Dapitan During the Arrival of Rizal

At the time of Rizal's deportation to Dapitan, the place had long been a politico-military outpost
of the Spaniards in the Philippines (Qurino, 1971). It was one the forefronts of Spanish culture,
religion, and civilization in Muslim Mindanao. It was headed by a politico-military commander
and with a parish priest, tasked with the conversion of the island into Catholicism.

Rizal arrived at Dapitan on July 17, 1892, on board the steamer Cebu. The place was swampy
with unplanned streets, at the time Rizal set foot in Dapitan. Nonetheless, he found its land
fertile. There was no potable water in the place, as well as lighting system, which made the
town appear desolate. People were dying of different diseases, as they were not provided
agriculture, with an undeveloped fishing industry. Although, trade was conducted in the town, it
was at that time controlled by the Chinese inhabitants of the place. This was Dapitan at the
time of Rizal's arrival.

Rizal and Captain Carnicero

Captain Ricardo Carnicero, the politico-military commander of the town received Rizal as a
prisoner. Originally, Rizal was to reside at the Jesuit Mission House under Father Obach, the
parish priest of Dapitan, based on the letter of Father Pablo Pastells, the Superior of the
Society of Jesus in the Philippines. Rizal, however, opted not to stay with the Jesuits, on
account of the following conditions stated in Fr. Pastells letter to Fr. Obach, which he had to
comply with, namely: (1) to make public retraction of his religious errors; (2) to issue public
statements unmistakably pro-Spanish; (3) to undergo the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius; (4)
to make a general confession of his past life; and (5) to lead a model religious and pro-Spanish
life (Guerrero, 1998).

As Rizal was not willing to comply with the aforementioned conditions, he decided to stay
temporarily with Captain Ricardo Carnicero. Considering that the politico-military commander
of the island was a free thinker, Rizal was able to get along well with him. In due time,
Carnicero found Rizal a man of commendable qualities and good personality. As a
consequence of the positive impressions that Carnicero had of Rizal, he gave the latter a free
rein to help improve Dapitan. Moreover, Carnicero gave Rizal all the liberties except to leave
the place. In fact, he was just required by Carnicero to report to the military outpost once a
week.

Rizal and Carnicero became good friends. In the frequent exchange of views between the two,
Rizal in many occasions had communicated to Carnicero his political beliefs at the time of his
exile in Dapitan (Guerrero, 1998). For Rizal, the Philippines would become the happiest
country in the world should Spain grant her the following reforms; (1) representation in the
Spanish Cortes; (2) secularization of the parishes; (3) reformation of the administration in all its
branches; (4) encouragement of primary instruction and elimination of friar intervention; (5)
granting teachers of both sexes better salaries; (6) division of govermment jobs equally
between the Spaniards and Filipinos; (7) making the administration moral; (8) creation of
schools of arts and trades in provincial capitals; (9) freedom of the speech and press; and (10)
freedom of religion.
Carnicero, on his part, recognized Rizal's rationality on advocating the aforementioned reforms.
In fact, he offered Rizal assistance and support on having these reforms made known in Spain.
Nevertheless, he made Rizal realize the possibility that the friars will be out to oppose these
reforms.

In appreciation of Carnicero's kindness and generosity, Rizal composed a poem, entitled A'Don
Ricardo Carnicero (Romero et al, 1978).

Rizal Builds His Home at Talisay

As mentioned earlier, Rizal stayed with Captain Carnicero at the beginning of his exile in
Dapitan. After two months in the area, Rizal was able to build his own home in Dapitan. This
was because his ticket won in the Spanish lottery.

In September 1892, Rizal and Carnicero won in a lottery. The Manila Lottery ticket no. 9736
jointly owned by Rizal, Carnicero, and a Spanish resident of Dipolog won the second prize of
Php 20, 0000. Rizal used some part of his share (Php 6, 200) in procuring a parcel of land near
the coast of Talisay, a barrio near Dapitan. On a property of more than 10 hectares, he put up
three houses made of bamboo, wood, and nipa. He lived in the house, which was square in
shape. Another house, which was hexagonal, was the barn where Rizal kept his chickens. In
his octagonal house lived some of his pupils—for Rizal also established a school, teaching
young boys practical subjects, like reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, and Spanish and
English languages. Later, he constructed additional huts to accommodate his recovering
out-of-town patients.

After settling down in Talisay, where he built his home, a school, and a clinic, Rizal organized a
very hectic, daily schedule for himself. This can be gleaned from his letter to Blumentritt, as
cited by Osias (1948). Part of this letter is shown below:

I get up early — at 5 o'clock in the morning. I visit my fields, feed my chickens, wake up my
people and get things moving. At 7:30, we have breakfast: tea; curdled cheese, sweets, etc.
Afterwards, I treat my poor patients who come to see me. I get dressed and go to town in my
baroto, attend to the sick people there, and by noon return home where lunch is waiting. Then I
teach the youngsters until 4 o'clock, and the rest of the afternoon I dedicate to agriculture. I
spend my evening reading and studying.

It was here in Dapitan, particularly Talisay, where Rizal used his talents and limited resources
to be of service to his countrymen during his four years of exile. Here, Rizal practiced his
profession as a doctor, farmer, teacher, community developer, engineer and scientist. In effect,
Rizal won the admiration, respect, and recognition not only of the people of Dapitan, but also of
Captain Ricardo Carnicero.

Community Leadership in Dapitan

After a few weeks of familiarizing himself with his new environment, Rizal found himself busy
into a round of activities for Dapitan and its people. He conceptualized and implemented plans
for beautifying the town. He drew a sketch of the public plaza with suggested improvements
and had it approved by Governor Carnicero. With the assistance of the newly arrived Father
Sanchez, his former teacher at Ateneo Municipal, Rizal constructed a huge relief map of
Mindanao out of stones, earth, and grass (Quirino, 1940). Later, he facilitated the putting up of
lampposts at every corner of the town, with the help of the people. To supply water for drinking
and irrigation, he directed the construction of a water system.

