RIZAL’S TRIAL,

RETRACTION
AND EXECUTION
GROUP 6
Preliminary Investigation
• November 20, 1896
– the preliminary investigation on Rizal
began.
– During the five-day investigation, Rizal
was informed of the charges against him
before Judge Advocate Colonel Francisco
Olive.
– He was put under interrogation without
the benefit of knowing who testified
against him.
Preliminary Investigation
• Presented before him were
two kinds of evidences:
1. documentary
2. testimonial.
 Testimonial Evidences

oral proofs provided by:

• Martin Constantino • Pio Valenzuela,

• Aguedo del Rosario • Antonio Salazar,
• Jose Reyes • Francisco Quison,
• Moises Salvador, and
Jose • Timoteo Paez.
• Dizon, Domingo
Franco,
• Deodato Arellano,
 Peña's recommendations were as follows:

• Rizal must be immediately sent to trial

• He must be held in prison under necessary
security
• His properties must be issued with order of
attachment, and as indemnity, Rizal had to pay
one million pesos
• Instead of a civilian lawyer, only an army officer
is allowed to defend Rizal.
Testimonial Evidences
From the 100
names listed, one
familiar name stood
out – Lt. Luis Taviel
de Andrade. Rizal
discovered that the
said lieutenant was
the brother of Lt. Jose
Taviel de Andrade who
worked as Rizal's
personal body guard
in Calamba in 1887.
 Charges Against Rizal
On the 11th of December 1896, in the presence of his
Spanish counsel, charges against Rizal were read. When asked
regarding his sentiments or reaction on the charges, Rizal
replied that:

• He does not question the jurisdiction of the court

• He has nothing to amend except that during his exile in
Dapitan in 1892, he had not dealt in political matters;
• He has nothing to admit on the charges against him
• He had nothing to admit on the declarations of the witnesses,
he had not met nor knew, against him.
 Charges Against Rizal
• Two days after, Rizal's case was endorsed to Blanco's successor,
Governor Camilo de Polavieja, who had the authority to
command that the case be courtmartialed.

• On December 15, inside his cell at Fort Santiago, Rizal

wrote the controversial Manifesto addressed to his
countrymen – a letter denouncing bloody struggle, and
promoting education and industry as the best means to acquire
independence.

• However, Judge Advocate General Nicolas de la Peña

requested to Gov. Polavieja that the publication of the
manifesto be prohibited, and so, the governor did.
 Rizal's Trial
• 1896 Christmas - Rizal's saddest.
• Lt. Taviel de Andrade –
– a letter he wrote requesting the latter to visit
him before his trial for there was a very
important matter they need to discuss.
 Rizal's Trial
The next day, December 26, about 8 o'clock in the
morning, the court-martial of Rizal commenced. The
hearing was actually a kind of moro-moro – a planned
trial wherein Rizal, before hearing his verdict, had already
been prejudged. Unlike other accused, Rizal had not been
allowed to know the people who witnessed against him.
• Cuartel de España – where the trial took place at, a
military building, with a court composed of seven
military officers headed by Lt. Col. Jose Togores
Arjona. Present at the courtroom were Jose Rizal, the
six other officers in uniform (Capt. Ricardo Muñoz Arias,
Capt. Manuel Reguera
RIZAL’S RETRACTION
 FOUR TEXTS OF RIZAL’S
RETRACTION
1. The first text was published in La Voz Española and
Diaro de Manila on the very day of Rizal’s execution,
Dec. 30, 1896.
2. The third text appeared in Barcelona, Spain, on
February 14, 1897, in the fortnightly magazine in La
Juventud; it came from an anonymous writer who
revealed himself fourteen years later as Fr. Balaguer.
The "original" text was discovered in the
archdiocesan archives on May 18, 1935, after it
disappeared for thirty-nine years from the afternoon
of the day when Rizal was shot.
 FOUR TEXTS OF RIZAL’S
RETRACTION
We know not that reproductions of the lost original had
been made by a copyist who could imitate Rizal’s
handwriting.
• This fact is revealed by Fr. Balaguer
– who, in his letter to his former superior Fr. Pio Pi in 1910, said
that he had received "an exact copy of the retraction written
and signed by Rizal. The handwriting of this copy I don’t
know nor do I remember whose it is. . ." He proceeded: "I
even suspect that it might have been written by Rizal
himself. I am sending it to you that you may . . . verify
whether it might be of Rizal himself . . . ." Fr. Pi was not able
to verify it in his sworn statement.
 RIZAL’S LAST HOURS AND
DEATH
December 29, 1896
• 6:00 AM – Captain Rafael Rodriguez read Rizal’s
death sentence
• 7:00 AM – Rizal was moved to the prison chapel
• 7:15 AM – Rizal reminded Fr. Luis Visca the statuette
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus whom he carved as a
student in Ateneo.
• 8:00 AM – Rizal had a breakfast with Antonio Rosell.
• 10:00 AM – More Jesuits priest visited him.
• 12:00 - 3:30PM – Rizal was left alone in his cell, took
his lunch and continued writing his farewell ppoem to
Professor Blumetritt.
 RIZAL’S LAST HOURS AND
DEATH
• 3:30 PM – Fr. Balaguer returned to his cell and
discussed with Rizal his retraction letter.
• 4:00 PM – Teodora Alonzo visited hem together with
Trinidad. Several priest visited him afterwards.
• 6:00 PM– Don Silvino Lopez visited him.
• 8:00 PM – Rizal had his last supper then told Captain
Dominguez that he forgave his enemies
• 9:30 PM - Rizal was visited by Don Gaspar Cestano,
fiscal of the Royal Audience de Manila.
• 10:00 PM – Draft of retraction letter send by the anti-
FIlipino Archbishop Nozaleda was given by Fr.
Balaguer to Rizal. He rejected it.
 RIZAL’S LAST HOURS AND
DEATH
December 30, 1896
• 3:00 AM – Rizal heard Mass, confessed his sins and
took Holy Communion.
• 5:30 AM – Took his last breakfast then wrote his last
letters for his family. afterwards, Josephine Bracken
together with Josefa, with tears in her eyes, bade him
farewell. Rizal embraced her for the last time, and
before she left, Rizal gave her a last gift – a religious
book named Imitation of Christ.
• 6:00 AM – Rizal wrote his last letters to his beloved
parents. Afterwards, he had his death march to
Bagumbayan.
 RIZAL’S LAST HOURS AND
DEATH
• 7:03 AM – The sharp command “Fuego” or fire was
heard, and the guns of the firing squad barked. Rizal,
with supreme effort, turned his bullet-riddled body to
the right, and fell to the ground dead – with face
upward facing the morning sun. Rizal died at age 35
years, 5 months and 11 months.
 RIZAL’S LETTER TO HIS
PARENTS
• Letter to his father
“My beloved father, pardon me for the pain with
which I repay you, for sorrows and sacrifices for my
education. I did not want it nor did I prefer it. Goodbye
Father, goodbye.”

• Letter to his mother

“To my very dear Mother Sra. Doña Teodoro Alonzo,
6 o’clock in the morning, December 30, 1896.”