The Truth about Rizal’s Retraction

A Paper

Presented to the

Faculty of Philosophy

Divine Word Mission Seminary

_________________________

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements

for Readings in Philippine History

__________________________

Mr. Jay Mhar Z. Gaffud, LPT

Teacher

___________________________

S.Y. 2020-2021

Samson Quela
Lawrence Mari Lanon
Jaykyl Polido
 Abstract:

For a hundred years, there has been a lot of debate regarding the
truth of Rizal’s retraction. Some Rizalists claim that it is
unconceivable for a man like Rizal to suddenly retract very
quickly despite the numerous witness accounts and the document
itself presented to them. They claim that it is against his
nature to retract all that he wrote after all the things he had
done. They even went as far as claiming that the signature at the
bottom of the document itself is fake, which contradicts the
claims of historians and signature checkers. In this paper, the
three of us will go back to the past and see if Rizal did really
retract or not.

Outline:

I. Introduction
- José Protacio Rizal, Mercado, Alonso y Realonda, or simply
known as Jose Rizal, is the national hero of the Philippines. As
a son of a prosperous landowner, he was educated in Manila and at
the University of Madrid. Even as a young child, Jose portrayed
superior intelligence that rivals kids older than him, for he
recites the alphabet at age 3 and can read and write by age 51.
He also graduated high school with highest honors at the age of
162. After that, he further pursued his training in land
surveying which was finished in 1877. He passed his exam to get
his license in this field in May of 1878.

However, he was unable to receive the license because he was

underage, which he later acquired in 1881.

On the times he didn’t have his license, he pursued medicine at

the University of Santo Tomas, but he didn’t stay long because he
1
https://rizalinfo.weebly.com/jose-p-rizal.html#:~:text=Cruz%2C
%20Manila.,by%20his%20moldings%20of%20clay.
2
https://biography.yourdictionary.com/articles/jose-rizal-biography.html
said that “the Dominican instructors were being discriminatory of
Filipino students”. He then went to Madrid and enrolled in the
Central University of Madrid in May of 1882. At age 23, he
graduated with a medical degree, then a year after he obtained
another degree in Philosophy and Letters.

He went back to school again to advance his knowledge in

ophthalmology. He then studied in Paris and Germany and completed
another doctorate degree in Heidelberg in 1887.

He then moved to Europe and stay there for 10 years. In his stay,
he learned 10 languages which he can speak fluently. He also
wrote novels, in which one was “Noli Me tangere” which was
printed in Berlin in 1887. This offended the Catholic Church and
despite his numerous apologies he was labeled as a troublemaker.

II. The Trial and Death of Rizal

- When Rizal was sent back to the Philippines, his trial
commenced on December 6, 1896 by a Spanish military court for
sedition, rebellion, and conspiracy. He was implicated in the
revolution which was launched in August 1896 by the Katipunan led
by Andres Bonifacio, aiming the liberation of the Philippines
from Spanish rule3. At the time of his arrest, he was supposed to
leave for Cuba after he was allowed by Spanish Governor-General
Ramon Blanco to serve as a military surgeon in Cuba where there
was also a revolution against Spain. He was then arrested while
en route to Spain, imprisoned in Barcelona and sent back later to
Manila to stand trial.

3
https://kahimyang.com/kauswagan/articles/796/today-in-philippine-
history-december-6-1896-the-trial-of-dr-jose-rizal-by-a-spanish-military-
court-for-sedition-rebellion-and-conspiracy-began
He was charged with the following4:
- The formation of illegal societies
- Inciting the present rebellion.

He pleaded his innocence to the court, stating fact after fact

that logically proves that he is not guilty. Rizal added verbally
that to dream of “liberty” was quite different from fighting for
“independence”5. Unfortunately, the Council for War unanimously
voted for a death sentence. In December 28, 1896, Governor
Camillio C. de Polavieja decreed his approval of the sentence of
death, and stated in the decree that “Rizal should be shot to
death at 7:00 in the morning on the 30th of December 1896 on
Bagumbayan field”, in which Captain Rafael Dominguez would take
charge. This would lead to a series of events, including the part
where Rizal retracted and in December 30, 1896 at 7:00 in the
morning, he will have his last breath.

III. The Reason’s for Rizal’s Retraction

- "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God
the things that are God's." - Matthew 22:21

The retraction has been the source of numerous debates. It

is inevitable that someone will object the document since it is
against to most people’s view of Rizal, for he was often seen as
a man of unbendable will, and the retraction made him such a
wimp. One such person is Dr. Rafael Palma, a politician,
Rizalian, and a famous Freemason.

He claims that “the narrative of the Jesuit Priests is anonymous,

and it is composed in such a puerile manner that it reads like a
4
Jose M. Hernandez, “Rizal” p. 212
5
Jose M. Hernandez, “Rizal” p. 215
story designed for children”6. But what could be Rizal’s
motivation in creating such a controversial document?