Rizal soon opened a school for young boys of his neighborhood, following the Atenean system
of education (Capino et al, 1977). The subjects offered to these young boys consisted of
reading, writing, arithmetic, geometry, languages, geography, history and good conduct. As a
teacher, Rizal saw to it that his pupils were not only equipped with learning skills. He gave
them practical lessons on the use of their hands. Thus, training of pupils centered on both
academic and vocational pursuits. This was because Rizal believed that education had to be
integrated with the development of the home and the community. Moreover, he also taught his
pupils boxing, swinging on parallel bars and rings, swimming and arnis on account of his belief
that a sound body makes a sound mind.

Rizal's method of teaching was, therefore, very different from the elementary and parochial
schools of his time. He saw to it that learning was related to the actual life situations in Dapitan,
particularly in Talisay, where the school was situated. Moreover, Rizal included involvement in
community development as part of the curriculum of the school he established in the area.

As a doctor, Rizal practiced his profession in his new home. When the people learned that he
was a good physician, patients start flocking to his clinic. As he offered his services free for
those who were financially incapable of paying a doctor, many sick people started consulting
him. One of her patients in the month of August, 1893 was his own mother. Owing to her failing
eyesight, Doña Teodora traveled to Dapitan with Trining, to have her eyes operated by Rizal.

Owing to the fact that the Chinese controlled retail trade and commerce in Dapitan, Rizal
organized an association of farmers to improve farm production and generate higher incomes.
This organization even included residents of the town, who were encouraged by Rizal to
engage in the buying and selling of goods and products, particularly copra and hemp. This
enterprise proved advantageous to the farmers who got higher prices for their products.

Rizal even taught the fishermen of Dapitan the making and use of fishnets in fishing. He even
invited fishermen from Calamba to teach the townsmen of Dapitan new methods of fishing. The
training provided by Rizal along this line had helped improve the way of living of the fishermen
in the area.

The foregoing experiences that Rizal had in Dapitan greatly enhanced his concept of practical
leadership and nationalism (Romero et al, 1978). Moreover, these experiences led Rizal to
conclude that self-improvement and community development are very vital in the achievement
of national integrity and good governance.

Rizal and Josephine Bracken

Rizal's fame as an ophthalmologist spread beyond Dapitan and the Philippines. Many,
therefore, had visited Rizal in his clinic in the town but none of them was so beautiful than
Josephine Leopoldine Bracken. Josephine and his uncle, Mr. Tauffer, traveled all the way from
Hond Kong, with a card of introduction from Julio Lorente. Mr. Tauffer wanted to see Rizal at
that time as he was suffering from an eye ailment, which was not cured in the British colony by
the local eye specialists. Prior to the arrival of Josephine and his uncle, Rizal was so busy with
his trading activity with merchants from Manila.

Josephine's arrival in Dapitan drastically changed Rizal's daily routines. He soon forgot the
many things he had to attend to and instead concentrated his time attending to the needs of
Mr. Tauffer and his foster daughter. This had been due to the nineteen-year old Josephine, who
was so beautiful and possessing all the enticement of womanhood. Rizal, therefore, offered
them the hospitality of whatever he had at that time. With the passing of days, he found himself
head over heels in love with Josephine, who in turn, reciprocated Rizal's feeling for her.

Rizal saw in Josephine, the qualities which made him attracted to Nellie Boustead. Josephine
was very feminine in her ways. She was modest and wise in the ways of the world. Rizal's
relatives and friends looked upon her with suspicion. In fact, rumors spread in Dapitan that
Josephine was not really an adopted daughter of Mr. Tauffer but a café singer in a Hong Kong
restaurant. Josephine was a fifth and youngest child of an Irish schoolmaster in the Pembroke
Detachment at the Victoria Barracks in Hong Kong, and when her mother died in 1876, after
giving birth to her, she was given to the Tauffers to be brought up. The first and second Mrs.
Tauffer died, and the third disliked Josephine much. This led Josephine to live in the Italian
convent in Hong Kong. Later, Mr. Tauffer begged Josephine to return to take care of him on the
ground that his wife was starving him. In 1893, he developed an eye disease, which cannot be
cured by the specialists in Hong Kong. This led him and Josephine to take a long journey to
Mindanao just to have Rizal treat his eye disease.

Rizal's sisters suspected Josephine of being an emissary of the friars with evil plans and asked
their brother not to eat any food that she might prepare without having Josephine taste it first.
Despite the warning given to him by his sisters, Rizal accepted Josephine, trusting his own
intuition and the promptings of his unhappy heart. Thus, in less than a month after Josephine's
arrival, Rizal asked her to become his lifetime partner.

Rizal sought the permission of Mr. Tauffer and expectedly, the latter raged in fury. Rizal had
been treating him, permitting him to regain a little eyesight. Nonetheless, Tauffer lose hope of
regaining his eyesight, as his case was a hopeless one. Since Josephine was the only one left
to him in this world, Tauffer seized a razor to slash his throat either because he was doomed to
blindness or parental selfishness. Rizal, however, was able to prevent Tauffer from killing
himself.

Tauffer, then left Dapitan and insisted Josephine accompany him. Josephine did not go against
the demand of the old man. Upon arriving in Manila, however, Josephine took refuge in the
house of Rizal's mother, to whom she brought Rizal's letter of introduction, which runs as
follows (Quirino, 1940):

Dapitan, March 14, 1895

My very dear mother,

The bearer of this letter is Miss Josephine Leopoldine Tuafer, with whom I was on the point of
marrying, relying of course on your consent. Our relations were broken at her suggestion
because of the many difficulties that came on the way. She is almost an orphan in every-thing;
she has no relatives except distant ones.
As I am interested in her and it is very easy for her later to decide to join me, and since she
may be left all alone and abandoned, I beg of you to give her the hospitality, treating her as if
she were a daughter, until she has a better opportunity or occasion to come back...

Treat Miss Josephine as a person whom I esteem and greatly appreciate, and whom I would
not like to see exposed or abandoned.

Your affectionate son who loves you,​

Jose Rizal

Josephine was a total stranger to Rizal's mother and the other members of the family. It was,
however, enough that Rizal loved her. They, therefore, welcomed her as Rizal's fiancée. One
month after, Josephine was back in Dapitan with Rizal.

