Rizal

Rizal’s Childhood, Early Education to University Experience and His Travels

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, best known as the “Father of the Philippines,” was a polymath who came to embody the struggle against European colonialism in Asia, and the visible head of the Philippine nationalist movement at the end of the nineteenth century. Trained as a physician, Rizal was a gifted linguist who spoke ten languages fluently and was able to converse in another twelve by the time he was thirty. He was an experimental scientist, an artist, and a musician, who also became a celebrated epistolary writer, playwright, poet, essayist, and novelist in both Spanish and Tagalog. His only two novels, Noli me tangere (1887) and El filibusterismo (1891), which are Rizal’s best known works, became essential manuals for members of the Philippine independence movement. In them, Rizal portrays and then sharply criticizes the abuses of the Roman Catholic clergy, especially the enormous wealth of the Spanish religious orders, their monopoly on ministries, their control of properties, their abuses of justice, and their mistreatment of the Filipinos in their own land. Yet the works also offer a vision of reform that heralds a bright future for the Malay race and the Philippine nation. EARLY LIFE AND UPBRINGING José Rizal was born on June 19, 1861 in the town of Calamba, province of Laguna. Calamba, then a town with around three to four thousand inhabitants, is located 54 kilometers south of Manila. It is found in the heart of a region known for its agricultural prosperity and is among the major producers of

sugar and rice, with an abundant variety of tropical fruits. On the southern part of the town lies the majestic Mount Makiling, and on the other side is the lake called Laguna de Bay. The wonders of creation that surrounded Rizal made him love nature from early age. His student memoirs show how his love of nature influenced his appreciation of the arts and sciences (Coates, 1992). Rizal's father, Francisco Mercado, was a wealthy farmer who leased lands from the Dominican friars. Francisco's earliest ancestors were Siang-co and Zun-nio, who later gave birth to Lam-co. Lam-co is said to have come from the district of Fujian in southern China and migrated to the Philippines in the late 1600s. In 1697, he was baptized in Binondo, adopting "Domingo" as his first name. He married Ines de la Rosa of a known entrepreneurial family in Binondo. Domingo and Ines later settled in the estate of San Isidro Labrador, owned by the Dominicans. In 1731, they had a son whom they named Francisco Mercado. The surname "Mercado," which means "market," was a common surname adopted by many Chinese merchants at that time (Reyno, 2012).Francisco Mercado became one of the richest in Biñan and owned the largest herd of carabaos. He was also active in local politics and was elected as capitan del pueblo in 1783. He had a son named Juan Mercado who was also elected pueblo in 1808-1813 and 1823 (Reyno, 2012). Capitan del Juan Mercado married Cirila Alejandra, a native of Biñan. They had 13 children, including Francisco Engracio, the father of José Rizal. Following Governor Narciso Claveria decree in 1849 which ordered the Filipinos to adopt Spanish surnames, Francisco Engracio Mercado added the surname "Rizal," from the word "ricial" meaning "green field," as he later settled in the town of Calamba as a farmer growing sugar cane, rice, and indigo.

José Rizal (1861-1896) is the seventh among the eleven children of Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso. The other children were: Saturnina (185s0-1913); Paciano (1851-1930); Narcisa (1852-1939); Olimpia 18551887 ; Lucia (1857 1919); Maria (1859-1945); Concepcion (1862-1865); Josefa (18651945); Trinidad 18681951 ; and Soledad 18701929 Rizal was affectionate to all his siblings. However, his relation with his only brother, Paciano, was more than that of an older brother. Paciano became Rizal's second father. Rizal highly respected him and valued all his advice. It was Paciano who accompanied Rizal when he first went to school in Biñan. It was also him who convinced Rizal to pursue his studies in Europe. Like Rizal, Paciano had his college education in Manila but later decided to join the Katipunan and fight for independence. After the revolution, Paciano retired to his home in Los Baños and led a quiet life until his death in 1930. Son of Francisco Mercado Rizal, the owner of a prosperous sugar plantation and trader, and Teodora Alonso Quintos, a pious, well-educated, and highly-cultured native of Biñan, little José was raised as a devout Roman Catholic. As was the Filipino custom of the day, the boy was first educated in the family home by his mother, who, although loving, was strict and carefully cultivated her son’s many talents, instilling in him a deep love for his homeland and a profound sense of dedication to the commonweal. “Pepe,” as the boy was called, attended Sunday Mass with her, prayed the rosary daily, and was instructed by her in the basics of the Catholic faith. To prepare the child for later work, he was tutored at home in arithmetic, reading and writing Tagalog, Spanish, and Latin by a friend of the family, León Monroy. Upon Monroy’s death, Pepe’s father sent him, in June, 1870, to a private Latin school in Biñan run by Justiniano Aquino Cruz, although the boy left

shortly thereafter because he was already too advanced for the curriculum (Santa Maria 40).  In 1871, just before entering secondary school, Rizal witnessed – firsthand – the terrible injustices of the Spanish system. The wife of Pepe’s uncle, José Alberto Mercado, had been unfaithful to her husband when he was out of the country. Upon his return, José Alberto learned of the scandalous affair and prepared to leave his wife. To reconcile the couple, Rizal’s mother, Doña Teodora, brought the two together in the family home, hoping to bring peace and healing to the lamentable situation. The crafty wife, however, with the collaboration of a lieutenant of the local Spanish constabulary, whom the Rizal family had refused to give fodder for his horse, falsely accused Rizal’s mother and uncle of trying to poison her, and Doña Teodora was arrested (1871) and detained for a period of two years (1873). Forced to have her case defended before the Supreme Court in Manila, she was exonerated and released in 1873. The Rizal family’s reputation, however, had already been unjustly and irreparably sullied, a fact that young Pepe was never to forget. At the age of eleven (1872), Rizal was sent to study at the prestigious Ateneo de Manila, under the tutelage of Spanish Jesuits. Universally acknowledged as the finest secondary school in the Philippines, the Ateneo was noted for its outstanding curriculum and strict discipline. The Jesuits imparted a strong humanistic education that stressed the importance of the Classical Tradition, and, thus, students were rigorously trained in Latin, Greek, Spanish, rhetoric, composition, history, religion, philosophy, and mathematics.

