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STUDY GUIDE FOR MODULE NO. ___

5

CHAPTER V:
EXILE, TRIAL, AND DEATH

MODULE OVERVIEW

The deportee could have stayed in the Dapitan parish convent had he retracted his anti-Catholic
pronouncements and made a general confession of his past life. Not
willing to accede to these main conditions set by the Jesuits, Jose Rizal instead opted to live at the
commandant's residence called "Casa Real."

The commandant Captain Ricardo Carnicero and Jose Rizal became such good friends that the exile
did not feel that the captain was actually his guard. Later in his life in Dapitan, Rizal wrote a poem A Don Ricardo
Carnicero honoring the kind commandant on the occasion of his birthday on August 26, 1892.

In September 1892, Rizal and Carnicero won in a lottery. The Manila Lottery ticket no. 9736 jointly
owned by Rizal, Carnicero, and a Spanish resident of Dipolog won the second prize of Php 20, 000. Rizal used
some part of his share (Php 6, 200) in procuring a parcel of land near the coast of Talisay, a barrio near Dapitan.
On a property of more than 10 hectares, he put up three houses made of bamboo, wood, and nipa. He lived in
the house, which was square in shape. Another house, which was hexagonal, was the barn where Rizal kept his
chickens. In his octagonal house lived some of his pupils—for Rizal also established a school, teaching young
boys practical subjects, like reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, and Spanish and English languages. Later,
he constructed additional huts to accommodate his recovering out-of-town patients.

MODULE LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

1. Analyze the factors that led to Rizal’s execution;

2. Analyze the effects of Rizal’s execution on Spanish colonial rule and the Philippine Revolution.

LEARNING CONTENTS

Daily Life as an Exile

During his exile, Rizal practiced medicine, taught some pupils, and engaged in farming and horticulture. He
grew many fruit trees (like coconut, mango, lanzones, makopa, santol, mangosteen, jackfruit, guayabanos,
baluno, and nanka) and domesticated some animals (like rabbits, dogs, cats, and chickens). The school he
founded in 1293 started with only three pupils and had about more than 20 students at the time exile ended.

Rizal would rise at five in the morning to see his plants, feed his animals, and prepare breakfast. Having taken
his morning meal, he would treat the patients who had come to his house. Paddling his boat called baroto (he
had two of them) he would then proceed to Dapitan town to attend to his other patients there the whole morning.

Rizal would return to Talisay to take his lunch. Teaching his pupils would begin at about 2 p.m. and would end
at 4 or 5 in the afternoon. With the help of his pupils, Rizal would spend the rest of the afternoon in
farming—planting trees, watering the plants, and pruning the fruits. Rizal then would spend the night reading
and writing.

Rizal and the Jesuits

The first attempt by the Jesuit friars to win back the deported Rizal to the Catholic fold was the offer for him to

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live in the Dapitan convent under some conditions. Refusing to compromise, Rizal did not stay with the parish
priest Antonio Obach in the church convent.

Just a month after Rizal was deported to Dapitan, the Jesuit Order assigned to Dapitan the priest Francisco de
Paula Sanchez, Rizal's favorite teacher in Ateneo. Many times, they engaged in cordial religious discussions.
But though Rizal appreciated his mentor's efforts, he could not be convinced to change his mind. Nevertheless,
their differences in belief did not get in the way of their good friendship.

The priest Pablo Pastells, superior of the Jesuit Society in the Philippines, also made some attempts by
correspondence to win over to Catholicism the exiled physician. Four times they exchanged letters from
September 1892 to April 1893. The debate was none less than scholarly, and it manifested Rizal's knowledge of
the Holy Scriptures for he quoted verses from it. Though Rizal consistently attended mass in Dapitan, he
refused to espouse the conventional type of Catholicism.

Achievements in Dapitan

Rizal provided significant community services in Dapitan. like improving the town's drainage and constructing
better water system using empty bottles and bamboo joints. He also taught the town folks about health and
sanitation to avoid the spread of diseases. With his Jesuit priest friend Sanchez, Rizal made a huge relief map
of Mindanao in Dapitan plaza. Also, he bettered the forest there by providing evident trails, stairs, and some
benches. He invented a wooden machine for the mass production of bricks. Using the bricks he produced, Rizal
built a water dam for the community with the help of his students.

