Rizal’s Exile

in
Prepared and Reported by:
Cyros Rexes D. Madura
Adapted from:
Benz Karim
Dapitan
Zamboanga del Norte is a province of the Philippines located
in the Zamboanga Peninsula region in Mindanao. Its capital is
Dipolog City and the province borders Zamboanga del Sur and
Zamboanga Sibugay to the south and Misamis Occidental to
the east. The Sulu Sea lies to the northwest of Zamboanga del
Norte.
Famous for being the place where the National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal was exiled,
Dapitan City is located on the northeastern coast of Zamboanga Del Norte
Province and known as the Shrine City of the Philippines. In 1564, Datu
Pagbuaya of the Kedatuan of Dapitan (formerly located in present-day
Tagbilaran of Bohol) arrived in Mindanao after the Kedatuan of Dapitan in
Bohol was destroyed by the Sultanate of Ternate in 1563. Datu Pagbuaya re-
established the Kedatuan of Dapitan in Mindanao afterwards. When the
Spanish arrived, Datu Manooc was the ruler of the Kedatuan. The Spanish
allied with Datu Manooc, and incorporated the Kedatuan into the Spanish
Empire.
There are two versions of how Dapitan got its name. The
first, from an account attributed to Frayle Urdaneta, infers
that the name evolved from the original reference to it as
"Daquepitan", which later became "Dacpitan" and finally
"Dapitan" to make it easier to pronounce.

The second version, which is more widely accepted according

to folklore, says that the name derives from the Cebuano
word “Dapit”, which means “to invite”. Local tradition tells of
the early settlers from Panglao in Bohol who were invited
over by Datu Pagbuaya (other sources Lagubayan), the
acknowledged founder of Dapitan, to join him in "Dakuyang
Yuta", or literally the big land that is Mindanao. The invitation
or pag-dapit that Datu Pagbuaya extended to Boholanos is
said to be how Dapitan got its name.
Why Dapitan was the chosen place of
Rizal’s exile?

... Because Dapitan is the place where it was

heavily occupied by the Spaniards in Mindanao
during the Spanish era.
The gubernatorial decree gave the reasons for Rizal’s deportation, as
follows:
1. Rizal had published books and articles abroad which showed
disloyalty to Spain and which were “frankly anti- Catholic” and
“imprudently anti-friar.”
2. A few hours after his arrival in Manila “there was found in one of the
packages ... a bundle of handbills entitled Pobres Frailes in which the
patient and humble generosity of filipinos is satirized , and which
accusation is published against the customs of religious orders.”
3. His novel El Filibusterismo was dedicated to the memory of three
“traidores” (GomBurZa), and on the title page he wrote that in the
view of the vices and errors of the Spanish administration, “ the only
salvation for the Philippines was separation from the mother
country”.
4. “The end which he pursues in his efforts and writings is to tear from
the loyal Filipino hearts the treasures of our holy Catholic faith.”
 •Rizal was brought under a maximum security
to the steamer S.S. Cebu headed by Capitan
Delgras on the 15th of July, 1892, which sailed
until 17th of July, 1892 to Dapitan .
•Rizal carried a letter by Father Pablo
Pastells, Superior of the Jesuit Society in
the Philippines, to Father Antonio Obach,
Jesuit missionary in Dapitan.

Fr . Pablo Fr. Antonio

Pastells Obach
Father Superior Pastells informed Father Obach that Rizal
could live at the parish convent on the following conditions:

1.That Rizal publicly retract his errors concerning

religion, and make statements that were clearly
pro- Spanish and against revolution.

2.That he perform the church rites and make a

general confession of his past life.

3.That henceforth he conduct himself in an

exemplary manner as a Spanish subject and a man of
religion.
 However, Rizal
did not agree . . .
Consequently . . .
•He lived in the house of commandant,
the Captain Carnicero.

The relations between

Carnicero and Rizal were warm
and friendly.
Rizal admired the kind, generous
Spanish captain.

He then wrote a poem, A Don

Ricardo Carnicero, on August 26,
1892 on the occasion of the
captain's birthday.

