CHAPTER IV EXILE AND EXECUTION wf a bullet destroyed your cranium; your ideas in turn, destroyed an empir -Cecilio Apostol of 17 July 1892 and an on the night tay in Dapitan (1892- His four years S! ities. jose Rizal arrived at Dapit found a lonely and remote town. 1896) was marked by quiet but useful activi varied professions as a doctor, teacher, engineer, inventor and community development consultant. Despite these multifarious endeavors, he also found time to study Malayan and other Philippine dialects. He continued his artistic and literary pursuits (sculpture, painting and poetry) that eventually he won the respect not only of the Dapitenos but also of Don Ricardo Carnicero, the politico-military Governor of Dapitan. He was soon practicing businessman, scientist, a farmer, Rizal resided in the house of Governor Carnicero, who became his guardian and friend. The Governor came to know that his ward was not a common criminal, much less a subversive. Thus, he gave Rizal free rein to go anywhere except leaving the town. Describing his exile in Dapitan, Rizal wrote to Blumentritt on 19 December 1893: I shall tell you how we live here. I have three houses: one square, another hexagonal, and a third octagonal, all of bamboo, wood and nipa. In the square house we ‘live, my mother, sister Trinidad, a nephew and I; in the octagonal live my boys or some good youngsters whom I teach Arithmetic, Spanish and English; and in the hexagonal live my chickens. From my house I hear the murmur of the crystal, clear brook which comes from the high rocks; I see the seashore, the sea where I have small boats, two canoes or barotos, as they say aaGS Oe ee ee, ee here. I have many fruit trees, mangoes, lanzones paluno, nanka, etc. I have rabbits, dogs, cats, etc. at five-visit my plants, feed the chickens, awaken MY peop’ and put them in movement. At half past seven, WE breakfast with tea, pastries, cheese, sweetmeats, etc. Later, poor patients who come to my land; I dress, go t0 town wit my baroto, treat the people there, and return at twelve, when my luncheon awaits me. Then I teach the boys until four PM and devote the afternoon to agriculture. I spent the night reading and studying. 1 yabanos; f rise earl¥r ‘AS A FARMER After weeks of adjustment, Rizal purchased 16 hectares of agricultural land in Talisay where he built a house, a school and a medical clinic. Later, his property totaled 70 hectares where with the help of his pupils, he planted cacao, coffee, coconut and sugar cane, corn and frult trees of different varieties. He Introduced in his farm modern methods which he observed being used in Europe. He also imported several agricultural equipments from the United States. His agricultural plants soon reached a total of 1,000 coconut trees and 6,000 abaca plants. AS A BUSINESSMAN Rizal noticed that the townspeople did not engage in business or trade. To break the Chinese monopoly of domestic trade, he and a business partner Ramon Carreon engaged into the copra and abaca trading and also into the fishing business. Despite the abundance of fish in the surrounding areas near Dapitan, the people did not have enough fish because the fishermen knew little about making and using fishing nets, which were intended for sure and big catch. Accordingly, through a letter of 19 January 1893, Rizal requested his brother-in- law, Manuel Hidalgo to help him purchase a big net for trawl fishing and to send him skillful Calamba fishermen to teach the Dapitenos better and more reliable fishing methods. The most profitable of the business ventures of Rizal in Dapitan was in abaca trading. At one time, he was able to ship 150 bales of hemp to a foreign buyer in Manila gaining a huge profit for himself and his partner Carreon. To curb Chinese control of business in the locality and at the same time, Instill the concept of cooperatives, Rizal established the Dapitan Farmers Cooperative Association, “to improvethe farm products, obtain better outlets for them,:to collec, funds for their purchases, and help the producers and workers by establishing a store wherein they can buy prime commodities at moderate prices,” 2 , AS AN ENGINEER Applying his limited knqwledge of engineering, he provided the town with a water system that was completed in 1895. With the help of his pupils and the people of Dapitan, Rizal ingenuously directed a mountain stream several kilometers away to supply water to the town, The dam, pipes and the foundations of the water system were built out of bricks, bottles, stones and discarded roof tiles. Ten years later, H, F. Carreon, a noted American engineer awed by Rizal’s water system, said: When one considers that Dr. Rizal had no dynamite with which to blast the hard rocks, and no resources except his own ingenuity, one cannot help but render homage to a man, who under adverse circumstances had the _ temerity and perseverance to construct the water system.”3 Ever’ conscious of the people’s welfare, he planned new street layouts and set about providing Dapitan with a lighting system that consisted of coconut oil lamps situated in dark streets. Rizal made a big relief map of Mindanao and placed it in the main plaza of Dapitan. He used the map to motivate his pupils to learn and appreciate Geography and to