(Editor’s Note: June 19 is the 150th birth anniversary of National Hero Jose Rizal. The author is the shrine curator of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines.)
MANILA, Philippines—The story that Jose Rizal was once accused of espionage would raise eyebrows today. Though mischievous gossip about him spices up classroom discussions, the idea that he was an undercover agent would seem preposterous.
To generations brought up on Tom Cruise in “Mission: Impossible” or Daniel Craig as the debonair James Bond, a sartorial Rizal in his bowler hat and overcoat doesn’t fit the stereotype. But the accusation was actually made during his sojourn in Berlin, as recounted by his companion Dr. Maximo Viola in his diary.
Rizal was no ordinary tourist wandering aimlessly in cities he visited. With a Baedeker guidebook in hand and a pedometer in his pocket, he would walk to a city’s historic and cultural sites, sample the local fare and, presumably, ask locals about their customs.
Perhaps the locals regarded him with amusement—or awe, because Rizal was fluent in several European languages. It would have been no surprise if the local police suspected his inquisitiveness as “fishing for information,” as had happened in what Viola described as “a rare incident that occurred in the life of our Rizal [in] Berlin.”
Viola recounted in his diary a conversation one morning between Dr. F. Jagor and Rizal, where he overheard “threats of deportation” against the latter.
After Jagor left, he and Rizal talked about the matter.
Passport
This was Viola’s narration:
“The chief of police had visited [Rizal] very early asking him for his passport, and as he didn’t have any with him, he was advised to show it at the police prefecture within four days from that date. Otherwise, he would be conducted under guard to one of the German frontiers.
“Immediately we applied for the required passport at the Spanish Legation located in a distant … district of the Jews. After many comings and goings, so many promises, and the expiration of the 4-day term, it turned out that the Count of Benomar, the ambassador … of the Spanish government [in] Berlin, had no power to issue [a] passport. …
“Vexed, … we went to the police prefecture, not without cursing the Spanish regime, and there was exposed in satirical tone the solemn blunder committed by no less than an ambassador who, after promising so much and making us waste time in going back and forth, learned at the 11th hour that it was not within his power to issue such a document.
“And now, lacking time to apply to another competent Spanish authority to give him such a document which, never in his travels in France was required of him, [Rizal] placed himself unconditionally under the orders of the established government.”
‘Spy’ for France …
Viola wrote that after deliberating on Rizal’s travail, the chief of police told him that he was being asked to present a passport due to his “visiting cities, towns and villages, even the smallest and insignificant, with more or less prolonged sojourns in all and each one of them, and establishing certain personal relations with some of their inhabitants.”
He continued his narration thus:
“The government, in view of the investigations made and the information furnished by the different police precincts, had interpreted all those steps taken by Rizal as acts of espionage in favor of the government of France. (At that time, the relations were strained between Germany and France.)
“To all this Rizal replied that it was true that he had been in the various points in Germany alluded to, not for any illicit motive but for purely instructive purpose.
“Desiring to study the ethnography of the nation, he had adopted the principle of making his preliminary investigation in the towns or smallest villages where the customs and ways of living of the people are simple and natural, unlike in the large cities where those characteristics were more or less modified by artificial culture.
“In view of these explanations and perhaps of secret reports, the chief of police was satisfied and since then there were no more threats of deportation.”
… And for Germany
Rizal must have been dumbfounded by all the attention, and brooded over who might have told the German authorities of his activities.
The speculations were that with Rizal’s increasing popularity for his incisive articles in the Propagandists’ newspaper La Solidaridad, his enemies might have instigated the deed. It is not implausible because during his homecoming in 1887, he was branded a German spy.
In a letter to Ferdinand Blumentritt in September 1887, Rizal wrote: “My father does not allow me to go out alone or eat in another house. The old man fears and trembles for me. They take me for a German spy, an agent of Bismarck, a Protestant, a Mason, a wizard, a soul halfway to damnation, etc. So I prefer to stay at home.
“The constabulary firmly believes all this and spreads the word around that I am plotting. The corporal (born in Madrid) thinks I have a foreign passport and that I roam about at night.
“I am in the hands of God and my destiny. Let come what may!”
Encrypted messages
While Rizal may not have engaged in espionage, he was adept in creating and using subterfuge cryptograms.
A cryptogram contains an encrypted message that needs to be decoded using a cipher key. Simple cryptograms use a substitution cipher; each letter in the text is replaced by another letter, and to find the message, one must discover the alphabet pattern employed.
Rizal encrypted several passages in his diary entries to veil his feelings toward certain persons.
