Rizal’s Exile in Dapitan (1892-1896)

Rizal stayed in Dapitan for a period of four years. He was suppose to live in the
Jesuit Church but insisted on living in the house of Captain Carnicero. The two
became close and befriended each other. Carnicero was impressed with the
fine qualities and personalities of Rizal.
 The City of Dapitan is a 2nd class city in
the province of Zamboanga del
Norte, Philippines. According to the 2010
census, it has a population of 77,441 inhabitants.

The Shrine City of the Philippines

 St James Church

 Built in 1871, it made use of indigenous materials like rocks, sea corals, sand and
lime from burnt shells for its masonry work. Reinforcement materials on the other
hand made use of “Batakan” or hard, thick bamboo.
 In 1892, the rectory was designated to be Rizal’s official residence while in exile but
the conditions imposed on him were too much that he instead lived with Captain
Ricardo Carnicero.
Old City Hall
 Previously known as the
old municipio during the
Spanish times particularly in
the 1890’s
 in 1901,it was dedicated to
the memory of Dr. Jose P.
Rizal by the Second
Philippine Commission Act
 Its interior had undergone
several changes but the
exterior remained through
the years
Relief Map of Mindanao
 It has an area of more or less
900 square meters in size and
located in front of the Saint
James Church.
 Rizal made this map from
August to September 1892
assisted by Francisco Paula de
Sanchez, Rizal’s favorite teacher
in Ateneo de Manila;
 Part of Rizal’s beautification
project to the town plaza
Dapitan City Square / Plaza

 Located at the center of the

islands poblacion is the city
plaza that covers an area of
2.4711 acres.
 Dr. Jose P. Rizal together
with then commandante of
Dapitan, Ricardo Carnicero
worked in the beautification
and development of the
plaza.
 Punta del Desembarco de Rizal

 The site where Rizal disembarked from the steamer

"Cebu" located at Sta. Cruz Beach.
 In 1565 with the arrival of Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, a 20-foot cross was erected
to symbolize that the propagation of Christianity in the area is about to start.
Beginning of Exile in Dapitan
On July 6, Rizal was confronted by the
Governor General Despujol with the
charge of having brought with him from
Hongkong leaflets entitled ‘Pobres Frailes”
( Poor Friars). This article is a satire by Fr.
Jacinto against the rich Dominicans friars
who had violated their vow of poverty.
In spite of his protestations of innocence,
he was arrested and brought to the
Fuerza Santiago (Fort Santiago) for
detention. On July 14, he was notified that
he would be exiled in Dapitan in
Mindanao the evening of the same day.
 Reasons for deportation in Dapitan
 Having written and smuggling into the country leaflets
which mocked the friars and maligned the Pope.
 Accused of dedicating his second novel El
Filibusterismo to the memory of the three priests
(Gomez, Burgos and Zamora) who had been proven
traitors to the nation.
 Accused of advocating separation from Spain as the
only means of salvation for the Philippines.
 Declared that the purpose of his works and writings
was nothing else but to uproot or tear from loyal
Filipino breasts the treasure of our Holy Catholic
Faith.
 After an eight day confinement in Fort Santiago
he was brought under heavy guard to the steamship
Cebu. Rizal was handed to Captain Ricardo
Carnicero, Spanish commandant of Dapitan.
While in Dapitan , Rizal demonstrated how
much a citizen could do to help his community. He
arrived on the night of July 17, 1892. He had to make
adjustments before he finally settled down to useful,
quiet activity.
 Rizal Wins in Manila Lottery
 On September 21, 1892, the mail boat, Butuan, brought
no Spanish officials to Dapitan but the happy findings that
the Lottery Ticket No. 9736 jointly owned by Captain
Carnicero, Dr. Rizal and Francisco Equillor (a resident of
Dipolog, a neighbouring town of Dapitan) won the second
prize of P20, 000 in the government-owned Manila-Lottery.
 Rizal’s share of the winning lottery was P6, 200.
Upon receiving this sum, he gave P2, 000 to his friend Basa
in Hong Kong, and the rest he invested well by purchasing
agricultural lands along the coast of Talisay, about one
kilometer away from Dapitan.
Rizal-Pastells Debate on Religion
 During his exile in Dapitan, Rizal had a long and
scholarly debate with Father Pastells on religion.
It started when Father Pastells sent him a book
by Sarda, with advice that the latter (Rizal)
should desist from his majaderas (foolishness) in
viewing religion from the prism of individual
judgment and self-esteem.

 Although Rizal did not subscribe to Pastells’

religious interpretation of Catholic dogmas, he
continued to be a Catholic.
Rizal Challenges a Frenchman
to a Duel
 While Rizal was debating with Father Pastells by means
of exchange of letters, he became involved in a quarrel
with a French acquaintance in Dapitan, Mr. Juan
Lardet, a businessman. This man purchased many logs
from the lands of Rizal which were of poor quality.

