While looking for JP Rizal, we stumbled upon Emilio Jacinto

Frontispiece of Buhay at mga Sinulat ni Emilio Jacinto by Jose P. Santos (1935). This portrait of Emilio Jacinto was done by Guillermo Tolentino for the Philippine Free Press of 20 July, 1929.  The artist returned to the country in 1924 after his studies in Italy.

We were looking for Jose Rizal in the digital library collection of the University of Michigan (The United States and Its Territories, 1870-1925: The Age of Imperialism), and our digital angel led us through a maze of 1,443 matches in 417 records .

We were surprised that the angel led us to ‘Pagsusulatan nang dalauang binibini na si Urbana at ni Feliza: na nagtuturo ng mabuting kaugalian’ (Castro, 19na).  Left clicks showed Jose Rizal in three stanzas of Tagalog poems, but they're not from pen-pal conversations between the two ladies.  They were part of poetic tributes to Emilio Jacinto in Buhay at mga Sinulat ni Emilio Jacinto [Life and Writings of Emilio Jacinto] by Jose P. Santos (1935), son of Don Panyong or Epifanio de los Santos, and two of those stanzas describe an encounter between him and the national hero.

Here Jacinto was portrayed as a poor Chinese impostor in the attempt to reach Jose Rizal --

• Nagdamit-intsik kang/ pagkahiraphirap upang ibalita/ kay Gat Jose Rizal/ ang dakilang mithi nitong iyong Lupa,/ na kung mangyayari’y minsanang lumaya/ sa kamay ng Haring nagpapakasiba./ Dakilang Bayani;/ sa katutuhanan, ako’y naniniwala/ na napakatangi/ ang pag-iisip mo, diwa’t munakala,/ sa kapwa ko tao’y talagang bihira/ ang sa ginawa mo’y hindi pa hahanga. (from “Emilio Jacinto” by Julian Cruz Balmaseda) 

• Humuwad sa isang intsik na mahirap/ upang sa lihiman ay maipahayag/ kay Gat Jose Rizal ang guhit ng palad/ nitong baying ibig kumita ng lunas,/ na kung mangyayari’y sadyang mailadlad. (from “Pingkian” by Romualdo G Ramos)

Epifanio de los Santos (1918) described this episode as taking place in July 1896 when, "disguised as a Chinese cargador, he secretly introduced himself into Dr. Rizal's cabin in order to convince him that he ought to make common cause with the sons of the people."

Jose Santos mentioned two missions from Andres Bonifacio to rescue Rizal.  One was successful, where he and fellow katipunero Guillermo Masangkay pretended to be boat stewards on swab duties --

• Emilio Jacinto upang makausap lamang si Dr. Rizal na nooo'y nasa look ng Maynila, lulan ng isang lantsa, ay nang walang anu-ano'y salalapit sa tabi ni Dr. Rizal na noo'y nakikipaglaro ng ahedres sa tenyente ng mga beteranang tanod niya, ang dalawang taong may hawak na panglampaso at makailang sumagid sa tabi ni Dr. Rizal. