Site of the First Mass Father Bernard studied all the Pigafetta’s maps, which

place in Mazau off the southern tip of the larger island of

Antonio Pigafetta
Leyte, a check with the modern maps will show that this
The first Catholic Mass in the PH was held on March 31, jives with Limasawa and not Masao or Butuan.
1521
EVIDENCE FOR LIMASAWA
Eastern Sunday
1. The evidence of Albo’s Log book
*Father Pedro de Valderrama 2. The Evidence of Pigafetta
a. Pigafetta’s testimony regarding the route
Located at the Southern Leyte b. The evidence of Pigafetta’s map
popularly known as the birthplace of the church in the c. The two native kings
Philippines d. The seven days at “Mazaua”
e. An argument from omission
Holy First Mass marked the birth of Roman Catholicism 3. Summary of the evidence of Albo and Pigafetta
in the Philippines 4. Confirmatory evidence from the Legazpi Expedition
CONTRVERSIES BETWEEN LIMASAWA AND
MASAO/BUTUAN
EVIDENCE FOR MASAO
Masao
1. The name of the place
1872: A monument to commemorate the site of the first 2. The route from Homonhon
mass on the Philippines was erected in Butuan 3. The latitude position
4. The geographical features
1953: The People in Butuan asked the Philippine
a. The bonfire
Historical Committee to rehabilitate the monument or
b. The balanghai
place a marker on the site.
c. House
On the basis of this objection the monument was re d. Abundance of gold
erected but the marble slab atting it was te site of the e. A developed settlement
first mass was removed
Zaide identified Masao in Butuan as the location of the
first mass. The basis Zaide’s claim is the diary of
Antonio Pigafetta, chronicle of Magellan’s voyage
Limasawa
Jaime de Veyra stated that the first mass was celebrated Retraction Letter of Rizal
in Limasawa not in Butuan
- July 31- Left Dapitan
Historian Pablo Pastells stating by the footnote to - August 6- arrived in Manila
Francisco Colin’s Labor Evangelica that Magellan did - September 3- Left Manila for Spain
not go to Butuan but from LImsaswa to Cebu - September 7- stopped over in Singapore
- September 30- Left for Spain
Francisco Albo (pilot of Magellan’s flagship does not
- October 3- ship arrived in Barcelona
mention the first mass ut he writes that they erected a
- October 6- jailed at Montjuich Castle; 8:00 pm
cross on a mountain which overlooked three islands the
sailed for Manila
west and the southwest.
- November 3- arrived in Manila
James Robertson agreed with Pastells in a footnote that - November 20- preliminary investigation began
“Mazaua” was actually LImasawa
Bago siya mamatay: Disyembre 29, 1896
IN the authentic account of Pigafetta the port was not in
Butuan but an island named Mazua (Masawa) - Maraming bisita
- Bumisita ang mga propesor nya dati
- Nakipag usap tugnkol sa relihiyon
- Ssabi ni Rev. Bernardino Nozaleda, nun niya - Rev. Bernardino Nozaleda- Archibishop noon
sinulat ang liham ng retraksyon ng Maynila
APAT NA BERSYON NG SULAT
- La Voz Espanola, December 30, 1896
- Bersyon ni Fr. Balaguer, January 1897
- “original” text galling sa archdiocesan achives
on May 18, 1935
- El Imparcial noong araw na namatay si Rizal’s
(short formula)
FR. BALAGUER
- Barcelona, Spain, on February 14, 1897
- Lumabas makalipas ang 14 taon
- Sinabi niya kay Fr. Pio Pi nung 1910 na
nakatanggap siya ng kopya ng retrakskyon na
sulat ni Rizal at may pirma niya
- Di nya rin alam kung may gumaya lang sa sulat
ni Rizal
- Natanggap niya daw ang kopya noong gabing
namatay si Rizal
- Pindala niya kay Fr. Pio Pi upang husgahan o
suriin kung si Rizal nga ba may sulat nito
- Hindi rin sinabi ni Pi kung siya nga o hindi
LA VOZ ESPANOLA
- Sila ang nakapagsabing nabasa at Nakita nga
nila ang ORIHINAL na kopya ng retraksyon
- Pinadala DAW sa Arsobispo ito
- Sinabi nila ito kahit pati ang pamilya ni Rizal
ay hindi naman nakita ang Retraksyon
Dagdag kontrobersiya
- Pinadala ito sa Secretary of Chancery,
Rev. Thomas Gonzales FEijoo, at tuluyan
nang Nawala
ARCHDEOCEAN ARCHIVIST FR. MANUEL
GARCIA, C.M.