 When this issue reached Rizal, he flared up in anger and

challenged Lardet into a duel. However, this did not
push thru because Captain Carnicero asked Lardet to
give an apology to Rizal which the latter accepted in the
end.
Rizal and Father Sanchez
 Immediately, upon his arrival in Dapitan,
Father Sanchez lost no time in meeting
his former favorite student. Almost daily
they carried theological arguments in a
friendly manner.
 Despite his failure to to persuade Rizal to
discard his unorthodox views on the
Catholic religion, Father Sanchez enjoyed
the latter’s company. He assisted Rizal in
beautifying the town plaza.
Rizal’s Encounter with the Friar Spy
 His blissful life in Dapitan was suddenly jolted by a
strange incident involving a spy of the friars. This spy
with the assumed name of “Pablo Mercado” and
posing as a relative, secretly visited Rizal at his house on
the night of November 3, 1893. He introduced himself
as a friend and relative, showing a photo of Rizal and a
pair of buttons with the initials P.M. (Pablo Mercado) as
evidence of his kinship with the Rizal family. Later, Pablo
Mercado attempted to kill Rizal.
 Based upon all the documentary evidences available,
the incident of the secret mission of “Pablo Mercado” in
Dapitan was not an assassination attempt on Rizal. It
was merely an espionage plot concocted by the friars.
Life in Dapitan
As Physician in Dapitan
 Rizal practiced medicine in Dapitan. He had many
patients, but most of them were poor so that he even
gave them free medicine.
 In August 1893, his mother and sister, Maria arrived in
Dapitan and lived with him for one year and half. He
operated successfully the right eye of his mother.
 Rizal’s fame as a physician, particularly as an eye
specialist, spread far and wide. He had many patients
who came from different parts of the Philippines and
even from Hong Kong.
 As a physician, he became interested in local medicine
and in the use of medicinal plants.
Water System for Dapitan
 In Dapitan, he applied his knowledge of
engineering by constructing a system of
waterworks in order to furnish clean
water to the townspeople.
Community Projects for Dapitan
 He spent many time months draining the
marshes in order to get rid of malaria
that infested Dapitan.
 With the help of Fr. Sanchez, Rizal
remodelled the town plaza.
Rizal as Teacher
 In 1893, he established a school which existed
until the end of his exile in July, 1896.
 Rizal taught his boys reading, writing, Spanish,
English, geography, history, mathematics,
industrial work, nature study, morals, gymnastics,
wrestling, stone-throwing, swimming, arnis
(native fencing), and boating.
 He also trained them how to collect specimens
of plants and animals, to love work and to
“behave like men”.
 As a teacher, he applied some of his
modern educational ideas to a group of 16
selected boys whom he accommodated in a
house near his own. He gave the boys
vocational and academic training to integrate
their education toward home and community
development.
 Rizal conducted his school at his home
in Talisay, near Dapitan, where he had his
farm and hospital. His favorite place with
his boys was under a talisay tree. In honor
of Talisay, he wrote a poem entitled
“Himno A Talisay” for his pupils to sing.
The message of the poem was “ fight for
your right and for freedom of your
country”.
RIZAL’S HOME IN DAPITAN
View of the House from the pool area
Contributions to Science
 During his four-year exile in Dapitan, Rizal
built up a rich collection of concology
which consisted of 346 shells
representing 203 species.
 Among the rare specimens which were
named in honor of him were:
◦ Draco rizali ( a flying dragon)
◦ Apogonia rizali ( a small beetle)
◦ Rhacophorus rizali (a rare frog)
Linguistic Studies
 In Dapitan he learned the Bisayan,
Subanum, and Malay languages. He wrote
a Tagalog grammar, made a comparative
study of Bisayan and Malayan languages,
and studied the Bisayan (Cebuano) and
Subanum languages.
Artistic Works in Dapitan
 Rizal continued his artistic pursuits in
Dapitan. He contributed his painting skill
to the Sisters of Charity who were
preparing the sanctuary of the Holy Virgin
in their private chapel.
 He made sketches of persons and things
that attracted him in Dapitan.
 He also modelled some statues, a bust
and statuettes.
Rizal as Farmer
 In Dapitan, Rizal devoted much of his time
to agriculture. He bought 16 hectares of
land in Talisay, where he built his home,
school, and hospital, and planted cacao,
coffee, sugarcane, coconuts and fruit
trees.
 On his farms, Rizal introduced modern
methods of agriculture he had observed
in Europe and America. His pupils helped
him in the daily farm labor.
Rizal as Businessman
 Aside from farming, Rizal engaged in business.
In partnership with Ramon Carreon, a Dapitan
merchant, he made profitable business ventures
in fishing, copra and hemp industry, the most
profitable.

