,” he wrote in his diary, “the beautiful
view of the port (Malta-Z), with monumental
and magnificent castle in three levels lumined
by the lingering afternoon lights,”
October 3, at 10:00 in the morning-
the Isla de Panay arrived in Barcelona,
with Rizal a prisoner on board
The trip from Manila to Barcelona
lasted exactly 30 days. He was kept
under heavy guard in his cabin for three
days.
October 6, at 3:00 a.m.- Rizal was
escorted to the grim and infamous
prison-fortress named Monjuich. He
spent the whole morning in a cell
About 2:00 in the afternoon- he was
taken out of prison by the guards and
brought to the headquarters of
General Eulogio Despujol- the Military
Commander of Barcelona, the same one
who ordered his banishment to Dapitan
July, 1892.
 he interviewed Rizal , which lasted a
quarter an hour.
 He told Rizal that he would be shipped
back to Manila on board the transport
ship Colon, which was leaving that
evening.
After the interview , Rizal was taken
aboard the Colon which was “full of
soldiers and officers and their families.”
October 6 at 8:00 p.m. – the ship left
Barcelona, with Rizal on Board
THANK U!!!