RIZAL'S LIFE, WORKS, AND WRITINGS
José Protasio Rizal Mera!o " Alo#so Realo#!a was born on J$#e %&, %(%, approximately 35 years before that fateful day. The seventh of the eleven children born to a relatively well-off family in a Dominican-ownedtenant land in Calamba, Launa, !ose "i#al lived and died durin the $panish colonial era in the %hilippines.
!ose&s father, Fra#iso productiv ctive e farmer farmer from )i#a#, La*$#a , while his Fra#iso Mera!o Mera!o Rizal, was a produ mother, Teo!ora Alo#zo " +$i#tos , was an educated and hihly cultured woman from Sta -r$z, Ma#ila. 'n his early childhood, !ose had mastered the alphabet, learned to write and read boo(s li(e the $pan $panish ish version version of the .$l*ate )i/le . )t youn ae, he already showed inclinations to arts. *e ama#ed his family by his pencil drawins, s(etches, and moldins of clay. Later in his childhood, he showed special talent in paintin and sculpture, wrote a Taalo play which was presented at a Calamba fiesta, and penned a short play in $panish which was presented in school. )t the ae of eleven, "i#al attended attended the Ate#eo M$#ii0al !e Ma#ila and obtained at the a*e o1 %( his )a2elor o1 Arts deree with an averae of +excellent+. 'n the same year //0, he too( P2iloso02" P2iloso02" a#! Letters at the 3#i4ersit" o1 Sa#to To5as , while at the same time enrolled in a course course in land surveyin surveyin at the )teneo. )teneo. *e finishe finished d his s$r4e"or's s$r4e"or's trai#i#* trai#i#* in %66, passed the licensin exam in 1ay /, thouh the license was ranted to him only in when he reached the ae of ma2ority. *e enrolled in 5e!ii#e at the 3#i4ersit" o1 Sa#to To5as i# %6 . $ensin however that the ilipino students were bein discriminated by the Dominican professors, he left 4$T without finishin his course n Ma" 7, %8 , he went to $pain and enrolled at the 3#i4ersi!a! -e#tral !e Ma!ri! . 'n J$#e o1 year later, he completed %9, he received the deree of Lie#tiate i# Me!ii#e at the ae of 63. ) year his course in %hilosophy and Letters with the rade of 7excellent.8 9antin to cure his mother:s advancin blindness, "i#al went to %aris, *eidelber, and ;erlin to et further (nowlede and trainin in o02t2al5olo*". 'n *eidelber, he completed his eye speciali#ation. ;ein ;ein wellwell-tra trave veled led,, he is said said to 2a4e lear#e! 88 la#*$a*es . *e wrote extraordinary poems, contributed nationalistic essays to publications, reliiously (ept his diary, and corresponded to his friends and relatives. 'n Mar2 %6, he published in ;erlin his first controversial novel, the Noli Me which re4eale! t2e t"ra##" a#! arro*a#e o1 t2e S0a#is2 ler*" a#! o11iials i# t2e Ta#*ere, which P2ili00i#es. To brin to liht that the ilipinos had an impressive civili#ation even lon before the $panish coloni#ation, coloni#ation, he annotated annotated and reprinted reprinted in %aris 1ora&s $uccessos De Las 'slas ilipinas. n Se0te5/er %, %&% , "i#al&s more militant novel, El Fili/$steris5o was printed in
atipunan. 'n
various ways, "i#al as(ed for radical reforms in the $panish colonial system and clerical powers in the %hilippines and advocated e=ual rihts before the law for ilipinos. 9hen "i#al returned to the %hilippines in %&8 his second homecomin0, he was imprisoned in Fort Sa#tia*o from J$l" ( to J$l" %< on a trump-up chare that anti-priest leaflets were found in the pillow cases of his sister Lucia who arrived with him from *on >on. *e was then exiled to Dapitan, an island in 1indanao. 9hile an exile, he enaed in ariculture, fishin, and commerce while operatin a hospital and maintainin a school for boys. 1oreover, he did scientific researches, collected specimens of rare species, corresponded with scholars abroad, and led construction of water dam and a relief map of 1indanao. "i#al fell in love with Jose02i#e )ra=e#, a woman from *on >on who brouht her stepfather to Dapitan for an eye operation. !osephine became "i#al&s ?common-law wife&. The couple had a child who was born prematurely, Fra#>so Rizal " )ra=e# , who died a few hours after birth. %rior to his relationship with !osephine, !ose "i#al had become romantically involved with other women, the most notable of whom were Se*$#!a Kati*/a= , his first love, and Leo#or Ri4era, his so called true love. 'n %&(, "i#al received a permission from the atipunan& started the %hilippine "evolution on A$*$st 8(, %&(. The powerful people whose animosity "i#al had provo(ed too( the opportunity to implicate him to the rebellion. )fter a trial in a (anaroo court, he was convicted of rebellion and sentenced to death by firin s=uad at ;aumbayan ield now Luneta0. Dressed in a blac( coat and trousers and tied elbow to elbow, "i#al refused to (neel and declined the traditional blindfold. %lacid and a bit pale, he even re=uested to face the firin s=uad, maintainin that he was not a traitor to his country and to $pain. )fter some sweet-tal(, "i#al areed to turn his bac( but re=uested that he be shot in the small of the bac(, for that would twist his body and cause him to fall face upward. The niht before his execution, "i#al perhaps had a mental flash bac( of the meaninful events in his 35-year existence we have outlined here. ;ut more than anyone, he himself had (nown for lon that his execution would certainly come to pass, and not even an )ndres ;onifacio nor @milio )uinaldo would have saved him from the executioners& "emintons and 1ausers. acin the s(y, the man died in that serene mornin of Dee5/er 7?, %&( . ;ut since then, he has lived perpetually in the hearts and minds of true ilipinos.
