Week 7,8
Week 7,8
Week 7,8
On July 6, 1892, Dr. Jose Rizal received a summon from Governor-General Despujol, directing him to Malacanang.
Upon his arrival, he was confronted with a leaflet entitled Pobres Frailes (Poor Friars) written by Fr. Jacinto (Rizal’s
pen name in the Hongkong telegraph) that inspectors allegedly found in the luggage of his sister, Lucia. With this
evidence at hand, the Governor-General ordered the arrest of Rizal. He was accompanied by Ramon Despujol, the
younger brother of the Governor at Fort Santiago, where he was placed in detention and declared as
“incommunicado.”
His guards received the order to board Rizal at the S.S. Cebu bound for Dapitan. To explain Rizal’s exile to Dapitan
publicly, Governor-General Despujol published the following reasons why Rizal met such fate in the Gloria de Manila:
1. Publication of books and proclamations that manifested his disloyalty to Spain and were anti-Catholic
and anti-friar.
2. The discovery of the pamphlet entitled “Poor Friars.” The patience and humble generosity of the
Filipinos were satirized. Accusations against the customs of the religious orders were also published
in this pamphlet.
3. His last novel, El Filibusterismo, was dedicated to the three Filipino friars.
4. His end goal in his efforts and writings was to tear the Filipinos’ holy Catholic faith.
Fruitful Years in Dapitan
1. Physician – He rendered free medical services to the poor townsfolk of Dapitan. In his last two
years, he became a famed doctor.
2. Farmer – With the winnings in the lottery and other income, Jose Rizal purchased 16 hectares of
land in Talisay, Dapitan.
3. Businessman – In business, Jose Rizal had several business partnerships, such as asking several
Spaniards to supply the town with fish in the market. He also had an agreement with Mariano Hamoy
from Dapitan about the buying and selling of abaca and copra. He also engaged in merchandising by
selling shoes and socks.
4. Teacher – A part of the reform called by Jose Rizal from the Spanish government was a better
education for the Filipinos. In his capacity in Dapitan, Rizal opened a community school that started
from January 1894 to July 1896.
5. Scientist – As a man of science, Jose Rizal collected specimens of flora and fauna found in
Dapitan and sent them to Ateneo de Manila and his friends in Europe.
6. Inventor – Rizal invented the manual machine that could produce 6,000 bricks a day and discovered
a formula for making bakhaw paste.
7. Linguist – Despite his tight schedule in Dapitan, Rizal found time to study the Bisaya language and
compare Tagalog-Bisayan and Malayan languages.
8. Artist – Rizal also manifested sculpture prowess. The statues he produced include (1) a wild boar,
(2) the bust of Captain Carnicero and his wife, (3) the reclaiming figure of Josephine Bracken, (4) St.
Paul holding on to a cross, (3) Dapitan girl cutting grass, (6) a mother’s revenge (mother dog biting a
crocodile), and (7) a head of a Dapitan girl.
9. Public servant – Aside from giving free medical service and medicine to the poor people of Dapitan,
he took charge and initiative in the construction of a dam or water depository near the square house
to provide clean water to local folks living near his area.
1. He approved of the resolutions of the Katipunan, one of which is "to bring about the separation of the
Philippines by violent means."
2. Rizal did not want to have a revolution without enough weapons and supplies (De Guzman, 2014).
3. He urged that they should prepare and be careful in order for the Katipunan to remain undiscovered
(De Guzman, 2014).
4. He also advised the Katipunan to convince Antonio Luna to direct the campaign.
5. The Katipunan should attract wealthy Filipinos; if they refused, then they should remain neutral.
1. “The acts in question constituted the crimes of founding illegal associations and promoting or
inducing the commission of rebellion, the first being a necessary means for the execution of the
second” (De Guzman, 2014, p. 8).
2. “The accused, Dr. Jose Rizal, stood guilty of both crimes in the capacity of a principal-agent” (De
Guzman, 2014, p. 8).
3. “In the commission of these crimes, the criminal was a native (Filipino) must be considered an
aggravating circumstance, with no extenuating circumstances” (De Guzman, 2014, p. 8).
Rizal’s Defense
On the side of Rizal, he and his lawyer gave the following summary of defense to answer to the following charges:
1. “Concerning the rebellion. I have nothing to do with the political affairs from July 6, 1892, to June 1,
1896. In June 1896, after being told by Don Pio Valenzuela that an uprising was being contemplated,
I advised against it and made him sought amnesty from authorities. This is proof that I had no
dealings with anyone regarding political affairs.”
2. “They exploited my name cruelly and at the very last moment sought to take by surprise. Why did
they not get in touch with me earlier? Possibly because word had reached them that I was, if not
contented, at least resigned in my place of exile, for I had refused to entertain any of the various
proposals that many people made to get me out.” He added that he owned several vessels and was
permitted to take trips to surrounding villages and Muslim friends with vintas. Rizal had chances of
escape that he did not utilize because he was obedient to the Spanish government’s orders.
