Jose Rizal’s Exile in

Dapitan
1892-1896
Jose P. Rizal’s Exile in Dapitan (1892-1896)
• Jose Rizal’s arrival in Manila on June 26, 1892 had
become very sensational among the Filipinos. His
popularity feared the Spaniards, and as such,
payed careful attention to his every moves-all
house where he had been were searched and the
Filipinos seen in his company were suspected. As
he had planned, on July 3, 1892 he founded the La
Liga Filipina in the house of Doroteo Onjunco in
Tondo, Manila.
Four (4) days after the civic organization’s
foundation, Jose Rizal was arrested by the
Spanish authorities in four grounds:
1. For publishing anti-Catholic and anti-friar books and Articles;
2. For having in possession a bundle of handbills, the Pobres
Frailes, in which advocacies were in violation of the Spanish
orders;
3. For dedicating his novel, El filibustirismo to the three “traitors”
(Gomez, Burgos and Zamora) and for emphasizing on the
novel’s title page that “the only salvation for the Philippines
was separation from the mother country(referring to
Spain)”;and
4. For simply criticizing the religion and aiming for its exclusion
from the Filipino culture.
Arrival in Dapitan
• Aboard the steamer Cebu and under heavy
guard, Rizal left Manila, sailing to Mindoro and
Panay, until he reached Dapitan at seven o’ clock
in the evening of June 17. from that day until July
31, 1896, Dapitan became the bare witness to one
of the most fruitful periods in Rizal’s life. His stay in
the province was more than “he” living in exile- it
was the period when Rizal had been more
focused in serving the people and the society
through the civic works, medical practices, land
development and promotion of education.
Challenging the Religion
• In Dapitan, Rizal had a scholarly debate with
Father Pablo Pastells regarding religion. This
exchange of heated arguments revealed the anti-
Christian Rizal- his bitterness on the abuses by friars,
doing such under the name of the sacred religion.
Father Pastells tried his best to win Rizal back to the
faith but fortunately or unfortunately, in vain. These
series of debate ended inconclusively in which
neither of them convinced the other of his
judgements/arguments.
Careers and Contributions
• Rizal had maximized his stay in Dapitan by
devoting much of his time in improving his artistic
and literary skills; doing agricultural and civic
projects; engaging in business activities, and
writing letters to his friends in Europe, particularly
to Ferdinand Blumentritt and Reinhold Rost. His
careers and achievements in different fields were
as follows:
• As a physician, Rizal provided free medicine to his
patients, most of them were underprivileged. However,
he also had wealthy patients who paid him well enough
for his excellent surgical skill. Among them were Don
Ignacio Tumarong who gave Rizal 3000 pesos for
restoring his sight, an Englishman who gave him 500
pesos, and Aklanon haciendero, DonFrancisco
Azcarraga, who paid him a cargo of sugar. His skill was
put into test in August 1893 when his mother, Doña
Teodora Alonzo, was placed under opthalmic surgery
for the third time. The operation was a success,
however, Alonzo, ignored her son's instructions and
removed the bandages in her eyes which lead to
irritation and infection.
Doña Teodora Alonzo Don Ignacio Tumarong who gave Rizal
During her operation. 3000 pesos for restoring his sight
• 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. 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.
• As an Educator, Rizal established a school in Dapitan
which was attended by 16 young boys from prominent
families. Instead of charging them for the matriculation,
he made the students do community projects for him like
maintaining his garden and field. He taught them reading,
writing in English and Spanish, geography, history,
mathematics, industrial work, nature study, morals and
gymnastics. He encouraged his students to engage in
sports activities to strengthen their bodies as well. There
was no formal room, like the typical classroom nowadays.
Classes were conducted from 2 p.m to 4 p.m. with the
teacher sitting on a hammock while the students sat on a
long bamboo bench.
• As an Agriculturist, Rizal devoted time in planting
important crops and fruit-bearing trees in his 16-hectare
land (later, reaching as large as 70 hectares). He
planted cacao, coffee,sugarcane, and coconuts, among
many others. He even invested part of his earnings from
being a medical practitioner and his 6000-peso winnings
from a lottery on lands. From the United States, he
imported agricultural machinery and introduced to the
native farmers of Dapitan the modern agricultural
methods. Rizal also visualized of having an agricultural
colony in Sitio Ponot, within the Sindañgan Bay. He
believed that the area was suitable for cattle-raising and
for cash-crops as the area had abundant water.
Unfortunately, this plan did not materialized.
• As a Businessman, the adventurous Rizal, with his
partner, Ramon Carreon, tried his luck in the
fishing, hemp and copra industries. In a letter to his
brother-in-law, Manuel T. Hidalgo, he pointed out
the potential of the fishing industry in the province
(as the area was abundant with fish and good
beach). He also requested that two good
Calamba fishermen be sent to Dapitan to teach
the fisher folks of the new fishing methods, using a
big net called pukutan. But the industry in which
Rizal became more successful was in hemp,
shipping the said product to a foreign firm in
Manila.
• As an Inventor, little was
known of Rizal. In 1887,
during his medical practice
in Calamba, he invented a
special type of lighter
called sulpukan which he
sent to Blumentritt as a gift.
According to Rizal, the
wooden lighter's
mechanism was based on
the principle of compressed
air. Another of his inventions
was the wooden brick-
maker can manufacture
about 6,000 bricks a day.
• As an Artist, he had contributed his talent in the
Sisters of Charity who were preparing for the arrival
of the image of the Holy Virgin. Rizal was actually
the person who modeled the image's right foot
and other details. He also conceptualize its curtain,
which was oil-painted by a Sister under his
instruction. He also made sketches of anything
which attracted him in Dapitan. Among his
collections were the three rare fauna species that
he discovered (dragon/lizard, frog and beetle)
and the fishes he caught. He also sculptured the
statuette called “The Mother's Revenge” which
represented his dog, Syria, avenging her puppy to
a crocodile which killed it
• As a Linguist, Rizal was
interested in the languages
used in Dapitan, thus, studied
and made comparisons of
the Bisayan and Malayan
languages existing in the
region. In fact, Rizal had
knowledge in 22 languages:
Tagalog, Ilocano, Bisayan,
Subanun, Spanish, Latin,
Greek, English, French,
German, Arabic, Malayan,
Hebrew, Sanskrit, Dutch,
Catalan, Italian, Chinese,
Japanese, Portuguese,
Swedish and Russian.
• As a Scientist, Rizal shared his interest with nature to
his students. With his boys, they explored the jungles
and searched for specimens which he sent to
museums in Europe, particularly in Dressed Museum.
In return, scientific books and surgical instruments
were delivered to him from the European scientists.
He also made a bulk of other researches and studies
in the fields of ethnography, archaeology, geology,
anthropology and geography. However, Rizal's most
significant contribution in the scientific world was his
discovery of three species:
• Draco rizali – flying dragon Rhacophorus rizali – rare frog