As the town's doctor, Rizal equally treated all patients regardless of their economic and social status. He
accepted as "fees" things like poultry and crops, and at times, even gave his services to poor folks for free. His
specialization was ophthalmology, but he also offered treatments to almost all kinds of diseases, like fever,
sprain, broken bones, typhoid, tuberculosis, and even leprosy (Bantug & Ventura, 1997, p. 112).

Rizal also helped in the livelihood of the abaca farmers in Dapitan by trading their crops in Manila. He gave
them lessons in abaca-weaving to produce hammocks. Noticing that the fishing method by the locals was
inefficient, he taught them better techniques, like weaving and using better fishing nets.

As a Scientist and Philologist

Aside from doing archaeological excavations, Rizal inspected Dapitan's rich flora and fauna, providing a sort
of taxonomy to numerous kinds of forest and sea creatures. From his laboratory and herbarium, he sent various
biological specimens to scientists in Europe, like his dear friend Doctor Adolph B. Meyer in Dresden. In return,
the European scholars sent him books and some other academic reading materials.

From the collections he sent to European scholars, at least three-species were named after him: a Dapitan
frog (Rhacophorus rizali), a type of beetle (Apogonia rizali), and a flying dragon (Draco rizali).

Having learned the Visayan language, he also engaged himself in the study of language, culture, and
literature. He examined local folklores, customs, Tagalog grammar, and the Malay language. His intellectual
products about these subjects he related to some European academicians, like Doctor Reinhold Rost, his close
philologist friend in London.

The Spies and Secret Emissary

Not just once did Rizal learn that his •enemies• sent spies to gather incriminating proofs that 'he was a
separatist and an insurgent. Perhaps disturbed by his conscience. a physician named Matias Arrieta revealed
his covert mission and asked for forgiveness after he was cured by Rizal (Bantug & Ventura. 1997, p. 1161

In March 1895. a man introduced himself to Rizal as Pablo Mercado. Claiming to be Rizal’s relative, this
stranger eagerly volunteered to bring Rizal’s letters to certain persons in Manila. Made suspicious by the
visitor’s insistence, Rizal interrogated him, and it turned out that his real name was Florencio Nanaman of
Cagayan de Misamis, paid as a secret agent by the Recollect friars. But because it was raining that evening, the
kind Rizal did not command Nanaman out of his house but even let the spy spend the rainy night in his place
(Bantug & Venturm 1997, p. 117).

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In June the next year. a different kind of emissary was sent to Rizal. Doctor Pio Valenzuela was sent to
Dapitan by Andres Bonifacio—the Katipunan leader who believed that carrying out revolt had to be sanctioned
first by Rizal. Disguised as a mere companion of a blind patient seeking treatment from Rizal, Valenzuela was
able to discreetly deliver the Katipunan's message for Rizal. But Rizal politely refused to approve the uprising,
suggesting that peaceful means was far better than violent ways in obtaining freedom. Rizal further believed
that a revolution would be unsuccessful without arms and monetary support from wealthy Filipinos. He thus
recommended that if the Katipunan were to start a revolution, it had to ask for the support of rich and educated
Filipinos, like Antonio Luna who was an expert on military strategy (Bantug & Ventura, 1997, p. 133)

Visited by loved ones

Rizal was in Dapitan when he learned that his true love Leonor Rivera had died. What somewhat consoled his
desolate heart was the visits of his mother and some sisters.

In August 1893, Dona Teodora, along with daughter Trinidad. joined Rizal in Dapitan and resided with him in
his casa cuadrada (square house). The son successfully operated on his mother's cataract,

At distinct times, Jose's sisters Maria and Narcisa also visited him. Three of Jose's nephews likewise went to
Dapitan and had their early education under their uncle: Maria's son Mauricio (Moris) and Lucia'ssons Teodosio
(Osio) and Estanislao (Tan). Jose's niece Angelica, Narcisa’s daughter, also experienced living for some time
with her exiled uncle in Mindanao.