On Jan. 4, 1883, he wrote: “… Violent discussion on Lobo Street about the ticket hawkers. I decided not to take part in the discussion and so I didn’t. Padsi ce burvendi cili pese qua ta hefem psarodamla. Tala rofua eum amenisedi da Vimruati: vsai qua damlsi da pivi ta enesé ye namir.”
A contemporary, the eminent Spanish novelist Miguel de Unamuno, writing to Rizal’s biographer Wenceslao E. Retana, said he had worked out the cipher key to uncover the message: “In these ciphered phrases Rizal substituted the letters in the first line for those below:
a e i o c f g l m n r s t v
e a o i v g f t n m s r l c
“He left out the letters u, b, d, h, j, p, q, y. Apply and you’ll see that it says: ‘Pedro is looking for votes so that he will be made president. Lete is still in love with Consuelo; I believe that shortly he’ll love her less.’ Knowing the key, it is already easy to decipher the other ciphered phrases.”
Pedro Paterno
It is amusing to learn that Rizal did not think much of compatriot Pedro Paterno’s ambition to control the Círculo Hispano-Filipino, and was resentful of rival Eduardo Lete’s affections for the woman they both fancied, Consuelo Pérez Ortiga.
But while apparently displeased with his friends, Rizal was civil with them, and literally concealed his views to himself.
He also criticized the Paternos for deceiving a fellow Filipino student: “I went to class. The law students refused to enter while the decrees were not revoked. Lete came to thank me on behalf of C.O. At night Esteban was here; we talked of various … Pelasmitahearptilediomdofmenamla.Tahepsinalodipefesrurdauderpesehevastalsecejesdarpuarmihequasodipefesmede …”
(Decoded: Paterno has exploited him harshly. He promised to pay his debts in order to make him work and afterwards, he didn’t want to pay him anything.)
Who among the Paterno brothers was Rizal referring to and who was the victim of the deception? Was it the common friend, Esteban? Rizal must have sympathized with the victim and was vexed by the perpetrator’s ruthlessness.
According to Retana, the Paternos, especially Pedro Paterno, lived ostentatiously in Madrid, and while Rizal was acquainted with them, he was never invited to any of their banquets because he was too poor to afford a dress coat.
‘Taimis’
In other passages, Rizal expressed tenderness for his fiancée Leonor Rivera (nicknamed Taimis): “I received two letters—one from Uncle Antonio, 2 December and another from P., 30 November. Te vesle da Taimis ar vesoñire y vim um gomet da tir ner efsedebtar.”
(Decoded: Leonor’s letter is loving with a most pleasant ending.)
But he occasionally doubted the sincerity of her love: “Tonight I had a very sad dream. I imagined I returned to the Philippines, but what a sad reception! My parents did not show up and Taimisheboerodiomgoatpasidaumeomgodatodedlemfsemdaquamilamoesanadoi …”
(Decoded: Leonor had been unfaithful; but her infidelity was so great that it had no remedy.)
Did Rizal intuit that Leonor would eventually marry another man, Charles Henry Kipping, in 1890?
Like the cryptograms he devised, Rizal continues to be an enigma, with his wide range of interests remarkably augmenting his talents.
Many more layers will surely be uncovered by diligent historians sifting through Rizal’s diaries and letters, revealing the complexities of his erudite mind.
The National Historical Commission of the Philippines has organized various events in celebration of Rizal’s sesquicentennial birth anniversary. For details, log on to www.nhi.gov.ph.
