TRIAL OF RIZAL

TRIAL OF RIZAL

• Rizal was brought to Fort Santiago while he waits

for his prosecution of the case.
• Held as “Incommunicado” in a span of 4 weeks
• During the 4 weeks, the Spaniards are busy gathering
and fabricating the evidences to use against him.
 KANGAROO TRIAL

“A mock court in which the principles of law and

justice are disregarded or perverted”
•

PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION
• It lasted for an exhausting five days
• The charges against Rizal are stated to him
Judge Advocate Francisco Olive
• Questions are asked by Judge Colonel Francisco Olive
• The defending side are not given the opportunity to be cross-
examined
• Not allowed to give an official case against all the charges against
him.
 2 KINDS OF EVIDENCE
• Documentary • Testimonial
 DOCUMENTARY

• Contains letters purportedly linking Rizal to

the Propaganda Movement, many speech
transcripts in which the Katipunan utilized his
name, and a number of his very patriotic
writings.
 DOCUMENTARY
1. Antonio Luna's letter to Mariano Ponce in Madrid demonstrates
Rizal's involvement with the Filipino reform movement in Spain.
2. In a letter to his family, Rizal said that the deportations were
beneficial because they would instill a hatred of dictatorship in the
Filipino people.
3. In a Madrid-dated letter to Deodato Arellano, Marcelo H. Del Pilar
accused Rizal of being involved in the Spanish propaganda operation.
 DOCUMENTARY

4. Rizal's purportedly penned poem "Kundiman“

5. Carlos Oliver's letter to an unnamed individual
characterizing Rizal as the one who will liberate the
Philippines from Spanish oppression.
6. Rizal's patriotic deeds are honored in this Masonic
document.
 DOCUMENTARY
7. He was arranging a safe haven for Filipinos who would be
prosecuted by the Spanish government, according to a letter sent
by Dimasalang to Tenluz (Juan Zulueta's pseudonym).
8. Dimasalang's letter to an unnamed committee asking for the
committee's assistance in the "patriotic work“
9. An anonymous, undated letter criticizing Rizal's exile to Dapitan
was sent to the editor of the Hong Kong Telegraph.
 DOCUMENTARY
10.Ildefonso Laurel wrote Rizal a letter stating that the Filipinos see
him as their savior.
11.Rizal Segundo wrote to an unnamed contact to advise them of
Doroteo Cortes and Ambrosio Salvador's detention and exile.
12.A mail from Marcelo H. To Don Juan Tenluz, del Pilar
suggested creating a unique organization apart from Masonry to
support Filipino causes.
 DOCUMENTARY
13. The following scream was heard during a speech of Pingkian (Emilio
Jacinto) at a Katipunan reunion: "Long live the Philippines!" Liberty, long
live! Doctor Rizal, long live! Togetherness! “
14. Tik-Tik (Jose Turiano Santiago) - speech transcript from the same
Katipunan reunion, in which the Katipuneros yelled: "Long live the
illustrious Doctor Rizal! To the oppressor country, death!“
15. Laong Laan's poem "Talisay" which makes the Dapitan schoolboys to sing
that they are capable of standing up for their rights.
 TESTIMONIAL
• Martin Constantino
• Aguedo del Rosario - Secretary of interior in the katipunan
• Jose Reyes
• Moises Salvador – was a member of the Supreme Council of La Liga Filipina
• Jose Dizon – engraver
• Pio Valenzuela – visited Jose Rizal in Dapitan to seek his support for the planned
revolution
 TESTIMONIAL
• Pio Valenzuela – visited Jose Rizal in Dapitan to seek his support
for the planned revolution
• Ambrosio Savador
• Francisco Quison
• Timoteo Paez – distributed Bonifacio's "True Decalogue" and
Rizal's teachings at his own expense, demonstrating his support
for the revolutionary cause.
 TESTIMONIAL
• Deodato Arellano – a brother-in-law of Marcelo H. del Pilar
• Pedro Serrano Laktaw - worked alongside Rizal on spelling
reform.
• Antonio Salazar – the owner of the bazaar where Rizal bought his
shoes
• Domingo Franco – a tobacco dealer from Nagtahan
 TRIAL OF RIZAL

• To initiate the related action against Rizal,

Olive forwarded the case files to Governor-
General Ramon Blanco, who then designated
Captain Rafael Dominguez as the Judge
Advocate.
 TRIAL OF RIZAL
• Captain Rafael Dominguez – He summarized the allegations and gave the
documents back to the Governor General, who then forwarded them to
Gen. Don Nicholas de la Pena, the Judge Advocate.

Captain Rafael Dominguez

 TRIAL OF RIZAL
• Pena’s Recommendations:
• Rizal must be immediately sent to trial
• He must be held in prison under necessary security.
• His properties must be issued with order of attachment, and as
indemnity, Rizal had to pay one million pesos.
• Instead of a civilian lawyer, only an army officer is allowed to defend
Rizal.
 TRIAL OF RIZAL

•His only right – choose

his defense counsel
 TRIAL OF RIZAL

• Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade – 1st Lieutenant of the Artillery, brother of Jose
Taviel de Andrade, the bodyguard of Rizal.
 RIZAL’S ARRAIGNMENT