Josephine's presence made life bearable for Rizal in Dapitan. Meantime, she lived with Rizal's
sisters to avoid any gossip, while Rizal was arranging for their forthcoming marriage.
Meanwhile, Rizal experienced difficulties with Father Obach; the parish priest of Dapitan, who
insisted that a retraction is necessary before any marriage between Rizal and Josephine can
be officiated. Since Rizal was not bent to agree with this requirement but was eager to make
his relationship legal, a church ceremony was absolutely necessary, he argued with Father
Obach who decided to refer the matter to the Bishop of Cebu. Upon the advice of his family
and with the consent of Josephine, Rizal backed down with the negotiations with the parish
priest. So Rizal and Josephine united themselves before Heaven and pledged to love each
other and lived as husband and wife.

The following year after their common-law marriage, Josephine delivered prematurely a baby
boy who died a few hours after birth. She gave birth as a consequence of a quarrel with Rizal.
Josephine, afterwards decided to leave for Hong Kong via Manila. Rizal permitted her to go. In
Manila, Josephine stayed with Rizal's relatives. Her brief separation with Rizal made her
realize that life was unbearable, so after a month she asked Narcisa to accompany her back to
Dapitan. At first, Rizal was irritated by her return but because he loved her very much, he
welcomed Josephine with open arms, the woman who shall be with him till his last days on
earth.

Literary Works at Dapitan

Two important literary works Rizal produced, as an exile, were the poems: Hymn To Talisay;
and My Retreat. Hymn To Talisay is a poem which Rizal intended to be a college song for the
pupils he was teaching in Talisay (Laubach, 1936). This poem was used as evidence, against
him at his trial.

Another important literary work by Rizal while at Dapitan was the poem entitled Mi Retiro or My
Retreat. This poem portrays Rizal's serene life in his place of rustication. He wrote the poem in
response to his mother's request that Rizal should revive his interest in poetry writing. From
this poem, Rizal clearly expressed his acceptance of his fate for he believed that justice would
prevail in the end.

Rizal as An Exile
As an exile, Rizal did not forget his high sense of honor (Capino et al, 1977). This was
evidenced by his constant reminders to his pupils of the importance of good conduct and
behavior. Although Juan Sites, the military commander who replaced Carnicero, restricted his
exercise of freedom he enjoyed during Carnicero's time, Rizal religiously reported to his office.
He did not even escape Dapitan despite the encouragement of many who visited him in the
area. Here, we could see Rizal demonstrating the values of obedience, self-control, and
discipline.

He demonstrated in Dapitan what ạ man can do and accomplish within so little time. This had
been brought in part by long years of studious and hard work, backed up by a worthy objective
and determination to succeed (Resurreccion, 1982). Owing to his decision to detach himself
from the Propaganda Movement in Europe, Rizal was able to devote more time to other
noteworthy activities. This provided him the opportunity to demonstrate practical nationalism in
Dapitan, which, in effect, broadened his intellectual frontier and usefulness to the people of the
said town.

As historical accounts would attest (Resurreccion, 1982), Rizal in Dapitan has become: the first
to introduce social and environmental engineering; the first rural doctor; the first professional to
engage in business; the first practitioner of town planning and beautification; the first to
introduce the principles of livelihood and self-reliance programs; the first to show the way to
community development; to first ophthalmic surgeon sought by patients from foreign land; the
first to set up a precursor of the modern community school; with himself as the first community
teacher; the first systematic collector of Philippine shells, butterflies, reptiles, and other fauna
and flora in Mindanao; the first in sanitary engineering and public health work; and the first
Filipino doctor with a social conscience, who charged fees according to the patient's ability to
pay.

Thus, when he left Dapitan, the town people regretted his departure.

As stressed in the previous chapter, Rizal demonstrated the real essence of community
leadership and practical nationalism in Dapitan. Within a span of four years, he had learned to
love Dapitan and its people. Nonetheless, the swift change of events led him to leave for Cuba.
This chapter is an exposition of the other developments in the life of Rizal, while he was an
exile in Dapitan and how these affected his decision to volunteer as a medical surgeon in the
Spanish Army in Cuba in 1896.

Rizal's Plea for the Lifting of His Rustication Order

Rizal's political ideas did not change even if he was an exile in Dapitan. This point was evident
in the reforms he identified, which have to be implemented in the country by the Spanish
government. For Rizal, the granting of these reforms, which were the same reforms sought by
the propagandists in peninsular Spain, will definitely redound to making the Philippines the
happiest country in the world. Carnicero, who was then the politico-military commander of
Dapitan sympathized with Rizal and assured him of possible support from Carnicero's friends
in Madrid.Nonetheless, he told Rizal the possibility of friars' obstruction to the granting of these
reforms.
Aware that Rizal had come to love Dapitan, and that Rizal and Carnicero became good friends,
Despujol directed Carnicero to convince Rizal, to put down into writing his intention of staying
in Dapitan. Thus, on October 25, 1892, Rizal sent Despujo his correspondence, in this letter,
Rizal stated his intention of staying in Dapitan to devote himself in agriculture provided he
would be given full freedom, with the assurance that he would not abuse the same (Guerrero,
1998).

Despujol, however, turned down Rizal's appeal for the lifting of his banishment order. Rizal,
therefore, threatened the governor-general that he would be writing his friends in Madrid of the
banishment order, should it not be lifted. Responding to the threat, Despujol ordered Carnicero
to ensure the no letters coming from Rizal would reach their destination.

Meanwhile, Federico Ochando replaced Despujol as governor-general on May 24, 1893. In like
manner, Juan Sites replaced Carnicero as the politico-military commander of Dapitan. The
relationship between Sitges and Rizal was entirely different from what the latter had with
Carnicero. At the start of Sites' stint at Dapitan, rumors spread that Ochando ordered Sites to
shoot Rizal the moment he attempts to escape. Rizal's movement in Dapitan was, therefore,
closely monitored. As a proof, Sites required Rizal to report to his office thrice a day. Moreover,
Rizal was prohibited from leaving the town or walking beyond the street of Dapitan without
permission from the new politico-military commander. Later on, the relationship between the
two changed from bad to good.

