Article: Valenzuela’s Greatest Hour: His Secret Mission for the Katipunan in Dapitan (1956)

Istatwa ng pag-uusap nina Dr. Pio Valenzuela at Rizal sa Dapitan, likha ni Julie Lluch. Nasa larawan sina NHCP Director Vic Badoy, NHCP Chair Maria Serena Diokno at DepEd Secretary Br. Armin Luistro. Kuha sa Rizal Shrine Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte. Galing ang larawan sa https://lifestyle.inquirer.net/232136/oracle-game-invented-by-rizal-on-exhibit-at-upgraded-dapitan-museum/.

Valenzuela’s Greatest Hour: His Secret Mission for the Katipunan in Dapitan

By Teodoro A. Agoncillo

Published in This Week, May 6, 1956.

Monday morning, June 15, 1896. The steamship Venusblew its whistle --- one long whistle followed by another. The friends and relatives of the passengers walked down the gangplank on the muelle, where they lingered waving their hands and handkerchiefs in farewell. The side of the boat teemed with departing people going to the south, waving their hands and shouting at those they were leaving behind. A young man who had his name registered as Procopio Bonifacio, followed by a blind old man, Raymundo Mata, and a boy Rufino Magos–both from Cavite–elbowed his way through the thronging crowd on the first-class deck. He leaned against the railing and exchanged smiles with a small group of men on the quay. A few moments later, the blind man and the boy went down to the lower deck.

The ship quivered slightly as the engines started whirring. The water at the stern turned murky as the propellers whirled powerfully, moving the ship sideways. Alternately forging slowly ahead and turning to the right, the Venusfinally took the straight course to the west toward the lighthouse at the mouth of Pasig. The small group of men left at the muelleretraced their steps as the ship entered Manila Bay. The young man on board turned his eyes to his right and saw three women, one of whom was obviously an occidental. He recognized them as Narcisa Rizal, her niece, Angelica Lopez, and Josephine Bracken. “They, too, will visit Rizal,” the young man said to himself as he moved away.

The young man was Dr. Pio Valenzuela. Recognizing him as the most highly educated among the Katipunanmembers, the society, in its secret meeting held at Ugong, a sitio of Pasig, Morong Province, on May 1, 1896, approved a proposal whereby Dr. Valenzuela was to interview Dr. Jose Rizal at Dapitan for the purpose of asking his opinion on the necessity of taking up arms against the Spanish Government. Collecting contributions from the sympathizers of the Katipunan, Dr. Valenzuela bought a round-trip ticket that cost him P60. It was also decided that in order to forestall any danger of discovery, the young doctor was to take with him a blind man, a patient, who was supposed to consult Dr. Rizal, and a boy to act as the blind man’s guide. Further, Dr. Valenzuela was to adopt an assumed name. So when he signed his name in the passenger list, he wrote Procopio Bonifacio instead of his real name. 

The ship plowed uneventfully trough the calm seas, now and then calling at the southern ports—Romblon, Kapis, IloIlo, Cebu, and Dumaguete. Finally, between five and six in the afternoon of June 21, The Venuscast anchor at the port of Dapitan, approximately 500 meters from the house of Dr. Rizal. Valenzuela and his two companions took a banca, while the three women hired another to take them ashore.

Rizal was not at home when they arrived at about seven in the evening. Fifteen minutes later, he came from the quay beaming and visibly happy to see his sister, niece, and Josephine. Narcisa introduced Valenzuela to her brother. Presently, a man came with a letter from the provincial governor, Ricardo Carnicero, and Rizal, donning his gray suit and cap, left, telling his guests that the governor wanted to see him about the persons who had just arrived. Rizal explained to the governor the nature of his guests’ visit, which was medical consultation. Satisfied with the explanation, the governor allowed Rizal to return immediately to his house.

Supper was served and the topic of conversation centered on the paho,small mango fruit, which all of them preferred to the European olives. The subject turned to the recent birthday anniversary of the deportee, which had taken place two days before, and the host humorously told his hearers that he celebrated it by taking fifty centigrams of quinine sulphate to cure him of his fever.

When the dishes where cleared away, Valenzuela nonchalantly approached Dr. Rizal and whispered: “Doctor, the treatment of the blind man is a secondary object of my visit. My primary purpose is to talk to you about an important matter.” Rizal looked at him understandingly and told him in a low voice that they had better go to the hospital for more privacy. The blind man and his guide were left in Rizal’s private hospital and the two physicians immediately proceeded to a place about fifty meters from the house. Without speaking to each other, the two sat on a bench. Valenzuela, after a few minutes, broke the silence.

