Chapter 23 Last Trip Abroad, (1896)

No longer an exile, Rizal 1 had a pleasant trip from Dapitan 2 to Manila 3 , with delightful stopovers in Dumaguete4, Cebu5, Iloilo6, Capiz,7 and Romblon8. He missed the regular steamer Isla de Luzon, which sailed to Spain9 the day before he arrived in Manila Bay10. While waiting for the next ship for Spain, he was kept as a guest on board the Spanish cruiser Castilla. Meanwhile, on August 26, 1896, Andres Bonifacio 11 and the Katipunan12 raised the cry of revolution in the hills of Baliontawak13, a few miles north of Manila. Rizal, worried about the raging hostilities, left for Spain on the steamer Isla de Panay on September 3, 1896. It was his last trip abroad. From Dapitan to Manila. leaving Dapitan at midnight, July 31, 1896, the Espana 14 , with Rizal and party on board, sailed northward. At dawn the next day (Saturday, August 1), it anchored at Dumaguete, capital of Negros Oriental. Dumaguete, wrote Rizal his Travel diary, spreads out on the beach. There are big houses, some with galvanized iron roofing. Outstanding are the house of a lady, whose name I forgotten, which is occupied by the government and another one just begun with ipil posts. In Dumaguete, Rizal visited a friend and former classmate, Herrero Regidor,15 who was the judge of the province. He also visited other friends, including the Periquet

apatriot, physician and man of letters whose life and literary works were an inspiration to the Philippine nationalist movement.

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he had become a fervent Filipino nationalist.

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and Rufina families 17 . In the afternoon he operated on a Spanish captain of the Guardia civil. The Espa a left Dumaguete about 1:00 p.m and reached Cebu of the following morning. Rizal was fascinated by the entrance to Cebu which he considered beautiful. At the house of Attorney Mateos 18 he met an old couple whom he had known in Madrid 19 . In Cebu, he wrote in his diary, I did two operations of strabotomy, one operation on the ears, and another of tumor. In the morning of Monday August 3, Rizal left Cebu going to Iloilo. The voyage was fine, he wrote, At the right we saw Mactan20, an island famous for what happened to Magellan. The whole afternoon was magnificent . . . We saw many islands along our way . . . The next day, in the morning, we entered Iloilo . . . Rizal landed at Iloilo, went shopping in the city, and visited Molo21. Of the Molo church 22 , he commented: The church is pretty outside and the interior is not bad, considering that it had been painted by a lad. The paintings are mostly copies of biblical scenes by Gustave Dore23. From Iloilo, Rizals ship sailed to Capiz24. After a brief stopover, it proceeded towards Manila via Romblon. Rizal Misses Ship Going to Spain. The Espa a arrived in Manila Bay early in the morning of Thursday, August 6, 1896. Unfortunately, Rizal was not able to catch the mail ship Isla de Luzon for spain because it had departed the previous day at 5:00 p.m. he was greatly disappointed, but he took this unlucky incidence with abiding resignation. Writing to Bluementritt25 later, Rizal mentioned this episode, unfortunately, he said, I did not catch the mail ship for Spain, and fearing that my stay in Manila for month might bring me troubles I made known to the governor general, while remaining on the board the ship (Espa a ---Z), of my wish to be isolated from everybody, except my family. Near midnight of the same day. August 6, Rizal was transferred to the Spanish cruiser Castilla, by order of Governor General Ramon Blanco. He was given good
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accommodation by the gallant captain, Enrique Santalo26, who told him that he was not a prisoner, but a guest detained on the board in order to avoid difficulties from friends and enemies. Rizal stayed on the cruiser for about a month, from August 6 to September 2, 1869, pending the availability of Spain-bound steamer. Outbreak of the Philippine Revolution. While Rizal was patiently waiting on the cruiser Castilla for the next steamer to take him to Spain, portentous events occurred, presaging the downfall of Spanish power in Asia. Om the fateful evening of August 19, 1896, the Katipunan plot to overthrow Spanish rule by means of revolution was discovered by Fray Mariano Gil27, Ausutinian cura 28 of Tondo 29 . This startling incident stuck terror into the hearts of the Spanish officials and residents, producing a hysteria of vindictive retaliation against the Filipino patriots. The tumult produced by the discovery of the Katipunan plot was aggravated by the cry of Balintawak which was raised by Bonifacio and his valiant Katipuneros30 on August 26, 1896. At sunrise of August 30, the revolution led by Bonifacio and Jacinto 31 attacked San Juan32, near the city of Manila, but they were repulse with heavy losses. In the afternoon, after the Battle of San Juan, Governor General Blanco33 proclaimed a state of war in the first eight provinces for rising in arms against Spain Manila (as province), Bulacan34, Cavite35, Batangas36, Laguna37, Pampanga38, Nueva Ecija39, and Tarlac40. Rizal learned of the eruption of the revolution and the raging battles around Manila through the newspaper he read the Castilla. He was worried for two reasons: (1) the violent revolution which he sincerely believed to be premature and would only cause