The control of the national government by Ochando was short-lived. Ramon Blanco soon took
over the reins of the colonial government as governor-general. At this point, Rizal reiterated his
appeal for the lifting of his deportation order to Governor-General Blanco. Rizal justified his
appeal by asserting that there was injustice in his rustication in Dapitan as there were no
evidences to support the charges imputed on him by the government. Thus, he averred that his
unjust detention had resulted into his separation from his home and family. To strengthen his
plea, Rizal argued that the accusations against him will not be considered a crime if he were a
Spanish Blanco on February 13, 1394. Owing to Blanco's involvement in the Muslim campaign,
he did not reply to Rizal's correspondence.

Meanwhile, Blanco visited Dapitan in November of the same year. Blanco called for Rizal on
board his vessel. In the course of their conversation, Blanco promised Rizal that he would be
relocated either at Vigan or La Union. He even suggested that Rizal should go to Spain owing
to his poor health. Rizal was quite happy with the outcome of his audience with Blanco. Thus,
in February 1895 Rizal sought the permission of Blanco in opening an agricultural settlement at
Sindangan Bay. Nonetheless, Rizal did not receive any reply for this.

Attempts to Win Back Rizal to Catholicism

While in Dapitan, attempts were made by the Catholic Church through the Jesuits to win back
Rizal to the fold of the Church. Efforts exerted by Pr. Obach, the parish priest of Dapitan; Fr.
Villaclara, the parish priest of Dipolog; and Fr. Sanchez, his former teacher at Ateneo, failed.
Fr. Pablo Pastells, the Superior of the Jesuit Order, continued the work of his predecessors. He
sent Rizal a series of letters convincing Rizal of the flaws of his religious views, which led to a
religious debate between Rizal and Pastells. In the end Rizal was not persuaded as the debate
ended in stalemate. Fr. Juan Ricart attributed the failure of the Jesuits could be attributed to
Carnicero, who entertained Rizal's political and religious views.

The arrival of Josephine Bracken in Dapitan aggravated the situation. In his love for Josephine,
Rizal requested Fr. Obach to officiate a church wedding to legalize his union with the young
Irish lady. Nonetheless two conditions were given by Fr. Obach for him to solemnize Rizal's
marriage with Josephine: retraction of Rizal's religious errors; and a general confession. Since
Rizal did not concur with these requirements, no church wedding took place.

The friars were closely monitoring what the Jesuits were doing. Having known of the failure of
the Jesuits, the friars attempted to win back Rizal to Catholicism (Guerrero, 1998). One
strategy they employed was bribery. They offered Rizal a professorial chair in a university, a
landed estate, and 100,000 PhP on the condition that Rizal would repudiate his Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterism. Maria, Rizal's sister urged Rizal to accept the offer. Rizal
responded by saying: "what my right hand did, my left hand will not undo."

A second strategy applied by the friars was the use of a spy to trap Rizal. Pablo Mercado,
whose real name was Florencio Namanan of Cagayan de Misamis, was sent by the friars to
Dapitan to spy on the activities of Rizal (Zaide & Zaide, 1999). Namanan agreed to work for the
friars due to the promise of the Recollects that he shall be conferred the title, friar curator of the
Recollects should he succeed in his mission-that of securing letters and other articles that
would show that Rizal was a separatist. He then went to Dapitan and offered himself as a
courier of Rizal's letters and writings for the patriots in Manila. Since Rizal was an intelligent
man and could not recall any relative having the surname of Mercado, he was able to detect
that Pablo Mercado was an impostor and had him arrested by Commander Juan Sitges.

Attempts to Rescue Rizal from Dapitan

Rizal's friends in Manila and Europe learned about Governor Blanco's suggestion for Rizal to
leave the country. The Grand Regional Council of the Philippine Masonry reacted to this by
generating funds for Rizal's trip to Spain. Members of the said council were so eager to see
Rizal leave the country, as his presence is a threat to the existence of masonry. With Rizal
around, they feared that the friars would always be blaming the masons for all agitation for
change in the Philippines.

While the masons wanted Rizal to leave the country for good, for their personal advantage, his
friends in Europe had other purpose in mind. They had to rescue Rizal at all cost. Paez, for
instance, was commissioned by the propagandists to find a suitable vessel in Hong Kong or
Singapore to rescue Rizal but failed in chartering one. Basa and Regidor, however, worked out
a more rational scheme to rescue Rizal. Based on Basa's plan, he would be working for Rizal's
release through his friends among the ministers in Madrid. But for Regidor, it would be wise to
work out for Rizal's freedom in Manila. The problem, nonetheless, was no one would intercede
with Blanco on this matter.

Regidor, therefore, finally arrived at a solution: ESCAPE FROM DAPITAN. If Rizal would not
escape, the alternative was to work for his election as a deputy in Spanish Cortes. If this would
not be acceptable to Rizal, then the other option was to ensure the election of Marcelo del Pilar
to the Cortes and let him work for Rizal's liberation.
The last attempt to rescue Rizal came from the Katipunan. Based on the Katipunan's plan,
Rizal had to be kept in the Philippines for him to freely lead the revolution. Bonifacio, the
Supremo of the Katipunan commissioned Pio Valenzuela to be his emissary to Rizal. So on
July 21, 1896, he arrived at Dapitan posing as a companion of Raymundo Mata, a blind man
who shall be seeking Rizal's medical assistance. Valenzuela informed Rizal of the plan of the
Katipunan and the need for his support to the revolution.

In the course of the conversation between Rizal and Valenzuela, the former clearly expressed
his rejection of the plan for a bloody revolution of the Katipunan. His disapproval of the scheme
rested on two grounds: the unpreparedness of the people; and the lack of funds and weapons.
Rizal further stressed the point that pursuing the revolution would tantamount to national
suicide. Rizal expressed his gratitude for the concern of the Katipunan for his welfare.
Nonetheless, he was not persuaded by Valenzuela to escape Dapitan as he had given his
word to the Spanish authorities.

Meanwhile, Blanco approved Rizal's letter requesting the opening of a settlement along
Sindangan Bay. Rizal, however, had dropped the idea as he was considering the possibility of
leaving for Spain, as suggested by the governor-general.

Regidor took last option to free Rizal from Dapitan. He requested Blumentritt to persuade Rizal
to volunteer as a doctor for the Spanish army in Cuba. Às the advice came from his best friend,
Rizal acceded to the scheme. Doña Teodora and Don Francisco did not favor Rizal's decision,
as the latter will be risking his life since the revolution is raging on in Cuba that time.

