Gadingan, Ronel Son F.

December 15, 2021

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Reflection Paper: Retraction of Rizal

Dr. Jose Rizal is our National Hero because of its novels he wrote during the Spanish era, as well
as his brave deeds of resistance against the spaniards, and he has served as a sign of our country's
independence. And even though, at the point of death, he retracted everything he had ever said
and published because he proclaimed himself a Catholic, and this has been the source of the
greatest controversy surrounding Rizal, which people are still discussing about today because
they want to know the facts about this controversy and if Jose Rizal truly retracted. Opinions on
this topic will differ since some may agree while others may disagree due to a lack of evidence
and contradictory assertions made by individuals. However, according to my investigation,
despite several evidences offered, such as documents obtained by the Philippine government
from Spain, there is no definitive statement on this topic. The Cuerpo de Vigilancia de Manila
showed some interesting points about the retraction in the mid-1990s, and some people believe
that Jose Rizal was retracted because of the statement that Jose Rizal wrote "I declare myself a
Catholic, and I wish to live and die in this religion in which I was born and educated." Whatever
in my words, thoughts, publications, and behaviour has been antithetical to my character as a son
of the Catholic Church, I apologise wholeheartedly.” There are more proofs that Rizal retracted,
including the fact that he signed the retraction papers in front of Fr. Balaguer, among others,
believes that a copy was made by someone who could imitate Jose Rizal's handwriting, and that
the original copy was preserved by some friars, but that when Rizal's family demanded the
original copy, the Jesuit said it was lost. Others say that one of the reasons Rizal wrote the
retraction was to give Josephine legal status as his wife, and that Father Balaguer married Jose
Rizal and Josephine, but there is no marriage certificate or official record to back up Father
Balaguer's claims. Other reasons why Jose Rizal retracted include saving his family from further
persecution and ensuring reforms from the Spanish government. It's unlikely that this crossed
Jose Rizal's mind, but would Jose Rizal simply ignore all the writings he conceived with his hard
work? There are also those who believe Jose Rizal could not have had any reason to retract,
arguing that Jose Rizal was a noble man who would not stop so low as to follow those whom he
despised. The debate over whether Jose Rizal wrote a retraction document is purely a matter of
opinion, as no amount of proof is likely to persuade the two opposing camps to agree.