Lesson 9

RIZAL IN DAPITAN

          On July 17, 1892, together with his guard Captain Ricardo Carnicero, Rizal arrived
in Dapitan. In his first night, he viewed Dapitan as a place full of darkness and it ended
his career. The first problem which he encountered in Dapitan was the place where he
would stay. He was not allowed to stay in the Jesuit house because according to Fr.
Pastells, he needed to retract all the things that he wrote against the church and
because he did not want to retract his writings he chose to live in the house of Capitan
Ricardo Carnicero. 

          Capitan Ricardo, Jose Rizal and the other guard decided to bet on a lottery and
luckily, they won 20,000 pesos. They divided the money among themselves and Jose
Rizal used the money that he received to purchase a land which was one kilometer away
from Dapitan, the place of Talisay. His guard allowed him to put up a house in Talisay on
the condition that he would report to Capitan Ricardo three times a day. And because
he earned the trust of Captain Ricardo he was able to live in Talisay in his exile in
Dapitan.

LIFE IN TALISAY

          Away from his busy life in big cities in Europe, he was conferred to adjust in a
simple life in Dapitan which was very different from the busy places that he had been to
in Europe. But instead of being bored, he spent his time doing things that would make
Dapitan productive.

           He used his money to build an octagonal house made up of bamboo and nipa in
Talisay. One portion of the house is allotted for the school for the young boys in Talisay,
the other part was used for his eye clinic which was known in the country and also in
Hong Kong. He also built a house for the ladies in his family who were free to visit him
in Dapitan. He earned a lot of money because some of his customers came from Hong
Kong and from wealthy families in the other provinces of the country. He used the
money as capital for his lumber business in Dapitan and as he wrote to his friend
Blumentrit, he earned money in Dapitan which made him wealthy.

CONTRIBUTIONS TO DAPITAN
 1. He opened an eye clinic for the poor, some of his patients came from the
different parts of the country and from Hongkong.
2. He developed waterways so that the people in Talisay, Dapitan could have a
clean water.
3. He developed a system for the lighting and cleaning of the areas to avoid
mosquitos.
4. He established a school that catered to education of the young people for free.
5. He taught the more advance system of farming.
6. He initiated the founding of a cooperative for the fishermen in Talisay.
7. He developed studies about the different species that could be found in Dapitan.
8. He invented "sulpukan" lighter and the machinery in making bricks.
9. He initiated the foundation of the cooperative for the farmers.
10. He worked for the development of the sugar, abaca and lumber trading.

THE LOVELIFE OF RIZAL IN DAPITAN

          His busy life in Dapitan did not become a hindrance for Rizal to have an affair. On
this far island came his dulce estrangera, Josephine Bracken. She went to Dapitan with
Mr. George Tauffer, a blind man who adopted Josephine. Because Rizal was known as an
eye specialist in Hong Kong, Mr. Tauffer decided to go to Dapitan to consult his
condition with Jose Rizal. While staying in Dapitan, Josephine fell in love with Jose (Jose
Rizal) while Rizal was also attracted to the charming face and kind behavior of
Josephine. Rizal's mother objected to their relationship because Josephine had
mysterious origin. She had a modest education and worked in a restaurant in Hong
Kong. But Jose Rizal asked his parents and sisters to accept Josephine because
according to Rizal, Josephine tried her best to make him happy. And this was evident on
the letter written by Rizal to his mother.

          Even if he loved Josephine, he could not marry her because during those time
there was no civil wedding. The only way to wed was through the church and if Rizal
wanted to marry Josephine, he needed to retract the content of his novels and Rizal
could not do that. So, he and Josephine went inside the church and while facing the
crucifix, promised that they would love each other like married couple.