- Natagpuan ang nawalang kopya
- Mas nabuahy ang isyu dahil iba ito sa kopya na
meron ag Arsobispo at mg Jesuits
ORIGINAL COPY VS. FR. BALAGUER
- Ang “original copy” ang salitang mis
cualidades at sa kopya ni Fr. Balaguer mi
calidad
- Mayroong Catholica pagkatapos ng unang
Iglesia sa “Original copy”
Jesuit's
LA MASONIZACION DE FILIPINAS -
RIZAL Y SU OBRA
7 am Dec 29:
JUDGE DOMINGUEZ notified Rizal of the death
sentence
- Sa kopya ni Fr. Balaguer may salitang misma
bago sa pangatlong Iglesias na wala naman sa
“original copy”
- Sa kopya ni Fr. Balaguer di nag sisimula ang
pangalawang paragraph bago sa panglimang
pangungusap.
- Sa “original copy” naman ay nagsimula ang
pangalawang paragraph pagkatapos ng
pangalawang pangungusap
- Sa “original copy” mayroon lamang na 4 na
comma ngunit sa kopya ni Fr. Balaguer may 11
- Magkaiba ang mga saksi sa parehang kopya.
The first text was published in La Voz Espanola
and Diaro de Manila on the very day of Rizal’s
execution, December 30, 1896
The second text appeared in Barcelona, Spain on
February 14, 1897 in the fortnightly magazine La
Juventud
The Original text was discovered in the
archdiocesan archives on May 18, 1935 (Fr.
Manuel Garcia)
The fourth text appeared in El Imparcial on the
day after Rizal’s execution. It is the short formula of
the retraction
“If Rizal retracted, he wouldnothave been executed
. But he was executed, therefore, Rizal did not
retract.”
The earliest account was published in Spain 1897; it
was found in chapter 17 of a book called La
Masonizacion de Filipinas, Rizal y su Orba,
printed by Tipografica Catolica of Barcelona. The
author was thought to have been Fr. Pastells.
………………………….
Father Simo (diplomat of society), carried the
instructions of the Archbishop to the Jesuits
9:00 am, Dec 29 :
Father Rosell took the place of Fr. Mata and Fr.
Viza
10:00 am: Fr. Vilaclara and Fr. Balaguer, conversed
with him, gave him a medal of the Virgin
Fr. March replaced the two priests afterwards
Lunch:Don Manuel Luengo (civil governor of
Manila), and Fr. Faura (director of Manila
Observatory) visited
Rizal's mother, w/ Trinidad, arrives
10:00 pm
Formula of Retraction was sent to the chapel
11:30 pm
Rizal signed the letter of retraction and then slept
Rizal asked for pen & paper to write the letters for
Blumentritt, for his family, for Paciano...
read his retraction to the Jesuit fathers, Judge
Advocate, chief of the picket, and Adjutant of the
Plaza, and three artillery forces
5:30 am
Rizal ate breakfast w/ the officers
6:00 am
Josephine came with Rizal's sister
7:00 am, Dec 30, 1896
Jose Rizal was shot
in Bagumbayan
CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF
RIZAL'S ALLEGED RETRACTION
Rafael Palma was a Filipino politician, Rizalian, reporter, writer,
educator and a famous mason in Philippines. He also became
the fourth President of the University of the Philippines, The
“Builder President”
Wrote in La Independencia, the newspaper that General Antonio
Luna established. He wrote articles advocating revolutionary
ideals under the names Dapit Hapon, Hapon, Robert Paul and
R.P. Villa.