• Apogonia rizali – small beetle

• Rizal also partakes in civic works in Dapitan. Upon
arriving in the province, he noticed its poor
condition. He drained the marshes of Dapitan to
get rid of malaria-carrying mosquitoes. He also
provided lighting system – coconut oil lamps
posted in dark streets – in the province out of what
he earned from being a physician. He beautified
Dapitan by remodeling the town plaza, with the aid
of his Jesuit teacher, Fr. Francisco Sanchez, and
created a relief map of Mindanao (footnote: using
stones, soil and grass) right in front the church.
Katipunan seek Rizal’s Advice
• Prior to the outbreak of the revolution,
the Katipunan leader, Andres Bonifacio, seek the advise of
Jose Rizal. In a secret meeting on May 2, 1896 at Bitukang
Manok river in Pasig, the group agreed to send Dr. Pio
Valenzuela as a representative to Dapitan who will inform
Rizal of their plan to launch a revolution against the
Spaniards. On board the steamer Venus, Valenzuala left
Manila on June 15, 1892 and in 6 days, arrived at Dapitan
with a blind companion, Raymundo Mata. At night, Rizal
and Valenzuela had a talk in the former's garden. There,
Valenzuela told him of the Katipunan's plan. Regarding
this, Rizal outspokenly objected Bonifacio's “premature”
idea for two reasons:
1. The Filipinos were still unready for such bloody revolution;
and;
2. The Katipunan lacked machinery – before plotting a
revolution, there must be sufficient arms and funds
collected.