T@E RIZAL )ILL The mandatory "i#al sub2ect in the %hilippines was the upshot of this bill which later became a law in A5B. The bill involves mandatin educational institutions in the country to offer a course on the hero&s life, wor(s, and writins, especially the ?oli 1e Tanere& and ?@l ilibusterismo&. The transition from bein a bill to becomin a republic act was however not easy as the proposal was met with intense opposition particularly from the Catholic Church. Larely because of the issue, the then senator -laro M Retothe main proponent of the "i#al ;illwas even dubbed as a communist and an anti-Catholic. Catholic schools threatened to stop operation if the bill was passed, thouh "ecto calmly countered the threat, statin that if that happened, then the schools would be nationali#ed. )fterward threatened to be punished in future elections, "ecto remained undeterred. Concernin the suestion to use instead the expurated edited0 version of "i#al&s novels as mandatory readins, "ecto explained his firm support for the unexpurated version, exclaiminE 7The people who would eliminate the boo(s of "i#al from the schools would blot out from our minds the memory of the national hero. This is not a fiht aainst "ecto but a fiht aainst "i#al.8 campo, 6F6, p. 630 The bill was eventually passed, but with a clause that would allow exemptions to students who thin( that readin the oli and ili would ruin their faith. 'n other words, one can apply to the Department of @ducation for exemption from readin "i#al&s novelsthouh not from ta(in the "i#al sub2ect. The bill was enacted on !une 6, A5B. RA %98< a#! ot2er Rizal las
The "i#al ;ill became the Re0$/li At No %98<, (nown as the BRizal LaC. The full name of the law is 7)n )ct to 'nclude in the Curricula of )ll %ublic and %rivate $chools, Collees and 4niversities Courses on the Life, 9or(s and 9ritins of !ose "i#al, %articularly *is ovels oli 1e Tanere and @l ilibusterismo, )uthori#in the %rintin and Distribution Thereof, and for ther %urposes.7 The first section of the law concerns mandatin the students to read "i#al&s novels. The last two sections involve ma(in "i#al&s writins accessible to the eneral publicthey re=uire the schools to have a sufficient number of copies in their libraries and mandate the publication of the wor(s in ma2or %hilippine lanuaes. Jose P La$rel , then senator who co-wrote the law, explained that since !ose "i#al was the founder of the country&s nationalism and had sinificantly contributed to the current condition of the nation, it is only riht that ilipinos, especially the youth, (now about and learn to imbibe the reat ideals for which the hero died. )ccordinly, the "i#al Law aims to accomplish the followin oalsE
. To rededicate the lives of youth to the ideals of freedom and nationalism, for which our heroes lived and died 6. To pay tribute to our national hero for devotin his life and wor(s in shapin the ilipino character 3. To ain an inspirin source of patriotism throuh the study of "i#al&s life, wor(s, and writins. $o far, no student has yet officially applied for exemption from readin "i#al&s novels. Correspondinly, former %resident idel G. "amos in AAH, throuh 1emorandum rder o. 6H/, directed the $ecretary of @ducation, Culture and $ports and the Chairman of the Commission on *iher @ducation to fully implement the ") H65 as there had been reports that the law had still not
been totally carried out. 'n AA5, -@ED Me5ora#!$5 No 7 was issued enforcin strict compliance to Me5ora#!$5 Or!er No 896 . ot (nown to many, there is another republic act that concerns the national hero. Re0$/li At No 88& is an act prohibitin coc(fihtin, horse racin, and 2ai-alai on the thirtieth day of December of each year and to create a committee to ta(e chare of the proper celebration of "i#al day in every municipality and chartered city, and for other purposes. T2e I50orta#e o1 St$!"i#* Rizal