2.denied petitions Rizal's Family for the copy of the
In 1938, Rafael Palma once again proved his literary talent. He
won the first prize in the national contest on the biography of
Rizal conducted by Commonwealth government.
I. Critical Examination of the Booklet Released by
the Jesuits:
•The narrative by the Jesuits is anonymous.
•The narrative is written in a puerile manner. It reads
like a story designed for children.
•The narrative has a lot of inaccuracies:
•The narrative contains a portion of details and
exaggerations
•The narrative does not mention that the document of
retraction was signed by Rizal with witnesses
II. OTHER PUBLICATIONS
•Murio el Dr. Rizal Cristianamente-Reconstitucion de
las Ultimas Horas de su Vida-Estudio Historico (Did
Doctor Rizal Die as a Christian?-Reconstruction of
the Last Hours of His Life-An Historical Study) by
Don Gonzalo Ma. Pinana, 1920
* reproduces the testimony of persons who are
involved in the conversion and retraction of Rizal
*Sources of evidences used:
1.What was published in local press and in Spain
about Rizal's Retraction
2.What was published in magazines, history books,
and other printed matter
3.The notarial minutes duly authenticated of the
declarations given by persons who visited Rizal in the
chapel or who intervened in the act of his retraction
and conversion
Fr. Viza (App.1)
Fr. Pio Pi (App.2)
Fr. Silvino Lopez Tunon (App.3)
Archbishop Bernandino Nozaleda (App.4)
Gen. Rafel Dominguez (App. 6)
Fiscal Gaspar Castano (App.7)
Rev. Fr. Rosell (App.8)
Rev. Fr. Vicente Balaguer (App.9)
Luis Taviel de Andrade (App. 13)
Fr. Tomas Feijoo ((App. 14)
*copy of proceedings of Rizal's execution (App. 5)
*death certificates (App. 10, 11, & 12): Juan Fresno
(supposed witness to the document of retraction),
Eloy Moure (supposed witness to the document of
retraction) and Antonio Diaz (Military Chief of Fort
Santiago)
III. Coetaneous Acts in Accordance
with the Belief of Rizal's Retraction
1.secrecy of the document
document of retraction and the marriage certificate
 3.secrecy of burial
4.no masses were said for his soul or funeral held by
Catholics
5.Rizal's indecent burial- buried in the ground
without any cross or stone to mark his grave
6.Rizal's name was written on a special page wherein
appear those buried by special orders
7.no moral motive for the conversion
IV. Why would Rizal renounce his religious ideas
and his glory - Reasons why retraction can't be
believed?
“The Archbishop was interested in his conversion for
political motives, and the Jesuits lent themselves as
his argument.”
 Filipino historian and educator
 professor emeritus of history at the University of the
Philippines
died on January 7, 1979
president of the Philippine Historical Association in
1962
 recipient of the Cultural Heritage Award of the
Philippines in 1969.
