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| Ang Pag-uusap nina Rizal at Valenzuela sa Dapitan. Likha ni Luciano A. Alejandrino. Nasa Museo Valenzuela. |
RIZAL IN EXILE
When Rizal was exiled in Dapitan, he had a mysterious visitor
By Arturo M. Misa
Published in The Saturday Mirror Magazine, 21 June 1958.
Traveling under the fictitious name of Procopio Bonifacio, Dr. Pio Valenzuela ascended the rickety gangplank of the steamship Venuson Monday, 15th June 1896 on a mission of priceless significance: to appraise Rizal of the formation of the Katipunan and to persuade him to direct the revolution.
With him were Raymundo Mata, a sightless man and Rufino Magos, both of Kawit, Cavite. On the boat as first class passengers were three women who meant the world to Rizal--Josephine Bracken, Narcisa Rizal and Angelica Lopez; wife, sister and niece respectively of the great man.
On the 21st of June 1896, the boat dropped anchor at the Bay of Dapitan. Two hours later the passengers of Venuswere face to face with the man whose name was magic to the Filipinos on the other side of the sea.
That night the group supped pleasantly, during which the conversation flitted from one topic to another, such as how the green mango fruits served as appetizers were more agreeable than the famed olives of Europe and how Rizal had observed, his birthday two days before by taking a dose of fifty centigrams of quinine sulphate due to his high temperature.
After supper, Dr. Pio Valenzuela requested a private audience with Rizal, explaining meanwhile that he did not come merely to seek medical consultation for a greater purpose.
Once seated on a bench about fifty meters from Rizal's dwelling, Dr. Pio Valenzuela appraised Rizal of current development in the Philippines.
"Doctor," he began, "on the night of July 7, 1892 the Katipunan was founded with the main object of seeking the separation of the Philippines from Spain through violent means. In a general assembly held May 1st in Pasig, Morong (now a province of Rizal) the top echelon of the secret society adapted the following resolutions:
(1)Draw to the folds of the Katipunan the intelligent and rich Filipinos.
(2) Solicit funds for the purpose of storing arms cache to promote the cause of the rebels.
(3) Dispatch intelligent Filipino emissaries to Japan who would be responsible for buying arms and munitions, at the same time seek the aid plus protection of the Japanese government in behalf of the Filipino rebels.
(4) Submit the above resolution for Dr. Jose Rizal's approval for which purpose Dr. Pio Valenzuela is named to proceed to Dapitan to confer with Rizal.
"So the seed grows," Rizal replied thoughtfully "at this time when Spain is weakened by the revolution in Cuba, the resolutions are timely and should be executed immediately. A word of caution though. By no means should the armed revolution start until every rebel is adequately armed. Reason and not hot temper should prevail. If the latter predominates over reason, the venture would be suicidal.
"Let us hope that Japan extends a helping arm. You know Dr. Valenzuela, when I last visited Japan, a Japanese minister placed at my disposal three merchant ships with which to carry guns to the Philippines. A rich Filipino whom I approached for a loan P200,000 for the purpose of purchasing firearms turned me down cold".
Dr. Pio Valenzuela's brow creased with a frown as he said:
"Truly, the problems of the Katipunan grow in magnitude day by day. It is not only financial in nature, but is many faceted as well. So many Katipuneros' blood boils to a dangerous temperature whenever the eye-witness acts of barbarity by their Spanish conquerors."
Rizal opined that the leaders had the strict obligation to prevent the premature blood-letting, to which opinion Valenzuela concurred. He promised to have his men under control the best way he could.
The deportee remarked that the movement would crumble down like a house of cards without the financial backing of the moneyed and influential Filipino class.
"Try to avail yourselves of Antonio Luna's assistance: He is a very intelligent man and has access to the homes of wealthy Filipinos. The best we can do if we fail to win them over to our side, these aristocratic Filipinos, is to neutralize them; prevent them from helping the other side. (The secret chamber of the Katipunan neutralized these Filipinos of doubtful allegiance by drafting fictitious paper linking these aristocrats with the affairs of the Katipunan.)
As the hours raced by, the talk drifted to the plan of Candido Tirona to snatch Rizal from his captors, place him aboard a ship well supplied with coal and conduct the great man to Japan through the Pacific Ocean.
