The 1896 Uprising and Rizal's Execution

Philippines Table of Contents

During the early years of the Katipunan, Rizal remained in exile at Dapitan. He had
promised the Spanish governor that he would not attempt an escape, which, in that remote
part of the country, would have been relatively easy. Such a course of action, however,
would have both compromised the moderate reform policy that he still advocated and
confirmed the suspicions of the reactionary Spanish. Whether he came to support
Philippine independence during his period of exile is difficult to determine.
He retained, to the very end, a faith in the decency of Spanish "men of honor," which made
it difficult for him to accept the revolutionary course of the Katipunan. Revolution had
broken out in Cuba in February 1895, and Rizal applied to the governor to be sent to that
yellow fever-infested island as an army doctor, believing that it was the only way he could
keep his word to the governor and yet get out of his exile. His request was granted, and he
was preparing to leave for Cuba when the Katipunan revolt broke out in August 1896. An
informer had tipped off a Spanish friar about the society's existence, and Bonifacio, his
hand forced, proclaimed the revolution, attacking Spanish military installations on August
29, 1896. Rizal was allowed to leave Manila on a Spanish steamship. The governor,
however, apparently forced by reactionary elements, ordered Rizal's arrest en route, and he
was sent back to Manila to be tried by a military court as an accomplice of the insurrection.
The rebels were poorly led and had few successes against colonial troops. Only in Cavite
Province did they make any headway. Commanded by Emilio Aguinaldo, the twentyseven-year-old mayor of the town of Cavite who had been a member of the Katipunan
since 1895, the rebels defeated Civil Guard and regular colonial troops between August
and November 1896 and made the province the center of the revolution.
Under a new governor, who apparently had been sponsored as a hard-line candidate by the
religious orders, Rizal was brought before a military court on fabricated charges of
involvement with the Katipunan. The events of 1872 repeated themselves. A brief trial was
held on December 26 and--with little chance to defend himself--Rizal was found guilty and
sentenced to death. On December 30, 1896, he was brought out to the Luneta and executed
by a firing squad.
Rizal's death filled the rebels with new determination, but the Katipunan was becoming
divided between supporters of Bonifacio, who revealed himself to be an increasingly
ineffective leader, and its rising star, Aguinaldo. At a convention held at Tejeros, the
Katipunan's headquarters in March 1897, delegates elected Aguinaldo president and
demoted Bonifacio to the post of director of the interior. Bonifacio withdrew with his
supporters and formed his own government. After fighting broke out between Bonifacio's
and Aguinaldo's troops, Bonifacio was arrested, tried, and on May 10, 1897, executed by
order of Aguinaldo.

As 1897 wore on, Aguinaldo himself suffered reverses at the hands of Spanish troops,
being forced from Cavite in June and retreating to Biak-na-Bato in Bulacan Province. The
futility of the struggle was becoming apparent, however, on both sides. Although Spanish
troops were able to defeat insurgents on the battlefield, they could not suppress guerrilla
activity. In August armistice negotiations were opened between Aguinaldo and a new
Spanish governor. By mid-December, an agreement was reached in which the governor
would pay Aguinaldo the equivalent of US$800,000, and the rebel leader and his
government would go into exile. Aguinaldo established himself in Hong Kong, and the
Spanish bought themselves time. Within the year, however, their more than three centuries
of rule in the islands would come to an abrupt and unexpected end

THE TRIAL OF DR. JOSE RIZAL

The spanish colonial government accused Rizal of three crimes:
(a) The founding of La Liga Filipina, an illegal organization
Whose single aim was to Perpetrate the crime of rebellion.
(b) Rebellion which he promoted through his previous activities.
(c)ILLegal association
-The penalty for for those accusation is life imprisonment to death
And correctional imprisonment and a charge of 325 to 3,250 Pesetas.