The academic sub2ect on the life, wor(s, and writins of !ose "i#al was not mandated by law for nothin. ar from bein impractical, the course interestinly offers many benefits that some contemporary academicians declare that the sub2ect, especially when tauht properly, is more beneficial than many sub2ects in various curricula. The followin are 2ust some of the sinificance of the academic sub2ectE . The sub2ect provides insihts on how to deal with current problems There is a dictum, 7*e who controls the past controls the future.8 ur view of history forms the manner we perceive the present, and therefore influences the (ind of solutions we provide for existin problems. !ose "i#al course, as a history sub2ect, is full of historical information from which one could base his decisions in life. 'n various ways, the sub2ect, for instance, teaches that bein educated is a vital inredient for a person or country to be really free and successful. 6. 't helps us understand better ourselves as ilipinos The past helps us understand who we are. 9e comprehensively define ourselves not only in terms of where we are oin, but also where we come from. ur heredity, past behaviors, and old habits as a nation are all sinificant clues and determinants to our present situation. 'nterestinly, the life of a very important national historical fiure li(e !ose "i#al contributes much to sheddin liht on our collective experience and identity as ilipino. The ood rasp of the past offered by this sub2ect would help us in dealin wisely with the present. 3. 't teaches nationalism and patriotism ationalism involves the desire to attain freedom and political independence, especially by a country under forein power, while patriotism denotes proud devotion and loyalty to one&s nation. !ose "i#al&s life, wor(s, and writinsespecially his novelsessentially, if not perfectly, radiate these traits. or one thin, the sub2ect helps us to understand our country better. H. 't provides various essential life lessons 9e can learn much from the way "i#al faced various challenes in life. )s a controversial fiure in his time, he encountered serious dilemmas and predicaments but responded decently and hih-mindedly. Throuh the crucial decisions he made in his life, we can sense his priorities and convictions which manifest how noble, selfless, and reat the national hero was. or example, his many resolutions exemplified the aphorism that in this life there are thins more important than personal feelin and happiness. 5. 't helps in developin loical and critical thin(in Critical Thin(in refers to discernin, evaluative, and analytical thin(in. ) %hilosophy ma2or, !ose "i#al unsurprisinly demonstrated his critical thin(in s(ills in his arumentative essays, satires, novels, speeches, and written debates. 'n decidin what to believe or do, "i#al also proved his bein
anyone. 'n fact, he indiscriminately evaluated and critici#ed even the doctrines of the dominant reliion of his time. ) course on "i#al&s life, wor(s, and writins therefore is also a lesson in critical thin(in. B. "i#al can serve as a worthwhile model and inspiration to every ilipino 'f one is loo(in for someone to imitate, then "i#al is a very viable choice. The hero&s philosophies, life principles, convictions, thouhts, ideals, aspirations, and dreams are a ood influence to anyone. Throuhout his life, he valued nationalism and patriotism, respect for parents, love for siblins, and loyalty to friends, and maintained a sense of chivalry. )s a man of education, he hihly rearded academic excellence, loical and critical thin(in, philosophical and scientific in=uiry, linuistic study, and cultural research. )s a person, he manifested versatility and flexibility while sustainin a stron sense of moral uprihtness. /. The sub2ect is a rich source of entertainin narratives %eople love fictions and are even willin to spend for boo(s or movie tic(ets 2ust to be entertained by made-up tales. ;ut only a few perhaps (now that "i#al&s life is full of fascinatin nonfictional accounts. or instance, it is rarely (nown that 0 "i#al was involved in a love trianle with )ntonio Luna as also part of the romantic e=uationI 60 "i#al was a model in some of !uan Luna&s paintinsI 30 "i#al&s common-law wife !osephine ;rac(en was ?remarried& to a man from Cebu and had tutored former %resident $erio smeJaI H0 Leonor "ivera ?1aria Clara&0, "i#al&s ?true love&, had a son who married the sister of the former %resident of the 4nited ations atiba(0I and /0 the oriinal manuscripts of "i#al&s novel oli and ili0 were once stolen for ransom, but )le2andro "oces had retrieved them without payin even a sinle centavo.