In 1895, Dona Teodora left Dapitan for Manila with Don Francisco who was getting weaker. Shortly, after his
mother left, Josephine Bracken came to Jose’s life. Josephine was an orphan with Irish blood and the
stepdaughter of Jose's patient from Hong Kong. Rizal and Bracken were unable to obtain a church wedding
because Jose would not retract his anti-Catholic views. He nonetheless took

Josephine as his common-law wife who kept him company and kept house for him. Before the year ended in
1895, the couple had a child who was born prematurely. The son who was named after Rizal's father
(Francisco) and died a few hours after birth.

Goodbye Dapitan

In 1895, Blumentritt informed Rizal that the 'revolution-ridden Cuba, another nation colonized by Spain, was
raged by a yellow-fever epidemic. Because there was a shortage of physicians to attend to war victims and
disease-stricken people, Rizal in December 1895 wrote to the then Governor-General Ramon Blanco,
volunteering to provide medical services in Cuba. Receiving no reply from Blanco, Rizal lost interest in his
request.

But on July 30, 1896, Rizal received a letter from the governor-general sanctioning his petition to serve as
volunteer physician in Cuba. Rizal made immediate preparations to leave, selling and giving as souvenirs to
friends and students his various properties.

In the late afternoon of July 31, Rizal got on the "Espana" with Josephine, Narcisa„ a niece, three nephews,
and three of his students. Many Dapitan folks, especially Rizal’s students came to see their beloved doctor for
the last time. Cordially bidding him goodbye, they shouted "Adios, Dr. Rizal!" as some of his students even
cried. With sorrowing heart, he waved his hand in farewell to the generous and loving Dapitan folks, saying,
"Adios, Dapitan!”

The steamer departed for Manila at midnight of July 31, 1896. With tears in his eyes, Rizal later wrote in his
diary onboard the ship, "I have been in that district four years, thirteen days, and a few hours" (as cited in G.
Zaide & S. Zaide, 1984, p. 242).

From Dapitan to Trial in Fort Santiago

Various significant events happened during Rizal's trip from Dapitan to Manila. Leaving Dapitan for Manila on
July 31, 1896, the steamer Espana with Rizal as a passenger made some stopovers in various areas. In
Dumaguete, Rizal had visited some friends like a former classmate from Madrid and had cured a sick Guardia
Civil captain. In Cebu, he carried out four operations and gave out prescriptions to many other patients. Going to
Iloilo, he saw the historical Mactan Island. He went shopping and was impressed by the Molo church in Iloilo.

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The ship then sailed to Capiz, to Romblon, and finally to Manila.

In Manila

As the steamer approached Luzon, there was an attempt by the Katipuneros to help Rizal escape (Bantug &
Ventura, 1997. p. 135). The Katipunero Emilio Jacinto, disguising himself as a ship crew member, had managed
to get close to Rizal, while another Katipunan member, Guillermo Masankay, circled the ship in a boat. Firm in
his aim to fulfill his mission in Cuba, Rizal was said to have refused to be rescued by Katipunan's envoys.
(Another version of this story claims that the rescue attempt happened when Rizal's ship was already docked at
Manila Bay.)

Rizal arrived in Manila on August 6, 1896, a day after the mail boat Isla de Luzon had left for Spain, and so he
had to stay in Manila until the next steamer arrived. Afraid that his one-month Stay onboard the ship might bring
him troubles, he requested the governor-general that he (Rizal) be isolated from everyone except his family.
The government reacted by transferring him near midnight of the same day to the cruiser Castilla docked at
Cavite.

On August 19, the Katipunan plot to revolt against the Spanish authorities was discovered through the
confession of a certain Teodoro Patino to Mariano Gil, Augustinian cura of Tondo. This discovery led to the
arrest of many Katipuneros. The Katipunan led by Bonifacio reacted by convening many of its members and
deciding to immediately begin the armed revolt. As a sign of their commitment to the revolution, they tore their
cedulas (residence certificates).

