DATE

June 21,
1896

PLACE
Dapitan

Early
days of
August
1896
August
6Septemb
er 2,
1896
August
26, 1896

August
29, 1896
August
30, 1896
Septemb
er 3,
1896
Septemb
er 30,
1896
October
3, 1896
October
6, 1896

Manila Bay

Cry of Balintawak/Cry of Pugadlawin - the cry that started the Philippine

Revolution.
Rizal expected it but his only worry was that the Spanish authorities
might implicate him with the bloody struggle.
Katipunan plot to rise in arms against Spain was discovered by Fr.
Mariano Gil, Augustinian parish priest of Tondo.
Rizal received a letter from Gov-Gen Ramon Blanco wishing him
happiness.
Rizal left for Spain on board the steamer Isla de Panay.
Mediterrane Rizal was placed under arrest by the ship skipper, Captain A. Alemany,
an Sea
upon telegraphic orders from Manila.
Rizal was bitterly disgusted at Spanish injustice.
Barcelona
The Isla de Panay arrived in Barcelona, with Rizal a prisoner on board.
Montjuich
Castle

Singapore

Novemb
er 3,
1896

THE TRIAL OF RIZAL

EVENT
Dr. Pio Valenzuela told Rizal of the Katipunan plan to rescue him and
smuggle him on board a ship to Japan.
Rizal disapproved this plan so that it was not carried out.
Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto, and other brave katipuneros plotted to
rescue Rizal from the cruiser, Castilla.
Jacinto and katipuneros disguised as sailors on the motor launch
Caridad were able to board the cruiser.
Jacinto approached Rizal but he refused to be rescued.
Rizal stayed on board the Castilla.

Manila

Rizal was jailed at Montjuich Castle.

General Despujol (the same man who banished him to Dapitan in 1892
and now military Commander of Catalua with jurisdictionover
Montjuich Castle), visited Rizal in his prison cell.
At 8:00 pm, Rizal, on board Colon, left Barcelona.
Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor and Sixto Lopez dispatched frantic telegrams
to an English lawyer in Singapore named Mr. Fort to rescue Rizal from
the Spanish steamer when it reached Singapore by a writ of habeas
corpus.
When Colon arrived in Singapore, Mr. Fort instituted proceedings at the
Singapore Court for the removal of Rizal from the steamer.
Unfortunately, the Singapore judge denied the writ on the ground that
the Colon was carrying Spanish troops to Philippines, hence it is a
warship of a foreign power.
The steamer Colon arrive in Manila.
Rizal, under heavy guard, was brought to Fort Santiago.
While Rizal was held incomunidado in Fort Santiago, the Spanish
authorities fished for evidences against him.
Many Filipino patriots - Deodato Arellano, Dr. Pio Valenzuela, Moises
Salvador , Jose Dizon, Domingo Franco, Timoteo Paez, etc. - were
brutally tortured to implicate Rizal.

Novemb
er 20,
1896

Paciano was arrested and cruelly tortured. He endured all pains

inflicted by Spains diabolical tortures, rather sign a damaging
statement incriminating his younger brother. His body was shattered
on the torture rack and his left hand was crushed
Rizal appeared before the Judge Advocate, Colonel Francisco Olive. He
was subjected to a gruelling five-day investigation.
Rizal was not permitted to confront those who testified against him.
2 kinds of information presented to Rizal: Documentary and Testimonial
Documentary evidences:
1. A letter of Antonio Luna to Mariano Ponce (Madrid, October 16,
1888) showing Rizals connection with the Filipino reform campaign
in Spain.
2. A letter of Rizal to his family (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 (Madrid,
January 7, 1889) implicating Rizal in the Propaganda campaign in
Spain.
4. A poem entitled Kundiman, allegedly written by Rizal (Manila,
September 12, 1891)
5. A letter of Carlos Oliver to an identified person (Barcelona,
September 18, 1891) describing Rizal as the man to free the
Philippines from Spanish oppression.
6. A Masonic document (Manila, February 9, 1892) honouring Rizal
for his patriotic services.
7. A letter signed Dimasalang to Tenluz (Juan Zulueta) (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 (Hong Kong,
June 1, 1892) soliciting the aid of the committee in the patriotic
work
9. Anonymous and undated letter to the Editor of the Hong Kong
Telegraph, censuring the banishment of Rizal to Dapitan.
10. A letter of Ildefonso Laurel to Rizal (Manila, September 3, 1892)
saying that Filipino people look up to Rizal as their savior.
11. A letter of Rizal Segundo, (Manila September 17, 1893) informing
an unidentified correspondent of the arrest and banishment of
Doroteo Cortes and Ambrosio Salvador.
12. A letter of M. H. Del Pilar to Do Juan A. Tenluz (Juan Zulueta)
(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 Dr.
Rizal! Unity!
14. Trancript of a speech of Tik-Tik (Jose Turiano Santiago) in the
same Katipunan reunion, wherein the katipuneros shouted: Long
live the eminent Dr. Rizal! Death to the oppressor nation!
15. A poem by Laong Laan, entitled A Talisay, in which the author
makes the Dapitan schoolboys sing that they know how to fight for
their rights.
Testimonial Evidences:
Oral testimonies of : Martin Constantino, Aguedo del Rosario, Jose

