Lesson 5 - Rizal's Life: Exile, Trial and Death Flashcards

Question

How did Rizal respond to the governor general's question during their last meeting about the Borneo plan?

Answer 1

Rizal responded by stating that **he found no reason to change his original viewpoints this time**, alluding to his previous arguments about the government's difficulty with land problems and the bitterness between tenants and former renters

Answer 2

The General took **five small sheets of the "Poor Friars" handbill from his desk, claiming they had been discovered in the roll of bedding sent with Rizal's baggage to the custom house**.

Answer 3

Rizal responded that the **bedding belonged to his sister Lucia and that she was not foolish enough to hide five small papers in a place where they were certain to be discovered**.

Answer 4

**Rizal was arrested and exiled to Dapitan three days after the Liga Filipina was founded**, which would be around **July 9, 1892** (Liga founded on July 6th). The Liga would soon be overshadowed by **The Kataas-taasang Kagalang-galang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan**, which was formally established a day after Rizal's arrest, **July 7, 1892**, by people who were members of the Liga, led by Andres Bonifacio. This society had been planned since January 1892

Answer 5

Rizal was exiled in **Dapitan, Zamboanga Del Norte, a remote town in Mindanao, from 1892 to 1896**.

Answer 6

Jose led a **very peaceful, happy, and enjoyable life in Dapitan**, and the way he lived it was admirable and worthy of imitation

Answer 7

* Continued his artistic and literary works. * Established a boy's school. * Invented a wooden machine for making bricks * Improved the town plaza by incorporating a large relief map of Mindanao "Liwasan ng Dapitan" * Developed a water system for Dapitan * Drained the marshes to reduce the occurrences of Malaria * Established the Cooperative Association of the Dapitan farmers to break the Chinese monopoly, aiming to improve farm products, obtain better outlets, collect funds, and assist producers by establishing a store * Invented the "sulpukan," a wooden cigarette lighter that worked on the principle of compressed air, which he gave to Blumentritt as a gift

Answer 8

Despite his achievements in Dapitan, **Jose felt empty and longed to be with his family, relatives, and friends**, feeling that he needed someone to re-energize him

Answer 9

**Josephine Bracken was a sweet 18-year-old Irish girl** who arrived in Dapitan and **cheered Rizal up**. **Jose and Josephine fell in love and decided to marry**, though no priest was willing to marry them. They **joyfully shared each other's lives in Dapitan even without the blessing of the church**.

Answer 10

Yes, Josephine was expecting a child, but **the baby only lived for 3 hours**. Rizal named his son **"Francisco" in honor of his father**.

Answer 11

On **July 7, 1892, Andres Bonifacio established the Kataastaasang Kagalang-galang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan**, which was a **revolutionary society**, and they staged an armed revolt in 1896

Answer 12

**Dr. Pio Valenzuela** was given the task of informing Jose Rizal of their plans. To keep his assignment a secret, **Dr. Pio was accompanied by Raymundo Mata, a blind man, to seek Jose's medical advice**.

Answer 13

**José was opposed to the courageous and shocking appraising of the Katipuneros**. He was **convinced they were unprepared for a revolution**, lacking the necessary weapons and funds, and that it would only result in the deaths of many of his countrymen. He also **declined Katipunero's offer to save him**.

Answer 14

Several months before the Katipuneros contacted Jose, **Blumentritt informed him of the dire health situation in war-torn Cuba**, specifically the yellow fever epidemic, and **encouraged him to volunteer as an army doctor there to end his exile**.

Answer 15

On the advice of a friend, **Jose sent a letter to Governor General Ramon Blanco on December 17, 1895, offering his medical services in Cuba**. He was about to give up hope when he didn't hear back for months

Answer 16

On **July 30, 1896**, Rizal **received a letter from the Spanish Governor informing him of his proposal**, which surprised him. According to the letter, **he would be allowed to travel to Manila, where he would be given safe passage to Spain and then to Cuba**.

Answer 17

**Jose Rizal emotionally left a town he had grown to love on July 31, 1896**. Many **teary-eyed Dapitan residents gathered on the beach to say their final goodbyes** to him

Answer 18

On **August 26, 1896, Andres Bonifacio and his Katipuneros cried out in the hills of Balintawak**. Rizal **feared that the raging insurgency would result in a great deal of suffering and heinous destruction**. He was also **concerned about the possibility of Spanish retaliation against all Filipino patriots**. During this time, Rizal received two letters from Governor General Blanco exonerating him from the insurgency

Answer 19

**Jose's last trip abroad was on September 3, 1896**, when he left for Spain, troubled by the Katipuneros' violent attempt to overthrow the Spanish government. Before reaching Barcelona, **he was unexpectedly apprehended and unlawfully detained as a prisoner on a Spanish steamer**.

Answer 20

The ship Colon arrived in Manila on **November 3, 1896**, and **Rizal was transferred to Fort Santiago from the ship**.

Answer 21

The **preliminary investigation began on November 20**

Answer 22

**General Camilo G. de Polavieja was appointed Governor General of the Philippines on December 13th**.

Answer 23

On **December 1, 1896**, charges were read to Jose in his prison cell with his lawyer by his side. **He was accused of being the principal organizer and the living soul of the Filipino insurgency, the founder of societies, periodicals and books dedicated to fomenting and propagating ideas of rebellion**.

Answer 24

Pena made the following recommendations: **the accused be brought to trial immediately; he be kept in prison; an order of attachment be issued against his property in the amount of 1 million pesos as indemnity; and he be represented in court by an army officer rather than a civilian lawyer**.

