Twin Treats in D Major: Dapitan and Dakak
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By Amadis Ma. Guerrero
(Fe) Yo la tengo, y yo espero que ha de brillar un dia/
en que venza la Idea a la fuerza brutal.
(Faith) I have it, and I foresee that a day will dawn/
when the Idea will triumph over brutal force.
-- Rical, "Mi Retiro (My Retreat)"
Dapitan, Zamboanga (1892-96)
One hundred and two years after his death, national hero Jose Rizal - novelist, poet, essayist, physician, linguist, sculptor and playboy - still casts a long shadow over the district where he spent the last four years of his life in exile: Dapitan, the verdant, green-laden Shrine City of Zamboanga del Norte.
Coming from Dipolog City and approaching Dapitan, the traveler immediately feels the difference. The panorama is exhilarating: On your left is Dapitan Bay, and on your right the mountains and trees.
The
highway is smooth and well-maintained. And mangrove
swamps, waving coconut palms, and a tributary of the
bay welcome you to the clean, quaint, and historic
city.
City Hall exemplified the ambience of Dapitan, for its architecture is imposing and old-world. Complementing this, around the plaza, are a monument to Rizal and several lovely, well-preserved ancestral homes. There is an airy but lived-in and caring atmosphere about Dapitan, something that is not always present in other Philippine cities and towns.
Standing guard over the plaza is the stone Church of St. James, constructed by the Jesuits in the 1870s, with its stark, striking faade, its twin belfries providing perfect symmetry. Plaques inside the church (in English and Tagalog) inform us that "on this spot Rizal stood while hearing Mass every Sunday during his exile here..."
In the church courtyard are a prewar, globe-shaped monument with plaques (this time in Spanish and English), and a relief map in grass of Mindanao, carved out by Rizal the sculptor. Identified are the bays and coastal area of the big island.
The markers remind visitors that the hero "spent four years of banishment in this town (from July 17, 1892 to July 31, 1896), freely devoting his energy, intelligence and property to the economic and social needs of the district, and his skill as engineer, farmer, teacher and surgeon for the benefit of the community of which he was an involuntary resident."
Gingerly, photographer Benjie Espartero and I ascend the belfry to get a better look at the fascinating relief map; and then we are rewarded with a commanding view of this city which is bracketed by sea and mountains.
For the history-conscious tourist, another must-see is the Rizal National Park by the bay in Talisay, a short drive from the city proper.
The park features sturdy replicas of Rizal's clinic and residence, which the hero fondly described as "my hut so plain" -- actually a big bahay-kubo (nipa hut) type of cottage. The house was in disarray when we were there, for a feature film on Rizal ("Dapitan" directed by Tikoy Aguiluz and starring Albert Martinez) was being shot.
Near the house is an "Ancient Historical Tree" which Rizal "personally nurtured and cared for," notes the sign.
In the community school established by Rizal, the following subjects were taught: reading, writing, languages (Spanish and English), geography, history, mathematics (arithmetic, algebra and geometry), industrial work, nature study, morals and gymnastics.
The names of the three who administered oral examinations are given, along with the 24 pupils of Rizal (all boys). Why were the girls not educated?
On sale at the Rizaliana shrine, which contains a library and an historical exhibit, are such souvenir items as Centennial T-shirts, dŽcor, bracelets, pendants, coins and purses.
What is not a replica in the park is the Mi Retiro Rock or Lovers' Rock overlooking the bay, and with a stairway apparently man-made. Here, Rizal and Josephine Bracken "spent many romantic moments."
And it was here, presumably, that the poet wrote "Mi Retiro (My Retreat)," one of his longest and best poems, although critical opinion is divided. Antonio Manuud, for one, considers "Mi Retiro" better than "Mi Ultimo Adios (My Last Farewell)," but Nick Joaquin has lambasted it as "boring."
From history and literature to a jet-set hideaway.
In
the Dapitan barangay of Taguilon, a 15-minutes drive
from the city proper, lies the Dakak Park Beach Resort.
It is set amidst towering cliffs, palm trees, well-tended
lawns, hidden cottages, a white-sand beach cove, and
two swimming pools with running water cascading along
the plants.
The beach is inviting, but there's a sign cautioning swimmers against jellyfish. A balikbayan visitor once complained in a letter to the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the warning sign was put up only after she had been severely bitten by jellyfish.
You might say that the Dakak of the Jalosjos family offers a different kind of retreat from the Dapitan of Rizal.
From Topical Splendor, 1998, Pasig City: Anvil Publishing, Inc.
Amadis Ma. Guerrero, the "intrepid traveler" as one critic referred to him, comes from a clan of writers, scientists and intellectuals. A graduate of the University of Santo Tomas, he wrote two art history books (with Purita Kalaw Ledesma as co-author), three travel books and four collections of fiction. He is executive editor of Raya Media Services, Inc.