According to the statement of Atty. Francisco Rodrigo during

his speech at a symposium on Rizal’s retraction which is
documented on a booklet published by San Beda entitled “I Abjured
Masonry”, “Let us remember that Rizal made his retraction on the
eve of his execution. Dr. Rizal believed in God. No one denies
it. This is very evident from his writings -especially the “Mi
Ultimo Adios”. It should be evident that his being was thoroughly
imbued with Catholic precepts”7. It was stated there that Rizal
accepted his fate and knew that in the few moments, he will be
facing his second trial, the trial of the soul. He will
eventually discuss with God if he is worthy of salvation or I he
will be “damned”. Thus, Rizal retracted because of his “fear that
his soul would not rest in peace” which is repeatedly implied by
Fr. Balaguer and colleagues8.

As to date, there are three factions that tells different

interpretations of the retractions. One insists that he did, then
confessed, hear Mass in the morning and received communion, and
then married to Josephine Bracken. Another claims that the
retraction is a forgery, therefore making it false and invalid.
Finally, there are some who said that the retraction didn’t
happen at all because “he didn’t feel he had committed any”9. The
second and third faction then joined forces, making the decisions
of all historians and Rizalians split.

IV. The Verdict: Proofs of Rizal’s Retraction

6
Dr. Rafael Palma, “The Pride of the Malay Race” p. 333
7
Jose M. Hernandez, “Rizal” p. 289
8
Leon Ma. Guerrero, “The First Filipino: A Biography of Jose Rizal”
p.454.
9
Asuncion Lopez Bantug, “Lolo Jose: An Intimate Portrait of Rizal” p.
187.
 - “The tenacious sons of St. Ignatius of Loyola had never
given up hope of converting their former pupil to Catholicism and
subject Rizal to a terrific mental pressure”10.

What could be the best evidence that Rizal indeed retracted?

Below is an image of the official retraction handwritten and
signed by none other than Jose Rizal himself at 12:30 on the
night of December 29th.

11

Here is the English Translation:

“I declare that I am a Catholic, and in this religion, in
which I was born and educated, I wish to live and die.

I retract with all my heart anything in my words, writings,

publications and conduct that has been contrary to my character
as a child of the Church. I believe and profess what it teaches.
I submit to what it demands. I abominate Masonry as an enemy of
the Church and as a society prohibited by it.

The Diocesan Prelate, as the superior ecclesiastical authority,

may make this manifestation public. I declare this

10
Carlos Quirino, “The Great Malayan: The Biography of Rizal” p. 326
11
From the book “Rizal” by Jose M. Hernandez, located between pgs. 248
and 249 in courtesy of the San Beda College
spontaneously, in order to repair any scandal which my acts may
have caused and so that God and man may pardon me”.

Manila, December 29th, 1896

Jose Rizal

Now, is it genuine? This document has been examined by

handwriting experts. One of which was Dr. Jose Del Rosario, a
Filipino Catholic and an Ateneo graduate, that concluded the
document along with the signature as authentic. Another was
Professor Otley Beyer, a non-Catholic and not a graduate from
Ateneo, who also found the document as authentic. Its
authenticity was then further bolstered by the testimonies of
persons who, despite not being not handwriting experts, were able
to determine its genuineness. One of those was Don Teodoro Kalaw,
a non-Catholic and a Mason, who concluded the document as
“genuine, final, and authentic”12.

There were also some close relatives of the hero, namely Dr.
Bantug and Dr. Leoncio Lopez Rizal, our hero’s nephew, concluding
that it was in fact genuine. Professor Austin Craig, a well-known
historian and an authority on the life of Rizal, also testified
to the authenticity of the document, stating that “Way back in
1912 I already made references to the retraction, for I was sure
then that Rizal signed such a retraction.

The text as I knew it is identical to that recently published in

the Herald which two days ago reported the discovery of the

12
Jose M. Hernandez, “Rizal” p. 282
original document13. With these confirmations of authenticity,
Rizal’s retraction is in fact, true. As Atty. Rodrigo said,
“Contra factum non valet argumentum”14.

To further boost the authenticity, here are the names of those

who witnessed the signing of the retraction document itself15:

- Fr. Viza
- Fr. Pio Pi
- Fr. Silvino Dominguez
- Fiscal Gaspar Castaño,
- Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda
- Gen. Rafael Dominguez
- Fr. Rosell
- Fr. Vicente Balaguer
- Fr. Tomas Feijoo
- Luis Taviel de Andrande

These witnesses were regarded by those who denies the retraction

as “invalid”, especially Dr. Palma, because most of them are
priests and Rizal hates priests. But if one would look closely,
not all of them are priests, in fact even Rizal’s defense
counsel, Luis Taviel de Andrande, whom Rizal reposed full
confidence, testified to its validity. Not only does this
validate the authenticity of the retraction, but it also provides
more accurate depictions of what really happened in that timeline
where Rizal officially retracted.

