The Retraction of

Rizal
Team Rizal:
Ace Gabriel Go
Nicole Genovia
Jose Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda
Rizal was born on June 19, 1861 in Calamba town, Laguna
province.
He was a patriot, physician, poet par excellence and
novelist who inspired the Philippine nationalist movement.
He made great contributions in the coming of Philippine
Revolution.
He wrote 2 novels, Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo
to rebel against the injustices done by the Spaniards in the
Philippines.
 During his early childhood, Rizal showed dominant disposition in different
areas as intellectual, creative, artistic and excelled in his academic fields. At
an early age of three, he started to learn alphabet and prayers. When he
reached the age of five, he learned how to read and write. At the age of
eight, he wrote his first poem which was written in Tagalog. It was entitled,
“Sa AkingMgaKababata.”
 Jose Rizal's Parents
Rizal’s father, Francisco Mercado Rizal
was a diligent and hard-working farmer
whom Rizal called “a model of fathers.”
His father’s hometown was in Biñan,
Laguna. While his mother, Teodora Alonzo
y Quintos was a very successful woman
whom Rizal called “loving and prudent
mother.” His mother’s hometown was in
Sta. Cruz, Manila. Rizal’s parents were
both carreer-oriented persons, wealthy
land owners, and they belonged to a Francisco Mercado Rizal Teodora Alonso Realonda
recognized family.
Jose Rizal's Siblings
What is a Retraction?
-It is the action of drawing something back, it may be a withdrawal
of a statement, promise or an accusation.
Evidences for the
Retraction of Rizal
1) Rizal reconverted to Catholicism by Roman Catholic Church

On December 30, 1896, accounts exist that Rizal allegedly retracted his masonic
ideals and his writings reconverted to Catholicism following several hours of
persuasion by the Jesuit priests. A few hours before he was shot, Rizal signed a
document stating that he was a Catholic and retracted all his writings against
the church and the document were as “The Retraction”. Moreover, Rizal’s
retraction letter was discovered by Father Manuel Garcia,
C.M. in 1935 at the Catholic hierarchy’s archive in Manila.
The letter, dated December 29, 1896.

By Xiao Chua, 2016

 The scan of the retraction
document in the Archdiocesan
archives of Manila
The translation of the retraction document
 The first page of the report of Federico
Moreno (Cuerpo de Vigilancia).
Courtesy National Commission for
Culture and the Arts

According to the statement, Rizal wrote a

paper which allegedly is the retraction. The
two Jesuit priests who entered Rizal's dungeon
were also mentioned—Father Jose Vilaclara
and Father Estanislao March, and two other
people, namely Juan del Fresno and Eloy
Moure.
 Here are some parts of the essay that have been translated in English from Spanish:
“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 of 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 entering, he was served a light breakfast.

At approximately 9, the Assistant of the Plaza, Señor Maure, asked Rizal if he wanted
anything. He replied that at the moment he only wanted a prayer book which was brought to
him shortly by Father March. “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. had
written. It seems this was the retraction.”
 "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 the Assistant of the Plaza, Señor Maure, were
informed. They entered death row and together with Rizal signed the
document that the accused had written. It seems this was the retraction."
2.) The guard also mentioned that before being taken to Luneta,
Rizal was married to Josephine Bracken:

“At 5 this morning of the 30th, 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.
Donning his formal clothes and aided by a soldier of the artillery,
the nuptials of Rizal and the woman who had been his lover were
performed at the point of death (in articulo mortis).
After embracing him she left, flooded with tears.”
Josephine Bracken
 “To my dear and unhappy
wife, Josephine, December
30th, 1896, Jose Rizal.”
Rizal sent the copy of
"Imitations of Christ" by
Thomas Kempis to his wife,
Josephine Bracken. It means he
married her by God, not by law.
Copy of "The Imitations of
Christ"
3) The placement of the "cross" in his last writing "Mi ultimo adios" (My Last Farewell).

“Suffer the moon to keep watch, tranquil

and suave, over me:
Suffer the dawn its flying lights to release:
Suffer the wind to lament in murmurous
and grave manner:
And should a bird drift down and alight on
my CROSS,
Suffer the bird to intone its canticle of
peace. “
…And when my grave is wholly
unremembered And unlocated (no CROSS
upon it, no stone there plain):..."
 Sources
Destura, J. (2019). The Case of Rizal’s Retraction: Hoax or Substantial?. Wordpress.
Retrieved from https://pi10rizalblog.wordpress.com/2019/10/11/the-case-of-rizals-
retraction-hoax-or-substantial/

Chua, M.C. (2016). Retraction ni Jose Rizal: Mga Bagong Dokumento at Pananaw.
Retrieved from
https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/artandculture/594027/retraction-
ni-jose-rizal-mga-bagong-dokumento-at-pananaw/story/
 Questions
1. What can you say about Dr. Jose Rizal?
2. Cite at least one (1) of Dr. Jose Rizal's sisters.
3. What do you think about the evidences for the retraction of
Dr. Jose Rizal? Is it genuine or forged? Explain.
Thank You for
listening!