The National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated stations present The Pacific Story. ["The Pacific Story"] In the midst of the fury of world conflict, events in the Pacific are taking on even greater importance. Here is the story of the Pacific and its people, whose destiny is at stake in the Pacific War. Here is the tale of the war in the Pacific and its meaning to us and to the generations to come. ["The Pacific Story"] Jose Rizal, Patriot martyr of the Philippines. ["The Pacific Story"] To the memory of Jose Rizal, Patriot and martyr executed on Magumbayan Field, December 30th, 1896. This monument is dedicated by the people of the Philippine Islands. ["The Pacific Story"] I spent that last night with Jose Rizal in this cell. With another priest, we gave him the Holy Sacrament. He was calm and sweet. There was no troubled look in his eyes. There was no quaver in his voice. His mother and his sister, Trinidad, came to see him here at Port Santiago. During his trial, he had written a poem, a last farewell to his people in the Filipinos, whom he loved so much. This he had placed inside a small alcohol lamp, the only thing he had in his cell. He said goodbye to his mother and sister, and then gave Trinidad the lamp, saying quickly in English so the guards could not understand. There is something inside. Yes, Jose. Goodbye, Jose. Goodbye. Jose settled himself to wait for the dawn, and in his last hours on earth drifted away. Within my soul, I reflected on the steps that had brought this extraordinary young man to this path. In his early twenties, while he was a student in Madrid, he came upon the idea of writing a poem. Where is Jose Rizal? He's probably studying. Perhaps he's playing the lottery or chess. He never can get enough of these. Well, if he's to be a member of the club, he should come to meetings. Oh, yes. Have you seen him these recent days, Maximo? I saw him in his room. He was reading The Wandering Jew. The Wandering Jew? When I saw him last week, he was reading Uncle Tom's Cabin. He said he was very much impressed by it. He should leave off reading when we have meetings. There's so few of us Filipinos here in Madrid. Yes, I say that you... Jose! I'm glad you could come. Hello. We were just talking about kicking you out of the club, Jose. I have been very remiss. Sit down, sit down. Did you bring Uncle Tom's Cabin with you, Jose? It would do all of us well to read that book again and again. Everyone has read it. We could do well to profit by what it has achieved. In what sense, Jose? What Uncle Tom's Cabin achieved in America, what The Wandering Jew achieved in France, perhaps another book could achieve in the Philippines. Oh, no, I thought it was true. Both of these books have had a powerful effect on human progress. Yes, Maximo. And a book telling of conditions in the Philippines could show our Filipinos at home that they are slowly being crushed. And you would write this masterpiece, Jose? No, I do not think I could write it, but perhaps we could. You mean all of us? Yes. We know the Philippines. We've spent our childhood there. We could tell the truth about the Philippines. And some of us here, you, de Maso, and you, Juan, could illustrate it. I don't think such an effort would be worthwhile. I think it would be excellent. Do you think you're self-capable of writing, Maximo? I'm not much of a writer, but I tell what I've seen with my own eyes. I could write about the Philippine women. Yes, you could write about that, de Maso. I believe such a book should be written. No, no, such a book would do no good here in Spain or in any part of Europe. And certainly no publisher would touch it in the Philippines. It shows the people of Spain the sufferings of the people of the Philippines. You can never get it published, either here or in the Philippines. And if you did, it would certainly be barred in the Philippines. If the world knew what we know of the Philippines, what just we members of this club know, a great good would be done. You are right, Jose. It would not work. No, something more than that is necessary. Something better. At least I can tell what is in my heart. And yes, I shall do. ["The Star-Spangled Banner"] Jose Rizal studied medicine in Madrid, but he excelled in philosophy and literature and languages. He learned Latin and Greek. He studied French and Italian and English all at once. Then he mastered Catalan, Arabic and German and Sanskrit and Hebrew. He had a remarkable talent for sketching and structure. When he finished his work in medicine, he went to