The Jesuit curriculum differed from that of all other secondary schools in the Philippines in that students not only took the sciences, both natural and physical, but were expected to spend long hours in the laboratory, focusing on practical application of the theories they were learning in their lectures. Students also had the opportunity to take optional vocational classes such as agriculture, commerce, and mechanics. As an all-male institution, the Ateneo’s curriculum included compulsory physical education classes, as well as training in fencing, music, drawing, sculpture, and painting (Palma 20–25). What is more, all students were required to attend daily Mass, recited daily prayers together, and were encouraged to join sodalities – devotional clubs – such as the Fraternity of Mary and the Sodality of Saint Luis Gonzaga. Finally, students were also encouraged to participate in extra-curricular activities such as writing and performing plays, speech and debate societies, and poetry and rhetoric competitions. Rizal excelled at many of these activities and won numerous scholastic and religious medals (Santa Maria 46). Known among the Jesuit faculty for his brilliance and vast intellectual curiosity, Rizal formed lifelong bonds of affection with various priests, some of whom had a lasting influence on his character and thought. Four Jesuits enjoyed particularly close relationships with Rizal throughout his short life: Fr. Francisco Sánchez, who was his dear friend, Fr. Pablo Pastells, who sought to return him to the Roman Catholic Church, Fr. Federico Faura, who warned him that his political activities would “bring him to the scaffold,” and Fr. Vicente Balaguer, who reconciled Rizal to the Church just before his death (De la Costa 97–98).

UNIVERSITY NATIONALISM

STUDIES

AND

AWAKENING

Upon his graduation from the Ateneo de Manila in 1877 with highest honors, Rizal advanced to the Universidad de Santo Tomás, the oldest tertiary institution in Asia, which was also in the capital, and which was under the direction of the Dominican order. Most of Rizal’s biographers report that young José began a course of study in philosophy. Yet, in 1984, Dominican scholar Fidel Villarroel argued that Rizal began a career in law, not philosophy, as the university’s Faculty of Philosophy and Letters was not opened until 1896 (Parco de Castro 2011). In any event, he abandoned his pursuit of a humanities degree in order to study medicine when his mother’s eyesight became so poor that she could barely recognize him (Santa Maria 46). Pepe’s university years were filled with the usual joys and pains of youth: dedication to studies, numerous activities, bittersweet forays into love, and accepting “desengaño” (“disillusionment’) – the slippage between what life should be, but often, because of human limitation and selfishness, is not. Human imperfections became especially evident to young Pepe in the lecture halls and offices of his Dominican professors at Santo Tomás. Rizal’s experience with the Jesuits had been very positive: although strict and proud of their “Spanishness,” they had encouraged intellectual inquiry, creativeness, and focused self-expression. The Jesuits seemed endlessly patient, understanding, and tolerant of the extravagances of youth. Unfortunately, Pepe found his Dominican professors to be just the opposite: domineering, smug, and, especially, condescending to their “Indian” charges, who they believed to be intellectually inferior. Rizal felt that he was a captive in his

own country. The young man believed that, at Santo Tomás, merit was not rewarded. Students were routinely insulted and debased in front of their peers, yet no one dared object, for fear not only of being expelled, but also of being charged with the gravest of all crimes, sedition (Palma 39). Pepe quickly became repulsed by the Dominican system of education, and experienced a rising sense of frustration and anger, as well as a growing disappointment with the Roman Catholic faith that was often used to justify the monks’ abuses. As a university student, the cruelty of the Spanish oppression once again touched young Rizal’s life directly, precisely at the moment when his conscience was most sharply piqued by the injustices of his Dominican professors. Along with an almost daily degradation suffered at the hands of Spanish overseers, two episodes in particular wounded him to the core. The first was while Rizal was taking a leisurely walk and failed to salute a passing lieutenant of the constabulary, after which the officer knocked him down and wounded him (Palma 37). Believing himself to have been unjustly assaulted, Pepe went to the palace of the Governor General to demand satisfaction. As often happened with “natives,” the young man was refused an audience, which led him to despair even further of ever enjoying true justice in his own homeland. Rizal became desperate with the thought that in his own country he might never be truly free, a concept echoed in the narrative voice of El filibusterismo in describing the young idealist Isagani’s quest for liberation: “He would give a thousand cities, a thousand palaces, for that corner of the Philippines where, far from humankind, he could really feel free. There, face to face with nature, before the mysteries of the infinite, in the forest