Katipunan's first major assaults happened on August 29 and 30 when the Katipuneros attacked the Civil
Guard garrison in Pasig and more significantly the 100 Spanish soldiers protecting the powder magazine in San
Juan. But because Spanish reinforcements arrived, about 150 Katipuneros were killed and more than 200 were
taken prisoner. This bloody encounter in San Juan and the uprisings in some other suburban Manila areas on
that same day prompted the governor-general to proclaim a state of war in Manila and seven other nearby
provinces.

On the same day (August 30), Blanco issued letters of recommendation on Rizal's behalf to the Spanish
Minister of War and the Minister of Colonies with a cover letter clearing Rizal of any connection to the raging
revolution. On September 2, he was transported to the ship Isla de Panay.

Going to Spain

The steamer Isla de Panay left Manila for Barcelona the next day. Arriving in Singapore on September 7, Rizal
was urged by some Filipinos, like his co-passenger Don Pedro Roxas and Singaporean resident Don Manuel
Camus to stay in the British-controlled territory. Trusting Blanco's words, Rizal refused to stay in Singapore.
Without his knowledge, however, Blanco and the Ministers of War and the Colonies had been exchanging
telegrams, planning his arrest upon reaching Barcelona.

As Isla de Panay made a stopover at Port Said, Egypt on September 27, the passengers had known that the
uprising in the Philippines got worse as thousands of Spanish soldiers were dispatched to Manila, and many
Filipinos were either killed in the battle, or arrested and executed. Rizal had the feeling that he had already been
associated with the Filipino revolution as his co-passengers became aloof to him. A day after, he wrote a letter
to Blumentritt informing him that he (Rizal) received some information that Blanco had an order to arrest him.
Before reaching Malta on September 30, he was officially ordered to stay in his cabin until further orders from
Blanco come.

With Rizal as a prisoner onboard, the Isla de Panay anchored at Barcelona on October 3, 1896. He was placed
under heavy guard by the then Military Commander of Barcelona, General Eulogio Despujol—the same former
governor- general who deported Rizal to Dapitan in 1892. Early in the morning of October 6, he was transported
to Monjuich prison-fortress. In the afternoon, he was brought to Despujol who told him that there was an order to
ship him (Rizal) back to Manila in the evening.

He was then taken aboard the ship "Colon" which left for Manila at 8 p.m. The ship was full of Spanish soldiers
and their families who were under orders not to go near or talk to Rizal. Though he was allowed to take walks on
deck during the journey, he was locked up and handcuffed before reaching any port.

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Last Homecoming

Arriving in Manila as a prisoner on November 3, 1896, Rizal detained in Fort Santiago where he had been
imprisoned four years ago. To gather pieces of evidence against him, some of his friends, acquaintances,
members of the La Liga, and even his brother Paciano were tortured and forcibly questioned. As a preliminary
investigation, Rizal underwent a series of interrogations administered by one of the judges, Colonel Francisco
Olive—the same military leader who led the troops that forced the Rizal family to vacate their Calarnba home in
1290. Those who were coerced to testify against Rizal were not allowed to be cross-examined by the accused.

Rizal was said to have admitted knowing most of those questioned, •though he would deny to the end that he
knew either Andres Bonifacio or Apolinario Mabini (Bantug & Ventura, 1997, p. 141).

Fifteen pieces of documentary evidence were presented—Rizal's letters, letters of his compatriots, like
Marcelo del Pilar and Antonio Luna, a poem (Kundiman), a Masonic document, two transcripts of speech of
Katipuneros (Emilio Jacinto and Jose Turiano Santiago), and Rizal's poem A Talisay. The testimonial evidence
involved the oral testimonies of 13 Filipinos notably including that of La Liga officers like Ambrosio Salavador
and Deodato Arellano, and the Katipunero Pio Valenzuela.

