Rizal Exile in Dapitan

(1892-1896)
Rizal lived in exile in far-away Dapitan, a remote town in Mindanao.

He practised medicine, pursued scientific studies, continue his artistic and

literary works, widened his knowledge of languages, established a school
for boys, promoted community development projects, invented a wooden
machine for making bricks, and engaged in farming and commerce.

He kept an extensive correspondence to his family, relatives, fellow

reformists, and eminent scientists and scholars in Europe, including
Blumentritt, Reinhold Rost, A. B. Meyer, W. Joest of Berlin, S. Knuttle of
Stuttgart, and N. M. Keihl of Prague.
BEGINNING OF EXILE IN DAPITAN
The steamer Cebu which brought Rizal to Dapitan carried a letter from
Father Pablo Pastells, to Father Antonio Obach.

Rizal did not agree with this conditions, he lived in the house of the
commandant.
Carnicero came to know that Rizal was not a common felon, much less a
filibustero.

Rizal, on his part, admired the kind, generous Spanish captain. As evidence
of his esteem, he wrote a poem, A Don Ricardo Carnicero, on August 26,
1892, on the occasion of the captain’s birthday.
 WINS IN MANILA LOTTERY
(September 21, 1892)

The mail boat Butuan was approaching the town, with colored pennants
flying in the sea breezes.
Captain Carnicero, thinking that a high Spanish official was coming, hastily
dressed in gala uniform, ordered the town folks to gather at the shore,
and himself rushed there, bringing a brass band.

Lottery Ticket No. 9736 jointly owned by Captain Carnicero, Dr. Jose Rizal,
and Francisco Equilior won the second prices P 20,000 in the government-
owned Manila Lottery.

Rizal’s share of the winning lottery ticket was P6,200 .

The rest he invested well by purchasing agricultural lands along the coast
of Talisay, about one kilometre away from Dapitan.

During his first sojourn in Madrid from 1882 and 1885 he always invested
atleast three pesetas every month in lottery tickets.
“This one his only voice,” commented Wenceslao E. Retana
 RIZAL-PASTELLS DEBATE ON
RELIGION
During Rizal exile in Dapitan, he had a long and scholarly debate with
Father Pastells on religion.

Father Pastells send him a book of SARDA, with advice the latter should
desist from his majaderas in reviewing religion from the prism of individual
judgement and self-esteem.

In his all letters to Father Pastells, Rizal revealed his anti Catholic ideas
which he had acquired in Europe and embitterment at his persecution by
the bad friars.

It is understandable why he was bitter against the friars who committed

certain abuses under the cloak of religion.
 RIZAL CHALLENGES A FRENCHMAN
TO A DUEl
While Rizal was still debating with Father Pastells by means of exchange of
letters, he became involved in a quarrel with a French acquaintance in
Dapitan, Mr. Juan Lardet, a businessman.

Rizal And Father Sanchez

Father Francisco de Paula Sanchez, Rizal’s favorite teacher at the Ateneo de
Manila, to Dapitan.

He was also the Spanish priest to defend Rizal’s NOLI ME TANGERE in public.
 IDYLLIC LIFE IN DAPITAN
Rizal had an exemplary life, idyllic in serenity.

August, 1893 – members of his family took turns in visiting him in order to
assuage his loneliness in the isolated outpost of Spanish power in the
Moroland.

Among them were his mother; sisters Trinidad, Maria, Narcisa; and nephews
Teodosio, Estanislao, Mauricio and Prudencio.
RIZAL ENCOUNTER WITH THE FRIAR’S SPY
November 1893 Rizal was living peacefully and happily at his house in Talisay.

His blissful life was then suddenly jolted by a strange incident involving a spy
of the friars.

Pablo Mercado – posing as relative, secretly visited Rizal at his house on the
night of November 2, 1893.
He went to the COMANDANCIA and denounced the impostor to Captain Juan Sitges on May 4 1893.

The real name of “Pablo Mercado” was Florencio Namanan.

As Physician in Dapitan
He was native of Cagayan de Misamis, single and about 30 years old.

The available documents on the failed mission of the friar’s spy have been qouted by three Rizalist biographers Retana, Palma, and Jose Baron Fernandez.

August 1893 his mother and sister (Maria) arrived in Dapitan and lived with
him for one year and half.

Don Ignacio Tumarong – was able to see again because of Rizal’s

ophthalmic skill; and highly gratified by the restoration of his sight, and he
paid P3,000.
Don Florencio Azacarraga, a rich hacendero of Aklan, was also cured of
eye ailment, and paid Rizal a cargo of sugar.

Rizal became interested in local medicine and in the use of medicinal

plants.

Water System for Dapitan

Rizal held the title of expert surveyor (perito agrimensor).
He supplemented his training as a surveyor by his reading of
engineering books, so that he came to know about engineering.
He succeeded in giving a good water system to Dapitan.
Mr. H.F. Cameron - American Engineering
Community Projects for Dapitan

When Rizal arrived in Dapitan, he decided to improve it, to the best of his
God-given talents, and to awaken the civic consciousness of its people.

Rizal as Teacher

Since boyhood Rizal knew the value of good education.

He himself planned to establish a modern college in Hong Kong for Filipino
boys so that he could train them in modern pedagogical concepts, which
were then unknown in the Philippines.
Hymn to Talisay
Rizal conducted his school at his home in Talisay, near Dapitan, where he had his farm and hospital.

Contributions to Science
Rizal found Mindanao a rich virgin field for collecting specimens. With his
baroto (sailboat) and accompanied by his pupils, he explored the jungles
and coasts, seeking specimens of insects, birds, snakes, lizards, frogs,
shells, and plants.

