Republic of the Philippines

CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE

F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

College of Education

GEC 9 – LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL Period: 2nd Semester AY 2021-2022

Instructor: JOHN LEO D. RODRIGUEZ Course, Yr & Block:
Learning Material: CHAPTER IV Time Allotment: Week 5-6
References: Life and Works of Rizal
Jensen D.G. Maňebog

CHAPTER IV

HIGHER EDUCATION AND LIFE ABROAD

SECOND TRAVEL ABROAD

What Jose Rizal failed to accomplish in his six-month stay in the country during his first
homecoming was ‘to visit his girlfriend Leonor Rivera in Pangasinan. His father strongly
opposed the idea, sensing that the visit would put Leonor’s family in jeopardy.

In Hong Kong and Japan

On February 3, 1888, Rizal sailed to Hong Kong onboard “Zafiro” and just stayed inside the
ship during its short stop at Amoy. He stayed at Victoria Hotel in Hong Kong (not in Sta.
Mesa) and visited the nearby city Macao for two days along with a friend, Jose Maria Basa.
Among other things, Rizal experienced in Hong Kong the noisy firecracker-laden Chinese
New Year and the marathon lauriat party characterized by numerous dishes being served.
(Yes, the “lauriat” combo meal in “Chowking" originated from this Chinese party.)

From Hong Kong, he reached Yokohama, Japan on February 28 and proceeded to Tokyo
the next day. He lived in the Spanish legation in Tokyo upon the invitation of its secretary,
Juan Perez Caballero, In March 1888, he heard a Tokyo band nicely playing a European
music and was astonished to find out after the gig that some of its members were Filipinos .
(From this information. we can surmise that even during Rizal's time, there were Filipino
entertainers in Japan [Japayuki" or ; “Japayuko’)). But if there was a person who was truly
entertained at the time, it was Rizal himself who was amused by the Japanese girl who
would pass by the legation every day. The 23-year old Seiko Usui whom he fondly called ‘O-
Sei-San’ became his tour guide and sweetheart rolled into one.

Sail to the West

But because he loved his mission more than O-Sei-San, Rizal boarded the “Belgic” on April
13, 1888. In the vessel, he had befriended Tetcho Suehiro, a Japanese novelist and human
rights fighter who was also forced by his government to leave his country. The ship arrived in
San Francisco on April 28. For a week, the ship's passengers were, however, quarantined,
allegedly because of the cholera outbreak in the Far East. In reality, some politicians were
just questioning the arrival of the Chinese coolies in the ship who would displace white
laborers in railroad-construction projects.
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CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

College of Education

On May 6, Rizal went to Oakland. Onboard a train, he took his evening meal in Sacramento
and woke up in Reno, Nevada. He had visited also the states of Utah, Colorado, Nebraska,
Illinois, and finally reached New York on May 13. On Bedloe Island, he had seen the Statue
of Liberty symbolizing freedom and democracy. Ironically, Rizal observed that there was
racial inequality in the land and thus concluded that real freedom was only for the whites.
(Although if Rizal were alive today, he would be surprised to know that the Americans had
already allowed a black guy to become their president for two terms.)

In Great Britain, Paris, and Spain

Onboard the ship “City of Rome,” Rizal sailed for Liverpool on May 16, 1888 and arrived
there a on May 24. A day after, he reached London and stayed briefly at Dr. Antonio Ma.
Regidor’s house. He then boarded at the Beckett residence where he was lovingly served by
Gertrude, the daughter of his landlord.

In June 1888, Rizal made friends with Dr. Reinhold Rost and ‘his family. Expert in Malayan
language, Rost had in his house as “a pearl of a man” (‘una perla de hombre’).

In London, Rizal manually copied and annotated Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas,a
rare book available in the British Museum. He also became the honorary president of the
patriotic society Asociacion La Solidaridad (Solidaridad Association) and wrote articles for
the La Solidaridad. In his 10-month stay in London, he had short visits in Paris, Madrid, and
Barcelona. In Spain, he met Marcelo H. del Pilar for the first time.

Del Pilar was one of the renowned members of the Propaganda Movement, along with
Graciano Lopez Jaena (publisher of La Solidaridad), Mariano Ponce, and Rizal.

Propaganda was a patriotic socio-political organization founded in 1872 by Filipinos who had
settled in Europe. Its members were mainly the Filipino liberals exiled in 1872 and the
Filipino students studying in Europe's universities at the time, Also considered a cultural and
literary organization, the Propaganda had a principal publication, the La Solidaridad.

The Propaganda primarily aimed to bring to Spain’s attention the real needs of its colony, the
Philippines. Among many other things, the Propagandists specifically advocated (a) the
recognition of the Philippines as.a province of Spain and its (Philippines) representation in
the Spanish parliament (Cortes Generales) (b) the secularization of the Philippine parishes
and clergy: (c) the equality between the Spanish and the Filipino, especially in entering
government service; (d) the establishment of government funded schools not run’ by the
friars; (e) the abolition of the “polo” (forced labor) and “vandala (forced sale of local products
to the government); (f) the recognition of human rights and freedom, especially the freedoms
of speech and association.

