Chapter 11: Jose Rizals Arrest, Trial

and Execution

Liga Filipina and the Cuerpo de

Compromisarios and even his relatives

Arrest and Trial

Confessions were taken from these people

to implicate Rizal

September 30: a telegraphic message was

received ordering that Rizal be placed
under arrest

November 20: Rizal was brought before a

Spanish military tribunal headed by Colonel
Francisco Olive

Manila Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda: he

clamored for the arrest of Rizal who was
said to be the spirit of the Philippine
Revolution

Five-day preliminary investigation: Rizal

was questioned by the Judge Advocate but
he was not permitted to confront witness
who testified against him

October 3: Isla de Panay arrived in

Barcelona ; Rizal was sent to Montjuich
Castle at 5 oclock in the morning to await
the departure of the vessel Colon which
was being prepared for its voyage to Manila

15 documents were used as evidence

against him

Former Governor Despujol: the military

commander of Catalua under which
Barcelona belongs
News of Rizals situation reached his friends
in London and Singapore
Antonio Regidor: he sent telegrams to a
British lawyer in Singapore instructing him
to initiate proceedings that would force the
Spaniards to yield Rizal once the vessel
stops in the colony
Fort alleged that Rizal was illegally
detained aboard the Spanish vessel

16th evidence: Oral testimonies were used

to implicate Rizal in the Philippine
Revolution
Conclusion of the preliminary hearing:
there was a prima facie* evidence against
Rizal and the Governor General appointed
Captain Rafael Dominquez to institute
charges against Rizal
> Prima Facie: Latin for At first
sight evidence that, unless
rebutted, would be sufficient to
prove a particular proposition or fact
Captain Rafael Dominguez: he made a
report about the charges and sent them to
Governor General Blanco who forwarded
the papers to the Judge Advocate General
for his opinion

The Singapore court denied Forts plea for

habeas corpus* stating that the Colon was
a warship of a foreign power and British
laws cannot apply over the vessel
> Habeas corpus: (Latin for you
[shall] have the body) is a legal
action or writ by means of which
detainees can seek relief from
unlawful imprisonment

Don Nicolas de la Penas recommendations

1. Rizal must be immediately sent to trial
2. Rizal must be held in prison under
necessary security
3. Rizals properties must be attached in
favor of the state
4. Rizal should be defended in court by an
army officer, not by a civilian lawyer

November 3: the Colon arrived in Manila

Bay and Rizal was taken to Fort Santiago
where he was held incommunicado

December 8: Rizal was given a list of a

hundred 1st and 2nd lieutenants of the
Spanish army who could defend him

Spanish authorites gathered evidence

against Rizal by torturing surrendered and
captured Katipuneros, members of the La

Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade: lawyer of Jose

Rizal
(brother of Lt. Jose Taviel de Andrade,
former body guard of Rizal)

December 11: Rizal was charged with the

crime of rebellion and the formation of
illegal
associations
December 13: the case was forwarded to
Governor General Camilo de Polavieja
(replaced Governor Blanco)
Governor General Camilo de Polavieja: he
approved a trial by court martial for Rizal
What: Rizals actual trial began
When: December 26, 1896
Where: Hall of Banners of the Cuartel de
Espana in Fort Santiago
Who: Lt. Col. Jose Togores Arjona and Lt.
Enrique Alcocer
Captain Rafael Dominguez: he called Rizal
the moving spirit of the insurrection and
said that Rizal must suffer the penalty of
death
Rizals Charges:
1. Rebellion (life imprisonment to death)
2. Sedition (life imprisonment to death)
3. Illegal association (imprisonment and a
fine of 325 to 3,250 pesetas)
Lt. Taviel de Andrade: he said that the
prosecution had not presented any
evidence directly linking Rizal to the
revolution and that the desire to punish
Rizal for his alleged crimes was borne out
of vengeance especially for the Spaniards
who were killed at the onset of the conflict
Judges cannot be vindictive; the judges
can only be just
Rizals own defence:
1. He could not be guilty of rebellion
because the told the Katipunan emissary
Dr. Valenzuela not to rise in revolt
2. He did not correspond with the
revolutionists
Arrest and Trial
3. The revolutionists used his name
without his knowledge and that if he were
guilty he would have escaped in Singapore
4. If he had a hand in the revolution he
would have escaped with the help of the
Moros and he would not have built a home,
a hospital, and bought lands in Dapitan

5. If he was head of revolution why was he

not consulted by the revolutionists?
The judges voted to execute him
December 28: Governor General Polavieja
signed Rizals death warrant ordering him
to be shot at 7:00 in the morning at
Bagumbayan
December 29: the death sentence was read
before Rizal. Rizal protested saying that he
was innocent and objected being labelled
as a Chinese mestizo. He later signed the
document realizing that it was required by
the law and requested to have his family
see him for the last time
Rizals Final Days

