Rizal’s Exile in

Dapitan
(1892-1896)
Significant Events and Learnings
 The Beginning
Rizal was thrown to Dapitan, Zamboanga in 1892 aboard MV Cebu

Fr. Pastells sent a letter to Fr. Obach giving conditions for Rizal to live in the Dapitan parish: that he (1)
retracts, (2) participates in the church, and (3) become an exemplary model of Spain

As a man of principles, Rizal disagreed with the terms. During his banishment, he temporarily stayed in
the house of the Spanish commandant Cap. Ricardo Carnicero. The commandant warmingly welcomed
Rizal and gave him ‘freedom’

Rizal, in return, wrote a poem “A Don Ricardo Carnicero” on the occasion of the commandant's birthday
Rizal’s Exile (1892-1896)
Dapitan

Things he
accomplished
Medicine
Studies
Art and Literature
Language
Inventions

Family Life
Communication and
Correspondence
 Wins in Manila Lottery
● On September 21, 1892 the mail boat Butuan
was approaching the town of Dapitan carrying a
Lottery ticket No. 9736 jointly owned by Captain
Carnicero, Dr. Rizal and Francisco Equilior.
● Rizal's share of the winning lottery ticket was
P6,200.
● Rizal's winning in the Manila Lottery reveals an
aspect of his lighter side. He never drank hard
liquor and never smoked but he was a lottery
addict.
 Rizal’s Peaceful Life in Dapitan
During the early part of his exile in Dapitan, Rizal lived at the commandant's residence. With his
prize from the Manila Lottery and his earnings as a farmer and a merchant, He bought a piece of land
near the shore of Talisay near Dapitan. On this land, he built three houses-all made of bamboo, wood,
and nipa. The first house which was square in shape was his home. The second house was the living
quarters of his pupils. And the third house was the barn where he kept his chickens.

A Day in the Life of Rizal

5 AM - Waking up, visit plants, feed the chickens, prepare breakfast
7 AM - Eat breakfast which consists of tea, bread, cheese, and sweets
The rest of the morning - Treats poor patients that comes to his house
Dresses up and goes to Dapitan in his baroto and treats patients in town
Noon time - Return to Talisay for lunch
2 PM - Teaching young boys
The rest of the afternoon - Watering the plants, pruning the fruits, planting many kinds of trees
6 PM - They stop for the Angelus
The rest of the evening - Spends it by reading and writing
Rizal’s First Christmas in Dapitan
Rizal enjoyed his simple life in Dapitan. He became prosperous because of his personal
achievements:
● Financial stability by practicing medicine
● Bought agricultural lands to build his own house near the shore
● His health improved and the Dapitan folks, who were formerly indifferent to him
became his friends.
He was one of the guests of Captain Camicero at a Christmas Eve dinner in the
comandancia (house of the commandant). The guests enjoyed the delicious dishes
prepared by the commandant's native cook. With the exception of Rizal, they drank
beer, for he disliked hard liquor. At midnight, Captain Camicero, Rizal, and other guests
went to church to hear the Mass of the Noche Buena.
Rizal- Pastells' Debate on Religion
● During Rizal's exile in Dapitan he had a
long scholarly debat with Father
Pastells on religion, revealing his
anti-Catholic ideas and embitterment
against his persecution authored by
bad friars.
● Individual judgement is a gift from
God so better use it as a lantern.
● "No matter how wise a man is, his
intelligence is limited, hence the need
for God's guidance.
● Although Rizal did not agree to
Pastells' religious interpretation, he
continued to be Catholic.
 Rizal as a FARMER in Dapitan
● Rizal wanted to prove that farming is a good profession as medicine so he decided
to become one. He said to his sister that not all can become doctors; it is
necessary that some should cultivate the soil.
● In his first year as an exile on 1893, Rizal bought an abandoned farm in Talisay,
Dapitan. The farm he bought is 16 hectares.
● Rizal built a permanent home in this farm. He and his students planted cacao,
coffee, coconuts and other fruit trees. He then brought more lands until he owned
70 hectares.
● Rizal used the modern methods of agriculture he learned in Europe and America in
his farms. He encourage other farmers to use such methods instead of the native
methods.
● He planned on establishing an agricultural colony in the sitio of Ponot near
Sandingan Bay because the area has rich water supply, fertile soil and has
favorable climate. Unfortunately it did not materialize because of lack of support
from the Spanish government.
Rizal as a FARMER in Dapitan
● Rizal as a LINGUIST
● Before Rizal was exiled in Dapitan: Tagalog, llokano, Spanish, Latin, Greek,
English, French, German, Arabic, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Catalan, Dutch, Italian,
Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Swedish, and Russian.
● Memorized 5 root words every night before going to bed. At the end of the
year, he learned 1,825 new words.
● During his exile in Dapitan, Rizal studied three more languages- Malay,
Bisayan and Subanun.
● By the end of his exile in Dapitan on July 31, 1896, Rizal had become one of
the world's great linguists.
● He knew 22 languages, namely, Tagalog, llokano, Spanish, Portuguese,
Latin, Greek, Sanskrit, English, French,German, Arabic, Hebrew, Catalan,
Dutch, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Swedish, Russian, Malay, Bisayan, and
Subanun.
 Rizal Challenges a Frenchman to a Duel
Rizal was involved in a quarrel with a French acquaintance in
Dapitan, Mr. Juan Lardet, a businessman.