and by the sea, he could think, speak, and act like a man who has no master” (Rizal 198). The second incident occurred at approximately the same time. Over the centuries, religious orders, especially the Dominicans and the Franciscans, came into possession of vast tracts of land, which they usually leased for local agriculture. Rizal’s father became the victim of the lay manager of one of the Dominicans’ estates in Calamba, which he had rented for farming. The overseer of the lands, feeling slighted in a tiff, capriciously changed the terms of the Rizals’ leasing agreement, and eventually doubled their rent (Palma 37). Unfortunately, given the absolute power of the religious orders – even in the administration of lands and in legal decisions – Rizal’s father had no alternative except to allow himself to be gouged. The impressionable Pepe became even more incensed at the corruption and discrimination of the Spanish colonial system. In 1879, Pepe wrote one of his most heartfelt poems, “A la juventud filipina” [“To the Philippine Youth”], in which he expresses love for the Philippines and the hope that the young will strive for a better future: Hold high your faultless brow, All ye who hold the power to free Filipino youth, on this day grand! Those sorely grieved, by your charm’d word, Shine forth resplendent now, And fix in their fond memory, In gallant glory stand, That by your genius is stirred, Handsome hope of my motherland! The immortal thought that ye have heard. (qtd. in Palma 34) In his frustration, Pepe now turned to the good agencies of his fellow Filipino youth. The bitterness of his personal

experiences of oppression – both that perpetrated against his family and that of the Dominican professors in the lecture halls of the Universidad de Santo Tomás – led him to become one of the founders of a secret student association called “Compañerismo,” which was dedicated to patriotic pursuits such as discussions of civic life and mutual aid among its members. Rizal authored the organization’s by-laws and also served as its first leader, and his participation in the organization marked his decision to indulge his sense of nationalism and share his thoughts and feelings with other young Filipinos. Rizal in Europe Displeased as Rizal was with the intellectual environment at the Universidad de Santo Tomás. Rizal’s brother Paciano arranged for him to continue his medical studies in Spain. With Paciano’s encouragement and financial support, Rizal secretly departed from Manila on the steamship Salvadora on the morning of May 3, 1882, hoping not to upset his parents but knowing that he had to leave the repression in the Philippines. He was only twenty years old and as a young man, he was very observant and eager to interact with foreign nationals. He made sketches of his fellow passengers and of the things that he saw during his travels. Rizal reached Barcelona on June 16, 1882. He arrived during the summer vacation so he was able to meet up with former classmates in Ateneo. These classmates organized a welcome party for Rizal at a coffee house in Plaza de Cataluña. They toured Rizal around the city and brought him to the famous historical sites in Barcelona. In this city, Rizal found time to write an essay entitled "El Amor Patrio" (Love of Country). This essay was published on

August 20, 1882 in Diariong Tagalog where he used the pen name Laong Laan. After the summer vacation, Rizal decided to move to Madrid where he enrolled in Medicine and Philosophy and Letters at the Universidad Central de Madrid (presently the Universidad Complutense de Madrid) on November 3, 1882. He also took lessons in painting and sculpture at the Academia de San Fernando, and classes in French, English, and German at the Madrid Ateneo. Not content with these activities, he still managed to enroll in fencing class at the schools of Sanz and Carbonell. In January of 1883, Rizal wrote to his family and informed them that: "I am now studying Italian and have made a bet that I shall be able to speak it in two months" (Guerrero, 2010). Rizal was awarded with the degree and title of Licentiate in Medicine for passing the medical examinations in June 1884. With this title, Rizal was able to practice medicine. He continued enrolling in courses that would have led to a Doctorate in Medicine but the degree was not given to him because he failed to pay the fee required to defend his thesis. It is important to note that at this time, Rizal was already feeling the effect of the difficult economic situation in Calamba. His family faced financial problems brought about by low crop production because of drought and locusts aggravated by the hike in rentals the haciendas by the Dominicans. Consequently, there were delays in his monthly allowance from the Philippines. Rizal also took examinations in Greek, Latin, and world history. He won the the first prize in Greek and a grade of Excellent" in history. He also obtained the degree Licenciado en Filosofia y Letras (Licentiate in Philosophy and Letters) from the Universidad Central de Madrid on June 19, 1885 with a rating of sobresaliente. In between his studies, Rizal made time for meeting fellow Filipinos in Madrid.

Known as ilustrados, these Filipinos (enlightened ones) formed the Circulo Hispano-Filipino witch held informal programs with activities like poetry-reading and debates. As a prolific writer and poet, Rizal was asked to write poem. As a result, he wrote Mi Piden Versos (They Ask Me for a Verses).             In one of the Filipino reunions at the house of Pedro Paterno in Madrid on January 2, 1884, Rizal proposed the writing of a novel about the Philippine society. The group approved the project but this plan did not materialize. His fellow Filipinos who agreed to help him did not write anything so he drafted the novel alone. It was in Madrid that he was able to write the first half of his novel, Noli Me Tangere. While in Madrid, Rizal was exposed to liberal ideas through the masons that he met. He was impressed with the masons' view about knowledge and reasoning and how they value brotherhood. He joined the Masonry and became a Master Mason at the Lodge Solidaridad on November 15, 1890. Filipinos in Madrid occasionally visited Don Pablo Ortiga y Rey, the former city mayor of Manila under the term of Governor-General Carlos Maria de la Torre. Rizal joined his fellow Filipinos at Don Pablo's house where he met and became attracted to Consuelo, Don Pablo's daughter. However, Rizal did not pursue her because of his commitment to Leonor Rivera. His friend, Eduardo de Lete, was also in love with Consuelo but did not want to ruin their friendship. In 1883, Rizal wrote a poem for Consuelo entitled A Señorita C. O, y R.  Rizal specialized in ophthalmology and trained under the leading ophthalmologists in Europe like Dr. Louis de Weckert of Paris for whom he worked as an assistant from October 1885 to March 1886. In Germany, he also worked with expert