More News:
Aquino backs FOI bill, insists aide
Palace: No war with bishops over reproductive health bill
Dengue cases in Philippines up by 16%
INQUIRER.net poll: 40% of respondents think Aquino’s SONA excellent
Aquino’s RH bill endorsement an open war on Church, bishops say
Despite Aquino snub, FOI will be pushed, lawmaker vows
Palace defends use of last year’s crime stats in SONA
Aquino can’t stop Charter change moves—Palace
Aquino submits P2-trillion budget to Congress
Palace: No road map needed for ‘daang matuwid’
Palace names Rojas permanent NBI chief
Aquino statement on responsible parenthood ‘safe’ , says Sotto
Luisita lands should be distributed in one year, says farmers group leader
Guingona says Aquino’s SONA surpassed his expectations
Aquino: Philippines is no longer a joke
6,000 cops block 5,000 protesters hurling stones
House ‘Great Wall’ shrine to historic impeachment
Aquino: Nothing is impossible
Scores hurt as protesters clash with cops
Aquino defends new mining policy
Aquino: We’ve proven the impossible possible
Aquino’s ‘good news’ not in sync with reality—Casiño
No mention of RH bill in Sona, says Sotto
Mining, sin tax bills should be passed, says Drilon
Aquino vows to step up infrastructure development
Aquino calls ARMM governor ‘certified ghost buster’
Police say Aquino Sona peaceful despite clash
Clash with cops resulted from ‘frustration,’ say militants
Binay gives Aquino Sona a ‘9’
Villar rates Aquino’s Sona ‘good’
Ombudsman Morales extolled in Aquino Sona
AFP to get more equipment, aircraft next year – Aquino
Aquino says reforms now the norm
Ex-President Estrada, senators assess Aquino gov’t
`Kayo po ang gumawa ng pagbabago. SONA ito ng sambayanang Pilipino’
Aquino won’t ‘forgive and forget’ sins of past administration
Aquino sees 10M tourists coming to PH by 2016
Aquino lauds gov’t improved risk reduction capability
Aquino says 3.1M jobs created in past 2 years
Aquino: Classroom shortage problem solved before 2014
Aquino tells legislators: Pass Sin Tax bill
Aquino draws cheer for mentioning possible passage of RH bill
Clash erupts again on Commonwealth Avenue, 2 media members injured
Philippines now open for business – Aquino
Aquino: Reformed PhilHealth reaches more poor people
Aquino opens 3rd Sona with attack on past administration
Aquino arrives in House for Sona
Protesters clash with cops in front of Ever Gotesco
Cayetano on charter change proponents: Proceed with caution
Lawmakers urged to pass K+12, RH bills
Protesters remove steel barricade near Ever Gotesco in Quezon City
Protesters burn Aquino effigy
15th Congress sessions open for Aquino’s third Sona
Enrile wants to hear Aquino’s plan on job creation
De Venecia, Bartolome, Carpio arrive at the House for Sona 2012
Charter change among Senate’s priorities—Enrile
Protesters call Aquino’s 2-year rule pro-foreigners, ‘mostly talk than work’
21 senators present at early Monday session; Pangilinan, Santiago absent
Militant farmers’ group clashes with police on Commonwealth Avenue
Media members affiliated with government TV stations join Sona 2012 protesters
235 lawmakers present at House’s early Monday session for 2012 Sona
Senate opens pre-Sona session
What the nation wants to hear
Police blockage on Commonwealth Avenue violates BP 880, says Bayan
Rains expected on SONA day–Pagasa
Protesters mass near Congress ahead of Aquino’s speech
Classes suspended in some Metro schools due to bad weather
Protesters told: Bring umbrellas, raincoats
PNP units on full alert for anti-Sona rallies
Sen. Arroyo to skip fashion parade of legislators
Palace vows ‘truthful, inspiring’ 3rd SONA
Senator Trillanes says won’t attend Aquino SONA
OK all the way, thumbs down on quite a few
Heavy rains forecast for Sona
PNP assures Sona protesters cops will not carry guns
Corona expects more attacks from Aquino, says he’s moved on
Palace hit for blaming courts on human rights slays
Congress pushes Charter change
Lawmakers voice out what they expect to hear from Aquino’s 3rd Sona
Liberal Party not aggressively recruiting—Belmonte
Arroyo seeks bishops’ prayers ‘to accept things she could no longer change’
Genuino charged over P258-M coffee overprice
Arroyo wants to stop P366-M PCSO case
About time you quit blaming Arroyo, militants tell Aquino
Militant group leaders snub pre-SONA dialogue with cops
CCT goal of easing poverty still way off
Some 5,000 cops to be deployed in Congress for Aquino speech
Not one human rights violator convicted–CHR chief
Gov’t reforms take roots at ‘cheating capital’ of PH
Ombudsman is Aquino’s key weapon vs graft
PSG inspects House ahead of President Aquino’s SONA
House preparations on high gear for Aquino State of the Nation Address
It’s official: Morales new Ombudsman
At A Glance
‘Thank you, my Bosses’
State of the Nation Address
Militants burn Aquino effigy
Militants gather at St. Peter’s Church
Farmers stopped from crossing police line
Arroyo arrives at House of Representatives
Some 5,000 cops, MMDA personnel deployed vs militants
Traffic build up on southbound lane of Commonwealth Ave. in QC
Militants prepare for ‘PeNoy’ effigy burning on Monday
President to focus on transformation
Anti-corruption drive gains top Aquino SONA—Palace
Traffic re-routing scheme for Monday in QC’s Commonwealth area
Lintang Bedol arrives in Camp Crame
Hardy Filipinos fly flag, fight loneliness on Kalayaan isle
Aquino reports to the boss (Part 1)