DR. JOSE RIZAL'S NORTH BORNEO ( SABAH) DREAM

DR. JOSE RIZAL'S NORTH BORNEO ( SABAH)  DREAM
By: Deo Antonio D. Llamas (MRHSSS)

[The image below was an article that appeared in the Sept. 4, 2002 column of columnist Ambeth Ocampo in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. It is the story of Jose Rizal's dream to establish a colony in North Borneo for the disenfranchised farmers of Laguna and Batangas.]
Allow me to post a bit of trivia on Rizal's plan on migrating Filipinos to Borneo:
He began writing the El Filibusterismo in Calamba. While in London, he made some changes in the plot and revised some chapters. He made more chapters in Paris, Madrid and Briarritz. He finished the manuscript on March 29, 1891 and had it printed in Ghent. The El Filibusterismo came out of the press on September 18, 1891.
On October 18, 1891, Dr. Rizal boarded the steamer Melbourne for Hong Kong. During his voyage he started to write his third novel ("Makamisa") in Tagalog. This novel was intended for Tagalog readers but never finished the work. He arrived in Hong Kong where he was joined by his family who was in exile due to persecution from the Spanish authorities.
Dr. Rizal conceived the establishment of a Filipino colony in Borneo. He planned to move the landless Filipino families in that virgin wilderness and call it "New Calamba."
In April 1892, Dr. Rizal went to Borneo to negotiate with the British authorities and his mission was a success. He planned to settle at Bengkoka River in Maradu River. The British government was willing to give the Filipino colonist 100,000 acres of land free of all charges for 999 years.
What was in the mind of Rizal that he desired to establish Filipino community in Sabah? He said in his letter to Ferdinand Blumentritt on February 23, 1892: “if it is impossible for me to give my country liberty. I should like to give it at least to these noble countrymen of mine in other lands”. Based on this statement, we can conclude that Rizal was apparently considering of relocating his family in Sabah where he can organize a Filipino community who would devote themselves in agriculture, he serving as the leader.
Rizal was a proponent of achieving Philippine self-government peacefully through institutional reform rather than through violent revolution, although he would support "violent means" as a last resort.
Rizal believed that the only justification for national liberation and self-government is the restoration of the dignity of the people, saying "...why independence, if the slaves of today will be the tyrants of tomorrow?"
The general consensus among Rizal scholars is that his execution by the Spanish helped to bring about the Philippine Revolution. So let us discuss this in relation to our Sabah Claim:
Are we as a people or as a nation deserves Sabah or are we worthy of Sabah and Spratlys for that matter? Will we make Sabah A BETTER PLACE and manage it better than the Malaysians or we will be the tyrants of tomorrow. Or it would be better left to this land grabbing tyrant neighbors of ours who deserves it more than we do.
We know we all have the legal rights on our claim but do we have the moral rights or moral fiber and total resolve to take back what is truly ours that we are all one in this and is willing to pay the price for such a great price abandon everything for the pearl of great price... making Sabah Philippines into a reality.
Are we united enough to fight for what is right and what is our right. Will our righteous indignation be enough? Are we ready and prepared for an all-out war or will the government betray us again as it has done several times selling our country and interest to the highest bidder as it would have happened with the ZTE deals with China?
Is this the will of God for our country and the Filipino people? For obedience is better than sacrifice. For at times God's will bring war to a nation when its people have embraced wickedness instead of righteousness. When corruptions and worldly wisdom of man prevails in the government or those who are in authority and its people.
God would send destruction whether on destructive weathers, earth quake, tsunami's, droughts and changing season on natural forces, political, economic or war itself and division, chaos within any nations or neighboring countries. Fear, confusion, terrorism, injustice, he would cut supply of food and water.For us to see.
For righteousness exalts a nation and sin is a reproach. If we are under the will of God and we truly deserve Sabah... With God NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE! He will just confuse our enemy and Malaysia will hand over Sabah without a single gunshot. Let us all humble ourselves before God and trust only in Him and everything will follow.
Sabah Philippines will be a realized vision of our National Hero Dr. Jose Rizal. Sabah for the Filipno people 150 years coming to reality before our very eyes. How lucky are we to see this. Are we worthy? Do we deserve Sabah? Are we willing to pay the price?
Change our ways and humble ourselves and call upon him.The battle is of the Lord. He will be our victory and strength. Our Hope and Salvation in him shall we trust. Sabah is a gift for the Filipino people from God which the devil has stolen away from us. Now we claim it in His name.
FOR THE DEVIL HAS COME TO STEAL, KILL AND DESTROY. When our LORD is here to give us abundant life. FOR HE IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. May he show us the way to make SABAH PHILIPPINES A REALITY... A DREAM... A VISION FULFILLED. Mabuhay ang LAHING PILIPINO. MABUHAY KA DR. JOSE RIZAL AND YOUR SABAH DREAM.

IN REFERENCE I WOULD LIKE TO POST THIS ARTICLE : 

On Dr. Jose Rizal’s Settlement Project in Sabah by Quennie Ann J. Palafox

Rizal’s Settlement Project in Sabah 

by Quennie Ann J. Palafox

 The colonization project of Rizal in Sabah was a response to the Calamba’s land crisis which all started when Governor General Terrero released a directive for the investigation of the friar estates to resolve the agrarian problems on the collection of land taxes and tenancy. Rizal was requested by the tenants of Calamba to conduct an investigation onhacienda owned by the Dominicans in Calamba and he submitted it to the Governor-General for appropriate actions. He found out that the hacienda of the Dominican Order comprised not only the lands around Calamba, but the whole town of Calamba. 