He was transferred to the prison chapel. He

requested that his former professors at the
Ateneo join him for the last moments.
Rizals Visitors
1. Fr. Miguel Saderra Mata (Rector of the
Ateneo Municipal)
2. Fr. Luis Viza (brought the image of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus which Rizal sculpted
at the Ateneo
3. Fr. Antonio Rosell (ate breakfast with
R Rizal)
4. Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade (Rizal thanked
him for his gallant service of defending him
during the trial)
5. Fr. Frederico Faura
6. Fr. Jose Vilaclara
7. Fr. Vicente Balaguer
8. Santiago Mataix (reporter from El
Heraldo de Madrid)
Rizal wrote his last poem while he was not
watched by his guards
3 in the afternoon of December 29: Fr.
Balaguer tried to persuade Rizal to retract
his Masonic beliefs. Rizal remained firm.
Rizals mother and sisters arrived. They
were not allowed to hug each other. Rizal
began giving out souvenirs.
Souvenirs
1. To Trinidad: an alcohol stove which was a
gift from the Pardo de Taveras

*Rizal asked Trinidad to look inside his

shoes after he is executed
*The alcohol stove contained Rizals last
poem, Mi Ultimo Adios
Convinced Rizal to retract
1. Fr. Vilaclara
2. Fr. Estanislao March
3. Fr. Balaguer
4. Fr. Rosell
5. Don Silvino Lopez Tanon (Dean of the
Manila Cathedral)

Talked to Rizal about religious matters at

8:00 PM of December 29
1. Fr. Balaguer
2. Fr. Viza
3. Fiscal Gaspar Castano of Royal Audiencia
10:00 in the evening of December 29: a
draft of retraction arrived from Archibishop
Bernardino Nozaleda. Rizal rejected it
because it was too long. Fr. Balaguer
showed him another draft by Fr. Pio Pi (The
superior Jesuit Mission in the Philippines).
11:30 in the evening of December 29: Rizal
signed his retraction from the Freemasonry.
It was witnessed by Juan del Fresno (the
Chief of the guard detail and the Adjutant
of the Plaza Elroy Moure)

2. To his mother
3. To Dr. Blumentritt
4. To Paciano
6:30 in the morning of December 30: Rizal
was taken from his cell. He was elegantly
dressed in black and his arms were tied
from elbow to elbow. He had a small black
rosary under his right arm. He put on his
black chistera hat. He was pale from
fatigue and unshaven.
En el nombre del Rey, el que se levanter la
voz a favour del reo sera ejecutado -- In
the name of the King, anyone who raises
his voice in favour of the traitor will be
executed
Rizals requests
1. The firing squad will spare his head:
granted
2. That he be shot at his front: denied
Dr. Felipe Ruiz Castillo: he took Rizals pulse
rate and was surprised because it was
normal
Time of death: 7:03 AM of December 30,
1896
The Spanish spectators shouted Viva
Espanya!
The military band played Marcha de Cadiz

1:30 in the morning of December 30: Rizal

woke up, prayed and confessed (again). He
prayed the rosary and wore a blue scapular
of the Immaculate Virgin. He read the Acts
of Faith, Hope and Charity from the Spanish
prayer book entitled Aceptacion de la
Muerte. Rizal heard mass from Fr. Balaguer
and received Communion on bended knees.

To the Spaniards, Rizals death was a

glorious event because he was a traitor to
Spain
To the Filipinos, Rizal became their martyr

5:00 in the morning of December 30

1. Rizal had his last breakfast
2. Autographed his remaining books
3. Josephine and Narcisa arrived

Paco Cemetery: Rizals body was secretly

buried

Rizal and Josephine got married. Fr.

Balaguer performed the marriage rites.
Fr. Balaguer gave Josephine the book
Imitacion de Cristo by Thomas Kempis
Rizals farewell letters
1. To his father

Hospital of San Juan de Dios: Rizals body

was sent to the hospital where a death
certificate was prepared

August 13, 1898: Rizals family requested

the authorities to exhume the body. What
remained were bones and pieces of rope,
the shoes, had, his silk handkerchief, and
the rope that bound him
Higino Mercados house in Binondo: Rizals
remains were cleaned and were given to
Dona Teodora

Ayuntamiento Building in Intramuros on

December 29, 1912: Rizal was honoured in
an elaborate ceremony and his remains

were laid to rest under the newly-built Rizal

Monument in Luneta