Valenzuela also told Rizal of their plan to rescue

him in Dapitan. Again, the exiled hero disagreed
because he had no plan of breaking his word of
honor to the Spanish authorities.
As a Volunteer in Cuba
• During the peak of the Cuban revolution, Rizal offered his
services as a military doctor to compromise with the shortage
of physicians in the said country. It was his friend Ferdinand
Blumentritt who informed him of the situation in Cuba and
suggested that he volunteer himself as army doctor. On
December 17, 1895, Rizal sent a letter to Governor
General Ramon Blanco rendering his service for Cuba. But for
months Rizal awaited in vain for the governor's reply, and loss
hope that his request will be granted. It was only on July 30,
1896 when Rizal received a letter from Governor Blanco, dated
July 2, 1896, accepting his offer. The letter also stated that Rizal
will be given a pass so that he can go to Manila, then to Spain
where its Minister of War will assign him to the Army of
Operations in Cuba.
Farewell in Dapitan
• At midnight of July 31, 1896,
Jose Rizal left Dapitan on
board the steamer España,
together with Narcisa,
Josephine, Angelica
(Narcisa's daughter), three
`nephews and six of his
students. Many were
saddened as the adopted
son of Dapitan left.
Rizal’s Trial
• The investigation
(Preliminary Investigation)
• November 20, 1896
• Rizal appeared to Colonel
Francisco Olive
 Rizal was questioned by Col.
Olive but he was not
permitted to confront
witnesses who testified
against him.
Preliminary investigation
• Two kinds of evidence
presented against Rizal:
1. Documentary
2. Testimonial
Documentary Evidences
1. A letter from Antonio Luna to Mariano Ponce dated Oct. 16, 1888,
Madrid.
2. A letter of Rizal to his family dated Aug. 20, 1890, Madrid.
3. A letter from M.H. Del Pilar to Deodato Arellano dated Jan 7, 1889,
Madrid
4. A poem entitled “Kundiman” allegedly written by Rizal.
5. A letter of Carlos Oliver to an unidentified person, Sept. 18, 1891
6. A Masonic document dated Feb. 9, 1892.
7. A letter signed “Dimasalang” to Ten Luz (Juan Zulueta) dated May
24, 1892, H.K.
8. A letter signed Dimasalang to unidentified committee dated June
1, 1892, Hong Kong.
9. An anonymous and undated letter to the Editor of the Hong Kong
Telegraph.
10.A letter of Ildefonso Laurel to Rizal, dated Sept. 3, 1892.
11.A letter of Rizal Segundo, dated Sept. 17, 1893.
12.A letter to M.H. Del Pilar to Juan A. Tenluz
13.A transcript of the speech of Pinkian (Emilio Jacinto) in a
meeting of the Katipunan on July 23, 1893.
14.Transcript of a speech Tik-Tol (Jose Turiano Santiago)
during the same Katipunan meeting.
15.A poem by Laon Laan (Rizal) entitled A Talisay.
 “Kundiman”
• Kundiman Tunay ngayong umid yaring dila't puso
Sinta'y umiilag, tuwa'y lumalayo, Bayan
palibhasa'y lupig at sumuko Sa kapabayaan ng
nagturong puno. Datapuwa't muling sisikat ang
araw, Pilit maliligtas ang inaping bayan,
Magbabalik mandin at muling iiral Ang ngalang
Tagalog sa sandaigdigan. Ibubuhos namin ang
dugo't babaha Matubos nga lamang ang sa
amang lupa Habang di ninilang panahong
tadhana, Sinta'y tatahimik, iidlip ang nasa.
Testimonial Evidences
1. Martin Constantino 10.Deodato Arellano
2. Aguedo del Rosario 11.Pedro Serrano Laktaw
3. Jose Reyes 12.Antonio Salazar
4. Moises Salvador 13.Domingo Franco
5. Jose Dizon
6. Pio Valenzuela
7. Ambrosio Savador
8. Francisco Quison
9. Timoteo Paez
Peña’s Recommendations:
• Rizal must be immediately  Rizal’s Defender
sent to trial • Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade
• He must be held in prison • 1st Lieutenant of the Artillery,
under necessary security brother of Jose Taviel de
• His properties must be issued Andrade, the bodyguard of
with order of attachment, Rizal.
and as indemnity, Rizal had
to pay one million pesos
• Instead of a civilian lawyer,
only an army officer is
allowed to defend Rizal.
Rizal’s Arraignment
• December 11, 1896
• Charged with the crime of rebellion, and the formation of
illegal associations.
Rizal replied that:
1. He does not question the jurisdiction of the court
2. He has nothing to amend except that during his exile in
Dapitan in 1892, he had not dealt in political matters;
3. He has nothing to admit on the charges against him
4. He had nothing to admit on the declarations of the
witnesses, he had not met nor knew, against him.
On December 13, 1896…
• While in Detention, Rizal released a manifesto that
he denounces the revolution and condemned
Katipunan for using his name without his
permission.
Actual Trial December 26, 1896 @Hall of Banners of
the Cuartel de España
• He was accused of 3 crimes: rebellion, sedition,
illegal associations. Penalty: Life imprisonment-
death for rebellion and sedition, correctional
imprisonment and a fine of 325 to 3250 pesetas for
illegal association.
Defense of Rizal
As testified by Pio Valenzuela, Rizal was against rebellion
1. He had not written a letter addressed to the Katipunan
comprising revolutionary elements
2. Without his knowledge, his name was used by the
Katipunan; if he really was guilty, he could have
escaped while he was in Singapore
3. If he was guilty, he should have left the country while in
exile; he shouldn't have built a home, bought a parcel of
land or established a hospital in Dapitan.
4. If he was really the leader of the revolution, the
revolutionists should have consulted him.
5. He did not deny that he wrote the by-laws of the La Liga
Filipina, but to make things clear, the organization was a
civic association, not a revolutionary society.
5. After the first meeting of La Liga, the association
banished because of his exile in Dapitan, thus, did not
last long.
6. If the La Liga was reorganized nine months later, he had
no idea about it
7. If the La Liga had a revolutionary purpose, then
Katipunan should not have been organized.
8. If the Spanish authorities found his letters having bitter
atmosphere, it was because in 1890 his family was being
persecuted resulting to their dispossession of properties
and deportation of all his brothers- in-law.
9. He lived an exemplary life in Dapitan – the politico-
military commanders and missionary priests in the
province could attest to that.
• If according to witnesses the to be shot at 7:00 o’clock in the
speech he delivered at morning of December 30 at
Doroteo Ongjunco's house had Bagumbayan Field
inspired the revolution, then he
want to confront these persons.
If he really was for the
revolution, then why did the
Katipunan sent an unfamiliar
emissary to him in Dapitan? It is
so because all his friends were
aware that he never
advocated violence.
• December 28, 1896, Polavieja
approved the decision of the
court-martial and ordered Rizal