Olive submitted the reports to Blanco on November 26, and Captain Rafael Dominguez was assigned as
special Judge Advocate in Rizal's case. Dominguez made a summary of the case and delivered it to Blanco who
subsequently sent the papers to Judge Advocate-General Don Nicolas dela Pena. After examining the case,
Pena recommended that (a) Rizal be instantly brought to trial, (b) he be kept in jail. (c) an order of attachment be
issued against his property, and (d) a Spanish army officer not a civilian lawyer be permitted to defend him in
court.

On December 8, Rizal was given the restricted right to choose his lawyer from a list of 100 Spanish army
officers. He chose Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade who turned out to be the younger brother of his bodyguard-friend
in Calamba in 1887, Jose Taviel de Andrade. Three days after (December 11), the formal charges were read to
Rizal in his prison cell, with Andrade on his side. In short, he was accused of being the main organizer and the
"living soul" of the revolution having proliferated ideas of rebellion and of founding illegal organizations. He
pleaded not guilty to the crime of rebellion and explained that La Liga, the constitution of which he wrote, was
just a civic organization.

On December 13 the day Camilo G. de Polavieja replaced Blanco as governor general, papers of Rizal’s
criminal case were sent to Malacanang. Concerned about the welfare of his people, Rizal on December 15
wrote a manifesto appealing to the revolutionaries to discontinue the uprising and pursue to attain liberty instead
by means of education and of labor. But De la Pena interpreted the manifesto as all the more advocating the
Spirit of rebellion as it ultimately willed the Filipino liberty. Polavieja thus disallowed to issue Rizal's manifesto.

The Rat in the Kangaroo Court

On the morning of December 26, the Filipino patriot who was once figuratively referred to by Spanish officials
as a “trapped rat” appeared in the kangaroo court inside the military building, Cuartel de Espafia. He was tried
before seven members of the military court with Lt. Col. Jose Togores Arjona acting as the president.

Judge Advocate Dominguez presented Rizal’s criminal case followed by the lengthy speech of Prosecuting
Attorney Enrique de Alcocer. To appeal to the emotions of the Spanish judges, Alcocer went as far as
dramatically mentioning the Spanish soldiers who had died in the Filipino traitorous revolt and discriminately
describing Rizal as a typical 'Oriental,' who had presumed to rise from a lower social scale in order to attain
powers and positions that could never be his” (Bantug & Ventura, 1997, p. 144). At the end, Alcocer petitioned
for a death sentence for Rizal and an indemnity of twenty thousand pesos.

Rizal's defense counsel, Lt. Andrade, then took the floor and tried his very best to save his client by reading his
responsive defense, stressing, too, that it was but natural for anyone to yearn for liberty and independence.
Afterward, Rizal was allowed to read his complementary defense consisting of logical proofs that he could have
not taken part in the revolution and that La Liga was distinct from Katipunan. He argued, among others, that he
even advised the Katipunan emissary (Valenzuela) in Dapitan not to pursue the plan to revolt; the revolutionists
had used his name without his knowledge; he could have escaped either in Dapitan or Singapore if he were
guilty; and the civic group La Liga, which died out upon his exile did not serve the purpose of the uprising, and
that he had no knowledge about its reformation.

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Lt. Col. Arjona then declared the trial over. Expectedly, the entire defense was indifferently disregarded in
Rizal's mock trial as it instantaneously considered him guilty. The jury unanimously voted for the death
sentence. The trial ended with the reading of the sentence— Jose Rizal was found guilty, and the sentence was
death by firing squad.

On December 28, Governor-General Polavieja signed the court decision and decreed that the guilty be
executed by firing squad at 7 a.m. of December 30, 1896 at Bagumbayan (Luneta). Because Rizal was also
required to sign the verdict, he stoically signed his own death sentence.

Last 25 hours

Accounts on Jose Rizal's last hours vary and largely depend on the historian one is reading. What happened in
Rizal’s life from 6 a.m. of December 29, 1896 until his execution was perhaps the most controversial in his
biography, for the divisive claims—like his supposed retraction and Catholic marriage with Bracken—allegedly
occurred within this time frame.

