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126 years ago today, Jose Rizal arrives in Dapitan

By Gualberto Laput

July 17, 2018, 3:19 pm

George Aseniero, grandson of Jose Aseniero -- one of Jose Rizal's pupils in Dapitan City, stands behind Rizal's bed that the national hero gave to the Asenieros. (Photo by Gualberto M. Laput)  

 

DAPITAN CITY -- Life in this city went on as usual on Tuesday, with most people oblivious to the fact that 126 years ago on July 17, the country's national hero arrived here to start what scholars said was the last -- but the best -- four years of his life.

Asked by the Philippine News Agency (PNA) what the city would do to commemorate Jose Rizal's arrival here, City Information Officer Ronnie Jarapan said the matter is under the care of Gabriel Cad, curator of the Rizal Park under the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP).

Cad, however, said that in as much as he wanted to, he has not initiated any event for Tuesday because the NHCP has no fund for it.

He added that he was hoping that the city government would pay tribute to Rizal's arrival.

“If there is any moment in Rizal's life that has to be celebrated, it should be his arrival in Dapitan where he worked hard to build his ideal society, where people have a deep sense of dedication, service and duty to the country,” said George Aseniero, grandson of Jose Aseniero, who was one of Rizal's pupils in this city.

George said Filipinos should heed the belief of Dr. Floro Quibuyen, one of the few scholars studying Rizal, whom he quoted as saying, “Forget Rizal's martyrdom. It is how Rizal lived, not how he died, that will help us now. Instead of a national commemoration every December 30, we Filipinos should be remembering and celebrating July 17, 1892, the day Rizal arrived in Dapitan.”

Quibuyen added that “those fruitful years in Dapitan have become Rizal’s most unappreciated legacy, yet they are precisely what make Rizal singularly relevant to the 21st century.”

The stories of his stay in Dapitan were not at all times intimidating, or misconstrued to be boring topics about love of country, church abuses, ideal society, etc. Unknown to Dapitanons, a great love triangle took place in their town during the time of Rizal.

A new book entitled, “Dapitan School Boy”, written by Patricia Magdalena Laurel, great granddaughter of Rizal's sister Maria Cruz, that will be launched in October, talks about Jose Aseniero's life with the “maestro” he adored.

Laurel's book was inspired and based on Jose Aseniero's memoirs and her family's oral history. Its introduction was written by George Aseniero, who said that Laurel “has woven images, personalities and anecdotes of those fateful years in Dapitan into a story that, with a light touch and a dash of humor, is certain to charm and move the reader.”

That is partly because the book reveals that Jose Aseniero was secretly in love with Josephine Bracken, who was in an illicit relationship with Rizal. Emulating his maestro's chivalric ways, Jose Aseniero just held his heart's desire to himself.

“Learning and observing my beloved teacher in everything was my boyhood passion: his demeanor and the way he spoke; his display of love and loyalty to his family and country; his stories, writings and his art works; his sadness upon hearing the death of his childhood sweetheart Leonor (Rivera), and his forbidden, yet open, tender love for Josephine,” Jose Aseniero wrote in his memoir.

However, Rizal's sister Trinidad, in her last visit to Dapitan on April 12, 1947, told Jose Aseniero that his maestro knew all along about his feelings towards Josephine Bracken, but the national hero did not talk about it because he did not want to offend his pupil.

“Pepe said one day you would write about his incarceration in Dapitan. You were going to be the chronicler of the time spent here with him and your schoolmates. He also said you were hopelessly in love with Josephine, and he didn't make fun of you,” Jose Aseniero quoted Trinidad in his memoir.

After Rizal's death, Josephine chose to join the revolution while Jose Aseniero went back to Dapitan and lived the life that his maestro had wanted his pupils to have – having a deep sense of dedication, service and duty to the country.

Jose Aseniero served the government under the Americans, rising from the ranks until he was elected governor of Zamboanga in 1929.

“It was because of Rizal that my grandfather got a deep sense of dedication and service to country. He had an immense sense of duty that he did not see it as a career, or something to aspire for. He sees service to country as something that all of us must do,” George Aseniero told PNA.

Before Trinidad left Dapitan, George Aseniero said that she entrusted to his grandfather Josephine Bracken's blouse, saya and shoes. (PNA)

 

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