Upon his return to the Philippines in 1892, he was arrested by the Spanish government for being a subversive and for his reported involvement in the rebellion. He was then exiled to the island of the Dapitan in the southernmost island group of the Philippines, Mindanao. There he established a school that taught English to young boys, he worked on agricultural projects on abaca, a plant used for rope, and he continued to practice medicine, eventually meeting one of the most famous women in his life, Josephine Bracken.
Although Jose Rizal has repeatedly said that he advocated peaceful reforms in the Philippines, the Spanish government were correct in assuming that his novels would indeed stir up a hornet’s nest of unrest in the islands. One of the leaders of the revolutionary group called Katipunan, Andres Bonifacio, had read the Rizal’s novels and had used these as a basis for the revolution. So influential was Rizal that even without his permission they named him as a member and Katipuneros shouted his name as part of the their battlecry.
With no wish to be further implicated in the revolution, Rizal asked and was granted permission by then governor General Ramon Blanco to travel to Cuba, another Spanish Colony at the time, to support in the medical efforts needed to suppress an outbreak of yellow fever. On the way to Cuba, Rizal was arrested and incarcerated in Barcelona due to the political manoeuvrings of the friars which saw Blanco removed from office and replaced by Camilo de Polavieja.
Rizal was then brought back to the Philippines to face charges of rebellion due to his reported association with the revolutionary movement. The court found him guilty and sentenced him to death. Jose Rizal was executed by a firing squad on December 30 1896, at 7:00am, in Bagumbayan (now called Rizal Park) and his remains were buried in an unmarked grave in the nearby Paco Cemetery.
Through the years, Rizal’s works and ideals have been cited by many reformists, such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Sun Yat Sen and even Ghandi as the means for peace reforms. As the national hero of the Philippines, his works, are required reading for all students and streets, buildings, and parks have been named after him and the 30th of December, his death anniversary, was declared a national holiday.
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