BESTFRIEND OF RIZAL

It is one of the fortunate accidents

in life that a single letter to
someone known only by
reputation can turn into a lifelong
friendship. It is not often that a
casual inquiry about a person’s
research grows into brotherly
affection.
But such was the case between our national hero
Jose Rizal and Ferdinand Blumentritt, the Austrian
scholar and schoolteacher to whom Rizal first wrote
in July 1886. Journalist John Nery traces the
evolution of this friendship by noting the gradual
changes in the salutations that each used to address
the other in the over 200 existing letters that they
exchanged during their ten-year correspondence.
. Nery notes that in their earliest letters, they
addressed each other as “Esteemed Sir.” Five
months into the correspondence, they began
their letters with “Esteemed Friend.” After
Rizal’s visit with Blumentritt in May 1887,
they addressed each other with the more
personal “Dear Friend,” and by late 1889 until
their correspondence ended with Rizal’s death
in December 1896, they affectionately
addressed each other as “Dear Brother”
Blumentritt, born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was a
teacher, lecturer and author of articles and books on the
Philippines. His works include the translation of Rizal’s
first book, Noli me Tangere, into German. He is well
known amongst Filipinos for his close relationship with
Jose Rizal. The numerous correspondences between the
two provide a critical reference for Rizal historians and
supporters, and serve as a representation for current-day
Austrian-Filipino relations.
After what was the first and only face-to-face encounter
between the two scholars, the “friendship by
correspondence” continued. Arriving back in the
Philippines in August 1887, Rizal kept his Austrian friend
informed of events and conditions in the Philippines. He
wrote about his medical practice, which he engaged in so as
not to be a burden to his family. He spoke also of the fear of
his family and friends, of how he would avoid calling on
friends so as not to put them in any danger, and of how
everyone wanted him to leave the country.
Blumentritt was a staunch advocate of
Philippine freedom and was not afraid to
make his sentiments known in the Filipino
newspaper La Solidaridad and other
publications. For this, as well as for his
defense of the Noli, Blumentritt earned the
ire of some Spaniards who openly attacked
him in Spanish periodicals
The Final Letter of Rizal to Blumentritt
As he prepared to meet his death, Rizal wrote his final
goodbyes to members of his family. From them he
asked for forgiveness for the suffering that he had
caused (Rizal to his family, December 1896,
summarized in Ocampo 2011, 153). Among his last
letters was one to his Austrian friend: "My dear brother:
When you receive this letter, I shall be dead by then.
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. Adieu, my best, my dearest friend, and
never think ill of me!
The death of his “best and dearest friend”
did not end Blumentritt’s relationship with
the Philippines. The Austrian scholar
continued his ethnographic and historical
studies on the Philippines and remained a
loyal advocate of Philippine independence.
He corresponded with a number of Filipino
nationalists during the years of the
Revolution and the first decade of the
twentieth century.