C
a
Home of Commandant
Carnicero
Wins in Manila Lottery
On September 21, 1892 the mail boat Butuan was approaching the town of
Dapitan carrying a Lottery ticket No. 9736 jointly owned by Captain Carnicero, Dr.
Rizal and Francisco Equilior won the second prize of P20,000 in the government-
owned Manila Lottery.

P 20000

P 6 200 Rizal's share

Rest of his
P 2 000 P 200 money

He invested by
He gave to To Basa in purchasing agricultural
his father Hong Kong lands along the
coast of Talisay.
Wins in Manila Lottery

Three (3) pesetas – amount

Rizal allotted for lottery
tickets every month

"This was his only vice,"

commented Wenceslao E.
Retana, his first
Spanish biographer and
former enemy.
 Rizal-Pastells Debate on Religion

The debate started when Pastells sent Rizal a book

by Sarda along with an advice that Rizal should desist
from his majaderas (foolishness) in viewing religion
from the perspective of individual judgement and
self- esteem.

The debate can be read in four (4) letters. Rizal was

bitter against the friars because they commit abuses
under the cloak of religion. Father Pastells tried to
bring back to Catholicism Rizal by telling him that
human intelligence is limited, thus he needs the
guidance of God.
Rizal-Pastells Debate on Religion
Behind the debate, Pastells and Rizal were
friends as evidently pictured when:

 Pastells gave Rizal a copy of

Imitacion de Cristo by Fr. Thomas
Kempis.

Rizal gave Pastells a bust of St. Paul

which he had made Rizal continued to
hear mass and celebrate religious
events.
Rizal Challenges a Frenchman to a Duel

Mr. Juan Lardet – a

French
businessman whom
Rizal had a
conflict.
 Rizal and Father Sanchez

In his aspiration to reconcile Rizal with the Church,

Father Pastells sent these people to Dapitan:

1. Father Obach, Cura of Dapitan

2.Fr. Jose Vilaclara, Cura of
Dipolog
3.Fr. Francisco Paula de Sanchez,
Rizal’s favorite teacher at Ateneo
de Manila

•Estudios sobre la lengua tagala –

Fr. Francisco Paula de Sanchez
manuscript which Rizal gave to Sanchez
on his birthday (Study of the Tagalog
language)
Idyllic Life in Dapitan
Among his family members who visited Rizal were:
1. His mother
2. His sisters Trinidad, Maria and Narcisa
3. Nephews Teodosio, Estanislao, Mauricio and Prudencio

Rizal built a house by the

seashore of Talisay surrounded
by fruit trees, a school for boys,
and a hospital for his patients.
Rizal’s Encounter with the Friar’s Spy

oPablo Mercado – assumed name of the spy who

visited Rizal at his house and pretended to be a
relative by showing a photo of Rizal and a pair of
buttons with the initials P.M. as evidence of kinship.

oThe spy offered to be Rizal’s courier of letters for

the patriots in Manila. Rizal became suspicious and
wanted to throw the spy outside but considering his
values and late hour of the night, he offered the spy
to spend the night at his house. The next day, he
sent the spy away.
OThe spy stayed in Dapitan and spread talks among the people
that he was a relative to Rizal. Rizal went to the comandancia
and reported the impostor to Captain Juan Sitges (successor
of Carnicero) Sitges ordered Pablo Mercado’s arrest and told
Anastacio Adriatico to investigate him immediately.

oFlorencio Namanan a.k.a Pablo Mercado, single and about 30

years old who was hired by the Recollect friars to spy on
Rizal’s activities .The secret mission of Pablo Mercado was not
an assassination attempt but espionage only.
Rizal as a Physician
 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.
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.

Talisay Water System

Rizal as an Engineer
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.
Rizal as an Educator
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.

Formal classes were between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. He also
applied the “emperor” system like that of Ateneo.