Despite the expressed disapproval of his parents, Rizal applied as a volunteer doctor to Cuba
through Governor Blanco on December 17, 1895. Inasmuch as no reply from Blanco came, he
was no longer expecting that his application would be approved. Six months after, however,
Blanco suddenly acted favorably to his letter. The said correspondence reached Rizal on July
30, 1896. This letter stated that a safe conduct pass shall be given to Rizal to come to Manila
and upon reaching Spain, shall be given assignment to the army operations in Cuba.

At first Rizal thought of no longer accepting the appointment. Later he backed down. This
change of decision stemmed from his thinking that if he rejects the appointment and the
revolution of the Katipunan breaks out, he would be suspected of desiring to stay in the country
to spearhead the revolution. In the words of Guerrero (1998), Rizal opted to run a race with
Bonifacio's revolution.

Adios Dapitan
Rizal left Dapitan on July 31, 1896 on board the steamer España. He arrived in Manila on
August 6, 1896. From the steamer that ferried him from Dapitan, Rizal was transferred to the
cruiser Castilla, where he stayed for almost a month, pending the availability of a vessel bound
for Spain. Although no longer an exile, Rizal was detached from the rest of the world, as no
one was allowed to see him except his family. His frequent visitor, however, was Josephine, the
beautiful Irish lady with whom Rizal gave his name and heart.

The Revolution Breaks Out

The discovery of the Katipunan, as a result of Teodoro Patiño's disclosure of the organization's
secrets to Fr. Mariano Gil on August 19, 1896, resulted in mass arrests of Katipuneros and
non-Katipuneros in Manila. Bonifacio summoned all the leaders for a meeting to work out the
steps the society will take to cope with the crisis. On August 23, the historic Cry of Pugadlawin
took place wherein Bonifacio asked the Katipuneros if they were ready to fight the Spaniards
whatever be the cost (Agoncillo, 1990). All those who attended the assembly at Pugadlawin
expressed their willingness to fight to the last. Upon hearing the response of his men, Bonifacio
ordered them to take out their cedulas and tore them to pieces, shouting "Mabuhay ang
Pilipinas." This event marked the beginning of the Philippine Revolution against Spain.

Although held incommunicado at the steamer Castilla, Rizal learned of the outbreak of the
revolution and the skirmishes that had erupted around Manila through the newspapers he was
able to read. On August 30, 1896, Governor Ramon Blanco issued a gubernatorial decree
declaring a state of war in Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Manila, Nueva Ecija,
Pampanga, and Tarlac and placing them under martial rule. On the same date, Rizal received
the letters of recommendation to Azcaraga and the colonial minister, which absolved him from
the insurrection that was then raging on.

Rizal Sails to Spain For Cuba

On September 3, 1896, Rizal boarded the steamer Isla de Panay, which shall ferry him to
Barcelona, Spain. He was so happy. He felt that he succeeded in his race against the
revolution, spearheaded by the Katipuneros. Before leaving the country, Rizal wrote his sisters
(Pecson, 1975):

At Bay, September 2, 1896,

I urge you to take care of, to serve, and to love our parents, as you would your children later to
take care of, serve, and love you in your old age. May you live united and forgive one another's
asperities and slight faults - the natural thorns of life - because it is a displeasure for parents to
see that their children are not living in harmony. Afterwards, when our parents are dead, we
shall miss them greatly and we shall be sorry for not having served them while they lived.

Without his knowledge, the sinister plan of Blanco was already in place at the very moment he
left Manila for Spain. Coded telegrams and confidential messages for Rizal's arrest were
exchanged between Blanco and the Ministers of War and Colonies. While the ship was sailing
the Mediterranean Sea, the captain of Isla de Panay informed Rizal that he received an order
through a telegram from the Minister of War that the former has to be arrested and detained in
captain's cabin. This shocked Rizal so much.

By October 3, 1896, Rizal reached Barcelona. He was heavily guarded and detained as a
prisoner at the steamer Isla de Panay. On October 6, at 3:00 in the morning, he was informed
that he would be taken to Fort Monjuich, the prison citadel of the city. Upon arriving at the fort,
General Despujol, the governor general who decreed his deportation to Dapitan, told Rizal that
he would be shipped back to the Philippines on board the ship Colon. Thus, on the same date,
he left Barcelona for Spain. At this point, Rizal had realized that he had lost race against the
revolution in the Philippines.
Rizal could have not suffered this fate if only listened to the suggestion of Don Pedro Roxas, a
fellow passenger at the Isla de Panay. Don Pedro advised him to take advantage of the
protection of the British law, while their ship was temporarily docked at Singapore. Rizal,
however, did not heed the said advice on his belief that Governor Blanco was a friend,
considering that he allowed him to go as a free man to Spain to become a medical surgeon of
the Spanish Army in Cuba.

Rizal's friends in Europe learned of what happened to him and decided to come to his rescue.
Regidor and Lopez transmitted telegrams to an English lawyer in Singapore, Hugh Fort to
rescue Rizal by means of a writ of habeas corpus (Guerrero, 1998). This, however, failed as
Chief Justice Lionel Cox did not grant the writ of habeas corpus, as the steamer Colon,
carrying Spanish troops, a war vessel, was not within the jurisdiction of Singaporean authorities
based on existing international law.

The steamer arrived in Manila on November 3, 1896 (Zulueta, 2004). Under tight security, Rizal
was brought and incarcerated at Fort Santiago. Meanwhile, the Spanish authorities
commenced their expedition of fishing all evidences that can be used against Rizal. Those who
sympathized with Rizal were harassed and tortured.

From Dapitan to Trial in Fort Santiago

Various significant events happened during Rizal's trip from Dapitan to Mania. Leaving Dapitan
for Manila on July 31, 1896, the steamer España with Rizal as a passenger made some
stopovers in various areas, in Dumaguete, Rizal had visited some friends like a former
classmate from Madrid and had cured a sick Guardia Civil captain. In Cebu, he carried out four
operations and gave out prescriptions to many other patients. Going to Iloilo, he saw the
historical Mactan Island. He went shopping and was impressed by the Molo church in lloilo.
The ship then sailed to Capiz, to Romblon, and finally to Manila.

