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Tuesday, May 24, 2011

REKINDLING THE FLAME ON THIS APPEAL FOR RCC's RETRACTION FORGERY HOAX

Subject: SEEKING CHURCH'S APOLOGY, RE: RIZAL "RETRACTION"

HEREWITH Is a special request for support by all concerned to this appeal to the Roman Catholic hierarchy in the Philippines to make amends regarding the Rizal's forgery hoax, in the manner that the Vatican also recognized, after the lapse of centuries, the Galileo thesis that the earth is round, thus vindicating the vital role of science in the life of mankind.

In saying that Dr. Jose Rizal retracted, it was supposed that he disowned, or as if he admitted he was in error in all that he had written and published against the Roman Catholic church, particularly in his two novels, the Noli Me Tangere, and the El Filibusterismo, and many other writings, courageously directed against the Spanish friars in this country during his time.

The Spanish friars' "project retraction" started from the first day of Rizal's exile in Dapitan in early July 1892, and which was entrusted particularly by the Jesuit order headed by Fr. Pablo Pastells -- chief of the Jesuits in the Philippines in the 1890s -- to Father Sanchez, head of the Jesuit mission house in Dapitan, who was specifically assigned to convince Rizal to retract in exchange for his stay in the Jesuit mission house and, much later, as a condition prior to his marriage to Josephine Bracken in a formal religious ceremony.

Rizal, however, chose to stay with his military guard, Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade. Much later, he and Josephine lived as husband and wife, without benefit of a church wedding.

At the time, there were already brewing discontent among Filipinos, as a result of Spanish abuses which became more glaring from the people's readings of Rizal's novels. There was also a war in Cuba against Spain, and to distance himself from complicity in the brewing turmoil in the homeland, Rizal volunteered to serve as a war physician in Cuba, which was approved by the Spanish authorities.

Immediately following Rizal's exile, with the scuttling of the La Liga Filipina which he had previously organized -- to establish a national cooperative which would work for reforms before authorities in Spain -- Andres Bonifacio founded the Katipunan to fight for liberty against Spain by force of arms. He secretly sent Pio Valenzuela to Dapitan, to convince Rizal to lead the national revolution. The latter however, owing to his extensive knowledge about other nations' fight for freedom from foreign rule, advised against the suicidal inclination of his compatriots -- due to lack of armaments and knowledge of modern warfare.

Could it be possible that with his decision to volunteer for service in the Cuban war, he had secret plans to direct the Philippine campaign for liberation from there? After having joined forces with Marti, and consolidate efforts against the Spanish rule? It is too late in the day to discuss the pros and cons of this assumption.

In late 1896, on his way to the Cuban war, Rizal was re-arrested in Barcelona, and shipped back to the Philippines as a prisoner; jailed at Fort Santiago, summarily tried on a charge of treason, for complicity with the sporadic uprisings against Spanish authorities, pronounced guilty and sentenced to be executed at Bagumbayan field, now the Luneta. And in the early morning of 30 December 1896, during Rizal's last precious moments "the indefatigable Jesuits hoped to finally wear down his resistance and, working with the precision of a mental third degree their expert exorcisors took turns to work on and 'convert' him.

"Striving all those years from Dapitan to Rizal's Cell in Fort Santiago, the entire Jesuit Order here labored, like the proverbial mountain, and brought forth not a mouse, but a demon! The demon was that perfidious 'retraction letter' with which the Roman Catholic Church had hoodwinked the Filipino people" and all the world for the last 115 years!

When the retraction story was first published in Madrid on the day following Rizal's execution, there was no document of retraction shown. It was announced nonchalantly that the document of "retraction" was entrusted to Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda of Manila for his keeping.

There came about, however, serious complications. It turned out that there were separately published three retractions with minor variations in texts. The first was by Fr. Pio Pi, SJ in his La Muerte Cristiana del Dr. Rizal -- 1907, in Spain. Another was by Fr. Manuel Garcia, CM in his "Cultura Social" on July 18, 1935; still another was by Fr. Francisco A. Ortiz, SJ.

Moreover, there were also discrepancies in dates. In his published work, RIZAL in 1950, Dr. Jose M. Fernandez had the retraction date as 29 de Diciembre 1890; not 1896.

The same thing happened with the Selected Readings from Rizal, in 1959, by Ricardo C. Bassig; also 1890, not 1896.

