Life, Works and Writings of Jose Rizal

RIZAL LECTURE 2 – RIZAL WITHOUT THE OVERCOAT BY AMBETH OCAMPO

I. Background of the Author

A. BA and MA Philippine Studies in ADMU, and PhD History in University of London
B. Lecturer in DLSU, UP and ADMU
C. Columnist in Philippine Daily Inquirer
D. Chairman of NCCA (2005-2007) and NHCP (2002-2011) and President of PHA (2001-2002)
E. Author of Makamisa: The Search for Rizal’s Third Novel, Meaning and History: the Rizal Lectures,
Looking Back Series, 101 Stories of Philippine Revolution, Bones of Contention: The Bonifacio Lectures
II. Background of the Book
A. Compilation of articles on Rizal in his column in PDI “Looking Back”
B. Not an academic book meant to be read by the scholars but a popular book for the laymen in history
C. It is a good motivational book that will introduce readers to wide variety of topics about Rizal
D. The overcoat is a symbol to the myths about Rizal as well as our exaggerated perception of him as hero
III. Summary of Some Chapters
A. Rizal: Father of Hitler? Jack the Ripper?
1. Rizal as father of Hitler?
1.1. Rizal studied in Heidelberg, Germany
1.2. Hitler is short, has black hair and dark eyes
1.3. Hitler is an Austrian, and Maximo Viola wrote an account where it can be inferred that Rizal had
an affair with an Austrian woman in Vienna, Austria.
1.4. Problem: Rizal left Germany in 1887 and went to England while Hitler was born on 1889
2. Rizal as Jack the Ripper?
2.1. Rizal is in London from May 1888 to January 1889 when the killings of Jack the Ripper was active
2.2. When Rizal left London by 1889, the killings stopped
2.3. He mentioned Jack the Ripper once in his essay on the civil guards in the April 30, 1890 issue of
La Solidaridad
2.4. They have the same initials: J.R.
2.5. Jack the ripper must have medical training since he used surgical method in killing victims
2.6. The target were women
2.7. Problem: the Annie Chapman incident happened when Rizal was already in Paris
 Life, Works and Writings of Jose Rizal

B. Rizal did not write Sa Aking Mga Kabata

1. Rizal was just starting how to read when he was 8 years old
2. The use of the letter “k” (the adult Rizal will be the one to reform Tagalog orthography, using “k”
instead of “c”, in his later years)
3. The use of the word “kalayaan” (he will first encounter the word in 1886, when he was translating
Schiller's William Tell. He translated the German“freiheit” using the term “kalayaan” that he
adapted from Marcelo H. del Pilar's translation of Rizal's El Amor Patrio in Diariong Tagalog).
C. Why Rizal is the National Hero
1. Rizal is a conscious hero
2. When teased while making a clay statue of Napoleon, he said “say what you want today, because in
the future people will make monuments of me”
3. He believed from childhood that he will not reach the age of 30
4. Against warning of danger, he went home from Hongkong
5. His pulse rate was normal during his execution
6. In 1892, he left a letter to a Portuguese friend, instructing him to open it only after his death
D. Was Rizal an American-Sponsored Hero?
1. Evidences that Rizal was already venerated prior to the coming of the Americans
1.1. Meeting places of the Katipunan have the picture of Rizal
1.2. The password of bayani in katipunan is “Rizal”
1.3. Bonifacio made him honorary president
1.4. Katipuneros made an effort to rescue Rizal in Dapitan
2. The Americans just built upon the already existing sentiment of the Filipino towards Rizal
E. Deflating the Historical Ego
1. A record shows that in the school year 1876-1877, out of 12 students, 9 was able to get the grade
“sobresaliente” (side note: if you want a real nerd, go to Mabini not to Rizal)
2. Rizal must not be called “Dr.”
3. The same is true with Luna’s Spolarium, which is far from being “international” since Madrid was
just a backwater of arts because the real center during that time was Paris
F. Rizal’s Anti-Americanism
1. One factor that contributed to Rizal's irritation to Americans is his unpleasant experience while he is
riding a train from Paris with an American passenger whom he called “hambuguera”
2. The hambuguera compared everything in Paris (Eiffel Tower, exposition, cafes) with New York
 Life, Works and Writings of Jose Rizal