The prosecution drew information from the dossier on Rizal which

Detailed his subervise activities some of which are the following:
1.The writing and publication of Noli me Tangere, the Annotations
to Morgas History of the Philippines, El Filibusterismo, and the
various articles which criticized the friars and suggested their
expulsion in order to win independence. The El Filibusterismo was
dedicated to the three martyr priests who were executed as traitors
to the Fatherland in 1872 because they were the moving spirit of the
uprising of that year.
2.The establishment of masonic lodges which became the propaganda
and fund raising center to support subvervise activities and the
establishment of centers in Madrithe ,Hongkong and Manila to propagate his ideas.
After finishing as much evidence as possible on November 20, 1896
the preliminary on Rizal began. During the five-day investigation,Rizal
was informed of the charges against him before Judge advocate Colonel Francisco
Olive.

Two kinds of Evidences Endorsed By Colonel Olive to Governor

Ramon Blanco:
1.Documentary
-fifteen exhibits
2.Testimonial
-Provide by Martin Constantino, Aguedo del Rosario, Jose Reyes,
Moises Salvador, Jose Dizon,Domingo Franco, Deodato Arellano,
Pio Valenzuela , Antonio Salazar, Francisco Quison, and Timoteo Paez.
The Judge Rafael Dominguez advocate assigned with the task of deciding what
corresponding action should be done.After a brief
Review transmitted the records to Don Nicolas de la Pena.
Penas recommendations were as follows:
- Rizal must be immediately sent to trial
He must be held in prison under necessary security
His properties must be issued with order of attachment
And as indemnity,Rizal had to pay one million pesos
Instead of a civilian lawyer,only an army officer is allowed
To defend Rizal.
The lawyer of Rizal is Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade Brother of Lt. Jose
Traviel de Andrade who worked as Rizals personal body guard in
Calamba in 1887.In the presence of his Spanish Counsel on December
11, 1896, charges against Rizal were read in the presence of his Spanish counsel.
When they asked regarding his sentiments or reaction on the charges,
Rizal replied that in his defense.
-He does not question the jurisdiction of the court.
-He has nothing to amend except that during his exile in Dapitan in
1892, he had not dealt in political matters.
-He has nothing to admit on the charges against him.
-He had nothing to admit on the declarations of the witnesses,he had
not met
nor knew,against him.
The Execution Of Dr.Jose Rizal
Despite all valid pleadings the military court,vindictive as it was
Unanimous voted for the sentence of death. Polavieja affirmed
The decision of the court martial and ordered to be shot at
7:00 in the morning of December 30 1896 at Bagumbayan field.
Rizal was heavily guarded and was accompanied by the Jesuits as
He walked from Fort Santiago to Bagumbayan. He wore a black woolen suit and a
derby hat and his arms were tied behind him.
During the walked, he recalled his youth and his student days
At the Ateneo. And in Bagumbayan itself, the Spanish troops held
Back the crowd while the artillery group stood on alert to prevent any attempt to
rescue Rizal. His brother Paciano who had joined the