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much suffering and terrible loss of human lives and property, had started and (2) it would arouse Spanish vengeance against all Filipino patriots. Depature for Spain. On August 30, 1896, the day when the state of war was proclaimed in the eight provinces, Rizal received from Governor General Blanco two letters of the introduction for the Minister of War41 and the Minister of Colonies42, with a covering letter which absolved him from all blame for raging revolution, as follows: Mr. Jose Rizal My Dear Sir: Enclosed are two letters for the Minister of War and Colonies which I think will be well recived. I have no doubt that you will justify me before the Government by your future behavior not only for your word of honor but because the present happening must have shown you palpably that certain actions which are the product of foolish ideas yield no other result but hatred, destruction, tears, and blood. May you be very happy is the wish of your attentive servant who kisses your hand, Ramon Blanco

The two letters of introduction were identical. The one address to General Macrelo de Azcarraga43, Minister of War, was written as follows: Most Excellent Marcelo de Azcarraga My esteemed General and distinguished Friend, I recommend to you with genuine interest Dr. Jose Rizal who is departing for the Peninsula44 at the disposal of the Government, ever desirous of rendering his services as physican to the Army in Cuba. His conduct during the four years that he was in exile in Dapitan has been exemplary and he is, in my opinion, the more worthy of pardon and
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benevolence as he is in no lamenting these days or in any conspiracy or select society that they have been plotting. With this object I have the pleasure to reman, Your most affectionate friend and colleague who kisses your hand.

Ramon Blanco On September 2, 1896, the day before his departure for Spain, Rizal, on the Castilla, wrote to his mother, as follows: My Dearest Mother, As I promised, I am addressing you a few lines before leaving, to let you know the condition of my health. I am well, thank God: I am only concerned as to what will happen or shall have happened to you in these days of up heaven and disorder. God will that my old father may not have any indisposition. I shall write to you from the places the boat stops: I expect to be in Madrid or at least in Barcelona at the end of this month. Do not worry about anything; we are all in the hands of Divine Providence. Not all those who go to Cuba die, and in the end one has to die; at least die doing something good. Take good care of yourself and take care of my old father so that we shall see each other again. Many regards for my brother, sisters, nephews and nieces, aunts, etc., etc. I leave contented, confident that as long as you are alive the family will remain united and old intimacy will reign in it. You two are that unites all of us. With nothing more, my very dear mother, I kiss your hand and that of my father will all the affection and love that my heart is capable of giving; give me your blessings of which I am in much need. A fond embrace for every one of my sisters; may they love one another just as I love all of them.

