Rizal and the Colonial Justice

Learning outcomes:

1. Discussed the context that leads to Rizal’s exile in Dapitan, arrest, and trial
2. Explain how the Spaniards implemented justice in the colony
3. Give the context of the events, explaining the actions of the colonial government in
implementing justice and the resulting hindsight after the death of Rizal
In the pre-colonial era,
laws are usually
unwritten or their
practice was orally
transferred
During early part of Spanish
era
• Local justice was dispensed
by local official
• Governadorcillio had
judicial powers to settle
cases involving indios.
Spanish justice during Rizal’s Time:

❖ Jueces de Paz – Justice of the Piece

Like some government officials they were elected by the principlalia or leading
citizens in the town and candidates must endorsed by the local parish priest.
Allowed to handle disputes involving certain amounts
However, disputes involving three hundred pesos or less are handles by the local
courts
Decisions of the local judges are appealable to the provincial courts

❖ Juez de Ganador – Decide on cases involving farm animal ownership

❖ Jeuz de Terrenos – decides on cases involving land boundaries
Spanish laws were applied to Filipinos
• Provincial courts
Today’s Judicial System
• Spanish court
• Supreme court

• 19th century civil code provisions on

the home and family which is
influenced the present penal code of
the Philippines.
• Decisions of the provincial courts are
appealable to the Supreme court or
audencia de la capital in Manila.
• In return, the decision of this court is
appealable to the supreme court in
Spain.
Law as a career
Considered taking law degree since he
already took the preparatory course at the
UST which is also preparatory to priesthood.
Yet his brother opposed it because of the
political situation of the Philippines where
Filipino lawyers at that time were likely
harassed and jobs for them were usually
reserved to Spaniards.
What made Rizal a target for
persecution?

▪ A speech congratulating Juan Luna and Felix

Hidalgo
▪ Protesta de Calamba affairs (against the
Dominican)
▪ Noli Me Tangere, his book spread through
the island
▪ Church officials were then clamoring for his
imprisonment and deportation
Uprising against Spaniards before the revolutionary movement
 Destierro or exile
A person being deported due to bad influence in
the community.
▪ Those who are involved in the Cavite mutiny
was exiled or deported to Guam. Among the
following: Jose Ma. Basa, Balvino Mauricio and
Antonio Ma. Regidor.
▪ Those Katipuneros and even women like aged
Melchora Aquino and Segunda Pauntes
▪ There were also internal deportees it includes
Rizal himself and his family deported to
Dapitan, Bohol and Jolo
▪ But the worst place to be deported was in
Fernando Poo Island which is located I west
Africa where prisoners were housed in a
cave-like dungeon and were made to sleep on
the hard stone floor.
 Rizal in Dapitan
• While in Dapitan, Rizal kept himself busy.
He established a school, setup a farm and
engaged in business. He even constructed
Dapitan’s water system
• He won a lottery which allowed him to
purchased land, and later on established a
school, farm and business
• While in Dapitan, Jesuits tried to convince
Rizal to return to the fold of the catholic
faith even sent his favorite teacher Fr.
Francisco de Paula Sanchez yet they failed
and continue stood to his beliefs.
 Rizal’s arrest, trial and execution
• July 1896 ended his deportation and he was given permission to serve as a
medical doctor in Cuba. September that year Rizal arrived at Isla de Panay
while at that time the Katipunan already broke out and the revolution had
begun but was rumored abroad he is something to do with the revolution.
• Rizal was placed under arrest while passing through Suez Canal going to
Barcelona. Clamoring for his arrest was Bishop Bernardino Nozaleda. Rizal
was transferred aboard named “colon” bound to manila
• Rizal’s friend in London tried to have him freed through filing of Habeas
Corpus in Singapore but was thrown away because that can only be
applied to civilian ship and not a warship of a foreign power.
• Rizal was charged with three crimes of rebellion, sedation and formation of
illegal association. Punishment for two crimes is death while the third was
a fine of 325 to 3,250 pesos.
 15 documents were used as evidence against him:
1. Letter from Antonio Luna to Mario Ponce dated October 16, 1888, showing his connection with the reform movement in Spain
2. Letter dated August 20, 1890 “Deportations are good and the people will grow to hate Spanish tyranny”
3. Letter implicating Rizal with the propaganda movement
4. Poem entitled Kundiman: “Spain is alluded as a despot and the Philippine is its slave and it prays for someone who could free her from
bondage
5. Letter dated September 18, 1891 stating Rizal was the man who could free the Philippines from the oppression of Spain
6. Masonic documentary dated February 9, 1892 honoring Rizal’s patriotic achievements
7. Letter dated may 24, 1892 stating that he was preparing for a safe haven for Filipinos who may be deported by Spanish authorities
8. Letter signed by Dimaslang dated June, 1, 1892 soliciting the aid of the committee for their patriotic work
9. Letter to the editor of Hong Kong telegraph censuring the banishment of Rizal to Dapitan
10. Letter dated September 3, 1892 saying that Filipino look up Rizal as their savior
11. Letter dated September 7, 1893 informing an unidentified correspondent of the arrest and the deportation of Doroteo Cortes and
Ambrosio Salvador
12. A letter recommending the establishment of a special organization, independent of the freemasonry to help the Filipino
13. Transcript of a meeting reportedly utter “long live the Philippines! Long live Liberty! Long live Dr. Jose Rizal! Unity!
14. Transcript during the Katipunan meeting “long live the Eminent Dr. Jose Rizal! Death to the oppressor nation!”
15. Poem written by Rizal “Talisay” in which he makes the Dapitan schoolboys sing that they know how to fight for their rights
Rizal’s address to the court in his own defense:
• He could not be guilty of rebellion because he told the Katipunan not to rise in revolt
• Did not correspond with the revolutionist
• The revolutionist used his name without his knowledge and that if he is guilty he would
have escaped in Singapore
• La Liga Filipina was not revolutionary organization but a civic organization
• The la liga did not last long after he was deported
• La liga did not serve the objectives of the revolutionist otherwise why the revolutionist
did replace it with the Katipunan?
• The bitter content of his letter was because they were written when his family was
evicted from their lands and were persecuted by the authorities
• His life in Dapitan was exemplary
• It was not true that the revolution was inspired by his speech in the house of Doroteo
Ongjuangco. The ones who knew his surely knew that he would never sanction to any
violent movement.
Rizal’s Last day
• Met his family, and Jesuits came to make him retract his masonic belief and returned to the catholic fold and
finally signed a letter of retraction at 11:30 in the evening.
• Rizal confessed four times that early morning and in between the confession Rizal prayed the rosary and
wore a blue scapular of the virgin mary.
• He also read acts of faith, hope and charity from the book Aceptacion de la Virgin Mary.
• At 5 am Rizal had his last breakfast consisting of fried egg and meat strips yet threw some of the food on the
floor near the door saying let the rats have their breakfast
• Josephine bracken arrived with sister narcisa. At his request Rizal married Josephine and Fr. Balaguer
performed the rites. He gave his last souvenir, a book Imitacion de Cristo by Thomas Kempis which he
autograph
• He also wrote goodbye letters to his father, his mother and Paciano
• 6:30 was taken out of his cell and took his final march to the execution field at Bagumbayan
• 7:30 was felled in a volley of fire by filipino soldiers from the 71st regiment.
• Rizal made his two request: that the soldier spare his head and that should be shot at his front
• He was still alive when he was lying on the ground. A medical officer stepped forward and mentioned to a
member of the firing squad to shoot him close range to finally kill him
• People left the field jovial and laughing
Thank you!