Revolution forces was said to have discouraged groups who might

Want to save Rizal since thay would not be able to match Spanish
Firepower. The captain in charge of the execution instructed Rizal
Were to position himself, to turn his back against the squad and the
Face the sea. However, Rizal requested to face the firing squad, as such position
instructed was only taken by traitors and he was not one of them. The captain could
not do anything for he was only following orders.Hence, failing to have his request
granted, he asked to be shot at the back instead of the head so that he may, at the
end , turn his head and body sidewise and fall with his face upward.The captain
agreed,he also asked if he would like to kneek but Rizal refused nor did he agree to
be blindfolded. A Jesuit priest now came running and
Asked Rizal to kiss the cruffix that he held.Rizal turned his back on the cruffix and
thus,against the firing squad. He was ready for the execution.
DR.JOSE RIZAL LAST DAY AND HIS EXECUTION
Rizal spent his 24 hours in his death cell where he received members
Of his family and writes his letter,the first one to his second brother
Ferdinand Blumentritt. He gave his sisters,Trinidad and old petroleum
lamp and whispered to her in English that there is something inside
The lamp .Thus is Rizals famous Farewell poem. Ultimo Adios, (Last Farewell was
found. Rizal was said to have married his Irish girlfriend
according to Catholic rited in the very last hours of his life, after living
with her for sometime in Dapitan. They were previously married civilly. On the
morning of December 30,1896.Rizal set on his walk from
Fort Santiago to the Bagumbayan square, the same place where the three priest
had been killed in 1872, now Luneta Park, in the center of
Manila at 6:30 Oclock. And when the time to march to Bagumbayan Rizal he was
ready to face his ultimate death came, he was seen as
A man of peace and bravery. At exactly 7:03 am RIZAL shouted Consummatum
Est before the shot run out. The heros life ended. In
In the background could be heard, Viva Espna! Death to traitors!.
Rizals Family was not able to take old of his body. The military had
secretly buried the body of Rizal at the Paco cemetery. Her sister
Narcisa looked for the cadaver everywhere but could not find it.
She passed by the unused Paco cemetery and saw through the open
Gate some civil guards. Finding this uncommon, she entered the cemetery and
searched the place. She saw a grave with freshly turned
earth and knew at once his was her brothers body. With a little money,she asked
the gravedigger to place a plaque on it with her
brothers initial reverse.That is R.P.J. for Protacio Jose.That afternoon the books,
letter, and alcohol burner were delivered
To Rizals family. At the base of the alcohol burner they found Rizals

last masterpiece the MI ULTIMO ADIOS. The copies were given to each family
member and some are to the Cavite insurgents.
After the Americans had taken Manila, Narcisa requested the new government to
grant her permission to exhume the body of his brother.
They found out that the body was never placed in a coffin, nor even
Wrapped by anything. Rizals family had possession of the body the remains were
instituted at the base of the Rizal monument which was
erected at the center of the Luneta

Noli :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noli_me_tangere_(novel)
Elfili : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_filibusterismo

Philosophies in Life
PHILOSOPHY may be defined as the study and pursuit of facts which deal with the ultimate reality or causes of things as
they affect life.
The philosophy of a country like the Philippines is made up of the intricate and composite interrelationship of the life
histories of its people; in other word, the philosophy of our nation would be strange and undefinable if we do not delve into
the past tied up with the notable life experiences of the representative personalities of our nation.
Being one of the prominent representatives of Filipino personalities, Jose Rizal is a fit subject whose life philosophy
deserves to be recognized.
Having been a victim of Spanish brutality early in his life in Calamba, Rizal had thus already formed the nucleus of an
unfavorable opinion of Castillian imperialistic administration of his country and people.
Pitiful social conditions existed in the Philippines as late as three centuries after his conquest in Spain, with agriculture,
commerce, communications and education languishing under its most backward state. It was because of this social malady
that social evils like inferiority complex, cowardice, timidity and false pride pervaded nationally and contributed to the
decay of social life. This stimulated and shaped Rizals life phylosophy to be to contain if not eliminate these social ills.
Educational Philosophy
Rizals concept of the importance of education is clearly enunciated in his work entitled Instruction wherein he sought
improvements in the schools and in the methods of teaching. He maintained that the backwardness of his country during
the Spanish ear was not due to the Filipinos indifference, apathy or indolence as claimed by the rulers, but to the neglect
of the Spanish authorities in the islands. For Rizal, the mission of education is to elevate the country to the highest seat of
glory and to develop the peoples mentality. Since education is the foundation of society and a prerequisite for social
progress, Rizal claimed that only through education could the country be saved from domination.
Rizals philosophy of education, therefore, centers on the provision of proper motivation in order to bolster the great social
forces that make education a success, to create in the youth an innate desire to cultivate his intelligence and give him life
eternal.
Religious Philosophy
Rizal grew up nurtured by a closely-knit Catholic family, was educated in the foremost Catholic schools of the period in the
elementary, secondary and college levels; logically, therefore, he should have been a propagator of strictly Catholic
traditions. However, in later life, he developed a life philosophy of a different nature, a philosophy of a different Catholic
practice intermingled with the use of Truth and Reason.
Why the change?
It could have been the result of contemporary contact, companionship, observation, research and the possession of an
independent spirit.Being a critical observer, a profound thinker and a zealous reformer, Rizal did not agree with the
prevailing Christian propagation of the Faith by fire and sword. This is shown in his Annotation of Morgas Sucesos de las
Islas Filipinas.

