MODULE: RIZALCRS – LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

CHAPTER 6 – RIZAL’S LIFE: EXILE, TRIAL, AND DEATH

A. Analyze the factors that led to Rizal’s execution.

B. Analyze the effects of Rizal’s execution on Spanish colonial rule and the Philippine
Revolution.
C. Examine Rizal's evolution as a propagandist and rejection of assimilation.
D.

As soon as Rizal arrived in Manila on June 26, 1892, he was welcomed by Apolinario Mabini,
Andres Bonifacio, Ambrosio Salvador, Pedro Serrano Laktaw, Deodato Arellano, and other
patriots, who altogether founded La Liga Filipina. They wanted to discuss the plan for La Liga Filipina,
which was held in a house on Calle Ylaya. At that time, Rizal was able to talk to Governor-General
Despujol in July 1892, expressing his gratitude for lifting the order of exile for his sisters.
EXILE IN DAPITAN
Rizal arrived in Dapitan on board the steamer Cebu on
July 17, 1892. Dapitan (now a city of Zamboanga del
Norte) was a remote town in Mindanao which served as
a politico-military outpost of the Spaniards in the
Philippines. It was headed by Capitan Ricardo
Carnicero, who became a friend of Rizal during his
exile. He gave Rizal the permission to explore the place
and required him to report once a week in his office.
The quiet place of Dapitan became Rizal’s home from
1892 to 1896. Here, he practiced medicine, pursued
scientific studies, and continued his artistic pursuits in
sculpture, painting, sketching, and writing poetry.
EXILED TO ISOLATION Hoping to silence Rizal, the Spanish
Government had Rizal exiled to the isolated City of Dapitan
in 1892
Rizal helped the people of Dapitan with their livelihood.
He engaged in farming and business, and even
invented wooden equipment for making bricks. On September 21, 1892, Rizal, together with Carnicero
and another Spaniard, won a lottery ticket. His share of the winnings amounted to P6,200. Part of this
sum was used to purchase land in Talisay. Within this area, he built a house, a clinic, and a school.

31
 MODULE: RIZALCRS – LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

Rizal sent letters to Blumentritt, narrating his daily activities in Dapitan. He wrote poems, performed
operations on his mother's eyes, and studied medicinal plants of Dapitan to prescribe to his patients.
During that period, Rizal had gained renown as a top ophthalmologist.
When George Tauffer, suffering from an eye ailment, learned of this, he and
his adopted daughter, Josephine Bracken, journeyed from Hong Kong to
Dapitan seeking Rizal's help. Rizal grew fond of Josephine, and despite
opposition from Father Obach and their families, they eventually married.
Another project undertaken by Rizal in Dapitan was the creation of a
large map of Mindanao in the plaza, intended for geography classes. He
explained Dapitan's location to the locals in relation to other areas in
Mindanao. With the assistance of his students, Rizal devised a water system
A studio portrait of Bracken in providing both drinking water and irrigation for the townsfolk.
Filipino attire, 1896 Additionally, he aided in the installation of lampposts throughout the town.
During the onset of the revolution in Manila in 1896, Dr. Pio Valenzuela, accompanied by
Raymundo Mata, a blind man, visited Rizal in Dapitan to inform him of the establishment of the
Katipunan and its revolutionary plans but Rizal objected to it to, citing the importance of a well-planned
movement with sufficient arms.
Meanwhile, Rizal had been sending letters to then Governor-General Ramon Blanco. Twice
he sent letters, one in 1894 and another in 1895. He asked for a review of his case. He said that if
his request would not be granted, he would volunteer to serve as a surgeon under the Spanish army
fighting in the Cuban revolution.
At that time, Cuba was also a Spanish colony plagued by a yellow-fever epidemic. On July 30,
1896, Governor-General Ramon Blanco granted Rizal permission to go to Cuba. Rizal departed
Manila, boarded the steamer España, and arrived in Barcelona on September 3, 1896, before
transferring to the steamer Isla de Panay.

Upon reaching port, the new appointed Governor-General Despujol informed Rizal of an
order to return him to Manila. Rizal was arrested during his voyage in the Mediterranean Sea and
was immediately brought to Fort Santiago.

TRIAL, AND DEATH

On November 20, 1896, Colonel Francisco Olive, an Advocate of the Spanish military tribunal,
was assigned as the judge to summon Rizal. The preliminary investigation ensued, spanning five
days. Rizal was accused of inciting rebellion and involvement in illegal organizations,
purportedly as their leader, by inflaming revolutionary sentiments among the populace.
Predictably, Rizal was denied the opportunity to cross-examine his witnesses and was only
allowed to select his legal representation from a list of young Spanish officers with no legal background.
He opted for Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade, who had previously served as his bodyguard upon his return
home. During the investigation, both documentary and testimonial evidence were presented against

