Exile in Dapitan

Rizal arrived in Dapitan on board the steamer Cebu on July 17, 1892. Dapitan (now a city within Zamboanga del
Norte) was a remote town in Mindanao which served as a politico-military outpost of the Spaniards in the Philippines.
It was headed by Captain Ricardo Carnicero, who became a friend of Rizal during his exile. He gave Rizal the
permission to explore the place and required him to report once a week in his office.

The quiet place of Dapitan became Rizal's home from 1892 to 1896. Here, he practiced medicine, pursued scientific
studies, and continued his artistic pursuits in sculpture, painting, sketching, and writing poetry. He established a school
for boys and promoted community development projects. He also found time to study the Malayan language and other
Philippine languages. He engaged himself in farming and commerce and even invented a wooden machine for making
bricks.

On September 21, 1892, Rizal won the second prize in a lottery together with Ricardo Carnicero and another
Spaniard. His share amounted to 6,200 pesos. A portion of Rizal's winnings was used in purchasing land
approximately one kilometer away from Dapitan in a place known as Talisay. He built his house on the seashore of
Talisay as well as a school and a hospital within the area.

In his letter to Blumentritt (December 19, 1893), Rizal described his daily activities in Dapitan:
I am going to tell you how we live here. I have a square house, another hexagonal, and another octagonal-all made of
bamboo, wood and nipa. In the square my mother, sister Trinidad, a nephew and I live. In the octagonal my boys
live-some boys whom I teach arithmetic, Spanish and English--and now and then a patient who has been operated on.
In the hexagonal are my chickens. From my house I hear the murmur of a crystalline rivulet that comes from the high
rocks. I see the beach, the sea where I have two small crafts- two canoes or barotos, as they call them here. I have
many fruit trees mangoes, lanzones, guyabanos, baluno, nangka, etc. I have rabbits, dogs, cats, etc. I get up early at
5:00. I visit my fields, I feed the chickens. I wake up my folks, and start them moving. At 7:30 we take breakfast- -tea,
pastry, cheese, sweets, etc. Afterwards I treat my poor patients who come to my land. I dress and go to the town in my
baroto, I treat the people there and I return at 12:00 and take lunch. Afterwards, I teach the boys until 4:00 and I spend
the afternoon farming. I spend the evening reading and studying.

Relative to Rizal's project to improve and beautify Dapitan, he made a big relief map of Mindanao in the plaza and
used it to teach geography. With this map, which still exists today, he discussed to the town people the position of
Dapitan in relation to other places of Mindanao. Assisted by his pupils, Rizal also constructed a water system to
supply the town with water for drinking and irrigation. He also helped the people in putting up lampposts at every
corner of the town.

Having heard of Rizal's fame as an ophthalmologist, George Taufer who was suffering from an eye ailment traveled
from Hong Kong to Dapitan. He was accompanied by his adopted daughter, Josephine Bracken, who eventually fell in
love with Rizal. They lived as husband and wife in Rizal's octagonal house after being denied the sacrament of
marriage by Father Obach, the parish priest of Dapitan, due to Rizal's refusal to retract his statements against the
Church and to accept other conditions.

On the eve of June 21, 1896, Dr. Pio Valenzuela visited Rizal in Dapitan and informed him about the founding of
Katipunan and the planned revolution. Rizal objected to it, citing the importance of a well-planned movement with
sufficient arms.

Meanwhile, Rizal had been sending letters to then Governor-General Ramon Blanco. Twice he sent letters, one in
1894 and another in 1895. He asked for a review of his case. He said that if his request would not be granted, he
would volunteer to serve as a surgeon under the Spanish army fighting in the Cuban revolution.

On July 30, 1896, Rizal's request to go to Cuba was approved. The next day, he left for Manila on board the steamer
España. And on September 3, 1896, he boarded the steamer Isla de Panay which would bring him to Barcelona.
Upon arriving at the fort, however, Governor-General Despujol told him that there was an order to ship him back to
Manila. On November 3, 1896, Rizal arrived in Manila and was immediately brought to Fort Santiago.