HISTORICAL METHODOLOGY
- Certain conditions in delving among old documents
 - Genuineness/authenticity of the documents
 - Accuracy of the writer
 - Author’s truthfulness and good faith
RETRACTION
- Documents about retraction came from:
Ratified and notarized declarations
Accounts from the newspapers that time
Three eye-witnesses
Father Balaguer
 - Fr Balaguer left Rizal’s cell, accompanied by
Josephine and a sister of Rizal, with the retraction
 - Delivered the document to Fr. Pio who deliver it to
Archbishop Nozaleda who deliver it to Sec. Gonzalez
Feijoo
Captain Rafael Dominguez
 Notes contains an hour by hour record of Rizal’s
last 24 hours
Father Viza
 Rizal wrote and signed of his own handwriting, in
own presence of Viza, the document of retraction on
the night of Dec 26, 1896
Father Pio Pi
3. In the desire for historical truth in much later years,
 - Father Balaguer handed out the retraction
documents to Father Pi
 - After having a copy for their archives, Fr. Pi then
gave the document to the Archbishop the next day
Silvino Lopez Tunon
 - He learned from one of the Jesuit Fathers that Rizal
received Sacraments of Penance and Communion and
was married to Josephine after having written and
signed the retraction document
Archbishop Nozaleda
 - Rizal made slight variations in his retraction from
the proposed text by Fr. Pi
 - Fr. Pi gave the document to the Archbishop then
handed it to the Secretary of the Archbishopric
Gaspar Castano
 - Few days after the death of Rizal, Castano saw and
read Rizal’s retraction paper wherein the later
declared himself a Catholic
Father Rosell
 - On Dec 30, 1896, Rosell saw the retraction paper in
Ateneo
Luis Taviel de Andrade
 - Heard that in the morning of Rizal’s execution,
married Josephine
 - Upon arriving at the door, saw Rizal in an attitude
of praying then Rizal came out after kissing the statue
of the Sacred Heart
 - Doctor Rizal died as a Christian
Gonzalez Feijoo
 - The retraction document was handed to him for
safekeeping in the archives of the Secretary’s office
 - The retraction remained in the archives in his
custody until May 26, 1899 before he had to turn over
everything it to his successor Presbiter Ignacio
Ampuero
B. ARGUMENTS
Are the documents genuine?
Are the documents’ writers accurate?
Are the authors truthful and of good faith?
Arguments of Mr. Palma
Counter argument of Mr Zafra
ARGUMENTS
P: 1. The retraction information was published late
that could be unauthenticated.
Z: 1. There were others who published and confirmed
Rizal’s retraction a few years after his death. An
example would be Father Pio Pi. S.J. who published
La Muerte Cristiana del Dr. Rizal.
2. The others fell silent because of the insignificance
of Rizal’s retraction.
people began the search of Rizals’ retraction and
 different versions of duly notarized documents.
P: 2. The notarized documents and narratives of
witnesses were of ecclesiastics and their friends that
will automatically not contradict the other.
P: 3. Taviel de Andrade’s testimony to be a mere
hearsay.
Z: 1. Taviel de Adrade worked closely with Rizal
with him having to observe Rizal closely.
2. Taviel de Andrade also stated that “Doctor Rizal
died as a Christian ratifying thereby the retraction of
his errors which he made in the chapel”.
3. The supposed hearsay testimony of Andrade was
not of the retraction but the canonical marriage of
Rizal to Josephine Bracken.
4. Andrade’s information came from fellow officers.
P: 4.) The “coetaneous acts” that undermine the belief
that Rizal retracted:
a.The document of retraction was kept secret
b.The request of the Rizal family to have the original
or a copy was both denied.
c.Rizal’s burial was kept secret.
d.No masses or funeral was held by the Catholics.
e.He was not buried in the Catholic cemetery of Paco
but in the ground.
f.There was no entry in the book of burials that
Rizal’s body was buried on the page of December 30
and it appears on a special page where special orders
of authorities are indicated.
 : the folder that had been found in the records was
1. The retraction document was seen by Fathers
Balaguer, Pio Pi, Viza, Rosell, Feijoo, Tunon,
Archbishop Nozaleda, Captain Dominguez and
Justice Castano.
 : the binding seemed to be quite the original binding
2. Trining’s statement in 1913 about the family not
seeing the document was a mere “vagaries of
memory.” Trining’s states that they were promised by
the Jesuits to let them see the retraction document
during the requiem offered by the Jesuits on behalf of
 >>>Has been filed in the marriage file which
Rizal.
a.The Jesuits no longer had the original document of
retraction.
b.The family’s need to see the document was of no
purpose because the copy of the retraction document
was published in the newspapers.