In Manila

As the steamer approached Luzon, there was an attempt by the Katipuneros to help Rizal
escape (Bantug & Ventura, 1997, p. 135). The Katipunero Emilio Jacinto, disguising himself as
a ship crew member, had managed to get close to Rizal, while another Katipunan member,
Guillermo Masankay, circled the ship in a boat. Firm in his aim to fulfill his mission in Cuba,
Rizal was said to have refused to be rescued by Katipunan's envoys. (Another version of this
story claims that the rescue attempt happened when Rizal's ship was already docked at Manila
Bay.)

Rizal arrived in Manila on August 6, 1896, a day after the mail boat Isla de Luzon had left for
Spain, and so he had to stay in Manila until the next steamer arrived.

Afraid that his one-month stay onboard the ship might bring him troubles, he requested the
governor-general that he (Rizal) be isolated from everyone except his family. The government
reacted by transferring him near midnight of the same day to the cruiser Castilla docked at
Cavite.

On August 19, the Katipunan plot to revolt against the Spanish authorities was discovered
through the confession of a certain Teodoro Patiño to Mariano Gil, an Augustinian cura of
Tondo. This discovery led to the arrest of many Katipuneros.
The Kaitpunan led by Bonifacio reacted by convening many of its members and deciding to
immediately begin the armed revolt. As a sign of their commitment to the revolution, they tore
their cedulas (residence certificates).

Katipunan's first major assaults happened on August 29 and 30 when the Katipuneros attacked
the Civil Guard garrison in Pasig and more significantly the 200 Spanish soldiers protecting the
powder magazine in San Juan. But because Spanish reinforcements arrived, about 150
Katipuneros were killed and more than 200 were taken prisoner. This bloody encounter in San
Juan and the uprisings in some other suburban Manila areas on that same day prompted the
governor-general to proclaim a state of war in Manila and seven other nearby provinces.

On the same day (August 30), Blanco issued letters of recommendation on Rizal's behalf to the
Spanish Minister of War and the Minister of Colonies with a cover letter clearing Rizal of any
connection to the raging revolution. On September 2, he was transported to the ship Isla de
Panay.

Going to Spain

The steamer Isla de Panay left Manila for Barcelona the next day. Arriving in Singapore on
September 7. Rizal was urged by some Filipinos, like his co-passenger Don Pedro Roxas and
Singaporean resident Don Manuel Camus to stay in the British-controlled territory. Trusting
Blanco's words, Rizal refused to stay in Singapore.

Without his knowledge, however, Blanco and the Ministers of War and the Colonies had been
exchanging telegrams, planning his arrest upon reaching Barcelona.

As Isla de Panay made a stopover at Port Said, Egypt on September 27, the passengers had
known that the uprising in the Philippines got worse as thousands of Spanish soldiers were
dispatched to Manila, and many Filipinos were either killed in the battle, or arrested and
executed. Rizal had the feeling that he had already been associated with the Filipino revolution
as his co-passengers became aloof to him. A day after, he wrote a letter to Blumentritt
informing him that he (Rizal) received some information that Blanco had an order to arrest him.
Before reaching Malta on September 30, he was officially ordered to stay in his cabin until
further orders from Blanco come.

With Rizal as a prisoner onboard, the Isla de Panay anchored at Barcelona on October 3,
1896. He was placed under heavy guard by the then Military Commander of Barcelona,
General Eulogio Despujol- the same former governor general who deported Rizal to Dapitan in
1892.

Early in the morning of October 6, he was transported to Monjuich prison-fortress. In the

afternoon, he was brought to Despujol who told him that there was an order to ship him (Rizal)
back to Manila in the evening.

He was then taken aboard the ship "Colon" which left for Manila at 8 p.m. The ship was full of
Spanish soldiers and their families who were under orders not to go near or talk to Rizal.
Though he was allowed to take walks on deck during the journey, he was locked up and
handcuffed before reaching any port.

Last Homecoming
Arriving in Manila as a prisoner on November 3, 1895, Rizal was detained in Fort Santiago
where he had been imprisoned four years ago. To gather pieces of evidence against him, some
of his friends, acquaintances, members of the La Liga, and even his brother Paciano were
tortured and forcibly questioned: As preliminary investigation. Rizal under went a series of
interrogations administered by one of the judges, Colonel Francisco Olive- the same military
leader who led the troops that forced the Rizal family to vacate their Calamba home in 1890.
Those who were coerced to testify against Rizal were not allowed to be cross-examined by the
accused.

Rizal was said to have admitted knowing most of those questioned, "though he would deny to
the end that he knew either Andres Bonifacio or Apolinario Mabini (Bantug & Ventura, 1997, p.
141).

Fifteen pieces of documentary evidence were presented -Rizal's letters, letters of his
compatriots, like Marcelo del Pilar and Antonio Luna, a poem (Kundiman) a Masonic
document, two transcripts of speech of Katipuneros (Emilio Jacinto and Jose Turiano
Santiago), and Rizal's poem A Talisay. The testimonial evidence involved the oral testimonies
of 13 Filipinos notably including that of La Liga officers like Ambrosio Salvador and Deodato
Arellano, and the Katipunero Pio Valenzuela.

Olive submitted the reports to Blanco on November 26, and Captain Rafael Dominguez was
assigned as special judge Advocate in Rizal's case. Dominguez made a summary of the case
and delivered it to Blanco who subsequently sent the papers to Judge Advocate-General Don
Nicolas dela Peña. After examining the case, Peña recommended that

(a) Rizal be instantly brought to trial,

(b) he be kept in jail,

(c) an order of attachment be issued against his property, and

(d) a Spanish army officer, not a civilian lawyer, be permitted to defend him in court.

On December 8, Rizal was given the restricted right to choose his lawyer from a list of 100
Spanish army officers. He chose Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade who turned out to be the younger
brother of his bodyguard friend in Calamba in 1887, Jose Taviel de Andrade. Three days after
(December 11), the formal charges were read to Rizal in his prison cell, with Andrade on his
side. In short, he was accused of being the main organizer and the "living soul" of the
revolution having proliferated ideas of rebellion and of founding illegal organizations. He
pleaded not guilty to the crime of rebellion and explained that La Liga, the constitution of which
he wrote, was just a civic organization.