Jose Rizal's )itter Seet Li1e i# Da0ita# T*@ D@%"T@@ could have stayed in the Dapitan parish convent should he retracted his ?reliious errors& and made a eneral confession of his past life. ot willin to accede to these main conditions set by the !esuits, !ose "i#al instead opted to live at commandant&s residence they called ?Casa "eal&. The commandant Captain "icardo Carnicero and !ose "i#al became ood friends so much so that the exile did not feel that the captain was actually his uard. Later in his life in Dapitan, "i#al wrote a poem ?) Don "icardo Carnicero& honorin the (ind commandant on the occasion of his birthday on )uust 6B, A6. 'n $eptember A6, "i#al and Carnicero won in a lottery. The 1anila Lottery tic(et no. A/3B 2ointly owned by "i#al, Carnicero, and a $panish resident of Dipolo won the second pri#e of %hp 6F, FFFF. "i#al used some part of his share %hp B, 6FF0 in procurin a parcel of land near the coast of Talisay, a barrio near Dapitan. n a property of more than F hectares, he put up three houses made of bamboo, wood, and nipa. *e lived in the house which was s=uare in shape. )nother house, which was hexaonal, was the barn where "i#al (ept his chic(ens. 'n his octaonal house lived some of his pupilsfor "i#al also established a school, teachin youn boys practical sub2ects li(e readin, writin, arithmetic, eoraphy, and $panish and @nlish lanuaes. Later, he constructed additional huts to accommodate his recoverin out-of-town patients. Dail" li1e as a# eile
Durin his exile, "i#al practiced medicine, tauht some pupils, and enaed in farmin and horticulture. *e rew many fruit trees li(e coconut, mano, lan#ones, ma(opa, santol, manosteen, 2ac(fruit, uayabanos, baluno, and nan(a0 and domesticated some animals li(e rabbits, dos, cats, and chic(ens0. The school he founded in A3 started with only three pupils, and had about more than 6F students at the time his exile ended. "i#al would rise at five in the mornin to see his plants, feed his animals, and prepare brea(fast. *avin ta(en his mornin meal, he would treat the patients who had come to his house. %addlin his boat called ?baroto& he had two of them0, he would then proceed to Dapitan town to attend to his other patients there the whole mornin. "i#al would return to Talisay to ta(e his lunch. Teachin his pupils would bein at about 6 pm and would end at H or 5 in the afternoon. 9ith the help of his pupils, "i#al would spend the rest of the afternoon in farminplantin trees, waterin the plants, and prunin the fruits. "i#al then would spend the niht readin and writin. Rizal a#! t2e Jes$its
The first attempt by the !esuit friars to win bac( the deported "i#al to the Catholic fold was the offer for him to live in the Dapitan convent under some conditions. "efusin to compromise, "i#al did not stay with the parish priest )ntonio bach in the Church convent. !ust a month after "i#al was deported to Dapitan, the !esuit rder assined to Dapitan the priest rancisco de %aula $anche#, "i#al&s favorite teacher in )teneo. 1any times, they enaed in cordial reliious discussions. ;ut thouh "i#al appreciated his mentor&s effort, he could not be convinced to chane his mind. evertheless, their differences in belief did not et in the way of their ood friendship.
The priest %ablo %astells, superior of the !esuit $ociety in the %hilippines, also made some attempts by correspondence to win over to Catholicism the exiled physician. our times they exchaned letters from $eptember A6 to )pril A3. The debate was none less than scholarly and it manifested "i#al&s (nowlede of the *oly $criptures for he =uoted verses from it. Thouh "i#al consistently attended mass in Dapitan, he refused to espouse the conventional type of Catholicism. A2ie4e5e#ts i# Da0ita#
"i#al provided sinificant community services in Dapitan li(e improvin the town&s drainae and constructin better water system usin empty bottles and bamboo 2oints. *e also tauht the town fol(s about health and sanitation so as to avoid the spread of diseases. 9ith his !esuit priest friend $anche#, "i#al made a hue relief map of 1indanao in Dapitan pla#a. )lso, he bettered their forest by providin evident trails, stairs, and some benches. *e invented a wooden machine for mass production of bric(s. 4sin the bric(s he produced, "i#al built a water dam for the community with the help of his students. )s the town&s doctor, "i#al e=ually treated all patients reardless of their economic and social status. *e accepted as ?fees& thins li(e poultry and crops, and at times, even ave his services to poor fol(s for free. *is speciali#ation was ophthalmoloy but he also offered treatments to almost all (inds of diseases li(e fever, sprain, bro(en bones, typhoid, and hernia. "i#al also helped in the livelihood of the abaca farmers in Dapitan by tradin their crops in 1anila. *e also ave them lessons in abaca-weavin to produce hammoc(s. oticin that the fishin method by the locals was inefficient, he tauht them better techni=ues li(e weavin and usin better fishin nets. As a sie#tist a#! 02ilolo*ist
)side from doin archaeoloical excavations, "i#al inspected Dapitan&s rich flora and fauna, providin a sort of taxonomy to numerous (inds of forest and sea creatures. rom his laboratory and herbarium, he sent various bioloical specimens to scientists in @urope li(e his dear friend Doctor )dolph ;. 1eyer in Dresden. 'n return, the @uropean scholars sent him boo(s and other academic readin materials. rom the collections he sent to @uropean scholars, at least three species were named after himE a Dapitan fro ?"hacophorus ri#ali&0, a type of beetle ?)poonia ri#ali&0, and a flyin draon Draco ri#ali0. *avin learned the Gisayan lanuae, he also enaed himself in the study of lanuae, culture, and literature. *e examined local fol(lores, customs, Taalo rammar, and the 1alay lanuae. *is intellectual products about these sub2ects, he related to some @uropean academicians li(e Doctor "einhold "ost, his close philoloist friend in London. S0ies a#! seret e5issar"
ot 2ust once did "i#al learn that his ?enemies& sent spies to ather incriminatin proofs that "i#al was a separatist and an insurent. %erhaps disturbed by his conscience, a physician named 1atias )rrieta revealed his covert mission and as(ed for foriveness after he was cured by "i#al ;antu, p. 50. 'n 1arch A5, a man introduced himself to "i#al as %ablo 1ercado. Claimin to be "i#al&s relative, this straner eaerly volunteered to brin "i#al&s letters to certain persons in 1anila. 1ade suspicious by the visitor&s insistence, "i#al interroated him and it turned out that his real name was lorencio anaman of Caayan de 1isamis, paid as secret aent by the "ecollect friars. ;ut because it was rainin that evenin, the (ind "i#al did not command anaman out of his house but even let the spy spend the rainy niht in his place.