3. Called st. Paul in london the dirtiest place in the world

4. He was relieved when the hambuguera fell asleep. He blamed the coffee for his sleeplessness, but
later on realized that it was the hambuguera that caused it
5. He wrote down in his diary that knowing many languages have some disadvantages, because you
will hear more complaints. What more is the suffering of God in hearing all stupidities?
6. It can be imagined that if Rizal is still alive today, he will also rally against the American bases
G. Is Rizal Really Alive Today?
1. An old man in Fort Santiago asked him “bakit may bentilador dian sa loob?” He answered “there
were no electric fans in Rizal's time right?” A classmate commented “baka naiinitan, naka
americana kasi e.” Then the old man started to say that Rizal is alive in Mount Banahaw, and will
return at the end of the world during which 7 suns will rise in the Philippines
2. On March 29, 1897, the Governor General received a letter from his agent which reported that some
people in Pandacan are saying that Rizal is alive. According to them, when the authorities checked
the body of Rizal in the carriage, it was gone, and a white chicken from it fly in the direction of
Cavite to be with the spirit of Burgos
H. Rizal’s New Calamba in Sabah
1. Our claim to Sabah could have been easier if Rizal succeeded in his plan to build a Filipino colony
2. The family of Rizal and many other tenants were thrown out from Calamba by the Dominicans
3. Rizal befriended with William Pryer, the first resident and founder of Sandakan, capital of north
Borneo (now Sabah)
4. British colonial government agreed to give 5,000 acres of rent-free land for three years if a Filipino
colony will plant rice
5. The Governor General rejected the proposal of Rizal, thinking that it will harm the image of Spain
I. Ho Chi Minh and Rizal
1. Uncle Ho of Vietnamese and Lolo Jose of the Filipinos have some similarities
2. Both were treated as second class citizens by their respective colonial masters (French and
Spaniards)
3. Both went to Europe to study
4. Both experienced to be addressed as “monsieur”/”monseigneur” or “senor” by French and Spaniard
waiters in cafes and trains or ships
5. Both asked for reforms for their countries
 Life, Works and Writings of Jose Rizal

J. Rizal’s Stinginess
1. There is a new year's party of expatriates. It is a potluck and Rizal was supposed to bring wine.
During the party, Rizal made a sermon regarding the drunkenness, womanizing, and gambling of his
fellow Filipinos. He said that he will not pay for the drink, he passed hit hat and collected money.
2. He strolled outside to hide to his landlady that he did not have money for food (side note: yet he
uses his money to take a picture)
3. The January 1884 list of Rizal’s expenses showed that he has spent much in books and for his study
K. What Rizal’s Clinic Looks Like?
1. Valenzuela was asked by KKK in 1896 to go to dapitan and solicit the counsel of Rizal
2. Pio Valenzuela, in his memoir of the KKK and the Philippine revolution described the clinic of Rizal as
having alcohol, silver nitrate solution, boric acid solution, bichloride of mercury
3. According to Dr. Almeda, a doctor interviewed by Ocampo, the bichloride of mercury is a cure to
syphilis
4. Austin Coates in his book Philippine Nationalist and Martyr, said that Josephine's stepfather
molested his stepdaughters
5. Josephine went to Dapitan from Hongkong to accompany Taufer who was recently blinded. Some
suggest that Taufer's blindness could be a complication of advanced syphilis. If so, do Josephine had
syphilis?
L. What did Rizal Read?
1. Rizal left a collection of 2,000 books to Jose Ma. Basa in Hongkong, which was tried to claim by
Josephine, who being unable to show marriage certificate, dropped the case
2. He read books on Spanish, English, French, German
3. His collection includes novels, books on Philippines, dictionaries, 3 translations of bible, guidebooks,
books on arts, cultivation, architecture
M. “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning”
1. The walk in bagumbayan started on 6:30am
2. He is given three hard boiled eggs as a breakfast, which he left at the corner of the cell saying “this is
for the rat, let them have their fiesta too”
3. At the time of execution, his pulse rate was check, and it was normal
4. It was heard that he said: “What a beautiful morning! On mornings like this, I used to take walks
here with my sweetheart” and “Is that the Ateneo? I spent many happy years there”
 Life, Works and Writings of Jose Rizal

5. He refused to kneel and to be blindfolded, and asked the Spaniards to spare his head. He asked to
face the firing squad but was denied because they said that he is a traitor to Spain. At the shout of
“fuego,” he twist around so that he can face up on the ground
IV. Critical Analysis
A. Commendations
1. The work serves as an introductory book on Rizal
2. It is a motivational source that will lead students to study Rizal further
3. It is a bridge between the historical discourse of ivory tower intellectuals and popular discussion of
laymen in the field of history
4. The speculative characteristics of the book make it more popular among the people
5. Easy to read since it came from a column of PDI
6. Catchy because as a journalist, he is able to relate current events with Rizal (e.g. Ho Chi Minh Year,
death of Marcos, Rizalist in Luneta)
B. Criticism
1. Some critics are claIming that Ambeth is not a historian by education (he is more of a journalist)
2. More on creative writing than history
3. More on popular than intellectual writing (“mere popularizer”)
4. More on speculative than actual history (“what if” instead of “what was”)
5. Too careless in giving interpretation (e.g. psychoanalysis of Rizal’s dream)
6. Included topics that are too trivial while some are controversial (e.g. Rizal ate tuyo, he had syphilis,
Rizal was gay, Rizal was Hitler’s father, Rizal was stingy). This led the historian Luis Camara Dery to
say “si Ambeth lang ang tsismoso” in his interview in History with Lourd.
V. Overall Thesis of the Book and the Image of Rizal
A. Rizal is a human being that has limitations and weaknesses. Our understanding of him as a human can
encourage us to emulate him
B. Our view of Rizal must be balanced. On one hand, writing the life of Rizal must not be hagiographic
(Rizal as super genius), and in another hand it must not be denigrating (Rizal as American-sponsored
hero)
C. Our understanding of Rizal will lead us to our understanding of ourselves as a nation
D. There are many myths about Rizal that we must rectify