MODULE 7: EXILE IN DAPITAN

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:

1. Identify the people that Rizal met during his voyage;
2. Understand the events that led to Rizal’s arrest and exile;
3. Identify the contributions of Rizal to the community of Dapitan;
4. Appreciate the value of planting/faming in the Philippines.

On June 26, 1891, Jose Rizal returned to Manila under Gov. Gen. Despujol’s safe conduct. Rizal
organized mutual aid and a civic society, La Liga Filipina. Rizal met with the Masonic Balagtas Lodge in
the house of Doroteo Onjungco, including Ambrosio Salvador, Timoteo Paez, Pedro Serrano, Domingo
Franco and Andres Bonifacio with a crowd of about 30 individuals. After Rizal’s banishment, attendees
of the La Liga including Andres Bonifacio secretly met in Azcarraga in the apartment of Deodato
Arellano. This meeting launched the Katipunan. On July 6, he was exiled to Dapitan. Charges against him
were kept secret. In Sta. Cruz Dapitan, the marker reads:

“On this beach of Sta. Cruz, Jose Rizal landed at 7:00 pm on July 17, 1892 to begin the life of an exile in
Dapitan. With Captain Delgras and three artillery men, they walked through Sta. Cruz street with a
“Farol de Combate” to the Casa Real, where he was presented to Don Ricardo Carnicero, Spanish
military governor of the district.”

The Saint James Cathedral was originally built in 1871 under Fr. Juan Gelabert SJ. With the help of the
people of Dapitan providing labor and materials for construction. Renovated in 1904 and 1964 The
marker reads:.

“ Sa pook na ito ng Simbahan ng San Jaime na ipinagawa ng mga Heswita noong 1871, tumayo si Jose
Rizal tuwing linggo upang makinig ng misa sa buong panahon ng kanyang pagkakatapon sa Dapitan
1892-1896.”

He practiced medicine in Dapitan. Part of his income were used to build water wells and had the plaza
lighted. Two markers in the present plaza in Dapitan read:

“Spent four years of banishment in this town, freely devoting his energy, intelligence and property to
the economic and social needs of the district, and his skills as engineer, farmer, teacher and surgeon for
the benefit of the community of which he was an involuntary resident. JULY 17, 1892 – JULY 31, 1896.

“ I am determined to do all that I can in behalf of this town... I have not the slightest objection to stay in
this district.”---Letter from Rizal in Dapitan, 1893

Rizal purchased this land from his share of lottery winnings in 1892. His mother, Dona (sic) Teodora
Alonzo, his sisters, and some of his relatives and neighbors from Calamba, Laguna later came and lived
with him until 1896.

On January 15, 1897, Rizal’s property was confiscated by the Spanish authorities and Don Cosme
Borromeo was the appointed custodian. In 1913, the property was converted into a park by the
government in memory of Rizal. In 1940, President Manuel Quezon issued Proclamation No. 616
declaring this site as the National Rizal Park.”

RIZAL THE ENGINEER

Rizal applied his knowledge as land surveyor and created a water system that would supply clean water
and irrigation. How? Soil digging + laying of Bamboo poles/pipes to households = WATER CANAL. Lime +
crushed sea corrals = CONCRETE. Rizal with Fr. De Sanchez drew a plan for the lighting of the town and
park of Dapitan. A large concrete/stone map of Mindanao was placed in the park near the St. James
Church.

RIZAL AND FR. PASTELLS

Fr. Pastells was the head of the Congregacion Mariana, a religious association in Ateneo in 1875. He was
the superior of the Jesuit Order.Both Rizal and Pastells made communication to each other for about
one (1) year. This was called Rizal-Pastells letters. The letters showed a debate about Catholicism. The
communication continued for one (1) year.

Pastells sent Rizal a book entitled “El Liberalismo es Pecado” (Ang Liberalismo ay Kasalanan) by Felix
Sarda. Pastells encouraged Rizal to return to Catholic faith. To sum up Pastells’ point: One’s intelligence
and abilities are insufficient without a strong connection with God.

To sum up Rizal’s response: Intelligence is a blessing from God and therefore it must be used in a
meaningful way, even for one’s salvation. Rizal merely criticized the abuses of the Church and the
superstitions infused in the religion.

RIZAL THE TEACHER

Before the end of 1893, Rizal expressed his plan to build a school for boys in Talisay. The boys will be
educated and in return, they will work in Rizal’s agricultural farm and other community projects. The
school was opened in January 1894. By 1895, Rizal had 16 poor and intelligent students. The boys
learned mathematics, geometry, geography, Spanish and English languages and values education. For
their physical education, they were taught fencing, swimming and gymnastics.