           Josephine got pregnant and Jose Rizal was excited to finally have a child but
unfortunately because of the still unknown reasons although there were a lot of
speculations, Josephine had a miscarriage. To relieve the sadness of Josephine, they
adopted a child named Maria, but then the parents of Maria took their child back.
           When Rizal was imprisoned in Fort Santiago, Josephine lived with the family of
Rizal but because Teodora Alonso did not want her, she decided to live with her friend
Manuela, a known mistress of a friar. After the death of Rizal, Josephine said that Rizal
married her so she was entitled to an inheritance. She was said to be the source of the
issue of Rizal's retraction. When she could not get anything from the family of Rizal, she
stole some of the paintings and documents of Rizal and sold those paintings in Hong
Kong and one of them was the painting of Juan Luna entitled "The Parisian Life."

THE LOVES OF RIZAL

          Pepe experienced his first sweet poison of love in the personality of Segunda
Katigbak. He first met Segunda in Manila, she was with her fiancée and cousin Manuel
Luz. Because Segunda came from the richest family in Lipa, she was destined to marry
her cousin Manuel who was also part of the wealthiest family of Lipa. In their first
meeting, Pepe noticed the charming personality of Segunda and to justify the feelings
of Rizal towards Segunda inspite of his knowledge that she was already engaged, he
said that Segunda showed to him her provocative smile. For a year Pepe visited
Segunda in her dormitory and she would make flower roses for Pepe. Jose could not
express his true feeling for Segunda because of her engagement. When the parents of
Segunda found out about the constant visit of Pepe to their daughter they asked
Segunda to go back to Lipa. And until the last moment Pepe did not admit to Segunda
his true feelings. Even after the wedding of Segunda and Manuel, Pepe would go to Lipa
and waited until Segunda would go to the window and he would stay there just to see
even the glimpse of Segunda. According to the Rizal's diary, he bore the heartache that
Segunda brought him for two years. The feelings that he had no courage to admit.

Lesson 10
LA LIGA FILIPINA

          In 1892, Jose Rizal returned to the Philippines and proposed the establishment of

a civic organization called “La Liga Filipina.” On July 3, 1892, the following were elected
as its officers: Ambrosio Salvador, president: Agustin dela Rosa, fiscal; Bonifacio Arevalo,
treasurer; and Deodato Arellano, secretary. Rizal functioned as its adviser.

La Liga Filipina aimed to:

   Unite the whole country
 Protect and assist all members
 Fight violence and injustice
 Support education
 Study and implement reforms

          La Liga Filipina had no intention of rising up in arms against the government; but
the Spanish officials still felt threatened. On July 6, 1892 only three days after La Liga
Filipina’s establishment, Jose Rizal was secretly arrested. The next day, Governor General
Eulogio Despujol ordered Rizal’s deportation to Dapitan, a small, secluded town in
Zamboanga. La Liga Filipina's membership was active in the beginning; but later, they
began to drift apart. The rich members wanted to continue supporting the Propaganda
Movement; but the others seemed to have lost all hope that reforms could still be
granted. Andres Bonifacio was one of those who believed that the only way to achieve
meaningful change was through a bloody revolution.

IMPRISONMENT AND TRIAL IN FORT SANTIAGO

          Rizal's deportation to Dapitan only lasted four years (1892-1896). He asked

Governor General Blanco if he could serve as a doctor under the Spanish flag in Cuba.
The governor general granted his request, however, because of the influential people
who wanted to execute him, Governor General Blanco was pressured to follow the order.
On July 31, 1896, his exile to Dapitan ended. On August 6, 1896, he rode a ship named
Castilla and waited for the start of his trip going to Spain and then from Spain to Cuba.
On August 19, 1896, the secret society of Katipunan was revealed to the Spanish
government and they accused Rizal as the founder of the Katipunan. On August 26,
1896, the uprising against the Spaniards started and on August 30, 1896, Governor
General Blanco declared the state of war against the eight provinces in the Philippines.
On September 2, 1896, Rizal's trip going to Spain started and he was not aware that he
was being accused as the leader of the said uprising. On September 28, 1896, Rizal was
able to know the plan of Blanco against him. On October 3, 1896, Rizal reached
Barcelona but he was not allowed to go down the ship and he was under the watch of
General Eulogio Despujol the same person who signed his deportation to Dapitan four
years ago. On November 3, 1896, he reached Manila and was imprisoned in Fort
Santiagio.