Dr. Rizal broached the subject of a college in Japan for Filipino youths which would later on be made into a university, as the two doctors treaded their way back to Rizal's unpretentious hut. This had been an obsession of Rizal and he was ready to volunteer his services gratis. Doctor Valenzuela commented that his (Rizal's) idea was a worthwhile one but hastened to add that the revolution needed his guiding hand more than the college did.
"I am ready for both," Rizal said.
Valenzuela was apprehensive that the revolution would break out while Rizal was a prisoner in Dapitan and he voiced his fear. Rizal calmed him down by pointing out that his apprehension was unwarranted. The Moros, whom he had treated free-of-charge in more times than one, remembered his kindnesses. With their fast-sailing crafts, they could easily spirit Rizal right from the noses of his jailers if he gave them the green light.
"If the revolution goes ahead of schedule, the Spaniards will not hesitate to empty their rifles on your body."
Rizal replied: "To die and conquer is pleasant, but to die and be conquered is painful."
The duo arrived after ten o'clock from their stroll in the beach and called it a day.
The next day dawned fine and clear. Just before breakfast the doctor meticulously examined the blind man, Raymundo, after which he divulged his findings to Valenzuela. Raymundo's eyes could not be operated on. A lesion had developed in the retina which was congested. However, he prescribe the following:
Potassium iodine---3 grams
Distilled water---100 grams
To be taken one spoonful each morning.
(Sgd.) Dr. Jose P. Rizal
The doctor and Dr. Pio Valenzuela went to an adjoining hut, much bigger than Rizal's residence. The odor of medicine assailed Dr. Valenzuela's nostrils. Without telling him he guessed that it was a clinic or a small hospital. It was a hospital.
Rizal informed him that boiling water and alcohol were what he employed to disinfect his instruments in surgical cases; that with his limited medical supplies and improvised paraphernalia, he had successfully operated on two Moros; one for inguinal hernia and the other for hidrocele.
A rambling conversation ensued wherein Rizal casually mentioned that his library was being kept intact for him by Mariano Ponce in Hongkong. He also told Valenzuela that after his medical chores, he devoted the rest of his waking hours educating Dapitan's youth whom he taught Tagalog, Spanish, English and French.
Then the conversation rambled back to national affairs. Rizal warned that failure on the part of the Filipinos to wage a war of independence from Spain would inevitably result in Japan's taking a hand in order to obtain it, within a quarter of a century at the latest. He asked who were the top men in the secret society and whether they were true patriots in the strictest sense of the word. Valenzuela gave him the names of the leaders assuring Rizal at the same time of their inordinate love of country.
The doctor then spoke to Valenzuela of his letter of application for the position as military doctor in Cuba, addressed to the minister of war of Spain. Valenzuela remarked that the application was unwise, reasoning out that Weyler, the general commanding the Spanish troops in Cuba, might take his life in view of the fact that Rizal and Weyler once had a heated verbal clash over Rizal's Calamba estate. Rizal smiled and said that there was a chance he might shoot Weyler first! Rizal's intention in wanting to be a millitary doctor, was to accumulate a first-hand experience of war , study it in a practical way so that the lessons he could learn in that bloody part of the world could be applied to the Philippines should the necessity arise.
After Dr. Pio Valenzuela had handed the revolver in his trunk, clandestinely stored away in a secret compartment, to Dr. Jose Rizal, the ship sounded its whistle for the visitors to reembark.
As a parting present and as a gesture of appreciation for Valenzuela's calculated risk of visiting him and giving him a fill-in on what were going in the country he loved more than life, Doctor Rizal gave Valenzuela the "Kamuning Cane" which he was very fond of.
Dr. Pio Valenzuela took his place in the banca that was taking him and his companions to the S.S. Venus. The boat left the Bay of Dapitan between twelve and one in the afternoon. On Friday between two and three o'clock in the afternoon, 26th of June 1896 the ship reached Manila.
Forthwith, Dr. Pio Valenzuela reported the result of his interview with Dr. Jose Rizal to Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto and Guillermo Masangkay who were the ones commissioned by the Supreme Council of the Katipunan to carry out the counsels and suggestions of our national hero.
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