CHAPTER 7

Trip Back Home

John Vincent Velasco
Lady Lynn Dolojol
Back in Hongkong
• After the El Filibusterismo was published, Rizal left
Europe. Aboard the S.S. Melbourne, he sailed to Hong
Kong where he lived for seven months. His reasons for
venturing to Hong Kong were the following:

1. to leave behind his rivalry with Marcelo H. del Pilar;

2. to facilitate a Propaganda Movement in Hong Kong;
and
3. to be proximate to his family in the Philippines.
• On November 20, 1891, Rizal arrived in Hong Kong and was
cordially welcomed by the Filipino residents in the city,
particularly, his friend Jose Ma Basa, He resided at No. 5 D
Aguilar Street, No 2 Rednaxela Terrace and opened a medical
clinic there: Rizal had a continued correspondence with his
family in Calamba and had been aware of the unsettled
agrarian problem.
• Through a letter from his brother-in-law, Manuel T. Hidalgo, he
had been informed of the deportation of twenty-five persons
in Calamba, including the Rizal family. This news made Rizal
even more desperate to return to Manila, but his sorrow was
replaced by surprise when his family visited him in Hong Kong
and celebrated the 1891 Christmas with him.
• While in Hong Kong, Rizal practiced his medical career. With
the help of his friend, Dr. Lorenzo P. Marquez, they built a
large clientèle and opened a medical clinic where he was
recognized as an excellent eye surgeon. He was equally
supported and aided both morally and financially by his
family and friends with his chosen career.
Plan for Filipino Colony in Borneo
• Another marked event during Rizal's stay in Hong Kong was his plan to
move the landless Filipinos to Borneo and transform the said
wilderness into a "New Calamba" through the so-called Borneo
Colonization Project. In April 1892, he visited Borneo and negotiated
with the British authorities who were willing to provide 100,000 acres
of land for the Filipinos.
• Many Filipino patriots found this project amusing, thus, promoted
the said project.
• However, there were a number who objected it, one of
which was Rizal's brother-in-law, Hidalgo. Twice did Rizal
wrote a letter addressed to Governor GeneralEulogio
Despujol informing his Borneo colonization project, with
whom he received no response. Instead, Despujol
commanded the Spanish consul-general in Hong Kong to
notify Rizal that such project was very unpatriotic, and by
immigrating Filipinos to Borneo, the Philippines will surely be
lacking of laborers.
• Despite the much opposition from friends and relatives, he decided to
return to Manila on the following reasons:

1. to discuss with Governor General Despujol his Borneo colonization

project;

2. to form the La Liga Filipina in the Philippines; and 3. to prove that

Eduardo de Lete's allegations on him and his family in Calamba were
wrong.
La Liga Filipina
• When upon his return to the Philippines in July, 1892, Rizal
organized the La Liga Filipina, this constituted a forward step
in the reformist ideas of the times in the sense that the new
group sought to involve the people directly in the reform
movement. Many elements of society who were anxious for
change were attracted to the Liga, among them, Andres
Bonifacio who became one of the founders of the
organization.
• Before his departure, he wrote three more letters - the first
addressed to his parents and friends; the second one, to the
Filipinos; and the last to Governor General Eulogio Despujol.
• . Instead of having the protection he desired, Rizal and his
sister, Lucia, fell into the Spanish trap - a case was secretly
filed against Rizal, and Despujol ordered his secretary, Luis de
la Torre, to verify whether the patriot had naturalized himself
as a German citizen or not.
• Therefore, the siblings sailed across the China Sea without
prior knowledge of what awaits them in the Philippines.
• As listed in the constitution Rizal prepared, the Liga's aims
were:

1. To unite the whole archipelago into one compact, vigorous,

and homogenous body;
2. Mutual protection in every want and necessity;
3. Defense against all violence and injustice;
4. Encouragement of instruction, agriculture, and commerce,
and 5. Study and application of reforms.
• As Rizal envisioned it, the league was to be a sort of mutual
aid and self- help society dispensing scholarship funds and
legal aid, loaning capital and setting up cooperatives. These
were innocent, even naive objectives that could hardly
alleviate the social ills of those times, but the Spanish
authorities were so alarmed that they arrested Rizal on July
6, 1892, merely four days after the Liga was organized for
allegedly found in his baggage bundle of leaflets entitled
"Poor Friars" which were against the Dominicans priests who
acquired riches contrary to their vow of poverty. Rizal was
held in Fort Santiago for about a weel and then was
deported to Dapitan.
• With Rizal deported to Dapitan, the Liga became inactive
until, through the efforts of Domingo Franco and Andres
Bonifacio, it was reorganized. Apolinario Mabini became the
secretary of the Supreme Council.
Thank you!!!!
Jose Rizal as a Teacher in Dapitan
• Rizal knew the value of good education since his boyhood.
During his travels abroad, he observed the educational
system of modern nations. He had planned to establish a
modern college in Hong Kong for Filipino boys but did not
give him the opportunity to put into practice his educational
ideas.
• In 1893, he established a school that existed until the end of
his exile in July 1896.
• It all started with 3 pupils then enrollment increased to 16
pupils. They worked in the garden, field, and construction
projects in the community. He gave the boys vocational and
academic trainings. Rizal taught the boys Reading, Writing,
Languages (Spanish and English) Geography, History,
Mathematics (Arithmetic and Geometry) Industrial work,
Nature and Study, Morals and Gymnastics.

