Rizal's Exile in Dapitan

Exile in Dapitan

• In July 1892, Rizal was exiled to Dapitan, a small town in Mindanao
• Captain Ricardo Carnicero allowed Rizal to move freely around town if he checked in weekly
• Rizal practiced medicine, did research, created art, set up a school for boys, and started community projects while in exile
• He wrote the poem "A Don Ricardo Carnicero" for Captain Carnicero on August 26, 1892
• He improved locals' livelihoods by engaging in farming and business and invented a wooden brick-making device
• On September 21, 1892, Rizal won P6,200 in a lottery with Captain Carnicero and another Spaniard
• He used part of his winnings to buy land in Talisay, where he built a house, clinic, and school
• Rizal shared his daily life in exile in letters to Ferdinand Blumentritt
• He wrote poetry, operated on his mother's eyes, and studied local medicinal plants
• Rizal and his students built an irrigation system to provide clean water in every Dapitan house
• He initiated community projects such as cleaning swamps, lighting streets, and improving the plaza with a Mindanao map
• Rizal taught youth in Dapitan various subjects from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Scientific Contributions

• Forests and coastal areas were explored in search of specimens for European museums
• Collected 346 shell species
• Discovered the species Draco rizali, Apogonia rizali, and Rhacophorus rizali
• Rizal gave P2,000 to his father and P200 to Jose Ma. Basa in Hong Kong and used the rest to buy land in Talisay, one kilometer from Dapitan

Correspondence and Religious Views

• Rizal received a book from Father Pastells written by Don Felix Sara y Salvany
• Rizal thanked Pastells and promised repayment, which he fulfilled on January 15, 1893
• He sent Father Pastells a sculpture of St. Paul in return
• Rizal and Pastells exchanged letters on religion, with Rizal expressing beliefs about friars using religion for personal gain and self-determination being God's blessing
• Pastells and Father Francisco Sanchez tried unsuccessfully to bring Rizal back to the church

Social Life and Artistic Pursuits

• Rizal received guests in Dapitan and lived with family members in Talisay
• The friars sent Pablo Mercado (Florencio Namanan) to implicate Rizal in a larger case
• Rizal learned Visayan, Subuanin, and Malayo languages
• During his exile in Dapitan, he sculpted "Mother's Revenge," the head of Father Guericco, and a statue of a Dapitan woman

Agricultural and Business Ventures

• Rizal owned 70 hectares of land in Dapitan, where he cultivated hemp, coconut, trees, sugarcane, corn, coffee, and cocoa
• He imported modern machinery from the United States for farming
• Rizal partnered with Ramon Carreon in fishing, coprahari, and hemp businesses
• He formed a farmers' cooperative in Dapitan to counter the Chinese monopoly

Inventions

• Vulkan, a wooden cigarette lighter
• A machine for making bricks

Josephine Bracken and the Katipunan

• Rizal longed for happy memories with his family while in Dapitan
• Learning of Leonor Rivera's death in childbirth on August 28, 1893, increased his grief
• Josephine Bracken (age 19) came to Dapitan with her stepfather, George Tauffer, for treatment by Rizal
• Rizal and Josephine fell in love and planned to marry, but Padre Obach required permission from the Archbishop of Cebu
• Taufer left Josephine with Rizal in Dapitan
• In early 1896, Josephine and Rizal's son died due to miscarriage
• Dr. Pio Valenzuela and Raymundo Mata visited Rizal in Dapitan upon Andres Bonifacio’s orders to inform him about the Katipunan
• The Katipunan's goal was to force Philippine independence by fighting the Spaniards
• Rizal advised waiting a year or two for better preparation before starting an uprising
• Rizal sent letters to Governor-General Ramon Blanco from 1894 to 1895, requesting a review of his case
• Blumentritt suggested Rizal offer his services as a surgeon in Cuba to end his exile due to a yellow fever epidemic there
• Governor-General Ramon Blanco granted Rizal's request to go to Cuba on July 30, 1896
• Rizal left Manila on the steamer España and boarded the Isla de Panay in Barcelona on September 3, 1896
• Governor-General Despujol ordered Rizal to return to Manila upon arrival at the port, leading to his arrest during the trip on the Mediterranean Sea
• Rizal was imprisoned in Barcelona and brought back to the Philippines
• He was imprisoned at Fort Santiago after reaching Manila on November 3, 1896

