Chapter 10
First Homecoming (1887-1888)
• Decision to return home:
1. To operate on his mother’s eyes
2. To serve his people
3. To find out the effect of his novel
4. To inquire about Leonor Rivera
• Delightful Trip to Manila
- Djemnah with 50 passengers on board
• Saigon
-July 30-transferred to Haiphong (Manila bound)
• Arrival in Manila
- August 5, stayed to visit friends but found
Manila the same since he left 5 years ago.
• Happy Homecoming
- Established a clinic (P5000 med. Fees)
- Opened a gymnasium and introduced
European sports
- Failed to see Leonor Rivera
• Storm Over the Noli
- Gov. Emilio Terrero- liberal minded gov.-gen.
• Jesuit priests (Fr. Sanchez, Bech and Faura)
“Everything in it was the truth, but you may lose
your head for it”
• Lt. Jose Taviel de Andrade – assigned as
bodyguard of Dr. Rizal
• Enemies of Noli:
- Msgr. Pedro Payo (Mla. Archbishop)
- Fr. Gregorio Echavarria of UST for examination
“ Heretical, impious, and scandalous in religious order
and anti patriotic, subversive of public order , injurious to
the government of Spain and its function in the Phil.
islands in the political order”
• Permanent Commission of Censorship
- Fr. Salvador Font (Agustinian cura of Tondo)
“that the importation, reproduction and
circulation of the pernicious book in the islands
be absolutely prohibited”
Effect:
- Only served to make it popular
- Read the Noli behind closed doors despite of
the government prohibition
- Price of Noli soared high from five pesetas to
50 pesos(Letter to Fernando Canon)
• Attackers of the Noli:
-Fr. Salvador Font (Printed his report and
distributed copies to discredit the controversial novel)
- Fr. Jose Rodriguez (published a series of eight
pamphlets under Cuestiones de Sumo Interest to blast
the Noli)
1. Why should I not read them?
2. Beware of them, Why?
3. And what can you tell me of the plague?
4. Why do the impious triumph?
5. Do you think there is really no purgatory?
6. Is there or is there no hell?
7. Confession or damnation?
•
•
•
•
General Jose Salmanca
Gen. Luis M. Pando
Sr. Vida
Vicente Barrantes (Spanish Academician,
criticized the Noli in La Espana Moderna)
Defenders of Noli:
• Marcelo H. del Pilar, Dr. antonio Ma. Regidor,
Graciano LopezJaena, Mariano Ponce and other
Filipino reformists
• Fr.Sanchez
• Don Segismundo Moret (Former Minister of
crown)
• Dr, Miguel Morayta
• Prof. Blumentritt
• Rev. Vicente Garcia (priest-scholar of Manila
Cathedral, under the penname Justo Desiderio Ma
galang –Imitation of Christ)
Blasted the arguments of Fr. Rodrigues as follows:
1. Rizal cannot become an “ignorant man”.
2. Rizal did not attack the Church and Spain.
3. Fr. Rodriguez said that those who read the Noli
commit, a mortal sin: since he read the novel, therefore
he also commits a mortal sin.
 Rizal defended his Novel against Barrantes
• Rizal and Andrade
“ Rizal was refined, educated, and gentlemanly. The
hobbies that most interested him were hunting, fencing,
shooting, painting, and hiking….”
• Marred Rizal’s happy days in Calamba:
1. The death of Olimpia
2. The groundless tales circulated by his by his enemies
• Calamba’s Agrarian Trouble:
Findings of Rizal which the tenants signed and three officials:
1. The Dominicans owned the town of Calamba
2. Arbitrary increase of land rentals
3. Owners never contributed for the celebration of the town
fiests, education, and improvement of agriculture
4. Tenants were dispossessed of lands for flimsy grounds
5. High rates were collected
• Farewell to Calamba:
-Gov. Gen Terrerro advised Rizal to “leave” the
Philippines
-Compelled to leave Calamba for three reasons:
1. His presence in Calamba was jeopardizing the
safety and happiness of his family and friends
2. He could fight better and serve his country’s
cause by writing in foreign countries