13
Jose M. Hernandez, “Rizal” p. 282
14
Jose M. Hernandez, “Rizal” p. 283
15
Jose M. Hernandez, “Rizal” p. 283
To further boost its genuineness, here are some circumstantial
evidences16:

- No protest in 1896 = the statement “the retraction was only

presented to the public in 1935 from the Manila Cathedral
archives” is false, because right after Rizal’s execution,
the newspapers in that date portrayed the full copy of the
retraction. But nobody questioned them and even those who
refutes Rizal’s retraction, namely Dr. Palma, states in his
book that “none of Rizal’s friends protested at that time”.
- Retraction published in 1897 with other retractions = on
February 28, 1897, it was again published in a pamphlet
entitled “La Politicia de España en Filipinas”, depicting
the official copy of Rizal’s retraction along with 9 others,
which are handwritten by the following:
o Francisco Rojas
o Ramon Padilla
o Luis Villareal
o Faustino Villareal
o Moises Salvador
o Jose Dizon
o Antonio Salazar
o Geronimo Cristobal Medina
o General Antonio Luna
- Dr. Rizal’s Marriage Certificate = Rizal cannot be married
to Josephine Bracken canonically by a priest because of the
strict laws of the Catholic Church especially in the case
that he was a Mason.

16
Jose M. Hernandez, “Rizal” p. 284
- It has its own evidences, namely the official testimony of
Josephine Bracken herself and the dedication of Rizal to his
wife in “Mi Ultimo Adios” stating the phrase “Dulce
Extranjera, Mi Amiga, Mi Alegria” depicting that Josephine
was indeed his wife, not just depicting her as “esposa”.

- He also gave a very Catholic Book entitled “Imitation of

Christ” to his sister Josefa and “Anchor of Salvation” to
his sister Trinidad
- Rizal’s Christian Burial Certificate = formally stating that
Rizal was given, quote, “Cristiana Sepultura” synonymous to
“Catholic Burial”, which would have been definitely
impossible if he didn’t retract.
- Religious Last Words = As admitted by Dr. Palma himself,
Rizal told the Jesuit Priest accompanying him by his side
these words: “We are on the road to Calvary. I can well
realize now the Passion of Christ. Mine is so
insignificant”, along with his “act of kissing the
crucifix”.
V. Reasons Why Some Masons and Other Rizal Scholars Denies
Retraction
- “Rizal’s conversion was a pious fraud to make the people
believe that that extraordinary man broke down and succumbed
before the Catholic Church which he had fought” – Dr. Rafael
Palma17

Despite the numerous evidences presented, some people rejected

its validity and even declaring it as a “forgery”. One of them
was Ricardo Pascual, the author of “Dr. Jose Rizal Beyond the
Grave” and the first to study handwriting used in the
retraction, stating that “anyone cannot fail to notice the
various forms of capital letters found in the retraction”18,
therefore concluding it as somebody’s, not Rizal’s.

Carlos Quirino then stated in his book that those who claim
that the retraction is false is because they say that “Rizal
is not the type to return weakling at a crucial moment like
that”, followed by, “All the years of his manhood had been
devoted to breaking the stronghold of corrupt religion in the
Philippines? Certainly not!”19.

also stated that “Even if the retraction were genuine, much of

its value would be lost because it was obtained by means of
mental duress; for there can be no gainsaying the fact that
the incessant hammering on Rizal was in reality a mental
third-degree much worse than a bodily inquisition”20.

17
Dr. Rafael Palma, “The Pride of the Malay Race” p. 343
18
Ricardo Pascual Ph.D, “Dr. Jose Rizal Beyond the Grave” p. 22
(http://www.xeniaeditrice.it/rpascualocrpdf.pdf)
19
Carlos Quirino, “the Great Malayan: The Biography of Rizal” p. 331
20
Carlos Quirino, “the Great Malayan: The Biography of Rizal” p. 332
 To summarize, most of them defended their belief by asking
“why was the retraction late”. Now, why was it late? Here are
some answers21:

- Document Unimportant Then = It wasn’t as controversial as it

is today because Rizal wasn’t seen as the national hero we
see him now, therefore making it unimportant in that time
period.
- Faulty Filing System = THE CASE WAS ALREADY A SETTLED,
ADMITTED ISSUE FOR OVER TEN YEARS. And because of that along
with its unimportance, it wasn’t filed properly.
- Perfect timing by Enemies = in 1907, the enemies of the
Church starting to question the validity of the retraction.
It was then most probable, because of having a lengthy time
passed by, misplaced or lost.
- It was only then found by Fr. Gracia, the appointed
archivist for the new vault of documents to preserve the
remaining important historical documents so that it wont be
lost and destroyed like what happened to the files burned
when a fire broke out in Intramuros that gutted Ateneo de
Manila and Sta. Isabel College. One day, he came upon
bundles of retractions, one of which was Rizal’s.