3. The chaplain of the cemetery confirmed the burial
in a report submitted to Archbishop Nozaleda on Dec.
30, 1896. Father Silvino Lopez Tunon explains that
 : every word on that sheet of paper was written by
the body of Doctor Rizal received ecclesiastical
burial.”
 : The document is in his normal handwriting
 : the signature is normal
 : no one can write his name five times exactly the
 : there is always difference in the form
4. The arrangements for the disposal of Rizal’s body
were made by the government authorities. It is
decided as such because the body might be used for
demonstration.
The genuineness or authenticity of the retraction
document
1. Proved to be authentic according to the Professor
of Anthropology, University of the Philippines and
curator of the University of the Philippines Museum
of Archeology and Ethnology in a written account in
the Philippines Herald on December 29, 1938.
Zafra’s Conclusion
Rizal never hated the whole church but the persons in
the church that did hideous acts. A fact is that Rizal
even created a character in his novel that represents a
good priest, Padre Florentino.
Rizal did retract and not a “pious fraud”.
Dr. Beyer’s Remarks at the Faculty Club
Symposium Held at Diliman on March 10, 1950
Dr. Beyer examined the document of Rizal’s
retraction twice.
o First: shortly after the document was found by
someone looking through the marriage records in
the Archbishop’s file
: He was asked by Fr. Fletcher , secretary of
Archbishop O’ Doherty, to make an examination of
the document whether or not it was genuine for his
personal information
of the usual Spanish catalan paper containing a
series of documents about ½ inch thick, legal
documents bound together
that had not been disturbed for decades and had
been put there in the beginning.
: there were contained documents relating to the
marriage of Josephine Bracken.
contained 3 o 4 letters from Rizal
He was not satisfied for the 3-4 other letters signed
by Rizal he had to give a genuine opinion on the
writing until he had other letters and writings of
Rizal to compare with the document
He examined it in comparison with probably 150
other letters and documents in Rizal’s Handwriting
His opinion
Rizal except the signatures of the witnesses below
same
two important things to remember when
 examining handwriting
 a man in writing puts a lot of unconscious
characteristic which flow out of his hand
there are little tricks and curves
 a man’s signature varies a great deal from day to
day, month to month and year to year, and liable to
change, and so on
it is impossible to forge any other man’s writing in a
way that cannot be detected
 you cannot imitate 3 or 4 lines of writing without
getting a lot of your own tricks into it
 you cannot copy all of the original writer’s own
tricks accurately enough
Observation on the document of Retraction of Dr.
Jose Rizal
by : Dr. Jose del Rosario
1.The execution and writing movement in
capital letters INLCUDING THE DIFFERENT
VARIETIES used as in the letter D,J,R, I, P, V, S,
C, M, E, are all in natural form of letter used by Dr.
Rizal
2.The small letters h, p, d, r, o, g, I, j, a are all of
the handwriting of Rizal
3.The slant of writing is irregular and nearly vertical
in the writing of the Ultimo Adios because the
paper used was too small, so the difference in slant
between the Ultimo adios and the normal was not a
motive for doubting the genuineness of this writing
4.All the other characteristics like the short ending
strokes show nothing to argue against the
genuineness of the document
RIZAL's
RETRACTION
1. This statement damages the credibility of an
ecclesiastic.
2. Lack of evidence
3. Lying for the sake of friendship?
4. Gaspar Castano, Judge of the Real Audiencia in
Manila at the time of Rizal’s execution will be
questioned of his credibility where for the sake of
friendship with the ecclesiastics will lie about
Rizal’s retraction.
Palma's
THE HISTORICITY OF RIZAL'S
RETRACTION
Zafra's
- one must study his/her character, reputation,
background, interests, prejudices and sense
of values.
Rizal rested
- Palma did not question genuineness, Zafra
The narrative does not mention the document of
retraction was signed by Rizal with witnesses, but
nevertheless it appears signed not only by Rizal but
by two witnesses.