Paris. And there he became an assistant to a great European eye doctor, Dr. El Deweke. And it was here in Paris that he wrote the first few chapters of Nole Meitangerin, the Social Cancer. Then his work took him to Heidelberg and to Leipzig and to Berlin. It was in Berlin that he was found by a young Filipino. Knock, knock, knock. Who is it? It is Maximo, Maximo Viola. Open the door, Jose. Rizal, I'm glad to see you. Maximo. I have such a time finding you. What are you doing in this hovel? Writing. You look star-hugging. What brings you here to Berlin, Maximo? You had enough to eat. Oh, enough sit down. When did you eat last? I shall eat later today. What brings you here, Maximo? And you've not eaten today. Did you eat yesterday? I eat once each day at example. Jose, this is not the thing for you to do. Stuck away up here in this cheap back room. I must finish my book. You also pursuing your studies? Yes. Jose, you'll never find a publisher for your book. That is why I'm bringing it out myself. Yourself? If you do not have enough to pay for a respectable room, or to eat more than one meal a day, how can you ever hope to pay? A type is being set in a small printing shop just on the street. Look, Jose, I want you to go with me on a walking tour through Germany and Switzerland. No, Maximo, no. You know I have plenty of money as I've always had. No, I must stay here and finish my book. Jose, what sort of a book can this be that holds you in such poverty as this? It is the story of a young Filipino, Juan Crisostomo Ibara, who goes away to Europe to be educated, and what he finds when he comes back home. What does he find? He finds all that we know, that every Filipino knows, Maximo. The tyranny that has chained the Filipinos these centuries. What Spain has imposed upon the Filipinos, the scheming, arrogant, lawless friars. The Spanish government officer who is brutal to the Filipinos, but a lickspittle to his Spanish superiors. I am writing of the worthless educational system, the travesty of the courts, the cruelties of the government, of the helpless Filipinos. You are right. You must finish the book, Jose. Yes, I must finish it. Then you may go on a walking tour with me. I'll advance all the money. You will help me bring out the book? Yes, you must finish it, Jose. Then leave me. Get out. I'll write it down on paper, all that is surging up in me to be told. Jose Rizal wrote with an inspired pen, thousands upon thousands of words, 500 pages of bitterness. When Noly Meitandre was finished, Rizal's friends stopped him to distribute it. They disguised the boxes containing the books as innocent freight and sent them to Manila. In Manila, two of Rizal's friends... And these boxes, what are they? They contain dry goods. They are confined to what? You are Ramon Iquara? Yes, and this is Alejandro Rojas. We have our wagons here. We will take them with us. And not so fast. We are in need of this shipment at once. It is very heavy to be dry goods. Yes, it is heavy. It is very special. You seem to be very weak. You may open the cases and inspect them if you wish. And all my years here as custom inspector, I have known of you two as proprietors of substance and good repute. Thank you. If you delay us more, we may suffer a loss. Take the cases. Move them out of here at once. They hardly have space for the merchandise that is coming in. The books quickly found circulation in Manila and then made their way into the outlying districts. And soon also copies of Noli Metandre fell into the hands of spies and censors. You see, General, here is the withering sarcasm. And not only does he ridicule the government, but he reproaches his own people for their ignorance and their failure to do something for themselves. He is inciting the Filipinos to rebel. That is what he is doing, General. In spite of all this, more and more books came into the Philippines. And then the government issued a decree. Put this order up in every public place. By order of the Crown, the book known as Noli Metandre is hereby excluded from the Philippine Islands. All copies are to be burned by the public executioner. And any person found in possession of a copy of this book ten days from this date will suffer punishment or imprisonment or deportation. It is propertied to be confiscated for the benefit of whomever shall inform against him. It is the order of the government. Agents said the government stretched diligently and the fire of the public executioner blazed high. Burn the books. The tale they tell is on everyone's lips. The more books they