CHAPTER 10

(RIZAL FIRST
HOMECOMING 1887-
1888)
 Afterfive years of his memorable sojourn in Europe, Rizal
returned to the Philippines in August 1887 and practice
medicine in Calamba. He lived the quiet life of a country
doctor. But his enemies, who resented his Noli, persecuted
him, even threatening to kill him.
 JUNE 19,1887
 JUNE 29,1887
DECISION TO RETURN HOME

 Rizal was warned by the following not to return to

the Philippines because his Noli Me Tangere
angered the friars:
 Paciano Mercado
 Silvestre Ubaldo
 Jose M. Cecilio
 Reasons that determined Rizal to come back in the Philippines:
1. To operate his mothers eyes
2. To served his people who have been oppressed by
Spanish tyrants.
3. To find out for himself how the Noli Me Tangere and
his other writings were affecting Filipinos and
Spaniards.
4. To inquire why Leonor Rivera remained silent.
DELIGHTFUL TRIP TO MANILA
 Rizal
left Rome by train to Marseilles, a French port ( July
3,1887) and boarded Djemnah.
 Therewere 50 passengers: 4 English men, 2 Germans, 3
Chinese, 2 Japanese, 40 Frenchmen and 1 Filipino.
 Rizal become an interpreter for his companion.
 Afterleaving Aden, the weather became rough and some of
Rizal’s book get wet.
 July30, 1887- in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh), Vietnam-he transfer to
another steamer, Haiphong, that brought him to Manila.
 August 2, 1887- Haiphong left Saigon for Manila.

ARRIVED IN MANILA
August 5- Haiphong arrived in Manila.
He found Manila the same as when he left five years ago .
HAPPY HOMECOMING
 AUGUST 8, 1887-he returned to Calamba.
In Calamba
-Rizal establish a medical clinic.
-Dona Teodora-Rizals first patient.
-Rizal treated his eyes but could not perform any surgical operation
because his cataracts were not yet ripe.
-News of arrival of a great doctor from Germany spread far and wide.
Doctor Uliman-Rizal called name.
 Gymnasium-was opened by Rizal for the young people.
 He introduced Europian sports fencing and shooting to
discourage them from cockfighting and gambling.
Sad moments while Rizal was in Calamba
Failure to see Leonor Rivera
He tried to visit her in Dagupan but his parents forbid him to
go because Leonors mother did not like him to be son in law.
STORM OVER THE NOLI ME
TANGERE
 AS Rizal was peacefully living in Calamba, his enemies plotted his doom.
 He painted several beautiful landscapes in Calamba.
 He translated German poems of Von Wildernath in Tagalog.
 Governor General Emilio Terrero(1885-1888)- request Rizal to Malacanang
Palace.
 Somebody whisper to him that the Noli contains subversive ideas.
 Rizal explain that he merely exposed the truth not advocate subversive ideas .
 He was please by Rizal’s explanation and curious about the book, he asked for a
copy of the novel.
 Rizal had no copy at that time but promised to send one.
 Rizal visited the Jesuit fathers to ask for their feedback on the novel.
 He was gladly welcome by the following friars:
 Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez
 Fr. Jose Bech
 Fr. Frederico Faura-he told Rizal that everything in the novel was truth and warned him that he may lose
his head.
 Governor- General Emilio Terrero
 A liberal minded Spaniard who knew Rizals life was in jeopardy.
 He gave Rizal a bodyguard to protewct him.
Jose Taviel de Andrade
-bodyguard of Rizal
-a lieutenant who came from a noble family.
-he was cultured and knew painting.
-speak French, English, and Spanish
-they became good friends.
 Msgr. Pedro Payo- Dominican professor, an Archbishop of Manila.
Sent copy of the novel to Fr. Rector Gregorio Echevarria, Rector of the University
of Santo Tomas to examine the novel.

