The document discusses whether Jose Rizal retracted his writings against the Catholic Church and friars before his execution. There are four versions of the alleged retraction document that Rizal supposedly signed. The only eyewitness account of Rizal writing the document comes from Jesuit priest Fr. Vicente Balaguer, but his testimony is questionable. An eyewitness account from the Cuerpo de Vigilancia corroborates that Rizal spoke with priests about religion but refused to sign a prepared retraction. Scholars debate the authenticity of the retraction document but agree it does not diminish Rizal's heroism or relevance as a symbol of Philippine independence.

1. Did Rizal Retract?
CASE STUDY #3
Ticmon, Jonathan B.

2. CONTENTS OF THE PRESENTATION
A Did Rizal Retract?
B The Balaguer Testimony
C The Testimony of Cuerpo de Vigilancia

3. DID RIZAL
RETRACT?
A

4. Who is Rizal?
● Full name: Jose Protasio Rizal
Mercado y Alonso Realonda
● Birthdate: June 19, 1861
● Date of death: December 30, 1896
● Birthplace: Calamba, Laguna
● Nickname: Pepe
● Penname/s: Laong Laan and
Dimasalang
.

5. Who is Rizal?
Jose Rizal is identified as a hero of the
revolution for his writings that center on
ending colonialism and liberating Filipino
minds to contribute to creating the Filipino
nation. The great volume of Rizal’s lifework
was committed to this end, particularly the
more influential ones, Noli Me Tangere and
El Filibusterismo. His essays vilify not the
Catholic religion, but the friars, the main
agents of injustice in the Philippine society.

6. It is understandable, therefore, that any piece of writing from
Rizal that recants everything he wrote against the friars and
the Catholic Church in the Philippines could deal heavy
damage to his image as a prominent Filipino revolutionary.
Such document purportedly exists, allegedly signed by Rizal
a few hours before his execution. This documents, referred to
as “The Retraction”, declares Rizal’s belief in the Catholic
faith, and retracts everything he wrote against the Church.

7. Primary Source: Rizal’s Retraction
I declare myself a catholic and in this Religion in which I was born an
educated wish to live and die. I retract with all my heart whatever in
my words, writings, publications and conduct has been contrary to my
character as son of the Catholic Church. I believe and I confess
whatever she teaches and I submit to whatever she demands. I
abominate Masonry, as the enemy which is of the Church, and as a
Society prohibited by the Church. The Diocesan Prelate may, as the
Superior Ecclesiastical Authority, make public this spontaneous
manifestation of mine in order to repair the scandal which my acts may
have caused and so that God and people may pardon me.
Manila 29 of December of 1896

8.  There are four iterations of the texts of this retraction: the first was published in La
Voz Espaňola and Diario de Manila on the day of the execution, 30 December 1896.
The second text appeared in Barcelona, Spain, on the magazine La Juventud, a few
months after the execution, 14 February 1897, from an anonymous writer who was
later on revealed to be Fr. Vicente Balaguer.
 However, the "original" text was only found in the archdiocesan archives on May 18,
1935, after
almost four decades of disappearance.
 The fourth text appeared in El Imparcial on the day after Rizal’s execution; it is the
short formula of the retraction.

9. VOCABULARY
On the day of his execution,
the newspaper La Voz
Española reported what
happened in Luneta, and it
also printed the text of the
retraction letter that Rizal
allegedly signed (NAP
Manuscript A-1, Doc. 27).
La Voz Española
01
Diario de Manila was a
Spanish language newspaper
published in the Philippines,
founded on October 11, 1848,
and closed down by official
decree on February 19, 1898,
after the colonial authorities
discovered that its
installations were being used
to print revolutionary material
Diario de Manila
02

10. VOCABULARY
A la juventud filipina is a
poem written in Spanish by
Filipino writer and patriot
José Rizal, first presented
in 1879 in Manila, while he
was studying at the
University of Santo Tomas.
La Juventud
03
El Imparcial, founded in 1918,
was a newspaper in Puerto
Rico. It circulated daily, except
Sundays./ About El Imparcial.
(San Juan, P.R.) 1918-197?.]
United States Library of
Congress. Retrieved 26 July
2012.</ref> Its complete name
was El Imparcial: El diario
ilustrado de Puerto Rico.
El Imparcial
04

11. B
Balaguer
Testimony

12. Doubts on the retraction document abound, especially because only one
eyewitness account of the writing of the document exist—that of the Jesuit
friar Fr. Vicente Balaguer. According to his testimony, Rizal woke up several
times, confessed four times, attended a mass, received communion, and
prayed the rosary, all of which seem out of character. But since it is the only
testimony of allegedly a "primary" account that Rizal ever wrote a retraction
document, it has been used to argue the authenticity of the document.

13. C
The Testimony of
Cuerpo de
Vigilanci

14. Primary Source: Eyewitness Account
of the Last Hours of Rizal
Most Illustrious Sir, the agent of the Cuerpo de Vigilancia stationed in Fort
Santiago to report on the events during the (illegible) day in prison of the
accused José Rizal, informs me on this date of the following: At 7:50
yesterday morning, Jose Rizal entered death row accompanied by his
counsel, Seňor Taviel de Andrade, and the Jesuit priest Vilaclara. At the
urgings of the former and moments after entering, he was served a light
breakfast. At approximately 9, the Assistant of the Plaza, Seňor Maure, asked
Rizal if he wanted anything. He replied that at the moment he only wanted a
prayer book, which was brought to him shortly by Father March. Seňor
Andrade left death row at 10 and Rizal spoke for a long while with the Jesuit
fathers, March and Vilaclara. regarding religious matters, it seems. It appears
that these two presented him with a prepared retraction on his life and deeds
that he refused to sign.

15. This account corroborates the existence of the
retraction giving it credence. However, nowhere in
the account was Fr. Balaguer mentioned, which
makes the friar a mere secondary source to the
writing of the document.
The retraction of Rizal remains to this day, a
controversy; many scholars, however, agree that
the document does not tarnish the heroism of
Rizal. His relevance remained solidified to
Filipinos and pushed them to continue the
Revolution, which eventually resulted to
independence in 1898.

16. If Rizal retracted, he would not have been
executed. But he was executed;
therefore Rizal did not retract. He would
have been an example for the cause of
the friars; he would have been given a
decent Christian burial, not buried like a
dead dog outside Paco Cemetery.

17. Why do they
want Rizal to
retract?

18. They wanted Rizal to retract because the
writings of Jose Rizal made a greater impact
wherein, he exposed the conditions of the
Philippines, particularly the actions of the friars
and the colonial officials, so the friars wanted to
hide that fact.

19. Thank you
for
listening!