DID RIZAL RETRACT?

CASE STUDY 3

OBJECTIVES

• To know the meaning of Retraction.

• To know the Retraction letter of Rizal.

• To know and learn the truth about Retraction of Rizal.

WHO IS JOSE RIZAL?

I know na walang hindi nakakakilala ki Jose Rizal but let us recap his contribution to our Philippine
history.

• He is identified as a hero of the revolution for his writings that center on ending colonialism and
liberating Filipino minds to contribute to creating the Filipino nation.

• His essays vilify not the Catholic religion, but the friars, the main agents of injustice in the
Philippine society.

• The great volume of Rizal’s work was committed to this end, particularly the more influential
ones, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.

• So kung titingnan natin Jose Rizal as the symbol of Philippine nationalism and sacrifice left a big
controversial issue with regard to the events before his death which is the “RETRACTION”

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

• The execution of Rizal ignited the flame of the desire to be independent from the Spanish
colonizers. It is considered as a significant turning point in the history of Philippine Revolution

• Due to Rizal’s writings and because of his prohibited organizations, Rizal was accused as the
principal planner of revolution. He underwent trial under martial court with Lt. Luis Taviel de
Andrade as his lawyer. He pleaded not guilty. Nevertheless, on December 26, 1896, he was
sentenced to death by firing squad.

• On December 28, 1896, Governor-General Camilo De Polovieja Signed a court decision that Jose
Rizal be executed by firing squad on December 30, 1896, at 7:00 in the morning.

• The last days of Rizal in Fort Santiago revealed that he is an affectionate son, a supportive
brother, a devoted lover, a prolific writer who is worthy of emulation.

And now let us proceed to the main topic of our discussion which is the Retraction.

WHAT IS RETRACTION?

• A public statement made about an earlier statement that withdraws, cancel, refutes or reverses
the original statement or cease and desists from publishing the original statement.

• The letter, dated December 29, 1896, was said to been signed by the National Hero himself
 • Ito yung sapilitan pagbawi ng mga ideas na shenare ni Rizal by friars and Spanish Officials. Bawiin
lahat ng sinabi at sinulat nya Regarding the Spanish occupation, Spanish Colonial Government,
regarding the practices of the Priest in the Philippines during that time.
• Bakit ba nila gustong magretract si rizal?- its because grabe yung impact ng mga sinulat ni Rizal
were he exposed the condition in the Philippines particularly the action of Friars and the
colonial official.
• Surely, we must put the question of retraction to rest, though Rizal is a hero, whether he
retracted or not, we must investigate if he really did a turn- around. If he did not, and the
documents were forgeries, then somebody has to pay for trying to deceive a nation.
• The retraction of Rizal remains to this day, a controversy; many scholars, however, agree that
the document does not tarnish the heroism of Rizal. His relevance remained solidified to
Filipinos and pushed them to continue the revolution, which eventually resulted in
independence in 1898.

The Retraction

As first hand evidence for the retraction we now have four sworn statements: Fathers Balaguer
and Visa were that they saw the retraction signed. Father Pio Pi swore that he received it from
Father Balaguer in the Atenes, and a Colonel if the Infantry, Dominguez, swore on May 30, 1918,
that he had seen Rizal kneel at the altar of the Fort Chapel and read the retraction "with voice
clear and serana." Dominguez then quoted the retraction without a single error, twenty-two
years after the event! He had to have copied this retraction because he couldn't have
remembered it. However, given Pascual's insistence that he copied much more, it's unclear how
much exactly he copied.

 So si Fr. Pio Pi, isa syang spanish Jesuit, reported that as early as 1907, the retraction of Rizal was
copied verbatim and published in Spain, reprinted in Manila.

 And si Captain Rafael Dominguez naman Notes contains an hour by hour record of Rizal's last 24
hours

• The retraction itself, which was discovered on May 18, 1935, by Father Manuel Garcia, is the
most crucial piece of evidence. Retractions made at the same time by other men had been used
to wrap it up. A prayer book that concluded with the words "test of Faith, Hope, and Charity"
and José Rizal's signature was also included in the gift. These "Acts" considerably more
thoroughly explain church beliefs than does the retraction. The issue of the retraction will be
resolved if it is determined that the retraction and the signature are authentic, even though
Father Balaguer's account will continue to be unbelievable.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR AND ACCOUNTS

• Fr. Manuel Garcia

• Fr. Manuel Garcia

May 18, 1935
I declare myself a Catholic and in this religion in which I was born and educated I wish to live and die.

I retract with all my heart whatever in my words, writings, publications and conduct has been contrary
to my character as son of the Catholic Church. I believe and I confess whatever she teaches and I submit
to whatever she demands. I abominate Masonry, as the enemy which is of the Church and as a society
prohibited by the church. The Diocesan Prelate may, as the Superior Ecclesiastical Authority, make
public this spontaneous manifestation of mine in order to repair the scandal which my acts may have
caused and so that God and people may pardon me.

