RIZAL'S LIFE: EXILE, TRIAL & DEATH

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 althogether
founded La Liga Filipina (The Filipino League).

• They discuss the plan for La Liga Filipina which was held in a house on
Calle Ylaya.

• That time, Rizal was able to talk to Governor General Despujol on July
1892, saying his gratitude for lifting the order of exile for his sisters.

Dapitan is a remote town in Mindanao, which served as an outpost of

the Spaniards in the Philippines. Dapitan became the only witness to
Rizal's fate since July 1896. During his exile, Rizal became close with Captain
Ricardo Carnicero for allowing him to roam the place on the condition that
Rizal will relay his activities in his office once a week.

IN DAPITAN:

• Rizal continue his medicine.

• Research

• Sculpture, painting, sketching and poetry writing

• Put up a school for boys and introduced projects for the following
community

• Wrote a poem entitled, "A Don Ricardo Carnicero", on August 26, 1892 , a
gift to Captain Carnicero

• Helped the people of Dapitan with their livelihood (he did farming and
business and even invented a wooden equipment in making bricks)

On September 21, 1892, Rizal together with Carnicero and other Spaniard,
won a lottery ticket. P6,200 was given to him as his share.

Buy land in Talisay

• Built a House

• A Clinic

• A School within the area

Rizal sent letters to Bluementritt, narrating his daily activities in Dapitan:

1. He wrote poems.

2. Performed operation on his mother's eyes.

3. Studied on medicinal plants of Dapitan to be prescribed to his

patients.

That time, Rizal had been known to be one of the best opthalmologist.
Upon hearing this, George Tauffer who had an eye ailment, together with his
adopted daughter, Josephine Bracken, traveled from Hongkong to Dapitan.
Rizal developed an attraction to Josephine and soon, they became husband
and wife even if it was against Father Obach and both relatives.

Another project of Rizal in Dapitan was the creation of a big map of

Mindanao at the plaza to be used for geography class. He explained the
position of Dapitan to the town people in relation to other places in
Mindanao.

With the help of Rizal's students, he invented a water system that gave the
town people for their drinking and irrigation. He also helped the people in
putting-up lamp posts in every corner of the town.

When revolution commenced in Manila in 1897, Dr. Pio Valenzuela

together with Raymundo Mata, a blind man, visited Rizal in Dapitan to
narrate to him the founding of Katipunan and its plan for revolution.

Rizal sent letters to Governor General Ramon Balnco from 1894 to

1895. He wanted his case to be reviewed so Bluementritt proposed that
Rizal may offer his services as a surgeon to the Spanish government in Cuba
to end his exile. That time, Cuba was also a colony of Spain and was raged
by a yellow-fever epidemic.

On July 30, 1896, Governor General Ramon Blanco granted Rizal's request
to go to Cuba. Rizal left Manila, embarked the streamer España and on
September 3, 1896 he went to Barcelona boarded the streamer Isla de
Panay.

When Rizal arrived at the port, Governor General Despujol told Rizal that
there was a command to return him back to Manila. Rizal was arrested while
on his trip at the Mediterranean Sea. He was put up into prison in Barcelona,
Spain and was brought back to the Philippines.
Safety guarded while on the way from Barcelona to Manila, Rizal reached
the capital on November 3, 1896 and was soon brought to be
imprisoned at Fort Santiago.

TRIAL AND DEATH OF RIZAL

On November 20, 1896, the assigned Judge to summon Rizal was Colonel
Francisco Olive, an Advocate of the Spanish military tribunal. The
preliminary investigation began, and a five-day investigation was conducted.

Rizal was blamed for being the leader of the revolution by increasing the
people's ideas about rebellion and making illegal organization.

As expected, Rizal was not given the chance to interrogate his witnesses. He
is only allowed to choose his lawyer from a list of young Spanish officers who
were not into law.

Rizal chose Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade, who was the bodyguard of him
when he first came home. There were two kinds of evidences presented to
him during the investigation: documentary and testimonial.

