MARTYRDOM

AT
BAGUMBAYAN
(the last days of Rizal)
December 26, 1896
He was found guilty in rebellion,
sedition and conspiracy.

December 29, 1896 (6:00 am)

 Captain Rafael Dominguez read to
him the “Court Verdict”, that he would
be shot at the back at 7:00 am the next
day at Bagumbayan also known now as
Rizal Park.
December 29, 1896 (7:00 am)

Rizal was moved to the prison

chapel.

FIRST VISITORS (JESUIT PRIESTS)

 Fr. Miguel Saderra Mata
 Fr. Luis Viza
December 29, 1896 (8:00 am)

 Fr. Antonio Rosell- he arrived to

relieve Fr. Viza and Rizal invited him to
join him at breakfast.
 Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade (Rizal’s
defense counsil)
December 29, 1896 (9:00 am)
 Fr. Federico Faura- he arrived and
Rizal soon reminded him that he said
that (Rizal) would someday lose his
head for writing the Noli.

“Father! You are indeed a prophet!”

December 29, 1896 (10:00 am)
The following visited Rizal
 Fr. Jose Vilaclara- Rizal’s teacher at
Ateneo.
 Fr. Vicente Balaguer- Jesuit missionary in
dapitan who befriended Rizal during his
exile.
 Santiago Mataix- spanish journalist who
visited next to the two latter fathers.
December 29, 1896 (12:00 noon
to 3:30 pm)
 He was left alone in his cell. He took
his lunch, after which, he was busy
writing
 Farewell poem hid inside his alcohol
cooking stove.
 Last letter to Professor Blumentritt.
Prof. Ferdinand Blumentritt:
My dear Brother:
When you receive this letter, I shall be dead.
Tomorrow at seven, I shall be shot; but I am
innocent of the crime of rebellion.
I am going to die with a tranquil conscience.
Goodbye, my best, my dearest friend, and never
think ill of me.
Fort Santiago, December 29, 1896.
(signed) Jose Rizal
Regards to the entire family, to Sra. Rosa,
Loleng, Conradito, and Federico.
I am leaving a book for you as a last
remembrance of mine.
December 29, 1896 (3:30 pm)

Father Balaguer returned to Fort

Santiago and discussed with Rizal
about his retraction of the anti-Catholic
ideas in his writing and membership of
Masonry.
December 29, 1896 (4:00 pm)
Rizal’s mother arrived. He knelt down
before her and kissed her hands, begging
her to forgive him.
Trinidad entered the cell to fetch her
mother. As they were leaving, Rizal gave to
Trinidad the alcohol cooking stove,
whispering to her in English:
“There is something inside”
December 29, 1896 (6:00 pm)
Rizal’s new visitor:
 Don Silvino Lopez Tuñon- the Dean of the
Manila Cathedral.

December 29, 1896 (8:00 pm)

Rizal had his last supper. He informed
Captain Dominguez who was with him that he
forgave his enemies, including the military
judges who condemned him to death.
December 29, 1896 (9:30 pm)

Don Gaspar Cestaño- the fiscal of the

Royal Audiencia of Manila, also visited
Rizal. He was the gracious host because
Rizal offered him the best chair in the cell.
After a pleasant conversation, the
fiscal left with a good impression of Rizal’s
intelligence and noble character.
December 29, 1896 (10:00 pm)
The draft of the retraction sent by the
anti-Filipino Archbishop Bernardino
Nozaleda was submitted by Father Balaguer to
Rizal for signature.
Father Pio Pi- superior of the Jesuit Society of
the Philippines and the one who prepared a
shorter version of the retraction.

December 30, 1896 (3:00 am)

Rizal head mass, confessed his sins, and
took Holy communion.
December 30, 1896 (5:30 am)
Took his last breakfast on earth. After
this he wrote two letters, first addressed to
his family and the second to his older
brother Paciano.
Josephine Bracken, accompanied by
Josefa, arrived. Josephine, with tears in her
eyes, bade him farewell, Rizal embraced her
for the last time and before she left, Rizal
gave her last gift- a religious book,
Imitation of Christ by Fr. Thomas a
Kempis.
December 30, 1896 (6:00 am)
As the soldiers were getting ready for the death
march to Bagumbayan, Rizal wrote his last letter to
his beloved parents.

December 30,1896 (6:30 am)

A trumpet sounded at Fort Santiago, a signal to
begin the death march to Bagumbayan, the designated
place for the execution.
Rizal was dressed elegantly in a black suit,
black derby hat, black shoes, white shirt and black tie.
 Rizal requested the commander of the
firing squad, that he be shot facing the
firing squad, yet, his request was denied,
for the captain had implicit orders to shoot
him in the back.
 Dr. Felipe Ruiz Castillo asked Rizal’s
permission to feel his pulse, which was
graciously granted. He was amazed to find
it normal, showing that Rizal was not
afraid to die.
 Exactly 7:03 in the morning when Rizal
died in the bloom of manhood- aged 35
years, five months and 11 days.

 It is also interesting to note that fourteen

years before his execution, Rizal predicted
that he would die on December 30th.