Seemingly advocating racial or cultural integration, the Propaganda Movement is thus

branded as assimilationist. In anthropology and sociology, assimilation is the process
whereby individuals or groups of differing ethnic heritage are absorbed into the dominant
 Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

College of Education

culture of a society. The process of assimilating involves taking on the traits of the dominant
culture (e.g. colonizer) to such a degree that thé assimilating group (eg. the colonized
people) becomes socially indistinguishable from the other members of the society.
Contextually, the “assimilationist’ stand if Rizal's time refers mainly to the advocacy to have
the Philippines be treated as one of Spain's provinces.

Rizal and Del Pilar are said to have later abandoned the "assimilationist” stand (although this
is questioned by many historians, especially those who claim that either Rizal or Del Pilar
was even anti-revolutionary. In some ways, nonetheless, both Rizal and el Pilar inspired the
establishment and mission of Andres Bonifacion’s revolutionary society, the Katipunan).

In France

Leaving London for good, he went to Paris in March 1889. He shortly lived in the
house of a friend, Valentin Ventura, before transferring to a little room where he had as
roommates two Filipinos one whom was Jose Albert, a student from Manila. In Paris, Rizal
frequented the Bibliotheque Nationale, working on his annotation of the Sucesos. He spent
his spare hours in the house of friends like Juan Luna and his wife Paz Pardo de Tavera.
Rizal witnessed the Universal Exposition of Paris, having as its greatest attraction the Eiffel
Tower.

Rizal formed the Kidlat Club, a temporary social club, which brought together
Filipinos witnessing the exposition. He also organized the Indios Bravos, an association
which envisioned Filipinos being recognized for their admirable skills in many fields. Rizal,
likewise formed the mysterious Redencion de los Malayos (Redemption of the Malays),
which aimed to propagate useful knowledge. In Paris, Rizal also finished and published his
annotation of the Sucesos.

In Belgium

After celebrating the Yuletide season in Paris in 1889, Rizal shortly visited London for
the last time. With Jose Albert, Rizal left Paris for Brussels on January 28,1890. The two
stayed in a boarding house administered by the Jacoby sisters (Suzanne and Marie) where
Rizal met had a transitory affair with (another) Suzanne (also called Petite), the niece of his
landladies.

In Belgium, Rizal busied himself with writing the Fili and contributing for La
Solidaridad using the pen name Dimas Alang ang Laong Laan. When he heard the news
that the Calamba agrarian trouble was getting worse, Rizal decided to go home. But Paciano
told him through a letter that they lost the court case against the Dominicans in the
Philippines, and they intended to bring the case to Madrid. This prompted Jose to go to
Madrid instead to look for a lawyer and influential people who would defend there the
Calamba tenants.

In Madrid
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CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

College of Education

Rizal traveled to Madrid in August 1890. Along with his lawyer, Marcelo H del Pilar, he tried
to seek justice for his family but could not find any influential Spaniard who could help them.

In 1890, Rizal also met in Madrid the Filipino student Edilberto Evangelista, Perhaps sensing
his potential, Rizal counseled Evangelista to take engineering in Belgium. Upon Rizal's
advice, Evangelista thus matriculated at the University of Ghent, one of the world's leading
engineering schools then. Rizal's suggestion proved fruitful as Evangelista later finished civil
engineering and architecture with highest honors. Some European companies offered him
rewarding positions, but he turned them down for wanting to serve his country instead.

Rizal encountered many adversities and tribulations in Madrid. He heard that his family was
forced to leave their land in Calamba, and some family members were even deported to far
places. One day, Rizal challenged his friend Antonio Luna to a duel when he (Luna), being
unsuccessful in seeking Nellie Boustead's love, gave negative comments ope on the lady.
Rizal also dared to a duel Wenceslao Retana of the anti-Filipino newspaper La Epoca who
wrote that Rizal's family was not paying its land rent. Both duels were fortunately aborted—
Luna became Rizal's good friend Rizal challenged his friend again while Retana even
became Rizal's eventual first Antonio Luna to a duel non-Filipino biographer.

In Madrid, Rizal also heard the news of Leonor Rivera's marriage to thé Englishman Henry
Kipping who was the choice of Leonor’s mother. As if “misfortunes” were not enough, there
also emerged the Del Pilar-Rizal rivalry for leadership in the “Asociacion Hispano Filipino.”
The supposedly healthy election for a leader (‘Responsible") produced unpleasant split
among the Filipinos in Madrid (the Rizalistas vs. the Pilaristas). Rizal thus decided to leave
Madrid, lest his presence results in more serious factions among Filipinos in Madrid.

In Biarritz, Paris, and Brussels

Rizal proceeded to take a more-than-a-month vacation in Biarritz, a tourist town in

southwestern France noted for its mild climate and sand beaches. Arriving there in February
1891, Rizal was welcomed as a family guest in the house of the Bousteds, especially by
Nellie with whom he later had a serious, but failed, romantic relationship.