Manila 29 of December 1896

Jose Rizal

Four Iteration of the text of this retraction

• 1. The first was published in La Vos Española and Diario de Manila on the day of the execution,
December 30,1896

• 2. The Second text appeared in Barcelona, Spain, in the magazine La Juventud, a few months
after the execution , 14 of February 1897, from an anonymous writer who was later on revealed
to be Fr, Vicente Balaguer.

• 3. Fr. Balaguer said text alast May 18, 1835

• 4. Appeared in El imparcial on the day after Rizal’s execution, a short formula of the retraction.

Fr, Vicente Balaguer

• Fr. Vicente Balaguer, a Jesuits missionary who befriended the hero during his exile in Dapitan,
according to his testimony Rizal accepted a shorter retraction document prepared by the
superior of the Jesuit Society in the Philippines, Fr. Pio Pi.

• Fr. Pio Pi, a spanish Jesuit, reported that as early as 1907, the retraction of Rizal was copied
verbatim and published in Spain, reprinted in Manila.

• Father Balaguer was a simple missionary who might have sufficient intelligence to convert
pagans and ignorant persons but not to change the ideas of Rizal on matters which Rizal had
investigated and studied more profoundly than many priests. Rizal was conscious of his
intellectual superiority over many of his former professors, and to pretend that Father Balaguer
converted him with arguments of the old school is certainly an insult to Rizal's intelligence and
character.

Balaguer Testimony

• Doubts on the retraction document abound, especially because only one eyewitness account of
the writing of the document exists- that of the Jesuit friar Fr. Vicente Balaguer.

• According to his testimony, Rizal woke up several times, confessed four times, attended a mass,
received communion, and prayed the rosary, all of which seemed out of character.

• Rene de Vigilancia
 • The Testimony of Cuerpo de Vigilancia

• Another eyewitness account surfaced in 2016, through the research of Professor Rene R.
Escalante. In his research, documents of the Cuerpo de Vigilancia included a report on the last
hours of Rizal, written by Frederico Moreno. The report details the statement of Cuerpo de
Vigilancia to Moreno.

Michael Charleston Chua

-born in January 19,1984

-Filipino Historian

-Assistant professorial lecturer at the De la Salle University History Department at the UP department of
broad cast communication.

-He finished his Bachelor's and Master's degree in history.

-He served as Vice-president and Public Relations Officer of the Philippine Historial Association.

-He is co-author of "Bonifacio:Ang Unang Pangulo" and was historical consultant of the television show
"History with Lourd", "Katipunan" and "Ilustrado".

- He created the "Xiao Time" television segment for the government television channel episodes of
which are still accessible online.

-He is the most active Historian in the Philippine media.

-He brought history to life as he tackled more on ancient Filipino beliefs and shared the life of the
national heroes Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio through primary sources.

Michael Charleston Chua

The Last Hours of Rizal

• “Retraction ni Jose Rizal: Mga Bagong Dokumento at Pananaw” GMA News Online Published on
29 of December 2019.

• “Most illustrious Sir, the agent of the Cuerpo de Vigilancia stationed in Fort Santiago to report
on the events during the[illegible] day in prison on the accused Jose Rizal, informs me on this
date of the following:

• At 7:50 yesterday morning, Jose Rizal entered death row accompanied by his counsel,
Señor Taviel de Andrade, and the Jesuit priest Vilaclara. At the Urgings of the former and
moments after enetering, he was served a light breakfast.

The Last Hours of Rizal

• Señor Andrade left death row at 10 and Rizal spoke for a long while with the Jesuit
fathers, March and Vilaclara, regarding religious matters, It seems. It appears that these
two presented him with a prepared retraction on his life and deeds that he refused to
sign. They argued about the matter until 12:30 when Rizal ate some poached egg and a
 little chicken. Afterwards he asked to leave to write and wrote for a long time by
himself.

• At 3 in the afternoon, Father March entered the chapel and Rizal handed him what he
had written. Immediately the chief of the firing squad, Señor del Fresno and Assistant of
the Plaza, Señor Maure, were informed.

• At 5 this morning of the 30 th , the lover of Rizal arrived at the prison dressed in
mourning. Only the former entered the chapel, followed by a military chaplain whose
name I cannot ascertain.

• This account corroborates the existence of the retraction document, giving it credence.
However, nowhere in the account was Fr. Balaguer mentioned, which makes the friar a mere
secondary source to the writing o the document.

• The retraction of Rizal remains to this day, a controversy; many scholars, however, agree that
the document does not tarnish the heroism of Rizal. His relevance remained solidified to
Filipinos and
pushed them to continue the revolution, which eventually resulted in independence in 1898.
•

Rizal’s Connection to the Katipunan

 It is undeniable, in fact, the precursor of the katipunan as an organization is the La Liga Filipina,
as an organization Rizal founded, with Andres Bonefacio as one of its members. But La Liga
Filipina was short-lived as the Spaniards exiled Rizal to Dapitan , Former members decided to
band together to establish the katipunan a few days after Rozal’s Exile on July 7,1892.
 He may not have been officially part of the Katipunan, but the katipunero showed great
appreciation of his work toward the same goals. Out of the 28 memebers of the leadership of
the katipunan from1892 to 1896, 13 were former members of La Liga Filipina. Katipuneros even
used Rizal’s name as a password.