A pamphlet, "I abjure masonry" (attributed to Rizal) was published in 1950 by San Beda College, wherein the "0" in 1890 appeared as a capital letter C, as in a half-moon.

In 1956 Dr. Jesus M. Cavanna's RIZAL'S UNFADING GLORY had the number 6 in the year 1896 well written. However, in the 1961 HISTORY FOR HIGH SCHOOLS by Dr. Gregorio F. Zaide, the number "6" in 1896 had a different shape, or form.

When Dr. Ricardo Pascual wrote RIZAL BEYOND THE GRAVE in 1950, and with the discrepancies already discovered, the forger was not yet known. The full story came to light with the publication in 1962 of The FORGERY of the RIZAL 'RETRACTION' and JOSEPHINE'S 'AUTOBIOGRAPHY' by Prof. Ildefonso T. Runes and a Thirty-Third Degree Mason, Engr. Mamerto M. Buenafe.

* * * *

Following the publication in Madrid in early 1897 of the retraction by Dr.. Rizal, the church authorities, principally the Jesuits announced that the original retraction document was entrusted to Manila Archbishop Norberto Nozaleda. But it was never shown.

Ordinary readers need first to understand the term "retraction" or "to retract," meaning, that our national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, was portrayed as to have taken back, or disowned, as if he was in error in all that he had said, written and published, particularly his novels -- the Noli Me Tangere and the El Filibusterismo, and all other else he had said and published contrary to religious teachings by the Spanish friars.

In late 1896, on his way to the Cuban war, Rizal was re-arrested in Barcelona, and shipped back to the Philippines as a prisoner; jailed at Fort Santiago, summarily tried for complicity with the sporadic uprisings against Spanish authorities, pronounced guilty of treason and sentenced to be executed at Bagumbayan field, now the Luneta. And in the early morning of 30 December 1896, during Rizal's last precious moments "the indefatigable Jesuits hoped to finally wear down his resistance and, working with the precision of a mental third degree their expert exorcisors took turns to work on and 'convert' him.

"Striving all those years from Dapitan to Rizal's Cell in Fort Santiago, the entire Jesuit Order here labored, like the proverbial mountain, and brought forth not a mouse, but a demon! The demon was that perfidious 'retraction' with which the Roman Catholic Church had hoodwinked the Filipino people and all the world for the last 115 years!

When the retraction story was first published in Madrid on the day following Rizal's execution, there was no document of retraction shown. Nonchalantly, it was announced that the letter of "retraction" was given to Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda of Manila for his keeping.

There came about, however, serious complications. As it turned out, there were separately published three retractions with minor variations in texts. The first was by Fr. Pio Pi, SJ in his La Muerte Cristiana del Dr. Rizal -- 1907, in Spain. Another was by Fr. Manuel Garcia, CM in his "Cultura Social" on July 18, 1935; still another was by Fr. Francisco A. Ortiz, SJ.

Moreover, there were also discrepancies in dates. In his published work, RIZAL in 1950, Dr. Jose M. Fernandez had the retraction date as 29 de Diciembre 1890; not 1896.

The same thing happened with the Selected Readings from Rizal, in 1959, by Ricardo C. Bassig; also 1890, not 1896.

A pamphlet, "I abjure masonry" (attributed to Rizal) was published in 1950 by San Beda College, wherein the "0" in 1890 appeared as a capital letter C, as in a half-moon.

In 1956 Dr. Jesus M. Cavanna's RIZAL'S UNFADING GLORY had the number 6 in the year 1896 well written. However, in the 1961 HISTORY FOR HIGH SCHOOLS by Dr. Gregorio F. Zaide, the number "6" in 1896 had a different shape, or form.

When Dr. Ricardo Pascual wrote in 1950 RIZAL BEYOND THE GRAVE, and with the discrepancies already discovered, the forger was not yet known. The full story came to light with the publication in 1962 of The FORGERY of the RIZAL 'RETRACTION' and JOSEPHINE'S 'AUTOBIOGRAPHY' by Ildefonso T. Runes and Engr. Mamerto M. Buenafe, a Thirty-Third Degree Mason.

Following the publication in Madrid in early 1897 of the retraction by Dr.. Rizal, the church authorities, principally the Jesuits announced that the original retraction document was entrusted to Manila Archbishop Norberto Nozaleda. But the original retraction document was never shown.