From 6 am to 12 Noon

Standard biography states that at 6 a.m. of December 29, Judge Advocate Dominguez formally read the death
sentence to Rizal. At about 7 a.m., he was transferred to either his -death cell- or -prison chapel: He was visited
by Jesuit priests, Miguel Saderra Mata and Luis Viza. They brought the medal of the Ateneo's Marian
Congregation of which Rizal was a member and the wooden statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus he had carved
in the school. Rizal put the wooden image on his table while he rejected the medal saying "I’m little of a Marian,
Father: ("Rizal's Last Hours: n.d„ para. 5).

At 8 a.m., the priest Antonio Rosell arrived, after his co-priest Viza left. Rizal shared his breakfast with Rosell.
Later, Lt. Andrade came and Rizal thanked his defense lawyer. Santiago Mataix of the Spanish newspaper El
Heraldo de Madrid interviewed Rizal at about 9 a.m. Then came the priest Federico Faura at about 10 a.m. He
advised Rizal to forget about his resentment and marry Josephine canonically. The two had a heated discussion
about religion as witnessed by Rosell ("Rizal's Last Hours: n.d.. para. 8).

Two other priests, Jose Vilaclara and Vicente Balaguer (missionary in Dapitan). also visited Rizal at about 11
a.m. The Jesuits tried to convince Rizal to write a retraction. Though still believing in the Holy Scriptures, Rizal
supposedly refused to retract his anti-Catholic views, exclaiming, "Look Fathers, if I should assent to an you say
and sign all you want me to, just to please you, neither believing nor feeling, I would be a hypocrite and would
then be offending God" (Bantug & Ventura. 1997, p. 147).

At noon, Rizal was left alone in his cell. He had his lunch, read the Bible, and meditated. About this time,
Balaguer reported to the Archbishop that only a little hope remained that Rizal would retract ("Rizal's Last
Hours” n.d., para. 10). Refusing to receive visitors for the mean time, Rizal probably finished his last poem at
this moment. Rizal also wrote to Blumentritt his last letter in which he called the Austrian scholar "my best, my
dearest cited in Cueto, 2012, para. 7).

He then had a talk with priests Estanislao March and Vilaclara at about 2 p.m. Balaguer then returned to
Rizal's cell at 3:30 p.m, and allegedly discussed (again) about Rizal's retraction (G. Zaide & S. Zaide, 1984, p.
265). Rizal then wrote letters and dedications and rested shortly.

At 4 p.m„ the sorrowful Dona Teodora and Jose's sisters went to see the sentenced Rizal. The mother was not
allowed a last embrace by the guard, but her beloved son, in quiet grief, managed to press a kiss on her hand.
Dominguez was said to have been moved with compassion at the sight of Rizal's kneeling before his mother
and asking for forgiveness ("Rizal's Last Hours," n.d., para. 14). As the dear visitors were, leaving, Jose handed
over to Trinidad an alcohol cooking stove, a gift from the Pardo de Taveras, whispering to her in a language
which the guards could not comprehend, "There is something in it." That "something" was Rizal's elegy now
known as Mi Ultimo Adios (Bantug & Ventura, 1997, p. 149)

The Dean of the Manila Cathedral, Don Silvino Lopez Tunon, went to see Rizal to exchange some views with
him at about 5:30 p.m. Balaguer and March then left, leaving Vilaclara and Tunon in Rizal's cell. As Rosell was
leaving at about 6 p.m., Josephine Bracken arrived in Fort Santiago. Rizal called for her, and they emotionally
talked with each other ("Rizal's Last Hours," n.d., para. 16).

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The Night of December 29

At 7 p.m., Faura returned and convinced Rizal to trust him and some other Ateneo professors. After some
quiet moments, Rizal purportedly confessed to Faura ("Rizal's Last Hours," n.d., para: 17).

Rizal then took his last supper at about 8 p.m. and attended to his personal needs. He then told Dominguez
that he had forgiven his enemies and the military judges who sentenced him to death. At about 9 or 9:30 p.m.,
Manila's Royal Audiencia Fiscal Don Gaspar Cestano arrived and had an amiable talk with Rizal.