Trial and Death

• Rizal's trial highlighted injustice because Rizal was denied the right to face witnesses in court
• On November 20, 1896, Colonel Francisco Olive was assigned to summon Rizal as Judge of the Spanish military tribunal
• A five-day preliminary investigation was conducted, accusing Rizal of leading the revolution
• Rizal could not interrogate witnesses and was only allowed to choose a lawyer from a list of young Spanish officers, selecting Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade
• Documentary and testimonial evidence were presented, including fifteen documents and ten witnesses against Rizal
• On December 26, 1896, at 8:00 a.m., Rizal's military court convened at the Cuartel de España
• Judge Dominguez opened the hearing, followed by prosecutor Alcocer, who summarized the cases and demanded Rizal's death
• Defender Luis Taviel de Andrade defended Rizal but failed to remind the court of fairness
• Rizal submitted an additional defense report
• It contained 12 points where he stated that he had nothing to do with the rebellion because he advised against it, he did not correspond with revolutionary elements, and his name was used without his consent

Additional points from Rizal's defense

• If guilty, Rizal would have fled to Singapore
• He would have avoided building a home, hospital, and buying land in Dapitan if involved
• The revolutionaries did not consult him, thus not their leader
• La Liga Filipina was a civic association, not revolutionary
• He had no knowledge of La Liga Filipina's revival
• La Liga did not support revolutionary principles, leading to the Katipunan's establishment
• Any commentary in his letters was due to his family's persecution in 1890
• His life in Dapitan was commendable, which missionary priests could attest to
• His speech did not incite revolution, and he opposed armed revolution
• The Katipunan sent a messenger to Dapitan because they knew he would disapprove of violence

Execution

• The military court ignored Rizal's statements, and the members agreed to impose the death penalty
• Governor-General Polavieja sought Judge Nicolas de la Pena’s opinion, who affirmed the death sentence
• Polavieja approved the court's decision on December 28, 1896, and ordered Rizal to be executed by firing squad at 7:00 a.m. on December 30 at Bagumbayan

Martyrdom at Bagumbayan

• Rizal knew his destiny was sealed upon hearing the court's decision
• Captain Rafael Dominguez read the official execution notice to Rizal on December 29, 1896, at 6 a.m., scheduling it for the next day
• Rizal was transferred to the prison chapel, where he spent his last hours writing letters, bidding farewell, and conversing with Jesuit priests

Final Visitors in the Chapel

• Fr. Miguel Saderra Mata, Rector of Ateneo Municipal, arrived early in the morning
• Fr. Luis Viza brought Fr. Mata, with whom Rizal requested the Sacred Heart of Jesus image
• Fr. Antonio Rosell had breakfast with Rizal and resumed their talk in the afternoon
• Lt. Taviel de Andrade was thanked by Rizal for his defense
• Fr. Federico Faura, who previously predicted Rizal would lose his head for writing Noli Me Tangere, congratulated him
• Fr. Jose Villaclara, Rizal's former teacher in Ateneo, had lunch with him
• Fr. Vicente Balaguer accompanied Fr. Villaclara for lunch
• Santiago Mataix, a contributor to El Heraldo de Madrid, visited
• Teodora Alonzo, Rizal's mother, knelt and begged for forgiveness

Final Moments

• Trinidad received an alcohol cooking stove from Rizal, containing his last piece, Mi Ultimo Adios
• Gaspar Castaño, fiscal of the Royal Audiencia, conversed with Rizal
• Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda’s retraction letter was rejected for being too long
• Fr. Balaguer presented another draft from Fr. Pio Pi, which Rizal revised and signed at 11:30 p.m., renouncing the mason movement, witnessed by Juan del Fresno and Eloy Moure
• Rizal confessed to Fr. Villaclara, slept, woke up, prayed, and confessed again
• He knelt before the altar, prayed with the rosary, and read Imitacíon de Cristo by Tomas á Kempis

Final Communion and Execution

• On December 30, 1896, at 3:30 a.m., Fr. Balaguer led a mass, and Rizal confessed and received Communion
• At 5:00 a.m., he ate his last breakfast and autographed memorabilia for his mother and sister, Trinidad
• Accompanied by Narcisa, Josephine Bracken arrived and was canonically blessed as Rizal's wife by Fr. Balaguer
• Rizal gave Josephine the Imitacíon de Cristo as a wedding gift
• He wrote last letters to his parents, Ferdinand Blumentritt, and Paciano
• At 6:30 a.m., Rizal marched to Bagumbayan dressed in black, accompanied by Lt. Taviel de Andrade and Fathers Estanislao March and Jose Villaclara
• The sound of a trumpet signaled the start of the death march, accompanied by muffled drums
• Rizal remained calm, acknowledging familiar faces, and declined to kneel or be blindfolded
• He requested to face the firing squad, but was denied; he agreed to turn his back and be shot in the back instead
• Rizal shook the hand of his defense lawyer
• The military physician noted that Rizal had a normal pulse
• The priests offered a crucifix, but Rizal turned away and prepared for death
• The executioners fired, and Rizal yelled, "Consummatum est!" while twisting his body halfway around

Aftermath

• Rizal was given a "tira de gracia" mercy shot in the head
• The Spaniards shouted, "Viva Espana! Muerte a los Traidores!"
• The military band played "Marcha de Cadiz"