burn, the more coming to the country. These books are starting a fire that will sweep all through the islands. The Spaniards can never slate this claim. During this time, José Rizal is far away in Europe. He'd been away five years now. His sister Trinidad wrote him... And now Mother is in great need of you, José. Her eyesight is failing. And unless something is done, soon she may be completely blind. Mother asks for you each day, José, and says that... So Rizal returned to the Philippines to help her while the government was still carrying out its decree against this book. At Calamba, his birthplace, he performed a delicate eye operation, the first of its kind ever done in the Philippines. His mother's eyesight was restored. Word of it spread, and people came from far and near. Some even came from China. And while he was helping them, he was summoned to Manila before Governor General Cerero. José Rizal, while you are in the Philippines, I am signing a Spanish lieutenant to accompany you wherever you go. As a spy? No, as a bodyguard. Rizal and the lieutenant became friends. They say that great pressure was put upon Governor General Cerero to take some action against this man who had written the scandalous Noli Meitandre. And so once more Rizal was summoned before the Governor General. Is therefore my advice, José Rizal, that you leave the Philippines at once. José Rizal then went to London. While he was there, he received word from his sister, Finidon. Our brother Paciano has been banished to Mindoro. Manuel has been deported for what they say is sacrilege. And now I am being charged with the same thing. And with sedition. It seems that... Rizal wrote a scalding account of these events. This account, titled An Outrage, was printed in the magazine in Madrid. Then he went to Ghent in Belgium, and there he received word from Trinidad of a still more touching attack upon his family. Then yesterday, a battery of artillery and a company of soldiers came to our place at Colombo. They ordered Father to move all our buildings and property from the land in 24 hours. You can imagine how thunderstruck we were. He did what he could, but it was not enough. Today they set fire to all the houses. All of them burned down, including the house in which you were born. So we are without any... Rizal was heart sick. He settled down to write The Reign of Greed, a burning sequel to Noly Meitandre. Then he came back to the Far East and set up offices as a doctor in Hong Kong. After some time there, he wrote to the Governor General of the Philippines, to Orochia Despujol, and asked permission to return. Then he went to see his friend, Dr. Martin Harrison, in Hong Kong. You have been my friend a long time, Dr. Martin. I'm going back to the Philippines, and I wish to leave this document with you. You wish me to read it now, Jose? Yes, read it. To the Filipinos, the step I am about to take is undoubtedly attended with peril. I need not say to you that I take it after long deliberation. I have obligations to the families that suffer, to my aged parents, whose sighs strike me to the heart. If with my death I can secure for them happiness and a peaceful home in their native land, I am ready. Always I have loved our unhappy land. Life, career, happiness, I am ready to sacrifice for it. Whatever my fate, I shall die blessing it and longing for the dawn of its redemption. Jose, do you have intuition of trouble? Keep this document. And if I be put to death in the Philippines, make it public, and then see that my family... Rizal went back to the Philippines. His sister Lucia returned with him. For a time it seemed that he would be as safe as Governor General Despujol had assured him. He called together his friends and formed the Philippine League to better the conditions of the Philippines. Then one day he was summoned before Despujol. Have you ever heard of a leaflet called the Poor Friar Rizal? Yes, I have heard of it. This leaflet was found in the luggage of your sister Lucia. In my sister's effects? Inside some pillowcases in a trunk. Inside a...you know of course that it is treason to bring these leaflets into the Philippines. But Governor Despujol, neither my sister nor I have ever had any of these leaflets. God, take this man to the prison at Fort Santiago with my orders that he be held in communicar. For three days, Friar Rizal was held in prison. Then at night he was puzzled about the scheme and exiled to Dapidán, a forlorn town on the northeast coast of Mindanao. He really studied nature, wrote about the animals and plants, taught