RIZAL STAYED IN

HONGKONG – 1891-1892
The Nationalist Ophthalmologist
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RIZAL LEAVING
EUROPE –
Port of Marseilles, France

Boarded “Melbourne” bound to

Hongkong

“The sea is calm… the air is

fresh and invigorating.”

German ladies treated Rizal with

admiration and respect for being
a gentleman.

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Background of
Hongkong

• Earlier a farming fishing village and

salt production site.
• It became a British Crown Colony in
1842 after the end of First Opium War.
• Later, it became an important free port
and eventually a major
international financial center.
• Picture is Hongkong around 1849

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Arrival in Hongkong

Rizal was welcomed by Filipino

residents especially Jose Ma. Basa

Resided in No. 5 D’ Aguilar St. , No.

2 Rednaxela Terrace

Desperate and sad because of the

continuing harassment and
deportation of his family and
Calamba farmers to Mindoro.

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 Rizal Marker at Rednaxela Terrace

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Facsimile of the
Writ of Eviction
against Don
Francisco Rizal

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 300 families were evicted from the hacienda and stayed on
the streets, on the lakeshore or in the woods.

They were deprived of land, home, livestock, and granary

Reduction of Local authorities and Guardia Civil were grabbing,

mauling, and beating men. Houses were looted and
Calamba torched.
At checkpoints, calesas and carts were stopped and
searched. There was strict rules for cedulas and IDs (worth
4 pesetas)
Paciano and Silvestre escaped through the help of Higinio
Francisco, Timoteo Paez, Doroteo Ongjungco, and Don
Marcelino de Santos of Tondo.

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 Arrival of his father, brother and Silvestre (brother-in-law)
who escaped Mindoro and evaded being thrown to Sulu

Followed by his mother and sisters – Lucia, Josefa and

Family Trinidad

Reunion of
Christmas Doña Teodora was almost blind and has worsened physical
condition because of her arrest (1890) for failing to use her
1891 surname “Realonda”

His happiest Christmas

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Medical Practice in
Hongkong

• With the help of friends – Jose

Ma. Basa, Dr. Lorenzo Marquez,
and Juan de Cunha, Rizal had his
clinic favored by international
clientele.
• Operated Doña Teodora’s eyes
• Rizal is a very good doctor due to
his training in France and
Germany

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Rizal as a General Practitioner

• Excerpt of letter to F. Blumentritt -

“Here I practiced as a doctor, and I
have here many sick of influenza
because there is an epidemic. Through
the newspapers I am informed that this
sickness is also ravaging Europe. I hope
you and your family will be spared. In
our house, my mother, brother-in-law,
and one of my sisters are sick. Thank
God, they are out of danger.”

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 1889- 1890 Flu Pandemic –
Russian Flu or Asiatic Flu

• It killed about 1 million people worldwide.

• From Russia, the disease reached Europe, spreading
across in 3 consecutive waves (1889–1890, 1890–
1891, and 1891–1892).
• The substantial increase in the population, especially
in capital and port cities, led to person to person
transmission of infectious diseases.
• Contributory to the spread of influenza, were the
intensive development of railways because they
linked distant places, with numerous stops, and let
large numbers of people to travel within a short time
and across vast distances.

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Rizal’s Business
Cards

• He maintained an eye
clinic in Duddell St., No
5 D’Aguilar St. and No. 2
D’Aguilar St.
• Rednaxela (reversed of
Alexander) Terrace. A
name adopted by the
Chinese for it is easier for
them to pronounce.

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 Samples of Rizal’s Business Cards used as flashcards
in Dapitan

