WEEK 7: LIWORIZ

Rizal’s Retraction Letter/ Rizal’s Death before his execution, and he allegedly signed
the letter

- Definition of Retraction Letter: retracted - Translation (English):

everything he said against the catholic church “I declare myself a catholic and in this Religion which

- The Jesuits found this retraction letter that was I was born and educated I wish to live and die.

signed by Rizal although it was already proven I retract with all my heart whatever in my words,

that it was forged writing, publications and conduct has been contrary

- A lot of historians believed that Rizal retracted. to my character as son of the Catholic Church. I

That was the time that the catholic church believe and I confess whatever she teaches and I

(Jesuits) released his retraction letter. submit to whatever she demands. I abominate

- The Jesuit priest, Father Vicente Balaguer, the Masonry, as the enemy which is of the Church, and

eyewitness to the event said that Rizal accepted as a Society prohibited by the Church. The Diocesan

a shorter retraction document prepared by the Prelate may, as the Superior Ecclesiastical

superior of the Jesuit Society in the Philippines. Authority, make public this spontaneous

- Background: Rizal was in Dapitan, Zamboanga manifestation of mine in order to repair the scandal

Del Norte during 1892 to 1896, he was in exiled which my acts may have caused and so that God

there and people may pardon me”

o Josephine Bracken came to Dapitan during Manila 29 of December 1896

the last years of Rizal (they live together and Jose Rizal

had a child that died) o The day he signed this was the day before his

o Latter part of their relationship: Rizal execution

wanted to marry Josephine; however, there o He signed the letter because he wanted to

was no civil marriage; only canon law can marry Josephine Bracken at the last minute

perform wedding rights o Jesuits: favorite of Rizal, but they also

o Rizal was not in good terms with the catholic released his retraction letter

church, so he talked to the friars about - Fr. Vicente Balaguer, missionary pastor in

allowing him to have a wedding with Dapitan. Balaguer was in Manila when Rizal was

Josephine in his detention cell in Fort Santiago

o In return, Friars presented him a longer o “I was the one who assisted Rizal most of the

document of the retraction letter saying that sad day’s hours. I argued with him and

he will retract everything he said against the demolished his arguments. Better than

catholic church anyone else I can form an idea of what

o In Fort Santiago: they presented him a passed through his soul and what Rizal had