In Biarritz, he continued to work on his El Fili and completed its manuscript on March 29, the
eve of his departure for Paris. Valentin Ventura hosted his short stay in Paris, and the
Jacobies, especially Petite Suzanne, cordially welcomed his arrival in Brussels in April 1891.
In Brussels, Rizal revised and prepared for printing his second novel until the end of May. By
June 1891, he was already looking for a printing firm to print the E Filibusterismo. .

In Ghent

Rizal went to Ghent in July 1891 because the cost of printing in the place was cheaper. He
lived in a low-cost boarding house where he had a roommate Jose Alejandro, an
engineering student in the University of Ghent. Tightening their belts, they rented a room
exclusive of breakfast. They bought a box of biscuit, counted the contents, and computed for
 Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

College of Education

their daily ration for a month. In just 15 days, Alejandro had eaten up all his shares whereas
Rizal frugally limited himself to his daily allocation.

The publisher F. Meyer-Van Loo Press, No. 66 Viaanderen Street agreed to print the El Fili
on an installment basis. Despite pawning all his jewels and living tightfistedly, Rizal ran out
of funds, and the printing had to be suspended on August 8. But through Valentin Ventura’s
“salvific” act, the “El Filibusterismo” came off the press on September 18, 1891. Two weeks
after. he visited Paris for the last time to bid goodbye to his friends and compatriots.

In Hong Kong and Sandakan

In October 1891, Rizal left Europe for Hong Kong onboard the ship "Melbourne” on which he
began writing his third (but unfinished) novel. He arrived in Hong Kong an November 20 and
resided at No. 5 D’ Aguilar Street, No. 2 Rednaxela Terrace.

Having escaped the friars’ persecution, Don Francisco, Paciano, and Silvestre Ubaldo
(Jose's brother-in-law) also arrived in Hong Kong. Shortly after, afterward Dona Teodora and
children Lucia, Josefa, and Trinidad.also arrived, and the Rizal family had a sort of family
reunion in the Yuletide season of 1891.

In Hong Kong, Jose opened a medical clinic. A Portuguese friend, Dr. Lorenzo P. Marques,
helped him to get many patrons of various nationalities. His successful operation on his
mother’s left eye allowed her to read again.

In March 1892, he went to Sandakan (East Malaysia) aboard “Menon” to negotiate with
British authorities concerning the founding of a Filipino colony in North Borneo (now called
Sabah). On March 21, Rizal asked Governor-General Eulogio Despujol through a letter to
allow the landless Filipinos, especially the deported Calamba tenants, to establish
themselves in North Borneo. Rizal was back in Hong Kong in April 1892.

Second Homecoming

Wanting to confer with Despujol concerning his North Borneo colonization project, Rizal left
Hong Kong on June 21, 1892 along with his sister Lucia. Without his knowledge, the
Spanish consul in Hong Kong sent a cablegram to Despujol stating figuratively that “the rat is
in the trap.” A secret case against Rizal was thus filed in Manila for an anti-religious and anti-
patriotic public campaign.

Rizal and his sister arrived in Manila at noon on June 26, 1892. At 7 pm., he was able to
confer in Malacanang with Despujol who agreed to pardon his father and told him to return
on June 29. He then visited his sisters and friends in Manila.

On June 27, he took a train and visited his friends in Central Luzon. He had a stopover at the
Bautista mansion in Malolos, Bulacan and spent the night in the house of Evaristo Puno in
Tarlac, Tarlac, about 30 kilometers away from the residence of Leonor Rivera-Kipping in
 Republic of the Philippines
CAMARINES NORTE STATE COLLEGE
F. Pimentel Avenue, Brgy. 2, Daet, Camarines Norte – 4600, Philippines

College of Education

Camiling. He also went to San Fernando and Bacolor, Pampanga and returned to Manila on
June 28, at 5 pm. On June 29, 30, and July 3, he had other interviews with Despujol. Rizal's
colonization project was rejected, but his request to lift the exile of his sisters was granted.

On the evening of July 3, Rizal spearheaded the meeting in the house of Doroteo Ongjunco
on Ylaya Street, Tondo, Manila attended by at least 20 Filipinos, including Andres Bonifacio
and Apolinario Mabini. Rizal explained the aims of the civic association La Liga Filipina.
Officers were then elected, having Ambrosio Salvador as the president, thereby officially
establishing the league.

Just three days after the meeting though, Rizal was arrested during his interview with the
governor-general. Despujol showed him anti-friar leaflets Pobres Frailes (Poor Friars)
allegedly discovered in his sister Lucia’s pillow cases. Imprisoned in Fort Santiago for almost
ten days, Rizal was brought at 12:30 a.m. of July 14 to the steamer “Cebu.” Passing through
Mindoro and Panay, the vessel docked at Dapitan in Zambounga del Norte on the evening of
July 17.

Dapitan was a truly scenic place with fine beaches, for sure a soothing place for a
balikbayan like Rizal. But Jose was not there as a tourist or a vacationer, for he was a
political exile. The ship captain Delgras handed him over to the local Spanish commandant,
Ricardo Carnicero—and that event signaled the start of Rizal's life as a deportee in Dapitan.