On December 13, the day Camilo G. de Polavieja replaced Blanco as governor-general,

papers of Rizal's criminal case were sent to Malacañang. Concerned about the welfare of his
people, Rizal on December 15 wrote a manifesto appealing to the revolutionaries to
discontinue the uprising and pursue to attain liberty instead by means of education and of
labor. But De la Peña interpreted the manifesto as all the more advocating the spirit of rebellion
as it ultimately willed the Filipino liberty.

Polavieja thus disallowed to issue Rizal's manifesto.

The Rat in the Kangaroo Court

On the morning of December 26, the Filipino patriot who was once figuratively referred to by
Spanish officials as a "trapped rat" appeared in the kangaroo court inside the military building,
Cuartel de España. He was tried before seven members of the military court with Lt. Col. Jose
Togores Arjona acting as the president.

Judge Advocate Dominguez presented Rizal's criminal case followed by the lengthy speech of
Prosecuting Attorney Enrique de Alcocer. To appeal to the emotions of the Spanish judges,
Alcocer went as far as dramatically mentioning the Spanish soldiers who had died in the
Filipino traitorous revolt and discriminately describing Rizal as "a typical 'Oriental: who had
presumed to rise from a lower social scale in order to attain powers and positions that could
never be his" (Bantug & Ventura, 1997, p. 144). At the end, Alcocer petitioned for a death
sentence for Rizal and an indemnity of twenty thousand pesos.

Rizal's defense counsel, Lt. Andrade, then took the floor and tried his very best to save his
client by reading his responsive defense, stressing, too, that it was but natural for anyone to
yearn for liberty and independence. Afterward, Rizal was allowed to read his complementary
defense consisting of logical proofs that he could have not taken part in the revolution and that
La Liga was distinct from Katipunan. He argued, among others, that he even advised the
Katipunan emissary (Valenzuela) in Dapitan not to pursue the plan to revolt; the revolutionists
had used his name without his knowledge; he could have escaped either in Dapitan or
Singapore if he were guilty; and the civic group La Liga, which died out upon his exile did not
serve the purpose of the uprising, and that he had no knowledge about its reformation.

Lt. Col. 'Arjona then declared the trial over. Expectedly, the entire defense was indifferently
disregarded in Rizal's mock trial as it instantaneously considered him guilty. The jury
unanimously voted for the death sentence. The trial ended with the reading of the sentence—
Jose Rizal was found guilty, and the sentence was death by firing squad.

On December 28, Governor-General Polavieja signed the court decision and decreed that the
guilty be executed by firing squad at 7 a.m. of December 30, 1896 at Bagumbayan (Luneta).
Because Rizal was also required to sign the verdict, he stoically signed his own death
sentence.

Accounts on Jose Rizal's last hours vary and largely depend on the historian one is reading.

What happened in Rizal's life from 6 a.m. of December 29, 1896 until his execution was
perhaps the most controversial in his biography, for the divisive claims-like his supposed
retraction and Catholic marriage with Bracken-allegedly occurred within this time frame.

From 6 am to 12 Noon

Standard biography states that at 6 a.m. of December 29, Judge Advocate Dominguez formally
read the death sentence to Rizal. At about 7 a.m., he was transferred to either his "death cell"
or "prison chapel." He was visited by Jesuit priests, Miguel Saderra Mata and Luis Viza. They
brought the medal of the Ateneo's Marian Congregation of which Rizal was a member and the
wooden statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus he had carved in the school. Rizal put the wooden
image on his table while he rejected the medal saying "I’m little of a Marian, Father." ("Rizal's
Last Hours," n.d.. para. 5).
At 8 a.m., the priest Antonio Rosell arrived, after his co-priest Viza left. Rizal shared his
breakfast with Rosell. Later, Lt. Andrade came and Rizal thanked his defense lawyer. Santiago
Mataix of the Spanish newspaper El Heraldo de Madrid interviewed Rizal at about 9 a.m. Then
came the priest Federico Faura at about 10 a.m. He advised Rizal to forget about his
resentment and marry Josephine canonically. The two had a heated discussion about religion
as witnessed by Rosell.

Two other priests, Jose Vilaclara and Vicente Balaguer (missionary in Dapitan), also visited
Rizal at about 11 a.m. The Jesuits tried to convince Rizal to write a retraction. Though still
believing in the Holy Scriptures, Rizal supposedly refused to retract his anti-Catholic views,
exclaiming, "Look, Fathers, if I should assent to all you say and sign all you want me to, just to
please you, neither believing nor feeling, I would be a hypocrite and would then be offending
God* (Bantug & Ventura,1997, p. 147).

From Noon to 7pm

At noon, Rizal was left alone in his cell. He had his lunch, read the Bible, and meditated. About
this time, Balaguer reported to the Archbishop that only a little hope remained that Rizal would
retract. Refusing to receive visitors for the meantime, Rizal probably finished his last poem at
this moment. Rizal also wrote to Blumentritt his last letter in which he called the Austrian
scholar "my best, my dearest friend" (as cited in Cueto, 2012, para. 7).

He then had a talk with priests Estanislao March and Vilaclara at about 2 p.m. Balaguer then
returned to Rizal’s cell at 3.30 p.m. and allegedly discussed (again) about Rizal's retraction (G.
Zaide & S. Zaide, 1984, p. 265). Rizal then wrote letters and dedications and rested shortly.

At 4 p.m., the sorrowful Doña Teodora and Jose's sisters went to see the sentenced Rizal. The
mother was not allowed a last embrace by the guard, but her beloved son, in quiet grief,
managed to press a kiss on her hand. Dominguez was said to have been moved with
compassion at the sight of Rizal's kneeling before his mother and asking for forgiveness
("Rizal's Last Hours," n.d., para. 14). As the dear visitors were leaving. Jose handed over to
Trinidad an alcohol cooking stove, a gift from the Pardo de Taveras, whispering to her in a
language which the guards could not comprehend, "There is something in it." That "something"
was Rizal's elegy now known as Mi Ultimo Adios (Bantug & Ventura, 1997, p. 149)

The Dean of the Manila Cathedral, Don Silvino Lopez Tuñon; went to see Riza to exchange
some views with him at about 5:30 p.m. Balaguer and March then left, leaving Vilaclara and
Tuñon in Rizal's cell. As Rosell was leaving at about 6 p.m., Josephine Bracken arrived in Fort
Santiago. Rizal called for her, and they emotionally talked with each other ("Rizal's Last Hours,"
n.d., para. 16).