ophthalmologists Dr. Javier Galezowski and Dr. Otto Becker in Heidelberg in 1886 and Dr. R. Schulzer and Dr. Schwiegger in 1887 (De Viana, 2011). During his stay in Germany, Rizal befriended different scholars like Friedrich Ratzel, a German historian. Through his friend, Ferdinand Blumentritt, Rizal was also able to meet Feodor Jagor and Hans Virchow, anthropologists who were doing studies on Philippine culture. Rizal mastered the German language and wrote a paper entitled Tagalische Verkunst (Tagalog Metrical Art). He also translated Schiller's William Tell into Tagalog in 1886. It was also in Berlin where he finished Noli Me Tangere which was published on March 21, 1887 with financial help from his friend Maximo Viola.             After five years in Europe, Rizal went home to Calamba on August 8, 1887. He spent time with the members of his family who were delighted to see him again. He also kept himself busy by opening a medical clinic and curing the sick. He came to be known as Doctor Uliman as he was mistaken for a German. His vacation, however, was cut short because he was targeted by the friars who were portrayed negatively in his novel Noli Me Tángere. He left the country for the second time on February 16, 1888. Rizal's second trip to Europe became more active in the Propaganda Movement with fellow ilustrados like Marcelo H. del Pilar, Graciano Lopez Jaena, Antonio Luna, Mariano Ponce, and Trinidad Pardo de Tavera. The Propaganda Movement campaigned for reforms such as: (1) for the Philippines to be made a province of Spain so that native Filipinos would have equal rights accorded to Spaniards; (2) representation of the Philippines in the Spanish Cortes; and (3) secularization of parishes. Rizal became preoccupied with

writing articles and essays which were published in the Propaganda Movement newspaper, La Solidaridad. Among his intellectual works in Europe his annotation of Antonio de Morga Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (1890) which Rizal showed that even before the coming of the Spaniards, the Filipinos already had developed culture. He also wrote an essay entitled "Sobre la Indolencia de los Filipinos" (On the Indolence of the Filipinos) published in 1890 in which he attributed to different factors such as climate and social disorders. Another essay he wrote strongly called for reforms; was called "Filipinas Dentro de Cien Años" (The Philippines Century Hence) published in parts from 1889 1890. By July 1891, while Brussels, Rizal completed his second novel, El Filibusterismo, which was published on September 18, 1891 through the help of his friend, Valentin Ventura. Compared with his Noli, Rizal's El Fili was more radical with its narrative portrayed society the verge of revolution. Circulo Hispano Filipino and La Solidaridad Earlier we made mention about the propaganda movement and its primary objective that was initiated by the ilustrados in Europe. The earliest attempt to unite Filipinos studying in Spain was the formation of the Circulo Hispano-Filipino, an organization under the leadership of a creole, Juan Atayde. It had the support of Spaniards who were sympathetic towards the Filipinos. The Circulo published a bi-weekly newspaper titled Revista del Circulo Hispano-Filipino in 1882, but the newspaper and the organization itself were short-lived and lasted only until 1883. Despite the demise of the Revista del Circulo Hispano Filipino, the Filipinos in Spain continued to write and engage in journalism. In 1883, a periodical called Los Dos Mundos came out with the intention of demanding for

the overseas Hispanic colonies’ equality of rights and equal opportunities for progress. Although it could not be determined whether the newspaper was a Filipino project, Filipinos such as Graciano Lopez Jaena, Pedro Govantes y Azcarraga were involved as staff members. Other Filipinos including Rizal and Eduardo de Lete also contributed articles concerned with sociopolitical and economic reforms in the Philippines. During the time Rizal's first novel, Noli me Tangere, came 1887, another newspaper titled España en Filipinas began its publication through the support of Filipinos, creoles, and mestizos in Madrid. The newspaper was short-lived as because of glaring differences and internal feuding among is staff. With the end of the newspaper emerged a stronger Filipino community united in its purpose to continue working for Filipino rights. By January 1889, the Filipino community a Barcelona began preparations for the publication of a new periodical. Among the early supporters who helped with finances were Mariano Ponce and Pablo Rianzares. On the other hand, Graciano Lopez Jaena offered his services as editor. Marcelo H. del Pilar, having arrived from Manila at this time, also joined. The newspaper, La Solidaridad, released its first issue a February 15, 1889. In its first article, the staff defined its program as, to combat all reaction, to impede all retrogression, to applaud and accept every liberal idea, to defend all progress." Among the reforms the newspaper sought were: Philippine presentation in the Cortes, freedom of the press, and the end of the practice of exiling residents without due process. The periodical placed particular emphasis on affairs dealing with the Philippines because of all Spain's overseas provinces, it was the only one that lacked parliamentary representation.

La Solidaridad often ran articles dealing with Spanish politics, attacks on friars, and reforms for the Philippines Sections were also assigned to accommodate and print letters from foreign correspondents, all speaking of situations on the ground. Aside from the political and economic content, the periodical gave space for the publication of literary works as well. Support for the newspaper gradually increased and its roster of writers grew. Among those who eventually contributed articles were José Rizal, Dominador Gomez, Jose Maria Panganiban, Antonio Luna, and renowned Filipino scholar Ferdinand Blumentritt. Other Filipinos who contributed articles did so using assumed names. In time, del Pilar gradually took on the active role of running the paper. Lopez Jaena, although editor in name, spent most of his days in cafes and was known to be incapable of sustained work. By the time del Pilar decided to move to Madrid, the paper went with him. The first issue printed in Madrid came out on November 15, 1889. A month later, the periodical announced its change of editorship with del Pilar now taking the helm. By 1890, two of the most prominent members of the Filipino community in Spain began to increasingly show differences in stance with regard to Philippine affairs. Rizal always held the opinion that to serve the country better, one had to bring the issues closer to home. One had to speak to the Filipinos, rather than the Spaniards. Del Pilar, on the other hand, was a skillful politician who felt that efforts at persuading the Spanish leaders and officials needed to be continued and that this was the best way to achieve the reforms Filipinos were seeking. Things came to a head when at a New Year's Eve banquet in 1891, the Filipinos in Madrid proposed that they elect a leader to unite their community. Rizal agreed with the proposal while del Pilar expressed initial misgivings. Nevertheless, the voting took place resulting in three inconclusive ballots on the first day and