make the townspeople and visitors know the exact position of the town and its relation to the rest of Mindanao and the archipelago. With the help of the residents, Rizal also drained the marshes in the outlying areas to prevent malaria and other diseases. AS A SCIENTIST AND INVENTOR During the four- year interregnum in his life at Dapitan, Rizal built up a rich collection of Conchology, which consisted of 346 shells representing 203 species. He discovered rare specimens that were now named in his honor. They were the Rhacophoorus rizali (rare toad), Draco rizali (flying dragon) Apogonia rizali (a beetle).Rizal had explored Da; i pitan so thoroughly that besides those he gent to the the Ateneo Museum, he was able to send to Dresden 68 crustaceans, 45 reptiles, 1 = mammals. » 13 species of birds and fishes and 9 As a pharmacologist, besides researching the medicinal values of plants and prescribing them, to some of his patients, Rizal also studied a tuber called “nami” by the natives. This tuber is edible when properly treated, but ignorance of Its preparation could lead to poisoning because of its high hydrocyanic content. Rizal showed how this tuber could be treated properly. As a botanist, he established a herbibarium, where he religiously observed the characteristics of each plant species, whether for decorative or,.for medicinal purposes. He discovered in Dapitan a new species of Ilang-ilang, the Canagium odatorum. Rizal also conducted researches in Ethnography. Anthropology and Archaeology as revealéd by his numerous letters to his scholar and scientist friends in Europe. Applying what he learned from ~ Germany and Belgium, Rizal invented a brick- making machine. His invention could manufacture about 6,000 bricks a day. Not satisfied with such initial production, he wrote Blumentritt for additional information on a better method to produce more than the 6,000 capacity. He also introduced a hemp- stripping machine that improved the output of the hemp farmers in the municipality. AS A DOCTOR As a physician, Rizal practiced Ophthalmology in Dapitan. In August 1893, he performed the second and last operation on his mother’s right eye. The operation was successful. While he charged his rich patients fees proportionate to their capacities to pay, he gave free medical services to his poor country folks. His fame as an eye doctor spread far that wealthier patients came to him from other parts of the country and’ even from distant Hongkong. Mr George Taufer came to Dapitan for treatment. His adopted daughter, Josephine Bracken, who would later become Rizal’s wife, accompanied him. Rizal built small lodging houses, which he called casitas de salud to accommodate those patients who came from afar. He gave the poor, 41r patients free medicines that he himself concocted from his knowledge of the medicinal value of plants and herbs. AS A TEACHER Rizal built a school near his home and taught academic and, vocational training to a group of 16 selected boys. He made his pupils’ | education functional by integrating their learning toward home and | community development. He charged no tuition fees, but the pupils | helped him in his agricultural projects where they were taught better methods of farming and livestock raising. | Academic training was held daily from 2 to 4 in the afternoon. The boys were taught the three Rs (reading, writing and Arithmetic), Geometry, Geography and History. Languages (Spanish and English) were also included in the lessons, which were conducted in English on one day and in Spanish, the next day. Rizal also included lessons in boxing, swimming, wrestling and arnis (local fencing) which were the physical components of his self-prescribed curriculum. RIZAL AND THE KATIPUNAN On June 21, 1896, Dr. Pio Valenzuela, Bonifacio’s emissary, visited Rizal in Dapitan and informed him of the plan of the Katipunan to launch a revolution. Rizal objected to Bonifacio’s bold project stating that such would be a veritable suicide. Rizal stressed that the Katipunan leaders should: do everything possible to prevent premature flow of native blood. He said:\“when the generals do not command, the soldiers stay still". Valenzuela, however, warned Rizal that the Revolution will inevitably break out if the Katipunan would be discovered. i Sensing that the revolutionary leaders were dead set on launching their audacious project, Rizal Instructed Valenzuela that it would be for the best interests of the Katipunan to get first the support of the rich and influential people of Manila to strengthen their cause. He further suggested that Antonio Luna with his knowledge in military science and tactics, be made to direct the military operations of the Revolution, Before the two men ended their meeting, Rizal according to Valenzuela, lamented the possible dire consequences of the planned armed rebellion. Rizal said: “To die and to conquer is pleasant, but to die and be conquered is painful.”4 42Rizal also disapproved of the plan of the Katipunan to rescue him ne his ae for he had given his word to the Spanish authorities that @ would never escape from Daplitan. Moreover, he informed Valenzuela of his pending application as a volunteer doctor for the Spanish troops fighting In the Cuban Revolution. END OF