The Night of December 29

At 7 p.m. Faura returned and convinced Rizal to trust him and some other Ateneo professors.
After some quiet moments, Rizal purportedly confessed to Faura ('Rizal's Last Hours," nd.,
para. 17).

Rizal then took his last supper at about 8 p.m, and attended to his personal needs.
He then told Dominguez that he had forgiven his enemies and the military judges who
sentenced him to death. At about 9 or 9:30 p.m., Manila's Royal Audiencia Fiscal Don Gaspar
Cestaño arrived and had an amiable talk with Rizal.

Historians Gregorio and Sonia Zaide alleged that at 10 p.m. Rizal and some Catholic priests
worked on the hero's retraction (1984, pp. 265-266). Supposedly.

Balaguer brought to Rizal a retraction draft made by Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda, but
Rizal did not like it for being long. A shorter retraction made by Jesuit Pio Pi was then offered
to Rizal, which he allegedly liked. So it was said that he wrote his retraction renouncing
freemasonry and his anti-Catholic ideas.

(Zaides' book, nonetheless, admitted that the supposed retraction is now a (very) controversial
document. For many reasons, Rizal's assumed retraction and his supposed church marriage
with Bracken have been considered highly dubious by many Rizal scholars.)

Rizal then spent the night resting until the crack of dawn of December 30, perhaps praying and
meditating once in a while.

The Early Morning of December 30

The Zaides alleged that at 3 a.m., Rizal heard Mass, confessed sins, and took Communion
(1984, p. 266). At about 4 a.m., Rizal picked up the book Imitation of Christ by Thomas a
Kempis, read, and meditated. At 5 a.m. he washed up, attended to his personal needs, read
the Bible, and contemplated. For breakfast, he was given three boiled eggs. Rizal's grandniece
Asuncion Lopez-Rizal Bantug mentioned "three soft-boiled eggs" and narrated that Rizal ate
two of them (Bantug & Ventura, 1997, pp. 151-152). Historian Ambeth R. Ocampo, on the other
hand, wrote "three hard-boiled eggs" and related that Rizal "did not have any breakfast"
(Ocampo, 2012, p.227). Both historians nevertheless wrote that Rizal placed the boiled egg (or
eggs) to a cell corner, saying in effect, "This is for the rats, let them celebrate likewise!"
Afterward, Rizal wrote letters, one addressed to his family and another to Paciano. To his
family, he partly wrote, "I ask you for forgiveness for the pain I cause you .. I die resigned,
hoping that with my death you will be left in peace." He also left this message to his sisters: "I
enjoin you to forgive one another... Treat your old parents as you would like to be treated by
your children later. Love them very much in my memory." To Paciano, he partially wrote, "I am
thinking now how hard you have worked to give me a career -I know that you have suffered
much on my account, and I am sorry" (as cited in G. Zaide & S. Zaide, 1984, pp. 266-267).

Though some accounts state that Bracken was forbidden from seeing Rizal on this fateful day,
the Zaides wrote that at 5:30 a.m. she and Rizal’s sister Josefa came.

The couple was said to have embraced for the last time, and Rizal gave to Josephine the book
Imitation of Christ on which he wrote the dedication: "To my dear and unhappy wife, Josephine/
December 30th, 1896/ Jose Rizal" (1984, p. 267). (osephine

Betore Rizal made his death march to Bagumbayan, he managed to pen his last letters to his
beloved parents. To Don Francisco, he wrote. Pardon me for the pain which I repay you Good
bye, Father, goodbye. Perhaps told by the authorities that the march was about to begin. Rizal
managed to write only the following 1o his mother (as cited in G. Zaide & S. Zaide, 1984, p.
268):
 To my very dear Mother,

Sra. Doña. Teodora Alonso

6 o clock in the morning, December 30, 1896.

Jose Rizal

Slow Walk to Death

At 6:30 a.m. Rizal in black suit and black bowler hat, tied elbow to elbow, began his slow walk
to Bagumbayan. He walked along with his defense lawyer. Andrade, and two Jesuit priests,
March and Vilaclara. In front of them were the advance guards of armed soldiers and behind
them was another group of military men.

The sound of a trumpet signaled the start of the death march, and the muffled sound of drums
served as the musical score of the walk.

Early on that morning, many people had eagerly lined the streets. Some were sympathetic to
him, others— especially the Spaniards-wanted nothing less than to see him die. Some
observed that Rizal kept keenly looking around, and "it was believed that his family or the
Katipuneros would make a last-minute effort to spring him from the trap" (Ocampo, 2012, p.
228).

Once in a while. Rizal conversed with the priests, commenting on things like his happy years at
the Ateneo as they passed by Intramuros. Commenting on the clear morning. he was said to
have uttered something like. "What a beautiful morning!

On days like this, I used to take a walk here with my sweetheart (Ocampo, 2012, p. 228).

After some minutes, they arrived at the historic venue of execution. Filipino soldiers were
deliberately chosen to compose the firing squad. Behind them stood their Spanish
counterparts. ready to execute them also should they decline to do the job.

There was just a glitch in the proceeding as Rizal refused to kneel and declined the traditional
blindfold. Maintaining that he was not a traitor to his country and to Spain, he even requested
to face the firing squad. After some sweet-talk, Rizal finally agreed to turn his back to the firing
squad on the condition that he would be shot not in the head—but in the small of the back
instead.

When agreement had been reached, Rizal thankfully shook the hand of his defense lawyer.
The military physician then asked permission to feel the pulse of the man who had only a few
minutes to live. The curious doctor was startled to find Rizal's pulse normal. Before leaving
Rizal in his appointed place, the priests offered him a crucifix to kiss "but he turned his head
away and silently prepared for his death" (Ocampo, 2012, p. 228).

When the command had been given, the executioners' long guns barked at once. Rizal yelled
Christ's two last words "Consummatum est!" (It is finished!) as he simultaneously exerted a
final effort to twist his bullet pierced body halfway around. Facing the sky, Jose Rizal fell on the
ground dead at exactly 7:03 on the morning of December 30, 1896.