1
expeditionary forces sent to the
TRIAL & EXECUTION OF RIZAL FACT
SHEET
On board the Isla de Panay, Dr. Rizal
received an alarming news that an
arrest warrant was issued against him.
He was implicated in the Katipunan
revolt. His fellow passenger Don
Pedro Roxas was also implicated, who
decided to abandon ship when it
docked in Singapore upon the
promptings of Don Manuel Camus. Dr.
Rizal refused to do so because he
pledged his word to Governor-
General Banco. When he also docked
in Port Said, he had another chance to
abandon ship, word came around that
several other prominent Filipinos
were court-martialed and executed -
among them are Francisco R. Osorio, a
certain Genato, and Don Francisco
Roxas. A few days after leaving the
Port of Said, Dr. Rizal found out that it
was the Governor Blanco himself who
issued the arrest order.
On October 3, 1896 he reached
Barcelona. Rizal was immediately
placed under guard. Three days later
he was taken ashore then escorted to
Fort Montjuich.
On October 6, 1896 Dr. Rizal was being
returned to Manila on board the ship
Colòn, a troop ship carrying the first
Philippines to crush the Revolution.
November 3, 1896 Dr. Rizal arrived in
Manila then was immediately held
incommunicado at Fort Santiago.
On November 20 until 21, 1896, a
preliminary investigation was
conducted by Miguel Perez, an officer
of the Court; together with Col.
Francisco Olive, who was the Judge
Advocate.
November 26, 1896- after the
preliminary investigation, Colonel
Olive transmitted the records of the
case
to Governor Dominguez as special
Judge Advocate to institute the
corresponding action against Rizal.
After studying the papers, Judge
advocate General, Don Nicolas de la
Pena, submitted the following
recommendations: (1) the accused be
immediately brought to trial (2) he
should be kept in prison (3) an
order of attachment be issued against
his property to the amount of one
million pesos as indemnity (4) he
should be defended in court by an
army officer, not by a civilian lawyer
Among these are documentary
evidence : (1) a letter that implicated
him in the founding of La Solidaridad;
(2) a kundiman, “En el bello Oriente,’
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which he denied ever written; (3) a
Masonic slogan of “Liberty, Equality,
Fraternity;”(3) Katipunero speeches
that had ended with the cry of Viva el
Doctor Rizal!; (4) the “Hymn to
Talisay” he had written for his boys in
Dapitan; (4) and the statute of La Liga
Filipina.
To be specific these are the following:
(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 Kundiman entitled, “En el Bello
Oriente,” allegedly written by Rizal in
Manila on September 12, 1891.
According to Bantug, a family
historian in her book Lolo Jose. Dr.
Rizal denied ever writing such
kundiman;
(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, 1892, honoring
Rizal for his patriotic services;
(7) A letter signed Dimasalang (Rizal’s
pseudonym) to Tenluz (Juan Zulueta’s
pseudonym), dated Hong Kong, 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 Hong
Kong, June 1, 1892, soliciting the aid of
the committee in the “patriotic work;”
(9) An anonymous and undated letter
to the Editor of the Hong Kong
Telegraph, censuring the banishment
of Rizal to Dapitan;
(10) A letter of Idefonso 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 Idefonso Laurel to
Rizal, dated Manila, September 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),
 3

dated Madrid, June 1, 1893 Don Luis Taviel de Andrade – was

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 reunion of the
Katipunan on July 23, 1893, in which
the following cry was, uttered “Long
Live the Philippines! 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 their
rights
The testimonial evidence consisted of
the oral testimonies of (1) Martin
Constantino; (2) Aguedo del Rosario;
(3) Jose Reyes; (4) Moises Salvador; (4)
Jose Dizon, Domingo Franco; (5)
Deodato Arellano; (6) Ambrosio
Salvador; (7) Pedro Serrano Laktaw (8)
Dr. Pio Valenzuela; (9) Antonio
Salazar; (10) Francisco Quison; (11)
Timoteo Paez;
chosen by Rizal to defend him.
ON December 11, 1896 – the
information of charges was formally
read to Rizal in his prison cell, with his
counsel present:
…”the principal organizer and the
living soul of the Filipino insurrection,
the founder of societies, periodical
and books dedicated to fermenting
and propagating ideas of Rebellion.”
The court-martial found him guilty of
the crimes of:
(a) Rebellion. The founding of La Liga
Filipina, an “illegal organization,”
whose single aim was to “Perpetrate
the crime of Rebellion;” and,
(b) Illegal association.
December 13, 1896 - Governor
General Camilo G. de Polavieja
replaced Governor Blanco.
On December 15, 1896 – Rizal wrote
the Manifesto to His People.
Denouncing the Rebellion as
premature.
He specifically emphasized education
as a path towards genuine freedom &
liberty:
 4

“Fellow countrymen: I have given Dr. Rizal execution at 7:00 AM of

many proofs that I desire as much as December 30 at Bagumbayan.
the next man liberties for our
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES:
country; I continue to desire them.
But I laid down as a prerequisite the There are controversies about the
education of the people in order that rectraction of Rizal. Here is a link
by means of such instruction, and by shedding new light to the controversy:
hard work, they may acquire a
personality of their own and so https://www.youtube.com/watch?v
become worthy of such liberties. In =mI0e8kQmfvg
my writings I have recommended
study and the civic virtues, without
which no redemption is possible. I WRITTEN BY:
have also written (and my words
CATHERINE JOY C. VALDEZ
have been repeated by others) that
reforms, if they are to bear fruit, must 2013-10251-MN-0
come from above, for reforms that
come from below are upheavals both
violent and transitory. SOURCES:

It was never published. ANNEX B. Bantug, Lolo Jose (2008)

December 26, 1896- the court-martial Reform & Revolution, Kasaysayan of

of Rizal was conducted in the military the Filipino People, Book 5 (1998),
building called Cuartel de Espana Edited by Guerrero & John N.
which unanimously sentenced him Schumacher, S.J
guilty of the crimes charged against Various Internet sources.
him, therefore should be executed as
punishment. An indemnity was also
levied against him worth 100,000.00
pesos.
December 28, 1896 – Governor
General Polavieja approved the
decision of the court-martial; ordered