“There exists in Manila,” he found himself saying, “an association called Katipunan which was founded on the night of July 7, 1892, the day that the order for your banishment was made public. The object of the association is to seek the separation of the Philippines from Spain through the use of force. In a general assembly which took place in Pasig on May 1, in which the principal chiefs of the association were present, the following resolutions, among others, were approved: (1) to attract the intelligent and the rich Filipinos to the Katipunan; (2) to collect contributions for the purpose of purchasing arms and ammunitions preparatory to the start of the revolution; (3) to send a delegation to Japan to take charge of the purchase of arms and ammunition; (4) to bring about the separation of the Philippines from Spain by violent means; (5) to submit these resolutions to Dr. Rizal for his approval;  and (6) in the event that rich Filipinos should refuse to cooperate  in the great enterprise, each member of the society should contribute all that he possibly could.”

Rizal became thoughtful. He leaned forward a little. 

“So the seed grows,” he commented. “The resolutions of the association are very just, patriotic and, above all, timely, because now Spain is weakened by the revolution in Cuba. I approve these resolutions and I suggest that they be complied with as early as possible in order to take advantage of the opportunity.” 

“But I believe,” Valenzuela cut in, a little apprehensively, “that the revolution will break out prematurely, even without arms.”

Rizal moved briskly from his seat upon hearing this. “That,” he said visibly moved, “I do not approve. A revolution without arms should never be started against an armed nation. Its consequences will be fatal and disastrous to the country. The Filipinos will necessarily have to lose due to lack of arms. The Spaniards, once conquerors, will annihilate the Filipinos who love their country, will employ all means to prevent the intellectual, moral, and material progress of the conquered people who, sooner or later, will have to start a new revolution. Cuba, which counts with the help and protection of the United States, having failed in her first struggle, cost her much in the second and in this third struggle now. The Philippines does not reckon yet with the help of Japan, and I hope that she will help us because it will be difficult to stage a second revolution after the first fails.

When I was in Japan, a Japanese minister put at my disposal three merchant ships with which to transport arms to the Philippines. I wrote a rich Filipino in Manila, asking him to lend me P200,000 for the purpose of purchasing firearms and ammunition, but he refused to give me the loan, and so I returned here so that I could manage to procure all that is necessary for our emancipation. “I see,” he continued, quite happily flattered, “that all this is now being done by the Katipunan, and all of us should sustain it and work for the realization of the resolutions passed in Pasig.”

“May I know the name of the Filipino who refused to lend you the amount necessary for the welfare of the country?” Valenzuela was curious to know.

“Not now,” Rizal countered evasively, “because I hope that he, as well as others, will in the end help his countrymen with his money when he sees them united and ready to strike for the liberty of their country.”

“Allow me to explain to you the serious situation in which the Katipunanfinds itself and tell me the best solution to the problem.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Those who are associated with the Katipunannumber over 30,000 but you have to take into account the fact that many of those affiliated are not yet on our list due to lack of time to gather the exact data. Many come to affiliate daily in the provinces, especially in the province of Manila, so that I cannot tell you exactly the number of people affiliated with Katipunan. One day last May, a brother of ours was arrested and maltreated by a lieutenant of the Civil Guards in Pasig on the ground that he belonged to a treacherous society. Since then our brothers in Pasig and Mandaluyong have been coming incessantly to my house inquiring for the day and hour set for the attack against the Spaniards and the friars, but I always try to come down their inflamed minds. If, for a single brother caught and maltreated by the enemies, our brothers are ready to fight, what will happen if the Katipunanis discovered? There will be many arrests, vexations, and martyrdom of all sorts, and probably those of the Katipunanwill not tolerate such oppression; they will march to the field before the time is right, even if they are not provided with rifles and cannons.”

“You have to use all precautions to prevent the discovery of the association.”

“And if the precautions fail?”

Rizal thought for a while. Then: “You, the principal chiefs, have the duty of working in such a way as to comply faithfully with the resolutions; you have the strict obligation to avail yourselves of all means to prevent the premature flow of blood. When the generals do not command, the soldiers stay still.” 

“The case of the Katipunan is different: if the generals do not give orders, the soldiers will order the others. If the Katipunan is discovered, the revolution will inevitably break out. For my part, however, I will try to follow your advice; I will work so that they will not march to the field except in case of extreme necessity.” 

“Does the association count on its membership many persons in high society in Manila and the provinces?”

“Unfortunately, no. In Manila and in the provinces, there are about 100 from the middle class; the rest are poor.” 

“There is no other remedy than to attract to your association all the rich and influential persons of Manila and the provinces. You may avail yourselves of the services of Antonio Luna, a recent arrival from Spain who is a very intelligent man, and who has a free access to the homes of wealthy Filipinos. Luna at the same time can direct the campaigns in case hostilities break out.” 

“But what shall we do if we fail to attract the aristocratic Filipinos to the Katipunan?”

“These Filipinos will be your worst enemies if you commit the imprudence of attacking the Spaniards without the necessary preparation. When they see you without arms, they will go over to the side of Spain to prosecute you, and being Filipinos and rich, too, they will over your soldiers with their money.” 

“And what are we to do, then?”

“See to it that they are neutral, at least–that they help neither the Spaniards nor the Filipinos.”

“Neutral?” Valenzuela was aghast, for he knew that it was difficult, if not impossible, to neutralize the wealthy. “By what means can we make them neutral?”

