RIZAL IN

DAPITAN
(1892-1896)
DAPITAN  A remote town in
Mindanao which was
under the missionary
jurisdiction of the
Jesuits from 1892-
1896.

 A 3rd class city in the

province of
Zamboanga del Norte.
• Abundantly fruitful with varied
achievements.
• Practiced medicine, pursued
scientific studies, continued his
artistic and literary works,
widened his knowledge of
languages, established a school for boys,
promoted community development
projects, invented a wooden machine for
making bricks, and engaged in farming and
commerce.
 Cebu- Steamer which  Fr. Pablo Pastells
brought Rizal to
Dapitan.

 Fr. Antonio
Obach
 In these ff. Conditions Rizal did not agree.
Consequently, he lived in the house of
Captain Carnicero. (Commander)
• The relationship between Canicero (The warden) and
Rizal (The prisoner )
• CARNICERO was charmed by Rizal’s fine qualities and
personality, they ate together with same table and
they had many friendly conversations.
• He notice that rizal was not a common felon.
• He gave good reports on his prisoner to
Gov.Despujol.
• He gave him complete freedom to go
anywhere reporting only once a week at
his office, and - permitted Rizal who was a
good equestrian, to ride his chestnut
horse.
• Rizal on his part he admired Carcinero of
being kind, generous Spanish Captain. He
Wrote a poem for Carcinero entitled " A
Don Ricardo Carcinero on August 26, 1892
on the occasion of captain's birthday.
LETTER’S GIST
 Father Superior Pastells informed Father Obach
that Rizal could live at the parish convent on the
following conditions:
1."That Rizal publicly retract his errors concerning
religion, and make statements that were
clearly pro-Spanish and against revolution".
2."That he perform the church rites and make a
general confession of his past life".
3.That henceforth he conduct himself in an
exemplary manner as a Spanish subject and a man
of religion."
WINS IN MANILA LOTTERY
 On September 21, 1892, Dapitan’s mood burst in
hectic excitement. As the mail boat Butuan brought
the news about Rizal, winning in the lottery.
 Captain Carnicero
LOTTERY TICKET NO. 9736 Jose Rizal
Francisco Equilor
 Total Lottery Prize: P20000.00

Rizal’s Share Allocation

 Given to his father: P 2000
 To his friend, Basa: P 200
 Allocated for investment: P 4000
 Rizal’s total share: P 6200
• Rizal shared of the winning the lottery ticket
was P6 200. Upon receiving this sum.
• P 2 000 to his father.
• P 200 to his friend Basa in Hong Kong -and the
rest he invested well by purchasing agricultural
lands along the coast of Talisay, about 1km away
from Dapitan.
• Rizal’s winning in the Manila lottery reveals an
aspect of his lighter side.
• He never drank hard liquor.
• He never smoked.
• But Rizal was a lottery addict. During his 1st
sojourn in Madrid from (1882-1885)
 This interesting religious debate may be
read in 4 letters written by Rizal, as
follows :
• 1. September 1, 1892
• 2. November 11, 1892
• 3. January 9,1893
• 4. April 4,1893
Father Pastells replies dated:
1. October 12,1892
2. December 8,1892
3. February 2,1893
4. April (no exact date ) 1893
• In this letter Father Pastells, Rizal revealed
his Anti- Catholic ideas which he had
acquired in Europe and embitterment at
his persecution by the bad friars who
comitted certain abuses under the cloak of
religion.
• As he wrote to Blumentritt from Paris on
January 20,1890
"I want to hit the friars, but only friars who
utilized religion not only as a shield but also
as a weapon, castle,fortress,armor etc. I was
forced to attack their false and supertitious
religion in order to fight the enemy who hid
himself behind it"
 According to Rizal, individual judgement is
a gift from God and everybody should use it
like a lantern to show the way and that self-
esteem, if moderated by judgement, saves man
from unworthy acts. He also argued that the
pursuit of truth may lie in different paths, and
thus “religion may vary, but they all lead to the
light”
 Father Pastells tried his best to win back
Rizal to the fold of Catholicism. Divine faith, he
told Rizal supersedes everything, including
reason,self-esteem and individual judgement.
No matter how wise a man is, he argued, his
intelligence is limited, hence he needs the
guidance of God. He refuted Rizals attacks on
Catholic dogmans as misconceptions of
rationalism and naturalism, errors of misguided
souls.
• This interesting debate bet. two brilliant polemicists
ended inconclusively. Rizal could not be convinced by
Father Pastells arguements so that he lived in
Dapitan beyond pale of his Mother church -In spite
of their differences,Rizal and Pastells remained good
friends. Father Pastells gave Rizal a copy of the
Imitacion de Cristo (Imitation of Christ), a famous
Catholic book by Father Thomas a Kempis. And Rizal,
in grateful reciprocation, gave his Jesuit opponent in
debate a bust of St.Paul which he had made.
 Rizal never drank hard liquor and never
smoked, but he was a lottery addict. He always
invested at least three pesetas every month in
lottery tickets.