32
 MODULE: RIZALCRS – LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

Rizal. Fifteen documents and ten witnesses testified against him. Andraded tried his best to save Rizal,
however, on December 26, 1896, the trial ended and the sentence was read, found guilty and
sentenced to death by firing squad.
Rizal raised twelve points to assert his innocence:
1. He opposed rebellion, as attested by Pio Valenzuela.
2. No letter containing revolutionary content was addressed to him or authored by him.
3. The Katipunan used his name as a password without his consent.
4. If guilty, he could have fled the country during his exile; instead, he built a home and
purchased land to establish a hospital in Dapitan.
5. The revolutionaries would have consulted him if he were truly their leader.
6. While he did not deny drafting the by-laws of the Liga Filipina, it was distinct from the
Katipunan, being a civic association rather than a revolutionary society.
7. The Liga disbanded after his exile to Dapitan and did not endure.
8. He was unaware of the Liga's reorganization nine months later.
9. If the Liga aimed for revolution, there would have been no need for the founding of the
Katipunan.
10. His letters may have offended Spanish authorities due to his family's persecution in 1890.
11. He led a virtuous life in Dapitan, attested by local authorities.
12. If the speech at Doroteo Ongjunco's house truly incited revolution, he should have been given
the opportunity to confront those individuals. Additionally, the Katipunan would not have sent
an unfamiliar emissary to him in Dapitan if he were involved in the revolution, as his friends
knew he did not advocate violence.
On December 28, 1896, Governor-General Camilo de Polavieja signed the court decision. He
later decreed that Rizal be executed at 7:00 a.m. of December 30, 1896.
RIZAL’S REMAINING DAYS AND THE LAST FAREWELL
On December 29, 1896, at six o'clock in the morning, Captain Rafael Dominguez delivered the
official notice of Rizal's execution. Rizal spent his final hours in the prison chapel. On the same day,
his mother and sisters visited him, during which he entrusted them with his remaining possessions. He
handed a gas lamp to his sister, Trinidad, whispering, "There is something inside." Trinidad and his
other sister, Maria, discovered a copy of Rizal's last poem concealed within the lamp.
Rizal, on his last remaining days, composed his longest poem, “Mi Ultimo Adios”, which was
about his farewell to the Filipino people.
Rizal had his last supper in the evening of December 29, 1896. At that time, he said to Captain
Dominguez that he has already forgiven his enemies including those who wanted him dead. At three in
the morning on the day of his execution, he prayed and confessed his sins in the chapel. At exactly
5:30 in the morning, he had his last breakfast of three hard boiled eggs. After breakfast, he singed
some memorabilia including religious pictures and books, some of which he gave to his mother and
sister, Trinidad. To his wife Josephine, he gave the “Imitacion de Cristo” as a gift.

33
 MODULE: RIZALCRS – LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

At 6:30 in the morning of December 30, 1896, Rizal, in a black suit with him arms tied behind his
back, walked to Bagumbayan. He walked along with his defense lawyer, Andrade, and two Jesuit
priests, March and Vilaclara.ss
At the time of his death, Rizal refused to kneel and declined the traditional blindfold.
Maintaining that he was not a traitor to his country and to Spain, he even requested to face the
firing squad. The Commander of the firing squad denied his request but after some time, Rizal agreed
to turn his back to the firing squad but requested that he be shot not in the head — but in the small of
the back instead. When agreement has been reached, Rizal shook the hand of his defense lawyer. The
military physician asked permission to feel the pulse of the man who had only a few minutes to live and
the doctor was startled to find it normal. Before leaving Rizal in his appointed place, the priests offered
him a crucifix to kiss “but he turned his head away and silently prepared for his death. When the
command had been given, the executioners’ guns barked at once. Rizal yelled Christ’s two words,
“Consummatum est!” (It is finished!) simultaneously with his final effort to twist his bullet-pierced body
halfway around.

Silence was all over. Unfortunately, the Captain did not keep his words about the request
made by Rizal of not shooting his head, but one of his men came near to the body and gave Rizal
“tira de gracia” or the mercy shot in the head to make sure that Rizal is dead.

Original Photo: Rizal was photographed shortly before he was shot in 1896.

A small dog, the military mascot, ran around the corpse whining and the crowd moved for a
closer look but the soldiers kept silence; the Spaniards in the audience shouted, “Long live Spain! Death
to the traitor!” The crowd did not respond, and to fill in the gap, the military band played the march de
Cadiz.
It was 7:03 am. The show was over. (Ambeth Ocampo, 2022)

34
 MODULE: RIZALCRS – LIFE AND WORKS OF RIZAL

Coates, Austin. 1992. Rizal: Filipino nationalist and patriot. Manila: Solidaridad
publishing House.
De Viana, Augusto V. 2011. Jose Rizal in our times: A guide for the better understanding
of the Philippines’ Foremost national hero. Mandaluyong City: Books Atbp. Publishing
Corp.
Guerrero, Leon Ma. 2010. The first Filipino: A biography of Jose Rizal. Manila: Guerrero
Publishing, Inc.

35