Mr. Juan Lardet

This man purchased many logs from the lands of Rizal and it so
happened that some of the logs were of poor quality.

Lardet, in a letter written to Antonio Miranda, a Dapitan

merchant an friend of Rizal, expressed his disgust with the
business deal and stated that :

"if he (Rizal) were a truthful man, he would have told me that

the lumber not included in the account were bad.”

Miranda indiscreetly forwarded Lardet’s letter to Rizal.

 Rizal Challenges a Frenchman to a Duel
When he read Lardet's letter, he flared up in anger, regarding the
Frenchman’s unsavory comment as an affront to his integrity.
Immediately, he confronted Lardet and challenged him to a duel.

When commandant Carcinero heard the incident, he told the

Frenchman to apologize rather than accept the challenge,

"My Friend, you have not a Chinaman's chance in a fight with

Rizal on a field of honor. Rizal is an expert in martial arts
particularly in fencing and pistol shooting.”

Heeding the commandant’s advice, Lardet wrote to Rizal in French,

date Dapitan, March 30, 1893, apologizing for the insulting comment.

Rizal, as a gentleman and a well-versed in pun donor (Hispanic

Chivalric Code) accepted the apology, and good relations between
him and the Frenchman were restore.
Rizal as a Painter in Dapitan
● In Dapitan, Rizal demonstrated his talent
for painting. Upon hearing of Rizal’s
painting ability, Father Balaguer went to
Talisay to talk with the Rizal about the
good backdrop (canvas oil painting
behind the main altar) for the annual
Lenten celebration.
● Father Balaguer made some rough
sketches as he described the backdrop in
the Barcelona church. The following day,
Rizal went to the Jesuit priest, bringing his
own sketch based on the latter’s ideas.
Father Balaguer was satisfied and urged
Rizal to begin the painting job at once.
Rizal as a Painter in Dapitan
● Rizal obtained the help of two assistants-Sister
Agustina Montoya, a Filipina nun from Cavite who
could paint, and Francisco Almirol, a native
painter of Dapitan.
● The gorgeous backdrop became a precious
possession of the Dapitan church- Santiago
Church.
● After the establishment of the Commonwealth of
the Philippines, the beautiful backdrop was sent
to the Museum of the Ateneo de Manila for
safekeeping.
● The painting was destroyed during the Second
World War when fires and bombs razed the city of
Manila.
Rizal’s Last Christmas in Dapitan
● The Christmas of 1895 was one of the
happiest events in Rizal's life. It was
because of the presence of Josephine,
who proved to be a loving wife and a
good housekeeper.

● On December 25, 1895, Rizal and

Josephine gave a Christmas party at
their home in Talisay. By a strange
twist of fate, it proved to be Rizal's
last Christmas in Dapitan.
 Farewell in Dapitan
● At midnight of July 31, 1896, Jose Rizal left Dapitan on board of the
steamer España, together with Narcisa, Josephine, Angelica
(Narcisa's daughter), three nephews and six of his students. Many
were saddened as the adopted son of Dapitan left.

● In Cebu, on their way to Manila, Rizal successfully performed an

opthalmic operation to a merchant who paid him fifty silver pesos.
After almost a week, on August 6, 1896, España arrived in Manila.

● He was prohibited from leaving the vicinity but was allowed to

accept visitors so long as they were his immediate family. Of course,
all these delays were part of the drama – Rizal has now fallen to the
critical/deadly Spanish trap.

“Rizal lived in exile in far-away Dapitan, a remote town in Mindanao

which was under the missionary jurisdiction of the Jesuits, from 1892 to
1896. This four-year interregnum in his life was tediously unexciting, but
was abundantly fruitful with varied achievements” (Zaide, 2008).
 KEY
TAKEAWAYS
 The more we give
unselfishly, the more
abundantly we receive.
individual
judgment
is a gift
from God “religions
may vary,
but they
all lead to
light”
“Life does not stop when
you choose to make it
work”
“
Hardships are a
motivation to
move forward,
not a reason to
give up.
”