UST and Rizal

The committee that examined the Noli Me Tangere were composed of Dominican
professor.
The report of the faculty members from the UST about the novel was:
- heretical, impious and scandalous in the religious orders, and anti-patriotic,
subversive of public order, injurious to the government of Spain and its function in
the Philippines Islands in the political order.
 Governor-General Terrero- was not satisfied with the report so he sent the novel
to the permanent commission of Censorship which was composed of priest and
laymen.
 Fr. Salvador Font- Augustinian friar cura of Tondo was the head of the
commission and submitted to the governor general on December 29.
- the group found that the novel contain subversive ideas against the Church and
Spain and recommended that the importation, reproduction and circulation of the
pernicious book in the Island be absolutely prohibited.
The newspaper published Fonts written report.
The banning of the Noli me Tangere served to make it popular.
The masses supported the book.
 Thanks to Gov.-Gen Terrero- there were no mass imprisonment or mass of
execution of Filipinos. He refused to be intimidated by the friars who clamored
for harsh measures against people caught reading the novel and its author.
 ATTACKERS OF THE NOLI
-Fr. Font-printed his report and distributed copies of it in order to discredit the
controversial novel.
Fr. Jose Rodriguez
 Augustinian Prior to the Guadalupe- published a series of eight pamphlets under
the heading Cuestiones de Sumo interes to the blast the Noli and other-Spanish
writing.
 Copies of anti-Rizal pamphlets were sol after mass- many Filipinos were forced
to buy them in order not to displease the friars.
 Noli reached Spain
 The novel was fiercely attack in the session hall of the Senate of the Spanish
Cortes.
 Senators: -General Jose de Salamanca(April 1, 1888)
-General Luis de Pando(April 12, 1888)
-Sr. Fernando Vida(June 11, 1888)
Vicente Barantes-Spanish academician of Madrid who formerly occupied high
government position in the Philippines bitterly criticized the Noli in an article
published in the Madrid newspaper, La Espana Moderna.
 DEFENDERS OF THE NOLI
 Marcelo H.del Pilar, Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor, Graciano Lopez Jaena, Mariano Ponce and
other Filipino reformist in the foreign lands- rush to uphold the truths of the Noli.
 Father Sanchez- Rizals favorite teacher in the Ateneo defended and praised the novel in
the public.
 Don Segismundo Moret- former minister of the crown.
 Dr. Miguel Morayta- historian and statesman.
 Prof. Bluementrit- a scholar and educator, read and liked the novel.
 Rev. Vicente Garcia
-A Filipino catholic priest –scholar, a theologian of the Manila Cathedral and a
tagalog translator of the famous Imitation of Christ by Thomas Kempis.
- Under the pen name Justo Desiderio Magalang he wrote a defense of the novel
published in Singapore dated July 18, 1888.
Rizal Cried because Barantes by exposing his ignorance of Philippine affairs and
mental dishonesty which is unworthy of an academician.
June 13, 1887- Because of the interest of both enemies and protectors of the Noli
the price of the book increased from five pesetas per copy to 50 pesos per copy.
RIZAL AND TAVIEL de ANDRADE
 Together, Rizal and Andrade, both young, educated and cultured, made walking tours
of the verdant country sides, discussed topics of common interest, and enjoyed
fencing, shooting, hunting, and painting.
 What marred Rizals hapy days:
 the death of Rizals older sister olimpia, and
 The groundless tales circulated by his enemies that he was “a german spy, an agent of
Bismarck, a Protestant, a Mason, a witch, a soul beyond salvation, etc.”
CALAMBAS AGRARIAN TROUBLE
 INFLUENCED BY THE NOVEL, Governor-General Emilio Terrero ordered a
government investigation of the friar states to remedy whatever inequities might have
been present in the connection with land taxes and with tenant relations.
 One of the friar estates affected was the Calamba hacienda by the Dominican order
since 1883.
 Upon hearing about the investigation, the people of the Calamba asked from Rizal to
gather facts and list he grievances so that the government might institute certain
agrarian reforms.
 Findings submitted by Rizal- which the tenants and 3 of the officials of hacienda signed.
1. The hacienda of the Dominican Order comprised not only the lands around Calamba, but the
whole town of Calamba.
2. The profits of the Dominican order continually increased because of the arbitrary increased of
the rentals paid by the tenants.
3. The hacienda owner never contributed a single centavo for the celebration of the town fiestas,
for the education of the children, and for the improvement of the agriculture.
4. Tenants who spent much labor in clearing the lands were dispossessed of the said lands for
flimsy reason.
 5. Highrates of interest were arbitrarily charged the tenants for delayed payment of rentals and
when the rentals could not be paid, the hacienda management confiscated their carabaos, tools,
and homes.
 FAREWELL TO CALAMBA
 Rizals exposure to the deplorable condition of tenancy infuriated further enemies.
 The friars exerted pressure to the Malacaniang Palace to eliminate Rizal.
 They asked Gov.-Gen. Terrero to deport Rizal but the lattervrefused for there were no valid
charges against Rizal in the court.
 Anonymous threats in the Rizals life alarmed his parents, siblings, and his bodyguard, friends
even Terrero, thus they all advised him to go away, for his life was in danger.
 He was compelled to leave Calamba for two reasons:
 His presence in Calamba was jeopardizing the safety and happiness of his family and friends.
 He could not fight better his enemies and serve his countrys cause with greater efficacy by
writings in foreign countries.
A POEM FOR LIPA
 Shortly before Rizal left in 1888, he was asked b a friends to erite a poem in commemoration of
the towns elevation to the villa by the virtue of the Becerra Law of 1888…
 Himno Al Trabajo(Hymn to Labor)- title of the poem dedicated to the industrious people of Lipa.