Vasquez, Mari Sheanne M.

October 8, 2022
BSN 4-A LWRIZAL
Sir Castilla S. Falconeri
Rizal’s Contribution to Dapitan

Contributions Reasons for Significance

1. Rizal as a Physician ● Dona Teodora and Maria lived with

Rizal for a year and a half. It is here
when Rizal operated his mother’s right
eye. Though the operation was
successful, his mother had a wound
infection after ignoring Rizal’s
instruction of not removing the
bandages. However, the infection was
immediately treated.
● Don Ignacio Tumarong Rizal’s patient
who was able to see again after his
operation;-he paid Rizal P3,000.
● Don Florencio Azcarraga, rich
haciendero of Aklan who was cured of
eye ailment, in turn he gave Rizal a
cargo of sugar.
● Rizal prescribed medicinal plants to
his poor patients.

2. Rizal as an Engineer ● As a perito agrimensor (expert

surveyor), Rizal applied his
engineering knowledge by
constructing a system of waterworks
to furnish clean water to the
townspeople.
● Mr. H.F. Cameron, an American
engineer who praised Rizal for his
engineering ingenuity.
● Rizal had drained the marshes to get
rid of malaria that was infesting
Dapitan; equipped the town with
 lighting system using P500 one of his
patients paid him. The lighting system
consisted of Coconut oil lamps;
beautified the town of Dapitan by
remodelling the town plaza and
making a huge relief map of Mindanao
out of earth, stones and grass.

3. Rizal as an Educator ● Rizal established in Dapitan a school.

It began with 3 pupils who increased
to 16 and eventually 21. 16 of his
pupils did not pay tuition. Instead of
charging them fees, Rizal made them
work in his gardens and construction
projects.
● During recess, pupils built fires to
drive away insects, pruned fruit trees
and manured the soil. Outside class
hours, students had gymnastics,
boxing, wrestling, stone- throwing,
swimming, arnis and boating.
● Hymn to Talisay - a poem Rizal wrote
in honor of Talisay which he made his
pupils sing.

4. Rizal as a Scientist ● Rizal sent specimens he found to the

museum of Europe especially the
Dresden Museum. In turn, he received
scientific books and surgical
instruments.
● He had built up a rich collection of
conchology (consisting of 346 shells
of 203 species)
● He had discovered rare specimens
like: Apogonia rizali ( a small beetle),
Rhacophorus rizali (a rare frog), and
Draco rizali (a flying dragon).
5. Rizal as a Linguist ● Continuing his study of languages,
Rizal learned in Dapitan: (1) Bisayan,
(2) Subanun, and (3) Malay languages.
● He knew by that time 22 languages as
follows Tagalog, Malay, Ilokano,
Hebrew, Bisayan, Sanskrit, Subanun,
Dutch, Spanish, Catalan Latin, Italian,
Greek, Chinese, English, Japanese,
French , Portuguese, German,
Swedish, Arabic, Russian.

6. Rizal as an Artist ● To pursue his artistic activities, Rizal

contributed paintings to the Sisters of
Charity who were preparing the
sanctuary of the Holy Virgin.
● Rizal made sketches of persons and
things that attracted him in Dapitan.
● Rizal modeled a statuette called “The
Mother’s Revenge” to stress the moral
of the incident where a puppy of his
dog, Syria, was eaten by a crocodile.
● Rizal constructed a statue of a girl
called “The Dapitan Girl”, a
woodcarving of Josephine Bracken.
● Rizal made a bust of St. Paul for
Father Pastells .

7. Rizal as Farmer ● Rizal acquired total land holdings of

70 hectares where 6,000 hemp plants,
1,000 coconut trees and numerous
fruit trees, sugarcane, corn, coffee and
cacao were planted.
● He planned to establish an agricultural
colony in Sitio Ponot because it was
ideal for raising cacao, coffee,
coconuts and cattle. However, this did
not materialize due to lack of support
from the government.
8. Rizal as Businessman ● Ramon Carreon – Rizal’s business
partner in Dapitan Rizal made
profitable business ventures in fishing,
copra and hemp industries.
● Hemp industry – Rizal’s most
profitable business.
● Once he shipped 150 bales of hemp to
Manila. He purchased hemp in
Dapitan at P7 and 4 reales per picul
and he sold it to Manila at P10 and 4
reales.
● Rizal also engaged in lime
manufacturing. Their lime burner had
a monthly capacity of more than 400
bags of lime.
● He organized the Cooperative
Association of Dapitan Farmers to
break Chinese monopoly.

9. Rizal as Inventor ● Cigarette lighter which he sent as a

gift to Blumentritt called “sulpukan”.
● A wooden machine for making bricks.