 
THE TRIAL

          Upon is return in Manila, he was imprisoned in Fort Santiago while the Spanish
authorities were investigating his case. On November 20, 1896, the Spanish authorities
discussed the nature of his case. They used the different poems, novels and letters of
Rizal against him. Among the writings which were used against him were the Hymn for
Talisay, Noli Me Tangere, EI Filibusterismo, his speeches and letters to his friends which
according to them was used by Rizal to encourage rebellion against the church and
government. He was accused as the leader of the uprising and the founder of KKK since
some of the founder of KKK were present in the establishment of La Liga Filipinas. They
also found the photograph of Rizal in the headquarters of KKK and his name was also
used as the password of KKK.

          On December 8,1896, Rizal choose from among the names given to him, the
person who could be his legal counsel. And he chose Luis Taviel de Andrade, the
brother of his former guard. On December 15, 1896, Rizal presented the letter to his
countrymen stating that the leaders of the uprising only used his name to collect funds
and he was not connected to the uprising. On December 16, 1896, the trial against Rizal
started. And to defend himself, he wrote the following statements:

1. Starting in July 1892, he had no political affiliation or any participation in any

political acts. And when the Katipuneros asked Pio Valenzuela to talk to him
about the plan, he tried to convince him that they should go back on the side of
the government and cooperate.
2. It was not true that he had conversation or correspondence to the rebels and
there was no letter that could prove his communications to the leader of KKK.
3. His decision to become a volunteer doctor to Cuba was the evidence that he
wanted to reconcile with the Spanish government. And if he had intention to
escape, he could have done it while he was in Singapore.
4. In Dapitan, he had a small boat or kayak which he could use if he really had
intention to escape or join the rebel group.
5. If he was the leader of the uprising, he should know all the plans and the other
members should constantly ask for his advice.
6. The truth was that he only established the La Liga Filipina, a civic society which
aimed for the reform of the government.
7. The aims of La Liga Filipina were not realized because of his deportation to
Dapitan.
8. He was not aware of the continuous establishment of La Liga Filipina after his
deportation to Dapitan.
 9. The La Liga Filipina had no connection to the KKK since their aims were in
contrast.
10. The time when he wrote his novel should be considered because the injustices
that he discussed in his works were based on the injustices that his family had
experienced.
11. In his four years of deportation in Dapitan, he followed all the rules and this could
be attested by his guards and other missionaries who had contact with him
during his deportation.
12. All the things that the authorities accused him of were baseless and there was no
one who could testify to his direct involvement to the uprising.

THE DECISION

         Governor General Despujol reviewed all the things related to the case or Rizal and
the friars were not happy with the way Despujol was handling the case of Rizal so using
their influence, they replaced Despujol and appointed Governor General Camilio
Polavieja.

         On December 26, 1896, the trial was held and all of the evidence were presented
to Governor General Camilo Polavieja. Then Polavieja presented the documents to Lt.
Col. Togores Arjona. On December 29, 1896, the Governor General signed the decision
that Jose Rizal would be executed at 7:00 AM in Bagumbayan.

         On December 29, 1896, Rizal was informed about the decision and he was not
surprised. On his remaining time, he wrote letters to his family and friends.

         Aside from the letters to his friends and family, he also wrote a poem stating his
last farewell to his countrymen.

BRIEF EXPLANATION (MY LAST FAREWELL)

The poem shows Jose Rizal's thoughts and sentiments in the time of trial and execution.
The succeeding’s are the interpretation for each stanza.

 First stanza - He expresses of sacrifice for and goodbye to his motherland.