Historians Gregorio and Sonia Zaide alleged that at 10 p.m. Rizal and some. Catholic priests worked on the
hero's retraction (1984. pp. 265-266). Supposedly, Balaguer brought to Rizal a retraction draft made by
Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda, but Rizal did not like it for being long. A shorter retraction made by Jesuit Pio
Pi was then offered to Rizal, which he allegedly liked, So it was said that he wrote his retraction renouncing
freemasonry and his anti-Catholic ideas. (Zaides' book, nonetheless, admitted that the supposed retraction is
now a (very) controversial document. For many reasons,

Rizal's assumed retraction and his supposed church marriage with Bracken have been considered highly
dubious by many Rizal scholars.)

Rizal then spent the night resting until the crack of dawn of December 30, perhaps praying and meditating
once in a while.

The Early Morning of December 30

The Zaides alleged that at 3 a.m., Rizal heard Mass, confessed sins, and took Communion (1984, p. 266). At
about 4 a.m., Rizal picked up the book Imitation of Christ by Thomas a Kempis, read, and meditated. At 5 a.m.
he washed up, attended to his personal needs, read the Bible, and contemplated. For breakfast, he was given
three boiled eggs. Rizal's grandniece Asuncion Lopez-Rizal Bantug mentioned "three soft-boiled eggs" and
narrated that Rizal ate two of them (Bantug & Ventura, 1997, pp. 151-152). Historian Ambeth R. Ocampo, on
the other hand, wrote "three hardboiled eggs" and related that Rizal "did not have any breakfast" (Ocampo,
2012, p. 227). Both historians nevertheless wrote that Rizal placed the boiled egg (or eggs) to a cell corner,
saying in effect, "This is for the rats, let them celebrate likewise!"

Afterward, Rizal wrote letters, one addressed to his family and another to Paciano. To his family, he partly
wrote, "I ask you for forgiveness for the pain I cause you ... I die resigned, hoping that with my death you will be
left in peace: He also left this message to his sisters: "I enjoin you to forgive one another-. Treat your old parents
as you would like to be treated by your children later. Love them very much in my memory." To Paciano, he
partially wrote, "I am thinking now how hard you have worked to give me a career ... I know that you have
suffered much on my account, and I am sorry" (as cited in G. Zaidé & S. Zaide, 1984, pp. 266-267).

Though some accounts, state that Bracken was forbidden from seeing Rizal on this fateful day the Zaides
wrote that at 5:30 a.m., she and Rizal's sister Josefa came. The couple was said to have embraced for the last
time, and Rizal gave to Josephine the book Imitation of Christ on which he wrote the dedication: “To my dear
and unhappy wife, Josephine/ December 30th, 1896/ Jose Rizal" (1984 p. 267).

Before Rizal made his death march to Bagumbayan, he managed to pen his last letters to his beloved parents.
To Don Francisco, he wrote, "Pardon me for the pain which I repay you... Good bye,

Father, goodbye„.". Perhaps told by the authorities that the march was about to begin, Rizal managed to write
only the following to his mother (as cited in G. Zaide & S. Zaide, 1984, p. 268):
To my very dear Mother,
Sra. Dona. Teodora Alonso
6 0'clock in the morning, December 30, 1896.
Jose Rizal

Slow Walk to Death

At 6:30 a.m., Rizal in black suit and black bowler hat, tied elbow to elbow, began his slow walk to
Bagumbayan. He walked along with his defense lawyer, Andrade, and two Jesuit priests, March and Vilaclara.
In front of them were the advance guards of armed soldiers and behind them was another group of military

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men. The sound of a trumpet signaled the start of the death march, and the muffled sound of drums served as
the musical score of the walk.

Early on that morning, many people had eagerly lined the streets. Some were sympathetic to him,
others—especially the Spaniards—wanted nothing less than to see him die. Some observed that Rizal kept
keenly looking around, and "it was believed that his family or the Katipuneros would make a last-minute effort to
spring him from the trap" (Ocampo, 2012, p. 228).