'n !uly the next year, a different (ind of emissary was sent to "i#al. Doctor %io Galen#uela was sent to Dapitan by )ndres ;onifaciothe >atipunan leader who believed that carryin out revolt had to be sanctioned first by "i#al. Disuised as a mere companion of a blind patient see(in treatment from "i#al, Galen#uela was able to discreetly deliver the >atipunan&s messae for "i#al. ;ut "i#al politely refused to approve the uprisin, suestin that peaceful means was far better than violent ways in obtainin freedom. "i#al further believed that a revolution would be unsuccessful without arms and monetary support from wealthy ilipinos. *e thus recommended that if the >atipunan was to start a revolution, it had to as( for the support of rich and educated ilipinos, li(e )ntonio Luna who was an expert on military stratey ;antu, p. 330. .isite! /" lo4e! o#es
"i#al was in Dapitan when he learned that his true love Leonor "ivera had died. 9hat somewhat consoled his desolate heart was the visits of his mother and some sisters. 'n )uust A3, DoJa Teodora, alon with dauhter Trinidad, 2oined "i#al in Dapitan and resided with him in his ?casa cuadrada& s=uare house0. The son successfully operated on his mother&s cataract. )t distinct times, !ose&s sisters 1aria and arcisa also visited him. Three of !ose&s nephews also went to Dapitan and had their early education under their uncleE 1aria&s son 1auricio 1oris0 and Lucia&s sons Teodosio sio0 and @stanislao Tan0. !ose&s niece)nelica, arcisa&s dauhter, also had experience livin for some time with her exiled uncle in 1indanao. 'n A5, DoJa Teodora left Dapitan for 1anila to be with Don rancisco who was ettin wea(er. $hortly after the mother left, !osephine ;rac(en came to !ose&s life. !osephine was an orphan with 'rish blood and the stepdauhter of !ose&s patient from *on(on. "i#al and ;rac(en were unable to obtain a church weddin because !ose would not retract his anti-Catholic views. *e nonetheless too( !osephine as his common-law wife who (ept him company and (ept house for him. ;efore the year ended in A5, the couple had a child who was born prematurely. The son who was named after "i#al&s father rancisco0 died a few hours after birth. or detailed discussion on "i#al-;rac(en relationship, loo( for the section 7!osephine ;rac(en8 under 7"i#al&s love life8.0 Goo!/"e Da0ita#
'n A5, ;lumentritt informed "i#al that the revolution-ridden Cuba, another nation coloni#ed by $pain, was raed by yellow fever epidemic. ;ecause there was a shortae of physicians to attend to war victims and disease-stric(en people, "i#al in December A5 wrote to the then
Jose Rizal T2e A!4e#t$ro$s .o"a*er @E DID GO PLA-ES !ose "i#al&s thrillin experience durin his first la(e-and-river voyae perhaps inspired him to travel more. "idin in a ?casco&, !ose temporarily left his hometown Calamba on !une B, B. *e and his father went on a pilrimae to )ntipolo and afterward visited his sister $aturnina in 1anila, who was at the time a student at La Concordia. )cross Launa de ;ay and the %asi "iver, !ose had an unforettably ama#in trip that he did not fail to record the 2ourney in his memoir. I# )ia# a#! Ma#ila
) year after, %aciano brouht !ose to the nearby town ;iJan to attend the school of 1aestro !ustiniano )=uino Cru#. @xcept for occasional homecomins, he stayed in the town for a year and a half of schoolin, livin in an aunt&s house where his brea(fasts enerally consisted of a plate of rice and two dried sardines ?tuyo&0. Don rancisco sent !ose to 1anila in !une /6 to enroll in )teneo 1unicipal. %aciano found !ose a boardin house in 'ntramuros thouh !ose later transferred to a house on Calle Carballo in $anta Cru# area. The followin year, !ose transferred residence to o. B Calle 1aallanes. Two years after, he became an intern boardin student0 in )teneo and stayed there until his raduation in the institution. rom // to 6, "i#al studied in the 4niversity of $anto Tomas, enrollin in the course on %hilosophy in Letters, but shifted to 1edicine a year after. Durin his first year in 4$T, he simultaneously too( in )teneo a vocational course leadin to bein an expert surveyor. *e boarded in the house of a certain Concha Leyva in 'ntramuros, and later in 7Casa Tomasina,8 at Calle B, $anto Tomas, 'ntramuros. 'n ?Casa Tomasina&, his landlord-uncle )ntonio "ivera had a dauhter, Leonor, who became !ose&s sweetheart. I# E$ro0e