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.
Rizal as a Scientist
Contributions to Science
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)

Draco rizali (a
Rhacophorus rizali
flying
(a rare frog)
dragon)
Rizal as a Linguist
Rizal as a Linguist
Continuing his study of languages, Rizal learned in
Dapitan:

1.Bisayan
2.Subanun
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.
Rizal as an Artist
To pursue his artistic activities, Rizal:
1.Contributed paintings to the Sisters of Charity who
were preparing the sanctuary of the Holy Virgin.

2.Made sketches of persons and things that attracted him

in Dapitan.
3.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.

4.Constructed a statue of a girl called “The

Dapitan Girl”, a woodcarving of Josephine
Bracken.

5. Made a bust of St. Paul for Father Pastells .

Rizal as Farmer
 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.
Rizal as Businessman
 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.
Rizal as Inventor
 Rizal as Inventor
Among Rizal’s inventions were:

1. Cigarette lighter which he sent

as a gift to Blumentritt called
“sulpukan”

2. A machine for
wooden
making bricks.
 “My Retreat”
Upon restoring her eyesight, Dona Teodora
returned to Manila. Seeing how busy Rizal is, she
regretted neglecting her muses. She requested
Rizal to write poetry. As a response, Rizal wrote
“Mi Retiro” relating his serene life as an exile in
Dapitan.
The End…
 References
Retrieved from:
https://cebu.china-consulate.org/eng/lqgk/t519992.htm
Rizal and Josephine Bracken
The death of Leonor Rivera left a poignant void in Rizal’s heart.
In his loneliness, he met Josephine…

Irish girl

born in Hong Kong.

James Bracken and

Elizabeth Jane MacBride –
Josephine’s parents who are
both Irish in citizenship.

Josephine Bracken
Mr. George Taufer…

Mr. George Taufer – man who

adopted Josephine after her
mother died of childbirth.

Mr. Taufer became blind so he

sought for an ophthalmic
specialist.
Rizal and Josephine Bracken

Manuela Orlac – Filipina companion who accompanied

Josephine Bracken to Dapitan.

Rizal and Josephine Bracken decided to get married but

Father Obach refused to marry them without the
permission of Bishop of Cebu.

Hearing of the planned marriage and unable to endure the

thought of losing Josephine, Mr. Taufer tried to commit
suicide by cutting off his throat with a razor but Rizal was
able to prevent this.
Rizal and Josephine Bracken
o To avoid a tragedy, Josephine accompanied Mr. Taufer back
to Manila. Mr. Taufer returned to Hong Kong alone while
Josephine stayed with the Rizals in Manila. Having no priests
to marry them, Rizal and Josephine married themselves
before the eyes of God

o The two were happy for they were expecting for a baby.
However, Rizal played a prank on Josephine making her give
birth to an eight-month baby boy. The baby lived for only
three hours. He was named “Francisco” in honor of Rizal’s
father.
 Rizal and the Katipunan
Pio Valenzuela – emissary to Dapitan in
order to inform Rizal of the plan of
Katipunan during the meeting at a little
river called Bitukang Manok.

Venus – steamer Valenzuela boarded

to reach Dapitan.

Raymundo Mata – blind man who came

with Valenzuela to camouflage his
mission. Rizal objected Bonifacio’s
project because: 1.The people are not
ready for a revolution. 2. Arms and
funds must first be collected before
raising the cry of revolution.
Volunteers as Military Doctor in Cuba

When Cuba was under revolution and

raging yellow fever epidemic, Rizal
wrote to Governor General Ramon
Blanco offering his services as military
doctor.

Governor Blanco later notified Rizal

of the acceptance of the offer. The
notification came along with an
instruction of acquiring first a pass for
Manila from the politico-military
commander of Dapitan.

Governor General Ramon Blanco

“The Song of the Traveler”

Upon receiving the acceptance of his offer to go to Europe

then to Cuba to help in the curing of patients suffering
yellow fever, he wrote a poem “El Canto del Viajero”.
España – steamer which brought Rizal to Manila from
Dapitan. Rizal was accompanied by Josephine, Narcisa,
Angelica (Narcisa’s daughter), his three nephews and six
pupils.

As farewell, the town brass of Dapitan played the

dolorous Funeral March of Chopin. He stayed in Dapitan for
four years, thirteen days and a few hours.