Jose Rizal Exile in Dapitan
Jose Rizal Exile in Dapitan
Jose Rizal Exile in Dapitan
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 on serving the people and the society through his civic works, medical
practices, land development and promotion of education.
As an agriculturist, Rizal devoted time in planting important crops and fruitbearing 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 Sindagan 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 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 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:
o
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 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.
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 shim to the Army of Operations in Cuba.
Farewell to Dapitan
At midnight of July 31, 1896, Jose Rizal left Dapitan on board the steamer Espaa, 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.
In Cebu, on their way to Manila, Rizal successfully performed an opthalmic operation to a
merchant who paid him fifty silver pesos. After almost a week, on August 6, 1896, Espaa
arrived in Manila. Rizal was supposedly to board the Isla de Luzon for Spain, but unfortunately,
left ahead of time. Instead, he was transferred to the Spanish cruiser Castilla to stay and wait for
the next mail boat that woul sail for Spain next month. He was prohibited from leaving the
vicinity but was allowed to accept visitors so long as they were his immediate family. Of course,
all these delays were part of the drama Rizal has now fallen to the critical/deadly Spanish trap.