Dr. Jose Rizal with his defense counsel, Lt. Taviel de Andrade inside Cuartel de España bldg. in the morning, December 26, 1896 during a Court Martial hearing.
The Military Court which conducted the trial on Rizal, the accused who was tried by court martial composed of seven (7) members. They were Lt. Col. Jose Tagores Arjona – president, Captain Ricardo Muñoz Arias, Capt. Manuel Reguera, Capt. Santiago Izquierdo Osorio, Capt. Braulio Rodriguez Nuñez, Capt. Manuel Diaz Escribano, and Capt. Fermin Perez Rodriguez. Five (5) of them are shown in the picture above.
On Sunday, at 7:03 AM, December 30, 1896, Jose P. Rizal died at the age of 35 years, five months and 11 days. That was 111 years ago today. But until this day, those problems Rizal fought for are still persisting.
Economic deprivation, extra–judicial killings, corruption, diseases for which Rizal and other heroes fought against and died are still among the Filipinos.
Rizal on his way to Spain was arrested in the boat and held inco-municado in his cabin until it docked in Barcelona, Spain on October 3, 1896. He was imprisoned in Monjuich until October 6 when he was taken aboard M/V Colon and shipped back to Manila. The M/V Colon which was loaded with more Spanish soldiers arrived Manila on November 3. Rizal was accused of conspiracy to overthrow the Spanish government in the Philippines. The Spanish authorities fished for evidences against Rizal. They investigated many Filipino patriots like Dr. Pio Valenzuela, Moises Salvador, Jose Dizon, Domingo Franco and others. They were tortured, their hands screwed.
Rizal was investigated on November 20 before Judge Advocate, Colonel Francisco Olive. It was a grueling five day investigation.
Rizal was informed of the charges against him but he was never permitted to confront those who testified against. Some 15 documentary evidences were presented which were:
1. A letter of Antonio Luna to Mariano Ponce, dated Madrid, October 16, 1888, showing Rizal’s connection with the Filipino reform campaign in Spain.
2. A letter of Rizal to his family, dated Madrid, August 20, 1890, stating that the deportations are good for they will encourage the people to hate tyranny.
3. A letter from Marcelo H. del Pilar to Deodato Arellano, dated Madrid, January 7, 1889; implicating Rizal in the Propaganda campaign in Spain.
4. A poem entitled Kundiman, allegedly written by Rizal in Manila on September 12, 1891.
5. A letter of Carlos Oliver to an unidentified person, dated Barcelona, September 18, 1891, describing Rizal as the man to free the Philippines from Spanish oppression.
6. A Masonic document , dated Manila, February 9, 1982 , honoring Rizal for his patriotic services.
7. A letter signed Dimasalang (Rizal’s pseudonym) to Tenluz (Juan Zulueta’s pseudonym), dated Hongkong, May 24, 1892, stating that he was preparing a safe refuge for Filipinos who may be persecuted by the Spanish authorities.
8. A letter of Dimasalang to an unidentified committee, dated Hongkong, June 1, 1892, soliciting the aid of the committee in the “patriotic work”.
9. An anonymous and undated letter to the Editor of the Hongkong Telegraph, censuring the banishment of Rizal to Dapitan.
10. A letter of Ildefonso Laurel to Rizal, dated Manila, September 3, 1892, saying that the Filipino people look up to him (Rizal) as their savior.
11. A letter of Ildefonso Laurel to Rizal, dated Manila, 17, 1893, informing an unidentified correspondent of the arrest and banishment of Doroteo Cortes and Ambrosio Salvador.
12. A letter of Marcelo H. del Pilar to Don Juan A. tenluz (Juan Zulueta), dated Madrid, June 1, 1893 recommending the establishment of a special organization, independent of Masonry, to help the cause of the Filipino people.
13. Transcript of a speech of Pingkian (Emilio Jacinto), in a reunion of the Katipunan on July 23, 1893, in which the following cry was uttered “Long Live the Philippines! Long Live Liberty! Long Live Doctor Rizal! Unity!”