•Accused of inciting
insurrection and establishing
unlawful associations
 RIZAL’S ARRAIGNMENT
• Rizal…
• Did not question the jurisdiction of the court
• Had nothing to amend except that during his exile in Dapitan, he had not
dealt in political matters
• Had nothing to admit on the charges against him.
• Had nothing to admit on the declarations of the witnesses, he had not
met nor knew, against him
 RIZAL’S ARRAIGNMENT
• Rizal entered a not guilty plea to the insurrection charge.
• In his manifesto, Rizal criticized the revolution and the Katipunan
for appropriating his name without his consent.
• He desired that the industry and education be used to achieve
their freedoms.
• (It did not publish)
 ACTUAL TRIAL

• Location – Hall of Banners of the Cuartel de España

• Accused of 3 Crimes: rebellion, sedition, illegal
associations
• Penalty - For insurrection and sedition, the penalty is life
in prison or death; for unlawful association, it is 325 to
3250 pesetas in fines and corrective incarceration.
 ACTUAL TRIAL

• If pardoned, 20,000 pesos in compensation, lifelong

disqualification, and submission to government
monitoring
• De Andrade - In a powerful address, he asserted that
Rizal's guilt had not been proven by the law. Rizal
elaborated on his defender's arguments.
 12 POINT DEFENSE OF RIZAL
1. As testified by Pio Valenzuela, Rizal was against rebellion
2. He hadn't composed a letter with revolutionary themes intended to
the Katipunan.
3. If he was indeed guilty, he might have fled while in Singapore, but
the Katipunan exploited his name without his knowledge.
4. If he was guilty, he ought to have fled the nation while living in exile;
he ought not to have constructed a house, purchased a piece of land,
or set up a medical facility in Dapitan.
 12 POINT DEFENSE OF RIZAL
5. If he was really the leader of the revolution, the revolutionists
should have consulted him
6. He acknowledged that he was the author of La Liga Filipina's
bylaws, but he clarified that the group was a civic association
rather than a revolutionary society.
7. La Liga did not endure long after its initial meeting since the
association was exiled due to his exile in Dapitan.
 12 POINT DEFENSE OF RIZAL
8. If the La Liga was reorganized nine months later, he had no idea
about it
9. If the La Liga had a revolutionary purpose, then Katipunan should
not have been organized.
10. If the Spanish authorities thought his letters had a harsh tone, it was
because his family was being persecuted in 1890, which led to the
deportation of all his brothers-in-law and the confiscation of their
belongings.
 12 POINT DEFENSE OF RIZAL
• He lived an exemplary life in Dapitan – the politico-military
commanders and missionary priests in the province could attest to
that.
• He intends to confront these people if witnesses claim that the
speech he gave at Doroteo Ongjunco's home sparked the
revolution. Why had the Katipunan dispatched an unknown
representative to him in Dapitan if he was indeed in favor of the
revolution?
 TRIAL OF RIZAL

• Lt. Col. Togores Arjona – The hall was

vacated and the trial was deemed to be
concluded. Following a brief discussion, the
military court unanimously decided to impose
the death penalty.
 TRIAL OF RIZAL
• Governor-General Camilio de Polavieja
• Replaced Governor Blanco
• authorized the court-martial's ruling and directed that Rizal be shot at Bagumbayan
Field at 7:00 a.m. on December 30.

Gov. -Gen Polavieja

 TRIAL OF RIZAL
• Rizals trial was a clear case of mistrial – unmistakable evidence of the
Spanish Regime's unfairness.
• Hasty pace
• Denied of cross-examination
• Was not given a proper lawyer
• Court – Martial
• Rejection of his Manifesto
• Deliberate effort to condemn Rizal
 MEMBERS

• SALVADOR, Samantha M.
• SANCHEZ, Pauline Jade D.
• SANGA, Carlo Angelo B.
• SILLANO, Lucasse Joaquin E.
SECTION: BSCE – 1B
 REFERENCES
Blackwidow, & Blackwidow. (2019, February 5). Kundiman - JoseRizal.com. JoseRizal.com. https://www.joserizal.com/kundiman-tagalog-version/
INVESTIGATION ON RIZAL AND HIS TRIAL. (n.d.). JOSE RIZAL: TRIAL, EXECUTION AND MARTYRDOM.
https://rizalgroup9.weebly.com/blog/investigation-on-rizal-and-his-trial
kangaroo court. (2025). In Merriam-Webster Dictionary. https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/kangaroo%20court#:~:text=Various%20theories%20abound%3A%20it%20has,%2C%20illegally%20occupying)%20min
ing%20claims.
Karim, B. A. (2014, July 26). The trial of Rizal [Slide show]. SlideShare. https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/rizal-trial-and-
execution/37379397#6
Mendoza, A. (n.d.). The trial of Rizal. Scribd. https://www.scribd.com/doc/156142423/The-Trial-of-Rizal
Prezi, C. S. O. (n.d.). Chapter 18. prezi.com. https://prezi.com/sdj8rhqw5p3q/chapter-18/
Prezi, Z. G. O. (n.d.). Col. Francisco OLive. prezi.com. https://prezi.com/wyh69-zsnurk/col-francisco-olive/#:~:text=Education-
,Col.,the%20Spanish%20authorities%20in%20Manila.
Vitug, P. L. (2021, January 10). Trials of rizal [Slide show]. SlideShare. https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/trials-of-rizal/241151923#22
 REFERENCES
Bernad, M. A. (1998). The trial of Rizal. Philippine Studies, 46(1), 46–72.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/42633622
Over the Academic Wall. (2024, July 25). 05.2 - Rizal Exile, Trial, and Death
(Part 2) | Life and Works of Rizal [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEb5y5tELSU
THANK
YOU!!