 Second stanza - He deals with martyrdom and his service for the country by
offering his life.
  Third stanza - He talks about his death or final end.
 Fourth stanza - He presents his vision, that is, to see the Philippines free and
developed.
 Fifth stanza - he goes back to his death. He declares that it is his desire to die for
the sake of the country.
 Sixth stanza - He desires that his country also shows love for him by offering
flowers on his tomb.
 Seventh stanza – He request for a proper burial.
 Eighth stanza - He urged the country to offer prayer for him and his rest in God.
 Ninth stanza - He requests for prayers for others. Those people who died and for
those mothers who mourn.
 Tenth stanza - he mentions that the dead are forgotten.
 Eleventh and Twelfth stanzas - although the dead are forgotten, he hoped that
his spirit will continue to live on.
 Thirteenth stanza - He expresses farewell to his loved ones. He also discusses the
heaven, a place where no slaves and oppressor and there is only one Almighty
Creator.
 Fourteenth stanza - Finally, he said that death is rest. All people die. Here, he
shows us the thoughts and sentiments.

THE EXECUTION

29 December, 4:00 PM     He had a from his family: Dona Teodora Alonso, Josefa,
Maria and son Mauricio Cruz. Leoncio Lopez Rizal, Narcisa's eleven-year-old son, was
not allowed to enter the cell.

29 December, 6:00 PM     Rizal was visited by the Dean of the Manila Cathedral, Don
Silvino Lopez Tuñon. Father March and Father Vilaclara left Dr. Rizal to be with Don
Tunon.

29 December, 8:00 PM      Rizal's last supper where he informed Captain Dominguez

that he already forgave those who condemned him.

29 December, 9:30 PM      Rizal was visited by the fiscal of the Royal Audiencia of
Manila, Don Gaspar Cestaño with whom Rizal offered the best chair of the cell.
According to accounts, the fiscal left with a written "a good impression of Rizal's
intelligence and noble character."
30 December, 5:30 PM     According to Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade, Dr. Rizal took his last
breakfast meal while eating he threw some eggs in the corner of a cell for the "poor
rats," "Let them have their fiesta too." He relates this event to Narcisa.

30 December, 5:00 AM     Teary-eyed Josephine Bracken and Josefa Rizal came.
According to the testimony of the agent of the Cuerpo de Vigilancia, Josephine and
Rizal were married. Josephine received a classic book with his inscribed, "To my dear and
unhappy wife, Josephine, December 30th, 1896, Jose Rizal." Then, they embraced for the
last time.

30 December, 6:00 AM     Rizal wrote his father, Francisco Mercado "My beloved
Father, pardon me for the pain with which I repay you for sorrows and sacrifices for my
education. I did not want nor did I prefer it. Goodbye, Father, goodbye... Jose Rizal." To
his mother, he had only these words, "To my very dear Mother."

30 December, 6:30 AM      Death march from Fort Santiago to Bagumbayan begins.

The same place where the three priests had been killed in 1872, There were 4 soldiers
with bayoneted rifles lead the procession followed by Rizal, Lt. Taviel de Andrade,
Fathers Vilaclara and March and other soldiers. They passed by the Intramuros plaza,
then turned right to the Postigo gate then left at Malecon, the bayside road now known
as Bonifacio Drive.

30 December, 7:00 AM     Rizal, after arriving on the execution site at the Luneta or
Bagumbayan, Dr. Felipe Ruiz Castillowas checked his pulse. It was perfectly normal. Rizal
once wrote, "I wish to show those who deny us patriotism that we know how to die for
our duty and our convictions."

30 December, 7:00 AM     With the captain shouting "Fuego!" Shouts rang out from the
guns of eight indio soldiers. Rizal, being convicted criminal was not facing the firing
squad. As he was hit, he resists and turns himself to face the Spanish authority set up
the ceremony like a fair. And even at the moment of his fall, Rizal turns his body so that
he ends up lying on his back, with his face to the sun. Hundreds of men and women of
the Spanish colony appeared in their best clothes in order to celebrate the death of their
enemy. Troop units were paraded; a musical band celebrated the death of Rizal by
playing the national anthem continuously. The elegant Spanish ladies wave their
handkerchiefs, the Gentlemen applaud. And while the Filipinos see the execution in
enraged silence, calls of "Viva España! Muerte a lostraidores!" resound tremendously.
And he falls down, and dies facing the sky.