14. Transcript of a speech of Tik-Tik (Jose Turiano Santiago) in the same Katipunan reunion, where in the Katipuneros shouted: “Long live the eminent Doctor Rizal! Death to the oppressor nation!”
15. A poem by Laong Laan (Rizal), entitled A Talisay, in which the author makes the Dapitan schoolboys sing that they know how to fight for their rights.
The preliminary investigation over, the Judge Advocate General, Don Nicolas dela Peña who recommended to bring the accused to trial, imprison Rizal, attack the family property to the amount of P1 million, and Rizal be defended in Court by an Army officer.
On December 11, the information of charges was formally read to Rizal inside his prison cell. He was accused of being “the principal organizer and the living soul of the Filipino insurrection, the founder of societies, wrote periodicals and books dedicated to fomenting and propagating ideas of rebellion.”
During the trial, which started at 8:00 AM on December 26, Judge Advocate Dominguez explained the case against Rizal. The Prosecuting Atty. Alcocer arose, delivered a speech summarizing the charges against Rizal. He urged the court to give the penalty of death to Rizal, the accused. The Defense Counsel, Capt. Taviel de Andrade took the floor and delivered eloquently his defense for Rizal. He ended his defense with a noble admonition to the members of the military court: “The judges cannot be vindictive; the judges can only be just.” The admonition fell on deaf ears.
The defense counsel through with his defense, Rizal then read his own complementary defense as follows:
1. He could not be guilty of rebellion, for he advised Dr. Pio Valenzuela in Dapitan not to rise in revolution.
2. He did not correspond with the radical, revolutionary elements.
3. The revolutionists used his name without his knowledge. If he were guilty he could have escaped in Singapore.
4. If he had a hand in the revolution, he could have escaped in a Moro vinta and would not have built a home, a hospital, and bought lands in Dapitan.
5. If he were the chief of the revolution, why was he not consulted by the revolutionists?
6. It was true he wrote the by-laws of the Liga Filipina, but this is only a civic association – not a revolutionary society.
7. The Liga Filipina did not live long, for after the first meeting he was banished to Dapitan and it died out.
8. If the Liga was reorganized nine months later, he did not know about it.
9. The Liga did not serve the purpose of the revolutionist, otherwise they would not have supplanted it with the Katipunan.
10. If it were true that there were some bitter comments in Rizal’s letters, it was because they were written in 1890 when his family was being persecuted, being dispossessed of houses, warehouses, lands, and others and his brother, all his brothers-in-law were deported.
11. His life in Dapitan had been exemplary as the politico-military commanders and missionary priests could attest.
12. It was not true that the revolution was inspired by his one speech at the house of Doroteo Ongjunco, as alleged by witnesses whom he would like to confront. His friends knew his opposition to armed rebellion. Why did the Katipunan send an emissary to Dapitan who was unknown to him? Because those who knew him were aware that he would never sanction any violent movement.
The trial over, the military court held short deliberation and unanimously voted for the death penalty to the accused. On that same day, December 26, the court decision was submitted to the Governor General Camilo G. de Polavieja who approved and signed the decision on December 28.
In the morning of December 30, at 6:30 A.M. the trumpet sounded which signaled the death march to the designated place of execution, Bagumbayan. Rizal was dressed elegantly in black suit, black derby hat, beach shoes, white shirt, and black tie. His arms were tied behind from elbow to elbow. He walked behind the four guards. They walked slowly to the sound of drums. The place of execution was a grassy field across Manila Bay. Rizal bade farewell to those who saw him on the march, to all present and to the Filipinos.
A priest blessed Rizal and offered a crucifix to kiss. Rizal bowed his head and kissed it. He then requested the commander of the firing squad, that he be shot facing the firing squad. The request was denied. Rizal then turned his back to the firing squad and faced the sea. Dr. Felipe Ruiz Castillo feel his pulse and was amazed to find it normal. That proved Rizal was happy to die.
“Fire” command was heard. The guns of the firing squad barked. Rizal turned his bullet-riddled body to the right and fell on the ground dead, at 7:03 A.M., the face upward facing the morning sun. /MP
No comments:
Post a Comment