RIZAL THE SCHOLAR

Ferdinand Blumentritt suggested that Rizal write a grammar book on the Tagalog language. Rizal studied
Malay language and compared it to Tagalog. He wrote a small book on the Tagalog grammar/language
and dedicated it to Fr. De Sanchez. It was published three (3) years after Rizal’s execution. Rizal also
studied indigenous medicine in the Philippines and wrote the “La Curacion de los Hechizados” (Ang
Paggagamot sa mga Kinulam). On November 15, 1895, he gave a copy of this work to the Dapitan
officials. Rizal also contributed to Blumentritt’s work on the mapping of Mindanao. Rizal’s contribution
was called “Ampliacion a mi Mapa de Isla de Mindanao”. Rizal sent boxes of indigenous tools to Dr.
Meyer and Dr. Jagor, so they can study it. Blumentrit in a letter, expressed his wish to live with the
Subanons for a few months to study their culture.

RIZAL AND JOSEPHINE BRACKEN

“Dahil interasado ako sa kanya at malaki ang posibilidad na sumama siya sa akin, at dahil maaaring mag-
isat at napapabayaan lang siya diyan, nakikiusap akong iabot ninyo sa kanya ang inyong mabuting
pakikitungo at ituring siyang parang anak hanggang makahanap siya ng mabuting pagkakataon o
okasyon upang dumating...Hinihiling kong kilalanin niyo si Bb. Josephine bilang isang taong kong labis na
pinapahalagahan at hindi ko nais makitang malagay siya (sa panganib) o mapabayaan...” Sulat ni Rizal
kay Donya Teodora Alonzo, Marso 14, 1895.

SOURCE: Displayed texts in the Museo ni Jose Rizal Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte. Personal photos of
Ms. Joson.
 MODULE 8: DEATH OF RIZAL
Learning Objectives:

By the end of this lesson, the student will be able to:

1. Understand the circumstances that led to Rizal’s execution;
2. Discuss the retraction of Rizal;
3. Discuss the unpublished statement of Rizal.

On August 1, 1896, he volunteered as a surgeon for the Spanish Army in Cuba with the letter of
recommendation from Gov. Gen. Blanco, but there was the yellow fever outbreak also Cuban Civil War.
August 7- September 3, Gov. Gen. Blanco was promoted and a new Gov. General- Polavieja was
appointed. He boarded the Spanish cruiser Castilla bound for Barcelona. Rizal was kept as a prisoner in
his cabin. Upon reaching Barcelona, he was immediately deported to Manila. In another article, Rizal
was transferred to Isla de Panay and was unable to reach Spain which immediately left for Manila to
allow Rizal to stand on trial. Paciano was tortured nearly to death in an attempt to suborn a confession
implicating Jose in a rebellion. Rizal opposed violence and wrote a statement which was not published.
Jose Rizal made a statement to clarify his stand on the rebellion; the statement was NOT PUBLICLY
RELEASED. He opposed the use of his name in an impending rebellion. His desires for the liberty of the
Philippines is through education and civic duties. Rizal’s unpublished statement:

“Holding these ideas, I cannot do less than condemn and I do condemn this uprising- as absurd, savage
and plotted behind my back- which dishonors us Filipinos and discredits those who could plead our
causeI abhor its criminal methods and disclaim all part in it, pitying from the bottom of my heart the
unwary who have been deceived. Return then to your homes and may God pardon those who have
worked in badfaith!”

Friends from the Philippines and London made an effort to petition a Writ of Habeas Corpus in a court
in Singapore, but Rizal was imprisoned in Fort Santiago. On December 3, he was charged with Treason,
Sedition and Forming of Illegal Societies. On December 12, he gave a stove/alcohol lamp with a poem
“My Last Farewell” inside. On December 26, he was formally condemned to death by the Spanish Court
Martial. Pi y Margall, the president of the Republic pleaded for the life of Rizal, but the Queen Regent
refused pardon. On December 30, he was allegedly married an Irish woman, Josephine Bracken.
Archbishop Nozaleda and Father Padre Pio Pi, demanded that Rizal put his signature on a “retraction of
his errors”, which the Church claimed that he did. The Consejo de Guerra ordered the sentence of death
by firing squad and payment of the sum of 100,000 php as damages incurred to the State. On December
10, 1896, an order from the Governor Politico-Militar ordered the confiscation of Rizal’s properties in
Dapitan, estimated one (1) million pesos at that time. The confiscation of properties were made on
December 26, 1896.On January 15, 1897, Cosme Borromeo was appointed as custodian of Rizal’s
properties in Dapitan. He was buried in a secret grave at the Paco Cemetery. On December 30, 1912,
his ashes were interred in the Rizal Mausoleum in Luneta.

SOURCES:
Asuncion Lopez-Bantug etal. Indio Bravo: The Story of Jose Rizal. Manila:
Tahanan Books, 1997.
Asuncion Lopez-Bantug. Lolo Jose: An Intimate and Illustrated Portrait of Rizal. Quezon City: Vibal
Publishing Inc, 2008.