TRIAL AND EXECUTION

This section presents the journey of Jose Rizal to Bagumbayan – from his last
homecoming to his trial and death.

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the lesson, the students should be able to:

1. identify accusations that led to Rizal’s trial and execution; and
2.  analyze the effects of Rizal’s execution on Spanish colonial rule and the Philippine
revolution.

Jose Rizal is regarded as one of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for the attainment
of the rights of the Filipinos and of Philippine freedom. Martyrs usually suffer due to their
religious faith and beliefs. But a martyr can also suffer persecution and death for
advocating, renouncing, and refusing to advocate or renounce a belief as demanded by an
external party. Rizal is truly a martyr for demonstrating an unwavering commitment to
free the Filipinos from colonial bondage.
 Rizal’s death was considered as an impactful episode in Philippine history because
it was not only the death of a martyr but also the birth of reforms in society and the
transformation of the lives of Filipinos. 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.
Even the supposed trial where Rizal could have defended himself was a hoax. There was
allegedly a preliminary investigation that ran for five days. The preliminary investigation of
Rizal’s case began on November 20, 1896, He was accused of being the main organizer
of the revolution by having proliferated the ideas of rebellion and of founding illegal
organizations. Rizal was presented with two kinds of evidence, documentary evidence and
testimonials, which he could not refute. The documentary 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 them; the poem Kundiman; and a Masonic document honoring
Rizal’s patriotic services. Also found as documentary evidence was a letter signed by
Dimasalang (pen name of Jose Rizal) which stated that he prepared a safe refuge for
Filipinos who suffered persecution from the Spanish authorities; an anonymous and undated
letter to the editor of a Hong Kong telegraph censuring the banishment of Rizal to Dapitan;
a transcript of the speech of Pingkian (pen name of Emilio Jacinto) in a reunion of the
Katipunan; a transcript of speech of Tik – Tik (pen name of Jise Turiano Santiago); and a
poem by Laong Laan (another pen name of Jose Rizal) titled “Himno A Talisay.”
Testimonies against Rizal were given by Martin Constantino, Aguedo del Rosario, Jose
Reyes, Moises Salvador, Jose Dizon, Domingo Franco,Deodato Arellano, Pio Valenzuela,
Antonio Salazar, Francisco Quizon, 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 evidence were reviewed.
Alongside his incarceration, his properties were seized as indemnity and he had to pay
Php1,000,000. 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 declaration 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. Despite all
pleadings, the court voted for Rizal to be sentenced to death.
On December 28, 1896, Governor – General Camilo de Polavieja signed the court
decision. He later decreed that Rizal be executed by firing squad at 7:00 a.m. of
December 30.
 Rizal, on his last remaining days, composed his longest poem, Mi Ultimo Adios, which
was about his farewell to the Filipino people. When his mother and sisters visited him on
December 29, 1896, Rizal gave away his remaining possessions. He handed his gas lamp to
his sister Trinidad and murmured softly in English, “There is something inside.” Eventually,
Trining and her sister Maria would extract from the lamp the copy of Rizal’s last poem.
Rizal spent his last 24 hours in his prison cell. During his last hours, he wrote a letter
to his “second brother” Ferdinand Blumentritt. Then, at 6:30 in the morning of
December 30, 1896, Rizal, in black suit with his arms tied behind the back, 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 of the 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 Jesus Christ, was
“Consummatum Est” – It is finished. Rizal died offering his life for his country and its
freedom.
GUIDE QUESTIONS/ INSTRUCTIONS FOR RECITATION:

1.  Reflection
Explain how Filipinos view Rizal’s execution and the Philippines in the context of
the late 19th – century politics and culture.
Would you agree on the accounts of Wenceslao Retana’s book, Escritos, that the
death of Rizal was the end of the Spanish Empire in the Philippines?
2.  What’s in a Poem
Read Rizal’s poem, Mi Ultimo Adios, (My Last Farewell), written on the eve of his
execution. (A Tagalog translation of the poem by Andres Bonifacio is also provided)
Write an analysis of the message Rizal wanted to convey through the literary piece.
Consider the existing social circumstances when it was written and determine its historical
significance. Your analysis will be evaluated using the rubrics provided. Be able to share it
in class.