On the morning of December 30, 1896, Rizal sat on a corner in his prison

cell with three hard-boiled eggs which he left on the ground for the rats to
savor. Then he left his cell to get dressed in a waist coat, white shirt, topped
with a black coat, and trousers. He was tied elbow to elbow but held up his
head. He began to take the passage towards Bagumbayan Field in slow
pace. A bugler signaled his passage while the roll off drums muffled. The
streets were lined with people who wanted to see the condemned man, like
him or hate him, he was a celebrity. Those present had observed three
things from Rizal as he was marching to his death. First that Rizal was pale,
so he must be afraid. Little did they know, it was because he didnt had any
breakfast. Second, Rizals eyes would dart quickly from left to right. This was
believed by them to be a sign that the Katipuneros were nearby and ready
for a last-ditch effort to save Rizal but help never came. Finally, that Rizal
would smile and acknowledge familiar faces in the crowd. At the site of
execution, someone took a photograph which captured eight Filipino soldiers
with Remingtons up front and behind them stood drummers and another line
of Spanish soldiers ready to shoot the Filipinos if they refused to shoot.
When everyone was in place, a slight delay occurred because Rizal refused
customary blindfold and asked to face the firing squad. He was denied the
latter. A curious Spanish military doctor felt Rizals pulse and was surprised
to find it regular and normal. The Jesuits were the last to meet the
condemned man. They raised the crucifix to his face and lips, but he turned

his head away and silently prepared to meet death.

When I am placed in the shoes of Jose Rizal walking towards my death,
there is no greater fear but the lingering feeling that the fatherland would
not be free from the tyranny of Spain. That all my contributions and efforts
to make free my country will be buried with me. That is my version of Rizal
but I wonder, what was he thinking while he was marching towards
impending doom?
I start this reaction paper with a quote from the editors note on the
article that I have chosen: The Death of Jose Rizal could be deemed
refreshing, and controversial, as it offers several unpopular and unorthodox
accounts of what presumably transpired on the day of Rizals execution. I
chose this article for it stirred different emotions within me, it was a mixture
of melancholy, anger, awe, and suspense. I was sad because many knew of
the name Rizal and he could be the good guy or bad guy, unfortunately,
many accepted the spit poison and bad word of mouth by the Spaniards that
Rizal was no hero but a conspirator, insurgent, and traitor. That made me
angry because none of it was true of course however only few knew of the
truth. It was not a public execution that transpired in Bagumbayan, but a
public murder of an innocent man. Nonetheless, as I kept on reading I could
not hold the moments that I would just be in awe because I learned
something new although this was mainly because of the unorthodox
accounts of that fateful day like the controversial refusal of Rizal to kiss the

crucifix contrary to what many historians believed in. Also, the chord of
suspense, like as if I was really there on that day of December, witnessing
the fall of my countrys national hero. It was full of suspense that left me
hanging.
But as I passed on my feelings and thought to myself the relevance of
what I just read I think that no matter what the version of Rizals death is,
the same underlying revelation remains that Rizal died for the country. I
admired him for that especially for how brave he was. Imagining him
moments from death but still calm and collected as if years before he has
already awaited this to come. All this time, I wanted to unlock what was on
Rizals mind when he marched in Bagumbayan. I think the only thought was
that he knew that the Philippines would be free after his death, he was a
great strategist and he planned this all along. That is my opinion but this
article I chose also had its own share of unpopular and unorthodox accounts
of what presumably transpired. The most controversial would be the denial
of Rizal kissing the crucifix. Did this mark a strong denouncement of him
against the catholic faith? Or was it a particular refusal to the Jesuits whom
he thought would be better than the friars which ruled over the fatherland
with an iron fist? I would never know the question to that and neither would
any historian. I may ask that to Rizal over a cup of tea when I see him in the
afterlife

Ateneo De Davao
University
School of Business and
Governance
Accountancy Division

Title: The Death of Jose Rizal

Author: Ambeth R. Ocampo
URL Source:
http://ningaskugonbaga.blogspot.com/
2011/12/death-of-jose-rizal-ambethocampos.html
Year of Publication: 2011

Submitted to:
Mrs. Belma D. Aquino
HIST 50

Submitted by:
Carl Edsenn L. Roferos
TTH/2:35P-4:05P/F400