Rizals life in Dapitan as an Exile

1892-1896

Dapitans Location
Dapitan

is a remote town in Mindanao under the missionary jurisdiction of the Jesuits. It is in the province of Zamboanga del Norte, Philippines.

Dapitans Location
Rizals

four-year exile in Dapitan was unexciting but productive and idyllic. When he reached Dapitan, he found it a sleepy little town, but soon it became wide awake. On Sept. 1892, he won in a lottery and he used the money to purchase a 16-hectare agricultural land along the coast of Talisay which is now known as Rizal Shrine.

Talisay
On
1. 2. 3.

this land, he built three houses- all made of bamboo, wood, and nipa.
The first house which was square in shape was his home. The second house was the living quarters of his pupils with eight sides (octagonal). And the third house was the barn where he kept his chickens and had six sides (hexagonal).

Rizals Home together with members of his family who came to visit him.

CASA CUADRADA

An octagonal dwelling which served as a dormitory to some of his pupils. It was later converted to a clinic and it was here where George Taufer, the foster father of Josephine Bracken was operated on his eyes.

CASA REDONDA

This small hexagonal hut was utilized as Rizals chicken coop.

CASA REDONDA PEQUEA

Talisay
He

built his house by the seashore of Talisay, surrounded by fruit trees. Members of his family took turns visiting him to assuage his loneliness.

Talisay
He

spent his lonely but productive and altruistic life for four years in banishment working as a rural physician, farmer, merchant, inventor, painter, sculptor, archaeologist, linguist, grammarian, teacher, architect, poet, biologist, composer, surveyor, environmentalist, aside from being a lover, father, and brother to all Dapitanons.

It is a natural heart shaped rock so called because it was here where our national hero is known to have scribbled beautiful verses of his famous poem Mi Retiro (A Mi Madre) which translates to My Retreat (For my Mother) and Himno a Talisay which translates to Hail to Talisay. He also spent many hours watching the sunset here.

MI RETIRO ROCK

Wins in Manila Lotterry

September 21, 1892

Wins in Manila Lottery

On

September 21, 1892, the sleepy town of Dapitan burst in hectic excitement. The mail boat Butuan was approaching the town, with colored pennants flying in the sea breezes. Captain Carnicero, thinking that a high Spanish official was coming, hastily dressed in gala uniform, ordered the town folks to gather at the shore, and himself rushed there, bringing a brass band.

Wins in Manila Lottery

The

mail boat, Butuan, brought no Spanish officials but the happy tidings that the Lottery Ticket No. 9736 jointly owned by Captain Carnicero, Dr. Rizal, and Francisco Equilor (Spanish resident of Dipolog, a neighboring town of Dapitan) won the second prize of P20, 000 in the government-owned Manila Lottery.

Wins in Manila Lottery

Rizal's

share of the winning lottery ticket was PHP6, 200.00. Upon receiving this sum, he gave PHP2, 000.00 to his father and PHP200.00 to his friend Basa in Hong Kong. Rizal's winning in the Manila Lottery reveals an aspect of his lighter side.

Wins in Manila Lottery

He

never drank hard liquor and never smoked, but he was a lottery addict. Lottery was only Rizals vice. He invested the remaining money in business, bought lands and built houses in Talisay which is now popularly known as the Rizal Shrine.

Rizals Scientific Activities while in Exile

1892 - 1896

As a Physician
Rizal

practiced medicine in Dapitan. He had many patients, but most of them were so poor that he even gave them free medicine. To his friend in Hong Kong, Dr. Marquez, he wrote: Here the people are so poor that I have even to give medicine gratis. He had, however, some rich patients who paid him handsomely for his surgical skill.

As a Physician
Rizal

practiced medicine in Dapitan. He had many patients, but most of them were so poor that he even gave them free medicine. To his friend in Hong Kong, Dr. Marquez, he wrote: Here the people are so poor that I have even to give medicine gratis. He had, however, some rich patients who paid him handsomely for his surgical skill.

As a Physician

In August 1893 his mother and sister (Maria) arrived in Dapitan and lived with him for one year and a half. He operated on his mothers right eye. The operation was successful. Rizals frame as a physician, particularly as an eye specialist, spread far and wide. He had many patients who came from different parts of the Philippines from Luzon, Bohol, Cebu, Panay, Negros and Mindanao, and even from Hong Kong. A rich Filipino patients namely: 1. Don Ignacio Tumarong was able to see again because of Rizals ophthalmic skill; and highly gratified by the restoration of his sight, he paid P3000. 2. Don Florencio Azcarraga a rich haciendero of Aklan, was also cured by eye ailment, and paid Rizal a cargo of sugar.

As a Physician
As

a Physician, Rizal became interested in local medicine and in the use of medicinal plants. He studied the medicinal plants of the Philippines and their curative values.

As an Engineer
Rizal

applied his knowledge through the waterworks system he constructed in Dapitan. Going back to his academic life, Rizal obtained the title of expert surveyor (perito agrimensor) from the Ateneo Municipal.

