DECISION TO RETURN TO MANILA

· May, 1892- Rizal made up his mind to return to Manila.
· This decision was spurred by the following: (1) to confer with Governor Despujol regarding his Borneo
colonization project (2) to establish the La Liga Filipina in Manila (3) to prove that Eduardo de Lete was
wrong in attacking him in Madrid that he (Rizal), being comfortable and safe in Hong Kong, had abandoned the country’s cause
· Lete’s attack, which was printed in La Solidaridad on April 15, 1892, portrayed Rizal as cowardly, egoistic, opportunistic—a patriot in words only
· June 20, 1892- Rizal wrote two letters which he sealed, inscribed on each envelope “to be opened after my death” and gave them to his friend Dr. Marques for safekeeping
· The first letter, addressed TO MY PARENTS, BRETHREN, AND FRIENDS. The second letter, addressed TO THE FILIPINOS
· June 21, 1892- Rizal penned another letter in Hong Kong for Governor Despujol, incidentally his third
letter to that discourteous Spanish chief executive
· Immediately after Rizal’s departure from Hong Kong, the Spanish consul general who issued the government guarantee of safety, sent a cablegram to Governor Despujol that the victim “is in the trap”. On the same day (June 21, 1892), a secret case was filed in Manila against Rizal and his followers “for anti-religious and anti-patriotic agitation”
· Luis de la Torre- secretary of Despujol, ordered to find out if Rizal was naturalized as a German citizen