$ic( and tired of the discriminatory and oppressive Dominican professors, "i#al stopped attendin classes at 4$T in 6. n 1ay 3 of that year, he left for $pain to complete his studies and widen his political (nowlede throuh exposure to @uropean overnments. 't&s funny that his departure for $pain had one down to history as a ?secret departure& althouh at least ten sure peopleincludin his three siblins and an unclecollaborated in his oin away, exclusive of the unnamed and unnumbered ?!esuit priests& and ?intimate friends& who co-conspired in the plan. n his way to 1adrid, "i#al had many stopovers. *e first disembar(ed and visited the town of $inapore. nboard the steamship ?D2emnah& he passed throuh %unta de
winnin ilipino painters, !uan Luna and elix "esurreccion *idalo. 'n the occasion, he delivered a darin liberal speech which became so controversial that it even caused sic(ness to his worryin mother. %erhaps, bein bro(e and hunry could really ma(e one braver and more impulsive. )s one student commented, 7*ayop man, ?pa utom, tumatapan.8 'n 5, "i#al who had finished his two courses in 1adrid went to %aris, rance. rom ovember 5 to ebruary B, he wor(ed as an assistant tothe celebrated ophthalmoloistDr. Louis de 9ec(ert. 'n ebruary 3, B, he left %aris for *eidelber, arl 4llmer. 't was also durin this time that the correspondence and lon-distance friendship between !ose and erdinand ;lumentritt bean. "i#al wrote a letter in
9ith his friend 1aximo Giola who loaned him some amount to cover for the printin of the ?oli&, "i#al traveled to various places in @urope. Throuh %aciano&s remittance, !ose had paid Giola and decided to further explore some places in @urope before returnin to the %hilippines. They went first to see %otsdam, a city southwest of ;erlin which became the site of the %otsdam Conference AH50 at which the leaders of powerful nations deliberated upon the postwar administration of lutscha(. n 1ay B, the two ilipinos left Leitmerit# for %raue where they saw the tomb of the famous astronomer Copernicus. They stopped at ;runn on their way to Gienna. They met the famed )ustrian novelist orfenfals in Gienna, and "i#al was interviewed by 1r. )lder, a newspaper correspondent. To see the sihts of the Danube "iver, they left Gienna on a boat where they saw passeners usin paper nap(ins. rom Lint#, they had a short stay in $al#bur. "eachin 1unich, they tasted the local beer advertised as
of some 'orots in 1adrid, side by side some animals and plants. ot only did the primitive 'orots in ?baha& become ob2ects of ridicule and lauhter, one of them a woman0 also died of pneumonia. n !une A, /, "i#al treated Giola for it was his 6Bth birthday. our days after, they parted ways Giola went bac( to ;arcelona while "i#al proceeded to 'taly. 'n 'taly, "i#al went to see Turin, 1ilan, Genice, and lorence. 'n "ome, he paid a visit to the historical places li(e the )mphitheatre and the "oman orum. n !une 6A, he had seen the lorious edifices, li(e the $t. %eter&s Church, in the Gatican City. Literally and fiuratively spea(in, "i#al did o places. )s a co-professor commented, 7a-ala talaa an lolo moK8 First 2o5eo5i#*
Despite bein warned by friends and loved ones, !ose was adamant in his decision to return to his native land. rom a rench port 1arseilles, he boarded on !uly 3 the steamer ?D2emnah& which sailed to the @ast throuh the $ue# Canal and reached $aion on the 3Fth of the month. *e then too( the steamer ?*aiphon& and reached 1anila near midniht of )uust 5. )fter meetin some friends in 1anila, he returned to Calamba on )uust . "estorin his mother&s eyesiht, he bean to be dubbed as 7
9hat "i#al failed to accomplish in his six-month stay in the country was visitin his irlfriend Leonor "ivera in %anasinan. *is father stronly opposed the idea, sensin that the visit would put Leonor&s family in 2eopardy. n ebruary 3, , "i#al sailed to *on(on onboard ?afiro& and 2ust stayed inside the ship durin its short stop at )moy. *e stayed at Gictoria *otel in *on(on not in $ta. 1esa0 and visited the nearby city 1acao for two days alon with a friend, !ose 1aria ;asa. )mon other thins, "i#al experienced in *on >on the noisy firecrac(er-laden Chinese ew Mear and the marathon lauriat party characteri#ed by numerous dishes bein served. The ?lauriat& combo meal in ?Chow(in& oriinated from this Chinese party.0 rom *on >on, he reached Mo(ohama, !apan on ebruary 6 and proceeded to To(yo the next day. *e lived in the $panish leation in To(yo upon the invitation of its secretary, !uan %ere# Caballero. 'n 1arch , he heard a To(yo band nicely playin a @uropean music and was astonished to find out after the i that some of its members were ilipinos aide N aide, p. 3F0. 9e can surmise from this that even durin "i#al&s time, some ilipinos were already entertainers in !apan ?!apayu(i& or ?!apayu(o&0.