Peseta- the currency of Spain between 1869 and

2002.
 RIZAL-PASTELLS DEBATE ON RELIGION
*During exile in Dapitan, Rizal had a
long and scholarly debate with Father
Pastells on religion.
*It was all started when Father Pastells
sent him a book by Sarda, with advice
that the latter(Rizal) should desist from
his majaderas ( foolishness ) in viewing
religion from the prism of individual
judgement and self-esteem.
CHALLENGING THE RELIGION: A DEBATE WITH
FR. PASTELLS

 Fr. Pablo Pastells- Jesuit priest who attempted to

persuade Rizal to return to orthodox Roman
Catholic by way of correspondence.

 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
judgments/arguments.
 The debate started when Fr. Pastells sent Rizal a
book by Sarda, with advice that the latter (Rizal)
should desist from his majaderas (foolishness) in
viewing religion from the prism of individual
judgment and self esteem.
 Rizal was bitter against the friars because they
commit abuses under the cloak of religion.
 Fr. Pastells tried to bring back to Catholicism Rizal
by telling him that human intelligence is limited,
thus he needs guidance from God.
Dapitan, 1 September 1892
Very Reverend Fr. Pastells
My ever esteemed Father:
Though I have not had the honor of meriting a letter from
Your Reverence, the precious gift that you have deigned to
send me through my beloved professor, Fr. Sanchez, and all
the lines that you devote to me in your letter to Fr. Obach
place me under obligation to write you, for I have no one in
Manila whom to ask to thank Your Reverence on my behalf. I
have known for a long time the writings of Mr. Sarda for
having read them in college and in my humble opinion he is
the most skillful polemicist in diffusing in a certain social class
the ideas he upholds...... I only regret that being an exile in a
poor town like Dapitan, I have nothing with which to return
your kindness, but I hope I shall have an opportunity to do so
some day if we shall still be alive and if not, I will say to you
like the Bisayos: Dios magbayad! (God repay you!)
-Letter for Dr. Pastells
Mission of the Society of Jesus in the Philippine Islands
Personal
Mr. José Rizal
Dapitan
My most beloved in Christ Don José,

I received on time your very esteemed letter of the 9th

January. I appreciate the gift that in honor of St. Paul you have
deigned to send me. The said image will continually remind
me that I ought to pray to God for you through such a powerful
mediator. Likewise I appreciate the undeserved confidence
you place in me which I shall try to return with the same
candor.
-In reply to Dr. JoseRizal
Dapitan, 4 April 1893
Very Rev. Fr. Pablo Pastells
My very Reverend Father,

I received in time your gift, the work of Mgr. Bougand,

which I am reading most attentively and with the greatest interest
[Emile Bougand, Le Christianisme et le temps présents - rly]. It is
one of the best works of its kind that I have seen as much for its
lucidity as for its eminently Christian and conciliatory spirit, as for the
light that animates its author as well as for his convictions. If the
work of Mr. Sarda is that of a champion of a polemicist, that of Mgr.
Bougand is of a prelate in the most beautiful meaning of the word.
Let us see if its perusal will modify my faith, or if the faith that Your
Reverence misses is reborn; if not, we have to content ourselves
with what God furnishes each one.
-In reply to Fr. Pastells
Escuela Normal de Manila
Manila, 28 April 1893
Mr. José Rizal,

I am glad that you are getting to like the work of

Mgr. Bougand. May your faith be reborn with its perusal,
the faith that we are missing in you. Faith cannot be
called the result of rationalization; it is a supernatural gift
of God our Lord, because faith, being the beginning and
root of justification, cannot be acquired through natural
forces only. It needs besides the aid of divine grace. My
most beloved in Christ Don José,
-In reply to Dr. Rizal
Very Rev. Fr. Pablo Pastels
Director of the Escuala Normal
My dear Very Reverend Father:

I deeply appreciate your desire to enlighten me and

illumine my path. But I fear it is a useless task. Lest I make you
waste your time, I rather tell you now: let us leave to God the things
that are God’s and to men the things that are men’s. As Your
Reverence says, the return to the faith is God’s work.
Again I express to you my sincere gratitude and I beg you to forgive
me for not having seen earlier the impossibility of this undertaking.
-In reply to Fr. Pastells
 Behind the debate, Pastells
and Rizal were friends as
evidently pictured when:

 Pastell gave Rizal a copy of

Imitacion de Cristo by Fr.
Thomas a Kempis.
 Rizal gave Pastells a
bust of St. Paul
which he had made
Rizal continued to
hear mass and
celebrate religious
events.
 RIZAL CHALLENGES A FRENCHMAN TO A DUEL

• While rizal was still debating with father pastells by means of

exchange of letters.
• Rizal was became involved in a quarrel with a french
acquaintance in Dapitan,Mr.Juan Lardet,a businessman. This
man purchased many logs were of poor quality.
• Miranda indiscreetly forwarded Lardets letter to rizal. One of
the heros weakness.it should be noted ws his sensitivity.
• When rizal read Lardets letter,he flared up in anger,regarding
the frenchmans unsavory comment as an affront his
integrity.Immediately,he confronted Lardet and challenged him
to a duel.
• Rizal is an expert in martial arts particularly in fencing and
pistol shooting.
CHALLENGES A FRENCHMAN TO A DUEL
Mr. Juan Lardet – a
French businessman whom
Rizal had a conflict.

 Estudios sobre la lengua

tagala– manuscript which
Rizal gave to Sanchez on
his birthday (study of the
tagalog language).
 RIZAL AND FATHER SANCHEZ
• Father Pastells, aside from his personal efforts to
persuade Rizal to discard his "errors of religion "
instructed two Jesuits in Mindanao:
• Father Obach Cura of Dapitan and,
• Father Jose Vilaclara Cura of Dipolog.
To tried their best to bring back Rizal within the
Catholic fold.
Father Sanchez - he was the only Spanish priest to defend
Rizals Noli Me Tangere in public.
*He was the most beloved and esteemed by Rizal.
*He failed persuading Rizal to discard his
unorthodox views on Catholic religion.
IDYLLIC LIFE IN DAPITAN
 During his exile, Rizal was visited by the
following folks since August 1893:

 1.His mother
 2.His sisters (Trinidad, Maria and Narcisa)
 3.Nephews (Teodosio, Estanislao, Mauricio and
Prudencio)
 Describing his life in Dapitan, Rizal wrote to
Blumentritt on December 19, 1893.
Describing his life in Dapitan, Rizal wrote to
Blumentritt on December 19, 1893
 I shall tell you how we live here. I have three houses: one square,
another hexagonal, and the third octagonal, all of bamboo , wood and nipa.
In the square house we live, my mother, my sister Trinidad, a nephew and I,
in the octagonal live my boys or some good youngsters whom I teach
Arithmetic , Spanish and English. And in the hexagonal live my chickens.
From my house I hear the murmur of a crystal, clear brook which comes
from the high rocks; I see the seashore, the sea where I have small boats, 2
canoes or barotos, as the say here. I have may fruit trees, mangoes,
Lanzones, Guayabanos, Baluno, Lanka, and etc.. I have rabbits, dogs, cats,
etc.. I rise early at five to visit my plants, feed the chickens, awaken my
people, and put them in movement. At half past seven we breakfast with
tea, pastries, cheese, sweatmeats, etc.. Later I treat my poor patients who
come to my land; I dress, go to the town in my baroto, treat the people
there, and return at 12, when my luncheon awaits me.
Then I teach the boys until 4 P.M and devote the afternoon to agriculture. I
spend the night reading and studying .
 Rizal built a house
by the seashore of
Talisay. Surrounded
by the following:

 A school for boys,

and;
 A hospital for his
patients.
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, Don Francisco
Azcarraga who paid him a cargo of sugar.
His skill was put into test in August 1893
when his mother, Dona 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.
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 (1893-1896) 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.
HYMN TO TALISAY

 Rizalwrote a poem in honor of Talisay

which made his pupil sing. Here’s the
chorus part of the song.