Answer 25

Rizal **did not object to the court's jurisdiction but claimed that he was not a revolutionary. He acknowledged that he drafted the Liga Filipina's constitution, emphasizing that it was merely a civic alliance**. He also **reiterated that he was not involved in politics during his exile to Dapitan**.

Answer 26

The trial of Rizal took place on **December 26, 1896**.

Answer 27

Rizal's trial **was a powerful example of Spanish injustice and misrule**. It was **clearly a mistrial**, as he was tried by a **military court made up of alien military officers despite being a civilian**. His **case was prejudged, and he was deemed guilty before the trial even began**. The military court convened to **accuse and condemn him, not to provide him with justice**, accepting all charges and testimonies against him while ignoring arguments and proofs in his favor

Answer 28

**Lieutenant Luis Taviel de Andrade, Rizal's counsel, worked tirelessly to persuade the members of the military court not to sentence the accused to death**. Jose's defense council also **worked hard to present a convincing defense**, concluding by reminding the judges to be fair and avoid vindictiveness

Answer 29

Rizal's defense included points such as: * As testified by Pio Valenzuela, Rizal was against rebellion. * He had not written a letter addressed to the Katipunan comprising revolutionary elements. * Without his knowledge, his name was used by the Katipunan. * If he was guilty, he could have escaped while in Singapore or during his exile. * If he was the leader of the revolution, the revolutionists should have consulted him. * He did not deny writing the by-laws of the La Liga Filipina, but it was a civic association, not revolutionary. * The Liga Filipina was banished because of his exile and did not last long. * If the Liga was reorganized, he had no idea about it. * If the Liga had a revolutionary purpose, then Katipunan should not have been organized. * Any bitter atmosphere in his letters was due to the persecution of his family. * He lived an exemplary life in Dapitan, attested by politico-military commanders and missionary priests. * If his speech at Doroteo Ongjunco's house inspired the revolution, he wanted to confront those witnesses, and the Katipunan sent an unfamiliar emissary because his friends knew he never advocated violence

Answer 30

**Jose's appeal was dismissed by the bias military court**. The members agreed to **convict Jose and sentence him to death after a brief deliberation**. On **December 26, 1896**, the **unjust military court decision was handed down to Governor General Camilo de Polavieja**, who sought the opinion of Judge Advocate General Nicolas de la Pena, who confirmed the death sentence. On **December 28, 1896**, Governor General Camilo de Polavieja **signed the decision of the court martial to execute Jose Rizal**.

Answer 31

Rizal was to be executed by **shooting him at 7:00 a.m. on the 30th of December, 1896, in the Bagumbayan field** (now Luneta)

Answer 32

After learning of the court martial's unjust decision, **Jose spent the next 24 hours seeing and speaking with friends, family, and Josephine Bracken**.

Answer 33

On **December 28, 1896, Teodora Alonso wrote the Governor-General asking for clemency for her son**.

Answer 34

Jose chose to spend **quiet moments in the prison chapel**. When left alone in his cell, **he turned to writing**, composing letters to his brother Paciano and his best friend Dr. Ferdinand Blumentritt

Answer 35

Rizal gave a **small book** to Josephine Bracken

Answer 36

Rizal's last letter to Blumentritt, written from Fort Santiago on December 29, 1896, stated: **"My dear Brother, When you receive this letter, I shall be dead. Tomorrow at seven, I shall be shot; but I am innocent of the crime of rebellion. I die with a tranquil conscience. Farewell, my best, my dearest friend, and never think ill of me! Jose Rizal Regards to the whole family, to Sra. Rosa, Loleng, Conradito, and Frederico."** On the margin, Rizal also wrote: **"I leave a book for you as a souvenir."**

Answer 37

By **6:30 of the morning of Dec. 30**, Rizal, dressed in a black suit with a white vest, began his march to the field of his execution in Bagumbayan, from his prison cell in Fort Santiago. He was accompanied by his military-appointed counsel **Lt. Taviel de Andrade, and Fathers Estanislao March and Jose Villaclara**. Holding a **rosary in his right hand**, Rizal was tied at the elbows as his group walked behind four advance guards armed with bayonets

Answer 38

Historical accounts showed that **six to eight Filipino volunteer troops composed the firing squad** designated by Spanish authorities to execute Rizal. A descendant of one of the executioners related that **only one of the rifles was loaded with a live bullet while the rest were blanks**, supposedly to ease the guilt of Rizal's executioners who knew he was innocent. Another group of peninsular troops also stood behind them as an additional measure

Answer 39

**Rizal refused to be blindfolded and insisted on facing his executioners, but this was denied**. He wanted to show he was no traitor and was willing to die for his country

Answer 40

Dr. Felipe Ruiz Castillo, who took Rizal's vital signs before the execution, was amazed to find that the national hero was **calm and unafraid**.

Answer 41

Upon hearing the squad commander's shout of **"Fuego (Fire)," Rizal turned to face the firing squad**. Rizal **fell face up and was able to see the dawn breaking before he uttered in his final breath: "Consummatum est (It is finished)."** The **Cadiz March** played, and at **7:03 am he was declared dead**.

Answer 42

Rizal was initially brought to **San Juan de Dios Hospital** and then buried in **Paco Cemetery**.

Answer 43

**No visitors were allowed in the cemetery**, and the **exact location of the interment was kept secret**. A **marble slab, bearing the initials of Rizal in reversed order ("R.P.J."),** was placed on his grave

Answer 44

Yes, there is a **Burial Record of Rizal in the Paco register**.