Reyes, Moises Salvador, Jose Dizon, Domingo Franco, Deodato

Arellano, Ambrosio Salvador, Pedro Serrano Laktaw, Dr. Pio
Valenzuela, Antonio Salazar, Francisco Quison, and Timoteo Paez.
At the conclusion of the preliminary investigation, Colonel Olive
transmitted the records of the case to Gov-Gen Ramon Blanco, who
in turn, appointed Captain Rafael Dominguez as the Judge Advocate
to institute the corresponding action against Rizal.
Dominguez made a brief resum of the charges and returned the
papers to Gov-Gen Blanco who thereupon, transmitted them to the
Judge Advocate General, Don Nicolas de la Pea, for an option.
After studying the papers, Pea 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 properties 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.
The only right given to Rizal was to choose his defense counsel.
Rizal chose Don Luis Taviel de Andrade.
He was the brother of Lt. Jose Taviel de Andrade.
The charges were read to Rizal.
Replies of Rizal:
1. He did not question the jurisdiction of the court.
2. He did nothing to amend, except that since his deportation to
Dapitan in 1892 he did not engaged in politics.
3. He did not admit the charges preferred against him.
4. He did not admit the declaration of the witnesses against him.
The case of Rizal was referred to Gov-Gen Camilo C. Polavieja (replaced
Ramon Blanco).

Decembe
r 8, 1896
Decembe
r 11,
1896

Decembe
r 13,
1896
Decembe
r 15,
1896

Decembe
r 25,
1896
Decembe
r 26,
1896

Fort
Santiago

Rizal wrote a manifesto to his people appealing to them to stop the

unnecessary shedding of blood and to achieve their liberties by
means of education and industry.
Fortunately, for Rizal, Judge Advocate General Nicolas de la Pea
recommended to Gov-Gen Polavieja that the manifesto be
suppressed. Its publication was prohibited.
Rizal was saved from the shame of his manifestos being
misinterpreted and disobeyed by the Filipinos in arms
The saddest and last Christmas of Rizal.
He wrote to Lt. Taviel de Andrade over his hopeless case.
The trial was opened by Judge Advocate Rafael Dominguez who
explained the case against Rizal.
Atty. Alcocer delivered a long and bitter speech summarizing the
charges against Rizal and urged the court to give the verdict of death
to the accused.
Rizal was accused of 3 crimes:
1. rebellion - penalty: from life imprisonment to death
2. sedition- penalty: from life imprisonment to death
3. illegal association - penalty: correctional imprisonment and a dine
of 325 to 3,250 pesetas

 Defense Counsel Taviel de Andrade defended Rizal.The judges cannot

be vindictive; the judges can only be just.
Rizal proved his innocence by 12 points:
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 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 La Liga Filipina, but this is
duly a civic association - not a revolutionary society.
7. The La Liga Filipina did not live long, for after the first meeting he
was banished to Dapitan and it died out.
8. If the La Liga Filipina was reorganized nine months later, he did not
know about it.
9. The Liga did not serve the purpose of the revolutionists, otherwise
they could not have supplemented it with the Katipunan.
10. If it were true that there were some bitter comments in Rizals
letters, it was because they were written in 1890 when his family was
being persecuted, being dispossessed of houses, warehouses, lands,
etc., and his brother and all brothers-in-law were deported.
11. His life in Dapitan had been exemplary as the politico-military
commander and missionary priests could attest.
12. It was not true that the revolution was inspired by one of his
speech at the house of Doroteo Ongjunco, as alleged by witness
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.

Decembe
r 28,
1896

The president, Lt. Col. Togores Arjona, considered the trial over and
ordered the hall cleared.
After a short deliberation, the military court unanimously voted for the
sentence of death.
The court decision was submitted to Gov-Gen Polavieja
Polavieja sought the opinion of Judge Advocate General Nicolas de la
Pea on the court decision.
Nicolas dela Pea affirmed the death verdict.
Gov-Gen Polavieja approved the decision of the court-martial and
ordered the execution of Rizal on December 30, 1896 at
Bagumbayan by shooting.