No one denies that Rizal believed in God. It is very

evident in his writings, especially in “Mi Ultimo Adios”. I
then quote Atty. Rodrigo, “Should we wonder, then that Rizal
retracted?”22 He had already given us everything he could
offer. Should we deny him the interest of his soul to rest
in God’s hands? Can we not let him keep for himself even
that?

VI. Conclusion
21
Jose M. Hernandez, “Rizal” p. 286
22
Jose M. Hernandez, “Rizal” p. 290
“For those who believe – no justification is necessary; for the
skeptics, whose criterion for belief is not in the minds but in
their wills – no justification is possible.”23 This quotation
explains the veracity of the evidences presented before you as
proof of the retraction of the great hero of the Philippine
Republic. Dr. Rizal, a man of great will and intellect risked
everything for his motherland: His education, his works and his
career.

“Very well, Father, I promise you that I shall spend the time
24
that remains to me in life asking God for the grace of faith”.

Even as a Mason, Rizal didn’t attack the Church as a religion,

instead it was meant for those who abuse their powers and
privileges as priests and friars. It is obvious in both the Noli
Me Tangere, El Filibusterismo, and other documents he wrote even
while he was a member of the La Liga Filipina. As Atty. Rodrigo
said, “Wouldn’t it be strange if, in his last moments Rizal would
want to ensure the salvation of his soul by reconciling himself
to the Faith?”25

Like a candle in its last moment of illumination, Dr. Rizal

trembled when his final moment arrived. He saved Filipinos from
ignorance of the abuses before them but can’t he save himself
from eternal damnation? Should we prohibit a noble man from doing
it?

23
Gregorio and Sonia M. Zaide, “Jose Rizal: Life, Works, and Writings of
a Genius Writer, Scientist, and National Hero” p. 265
24
Leon Ma. Guerrero, “The First Filipino” p. 454
25
Jose M. Hernandez, “Rizal” p. 290
We cannot say that he can’t retract because he is a man of his
words and action. Yes, he is against the abuses of the
representatives of the Spanish Crown, both civil and
ecclesiastical here in the Philippines. He wanted “reform” not
“independence” that makes the verdict of the military court as
false and biased because Dr. Rizal wanted to preserve Philippines
as part of Imperial Spain.

But, at the eclipse of his life after the persuasion of his

former priest professors from Ateneo Municipal de Manila, the
spiritual aid ordered by Archbishop Nozaleda, upon seeing again
the small “baticolin” image of the Sacred Heart whom he carved
when he was young, the prayerful readings at his cell, his daily
prayers at the chapel in Fort Santiago, gave him a long night to
ponder and through prayerful meditation of his life, the best and
its worst chapters: he retracted.

Again, we are reminded to render to Caesar what do belongs to

Caesar and to God what belongs to God. Let us keep our peace and
rest from reviving this SOLVED issue regarding his conversion
back to the faith. Dr. Rizal wrote the Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo to give us knowledge, he also wrote the retraction
to save his soul. Let us now give our national hero an
everlasting peace, let us look at him with awe for being a
shinning guide to his people and a faithful servant to his Lord
and King.

The retraction was his parting gift to his mortal body before
facing his Master; The God of Justice and Peace in whose presence
no truth is a forgery.

VII. Bibliography
Primary Sources:

Hernandez, Jose M., Rizal, Manila: Alemar’s, 1950.

Palma, Rafael, The Pride of the Malay Race: A Biography of Jose

Rizal, New York: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1949.

Bantug, Asuncion L., Lolo Jose: An Intimate Portrait of Rizal,

Manila: Ministry of Human Settlements, Intramuros
Administration, 1982.

Secondary Sources:

Zaide, Gregorio F. and Zaide, Sonia M., Jose Rizal: Life Works,
and Writings of a Genius, Writer, Scientist, and
National Hero, Metro Manila: National Book Store, Inc.,
1984.

Guerrero, Leon Ma., The First Filipino: A biography of Jose

Rizal, Manila: National Heroes Commission, 1963.

Online Sources:

Chua, Xiao, The Retraction of Jose Rizal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYzG6tbcYxk

Pag-aaral ng Buhay ni Rizal, dapat pang palalimin:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXJ2R4S87CM

RIZAL-RETRACTION-CONTROVERSY-by-Dr.-Rene-Escalante.pdf