two more inconclusive ballots the next day. Rizal did eventually win the position as Filipino leader but only through the manipulations of Mariano Ponce. In the end, Rizal felt his triumph was shallow and left Madrid a few weeks later. From this point onwards, Rizal stopped from contributing articles to La Solidaridad and focused instead on the writing of his novels. The periodical continued to publish only until 1895. Because of lack of funds and internal feuding, the newspaper released its final issue on November 15, 1895. In its final issue, its editor, del Pilar, had written, "We are persuaded that no sacrifices are little to win the rights and the liberty of a nation that is oppressed by slavery." Aims of La Solidaridad written by the staff of La Solidaridad on February 15, 1889 Modest, very modest indeed are our aspirations. Our program aside from being harmless is very simple; to fight all reaction, to hinder all steps backward, to applaud and to accept all liberal ideas, and to defend progress; in brief, to be a propagandist above all of ideals of democracy so that these might reign over all nations here and beyond the seas. The aims of La Solidaridad are defined: to gather, to collect liberal ideas which are daily exposed in the camp of politics, in the fields of science, arts, letters, commerce, agriculture, and industry. We shall also discuss all problems which deal with the general interest of the nation, seeking solutions that are purely national and democratic...

We shall pay special attention to the Philippines because those islands need the most help having been deprived of representation in the Cortes. We shall thus fulfill our patriotic duty in the defense of democracy in those islands. The nation of eight million souls should not and must not be the exclusive patrimony of theocracy and conservatism... Indifference to our Archipelago will not be so good for Spain's integrity in the Philippines. The country is attuned to progress. The heart of the nation longs for legitimate hopes of a better life and we do not believe in any political theory which would discuss such pleas with the classic "We shall see." We believe therefore that by offering to study the problems mentioned above and those relating to them, we shall be, in our humble way, of service to the nation and her institutions.             Early efforts to unite the Filipino community in Spain began as early as 1882 and reached its height with the emergence of the newspaper La Solidaridad in 1889. Journalism became a means for Filipinos to engage the Spanish-reading public on issues concerning the Philippines. Among the reforms they sought were representation in the Spanish Cortes, freedom of the press, and the end of the practice of exiling Filipino residents without due process. By the mid-1890s, internal feuding and lack of funds would end the Propaganda Movement while a few Filipinos, like Rizal, would bring the struggle closer to home. Source:

Guerrero, Milagros C. and John N. Schumacher. 1998. Kasaysayan Series Vol. 5: Reform and revolution. Hong Kong: Asia Publishing Company Limited. Schumacher, John N. 1991. The making of nation: Essays on nineteenth-century Filipino nationalism. Quezon City Ateneo de Manila University Press. Schumacher, John N. 1997. The propaganda movement, 1880 1895: The creation of a Filipino consciousness, the making of the revolution. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press.  Thomas, Megan C. 2016. Orientalists, propagandists, and ilustrados: Filipino scholarship and the end of Spanish colonialism. Pasig City: Anvil Publishing, Inc. Bueno, Christopher F. José P. Rizal: The National Hero. Lexington, KY: n/p, 2014. Print. De la Costa, Horacio. Selected Homilies and Religious Reflections. Ed. R.M. Paterno. Manila: Kadena Press Foundation-Asia Inc., 2002 Fortú, H., ed. Rizal. Manila: Comisión Nacional del Centenario de José Rizal, 1961 Guerrero, León María. 1963. The First Filipino: A Biography of José Rizal. Quezon City, PH: Vertex Press, Inc., 1971 Hernández, José M. “Rizal’s Poetry and Drama.” Unesco National Commission 7-24. Print. Morga, Antonio de. 1890.

Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas (1609). Ed. José Rizal. Manila: Instituto Histórico Nacional, 1991  Ocampo, Ambeth R. 1990. Rizal Without the Overcoat. Pasig City, Philippines: Anvil Publishing, Inc., 2008. Print. —. 1993. A Calendar of Rizaliana in the Vault of the Philippine National Library. Manila: Anvil Publishing, Inc., 1995 Palma, Rafael. 1949. Pride of the Malay Race: A Biography of José Rizal. Trans. R. Ozaeta. New York: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966

Module 5

RIZAL’S EXILE, TRIAL AND EXECUTION RIZAL’S EXILE, TRIAL AND EXECUTION In 1892, Rizal decided to return to the Philippines thinking that the real struggle was in his homeland. In spite of warnings and his family's disapproval, Rizal arrived in the Philippines on June 26, 1892. Immediately, he visited his friends in Central Luzon and encouraged them to join the La Liga Filipina, a socio-civic organization that Rizal established on July 3, 1892. Unfortunately, just a few days after the Liga's formation, Rizal was arrested and brought to Fort Santiago on July 6, 1892. He was charged with bringing with him from Hong Kong leaflets entitled Pobres Frailes (Poor Friars), a satire against the rich