EXILE Twice, Rizal wrote Governor General Ramon Blanco, the first letter in 1894 and the second in 1895, in which he asked for his pardon and release from exile. On July 30, 1896, Governor Blanco approved his petition to go to Cuba. The next day, he left for Manila on board the steamer Espana. On September 3, 1896, he left for Barcelona on board the Isla de Panay. On September 30, as the ship was nearing Malta, the Captain of the ship notified him that he was under arrest and. was to be confined to his cabin, He was being blamed as the guiding force of the Philippine Revolution that broke out in August 1896. On October 6, a few hours after arrival at Barcelona, he was transferred to the SS Colon then bound for Manila carrying Spanish troops to fight the Filipino revolutionists. On November 3, 1896, the SS Colon docked at Manila and Rizal under heavy guard, was brought to his cell in Fort Santiago. TRIAL AND EXECUTION Rizal kept a diary from the day he left Dapitan on July 31, 1896. He wrote in it about his arrest and his last trip back fiome. Before Jit was confiscated, he recorded on October 8, 1896 this ominous prognosis: 5 I think that God is doing me good by allowing me to return to the Philippines in order to disprove so many charges against me. Either they will give me justice and acknowledge my Innocence, and then I shall have all my rights restored, or they will condemn me to death and I shali have expiated my supposed crime in the eyes of society. She will forgive later, without any doubt I shall be given justice, and become one martyr more. 43jation an Rizal was charged of “founding iegal naaliace, a protic’ q promoting and inducing rebellion”. Luls Taviel eam defended him in| his bodyguard during the Calamba agrarian propict''y | the military court. uilty on the charges and Rizal entered a plea of not Pad been gathered by Captain consequently, the evidences of his guifc h ; Francisco de Olive, On November 20, 1896, Colonel Rafael corns a special judge, conducted the preliminary investigation. fon es subjected to a continuous interrogation for two days Wi an ne Presence ‘of his counsel. He was not allowed to confront the ostile witnesses against him. He was questioned, among other things, on his Participation in various political activities, about his membership in Masonic lodges, concerning his appointment as honorary President of the Katipunan, about Pio Valenzuela’s meeting with him at Dapitan, and concerning the testimonies of arrested Katipuneros “implicating” him. Desperate for more solid evidences of Rizal’s guilt, Olive had Paciano tortured to almost death. However, Paciano’s courage and endurance produced nothing for the Spanish interrogators. After that harrowing ordeal, he had to be brought home in a stretcher, paralyzed and speechless. Despite inconclusive evidences against Rizal, Judge Rafael Dominguez recommended speedy trial. Judge Advocate General Nicolas de la Pena approved a trial by a military court and ordered confiscation proceedings against Rizal to the amount of at least a million pesos. At the trial, Lieutenant Enrique de Alcocer prosecution of Rizal with the description of the bloody r: the Philippines and Cuba. Then he showed that Rizal’s writings were designed to incite anti-friar, anti Spanish and separatist sentiments. Alcocer exposed Rizal as the “soul of the rebellion", a dedicated agitator of the native masses whose “Machiavellian cunning”, directed the Supreme Council of the Katipunan. Concluding his allegations the prosecutor asked for the death penalty imposed on Rizal, Opened his evolutions ‘in Luis Taviel de Andrade, for Rizal’s defense, incidences. and circumstances alleged by the pro: several years before the Revolution broke out, and c Rizal been charged before August 1896, he could nj such evidences. Andrade also cited some technicaliti argued that the secutor occurred ‘Ontended that had lot be convicted on les Of the law; that 44witnesses, nor by his ‘client's guilt had not been proven by reliable ences. As to the expert testimony or by documentary or official evi charge of “founding illegal association”, Andrade argued that the Constitution of the Liga Filipina did not specify any illegal objectives. Furthermore, Andrade said, the Liga was short-lived because Rizal was deported to Dapitan before it could be fully organized and if it was revived, it was done without, his client’s knowledge. Referring to the organizational meeting of the Liga that was held only for a night, Rizal pleaded in court: 6 ve organized this whole Je meeting where the imilar topics? df the d taken me seriously, Can anyone believe that I could ha rebellion in a single night, in a sing! discussion centered on commerce and SI few who were present at the meeting ha they would not have let the Liga die. Concerning the rebellion charge, Rizal was given a chance to speak In his defense. He relterated his counsel's arguments that he had “nothing whatsoever to do with political affairs from July 6, 1892 to June 1 of the present. year.” Valenzuela’s meeting with him in Dapitan should be made an argument in his favor because he disapproved and advised against the revolution. To convince the court of his innocence, he argued that, if he had known the date and the time of