“Hail, Talisay, firm and faithful,

Ever forward march elate!
You, victorious, the elements —land, sea and air—
shall dominate! “
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.
• He purchased hemp in Dapitan at P7 and 4 reales per cul
and sold it in Manila at P10 and 4 reales, giving him a profit
of P3 per picul.
• On July 31, 1894, he said “To kill time and to help also
the people of his town.
• On May 14, 1893, Rizal formed a business partnership
with Ramon Carreon ( Dapitan Businessman) 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.
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:

 Dracorizali – flying dragon

 Apogonia rizali – small beetle

 Rhacophorus rizali – rare frog

AS A CIVIC WORKER

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 remodelling 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.
WATER SYSTEM FOR DAPITAN

 As a perito agrimensor (expert surveyor), Rizal

applied his engineering knowledge by constructing
a system of waterworks to furnish clean water to
the townspeople.

Mr. H.F. Cameron –American engineer who praised

Rizal for his engineering ingenuity.
A POEM FOR HIS MOTHER

In February, 1895, upon restoring her

eyesight, Dona Teodora returned to Manila.
Seeing how busy Rizal is, she regretted
neglecting her muses. She requested Rizal
to write poetry. As a response, Rizal wrote
“Mi Retiro” (My Retreat) relating his serene
life as an exile in Dapitan.
AFFAIR IN DAPITAN

The death of Leonor Rivera (August 28, 1893)

left a poignant void in Rizal’s heart. In his
loneliness, he met Josephine Bracken, an 18 y/o
Irish girl who, to Wenceslao Retana's words, was
“slender, a chestnut blond, with blue eyes, dressed
with elegant simplicity, with an atmosphere of light
(gaiety).”
JOSEPHINE BRACKEN
 Born in Hongkong on
October 3, 1876.
 Daughter of James
Bracken and Elizabeth
Jane Macbride.
 Her mother died in
childbirth. And she was
adopted by Mr. George
Taufer.
 Mr.Taufer became blind so he sought
for an ophthalmic specialist. This is
how Josephine and Rizal met.

 Manuela Orlac – Filipina companion

who accompanied Josephine Bracken
to Dapitan.
 Rizal and Josephine Bracken decided to get
married but Father Obach refused to marry them
without the permission of Bishop of Cebu.
 To avoid a tragedy, Josephine accompanied Mr.
Taufer back to Manila. Mr. Taufer returned to Hong
Kong alone while Josephine stayed with the Rizals
in Manila.
 Having no priests to marry them, Rizal and
Josephine married themselves before the eyes of
God.
 The two were happy for they were expecting
for a baby. However, Rizal played a prank
on Josephine making her give birth to an
eight-month baby boy. The baby lived for
only three hours. He was named
“Francisco” in honor of Rizal’s father.
RIZAL AND THE KATIPUNAN
 Pio Valenzuela –
emissary to Dapitan in
order to inform Rizal of
the plan of Katipunan
during the meeting at a
little river called
Bitukang Manok.
 Venus – steamer
Valenzuela boarded to
reach Dapitan.
Rizal and the Katipunan
• While Rizal was mourning the loss of his son,
omimous clouds.
• The secret revolutionary society called KATIPUNAN ,
w/c he founded on july 7, 1892, was gaining more
and more adherents.
• On May 2, 1896, Dr. Pio Valenzuela was named
emmisary to Dapitan to launch a revolution for
freedom’s sake.
• On June 15, Dr. Valenzuela left Manila on
board the steamer Venus.
• Dr. Valenzuela arrived in Dapitan in the evening of
June 21, 1986.
 Raymundo Mata – blind man who
came withValenzuela to camouflage
his mission

 Rizal objected Bonifacio’s project

because:
 1.The people are not ready for a
revolution
 2.Arms and funds must first be
collected before raising the cry of
revolution.
AS A VOLUNTEER MILITARY DOCTOR

 When Cuba was

under revolution and
raging yellow fever
epidemic, Rizal
wrote to
Governor General
Ramon Blanco
offering his services
as military doctor.
 Governor Blanco later notified Rizal of the
acceptance of the offer. The notification
came along with an instruction of acquiring
first a pass for Manila from the politico-
military commander of Dapitan.
THE SONG OF THE TRAVELLER

 Upon receiving the acceptance of his offer to go to

Europe then to Cuba to help in the curing of
patients suffering yellow fever, he wrote a poem “El
Canto del Viajero”
ADIOS DAPITAN!
 July 31, 1896- Rizal’s four-year exile has ended.
 España – steamer which brought Rizal to Manila
from Dapitan.
 Rizal was accompanied by Josephine, Narcisa,

Angelica (Narcisa’s daughter), his three nephews

and six pupils.
 As farewell, the town brass of Dapitan played the

dolorous Funeral March of Chopin.

 He stayed in Dapitan for four years, thirteen days
and a few hours.
THANK YOU FOR LISTENING!
-XO