Rizal’s Inventive Ability

 As an inventor, Rizal invented a cigarette lighter
which he sent as a gift to Blumentritt. He called
it “sulpukan” which is made of wood..
My Retreat
Rizal’s life in Dapitan was a welcome
respite, a sanctuary from political turbulence
and involvement. It was a retreat in the
military sense, for Rizal did “go back” during
those four years of exile to revive and
evaluate his earlier noble efforts of forging a
united national consciousness.
 In spiritual sense, Rizal’s retreat from
active life further enhanced his
determination to organize his people to
their aims and goals. “My Retreat”, he
expresses a frustration over his
countrymen’s indifference and a deep
sorrow over the country’s ills.
This poem “Mi Retiro” (My Retreat)
was acclaimed by literary critics as one of
the best ever penned by Rizal.
Rizal and Josephine Bracken
In God’s own time,
an Irish girl of sweet
eighteen came to
Dapitan. She was
adopted by Mr. George
Taufer’s, who later
became blind and they
went were Rizal was
to seek his medical
service as ophthalmic
surgeon. Unfortunately
the blindness of Mr.
Taufer cannot be
cured because his
ailment was venereal
in nature.
 Rizal and Josephine fell in love with each
other at first sight and after one month, they
agreed to marry but Father Obach, the
priest of Dapitan, refused to marry them
without the permission of the Bishop in
Cebu.
When Mr. Taufer heard their plan to be
marry each other he tried commit suicide by
cutting off his throat with a razor but
fortunately Rizal able to stop him from
killing himself. Josephine decided to return
to Manila with his father.
 Mr. Taufer returned alone in Hongkong
while Josephine went back to Dapitan. Rizal
and Josephine married themselves before
the eyes of God since no priest would marry
them and lived as husband and wife.
In the early part of 1896, Josephine get
pregnant which makes Rizal became very
happy but because she prematurely gave
birth to an eight-month baby boy, named
‘Francisco”, lived only for three hours.
Rizal wrote a poem for Josephine:
Josephine, Josephine
Who to these shores have come
Looking for a nest, a home,
Like a wandering swallow;
If your fate is taking you,
To Japan, China or Shanghai,
Don’t forget on these shores
A heart for you beats high.
Rizal and the Katipunan
 In a secret meeting of the Katipunan on
May 2, 1896, Dr. Pio Valenzuela was named
emissary to Dapitan, in order to inform
Rizal of the plan of the Katipunan to
launch a revolution for freedom’s sake.
Rizal’s objection to the revolution
 Rizal objected to Bonifacio’s audacious project
to plunge the country in bloody revolution
because:
◦ The people are not ready for a revolution, and
◦ Arms and funds must first be collected before raising
the cry of revolution.
 He also disapproved of the other plan of the
Katipunan to rescue him because he had given
his word of honor to the Spanish authorities
and he did not want to break it.
Volunteers as Military Doctor in Cuba
Rizal wrote a letter for Governor
General Ramon Blanco offering his
services as military doctor in Cuba, which
was then in a raging yellow fever
epidemic. There was a shortage of
physicians to minister to the needs of the
Spanish troops and the Cuban people.
Months passed and did not received any
reply from Malacanang so he gave up
hope that will be approved.
 July 1, 1896, Rizal received a letter
from Governor General Blanco, informing
him that the government is accepting his
offer as a volunteer military doctor. He
was so happy because his free, going
travel to Europe once again and there to
Cuba.
 After notifying him that he could go
abroad once more, Rizal wrote his heart
warming poem “ Canto del Viajero”
(Song of the Traveller). He compared
himself to a leaf that goes wherever the
wind blows it. Disappointed by the social
regeneration of the Filipinos, Rizal felt
deserted and sought refuge in the
tranquility of death but he prayed that his
people would eventually seek
emancipation and happiness.
 Adios Dapitan
On July 31, 1896, a four year exile in Dapitan
came to an end to Rizal. He left for Manila on board
the steamer “Espana”. Upon arrival in Manila Bay he
learned that the boat for Spain had left the day
before, so he was transferred to the Spanish cruiser
“Castilla”.
 Rizal sa Dapitan
 A biographical drama film depicting
the life of the Philippine national hero
Dr. Jose P. Rizal during his exile in
Dapitan.
 It stars veteran actor Albert Martinez
as Jose Rizal. It also focused on his
romance with Josephine
Bracken played by Amanda Page.
 The film was directed by Tikoy Aquiluz
and the screenplay was written by
Pete Lacaba.
 Originally released in 1997 by
Independent Cinema Association of
the Philippines, it was released on
DVD by Viva Home Video.
 The film won numerous accolades
in FAMAS Awards 1998 including Best
Picture, Best Director, and Best
Screenplay.
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