shorter version of the retraction letter been and what he had in mind. I presented to
him the formula of retraction, and in my
presence, he wrote it word for word, revising
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a few words after some discussion. In my
presence he signed it, and I kept and
presented it to Your Reverence, who in turn
gave it to His Grace, Archbishop Nozaleda
(Archbishop of Manila in 1889-1904).”
o He was the one who witness Rizal signed the
letter
o He was with Rizal in his exile and in fort
Santiago
- Fr. Balaguer on Rizal: “For some month
previously I had been in contact with Dr. Rizal
since I was the missionary pastor in Dapitan
where he had been exiled. Following
instructions, I had received from superiors, I tried
to treat him with the greatest respect and
affection, to which he reciprocated with affection
confidence in me.”
o He had no bad blood with Rizal, and he never
said that Rizal retracted just because he
doesn’t like him
o Rizal is close with him; they respect and fond
each other
- Basis for Rizal’s retraction (understanding
Rizal’s milieu):
1) According to Professor Austin Craig,
“Spanish law had established civil marriage
in the Philippines, but local government had
not provided any way for people to avail
themselves of the right…”
 December 28: He learned that he will die
on this day
 December 29: He signed the retraction
letter, and marry Josephine.
 December 30: Josephine was claiming
that on the morning of the execution, they
got married.
2) Josephine Bracken is not in good terms with
Rizal’s family.
 Rizal’s mother doesn’t like her.
- The following is a letter written by Rizal to his
family before he died. It contains the request of
Rizal to his family on what to do after he dies.
The letter bears no date
“To my family,
I ask you for 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 plentitude of my conscience.
Dear parents and brothers: 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. It is better to die than to
live suffering. Console yourselves
I enjoin you to forgive one another the little
meanness of life and try to live united in peace
and good harmony. Treat your old parents 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 and a cross
over it. My name, the date of my birth and of my
death. Nothing more. If later you wish to
surround my grave with a fence, you can do it.
No anniversaries. I prefer Paang Bundok
Have pity on poor Josephine”
o He was at peace and ready to die (preserve
my traquility)
o He was hoping that his family will be left
alone by the government
o He had the most heroic death, for he was
calm. Others died very hysterical and natural
death.
o Rizal was courting death or running after it
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o It also states the will of Rizal, and he never
thought that people of today would see him
as a hero
o He doesn’t want his death to be celebrated;
Paang Bundok is Manila North Cemetery
o He wanted to secure Josephine’s status.
- Father Balaguer as an eyewitness (Re:
December 29, 1896, the night before Rizal’s
Execution)
1) In verifying the final contrition of a criminal,
according to Canon Law, a single witness
is enough.
 Civil law: 2 witness
o According to Balaguer, “he received me with
open arms. Since I liked him very much, I
was ready to do whatever I could with divine
grace to save his soul. He asked to make his
confession. But I had to remind him that I
believed he was not properly disposed to
received the sacraments of the church.”
 It was part of Rizal being a catholic that
he wanted him to have his final
confession
 Final confession = must be in good
terms with the catholic church
 One of the reasons that a lot of historians
that Rizal DID retracted because he was
buried in Paco Catholic Cemetery.
• Not catholic = cannot be buried in the
Paco Catholic cemetery
• Apolinario Mabini (a revolutionist
and free masonry): Chinese
cemetery because did not return to
catholic faith (Augusto De Viana, UST)
• Mason = against the catholic church
 Rizal is a devout to catholic church, he is
only against the Friars
- On the issue of Rizal being a fickle-minded
person: “Well, that may be true, but that is
human character. Rizal was not a perfect
person.” – De Viana
o Rizal denied being a mason, Katipunan, and
knowing Bonifacio. (He said he did not know
Bonifacio personally)
o Rizal and Bonifacio met when he established
La Liga Filipina because Bonifacio was a
member of this.
o La Liga failed to continue when Rizal was
exiled in Dapitan; Bonifacio established
Katipunan afterwards
- The issues WILL NOT invalidate Rizal’s works
and contribution for the country.
o He wanted to secure Josphine because she
was pregnant & his family doesn’t like her
(except Paciano)
o Dinemanda ni Josephine yung Pamilya ni
Rizal because she was claiming that he did
marry her, and she was asking for money,
Mi Ultimo Adios & some paintings of Juan
Luna
o Josephine was not able to provide a
marriage certificate
- Interview with one of the Descendants of
Rizal: “The body was found to have ben buried
directly into the earth, without a coffin.
Nevertheless, the clothes were still recognizable,
though whatever my Lolo Jose had hidden in his
shoes had long rotted away. A vertebra showing
a bullet wound was kept in a glass and silver cup
in Lola’s house.”
o Referring to Narcissa’s house in Binondo
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o He allegedly put something in his shoes
(may be a letter)
- Rizal Monument was designed in Switzerland by
Richard Kissling
Mi Ultimo Adios
- “Farewell, my adored Land, region of the sun
caressed, Pear of the Orient Sea, our Eden lost,
With gladness I give you my Life, sad and
repressed; And were it more brilliant, more fresh
and at its best, I would still give it to you for your
welfare at most.”
o Eden/Paradise was lost = Freedom was
lost
o The kind of life he gave to the country
- “On the fields of battle, in the fury of fight, Others
give you their lives without pain or hesitancy, The
place does not matter: cypress laurel, lily white,
Scaffold, open field, conflict or martyrdom’s site,
it is the same I asked by home and Country”
o Heroism = it doesn’t matter how you died as
long as you gave your life to the country
- “My life’s fancy, my ardent, my passionate
desire, Hail! Cries out the soul to you, that will
soon part from thee. Hail! How sweet ‘tis to fall
that fullness you may acquire; To die to give you
life, ‘neath your skies to expire, And in your
mystic land to sleep through eternity”
o He has to die for us to have a life, and he
wanted to die in the Philippines
o Marcelo H. Del Pilar: died in Barcelona
- “Pray thee of all the hapless who have died, For
all those who unequalled torments have
undergone; For our poor mothers who in
bitterness have cried; For orphans, widows and
captive to tortures were shied, And pray too that
you may see your own redemption.”
- “And when my grave by all is no more
remembered, with neither cross nor stone to
mark its place, let it be plowed by man, with
spade let it be scattered And my ashes ere to
nothingness are restored, Let them turn to dust
to cover your earthly space.”
- “Then it doesn’t matter that you should forget me:
Your atmosphere, your skies, your values I’ll
sweep; Vibrant and clear note to you ears I shall
be: Aroma, light, hues, murmur, song, moanings
deep, Constantly repeating the essence of the
faith I keep”
o He always thought that people will forget
him, but in reality, he was hailed as a hero
- “My idolized country, for whom I most gravely
pine, Dear Philippines, to my last goodbye, oh,
harken. There I leave all: my parents, loves of
mine, I’ll go where there are no slaves, tyrants or
hangmen. Where faith does not kill and where
God alone does reign”
o Faith in the Philippines during that time kills
- “Farewell, parents, brothers, beloved by me,
Friends of my childhood, in the home distressed;
Give thanks that now I rest from my wearisome
day; Farewell, sweet stranger, my friend, who
brightened my way; Farewell, to all I love. To die
is to rest.”
o Wearisome = he got tired
o “Sweet stranger” = Josephine Bracken
- In Dapitan: there’s a street name after
Josephine Bracken
- Rizal was living a normal life in Dapitan, he has
a clinic and school where he taught a lot of boys
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- He won a lottery and he bought a land and a
house in Dapitan; He also introduced a lot of
planting there
- Old houses: comfort room and kitchen are
outside
- Rizalista cult cleans Rizal’s house in Laguna,
Dapitan, and Pampanga; The cult believes that
Rizal will have his second coming
- There’s a marker where Pio Valenzuela talked
with him, for Pio Valenzuela was send by the
Katipunan (Bonifacio)
o Bonifacio asked Rizal regarding his advice to
the Katipunan, and he asked Rizal if he wants
to escape (Katipunan would help him)
- Rizal was a very productive person
- Dapitan made him the reformist Ibarra.
- Philippines would progress if Rizal became the
president
- Dapitan was very laid back
- “I die without seeing the dawn brighten over my
native land! You who have it to see, welcome it-
and forget not those who have fallen during the
night!” from Noli me Tangere
- Josephine Bracken: Irish/ Dulce Extranjera
o Stranger who went to Dapitan
o Matapobre Mom ni Rizal (Rich and
Intellectual family who represents the family)
o She stole Mi Ultimo Adios cause sa kanya raw
- Mi Ultimo Adios doesn’t have a title; Katipunan
was the one who named it

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