The Filipino community in Spain in the time of Rizal and Del Pilar was divided, some supporting the status quo, others reform, and still others revolution.
January 04, 2021 AMONG all our heroes, Dr. Jose Rizal, whose martyrdom we commemorated five days ago, is without any doubt the most written about. But one can never get tired leafing through Rizaliana materials. There is always something new, something interesting to learn about him. Here are some interesting bits and pieces:
Rizal was cool-headed but there was a time when he almost fought a duel with two other famous kababayans Antonio Luna and Wenceslao Retana. Rizal and Luna almost dueled because of a girl Nelly Boustead, a beautiful mestiza of English and Spanish descent. Luna felt that he had the first claim on Nelly Boustead but Boustead appeared to be becoming infatuated with Rizal. In fact, Boustead later became one of the many girlfriends of Rizal.
AT around 7:30 in the morning of Dec. 30, 1896, Remington shots rang out under a clear sky in the Bagumbayan field (now the Luneta) in Manila. A firing squad consisting of Filipino soldiers had carried out the death sentence of the now national hero Jose Rizal on orders of the Spanish colonial government.
Defiant to the end, he haggled with authorities on how he ought to face his death. He rejected suggestions that he be blindfolded with his back to the firing squad, which appeared to be the protocol for the execution of traitors.
The court martial that found Rizal guilty of sedition, rebellion and conspiracy completed a âjudicial processâ in 56 days, starting with his arrest on board a ship bound for Spain on Nov. 3, 1896. The formal trial itself, commencing with the appointment of judges on Christmas Day of that year, lasted only two days. The colonial government imposed the penalty of death for offenses like the ones he allegedly committed; on December 26, the court is