During his four-year exile in Dapitan, Rizal built up a rich collection of

concology which consisted of 346 shells representing 203 species.

He discovered some rare specimens which were named in his honor by the
scientists.
Draco Rizali – a flying dragon
Apogonia Rizali – a small beetle
Rhacophorus Rizali – a rare frog
 Linguistic Studies
Rizal continued his studies of languages. In Dapitan he learned the Bisayan,
Subanum, and Malay languages. He wrote a Tagalog grammar, made a
comparative study of the Bisayan and Malayan languages.

April 5, 1896 – his last year of exile in Dapitan, he wrote to Blumentritt.

He knew 22 languages.

ARTISTIC WORKS IN DAPITAN

Rizal contributed his painting skill to the sisters of Charity who were
preparing the sanctuary of the Holy Virgin in their private chapel.
He drew, for instance, the three rare species of animal life – the dragon the
frog, and the beetle.
He had sketches of the numerous fishes he caught in Dapitan waters.
 To stress the moral of the incident, he modeled a statuette representing
the mother-dog killing the crocodile, by way of avenging her lost puppy,
and called it “The mother’s Revenge”

Other sculptural works of Rizal in Dapitan were a bust of a Father

Guerrico a statue of a girl called “THE DAPITAN GIRL”, a wood carving of
Josephine Bracken.
RIZAL AS A FARMER
In Dapitan Rizal devoted much of his time to agriculture.
He bought 16 hectares of land in Talisay, where he built his home, school,
and hospital, and planted cacao, coffee, sugarcane, coconuts and fruits
trees.

Later, he acquired more lands until his total holdings reached 70 hectares,
containing 6,000 hemp plants, 1,000, and numerous fruit trees, sugarcane,
corn, coffee and cacao.

On his farm Rizal introduced modern methods of agriculture which he had

observed in Europe and America.
He also imported agricultural machinery from the United States.
 Rizal as Businessman
Rizal engaged in business. In partnership with Ramon Carreon, a Dapitan
merchant, he made profitable business ventures in fishing, copra, and
hemp industries.
January 19, 1893 – he expressed his plan to improve the fishing industry of
Dapitan.

The most profitable business venture of Rizal in Dapitan was in the hemp
industry. At one time, he shipped 150 bales of hemp to a foreign firm in
Manila at huge profit for himself and his business partner.
He purchased hemp in Dapitan at P7 and 4 reales per picul and sold it in
manila at p10 and 4 reales, giving him a profit of P3 per picul.

May 14, 1893 – Rizal formed a business partnership with Ramon Carreon in
lime manufacturing.
Their lime burner had a monthly capacity of more than 400 bags of lime.
 Rizal’s Inventive Ability
Rizal was that he was also an inventor.
He invented cigarette lighter which he sent as a gift to Blumentritt. He
called it “ “sulpukan”.

February, 1895 –Dona Teodora, with her eyesight fully restored, returned
to Manila.
October 22, 1895 – Rizal wrote a beautiful poem about his serene life as an
exile in Dapitan and sent it to her.
“My Retreat” – which is claimed by literary critics as one of the best ever
penned by Rizal.
 RIZAL AND JOSEPHINE BRACKEN
Josephine Bracken
An Irish girl of sweet eighteen, slender, a chestnut blond, with blue eyes
Was born in Hong Kong
of Irish parents James Bracken and Elizabeth Jane MacBride
Her mother died of childbirth and she was adopted by George Taufer who
became blind
Josephine Bracken and Rizal
No ophthalmic surgeon could cure Mr. Taufer’s blindness so he went to
Dapitan
Manuela Orlac – a Filipina companion who accompanied the two.
They presented a card of introduction by Julio Llorente, Rizal’s friend and
schoolmate.
After a whirlwind romance of a month, they agreed to marry but Father
Obach refused to marry them without the permission of the Bishop of
Cebu.
 Rizal and the Katipunan
Andres Bonifacio – The Great Plebeian
Founded the Katipunan on July 7, 1896.

Dr. Pio Valenzuela

Best friend of Bonifacio
An emissary to Dapitan
Venus – steamer that brought him to Dapitan
Raymundo Mata – a blind man whom he brought with him to solicit Rizal’s
expert medical advice.
Rizal Objected the Katipunan
The people are not ready for a revolution
The arms and funds must first be collected before raising the cry of
revolution
George Taufer
When he heard of their projected marriage, he flared up in a violent rage.
He tried to commit suicide by cutting of his throat with a razor.
To avoid a tragedy, Josephine went with him in Manila
George Taufer returned alone to Hong Kong.
Josephine stayed with the family of Rizal in Manila.

Francisco – son of Rizal who died due to premature giving birth of his
mother.
He was eight month old then
 Rizal Volunteers as a Military Doctor in Cuba

Rizal offered his services as military doctor in Cuba, which was then in the
throes of a revolution and raging yellow fever epidemic.

Upon the advice of his best friend, Ferdinand Blumentritt, Rizal wrote to
Governor General Ramon Blanco, the successor of the Gov. Gen. Despujol
offering his services as military doctor in Cuba.

Months passed and he received no reply from Malacañang.

July 1, 1896 – he received a letter from the Governor General notifying him
of the acceptance of the offer.
 The Song of the Traveler
Great was Rizal’s joy in receiving the gladsome news from Malacañang. At
last, he was free! once more, he was going to ravel – to Europe and then
to Cuba. It was with this joyous thought of resuming his travels that he
wrote his heart-warming poem which runs in full.

ADIOS, DAPITAN
July 31, 1896 – Rizal’s four-year exile in Dapitan came to an end.
He was accompanied by Josephine, Narcisa, Angelica, his three nephews,
and six pupils.