JOSE RIZAL'S TRIAL,

MARTYRDOM &
EXECUTION
 A week after the outbreak of the Philippine Revolution, on
September 2, 1896, Jose Rizal left Manila for Spain. Going back
to Governor General Ramon Blanco's last letter to Rizal, the
former approved the latter's request that he be sent to Cuba as
military doctor.
 Rizalwas to go to Spain first before going to Cuba. But even
before he reached his first destination, he was arrested by the
Spanish authorities on board, jailed in Barcelona and shipped
back to Manila where Fort Santiago became the witness to the
last 3 months of his life.
 PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION

 After fishing as much evidence as

possible, on November 20, 1896, the
preliminary investigation on Rizal began.
 During the five-day investigation, Rizal
was informed of the charges against him
before Colonel Francisco Olive.
 He was put under interrogation without
the benefit of knowing who testified
against him.
TWO KINDS OF EVIDENCES ENDORSED BY
COLONEL OLIVE TO GOVERNOR RAMON BLANCO:

1. Documentary Evidence
• Letters which allegedly implicate Rizal in the Propaganda
movement
• Transcripts of speech wherein his name was used by the
Katipunan
• His poems which were highly nationalistic in nature.
2. Testimonial Evidence - consisted of the oral testimonies of
Rizal's various acquaintances
After the preliminary investigation, the Judge Advocate
General, Don Nicolas de la Peña submitted the following
recommendations:

• Rizal must be immediately sent to trial

• He must be held in prison under necessary security
• His properties must be issued with order of attachment,
and as indemnity, Rizal had to pay one million pesos
• Instead of a civilian lawyer, only an army officer is allowed
to defend Rizal.
  December 26, about 8 o'clock in the
morning, the court-martial of Rizal
commenced. The hearing was
actually a kind of moro-moro - a
planned trial wherein Rizal, before
hearing his verdict, had already been
prejudged.
 Three crimes accused to him were
rebellion, sedition and illegal
association – the penalty for the first
two being life imprisonment to death,
while the last, correctional
Lt. Taviel de Andrade imprisonment and a charge of 325 to
defended Rizal by saying
that the alleged
3,250 pesetas.
accusations were biased.
 Themilitary court remained indifferent to the pleads of
Rizal. After a short deliberation, he was sentenced to be
shot in musketry until death at 7 o'clock in the morning of
December 30, 1896 at Bagumbayan.
 The decision was submitted to Gov. Polavieja who
immediately sought the opinion of Nicolas de la Peña – the
latter found the verdict just and final.
 Two days later, the governor general signed the court's
decision and ordered Rizal's execution.
 RIZAL'S LAST DAY AND HIS EXECUTION
 Rizalwas transferred to the prison chapel where he
spent his last hours on earth.
 Inside the chapel, Rizal busied himself by writing
correspondences to friends and family, bidding
everyone farewell; and conversing with his Jesuit
priests friends.
 Rizal handed down an alcohol cooking stove to
Trinidad and whispered that something was inside it
(turned out to be his last piece, the Mi Ultimo Adios
(Last Farewell) written in a small piece of paper).
 Josephine Bracken arrived and as requested by
Rizal, the couple was canonically blessed as husband
The Old Lamp and wife by Fr. Balaguer.
given to Trinidad
 Rizal– in his black suit, black necktie,
black hat, black shoes and white vest –
calmly walked from his prison cell in Fort
Santiago to the execution site.
 Rizalhad one request, that is, that he be
shot facing the firing squad, however, in
vain since the captain of the squad
ordered a back shot. As such, Rizal had
no choice but to turn his back
 A physicianby the name of Dr. Felipe Ruiz
Castillo, was amazed that Rizal's vital
signs were normal, particularly his pulse
rate – was Rizal really unafraid to die?
 The firing squad was composed of Filipino soldiers of the
colonial army, but behind them stood a detachment of
Spanish soldiers.
 Rizal,
ready and calm, took his position opposite his
executioners.
 Atthe moment of his fall, Rizal turns his body so that he
ends up lying on his back, with his face to the sun.
 Hislast words were "consummatum est",--it is finished.
Jose Rizal died at exactly 7:03 in the morning of
December 30.
- FIN