3. However, he admitted that he framed the statutes of the La Liga, whose aim was to promote the
commerce industry using cooperation. He added that La Liga was not a subversive organization, and
it died at an early stage.
4. About his letters that carried bitter criticism, he did not deny them but asked the court the time they
were written. "They were written after we were stripped of our two residential houses, our
warehouses, our lands, and other properties, as well as when all my brothers-in-law and my elder
brother were exiled.”
Rizal’s Death
At the moment of fire, Rizal was indeed a man of science. He waited for the final word “Fuego!” (meaning “Fire!”), the
brilliant Rizal, before the soldiers of the 70th Regiment pulled the triggers of their guns, turned his back to the right.
When the bullets reached his body, the law of physics turned Rizal's dying body to fall, facing upward.
Rizal was 35 years old when he died with 8 bullets in his heart at 7:03 in the morning. His body was hauled in a
wagon and buried in Paco Cemetery without due respect. Today, a marker stands between two acacia trees, which
were the only official witness when Rizal’s body was buried.
The Aftermath
More and more provinces in the Philippines decided to fight. Rizal was the best reason that the Spaniards had
created in favor of the Philippine Revolution. After his death, other provinces decided to join the fight for freedom
aside from Manila, Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, and Nueva Ecija. The province of Tarlac declared its Cry of Tagumpay
in January 1897 and attacked the Spaniards in the provincial capital. Afterward, Ilocano and Visayan provinces
followed.
Morga’s historical accounts cover the politics, economy, and Philippine society from 1493 to 1603. Interestingly,
Morga's official position allowed him access to many government documents. Morga ornamented Spain's legacy by
writing about its discovery, subjugation, and conversion of the Philippine archipelago. Meanwhile, Rizal argued that
the conversion and conquest were not as widespread as Dr. Morga portrayed because missionaries were only
successful in conquering a portion of the population in certain parts of the archipelago.
Why Choose Morga’s Work
According to Ambeth Ocampo (1998), Rizal decided to transcribe Morga’s book for the following reasons:
1. The book is objective – Rizal felt that Morga was more objective than religious writers whose
accounts included many sacred and miraculous stories.
2. The book is sympathetic – Rizal also believed that Morga was more sympathetic to the Indios than
those who wrote religious chronicles. Morga was an eyewitness and a significant participant in the
events he narrated.
3. The book is civil – Rizal also believed that the only civil account that was incorporated in a historical
book was the work of Morga because it opposed the religious or ecclesiastical way that was
prevalent during the colonial period of the Spaniards.
4. The book is based on his experience – Rizal believed that the book is written based on the first-hand
experience of Morga that is why it is credible and valid.
On Rizal’s Annotation
Considering that Rizal was an earnest seeker of truth, which makes him a historian, he aimed to prove that the
Philippines has civilizations and a systematic way of learning even before the Spaniards came. Rizal’s primary aim is
to retell the Filipino story that, as he assumed, was described by Morga in a biased manner.
1. Rizal has the following objectives why he had transcribed and annotated the work of Morga:
2. To enlighten the consciousness of the Filipinos regarding their glorious pre-colonial culture.
3. To correct what had been distorted about the Philippines due to the Spanish conquest.
4. To prove that the Filipinos are civilized even before the Spaniards came to the Philippines.
2. High Literacy Rate – The Spanish missionaries exploited baybayin and used it to translate their own
goals.
3. Early Artillery – Our ancestors were proficient in the art of war. In addition to hand weapons,
Filipinos know how to use fire guns and cannons.
4. Smooth Foreign Relations – Precolonial Filipinos had already established trading and diplomatic
relations with countries as far as the Middle East.
5. Self-Sufficient – The Philippines' natural resources during the pre-colonial period were abundant
and very sustainable. Our ancestors' ways of life are self-sustaining because they practiced direct
appropriation in gathering resources. In distributing food resources, they practiced egalitarianism.
6. Advanced Civilization – Contrary to the Spanish colonizers' perspective, ancient Filipinos did not
have an inferior civilization. As mentioned above, we had our indigenous writing system. We were
great boat builders and seafarers. Also, our ancestors had a defined political system and social
structure.
Ferdinand Blumentritt’s Prologue
Ferdinand Blumentritt also wrote a preface emphasizing several salient points on the work of Morga. Ferdinand
Blumentritt highlighted here that Spaniards have to correct their erroneous conception of the Filipinos as children of
limited intelligence.
1. He first observed that Rizal had committed the mistake of many modern historians who judged
events in the context of contemporary ideas and mores.
2. He perceived that Rizal overreached his denunciation of Catholicism. Rizal should confine his
critiques to the religious orders who spared no effort to suppress calls for reform.