Once in a while, Rizal conversed with the priests, commenting on things like his happy years at the Ateneo as
they passed by Intramuros. Commenting on the clear morning, he was said to have uttered something like,
"What a beautiful morning! On days like this, I used to take a walk here with my sweetheart" (Ocampo, 2012, p.
228).

After some minutes, they arrived at the historic venue of execution. Filipino soldiers were deliberately chosen
to compose the firing squad. Behind them stood their Spanish counterparts, ready to execute them also should
they decline to do the job.

There was just a glitch in the proceeding as Rizal refused to kneel and declined the traditional blindfold.
Maintaining that he was not a traitor to his country and to Spain, he even requested to face the firing squad.
After some sweet-talk, Rizal finally agreed to turn his back to the firing squad on the condition that he would be
shot not in the head—but in the small of the back instead.

When agreement had been reached, Rizal thankfully shook the hand of his defense lawyer. The military
physician then asked permission to feel the pulse of the man who had only a few minutes to live. The curious
doctor was startled to find Rizal's pulse normal. Before leaving Rizal in his appointed place, the priests offered
him a crucifix to kiss "but he turned his head away and silently prepared for his death" (Ocampo, 2012, p. 228).

When the command had been given, the executioners' long guns barked at once. Rizal yelled Christ's two last
words "Consummatum est!” (It is finished!) as he simultaneously exerted a final effort to twist his bullet-pierced
body halfway around. Facing the sky, Jose Rizal fell on the ground dead at exactly 7:03 on the morning of
December 30, 1896.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 1

1. Read the constitution of La Liga Filipina (available online in “The La Liga Filipina and Its Constitution”.
Fill out a table (graphic organizer) with the aims of La Liga Filipina in one column and examples of how
these could be attained in another column.
2. Film viewing:
a. “Rizal sa Dapitan,” directed by Tikoy Aguiluz;
b. “Jose Rizal,” GMA films, directed by Marilou Diaz Abaya;
3. Read Rizal’s last letters to family members and Blumentritt.
4. Assessment:
4.1. Reflection paper about the films
Guide Questions:
a. Describe the life of Jose Rizal as represented in the film.
b. Based on your reading and the class discussion, what can you say about the film’s
representation of Jose Rizal?
c. What is the main question that the film seeks to answer? What is your own reflection based on
the film and your understanding?
4.2. Read Teodora Alonzo’s letter to Governor Polavieja and write a similar letter persuading him to
spare Rizal’s life.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 2

Essay
Part 1. Bitter-Sweet Life in Dapitan
1. In your opinion, why did Rizal refuse to embrace the conventional type of Catholicism though he
consistently attended the mass?

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2. Don’t you think it was a sort of cowardice on Rizal’s part when he refused to approve the planned
uprising of the Katipunan?
3. Explain: Rizal had a “bitter-sweet” life in Dapitan.
4. There had been several attempts of the Jesuit priest to win back Riza to Catholicism, what do you think
were reasons for doing so?
5. Despite the “serene” life of Rizal in Dapitan, why did he opt to go to Cuba as a volunteer physician?

Part 2. From Dapitan to Trial in Fort Santiago

1. What do you think was the reason Rizal refused to be rescued by Katipunan’s envoys?
2. Cite and discuss the defense of Rizal concerning the charges against him.
3. If you had Jose Rizal’s defense lawyer, what could you have done to save Rizal from his death
sentence?

Part 3. Rizal’s Last 25 hours

1. Why do you think Rizal addressed Josephine as “My dear and unhappy wife”?
2. Explain the reason behind Rizal’s request to be shot in the small of the back instead of the head?
3. Since Rizal’s retraction according to Zaide is “dubious,” in your opinion, did Rizal really make one?
4. Do you think Rizal’s dying for the country was really worth it?

REFERENCES

Coates, Austin. Rizal: Filipino Nationalist and Martyr. Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, Quezon City.
Malaya Books, 1969.

Ileto, Reynaldo. U Rizal and the Underside of Philippine History" In Filipinos and their Revolution: Event,
Discourse, and Historiography. Quezon City: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 1998, pp. 29-78.
Teodora Alonzo's petition to Camilo Polavieja, Manila, 28 December 1896.

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