;ut if there were a person who was truly entertained at the time, it was "i#al himself who was amused by the !apanese irl who used to pass by the leation everyday. The 63-year old $ei(o 4sui whom he fondly called ?-$ei-$an&became his tour uide and sweetheart rolled into one. Sail to t2e West
;ecause he loved his mission more than -$ei-$an, he boarded the ?;elic& on )pril 3, . 'n the vessel, he had befriended Tetcho $uehiro, a !apanese novelist and human rihts fihter who was also forced by his overnment to leave his country. The ship arrived in $an rancisco on )pril 6. or a wee(, they were however =uarantined, alleedly because of the cholera outbrea( in the ar @ast. 'n reality, some politicians were 2ust =uestionin the arrival of the Chinese coolies in the ship who would displace white laborers in railroad construction pro2ects. n 1ay B, he went to a(land. nboard a train, he too( his evenin meal at $acramento and wo(e up at "eno, evada. *e had visited also the states of 4tah, Colorado, ebras(a, 'llinois, and finally reached ew Mor( on 1ay 3. n ;edloe 'sland, he had seen the $tatue of Liberty symboli#in freedom and democracy. 'nconsistently, "i#al observed that there was racial ine=uality in the land and real freedom was only for the whites. ;ut if "i#al were alive today, he would be surprised that the )mericans have already allowed a blac( uy to become their president for two terms. I# Great )ritai#
n 1ay B, on the ship ?City of "ome& "i#al sailed for Liverpool and arrived on 1ay 6H. ) day after, he reached London and stayed briefly at Dr. )ntonio 1a. "eidor:s home. *e then boarded at the ;ec(ett family where he fell in love with
Leavin London for ood, he went to %aris in 1arch A. *e shortly lived in the house of a friend, Galentin Gentura before transferrin in a little room where e had as roommates two ilipinos, one of which was !ose )lbert, a student from 1anila. 'n %aris, "i#al fre=uented the ;ibliothe=ue ationale, wor(in on his annotation of the ?$ucesos&. *e spent his spare hours in the houses of friends li(e !uan Luna and his wife %a# %ardo de Tavera. "i#al witnessed the 4niversal @xposition of %aris, havin as its reatest attraction the @iffel Tower.*e formed the ?>idlat Club&, a temporary social club which brouht toether ilipinos witnessin the exposition. *e also orani#ed the ?'ndios ;ravos&, an association which envisioned ilipinos bein reconi#ed for bein admirable in many fields, and the mysterious "edencion de los 1alayos "edemption of the 1alays0 which aimed to propaate useful (nowlede. 'n %aris, "i#al also finished and published his annotation of the ?$ucesos.& I# )el*i$5
)fter celebratin the Muletide season in %aris in A, "i#al shortly visited London for the last time. 9ith !ose )lbert, "i#al left %aris for ;russels on !anuary 6, AF. The two stayed in a boardin house administered by the !acoby sisters $u#anne and 1arie0 where "i#al met and had a transitory affair with %etite, the niece of his landladies.
'n ;elium, "i#al busied himself with writin the ?ili& and contributin for La $olidaridad usin the pen names Dimas )lan and Laon Laan. 9hen he heard the news that the Calamba ararian trouble was ettin worse, "i#al decided to o home. ;ut %aciano told him throuh a letter that they lost the court case aainst the Dominicans in the %hilippines and they intended to brin the case to 1adrid. This prompted !ose to o to 1adrid instead to loo( for a lawyer and influential people who would defend the Calamba tenants. I# Ma!ri!
