Lesson 7

• Retraction of Rizal
• There seems to be no end to the debate whether Rizal retracted his writings against the Catholic Church on the very last day of his life. Will a new independent testimony settle the debate finally?
• Jose Rizal, who was killed by the Spanish colonizers 120 years ago on December 30, 1896, became a hero because of his writings to destroy the idea of colonialism and to free our minds to build the nation—Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo and his essays in La Solidaridad, which questioned the beliefs that blinded us, especially following the desires of the friars as messengers of God.
• Hours before he was shot, Rizal allegedly signed a document stating that he was a Catholic and retracting all his writings against the church. This document is known as the retraction, "The Retraction." Because of his return to the church, he married Josephine Bracken, his last love.
• According to some, Rizal became even greater by acknowledging his mistakes against the faith. But for many, it is unbelievable that in the last moments of his life, he would retract his writings, the very reason for his heroism. It's like he threw away his heroism.
• Even though the document of retraction was found in 1935, doubts persist. Especially with the considered unique eyewitness account of the event—written by the Jesuit Father Vicente Balaguer.
• One of the historians who does not believe in the retraction. And for me, the "Retraction Controversy" will never end.
• Only one thing can resolve this, I said—if there is another eyewitness account of that night and morning that can either prove or disprove the testimony of Father Balaguer.
• On August 4, 2016, Commissioner Rene R. Escalante, the OIC of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, read a "Professorial Chair Lecture on Rizal Studies" titled "Re-examining the Last 24 Hours of Rizal Using Spy Reports" at De La Salle University.
• In the documents of the Spanish spies called Cuerpo de Vigilancia, there is a report written on the day of Rizal's death by Federico Moreno, recounting a statement made to him by an agent of the Cuerpo de Vigilancia, a guard in Rizal's cell, thus, an "additional independent eyewitness account."
• Ang unang pahina ng ulat ni Federico Moreno (Cuerpo de Vigilancia) ay isinulat sa araw ng kamatayan ni Rizal
• Ang ulat ni Federico Moreno ay naglalaman ng pahayag mula sa isang ahente ng Cuerpo de Vigilancia, isang bantay sa selda ni Rizal, na nagkuwento ng mga pangyayari sa piitan ni Rizal
• Sumulat si Rizal ng isang papel na narinig niyang ang retraktasyon
• Binanggit sa ulat ang dalawang paring Heswita na pumasok sa piitan ni Rizal: si Padre Jose Vilaclara at Padre Estanislao March, at dalawa pang tao, sina Juan del Fresno at Eloy Moure
• Ang retraktasyon ay isinulat ni Rizal at pinirmahan nina Juan del Fresno, Eloy Moure, at Rizal mismo
• Bago dalhin sa Luneta si Rizal, ikinasal siya kay Josephine Bracken sa piitan
• Walang binanggit na may pumasok na Padre Balaguer sa selda noong gabing iyon
• Ang guwardiya at si Moreno ay nagtala ng mga pangyayari sa mismong panahon na iyon
• Ang kopya ng "De La Imitacion de Cristo" na isinulat ni Thomas á Kempis ay ipinaubaya kay Direktor ng Pambansang Museo ng Pilipinas, Jeremy Barns
• Ang kopya ng "Imitations of Christ" ay isinulat ni Rizal at ibinigay niya kay Josephine Bracken
• Walang dahilan para magsinungaling ang guwardiya o si Moreno lalo na at ginawa nila ang tala sa mismong panahon na iyon
• Ang sinulat ni Rizal sa kopya ng “Imitations of Christ”
• Isang kopya ng “De La Imitacion de Cristo” na isinulat ni Thomas á Kempis ang ipinaubaya sa Direktor ng Pambansang Museo ng Pilipinas, Jeremy Barns
• Ito ang mismong kopya na ibinigay ni Rizal kay Josephine Bracken sa kanyang huling pagbisita dito sa araw ng kanyang kamatayan
• Isinulat ni Rizal dito, “To my dear and unhappy wife, Josephine, December 30th, 1896, Jose Rizal”
• Liban sa tinawag niyang “wife” o asawa dito si Josephine, na maaaring magpatungkol sa pagiging legal ng kanilang kasal, ang mismong aklat na ibinigay niya sa huling babaeng kanyang minahal ay isang aklat ukol sa paggaya sa landas ni Kristo
• Ang paglalagay ng “krus” sa kanyang mga huling sulatin
• Ang krus ang unibersal na simbolong Kristiyano
• Binanggit ni Rizal ang simbolong ito sa kanyang huling bilin sa pamilya
• Sa kanyang huling tula, binaggit din ni Rizal ang panandang krus sa kanyang libingan ng dalawang beses
• Si Rizal ay nais na mabigyan ng isang Kristiyanong libing, samatuwid, namatay na isang Kristiyanong Katoliko
• Maaari ngang si Jose Rizal ay nag-retract. Maaari ngang totoo ang retraktasyon
• Mababago ba ang paninindigan at nagawa ng isang tao sa kanyang buong buhay ng pagtindig at katapangan ng isang papel na pinirmahan niya sa araw ng kanyang kamatayan? Hindi
• Si Prop. Michael Charleston “Xiao” Briones Chua ay kasalukuyang assistant professorial lecturer ng Pamantasang De La Salle Maynila
• Siya ay historyador at naging consultant ng GMA News TV series na Katipunan at Ilustrado
• Ang sanaysay na ito ay batay sa kanyang news segment sa “Xiao Time: Ako ay Pilipino” sa istasyong pantelebisyon ng pamahalaan