As an Engineer
From

his practical knowledge as agrimensor, he widened his knowledge by reading engineering-related books. As a result, despite the inadequacy of tools at hand, he successfully provided a good water system in the province. An American engineer, Mr. H.F. Cameron, praised Rizal's engineering.

A pool of water that compromise Rizals aqueduct that supplied potable water to Dapitan, a feat of water works engineering well ahead of his time according to modern engineers.

TALISAY WATER SYSTEM

Community Works in Dapitan

When
1. 2.

Rizal arrived in Dapitan, he decided to improve it:

To the best of his God-given talents To awaken the civic consciousness of its people.

Aside

from constructing the town's first water system, he spent many months draining the marshes in order to get rid of malaria that infested Dapitan.

Community Works in Dapitan

As

a European-trained physician, he knew that the mosquitoes, which thrive in swampy places, spread malaria. the P500 which an English patient paid him was used to equip the town with its lighting system. This lighting system consisted of coconut oil lamps placed in the dark streets of Dapitan.

Community Works in Dapitan

Another

community project of Rizal was the beautification of Dapitan. With the help of his former Jesuit teacher and friend, Father Sanchez:
He remodeled the town plaza in order to enhance its beauty. He jokingly remarked that he would make it nicely so that it could "rival the best in Europe." In front of the church, Rizal and Father Sanchez made a huge relief map of Mindanao out of earth, stones and grass.

1. 2. 3.

Community Works in Dapitan

Another

community project of Rizal was the beautification of Dapitan. With the help of his former Jesuit teacher and friend, Father Sanchez:
He remodeled the town plaza in order to enhance its beauty. He jokingly remarked that he would make it nicely so that it could "rival the best in Europe." In front of the church, Rizal and Father Sanchez made a huge relief map of Mindanao out of earth, stones and grass.

1. 2. 3.

One of Rizals masterpieces is the map of Mindanao which he perfectly and accurately made without copying from an original map as there arent any maps at the time.

RELIEF MAP OF MINDANAO

As a Teacher

Since boyhood Rizal knew the value of good education. During his travels abroad he observed the education system of modern nations. He himself planned to establish a modern college in Hong Kong for Filipino boys so that he could train them in modern pedagogical concepts, which were then unknown in the Philippines.

As a Teacher
His exile to Dapitan gave him the opportunity to put into practice his education ideas. In 1893 he established a school, which existed, until the end of his exile in July, 1896. It began with three pupils and in the course of time the enrolment increased to 16 and that these pupils did not pay any tuition and later to 21. Instead of charging them tuition fees, he made them work in his garden, fields, and construction projects in the community.

As a Teacher
Rizal taught his boys reading, writing, languages (Spanish and English), geography, history, mathematics (arithmetic and geometry), industrial work, nature study, morals and gymnastics. He trained them how to collect specimens of plants and animals, to love work, and to "behave-like men."

As a Teacher
In

Rizals school for boys these are follows:

Formal classes were conducted between 2:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Rizal, the teacher, sat on a hammock, while the pupils sat on a long bamboo bench. On one day the lessons were conducted in Spanish; on the next day, in English. As in the Ateneo, the best pupil was called "emperor" and he sat at the head of the bench; the poorest pupil occupied the end of the bench.

1. 2.

3.
4.

As a Teacher
During the recess the pupils built fires in the garden to drive away the insects, pruned the fruit trees, and manure the soil. 6. Outside the class hours, Rizal encouraged them to play games in order to strengthen their bodies. They had gymnastics, boxing, wrestling, stone-throwing, swimming, arnis (native fencing), and boating.
5.

Linguistic Studies
A born linguist, Rizal continued his studies of languages in Dapitan:
1. 2. 3.

He learned the Bisayan, Subanum, and Malay languages. He wrote a tagalog grammar, made a comparative study of the Bisayan and Malayan languages. He studied the Bisayan and Subanum languages. He studied the Bisayan and Subanum languages. On April 5 1896, his last year of exile in Dapitan, he wrote to Blumentritt. By this time, Rizal could rank with the worlds great linguists. He knew 22 languages, as follows: Tagalog, Ilokano, Bisayan, Subanum, Spanish, Latin, Greek, English, French, German, Arabic, Malay, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Dutch, Catalan, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Portugese, Swedish and Russian.

Artistic works in Dapitan

Rizal

continued his artistic pursuits in Dapitan. He contributed his painting skill to the Sisters of Charity who were preparing the sanctuary of the Holy Virgin in their private chapel. For the sake of economy, the head of the image was procured from abroad.

Artistic works in Dapitan

Rizal

modeled the right foot of the image, the apple, and the serpents head. He also designed the exquisite curtain, which was painted in oil by an artist Sister under his direction. Rizal made sketches of persons and things that attracted him in Dapitan. The three rare species of animal life the dragon, the frog and the beetle, which he had discovered. He had sketches of the numerous fishes he caught in Dapitan waters.