3
RIZAL'S
LAST HOURS:
DEC 29 & 30
11
After Dusk:
Fr. Balaguer returns
Palma’s representation of the past as “…bias and
deep-seated prejudice…” Rizal did return to the
Catholic Church and this assertion has historical
evidence. The declarations made by Palma were
based on a misunderstanding of Rizal.
8
A. DOCUMENTS
presented by: Group 9 X4A PI100 Summer 09-10
Jessamine Carla Bautista, Kirby Dela Cruz, Gely
Ann Dela Paz, Benex Dayto, Norma Lazarte,
Gliceryl Mae Manlangit
12
V. What if the retraction document is
authentic? 2
b. Marriage contract
The certificate of the canonical marriage of
Josephine Bracken with Rizal has never been
produced notwithstanding the demands of the
family of Rizal.
Such historical inaccuracies referred by Mr. Palma
are not found in the Jesuit Narrative, thus
confirming that the author did not himself
investigate the real authorship of the narrative.
- “No Documents, No History”
c.Doubts on Father Balaguer's influence to Rizal?
Don Santiago Mataix from Heraldo de Madrid,
talked with Rizal abour "studies, frolics of infancy,
and boys' stories..."
NICOLAS ZAFRA
JOSE PALMA
Omission of certain details in a document is per se
not a valid cause for rejecting the document.
a.What would he gain if he was converted?
Heaven?
Although Rizal believed in God, he did not believe
in heaven, as a result of long study and meditation.
Image of Sacred Heart- carved by Rizal when he
was still studying in Ateneo, was brought to him by
Fr. Miguel Saderra Mata and Fr. Luis Viza
10
assumed authentic
It would stain his clean record – and subject him to
the remorse of having become, at the last hour, a Writing of the letter of retraction
renegade of his own convictions. presentation created by: Jesamine Carla Bautista
•La Muerte Cristiana del Dr. Rizal, 1907 7
confessed for the third time, prayed the rosary, read OTHER
the psalm and Kempis, communed, and asked to be discussion between the Jesuits and Rizal
given a mass b.What harm could it bring to him if he was
Containing some puerile matters does not invalidate converted?
the documents. 6
presented by: Group 9, PI 100 X4A, Summer 09-10 5
Jessamine Carla Bautista, Benex Dayto, Kirby Dela 1:30 am, Dec 30 Prayed and meditated, confessed to
Cruz, Gely Ann Dela Paz, Norma Lazarte, Gliceryl Fr. Vilaclara
Mae Manlangit If document is genuine, the identity of the author is
Father Balaguer performed their marriage not that important.

The narrative is composed in such a puerile manner

that reads like a story intended for children.
1. The narrative is anonymous.
If, from the conversion of Rizal, we pass to other
parts of the booklet, we would see that it does not
deserve credence because the facts it narrates have
not been conscientiously investigated.
video courtesy of "Bayaning Third World, 2000"
Fathers Vilaclara, Balaguer Viza, and Tillot
remained with him for the night
- For Father Balaguer and Captain Dominguez
reasonable level of accuracy
- For Father Viza vagaries of memories
a. Rizal's Handwriting and Signatures
If it could be proven that the text as well as the
signature of Rizal is genuine and authentic, the
document would prove Rizal’s abjuration of
masonry but not his conversion. It would also prove
that if Rizal abjured his religious ideas, he did not
abjure his political ideas.
9
Father Balaguer was a simple missionary who
might have sufficient intelligence to convert pagans
and ignorant persons but not to change the ideas of
Rizal on matters which Rizal had investigated and
studied more profoundly than many priests. Rizal
was conscious of his intellectual superiority over
many of his former professors, and to pretend that
Father Balaguer converted him with arguments of
the old school is certainly an insult to Rizal’s
intelligence and character.
Rested and meditated, confessed again
4