Dominican friars and their accumulation of wealth which was against their vow of poverty. In spite of his protests and denial of having those materials, Rizal was exiled to Dapitan in Mindanao. Rizal’ s Life in Dapitan During the early part of his exile in Dapitan, Rizal lived at the commandant’s residence. With his prize from the Manila Lottery and his earnings as a farmer and a merchant, he bought a piece of land near the shore of Talisay near Dapitan. On this land, he built three houses- all made of bamboo, wood, and nipa. The first house which was square in shape was his home. The second house was the living quarters of his pupils. And the third house was the barn where he kept his chickens. The second house had eight sides, while the third had six sides. "I shall tell you how we lived here. I have three houses-one square, another hexagonal, and the third octagonal. All these houses are made of bamboo, wood, and nipa. I live in the square house, together with my mother, my sister, Trinidad, and my nephew. In the octagonal house live some young boys who are my pupils. The hexagonal house is my barn where I keep my chickens. "From my house, I hear the murmur of a clear brook which comes from the high rocks. I see the seashore where I keep two boats, which are called barotos here. "I have many fruit trees, such as mangoes, lanzones, guayabanos, baluno, nangka, etc. I have rabbits, dogs, cats, and other animals. “I rise early in the morning-at five-visit my plants, feed the chickens, awaken my people, and prepare our

breakfast. At half-past seven, we eat our breakfast, which consists of tea, bread, cheese, sweets, and other things. "After breakfast, I treat the poor patients who come to my house. Then I dress and go to Dapitan in my baroto. I am busy the whole morning, attending to my patients in town. "At noon, I return home to Talisay for lunch. Then, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., I am busy as a teacher. I teach the young boys." I spend the rest of the afternoon in farming. My pupils help me in watering the plants, pruning the fruits, and planting many kinds of trees. We stop at 6:00 p.m. for the Angelus "I spend the night reading and writing." During his exile, Rizal practiced medicine, taught some pupils, and engaged in farming and horticulture. He grew many fruit trees (like coconut, mango, lanzones, makopa, santol, mangosteen, jackfruit, guayabanos, baluno, and nanka) and domesticated some animals (like rabbits, dogs, cats, and chickens). The school he founded in 1893 started with only three pupils,and had about more than 20 students at the time his exile ended.           Rizal would rise at five in the morning to see his plants, feed his animals, and prepare breakfast. Having taken his morning meal, he would treat the patients who had come to his house. Paddling his boat called ‘baroto’ (he had two of them), he would then proceed to Dapitan town to attend to his other patients there the whole morning.           Rizal would return to Talisay to take his lunch. Teaching his pupils would begin at about 2 pm and would end at 4 or 5 in the afternoon. With the help of his pupils, Rizal would spend

the rest of the afternoon in farming—planting trees, watering the plants, and pruning the fruits. Rizal then would spend the night reading and writing. Rizal provided significant community services in Dapitan like improving the town’s drainage and constructing better water system using empty bottles and bamboo joints. He also taught the town folks about health and sanitation so as to avoid the spread of diseases. With his Jesuit priest friend Sanchez, Rizal made a huge relief map of Mindanao in Dapitan plaza. Also, he bettered their forest by providing evident trails, stairs, and some benches. He invented a wooden machine for mass production of bricks. Using the bricks he produced, Rizal built a water dam for the community with the help of his students.           As the town’s doctor, Rizal equally treated all patients regardless of their economic and social status. He accepted as ‘fees’ things like poultry and crops, and at times, even gave his services to poor folks for free. His specialization was ophthalmology but he also offered treatments to almost all kinds of diseases like fever, sprain, broken bones, typhoid, and hernia.           Rizal also helped in the livelihood of the abaca farmers in Dapitan by trading their crops in Manila. He also gave them lessons in abaca-weaving to produce hammocks. Noticing that the fishing method by the locals was inefficient, he taught them better techniques like weaving and using better fishing nets. Rizal was in Dapitan when he learned that his true love Leonor Rivera had died. What somewhat consoled his desolate heart was the visits of his mother and some sisters.

          In August 1893, Doña Teodora, along with daughter Trinidad, joined Rizal in Dapitan and resided with him in his ‘casa cuadrada’ (square house). The son successfully operated on his mother’s cataract.           At distinct times, Jose’s sisters Maria and Narcisa also visited him. Three of Jose’s nephews also went to Dapitan and had their early education under their uncle: Maria’s son Mauricio (Moris) and Lucia’s sons Teodosio (Osio) and Estanislao (Tan). Jose’s nieceAngelica, Narcisa’s daughter, also had experience living for some time with her exiled uncle in Mindanao.           In 1895, Doña Teodora left Dapitan for Manila to be with Don Francisco who was getting weaker. Shortly after the mother left, Josephine Bracken came to Jose’s life. Josephine was an orphan with Irish blood and the stepdaughter of Jose’s patient from Hongkong. Rizal and Bracken were unable to obtain a church wedding because Jose would not retract his anti-Catholic views. He nonetheless took Josephine as his common-law wife who kept him company and kept house for him. Before the year ended in 1895, the couple had a child who was born prematurely. The son who was named after Rizal’s father (Francisco) died a few hours after birth. (For detailed discussion on Rizal-Bracken relationship, look for the section “Josephine Bracken” under “Rizal’s love life”. Not just once did Rizal learn that his ‘enemies’ sent spies to gather incriminating proofs that Rizal was a separatist and an insurgent. Perhaps disturbed by his conscience, a physician named Matias Arrieta revealed his covert mission and asked for forgiveness after he was cured by Rizal (Bantug, p. 115).

