Jay Julean: Jose Rizal, Dapitan's First Architect

Dapitan’s history can be traced back before the Spanish settlers came in. The first settlers were the Subanen tribe (a nomadic tribe said to be from the Indonesia) who dwelt and get their foods on the river banks. Being afraid to be attacked by the pirates, the natives were forced to movo to hinterlands to secure their living.

The early people of Dapitan make houses made of nipa and bamboos. Because they moved to the hinterlands, they were forced to make tree houses to protect themselves from environmental threats. After living the threats of nature for a couple of years, the Subanen made a terrestrial house which we now call the “bahay kubo”.

The “bahay kubo” is one of the earliest yet the most famous house in the Philippines during the Pre Colonial Period. This house is composed of bamboo, nipa and the “uway”(also known as strings made by pure “rattan”). The bamboo is used as the “haligi” which is the most important part of the house for this is the severe foundation of the house which lifts the house from the barren ground. The bamboos are also used as a floor by simply splitting it up in exact and proportionate ratio. After this, the “uway” binds these proportionate pieces to serve as walls and floor. When the walls and floor is okay, the upper portion of the unfinished house will be covered by the nipa by binding it by using “uway”. This house is not complete without the bamboo stairs that completes its feature and gives way to the residents of the elevated house.

According to a source of Miss Elena Abad, the area from the St James Chapel passing the St. James Church, the RMI Campus, Lourdes Grotto up to the foot of the Ilihan Hill is a Subanen burial ground. There is no known ancient pagan structure in Dapitan except that in the late 60's to early 70's, when these areas were developed, found among the diggings/excavations were porcelain jars, vases, plates, trinkets, complete set of jewelries,etc. Some of these were sent to Manila for carbon dating and it was found out to be dating back to the Ming Dynasty in China History.

But in spite of the lack of evidence about Paganism in Dapitan, local historians and scholars believed that Subanens are Pagans by belief, they worship anything so that they will be blessed. The Paganic belief system was more elaborated when the natives formed “human-like” figures through wood carving and clay molding. The presence of these figures gives the historians an idea of the early society in Dapitan. These figures do not only functions as societal indicators of the ancient people of Dapitan but it also serve as an indication of the ancient belief of the early natives. These figures serve as a representation of their “anitos” who helped them whenever problems strike their families. The “anitos” are figures of semi human in shape but the elements of exaggerations are present. Some of these figures possess larger ear size. Some of it doesn’t have eyes and even some don’t have face. “Anitos” also are representation of the ancestral presence of their departed ancestors.

Dapitan is a thriving settlement when Miguel Lopez de Legaspi set foot to the place. They converted the Pagan natives to Christians including Pedro Manooc and Maria Uray, the children of Datu Pagbuaya , the first datu of Dapitan. The Augustinian friars that come together with Legaspi took the honor of establishing the church right at the center of Dapitan.

Dapitan followed the Reduccion style that the friars were planning. This was later the first attempt of lay outing Dapitan into a more favorable settlement of the natives. Under the Reduccion system is the establishment of the “poblacion”. The “poblacion” is a master plan of the friars on which it petitions to make a plaza at the center of the city which the church is located. Along with the Reduccion system is the replacement of the “bahay kubo” into a “bahay na bato”.

The “bahay na bato” is a house on which it is composed of two storeys. The lower part of this house is made by stones and the upper is made of wood. The additional feature of this house is its “asotea” which is located at the upper part of the house.

The proliferation of Christianity in Dapitan influences mostly all the natives lifestyle. The Pagan belief was vanquished when the Spanish came in. The “anitos” were now abandoned by the natives because their fidelity and faith was in the Lord God at that time. The abolishment of the “anitos” paved way to the making of another sculptures we call saints. The oldest restored sculpture of saint was the “Our Lady of Lourdes” which it is placed at the churchyard and was later made a grotto for the devotion of the natives.

On July 17, 1892, the country’s national hero, Jose Rizal docked at the shores of the Sta. Cruz beach together with 4 other companions who accompanied Rizal to the land of his exile. It is believed that the Governor General throw Rizal to Dapitan because it is an isolated community of the south.

Rizal did not spend his four years in Dapitan crying or lamenting his fate. Instead, Rizal made fruitful works in Dapitan for the benefits of the residents. Jose Rizal was the one who first installed the first Water System in Dapitan by connecting a series of bamboo from the mountain springs towards the city.

Because of his luck, he won at a lottery and the money was later use to buy a residential lot at Talisay, Dapitan. Here, he made poetry and write ups regarding the present state of Philippines. It is not only poetry that Rizal made, he also made sculptures which has an identical features to the anitos of the natives. Giving some twists to these sculptures, Rizal made a breakthrough of improving the “anito-inspired” sculptures. He made a twist that gives a more realistic look to the sculptures.

In his residential also, he restored the “bahay kubo” on which his house is most likely to be. But the nice thing about this is that the “bahay kubo” that he made was a combination of the ancient style and his own creative imagination. This resulted to a “bahay kubo” with octagonal shape and is highly elevated to the ground compared to the ancient one.

Jose Rizal also made a breakthrough in arts in Dapitan. He was the one who designed the City Plaza with a twist of a European taste. It is believed that the plaza has an identical garden in Europe which Rizal based its style. Rizal bordered the plaza with santan and red gumamela and he also planted acacia trees in the plaza to give a better impression. It’s style remained until today without any interventions except the elevated border which was constructed in 1996. The total land area of the plaza is less than a hectare

Also one of his masterpieces was the relief map of Mindanao which has an area of 900 square meters. The map was based in Father Murilio Velarde’s scientific map. Rizal was assisted by his professor in Ateneo, Fr. Francisco Paula Sanchez. The map was first bordered with stones. Inside these borders, Rizal planted grasses so that it will grow all over inside the border. After how many months, Rizal’s attempt was in success.

Rizal doesn’t limit his service to Dapitan. As a matter of fact, he was the one who designed the main altar of Dapitan’s twin city, Dipolog. He was the one who lay out the altars of the most common figures of the Catholics.

After Rizal’s execution in Luneta on December 30, 1896, Dapitan mourned for the lost of the man who turned Dapitan a better place to live. In honor to his great martyrdom, The Dapitanons made his residential lot a historical place. There, the curator kept all Rizal’s work in Dapitan. A large museum was also made inside the lot. In the museum, all of Rizal’s work was kept with tender care. This is now what we call the Rizal Park.

The Ilihan Hill Stairs made the Dapitanon remember Jose Rizal. The stairs were made to help the people access the hilltop where Jose Rizal made study about ancient ceramics and biological studies about plants and animals which he contributed in many Biology books.

The best art piece of Dapitan honoring Rizal is the “Punto de Desembaco de Rizal in Dapitan. This is an artwork on which it is a picture play glorifying the historical arrival of Rizal. According to the tourism article, “The Punto which is a ten feet tall monument valued at thirty five million pesos, marks the spot where Rizal first set foot in Dapitan 117 years ago at the Santa Cruz beach. It is an elevated and semi circular structure and has an area of about 1,500 square meters. It have both aesthetic and functional purposes. At the raised center are five bronze cast larger-than-life human statues and a boat valued at fifteen million pesos.”

Dapitan is not just any ordinary city here in the Philippines because not only it shelters the National Hero for 4 years but it is also the working yard of our hero to develop his potentials in arts.