HISTO 11: Class Lecture Summary (November 22, 2022)

1. Jose Rizal's lawyer was Luis Taviel de Andrade. He defended Rizal by drawing
comparisons to the time when Muslims (the Moors) conquered Spain; as a result, he
claimed that the Philippines and Spain were on an equal level but in a different historical
period. Why then do they honor their ancestors while calling Rizal a traitor? After all
this, not even Ramón Blanco, the Spanish Governor, who said that Rizal wouldn't join the
Katipunan, was sufficient as evidence to release Rizal.

2. Days before Rizal’s execution: (1) None of his friends visited him out of fear that they
would also be called traitors. (2) He secretly handed his sister a lamp where his final poem,
"Mi ltimo adiós" was stashed in. (3) He married Josephine in order to protect her name as
she’d be Rizal’s heir after his death.

3. On the day of execution: (1) While marching to Bagumbayan, Rizal asked the Jesuit priest,
"Is that the Ateneo? I spent many happy years there," pointing at the Ateneo Municipal
because the Jesuits treated Filipinos fairly. (2) Rizal wanted his family to be able to
recognize him in his coffin, therefore his last request was to spare his face if he was going to
be shot. (3) A mercy shot was fired at him, missing all of his vital organs. (4) Rizal’s final
words: Consummatum Est (It is finished).

4. Most Filipinos were upset by the execution, which was meant to empower the Katipunan.
However, due to a lack of weapons and ammunition, Katipunan was not prepared for a
rebellion.

● Andres Bonifacio's soldiers in the urban center (Metro Manila) lost every fight
because they were outnumbered and outgunned since it was the center power of the
Spanish. Bonifacio received harsh criticisms and was even labeled "military-inept."
● The rural areas (provinces), specifically in Kawit, Cavite, led by Emilio Aguinaldo
were victorious since there were thousands of Katipuneros and only about 60 Spanish
soldiers, according to estimates. Aguinaldo also received much praise, earning the title
of best revolutionary leader.

This was an unfair comparison to the two as the win-lost should be put into context. Since
both Spain and the Katipuneros could no longer achieve their goals of destroying one
another because the Katipuneros were in control of rural areas while the Spaniards were in
control of urban areas, the war might therefore be declared a draw.

5. Given that Spain was engaged in both the US and the Philippines wars at the same time,
the Philippines had a chance to win the war if it continued on. Cavite became the focus of
tragedy as a result of the lack of an internal revolution among Filipinos. In Cavite, there
were two chapters of the Katipunan: Magdiwang, headed by the Alvarez family, and
Magdalo, run by the Aguinaldo family. They fought their own fights with Spaniards rather
than grouping together, which was favorable for Spaniards, because they despised each
other and were perceived as vicious rivals.