Rizal’s exposure of the miserable plight of the tenants drew resentment from the friars.To make things worse,the  Supreme Court of Madrid sided with the Dominicans and gave its recognition of the proprietorship of the land in  Calamba. It was mandated that tenants of Calamba be expelled if they fail to leave the hacienda before the date set bythe law. Rizal’s family dispossessed from the Dominican-owned hacienda in Calamba in the absence of Rizal.Governor General Weyler, who took the place of Governor-General Terrero, was sympathetic to the friars and so he deployed 50 soldiers from the peninsular regiment of artillery to drive out the poor tenants and the soldiers showed no mercy when they  burned  the houses as the tenants exceeded to the given 12 days to evacuate their belongings.

On his trip to Hong Kong, Rizal by chance met an  Englishman  Mr. W.B.  Pryor and  his  wife, who were on their way to Sabah (North Borneo)to whom Rizal had shared his idea of a Filipino settlement in Sabah.The owner of the territory the Sultan of Jolo, had it leased to the North Borneo Company in 1878 and  was duly recognized by Spain, Germany and England with the condition that Spanish sovereignty over the island of Jolo will be honored.What was in the mind of Rizal

that he desired to establish Filipino community in Sabah. He said in his letter to Blumentritt on February 23, 1892 :“If it is impossible for me to give my country liberty.I should like to give it at least to these noble countrymen of mine in other lands”. Based on this statement,we can conclude that Rizal was apparently considering of relocating his family in Sabah

where he can organize a Filipino community who would devote themselves in agriculture, he serving as the leader.

He observed in Hong Kong that Englishmen governed their colony well far from the persecutions suffered by the  natives  of  Philippines from the Spaniards. Jaena, Luna, Bautista, Blumentritt and his other friends in Europe were delighted upon hearing the plan and expressed their support to the noble venture. While the project was commendable for most of his friends, Manuel Hidalgo, Rizal’s brother-in-law was not in favor. By January of 1892, Rizal had already prepared the agreement which was to govern the settlement of the Filipino colony in its relations with Sabah.The North Borneo Company offered permanent settlement for the emigrants and the sale or lease of lands for 999 years.

 None of the settlers would render free labor or be forced to serve in the military except the territory’s sovereignty is in threat. They would rule themselves with their own laws under the safeguard of the Company. In March, Rizal received a favorable sign when Mr. Pryor saw that Sabah needed manpower, and so he invited Rizal to come over to Sandakan.The company offered to undertake construction of buildings and planting of orchards, all payable in three years. Rizal in the absence of the governor of the island entered negotiations with the acting Secretary of the Government, Mister Cook, who also had to specify in writing the conditions of the settlement. He was received by the Governor on April 6, 1892, and on the following day he left for Hong Kong on board the Memnon.

On his arrival in Hong Kong, Rizal obtained directly from Spanish Consul Governor-General Eulogio Despujol’s position  over the issue of Sabah settlement. Despujol refused to answer the letter sent by Rizal asking his permission to allow the landless Filipinos to establish a colony in Sabah. Despujol had probably played safe by not entering into an agreement involving him, nor to give publicity to the aspirations of the would-be-settlers as well as their intention to renounce their nationality. The consul whom Despujol coursed his reply, informed that the Governor-General had received his letter but he considered the Sabah project anti-patriotic as the Philippines was short of labor to cultivate its lands, and that he did not favor the establishment of Filipino community in Sabah.

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There was another incident in Pagsanjan which was called The great fire of Pagsanjan which I am posting an excerpt from the Book of Gregorio Zaide the foremost historian.

The Great Fire of 1893

The greatest calamity that befell Pagsanjan during the last decade of Spain's rule was the so-called :Great Fire of 1893." To Pagsanjeños, this was a horrendous calamity, just as the Great Fire of Rome in A.D. 64 was to the Romans. Until the present day (1970's) the old folks in town, who were eyewitness to the conflagration, still remember this terrible episode. 

On the windy evening of January 28, 1893, as most of the town people were sleeping, a fire suddenly blazed in a nipa hut near the plaza. Because many residential houses around the plaza then were made of nipa and bamboo, the fir quickly gutted them, and fanned by the winds, it whirled with roaring velocity westward along two parallel streets -- Calle Real (now Rizal Street) and Calle San Isidro (now Mabini Street) -- reducing their houses to ashes. 

All the houses from the plaza to the compound of Don Vicente Llamas on Calle Real were completely razed to the ground. The high adobe walls on Don Vicente's home finally stopped the destructive conflagration. On the San Isidro Street, the damage was equally appalling. All the houses (except the stone house of Don Pedro Rosales) on the hilly side of San Isidro Street were burned to ashes. 

To prevent the repetition of the "Great Fire of 1893", the municipal authorities prohibited the construction of nipa houses on Calle Real and around the plaza. They also established the ronda which was the nightly patrol of citizen volunteers so that in case of fire they could promptly put it out or give immediate warning to the sleeping town folks. 

It is interesting to note that the Pagsanjeños blamed their hated parish priest, Fr. Marcelino Tapetado, for the devastating fire for two reasons: (1) he did not show any sorrow at the tragic losses of the fire victims, and (2) the fire originated at the house of his favorite sacristan. 

A few days after the "Great Fire", some bold illustrados of Pagsanjan sent a written petition to Governor General Ramon Blanco (1893-96) denouncing Padre Tapetado and requesting his transfer to another parish. They were Jose Unson, Elias Lavadia, Mariano Llamas, and Roman Abaya. 

The governor general, being ignorant of the local situation, endorsed the petition to Padre Tapetado. The latter, in retaliation, denounced the authors of the petition as filibusteros, enemies of God and Spain. Since the word of the fraile (friar) during the Spanish regime was accepted as "gospel truth" by the government authorities, the four brave illustrados were soon wanted by the Guardia Civil, Lavadia and Llamas were caught and were sent into exile.