Your son, Jose

At 6:00 p.m., September 2, Rizal was transferred to the steamer Isla de panay which was sailing for Barcelona, Spain. The next morning, September 3, the steamer left Manila Bay. At last, Rizal's last trip to Spain began. Among his fellow passengers on board were Don Pedro Roxas45 (rich Manila creole industrialist and his friend) and his son named Periquin46. Rizal in Singapore. The Isla de panay47 arrived at Singapore in the evening of September 7. The following morning Rizal and other passangers went ashore for sightseeing and shopping for souviners. In the travel diary, Rizal wrote: " I have observed some changes: There more Chinese merchants and less Indians. . . I bought a Chinese gown. . . Singapore has changed much since I saw it for the first time in 1882." Don Pedro48,with his son, disembarked at Singapore. He advised Rizal to stay behind too and take advantage of the protection of the British law. Rizal did not heed his advice. Several Filipino residents of Singapore, headed by Don Manuel Camus 49 , boarded the steamer, urging him to stay in Singapore to save his life. He also ignored the appeal because he had given his word of honor to Governor General Blanco and he did not like to break it. Victim of Spanish Duplicity. By refusing to break his word of honor in Singapore, Rizal sealed his own doom. For without his knowledge, Governor Blanco was secretly conspiring with the Ministers of War and the Colonies (ultramar) for his destruction. Great hero and genius that he was, Rizal proved to be as gullible as Sultan Zaide , another victim of Spanish intrigue. For all his wonderful talents, Rizal was after all a mortal man who committed mistakes. And one of his greatest mistakes was to believe that Governor General Blanco was a man of honor and a friend because he allowed him to go as a free man to Spain to become a physician-surgeon of the Spanish army in Cuba, where a bloody revolution was raging, and gave him two nice letters of introduction addressed to the Spanish Ministers of War and the Colonies.
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The truth of the matter, as now substantiated by the declassified documents in the Ministries of War and the Colonies, was that Blanco was his implacable foe, who regarded him as a "dangerous Filipino" who was responsible for the raging Philippine Revolution, and therefore plotted his doom. Rizal was unaware that since his departure from Manila Bay on his way to Spain, Blanco and the Ministers of War and the Colonies were exchanging coded telegrams and confidential messages for his arrest upon reaching Barcelona and that he was a deportee and was being secretly kept under surveillance. Rizal Arrested Before Reaching Barcelona. The Isla de Panay, with Rizal on board, left Singapore at 1:00 p.m., September 8. Unaware of the Spanish duplicity, particularly of Governor General Blanco's infernal deceit, he happily continued the voyage towards Barcelona. On September 25, he saw the steamer Isla de Luzon, leaving the Suez Canal51, crammed with Spanish troops. Two days later (Sunday, September 27) he heard from the passengers that a telegram arrived from Manila reporting the execution of Francisco Roxas52, Genato53, and Osorio54. On September 28, a day after the steamer had left Port Said (Mediterranean terminus of the Suez Canal55), a passenger told Rizal the bad news that he would be arrested by order of Governor General Blanco and would be sent to prison in Cueta 56 (Spanish Morocco), opposite Gibraltar. Shocked by the alarming news, Rizal belatedly realized that he was duped by the unscrupulous Spanish officials, particularly the sly Governor General Blanco. With an agonizing heart, he immediately wrote a letter to his best friend, Blumentritt, unburdening his disgust and bitterness as follows. S.S Isla de Panay, Mediterranean September 28, 1896 My very dear Friend,

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A passenger on board has just told me a news that I can hardly believe and should it be true, would bring to an end the prestige of Philippine authorities. ....................... I cannot believe for it would be the greatest injustice and the most abominable infamy, unworthy not of a military official but of the last bandit. I have offered to serve as a physician, risking life in the hazards of war and abandoning all my business. I am innocent and now in reward they are sending me to prison!! I cannot believe it! This is infamous, but if it turns out to be true, as everybody assures me, I am communicating to you these news so that you may appraise my situation. Yours, (Signed) Jose Rizal

There was nothing official yet about impending arrest; it was still merely shipboard gossip. On September 29, Rizal wrote in his travel diary: "There are people on board who do nothing but slander me and invent fanciful stories about me. I'm going to become a legendary personage." The following day (September 30), at 4:00 p.m., he was officially notified by Captain Alemany57 that he should stay in his cabin until further orders from Manila. He graciously compiled with the captain's directive. Arrival in Barcelona as a Prisoner. About 6:25 p.m., September 30, the steamer anchored at Malta. Being confined to his cabin, Rizal was not able to visit the famous island-fortress of the Christian crusaders. I saw through a tiny window." he wrote in is diary, "the beautiful view of the port [Malta----Z.], with its monumental and significant castle in three levels . . . illumined by the lingering afternoon lights." On October 3, at 10:00 o'clock in the morning, the Isla de Panay arrived in Barcelona, with Rizal a prisoner on board. The trip from Manila to Barcelona lasted exactly 3o days. He was kept under heavy guard in his cabin for three days. His jailor was no longer the ship captain but the Military Commander of Barcelona, who happened to be General Eulogio Despujol58, the same one who ordered his banishment
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to Dapitan in July, 1892. It was one of those coincidences in the lives of men that make "history stranger than fiction." On his second day in Barcelona, Rizal, although held incommunicado in his cadin, noticed the city celebration of the feast of St, Francis of Assisi59. He recorded it in his diary as follows: "At 12:00 o'clock I counted as many as 31 cannon shots and at 6:00 there were again as many. At night there was a concert in the dining room which can be heard from my cabin." At 3:00 a.m. On October 6, Rizal was awakened by the guards and escorted to the grim and infamous prison-fortress named Monjuich60. He spent the whole morning in a cell. About 2:00 in the afternoon, he was taken out of prison by the guards and brought to the headquarters of General Despujol 61 . In the interview, which lasted a quarter of an hour, the brusque general told Rizal that he would be shipped back to Manila on board the transport ship Colon which was leaving that evening. After the Interview, Rizal was taken abroad the Colon 62 . which was "full of soldiers and officers and their families." At 8:00 p.m., October 6, the ship left Barcelona, with Rizal on board.

http://www.univie.ac.at/voelkerkunde/apsis/aufi/jorizal.htm http://www.loc.gov/rr/hispanic/1898/bonifacio.html

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