Rizal in Manila Bay
Rizal in Manila Bay
Rizal in Manila Bay
6 August 1896
At dawn the España entered Manila Bay. He was not able to depart immediately for Spain, because the Isla de Luzon which
Rizal was supposed to board left the day before they arrived at Manila.
12 August 1896
He sent a letter to his sister Narcisa , asking her to let Josephine Bracken send him pants, vests, collars, and cuffs, through
a certain Prudencio Bulag.
19 August 1896
He advised his parents and sisters how they could visit him on board the Castilla, and likewise requested Narcisa to buy
fruits for the officers of the cruiser, who treated him well.
25 August 1896
In a letter, he thanked his sister Narcisa for the hospitality she had shown by letting Josephine Bracken stay in her house.
30 August 1896
Governor Ramon Balnco sent Rizal a letter recommending him to the Minister of War, saying that Rizal’s conduct in
Dapitan was exemplary and that he had no connection at all with the Philippine Revolution.
2 September 1896
Rizal was transferred to the boat Isla de Panay at 6:00 o’clock in the evening. He was met by the captain of the boat,
Capt. Alemany, and was given the best cabin. Later, he wrote a letter to his mother informing her of his good health on
board the ship.
He informed his mother of his departure for Cuba, comforting her that everybody is in the hands of the Divine Providence.
To his sisters, he urged them to take good care and and love their aged parents the way they expect their children to love
them.
4 September 1896
Rizal was informed of the rumors that he was the cause of the disturbances in Manila. A young student, a native of Aragon,
informed him that around 600 Filipinos were already ordered shot by the Spanish authorities.
5 September 1896
A Jesuit father told him about poor Anacleto del Rosario died of heart trouble. On board he saw a mentally deranged
captain who was being shipped back to Spain.
7 September 1896
At 5:00 o’clock in the afternoon,they saw a lighthouse. At 8:00 p.m., they anchored alongside the wharf made of wood.
They left Singapore at 1;00 o’clock in the afternoon.
9 September 1896
In the evening, Rizal was disappointed. There were plans of holding a concert but was not realized due to the rudeness of a
passenger.
12 September 1896
He recovered slightly from hi sea-sickness, although the ship continued moving roughly.
13 September 1896
At 4:00 they started to see land and at 1:00 in the evening the Isla de Panay anchored at Colombo.
14 September 1896
At 12:00 o’clock, they left Colombo for Aden.
15 September 1896
They passed by Maldivas and Laquedivas in the evening. This time the weather had already improved a little bit.
19 September 1896
Rizal made mention of the death of a certain Capt. Cecilio on board the boat Isla de Panay. The captain became mentally
derange due to the two months imprisonment imposed on him by Gen. Parrado. At 2o’clock Sunday morning, the dead
body was thrown over board.
20 September 1896
The Isla de Panay arrived at Guardful at 12 o’clock. Rizal’s patient on board became worse for having eaten butter.
21 September 1896
The Isla de Panay arrived at Arden at 4:30 in the afternoon. Rizal noticed that the Englishmen in Aden had progressed
much. There were already many buildings constructed.
In a letter, Rizal described to his mother the trip he had from Singapore to Colombo and from Colombo to Aden, the
throwing overboard of the dead body of Capt. Cecilio, and the hopeless condition of a sick Jesuit.
22 September 1896
At 3 o’clock in the morning, the boat left Aden, passing near Perim which was fortified. Rizal’s patient moved to the upper
deck.
24 September 1896
Rizal was called to attend to a sick woman on board. Rizal injected her with morphine and later applied hot bath.
25 September 1896
He dreamed that his Jesuit patient died. At 4:15 p.m. they met the Isla de Luzon full of soldiers bound for the Philippines.
26 September 1896
Rizal received a very bad new, which, if true, would make him doubt everything. Then he wrote a letter to Prof. Blumentritt
disclosing the contents of the two letters of recommendation issued him by Governor Blanco.
29 September 1896
Rizal was the object of malicious talk on this day. Some passengers were inventing fantastic stories against him. He was
informed that San Roque, a district of Cavite City, was being bombarded.
30 September 1896
Rizal received an order from Capt. A. Alemany, to the effect that after taking dinner, Rizal should stay inside the cabin until
another order is received. He asked the captain for the reason and the Captain answered that it was due to some rumors
that Rizal would remain in Malta.
1 October 1896
The boat left Malta at two o’clock in the morning. Rizal stayed the whole day in his cabin. A cabin boy was surprised by
Rizal tiptoeing into his cabin o steal his papers, apparently under the instruction of the steward who was peeping through
the hole of the cabin at the time.
3 October 1896
After exactly 30 days of travel, the Isla de Panay arrived at Barcelona. The passengers were placed under quarantine for
three days.
4 October 1896
Rizal heard 31 canon fires which signaled the celebration of the feast of D. Francisco de Asis. The boat was still
quarantined off the shore of Barcelona.
6 October 1896
At three o’clock in the morning a sergeant woke Rizal up in his cabin, ordering him to prepare his baggage. At four o’clock,
Rizal was whisked away from the boat by one military man and another in civilian clothes.
Rizal arrived at Montjuich at exactly five o’clock, after one-hour walk under heavy guard.
At about two o’clock in the afternoon, after staying in Montjuich for about 8 hours, Rizal was notified by the same officer
called Tudela to get his baggage ready in order to board the boat S.S. Colon. Rizal had to do everything in a jiffy under the
threats and shouts of the captain. The boat packed with soldiers, departed at eight o’clock in the evening.
8 October 1896
He woke up very hungry and weak. The infantry officer informed him that various newspapers in Madrid identified him as
the author of the disorders in the Philippines.
9 October 1896
On this day, he woke up a little bit lively. He thought that the order of his return to the Philippines was timely for,
according to him, he could refute the accusations hurled against him. He was guarded in his cabin the whole day.
10 October 1896
The two holes of his cabin were covered in the morning, thus depriving him of the sunlight. He was not given breakfast,
only supper.
11 October 1896
The boat arrived at Port Said. His diary was confiscated form him.
29 October 1896
He arrived at Singapore bound for the Philippines. He was the object for an application for a writ of Habeas Corpus
prepared by Charles Burton Buckley and Manuel Camus. Since the boat carried a Spanish flag and Rizal was detained on
order by the Spanish government, the applications was turned down by Lionel Cox, S. J. The two Solicitor for Rizal were
Rodyk and Davidson.
2 November 1896
Before arriving at Port Said, his travel diary was returned to him. His baggage was searched minutely and he was lodged in
prison cell everytime the S.S Colon approached a port anchor.