the children, and ministered to the state. Patients from Manila and Hong Kong sought him out in his exile. He devised a lighting system for Dapidán and designed and constructed and superintended a waterworks. Then one day a man named Valenzuela came to Dapidán to speak. We call this new organization the Catapunan, Dr. Rizal. And the head of it is Andres Manifacio. And what is its purpose, Mr. Valenzuela? To overthrow by force the Spanish power and establish a Philippine nation, free and independent. That cannot be done by violence. It is the only way. We and all Filipinos rebel at the thought of your exile here. Dr. Rizal, you are the champion of the common people. Manifacio has organized the Catapunan, but you are our real leader. That I cannot be. For this change must come by education. It must come from above, not from below. But you are the honorary head of our society, Dr. Rizal. You are using my name without my authority? The Catapunan depends on you. No, no, it is wrong. Enlightenment is the road to progress. Go back to Bonifacio and tell him I will never be... But Bonifacio went on spreading the doctrine of revolution in the Philippines. And in his exile, Rizal gave his attention to improving the lot of the people of Dapidán. And now through his correspondence, he learned that yellow fever was raging in Cuba and that there were not enough doctors. He offered his services in the government hospitals of Cuba. The government accepted, and Rizal sailed from Dapidán for Mandela. While he was there, the Catapunan uprising broke out, but Rizal sailed on the male steamer Isla de Penay for Spain en route to Cuba. When the steamer reached Suez, Rizal was arrested. You were the founder of the Filipino League, were you not, Dr. Rizal? Yes, but that was formed four years ago. To undermine the Spanish government in the Philippines? To bring about unity among the Filipinos, to defend them against violence and injustice, and to encourage education. Why did you write Nolime Tanjere? To acquaint the world with conditions in the Philippines. To arouse the Filipinos against the Crown? To bring about reform. Dr. Rizal, you know that revolution has broken out in the Philippines? I knew there was an outbreak before we left Mandela. And you know that the secret revolutionary society, the Catapunan, has been active for several years. I am not a member of the Catapunan. In Yabutan, I was so far in... There is a reign of terror in Luzon. Open warfare. The jails and prisons are filled with rebels, members of the Catapunan. The government is executing all those found guilty of rebellion. Dr. Rizal, you are going back to Manila to face trial. I remember when Rizal was brought through the dark doorway of Santiago Prison. First, he was put into a dungeon. Later, he was put into a cell on the ground floor. His meals were brought in by his family. Tunidad came to sit with him. Oh, Jose. What they have done to Paciano. My poor brother. They have just carried him home. Jose, they took Paciano to the police office in the walled city. They sat him down at a table and placed a confession before him. A confession? Paciano has done nothing? No, Jose. It was that you were the one responsible for the Catapunan uprising. Poor Paciano. They put a pen in one hand, a thumb screw on the other. They tightened the thumb screws until Paciano would not sign it. What he has suffered for me. They hung him up by the elbows until he was insensible. Then they cut him down so that the fall would revive him. For three days they did this, Jose. Today they carted him home. He signed nothing. In his trial, Rizal was not allowed an attorney. But a young army officer, who happened to be the brother of the bodyguard appointed for him several years ago, was appointed to defend him. Rizal was brought into the courtroom with his elbows tied behind him. And he sat this way, tied through each session. Yes, Rizal. I have sketched the life of Jose Rizal for you. You may be better able to understand the crime with which he here stands charged. He is charged with organizing the Philippine League, an illegal society formed to commit the crime of rebellion. Secondly, Jose Rizal is charged with responsibility for the outbreak of the Catapunan. For even though he may say that he had no connection with it, yet the Catapunan was formed as a result of his teachings. It is the charge of the Crown that Jose Rizal is responsible for the rebellion, having brought it about by his years of agitation. Judge Advocate, proceed with the prosecution. Jose Rizal is a traitor and an