“That is difficult to answer now,” confessed Rizal. “The means are born of circumstances and events.” 

For a few minutes the two sat there on the bench, silent. There was another thing, more intimately personal to Rizal that Valenzuela wanted to confide but could not somehow get around to saying. “To change the subject,” Valenzuela at last found courage, “I want to let you know that some members of the Katipunan, among whom is Candido Tirona, are thinking of taking you out of this place clandestinely on a ship well-supplied with coal and conduct you to Japan by way of the Pacific.”

“If the ship is small,” Rizal answered, “It will lack coal to reach Japan, in which case it is better to send it to the nearest foreign port–Hongkong.”

“It will have sufficient coal to take you to the port where you are to disembark.” 

Rizal remained silent. Later he stood up and invited Valenzuela for a walk near the beach. They ambled leisurely and when they arrived at a certain spot, Rizal stopped and pointed to a place where the boat to take him out of Dapitan might drop anchor. Retracing their steps, they resumed their conversation

“Tell our country men,” Rizal said, “That at the same time that we are preparing for a war against Spain, I desire to see a college established in Japan which will be converted later into a university for Filipino youths. I shall be greatly pleased to be the director of college.” 

“I shall bear in mind all that you say and counsel, but I believe that you would rather direct the revolution than manage the college.”

“I am ready for both,” Rizal answered unhesitatingly.

“As soon as we have the arms and ammunition we shall try to take you out of Dapitan before the revolution starts in order that the Spaniards may not get you and shoot you.”

“As soon as you obtain arms start the war against Spain right away; do not bother about me for I will know how to get out of this place by any craft with the help of the Moros. When it comes to the redemption of the country, you must not look behind for just one man.” 

“If the revolution breaks out before schedule and you ae still in Dapitan, the Spaniards will get you and have you shot,” reminded Valenzuela.

“To die and conquer is pleasant, but to die and be conquered is painful,” said Rizal with a tinge of sadness.

It was past ten o’clock when they reached Rizal’s house. The next day, before breakfast, Rizal examined the blind man and diagnosed that the patient could not be operated on as the retina had a lesion and was congested. Nevertheless, he wrote a prescription.

The breakfast over, the two physicians made for the bench where they had sat the previous night. The patient and his guide started toward them, but Valenzuela, seeing that much would be lost in his conversation with Rizal if the two were present, told his wards to stay in the house. Rizal then invited him to visit the hospital. Here Rizal told him that two of the biggest and intelligent pupils assisted him in the operations and that he had successfully operated on two Moros, one for inguinal hernia and the other for hydrocele. Rizal also mentioned that his library was in the care of Mariano Ponce in Hongkong, and that aside from the practice of his profession he taught Tagalog, Spanish, English and French to the youth of Dapitan. Turning to national affairs, Rizal, with uncanny powers of prognostication, said: “If the Filipinos do not do anything toward attaining their independence, Japan would intervene in order to obtain it –--within a quarter of a century.” And turning to Valenzuela, He asked: “Who are the leaders of the association? Are they real patriots?” Valenzuela assured him that the society was composed of honest and patriotic sons of the people.

Satisfied, Rizal turned to another subject. This time he confessed that he had written to the Governor-General, applying for a position as a military doctor in Cuba, which letter was up to that time unanswered.

“But,” objected Valenzuela, “Weyler, the general-in-chief of the Spanish troops in Cuba, might shoot you, for he has not forgotten your family yet.” Dr. Valenzuela was referring to the Kalamba Episode of 1890-1891.

“I might shoot Weyler first,” Rizal answered with some bitterness, remembering the tragic incident in his hometown years before. “My intention,” he continued “in applying for a position in the military service is to study the war in a practical way, to go through the Cuban soldiery if I find something that would help remedy the bad situation in our country. Then after a time I could return to our native land when necessity arises.”

Upon their return to the house, Rizal asked Valenzuela if he had an extra pistol, for he wanted to possess one. The younger man took his revolver out and gave it to Rizal, who was so delighted that in exchange he gave Valenzuela his kamuningcane and a wooden bust that Rizal himself had carved. A whistle from the Venuswas heard. The visitor and his two companions prepared their baggage and bade goodbye to Dr. Rizal, who had prepared a banca for them. The ship pulled off about past noon on the 22^ndof June and arrived at Manila on the 26^th.

In the dock at Manila, Dr. Valenzuela and his companions hired a banca, and when, after looking for a vehicle, he found the blind man’s guide quarrelling with the banquerohe tapped his kamuningcane three times against the side of the banca to call the attention of the disputants to their improper conduct. Pulling out a peso from his wallet, he handed it to the boatman but the latter, astounded, refused to accept the money and, to the surprise of those present, left without being able to utter a syllable. “Out of this incident” Dr. Valenzuela humorously recalled, “my two companions spread the news that the cane which Dr. Rizal had given me possessed magic powers.” “Unluckily some fellow from Cavite got it and it is probably still there, passing on from one hand to another.”