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 Rizal’s Social Circle
in Hongkong
• Portuguese Daniel da Rosa, musical wife and Rosita called by
Rizal as “Princesa Negra”
• Doña Beatriz da Rosa, cousin of Daniel, it was in Hongkong
that Rizal first met Josephine Bracken, then a schoolgirl at the
Italian convent.
• Mr. George Taufer, accompanied by two adopted daughters,
Georgina and Josephine, went to Rizal’s clinic to consult the
“Spanish doctor” about his eyes
• Rizal according to Doña Beatriz – “A man of exquisite manners,
a most charming person, one who can neither be ignored nor
easily 04/10/2024
forgotten.” Prepared by Asst. Prof. Emelita Samala 14
 Ang Mga Karapatan ng Tao translated from France’s Rights of
Men in 1879
To the Spanish Nation, an appeal to Spain to correct the wrong
doings in Calamba
Sa Mga Kababayan, explanation about Calamba agrarian
situation
Writings in Contributions to Hong Kong Telegraph but banned by Spain
Hongkong in the Philippines
A Visit to Victorial Gaol, comparison of British prison to
Spanish prison
Colonization of British North Borneo by Families from the
Philippine Islands, written in French
The Red Hand, about the outbreaks of intentional fires in
Manila

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 Sabah formerly North Borneo – view of Mt.
Kinabalu

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 Accompanied by H. L. Dalrymple, agent for the
British North Borneo Company

The company seemed willing to cede, for 99 years,

1,000 acres of land with good harbor to a group of
Short Visit Filipino immigrants, free of all charges.
to North He was corresponding to Mr. W. B. Pryer of Sandakan
Borneo over a land lease.

Rizal thought that the persecuted Filipinos might find

peace and tranquility for this ”future refuge” that he
was planning for them.

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Proposed Settlement in Borneo by J. Rizal

• Kuya Manuel Hidalgo said the project

is not good, he questioned the plan of
giving up their sacrifices and welfare
of their own land to settle in foreign
land .
• Gov. Gen. E. Despujol though the
Spanish Consul in Hongkong, did not
approved the project for the
Philippines is need of manpower and
it is unpatriotic to work in foreign
land.
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 Contributing Factors for Rizal to
Return to Political Issues
1. Spanish consul persuaded him to return home
2. Fr. Matias Gomez, Rector of UST defended Rizal and his books
and condemned the atrocities in Calamba
3. Letters from home pronouncing the disappointing
administration of Governor General E. Despujol
4. From Ghent, Edilberto Evangelista urged Rizal to set up a
Revolutionary Club in Hongkong
5. Antonio Luna was defying the government – If we are beaten,
then let it cost much blood!
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 7. The Junta de Propaganda in Manila wanted him to direct its political
activities
Contributing Factors
8. A group from Pampanga led by Don Mariano Alejandrino offered to
for Rizal to Return to raise funds for a propaganda journal to be run by Rizal
Political Issues 9. Pedro Serrano Laktaw, founder of Masonic Lodge Nilad, made Rizal as
the “Honorary Venerable”

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Contributing Factors for Rizal to
Return to Political Issues

10. Attack of Eduardo de Lete in an

article “Iluso” published in La Sol
by M. H. del Pilar
“ What bug has bitten you that, you
should attack me when I was not
meddling in politics? However, who
knows if, after all, this is beneficial: it
wakes me up and after a long silence I
enter the campaign again.”

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 Pros and Cons of
Going Home
• F. Blumentritt – not to get involved in “revolutionary
agitations”
• J. Ma Basa – suggested “La Liga Filipina” that would push for
dignity, courage, defense of rights, modernize agriculture,
promote commerce, and make available capital doe new
enterprises and introduction of machinery. The founding must
be in the homeland.
• His family was opposed to his plan, Kuya Paciano said it was
the first time that his brother did not listen to him
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Pros and Cons of Going
Home

• General protests from friends to “wait

and see”
• Juan Luna sent him 21 drawings
intended for Noli Me Tangere to divert
his interest and stay put
• Rizal and Sixto Lopez who opposed his
plan to go home

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 Testamento Politico
• 2 letters were entrusted to Dr. Lorenzo Marquez
• One was addressed to his parents and one to
countrymen to be opened only after his death.
• To his parents “… I leave to expose myself to danger…
to crown my efforts and justify with my example what I
have always preached…. Till my last moments I shall
think of you and wish you all sorts of happiness.”
• To countrymen – The step I am about to take is risky
without doubt… I know that the future of my country
depends in some way upon me…I want to show those
who deny our patriotism that we know how to die for
our duty and convictions. I have always loved my
unfortunate country… wishing for her redemption.”

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