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Narrative Report in Rizal
Narrative Report in Rizal
A week after the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution, on September 2, 1896, Jose Rizal left
Manila for Spain. Going back to Governor General Ramon Blanco's last letter to Rizal, the
former approved the latter's request that he be sent to Cuba as military doctor. As such, Rizal was
to go to Spain first before going to Cuba. But even before he reached his first destination, he was
arrested by the Spanish authorities on board, jailed in Barcelona and shipped back to Manila
where Fort Santiago became the witness to the last 3 months of his life.
Preliminary Investigation
After fishing as much evidence as possible, on November 20, 1896, the preliminary investigation
on Rizal began. During the five-day investigation, Rizal was informed of the charges against him
before Judge Advocate Colonel Francisco Olive. He was put under interrogation without the
benefit of knowing who testified against him. Presented before him were two kinds of evidences
documentary and testimonial.
There were a total of fifteen exhibits for the documentary evidence.
Testimonial evidences, on the other hand, were comprised of oral proofs provided 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.
These evidences were endorsed by Colonel Olive to Governor Ramon Blanco who designated
Captain Rafael Dominguez as the Judge Advocate assigned with the task of deciding what
corresponding action should be done. Dominguez, after a brief review, transmitted the records to
Don Nicolas de la Pea, the Judge Advocate General, for an opinion. Pea's 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.
Although given with privilege to choose his own defense counsel, this was limited to a list of
100 names both first and second lieutenants - that the Spanish authorities provided him. Of the
list, one familiar name stood out Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade. Rizal discovered that the said
lieutenant was the brother of Lt. Jose Taviel de Andrade who worked as Rizal's personal body
guard in Calamba in 1887.
Rizal's trial
Accustomed to share the merry season with family, friends and relatives, the 1896 Christmas was
indeed, Rizal's saddest. Confined in a dark, gloomy cell, Rizal was in despair and had no idea of
what his fate may be. Under this delusion, he wrote a letter to Lt. Taviel de Andrade requesting
the latter to visit him before his trial for there was a very important matter they need to discuss.
Likewise, Rizal greeted the lieutenant a joyous Christmas.
The next day, December 26, about 8 o'clock in the morning, the court-martial of Rizal
commenced. The hearing was actually a kind of moro-moro a planned trial wherein Rizal,
before hearing his verdict, had already been prejudged. Unlike other accused, Rizal had not been
allowed to know the people who witnessed against him. The trial took place at Cuartel de
Espaa, a military building, with a court composed of seven military officersheaded by Lt. Col.
Jose Togores Arjona. Present at the courtroom were Jose Rizal, the six other officers in uniform
(Capt. Ricardo Muoz Arias, Capt. Manuel Reguera, Capt. Santiago Izquierdo Osorio, Capt.
Braulio Rodriguez Nuez, Capt. Manuel Diaz Escribano, and Capt. Fernando Perez Rodriguez),
Lt. Taviel de Andrade, Judge Advocate Capt. Rafael Dominguez, Lt. Enrique de Alcocer
(prosecuting attorney) and a number of spectators, including Josephine Bracken.
After Judge Advocate Dominguez opened the trial, it was followed by Atty. Alcocer's reiteration
of the charges against Rizal, urging the court that the latter be punished with death. Accordingly,
the three crimes accused to him were rebellion, sedition and illegal association the penalty for
the first two being life imprisonment to death, while the last, correctional imprisonment and a
charge of 325 to 3,250 pesetas.
Lt. Taviel de Andrade, on the other hand, later took the floor reading his speech in defense of
Rizal. To supplement this, Rizal read his own defense which he wrote in his cell in Fort
Santiago. According to Rizal, there are twelve points to prove his innocence:
as testified by Pio Valenzuela, Rizal was against rebellion
he had not written a letter addressed to the Katipunan comprising revolutionary elements
without his knowledge, his name was used by the Katipunan; if he really was guilty, he
could have escaped while he was in Singapore
if he was guilty, he should have left the country while in exile; he shouldn't have built a
home, bought a parcel of land or established a hospital in Dapitan.
if he was really the leader of the revolution, the revolutionists should have consulted him.
he did not deny that he wrote the by-laws of the La Liga Filipina, but to make things
clear, the organization was a civic association, not a revolutionary society.
after the first meeting of La Liga, the association banished because of his exile in
Dapitan, thus, did not last long.
if the La Liga was reorganized nine months later, he had no idea about it
if the La Liga had a revolutionary purpose, then Katipunan should not have been
organized.
if the Spanish authorities found his letters having bitter atmosphere, it was because in
1890 his family was being persecuted resulting to their dispossession of properties and
deportation of all his brothers-in-law.
he lived an exemplary life in Dapitan the politico-military commanders and missionary
priests in the province could attest to that.
if according to witnesses the speech he delivered at Doroteo Ongjunco's house had
inspired the revolution, then he want to confront these persons. If he really was for the
revolution, then why did the Katipunan sent an unfamiliar emissary to him in Dapitan? It
is so because all his friends were aware that he never advocated violence.
But the military court remained indifferent to the pleads of Rizal. After a short deliberation, he
was sentenced to be shot in musketry until death at 7 o'clock in the morning of December 30,
1896 at Bagumbayan. The decision was submitted to Gov. Polavieja who immediately sought the
opinion of Nicolas de la Pea the latter found the verdict just and final. Two days later, the
governor general signed the court's decision and ordered Rizal's execution.