There were 15 documents against Rizal and 10 witnesses for

testimonial. All effort were made by Lt. Taviel de Andrade to defend Rizal of
his innocence but as obvious as it may have seemed, Rizal was still found
guilty.

Note that Rizal cited 12 points to prove his innocence:

1. Rizal was against rebellion as testified by Pio Valenzuela.

2. No letter consisting of revolutionary elements was addressed to the

Katipunan was written

3. Without his consent, the Katipunan used his name as one of the
passwords.

4. If he was guilty, he could have left the country while in exile, he would not
have built a home, and would not have bought a parcel of land to put up a
hospital in Dapitan.

5. The revolutionists could have consulted him if he was the leader.

6. He did not deny that he wrote the by-laws of the Liga Filipina, but to make
things clear, it is a different organization from Katipunan. The former being a
civic association and the latter being a revolutionary society.
7. After the first meeting of the Liga, the association banished because of his
exile in Dapitan and it did not last long.

8. He had no idea, that the Liga was reorganized nine months after.

9. If the Liga had a revolutionary purpose, then Katipunan should not have
been founded.

10. If the Spanish authorities found his letters offending, it was because in
1890, his family has been persecuted.

11. He lived a good life in Dapitan-- the politici military comander and
missionary priest in the province could attest to it.

12. The witness said that if the speech delivered at Doroteo Ongjunco's
house had inspired the revolution, he should be given a chance to confront
these persons. If he was in the revolution, the Katipunan should not have
sent an unfamiliar emissary to him in Dapitan. For this, his friends knew that
he never promoted violence.

RIZAL'S REMAINING DAYS AND THE LAST FAREWELL

When Rizal heard the court decision, he knew that there will be no chance of
changing his fate. At six o'clock in the morning of December 29, 1896,
Captain Rafael Dominguez, read him the official notice of his execution.

Rizal spent his last hours by going to the prison chapel. His mother and
sisters visited him on the same day. He then gave them his remaining
possessions, reached out for the gas lamp and gave it to his sister, Trinidad
and carefully whispered, "There is something inside."

Then Trinidad and his sister Maria got a copy of Rizal's last poem from the
lamp. Unfortunately, it was said that on his last days that Rizal was not
allowed to embrace his mother.

He took time to write his letter to his best friend Bluementritt. The last
poem he composed was the longest he ever written, it was entitled
" Mi Ultimo Adios" or My Last Farewell.

MY LAST FAREWELL

Farewell, my adored Land, region of the sun caressed, Pearl of the Orient
Sea, our Eden lost,
With gladness I give you my Life, sad and repressed; And were it more
brilliant, more fresh and at its best, I would still give it to you for your welfare
at most.

On the fields of battle, in the fury of fight,

Others give you their lives without pain or hesitancy, The place does not
matter: cypress laurel, lily white, Scaffold, open field, conflict or martyrdom's
site,

It is the same if asked by home and Country. I die as I see tints on the sky
b'gin to show

And at last announce the day, after a gloomy night; If you need a hue to dye
your matutinal glow,

Pour my blood and at the right moment spread it so, And gild it with a
reflection of your nascent light!

My dreams, when scarcely a lad adolescent,

My dreams when already a youth, full of vigor to attain, Were to see you,
gem of the sea of the Orient,

Your dark eyes dry, smooth brow held to a high plane Without frown, without
wrinkles and of shame without stain. My life's fancy, my ardent, passionate
desire,

Hail! Cries out the soul to you, that will soon part from thee; Hail! How sweet
'tis to fall that fullness you may acquire; To die to give you life, 'neath your
skies to expire,

And in your mystic land to sleep through eternity!If over my tomb some day,
you would see blow,

A simple humble flow'r amidst thick grasses, Bring it up to your lips and kiss
my soul so,

And under the cold tomb, I may feel on my brow, Warmth of your breath, a
whiff of your tenderness.