enemy of Spain. I read for the court from the reasonable writings of Jose Rizal. To undermine the government, Jose Rizal smuggled Nolime Tanjere into the Philippines. Jose Rizal volunteered to go to Cuba as an army doctor to throw the government off his trail. Jose Rizal is a traitor and an enemy of Spain. To undermine the government, Jose Rizal smuggled Nolime Tanjere into the Philippines. To undermine the government, Jose Rizal smuggled Nolime Tanjere into the Philippines. The trial went on day after day. Back in his cell, he wrote a proclamation to the people of the Philippines. My countrymen, I have given proof that I am most anxious for liberties for our country, and I am still desirous of them. To be beneficial must come from above, that those that come from below are irregularly gained and uncertain. Holding these ideas, I cannot do less than condemn this catipunan uprising which dishonors us Filipinos. Return then to your homes, and may God pardon those that have wrought in bad faith. San Jose Rizal. I saw him often during those days. He was calm. At last, on December 29th, 1896, the trial was ended. Jose Rizal, you will stand. Stand up, Dr. Rizal. Jose Rizal, you have been tried by this military court and found guilty of fomenting and bringing about the rebellion of the Filipinos against the Spanish crown. Do you have anything to say? Nothing. It is the order of this court that you be given 24 hours to prepare for death. You will be shot to death at Baugumbayan Field tomorrow. Calmly, with tenderness and tolerance in his eyes, he heard his sentence. Calmly, he came back to the prison at Port Santiago to prepare for death. We administered the Holy Sacrament to him, and I watched him as he talked to his mother and sister. He gave the alcohol lamp for his last farewell hidden inside to his sister Trinidad, and at home, he was given a poem in the lamp. Farewell, dear fatherland, climb of the sun, caressed pearl of the Orient seas, our Eden lost. Gladly now, I go to give thee this stated life's best, and were it brighter, fresher, or more blessed, still would I give it thee, nor count the cost. On the field of battle, with the frenzy of fight, others have given their lives without doubt or heed. The place matters not, Cyprus, or Laurel, or Lily White, scaffold or open plain, combat or martyr's plight, it is ever the same to serve our homes and our country's need. When dawn came at last, the iron doors of Jose Rizal's cell creaked open, and outside the troopers gathered to take him to Bagumbayan Sea. The troopers bound his elbows behind him. I walked beside him. We are going to Calvary, father. My suffering's a little. The saviors suffered much. In an instant, the bullets will end all my pain. Yes, Dr. Rizal. How beautiful is the morning, father. How clear is the view of Caligadog. I walked here with my sweetheart, Leonora, on mornings like this. We walked nearly a mile. At last, we were at Bagumbayan field. Captain, will you shoot me in the front, please? No, I have orders to shoot you in the back. But I have never been a traitor. Orders. Very well. Shoot me as you please. He stood there with his eyes opened, turned toward the sky, winking, a symbol of courage and strength. Just then, an army doctor ran after him. Calig, your coolness amazes me. May I feel your pulse? But of course. Oh, it is unbelievable. Captain, his pulse rate is normal. Interesting. Step over to this side, no doubt. Normal. Absolutely normal. Ready. Aim. Fire. Jose Rizal fell face up and looking up into the sky, died. But the tears of the Spaniards who watched him die were drowned in the thunderous voice of the rising Filipino people. Guns of the revolutionaries came out of huts and thickets and carabao stalls. Ragged and hungry and untrained, the Filipinos crushed the Spanish regulars. For they've been fired with a vision of freedom by this man whom the Spanish bullets had made immortal. You have been listening to the Pacific Story, presented by the National Broadcasting Company and its affiliated independent stations as a public service to clarify events in the Pacific and to make understandable the cross-currents of life in the Pacific Basin. A reprint of this Pacific Story program is available at the cost of ten cents. Send ten cents in stamps or coin to University of California Press, Berkeley, California. The Pacific Story is written and directed by Arnold Marklis. The original musical score was composed and conducted by Thomas Peluso. This program came to you from Hollywood. This is the National Broadcasting Company.