Artistic works in Dapitan

One day in 1894, some of his pupils secretly went to Dapitan in a boat from Talisay; a puppy of Syria (Rizals dog) tried to follow and was devoured by a crocodile. He then modeled a statuette representing the mother-dog killing the crocodile, by way of avenging her lost puppy, and called it The Mothers Revenge. Other sculptural works of Rizal in Dapitan were:

1. 2.

3.
4.

A bust of Father Guerrero, A statue of a girl called The Dapitan Girl. A wooden carving of Josephine Bracken. A bust of St. Paul which he gave to Father Pastells.

As a Farmer
In

Dapitan, Rizal devoted much of his time to agriculture. He bought 16 hectares of land in talisay, where he built his home, school, and hospital, and planted cacao, coffee, sugar cane, coconuts and fruit trees. He wrote My land to his sister Trinidad. It is very poetic and very picturesque. He acquired more lands until his total holdings reached 70 hectares, containing 6000 hemp plants, 1000 coconut trees, and numerous fruit trees, sugarcane, corn, coffee and cacao.

As a Farmer

On his farms, Rizal introduced:

1. 2.

3. 4.

5.

Modern methods of agriculture which he had observed in Europe and America. He encouraged the Dapitan farmers to discard their primitive system of tillage and adopt the modern agricultural methods. He imported agricultural machinery from the United States. Rizal dreamed or establishing an agricultural colony in the sitio of Ponot near Sindagan Bay, where there was plenty of water and good port facilities. He invited his relatives and friends, especially those in Calamba, to come to his projected agricultural colony.

As a Businessman

Aside from farming, Rizal engaged in business in partnership with Ramon Carreon, a Dapitan merchant. In that business these are follows:
1. 2.

3. 4. 5.

He made profitable business ventures for fishing, copra and hemp industries. He invited his relatives, particularly Saturnina and Hidalgo to come to Mindanao, for there is vast and ample field for business in the island. He particularly told Saturnina that she could profitably engage in the textile, jewelry, and hemp business. He expressed his plan to improve the fishing industry of Dapitan. He instructed Hidalgo to help him buy a big net for trawl fishing and to send him two good Calamba fishermen who could teach the Dapitan folks better methods of fishing.

As a Businessman

The most profitable business venture of Rizal in Dapitan was in the hemp industry. In that industry these are follows:
1. 2.

3.

4.

5.

He shipped 150 bales of hemp to a foreign firm in Manila at huge profit for himself and his business partner. He purchased hemp in Dapitan at P7 and 4 reales per picul and sold it in Manila at P10 and 4 reales, giving him a profit of P3 per picul. Rizal formed a business partnership with Ramon Carreon in lime manufacturing. Their Limeburner had a monthly capacity of more than 400 bags of lime. To break the Chinese monopoly on business in Dapitan, Rizal organized on January 1, 1895 the Cooperative Association of Dapitan Farmers. To improve the farm products, obtain better outlets for them, collect funds for their purchases, and help the producers and workers by taking establishing a store wherein they can buy prime commodities at moderate prices.

Rizals Inventive Ability

While

practicing medicine in Calamba, he invented a cigarette lighter which he sent a gift to Blumentritt. He called it sulpukan. This unique cigarette lighter was made of wood. Its mechanism is based on the principle of compressed air. During his exile in Dapitan, he invented a machine for making bricks. This machine could manufacture about 6000 bricks daily.

Rizal Josephine Bracken

&

Josephine Bracken

Josephine Bracken is an Irish girl of sweet eighteen, slender, a chestnut blond, with blue eyes. She was born at Hong Kong on October 3, 1873. Her parents are James bracken, a corporal in the British garrison, and Elizabeth Jane MacBride. Her mother died in childbirth, and she was adopted by Mr. George Taufer. who later became blind.

Josephine Bracken
No

ophthalmic specialist in Hong Kong could cure Mr. Taufers blindness so he accompanied by his adopted daughter Josephine went to manila to seek services of the famous ophthalmic surgeon, Dr. Jose Rizal. Rizal and Josephine fell in love with each other at first sight. After a whirlwind romance of one month, they agreed to marry. But father Obach, the priest of dapitan, refused to marry then without the permission of the bishop of cebu.

Josephine Bracken

When Mr. Taufers heard of their projected marriage, he flared up in violent rage. Unable to endure the thought of losing Josephine, he tried to commit suicide by cutting off his throat with a razor. Rizal grabbed his wrists and prevented him for killing himself. Mr. Taufer returned alone to hongkong. Josephine stayed in manila with Rizals family. Since no priest would marry them, Rizal and Josephine held hand together and married themselves before the eyes of god. Rizal and Josephine lived happily in Dapitan. Rizal was no longer lonely. Dapitan had become for him a heaven of bliss.

Josephine Bracken
In

early part of 1896 Rizal was extremely happy because Josephine was expecting a baby. Unfortunately, she prematurely gave birth to an eight-month baby boy, who lived only for three hours. The lost son of rizal was named Francisco in honor of rizals father, don Francisco and was buried in Dapitan.