In 1896, the Katipuneros decided to inform Rizal of their plans to launch the revolution, and
sent Pio Valenzuela to visit Rizal in Dapitan. Valenzuela's accounts of his meeting with Rizal have
been greatly doubted by many scholars, but according to him, Rizal objected to the plans,
saying that doing so would be tantamount to suicide since it would be difficult to fight the
Spaniards who had the advantage of military resources. He added that the leaders of the
Katipunan must do everything they could to prevent the spilling of Filipino blood. Valenzuela
informed Rizal that the revolution could inevitably break out if the Katipunan were to be
discovered by the Spaniards. Rizal advised Valenzuela that the Katipunan should first secure the
support of wealthy Filipinos to strengthen their cause, and suggested that Antonio Luna be
recruited to direct the military movement of the katipunan.

There are also not a few people who believe that the autobiography of Josephine Bracken,
written on February 22, 1897 is also forged and forged badly. The document supposedly written
by Josephine herself supported the fact that they were married under the Catholic rites. But
 upon closer look, there is a glaring difference between the penmanship of the document, and
other letters written by Josephine to Rizal.

To this day, the retraction issue is still raging like a wild fire in the forest of the night.

Others would like to believe that the purported retraction of Rizal was invented by the friars to
deflect the heroism of Rizal which was centered on the friar abuses. Incidentally, Fr. Pio Pi, who
copied verbatim Rizal's retraction, also figured prominently during the revolution. It was him,
Andres Bonifacio reported, who intimated to Aguinaldo the cessation of agitation in exchange
of pardon.

Such document purportedly exists, allegedly signed by Rizal a few hours before his execution.
This document, referred to as "The Retraction," declares Rizal's belief in the Catholic faith, and
retracts everything he wrote against the Church.

THE RIZAL RETRACTION AND OTHER CASES

In 1901, the Americans managed to capture a Filipino messenger, Cecilio Segismundo who
carried with him documents, from Aguinaldo. The American then faked some documents
complete with forged signature, telling Aguinaldo that some Filipino officers were sending him
guerrillas with American prisoners.

With the help of a Spanish traitor, Lazaro Segovia, the Americans assembled a company of pro-
American Filipino soldiers, the Macabebe scouts.These were the soldiers who penetrated the
camp of Aguinaldo, disguised as soldiers of the Philippine Republic. They managed to capture
Aguinaldo. With the president captured, his generals began to surrender, and the Republic
began to fall.

The document of the retraction of Jose Rizal, too, is being hotly debated as to its authenticity.

Jose Rizal was reported to have signed it just before he passed away. Numerous witnesses, primarily
Jesuits, were there. Only on May 13, 1935, was the document made available for public review.

The retraction controversy is still raging today, burning across the night's forest like a wildfire.

Others would have you believe that the friars made up Rizal's alleged retractions in order to divert
attention from his heroic efforts, which were focused on their mistreatment.

• As a result, we maintain that Dr. Jose Rizal recanted. There are numerous examples that support
this. We think Rizal recanted after reading and examining the case.

Reasons:
1. The letter of Rizal to his mother received on January 5, 1893.

- The letter says that Rizal have been going to church every Sunday when be was in Dapitan.
-
2. Testimony of the Eyewitness

- Father Balaguer who was with Rizal and presented the retraction format prepared by Father
Pio Pi, the superior of Jesuit society in the Philippines before his execution.

3. The retraction is a significant document bacause it established the act of marriage between
Jose Rizal and Josephine Bracken.

4. After marriage, Rizal dedicated a Catholic Devotional book to his two sisters, Josefa and
Trinidad.

Analysis of Rizal's Retraction

In this case, it can also be stated that Rizal did not fight Catholic religion, rather Rizal fought
those who abused religion. These reasons are proved and evidenced by documents presented
and found on people as well as the statements testified by eyewitnesses.

Conclusion

Whether or not the aforementioned controversy is accurate, Dr. Jose P. Rizal has made a
significant contribution and is regarded as one of the main reasons we declared our
independence from the Spanish.

Catholic or Mason, Rizal is still Rizal - the hero who courted death to show those who deny our
patriotism that we know how to die for our duty and our beliefs. As Senator Jose Diokno put it,
"Surely whether Rizal died as a Catholic or an apostate adds or detracts nothing from his
greatness as a Filipino. Catholic or Mason, Rizal is still Rizal - the hero who courted death to
prove to

Dominguez
Guarin
Marasigan
Medroso
Lagramada
Noora
Jallores
De la Concepcion