Rizal did not believe in the Catholic dogma that salvation was only for Catholics and that outside Christianity, salvation was
not possible even if Catholics composed only a small minority of the worlds religious groups. Nor did he believe in the
Catholic observation of fasting as a sacrifice, nor in the sale of such religious items as the cross, medals, rosaries and the
like in order to propagate the Faith and raise church funds. He also lambasted the superstitious beliefs propagated by the
priests in the church and in the schools. All of these and a lot more are evidences of Rizals religious philosophy.
Political Philosophy
In Rizals political view, a conquered country like the Philippines should not be taken advantage of but rather should be
developed, civilized, educated and trained in the science of self-government.
He bitterly assailed and criticized in publications the apparent backwardness of the Spanish rulers method of governing the
country which resulted in:
1. the bondage and slavery of the conquered ;
2. the Spanish governments requirement of forced labor and force military service upon the n natives;
3. the abuse of power by means of exploitation;
4. the government ruling that any complaint against the authorities was criminal; and
5. Making the people ignorant, destitute and fanatic, thus discouraging the formation of a national sentiment.
Rizals guiding political philosophy proved to be the study and application of reforms, the extension of human rights, the
training for self government and the arousing of spirit of discontent over oppression, brutality, inhumanity, sensitiveness
and self love.
Ethical Philosophy
The study of human behavior as to whether it is good or bad or whether it is right or wrong is that science upon which
Rizals ethical philosophy was based. The fact that the Philippines was under Spanish domination during Rizals time led
him to subordinate his philosophy to moral problems. This trend was much more needed at that time because the
Spaniards and the Filipinos had different and sometimes conflicting morals. The moral status of the Philippines during this
period was one with a lack of freedom, one with predominance of foreign masters, one with an imposition of foreign
religious worship, devotion, homage and racial habits. This led to moral confusion among the people, what with justice
being stifled, limited or curtailed and the people not enjoying any individual rights.
To bolster his ethical philosophy, Dr. Rizal had recognized not only the forces of good and evil, but also the tendencies
towards good and evil. As a result, he made use of the practical method of appealing to the better nature of the
conquerors and of offering useful methods of solving the moral problems of the conquered.
To support his ethical philosophy in life, Rizal:
1. censured the friars for abusing the advantage of their position as spiritual leaders and the ignorance and fanaticism of
the natives;
2. counseled the Filipinos not to resent a defect attributed to them but to accept same as reasonable and just;
3. advised the masses that the object of marriage was the happiness and love of the couple and not financial gain;
4. censured the priests who preached greed and wrong morality; and
5. advised every one that love and respect for parents must be strictly observed.
Social Philosophy
That body of knowledge relating to society including the wisdom which man's experience in society has taught him is social
philosophy. The facts dealt with are principles involved in nation building and not individual social problems. The subject
matter of this social philosophy covers the problems of the whole race, with every problem having a distinct solution to
bolster the peoples social knowledge.
Rizals social philosophy dealt with;
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

man in society;
influential factors in human life;
racial problems;
social constant;
social justice;
social ideal;

7. poverty and wealth;

8. reforms;
9. youth and greatness;
10. history and progress;
11. future Philippines.
The above dealt with mans evolution and his environment, explaining for the most part human behavior and capacities like
his will to live; his desire to possess happiness; the change of his mentality; the role of virtuous women in the guidance of
great men; the need for elevating and inspiring mission; the duties and dictates of mans conscience; mans need of
practicing gratitude; the necessity for consulting reliable people; his need for experience; his ability to deny; the
importance of deliberation; the voluntary offer of mans abilities and possibilities; the ability to think, aspire and strive to
rise; and the proper use of hearth, brain and spirit-all of these combining to enhance the intricacies, beauty and values of
human nature. All of the above served as Rizals guide in his continuous effort to make over his beloved Philippines.