• He made their learning functional, relating their activities to

their actual life situation. Formal classes were held daily from
2:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon.
• On one day the lessons were conducted in English and on
the next day in Spanish. As in the Ateneo, the brightest pupil
was called "emperor" and he sat at the head of the bench
and the poorest occupied the foot of the bench.

• The lessons were supplemented with fieldtrips to the

mountains, caves and seashore, which gave the pupils a
working knowledge of the flora and fauna. During recess, the
pupils-built fires in the garden to drive away insects, prunned
the fruit trees and manured the soil.
• Rizal encouraged them to play games in order to strengthen
their bodies, They had gymnastics, boxing, wrestling, stone-
throwing, swimming, arnis (native fencing) and swinging on
parallel bars and rings and also boating
"Hymn to Talisay"
• Rizal conducted his school at his home in Talisay, near
Dapitan, where he had his farm and hospital. His favorite
place with his boys was under a talisay tree, after which the
place was named. In honor of Talisay, he wrote a poem
entitled "Himno A Talisay" for his pupils to sing.
 "Hymn to Talisay"
At Dapitan, the sandy shore
And rocks aloft on mountain crest
Form thy throne, O refuge blest,
That we from childhood days have known.
In your vales that flowers adorn
And your fruitful leafy shade,
Our thinking power are being made,
And soul with body being grown.
 II
We are youth not long on earth
But our souls are free from sorrow;
Calm, strong men we'll be tomorrow,
Who can guard our families' right.
Lads are we whom naught can frighten,
Whether thunder, waves, or rain
Swift of arm, serene of mien
In peril, shall we wage our fights.
 III
With our games we churn the sand,
Through the caves and crags we roam,
On the rocks we make our home,
Everywhere our arms can reach.
Neither dark nor night obscure
Cause us fear, nor fierce torment
That even Satan can invent Life or death?
We must face each!
 IV

"Talisayans", people call us!

Mighty souls in bodies small
O'er Dapitan's district all No Talisay like this tower.
None can march our reservoir.
Our diving pool the sea profound!
No rowing boat the world around
For the moment can pass ours.
 V

We study science exact;

The history of our motherland;
Three languages or four command;
Bring faith and reason in accord.
Our hands can manage at one time
The sail and working spade and pen,
The mason's maul - for virile men
Companions and the gun and sword.
 VI
Live, live, O leafy green Talisay!
Our voices sing thy praise in chorus
Clear star, precious treasure for us.
Our childhood's wisdom and its balm.
In fights that wait for every man,
In sorrow and adversity,
Thy memory a charm will be,
And in the tomb, thy name, thy calm.
 CHORUS

Hail, O Talisay!
Firm and untiring Ever aspiring,
Stately thy gait. Things, everywhere
In sea, land and air Shalt thou dominate.
Jose Rizal as a Scientist/His Contribution to
Science
• There were no limits to his scientific versatility. While in
Dapitan, he found Mindanao a rich virgin field for collecting
specimens. With his pupils, they explored the jungles and
coasts for specimen of insects, birds, snakes, lizards, frogs,
shells and plants. He sent these to the museum of Europe
especially the Dresden museum.
• The European scientists sent Rizal scientific books and
surgical instrument as payment of these valuable specimens.
For his four-year exile in Dapitan, he built up a rich collection
of concology which consisted of 346 shells representing 203
species.
• He discovered some rare specimen which were named in his
honor by the scientists e.q. Draco Rizali (a flying dragon)
Rhacoporus Rizali (a rare frog), etc.
• He also conducted anthropological, ethnographical,
archaeological, geological, and geographical studies.
Jose Rizal as a Farmer in Dapitan
• Dr. Jose Rizal also devoted much of his time to agriculture.
He bought 16 hectares of land in Talisay where he built his
home, his school and hospital. He planted the land with
copra, coffee, sugarcane, coconuts and fruits.
• He acquired more lands until his total holdings reached 70
hectares with 6,000 hemp plants, 1,000 coconuts and other
fruit trees. He introduced modern methods of agriculture
which he had observed in America and Europe.
• He encouraged the Dapitan farmers to discard their primitive
way of farming and adopt the modern agricultural method.
• Rizal had dreamed of this place for his relatives and friends
from Calamba to come to his agricultural colony but it did
not materialize because he could not get the support of the
government.
• Just like he would like to have a colony in Borneo for the
people of Calamba when they were evicted from the
hacienda/field they were working.
Thank You!!!!