"i#al traveled to 1adrid in )uust AF. )lon with his lawyer, 1arcelo *. Del %ilar, he tried to see( 2ustice for his family but could not find anyone who could help him. "i#al encountered many adversities and tribulations in 1adrid. *e heard that his family was forced to leave their land in Calamba and some family members were even deported to far places. ne day, "i#al challened his friend )ntonio Luna to a duel when he Luna0, bein unsuccessful in see(in ellie ;oustead&s love, ave neative comments on the lady. "i#al also dared to a duel 9enceslao "etana of the anti-ilipino newspaper ?La @poca& who wrote that "i#al&s family did not pay their land rent. ;oth duels were fortunately abortedLuna became "i#al&s ood friend aain and "etana even became ri#al&s first non-ilipino biorapher. 'n 1adrid, "i#al also heard the news of Leonor "ivera:s marriae with an @nlishman *enry >ippin who was the choice of Leonor&s mother. )s if ?misfortunes& were not enouh, there emered the Del %ilar-"i#al rivalry for leadership in the )sociacion *ispano ilipino. The supposedly healthy election for a leader ?"esponsible&0 produced divisive unpleasant split amon the ilipinos in 1adrid the "i#alistas vs. the %ilaristas0. "i#al thus decided to leave 1adrid, lest his presence results in more serious faction amon ilipinos in 1adrid. I# )iarritz, Paris, a#! )r$ssels
"i#al proceeded to ta(e a more than a month vacation in ;iarrit#, a tourist town in southwestern rance noted for its mild climate and sand beaches. )rrivin there in ebruary A, "i#al was welcomed as a family uest in the house of the ;ousteds, especially by ellie whom he had a serious but failed0 romantic relationship. 'n ;iarrit#, he continued to wor(ed on his ?@l ili& and completed its manuscript on 1arch 6A, the eve of his departure for %aris. Galentin Gentura hosted his short stay in %aris, and the !acobies, especially %etite $u#anne, cordially welcomed his arrival in ;russels in )pril A. 'n ;russels, "i#al revised and prepared for printin his second novel until the end of 1ay. ;y !une A, he was already loo(in for a printin firm to print the ?@l ilibusterismo.& I# G2e#t
"i#al went to
I# @o#* Ko#* a#! Sa#!a=a#
'n ctober A, "i#al left @urope for *on >on onboard the ship ?1elbourne& on which he bean writin his third but unfinished0 novel. *e arrived in *on >on on ovember 6F and resided at o. 5 D& )uilar $treet, o. 6 "ednaxela Terrace. 'n case you did not notice, ?"ednaxela& is ?)lexander& spelled reversely0. *avin escaped the friars& persecution, Don rancisco, %aciano, and $ilvestre 4baldo !ose&s brother-in-law0 also arrived in *on >on. $hortly after, DoJa Teodora and children Lucia, !osefa, and Trinidad also came, and the "i#al family had a sort of family reunion in the Muletide season of A. 'n *on >on, !ose opened a medical clinic. ) %ortuuese friend, Dr. Loren#o %. 1ar=ues helped him to have plentiful patrons of various nationalities. *is successful operation on his mother&s left eye allowed her to read aain. 'n 1arch A6, he went to $anda(an @ast 1alaysia0 aboard ?1enon& to neotiate with ;ritish authorities concernin the foundin of a ilipino colony in orth ;orneo now called $abah0. n 1arch 6, "i#al as(ed on in )pril, A6. Seo#! 2o5eo5i#*
9antin to confer with Despu2ol concernin his orth ;orneo coloni#ation pro2ect, "i#al left *on >on on !une 6, A6 alon with his sister Lucia. 9ithout his (nowlede, the $panish consul in *on >on sent a cableram to Despu2ol statin fiuratively that 7the rat is in the trap8. ) secret case aainst "i#al was thus filed in 1anila for anti-reliious and anti-patriotic public campain. "i#al and his sister arrived in 1anila at 6EFF noon of !une 6B, A6. )t / pm, he was able to confer in 1alacaJan with Despu2ol who areed to pardon his father and told him to return on !une 6A. *e then visited sisters and friends in 1anila. n !une 6/, he too( a train and visited his friends in Central Lu#on. *e had a stopover at the ;autista mansion in 1alolos, ;ulacan and spent the niht in the house of @varisto %uno in Tarlac, Tarlac, about 3F (ilometers away from the residence of Leonor "ivera->ippin in Camilin. *e also went to $an ernando and ;acolor, %ampana and returned to 1anila on !une 6, at 5 pm. n !une 6A, 3F, and !uly 3, he had other interviews with Despu2ol. The coloni#ation pro2ect was re2ected thouh "i#al&s re=uest to lift the exile of his sisters was ranted. n the evenin of !uly 3, "i#al spearheaded the meetin in the house of Doroteo n2unco on Mlaya $treet, Tondo, 1anila of at least 6F ilipinos, includin )ndres ;onifacio and )polinario 1abini. "i#al explained the aims of the civic association ?La Lia ilipina&. fficers were then elected, havin )mbrosio $alvador as the president, thereby officially establishin the leaue. !ust three days after thouh, "i#al was arrested durin his interview with the overnor eneral. Despu2ol showed him anti-friar leaflets ?%obres railes& %oor riars0 alleedly discovered in his sister Lucia&s pillow cases. 'mprisoned in ort $antiao for almost ten days, "i#al was brouht at 6E3F am on !uly H to the steamer ?Cebu&. %assin throuh 1indoro and %anay, the vessel doc(ed at Dapitan in amboana del orte on the evenin of !uly /. True, Dapitan is a scenic place with fine beaches, perhaps a soothin place for a ?bali(-bayan& li(e "i#al. ;ut !ose was not there as a tourist or a vacationerhe was an exile. The ship captain Delras handed him over to the local $panish commandant, "icardo Carnicero and that sinaled the start of "i#al&s life as a deportee in Dapitan.