          In March 1895, a man introduced himself to Rizal as Pablo Mercado. Claiming to be Rizal’s relative, this stranger eagerly volunteered to bring Rizal’s letters to certain persons in Manila. Made suspicious by the visitor’s insistence, Rizal interrogated him and it turned out that his real name was Florencio Nanaman of Cagayan de Misamis, paid as secret agent by the Recollect friars. But because it was raining that evening, the kind Rizal did not command Nanaman out of his house but even let the spy spend the rainy night in his place.           In July the next year, a different kind of emissary was sent to Rizal. Doctor Pio Valenzuela was sent to Dapitan by Andres Bonifacio—the Katipunan leader who believed that carrying out revolt had to be sanctioned first by Rizal. Disguised as a mere companion of a blind patient seeking treatment from Rizal, Valenzuela was able to discreetly deliver the Katipunan’s message for Rizal. But Rizal politely refused to approve the uprising, suggesting that peaceful means was far better than violent ways in obtaining freedom. Rizal further believed that a revolution would be unsuccessful without arms and monetary support from wealthy Filipinos. He thus recommended that if the Katipunan was to start a revolution, it had to ask for the support of rich and educated Filipinos, like Antonio Luna who was an expert on military strategy (Bantug, p. 133) In 1895, Blumentritt informed Rizal that the revolution-ridden Cuba, another nation colonized by Spain, was raged by yellow fever epidemic. Because there was a shortage of physicians to attend to war victims and disease-stricken people, Rizal in December 1895 wrote to the then Governor General Ramon Blanco, volunteering to provide medical services in Cuba.

Receiving no reply from Blanco, Rizal lost interest in his request.

read, José Rizal was found guilty and sentenced to death by firing squad.

            But on July 30, 1896, Rizal received a letter from the governor general sanctioning his petition to serve as volunteer physician in Cuba. Rizal made immediate preparations to leave, selling and giving as souvenirs to friends and students his various properties.

The death of Jose Rizal (Links to an external site.) came right after a kangaroo trial convicted him on all three charges of rebellion, sedition and conspiracy. He was guided to his cell in Fort Santiago where he spent his last 24 hours right after the conviction. At 6:00 AM of December 29, 1896, Captain Rafael Dominguez read Jose Rizal’s death sentence and declared that he will be shot at 7:00 AM of the next day in Bagumbayan.

          In the late afternoon of July 31, Rizal got on the ‘España’ with Josephine, Narcisa, a niece, three nephews, and three of his students. Many Dapitan folks, especially Rizal’s students, came to see their beloved doctor for the last time. Cordially bidding him goodbye, they shouted “Adios, Dr. Rizal!” and some of his students even cried. With sorrowing heart, He waved his hand in farewell to the generous and loving Dapitan folks, saying, “Adios, Dapitan!”           The steamer departed for Manila at midnight of July 31, 1896. With tears in his eyes, Rizal later wrote in his diary onboard the ship, “I have been in that district four years, thirteen days, and a few hours. Rizal’s Trial and Execution The preliminary investigation of Rizal's case began on November 20, 1896. He was accused of being the main organizer of the revolution by having proliferated the ideas of rebellion and of founding illegal organizations. Rizal pleaded not guilty and even wrote a manifesto appealing to the revolutionaries to discontinue the uprising. Rizal's lawyer, Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade, tried his best to save Rizal. However, on December 26, 1896, the trial ended and the sentence was

At 8:00 PM of the same day, Jose Rizal had his last supper and informed Captain Dominguez that he had forgiven his enemies including the military judges that condemned him to die. Rizal heard mass at 3:00 in the morning of December 30, 1896, had confession before taking the Holy Communion. He took his last breakfast at 5:30 AM of December 30, 1896 and even had the time to write two letters one for his family while the other letter was for his brother Paciano. This was also the time when his wife, Josephine Bracken and his sister Josefa arrived and bade farewell to Rizal. Rizal who was dressed in a black suit was a few meters behind his advance guards while moving to his slaughter place and was accompanied by Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade, two Jesuit priests and more soldiers behind him. The atmosphere was just like any execution by musketry by which the sound of the drums occupied the air. Rizal looked at the sky while walking and mentioned how beautiful that day was. Rizal was told to stand on a grassy lawn between two lam posts in the Bagumbayan field, looking towards the Manila Bay. He requested the firing squad commander to shoot him facing the

firing squad but was ordered to turn his back against the squad of Filipino soldiers of the Spanish army. A backup force of regular Spanish Army troops were on standby to shoot the executioners should they fail to obey the orders of the commander. Jose Rizal’s death was carried out when the command “Fuego” was heard and Rizal made an effort to face the firing squad but his bullet riddled body turned to the right and his face directed to the morning sun. Rizal exactly died at 7:03 AM and his last words before he died were those said by Jesus Christ: “consummatum est” which means it is finished. Jose Rizal was secretly buried in Paco Cemetery in Manila but no identification was placed in his grave. His sister Narcisa tried to look in every gravesite and found freshly turned soil at the Paco cemetery, assuming the burial site as the area where Rizal was buried. She gave a gift to the site caretaker so as to mark the grove with RPJ which was the initials of Rizal in reverse. THE LAST DAYS OF JOSÉ RIZAL: A Timeline of His Last Arrest, Incarceration, Execution and the Journey of His Remains th

6 October 1896, 3:00 AM:  On his 4 day of being held in his cabin at the MV Isla de Panay docked at Barcelona, Spain on his way to Cuba, Rizal was awakened to be brought to Montjuich Prison in Barcelona, Spain. 6 October, 8:00 PM:  Aboard the Colon, Rizal left Barcelona for Manila.