the outbreak of the revolution, he would have avoided arrest. He did not escape because “my conscience is clear.” He disproved the prosecutor's allegation that he was the leader of the revolutionists by asking the court: “What kind of chief is he whose followers say “yes” and he says “no”? Rizal’s summation of his defense was described in the newspaper I Imparcial in its Sunday, December 27, 1896 issue: Having been asked by the Presiding Officer if he has anything to say in his defense, Rizal answers yes, and standing up with his arms tied, showing much composure, he says: Iam innocent. Obviously, there is need for a propitiatory victim for the happenings of today. In Cuba, that victim has been Maura to those political reforms the rebellion is ascribed. Here, it is pretended that I am that one. Not one letter of mine could be presented which might prove the accusation directed against me. When I was exiled in Dapitan, many persons of, some authori escape, and I refused to do ity suggested that I pe, secuted, $9, because I thought that I would not be pro: Before the outbreak here of the rebellion, I asked th, government for permission to go to Cuba as 4 volunteer. Afte, the said event, I again solicited permission from Genera Blanco, He answered: “If you insist on going to Cuba, I shay grant you the permit.” When they sent me to Spain, I got off the boat in Singapore, but neither did I try to escape then. I am accused of being the leader of the revolution. If this were true, I would have been obeyed when I ordered that arms be laid down. I utterly ignored the plot of conspiracy, one glaring proo} of which is the consultation which Valenzuela had with me and which appears in the preliminary investigation.7 In a military court composed of biased members, the words and arguments of Rizal produced no effect at all. The death verdict for his | crimes was certain and Rizal knew it. On December 29, he was formally notified of the decision of the court. And it was death by musketry-he was to be shot by sunrise the next day. Governor General Camilo Polavieja signed and affirmed the death warrant. At first, Rizal refused to sign the death warrant, strongly objecting to that part referring to him as a Chinese mestizo. “I do not agree with it, I am an Indio puro”, he said. Nevertheless, he was told that he had to sign his sentence as required by law. THE LAST DAY December 29 was a busy day for Jose Rizal. He received members of his family, priests (mostly Jesuits), a newspaperman, and his defense counsel. On the same day, he wrote to his brother Paciano: 8 My dear Brother, It has been four and a half years that we have not seen each other or have addressed one another in writing or orally. I do not believe this is due to ack of affection either on my part or yours, but because knowing aie other so well, we had no need of words to understand each other. at I am going to die, it is to you that r dedicate my 1 you how much I regret to leave you alone in e weight of the family and of our old parents. Now th last words to te! life bearing all th 46I think of how you have fh a worked to enable me to have career. I believe that I have tried not to waste my time. My bother, if the fruit has ‘been bitter, it is not my fault; it is the fault of circumstances. f know that you have suffered because of me. Iam sorry, : i I assure you brother, that I die innocent of this crime of rebellion. If my former writings had been able to contribute towards it, I shouid not deny it absolutely, but then I believe I expiated my past with my exile. Tell our father that I remember him, but how? I remember my whole childhood, his tenderness and his love. Ask him to forgive me for the pain I caused him unwillingly. Your brother, Jose Rizal At 4 PM on December 29, Dona Teodora arrived. Rizal knelt down before her and kissed her hands. One by one, the other members of the family came. He gave Narcisa a wicker chair; to Angelina, a handkerchief; to Mauricio, a watch and a belt. To Trinidad, Rizal gave a little alcohol burner, whispering to her in English: “there is something inside”. This something was the Uitimo Adios, his last poem. : At 530 A.M. (December 30), Rizal took his last breakfast. After this, he wrote a letter to his sisters. The last letter to his family follows: To my family I ask for you forgiveness, for the pain I cause you, but some day I shall have to die and it is better that I die now in the plenitude of my conscience. Give thanks to God that I may preserve my tranquility before my death. I die resigned, hoping that with my death, you will be left in peace. Ah! It is better to die than to live suffering. Console yourselves. I enjoin you to forgive one another the little vexations of life and try to live in peace and harmony. Treat our old parents, 47Oe as you would like to be treated by your children later. Love them very much in my memory. Bury me in the ground. Place a stone or cross over it, my name, date of my birth and of my death, nothing more. If Jater, you wish to fence in my grave, you can do so but no anniversary celebrations. I prefer Paang Bundok. Have pity on Poor Josephine. 