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|ose Rizal is regarded

as one of the martyrs
who sacrificed their Iives
Tn-rnl Execurtox for the attainment of the
rights of the Filipinos and
of Philippine freedom.
Martyrs usually suffer due
to their religious faith and
This section presents the journey of |ose Rizal to Bagumbayan- beliefs. But a martyr can
from his last homecoming to his trial and death. also suffer persecution
Depiction of the Trial of Dr. Jose Rizal
and death for advocating,
renouncing, and refusing to advocate or renounce beliefas demanded
a

by an external party. Rizal is truly a martyr for demonstrating an

At the end of this section, the students should be able to:
unwavering commitment to free the Filipinos from colonial bondage.
f. identify the accusations that led to Rizal's trial and execution; Rizal's death was considered as an impactful episode in Philippine
2. analyze the effects ofRizal's execution on Spanish colonial rule history because it was not only the death of a martyr but also the birth
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and the Philippine revolution; and of reforms in society and the transformation of the lives of Filipinos. rl
3. debate on the issue ofRizal's alleged retraction letter.
Rizal was charged and put to death for what his enemies considered as
"subversion." He was also accused of forming an organization that posted
a severe threat to the existing social order at that time. ,r,il
Even the supposed trial where Rizal could have defended himself
Instructions: was a hoax. There was allegedly a preliminary investigation that ran for
1. In groups of four members each, research on a famous celebrity or five days. After the investigation, Rizal was said to have been informed of
personality who faced a court trial. the charges against him before a judge advocate.

2. Read and familiarize yourselves with the overview of the
take note of the following information:
a. What case was filed?
b. Who was the legal counsel of the defendant and what pieces
evidence were presented in his or her defense?
c. Who was the prosecuting lawyer and what pieces of evidence
were presented to prove his or her guilt?
case and Rizal was presented with two kinds of evidence, documentary
evidence and testimonials, which he could not refute. The documentary It
evidence included but not limited to the following: the letters he wrote
to the propagandists and to his family, and the letters he received from lilrilfr!
of
them; the poem Kundiman; and a Masonic document honoring Rizal's
patriotic services. Also found as documentary evidence was a letter ffi
signed by Dimasalang (pen name of )ose Rizal) which stated that he
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prepared a safe refuge for Filipinos who suffered persecution from the

d. What was the verdict? Spanish authorities; an anonymous and undated letter to the editor of
a Hong Kong telegraph censuring the banishment of Rizal to Dapitan;

2r9
218
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&.izai's fferoism, the Sdation, and the VlIsriC
a transcript of the speech of Pingkian (pen name of Emilio |acinto) in a
reunion of the Katipunan; a transcript of the speech of Tik-Tik (pen name
of fose Turiano Santiago); and a poem by Laong Laan (another pen name
of |ose Rizal) titled "Himno A Talisay."
Testimonies against Rizal were given by Martin Constantino,
Aguedo del Rosario, |ose Reyes, Moises Salvador, |ose Dizon, Domingo
Franco, Deodato Arellano, Pio Valenzuela, Antonio Salazar, Francisco
Quison, and Timoteo Paez. Rizal, however, did not know or had not met
most of the people included in the list.
Rizal was immediately sent to trial and held in prison after the
evidences were reviewed. Alongside his incarceration, his properties
were seized as indemnity and he had to pay one million pesos. Instead
of a civilian lawyer, an army officer, Luis Taviel de Andrade, represented
Rizal in court.
During the trial, Rizal defended himself when he said that he did not
question the jurisdiction of the court, but he had nothing to admit on the
charges against him as well as on the declarations of the witnesses who
testified against him. What he only needed to clarify was the charge that
he dealt with political matters while in exile. Drcspite all pleadings, the
court voted for Rizal to be sentenced to death.
Trial and Execution
Rizal spent his last 24 hours in his prison cell. During his last hours,
he was visited by his family and wrote a letter to his "second brother"
Ferdinand Blumentritt. Then, in the morning of December 30, 1896,
Rizal set on his walk from Fort Santiago to Bagumbayan square where
he eventually faced his death. Up to the last minute at Fort Santiago,
Rizal defied orders from his captors as he was instructed to face the
sea and turn his back against the firing squad. But Rizal wanted to do
otherwise. Instead, he faced the firing squad to show his innocence of
the charges thrown at him. But the Spanish authorities forced him to
face backwards and shot him at the back instead ofthe head. The shot at
the back allowed him to turn his body sideways and fell on the ground
with his face upward. Rizal's last word, as that of |esus Christ, was
"Con summ atum E st" is finished.
-It
After 39 years from Rizal's death, one significant issue that
came out in 1935 was the argument about Rizal's retraction of all his
statements against the Catholic Church and the Spanish government via
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a document-a handwritten retraction letter allegedly written by Rizal. ilil
Up to this point, the authenticity of the document has been a subject of
debate.
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