3 November:  Rizal was brought to Fort Santiago, where other patriots, including his brother Paciano, were being tortured to implicate him. Paciano refused to sign anything despite being his body broken and his left hand crushed. 20 November:  Preliminary investigation began with Rizal appearing before Judge Advocate Colonel Francisco Olive.  The investigation lasted five days. 26 November:  The records of the case were handed over to Governor General Ramon Blanco who then appointed Captain Rafael Dominguez as special Judge Advocate. 8 December:  From a list submitted to him by the authorities, he chose the brother of his friend, Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade to become his trial lawyer.  He was only made to choose among army officers and not a civilian lawyer. 11 December:  In his prison cell, Rizal was read the charges against him:  “principal organizer and the living soul of the Filipino insurrection, the founder of societies, periodicals and books dedicated to fomenting and propagating the ideas of rebellion.” 13 December:  Ramon Blanco was replaced by Camilo de Polavieja, a more ruthless character, as Governor General of the Philippines.  Dominguez submitted the papers of the Rizal case to Malacañan Palace. 15 December:  Rizal issued his manifesto to certain Filipinos calling to end the “absurd” rebellion and to fight for liberties with education as a prerequisite.  The authorities supressed the manifesto.

25 December:  Rizal’s saddest Christmas, away from family and friends.

journalist, Santiago Mataix of El Heraldo de Madrid, for an interview.

26 December, 8:00 AM:  Trial of Rizal began at the Cuartel de España.  On the same day, the court-martial secretly and unanimously voted for a guilty verdict with the penalty of death before a firing squad

29 December, 12:00-3:30 PM:  Rizal’s time alone in his cell.  He had lunch, wrote letters and probably wrote his last poem of 14 stanzas which he wrote in his flowing handwriting in a very small piece of paper.  He hid it inside his alcohol stove.  The untitled poem was later known as Mi Ultimo Adios (My Last Farewell).  In its second stanza, he already praised the revolutionaries in the battlefield for giving their lives “without doubt, without gloom.

28 December:  Polavieja signs the death verdict. 29 December, 6:00 AM:  Rizal was read his verdict by Captain Rafael Dominguez: To be shot the next day at 7:00 AM at the Luneta de Bagumbayan (Rizal Park). 29 December, 7:00 AM:  Rizal was transferred to the chapel cell adorned by religious images to convince him to go back to the Catholic fold.  His first visitors were Jesuit priests Fathers Miguel Saderra Mata and Luis Viza. 29 December, 7:15 AM:  After Fr. Saderra left, Rizal asked Fr. Viza for the Sacred Heart statuette which he carved when he was an Ateneo student.  From his pocket the statuette appears. 29 December, 8:00 AM:  Fr. Viza was relieved by Fr. Antonio Rosell who joined Rizal for breakfast.  Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade joins them. 29 December, 9:00 AM:  Fr. Federico Faura, who once said that Rizal would lose his head for writing the Noli Me Tangere, arrived.  Rizal told him, “Father you are indeed a prophet.” 29 December, 10:00 AM:  Fathers José Vilaclara and Estanislao March visited Rizal, followed by a Spanish

29 December, 3:00 PM:  According to an account of the agent of the Cuerpo de Vigilancia guarding Rizal’s cell, Rizal signed what seems to be the document retracting his anti-Catholic writings and his membership in masonry.  This event is a contentious issue among Rizal experts 30 December, 5:30 AM:  Rizal took his last meal.  According to stories told to Narcisa by Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade, Rizal threw some eggs in the corner of a cell for the “poor rats,” “Let them have their fiesta too.”  Rizal also wrote to his family and to his brother. 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 was gifted by Rizal with the classic Thomas á Kempis book Imitations of Christ in which he inscribed, “To my dear and unhappy wife, Josephine, December 30 th, 1896, Jose Rizal.”  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, Sra. Dña Teodora Alonso 6 o’clock in the morning, December 30, 1896.  Jose Rizal.”

Life and Works of Rizal by Zaide

30 December, 6:30 AM:  Death march from Fort Santiago to Bagumbayan begins.  4 soldiers with bayoneted rifles lead the procession followed by Rizal, 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.

Guerrero, Leon Ma. 2010. The first Filipino: A biography of Jose Rizal. Manila: Guerrero Publishing, Inc. P. Jacinto (Pen Name of Rizal). 18791881 Memorias de un estudiante de Manila (Memoirs of a student in Manila). Translated by the Jose Rizal National Centennial Commission.

30 December, 7:00 AM:  Rizal, after arriving on the execution site at the Luneta de Bagumbayan, was checked with his pulse by Dr. Felipe Ruiz Castillo.  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, 7:03 AM:  With the captain shouting “Fuego!”  Shouts rang out from the guns of eight indio soldiers.  Rizal, being a convicted criminal was not facing the firing squad.  As he was hit, he resists and turns himself to face his executors. He falls down, and dies facing the sky. But in two years, the victorious Philippine revolutionaries will seal the fate of the Spanish Empire in the east.  Three hundred thirty three years of Spanish Colonialism ended in 1898. Source:

Coates, Austin. 1992. Rizal: Filipino nationalist and patriot. Manila; Solidaridad Publishing House. De Viana, Augusto V. 2011. Jose Rizal in our times: A guide for the better understanding of the Philippines foremost national hero. Mandaluyong City: Books Atbp. Publishing Corp.

Jose, Regalado, 13 June 2011. The truth about Rizal's "poor" grades in UST. Inquirer Online. Accessed on February 27, 2017 from http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/3292/the-truthabout (Links to an external site.) rizal-grades-in-usu Palma, Rafael (Translated by Roman Ozaeta). 1949. The Pride of the Malay Race. New York: Prentice Hall