9 RETRACTION OF RIZAL One of the most controversial points on Rizal's life was his alleged retraction where he abjured Masonry and his religious beliefs that were anti-Catholic. Did he or did he not retract? It is the belief of many Filipinos that Rizal returned to the Faith and died within the fold of the Catholic Church. The most important piece of historical evidence bearing on the ) retraction issue was the document of retraction allegedly signed by Rizal, which is as follows: I declare myself a Catholic, and in this religion in which I was born and educated I wish to live and die. I retract with all my heart what every in my words, writings, publications, and conduct has been contrary to my condition as a son of the church. I believe and profess whatever she teaches, and submit myself to whatever she commands, abhor Masonry as the enemy that it is of the church. The diocesan prelate, as the superior ecclesiastical authority, can make public this spontaneous declaration to repair the scandal that my actions have caused and so that God and men may forgive. The document of retraction was subjected to examination and studied by two eminent scholars, namely: Professor Jose Del Rosario and H.O. Beyer. They had concluded that the text was genuine and was in the handwriting of Rizal. Pro-retraction historians and writers also believed in the testimonies of Reverend Fathers Pio Pi, Luis Viza and Vicente Balaguer. According to Father Balaguer, he married Rizal and Josephine at 5:30 A.M. on December 30, 1896, The argument of retraction corroborated with the argument of Rizal’s marriage to Bracken. The other proofs the pro-retractionists presented were: Rizal recited the Acts of Faith, Hope 48and Charity; w before his anh Race and received the Holy Communion ; he was accompanied by two Catholic priests to his execution, an Dapitan. d he heard mass every Sunday during his exile in oO on pirate eeaenenar many historians and biographers cast doubts Austin Coates, Dr au ta them Dr. Ricardo Pascual, Rafael Palma, that. Rizal’s ne Laubach and Camilo Osias. palma contended Balaguer’s account ion was not a historical fact and that Father analysis found 7 was fraudulent and not credible. Dr. Pascual’s evenicisl ie retraction document a “product of forgery”. Coates claimed that no marriage took place between Rizal and Josephine the day as reported. He cited as evidence the use of Josephine’s maiden name in the entry of her marriage to Vicente Abad in the church registry of marriage kept in the Cathedral of Hongkong. A few years after Rizal’s execution, the anti-retractionists made a formal request to see the original text of retraction but the document was allegedly “lost.” In 1935, the document “reappeared” in the archives of the Archbishop. The anti-retractionists claimed the document was a forgery. Tidefonso Runes, in his work, “The Forgery of Rizal’s Retraction and. Josephine’s Autobiography” (1962), revealed that a professional forger, Roman Roque, had confessed of the crime. Runes went on to question the fact that Rizal was not buried as a Catholic, and that in the registry of deaths on December 30, 1896, Rizal was listed with those of accident and suicide cases. was it possible for a man of Rizal’s convictions and beliefs to be transformed overnight and retract? Claro M. Recto, a foremost nationalist shared this belief in his article, Rizal y sus Memorias de un Estudiante. He wrote: “according to the Jesuits, Rizal prayed with all the fervor and devotion of which his sensitive and romantic soul was 7 f faith occurred in him, similar to those which History has recorded attesting, mot only God's omnipotence, but also His mercy. It was the same miracle that restored to Longinus his sight and which made him. the artaker of the celestial heritage; the same miracle, which, 07 the road to Damascus, occurred to Paul of Tarsus and which transformed him into the foremost apostle of Christianity; the same miracle which transformed Augustine, the son of Monica, from the unbelieving intellectual that he was, into 4 great 49> defender of the Faith, a sentinel on the ramparts of the City of¢ God.” 10 THE EXECUTION At 6:30 A.M., December 30, 1896, Rizal, dressed in black from head to foot, came out of his cell. His arms were loosely bound, elbow, to elbow. Taviel de Andrade and Fathers Villaclara and Estanislao March flanked him on the way to the execution square. A bugler and a drummer led the detachment of Filipino soldiers (soldados indigenas) who escorted him to Bagumbayan. The firing squad was composed of eight Filipino soldiers with another line of Spanish soldiers behind them to ensure that the Filipinds did their job of shooting Rizal. At the execution square, he was given the crucifix to kiss. The military physician, Dr Felipe Ruiz y Castillo felt his pulse and found it normal. : The Captain in charg his back against the squad that he faced his executi Captain could not do an Rizal’s request that hi: granted. je of the execution instructed Rizal to turn and face the sea. Rizal, however, requested loners because he was not a traitor. The thing for he was only following explicit orders. is head be spared from bullets, however, was n the background could be heard the shouts "Viva Espana”, “Death to traitors.” It was all over for a man who gave generously of himself to a great cause—the redemption of his people from Spanish yoke,