Who was the forger and how was he discovered? A former Guardia Civil named Lazaro Segovia under the Spanish colonial government was among those taken captive and held prisoner by the forces of General Urbano Lacuna in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija during the war against Spain. Segovia's story of having been kind to Dr. Rizal as the guard assigned to serve as escort when the hero was rearrested in Barcelona and shipped back to Manila to stand trial for complicity in the Katipunan uprisings endeared the former civil guard to Lacuna and became one of his trusted aides.

However, when Lacuna's forces were routed by the conqueror Frederick Funston of the US Army who overran the former revolutionary capital in San Isidro, Segovia became one of Funston's prisoners who, as a former Spanish civil guard, easily earned the confidence of Funston. Segovia served as an interpreter and secret agent. Upon capture by Funston, and discovery of Gen. Lacuna's correspondences, it was ascertained that General Aguinaldo was holed in Palanan, Isabela and was also asking for reinforcements from Lacuna. Funston was then in dire need of a man with the golden arm. And Segovia was the valuable link!

The wily Segovia was again highly instrumental in introducing to
Funston an expert penman, by the name of Roman Roque, a former Katipunan soldier captive, who was also taken in as clerk-interpreter at Funston's headquarters. Roque was utilized by Funston to imitate the signature of General Lacuna, and after painstaking practice, was able to sign on the Lacuna stationery with the general's printed name on the letterhead.

The forged letter of Lacuna was used by Funston with the help of another Katipunero renegade, Hilario Tal Placido, in a dramatic ruse at President Aguinaldo's Revolutionary capital in Palanan, from where the President of the First Philippine Republic was captured on March 23, 1901.

News of the Aguinaldo capture became a sensation in Manila, and perhaps all over the world! And the forged letter of General Lacuna was the vital instrument which led to the capture of Aguinaldo.

Who was the forger?

The long awaited moment for the architects of Rizal's retraction grasped the opportunity. The forger's recruiter, Lazaro Segovia, was sought. He was by then the manager of a sugar central in Mindoro, and which was owned by the clergy. Again, Lazaro Segovia was commissioned to get Roman Roque.

Several months later, during conversations with prominent residents in the home of Antonio Abad when the young man celebrated his 15th birthday on August 13, 1901 in San Isidro, Nueva Ecija, Roman Roque who was a close neighbor of the Abads were among the celebrant's well-wishers. During conversations with the community elders, Roque disclosed that he was fetched by Lazaro Segovia from San Isidro not long after the news of Aguinaldo's capture. He was taken to Manila, and made to stay at Hotel Quatro Naciones in Intramuros, where he worked on the forging of Rizal's penmasnhip.

He made about five copies of the forgery letter as prepared by the priests he said.. He thought of keeping one for himself; but when searched upon departure, his copy was taken from him, as the priests would need an additional copy, he was told.

Roque worked on the forging task for about ten days, he recalled. When asked how much he was paid for the job, he revealed that he was given the equivalent of his salary for two months in the government service. San Isidro residents remembered that Roque was away from their town for about two weeks.

That ends the saga of the Rizal "retraction" forgery, for the benefit of our national hero's "fair hope of the motherland."


The time has also come for the Roman Catholic hierarchy to make a clean breast of the forgery lie, and seek forgiveness from the Filipino people -- in the same manner that the Vatican made amends for the sordid fate of Galileo, etc. so as to put to rest the "forgery controversy" in line with the RCC's teachings of seeking forgiveness by making amends to the aggrieved -- the whole Philippine nation and this country's posterity. Only in that manner may the Rizal's retraction controversy be put to rest.

At upang ang mariing sumpa ng Langit sa ating Inang Bayan at susunod pang mga saling-lahi ay maparam!

'KUNG SAAN TAYO NADAPA AY DUON DIN TAYO BABANGON!"

Irineo Perez Goce (aka) Ka Pule2
Laong Laan :: 185, Quezon City -- Mother (LML)
Lodge Perla del Oriente No. 1034, SC, Manila -- Affiliate
Quezon City Bodies, A&ASR -- (LML)
Hon Mbr ::s -- Rafael Palma :: 147, QC
Capitol City :: 174, QC
Mabini-Kalaw :: 195, Lipa City
Andres Bonifacio :: 199, (for) Caloocan City
(ChM)
Dr. Jose P. Laurel :: 325. Tanauan City
(Founder-ChM)
C/L: Lungsod ng LIPA (Batangas), Pilipinas

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