Let the moon with soft, gentle light me descry, Let the dawn send forth its
fleeting, brilliant light, In murmurs grave allow the wind to sigh,

And should a bird descend on my cross and alight, Let the bird intone a song
of peace o'er my site. Let the burning sun the raindrops vaporize
And with my clamor behind return pure to the sky; Let a friend shed tears
over my early demise;

And on quiet afternoons when one prays for me on high, Pray too, oh, my
Motherland, that in God may rest I. Pray thee for all the hapless who have
died,

For all those who unequalled torments have undergone; For our poor
mothers who in bitterness have cried;

For orphans, widows and captives to tortures were shied, And pray too that
you may see you own redemption. And when the dark night wraps the
cemet'ry

And only the dead to vigil there are left alone, Don't disturb their repose,
don't disturb the mystery: If you hear the sounds of cithern or psaltery,

It is I, dear Country, who, a song t'you intone. And when my grave by all is no
more remembered, With neither cross nor stone to mark its place,

Let it be plowed by man, with spade let it be scattered And my ashes ere to
nothingness are restored,

Let them turn to dust to cover your earthly space.

Then it doesn't matter that you should forget me: Your atmosphere, your
skies, your vales I'll sweep; Vibrant and clear note to your ears I shall be:
Aroma, light, hues, murmur, song, moanings deep, Constantly repeating the
essence of the faith I keep.

My idolized Country, for whom I most gravely pine,

Dear Philippines, to my last goodbye, oh, harken

There I leave all: my parents, loves of mine,

I'll go where there are no slaves, tyrants or hangmen Where faith does not
kill and where God alone does reign.

Farewell, parents, brothers, beloved by me,

Friends of my childhood, in the home distressed; Give thanks that now I rest
from the wearisome day; Farewell, sweet stranger, my friend, who
brightened my way; Farewell, to all I love. To die is to rest.
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 signed 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.

He once again wrote a letter for his family, sisters and brother said:

To my family,

I ask you for forgiveness for the pain I cause you, but some day I shall have
to die and it is better that I die now in the plentitude of my conscience.

Dear parents and brothers: give thanks to God that I may preserve my
tranquility before my death. I die resigned, hoping that with my death you
will be left in peace. Ah! It is better to die than to live suffering. Console
yourselves.

I enjoin you to forgive one another the little meanness of life and try to live
united in peace and good harmony. Treat your old parents as you would like
to be treated by your children later. Love them very much in my memory.

Bury me in the ground. Place a stone and a cross over it. My name, the date
of my birth and of my death. Nothing more. If later you wish to surround my
grave with a fence, you can do it. No anniversaries. I prefer Paang Bundok.

Have pity on poor Josephine.

My Dear brother, it has been four years a half that we have not seen each
other, addressed each other in writing or orally. I don't think this is due to a
lack of affection on my part or yoys but, knowing each other so well, we has
no need of words to understand ech other.

I think of how you have worked to enable me to have a career. I believe I

have not tried to waste my time. Brother, if the fruit has been bitter, it's not
my fault, it is the fault of circumstances. I know that you have suffered much
because of me, I am so sorry.
I assure you that I am innocent of this crime of rebellion. If my former
writings had contributed this, I should not deny it but then I believe I have
cleansed myself of this with my exile.

Tell our father I remember him, and how much! I remember my whole
childhood, his tenderness, his love. Ask him to forgive me for the pain I
caused him unwillingly.

Signed Jose Rizal

Wearing a black suit, black pants, black bowier hat and white shirt with his
arms tied behind his back, Rizal walked to Bagumbayan at 6:30 in the
morning of December 30, 1896. He walked along with his defense lawyer,
Andrade, and two Jesuit priests, March and Villaclara.

The sound of trumpet signaled the start of the death march and the muffled
sound of drums served as the musical score of the walk.

Prior to his death, it was believe that Rizal has managed to remain calm.
Spectators said Rizal acknowledged the familiar faces in the crowd by
nodding his head from left and right. Some people even saw that Rizal smile
from time to time.

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 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-pieced body halfway
around.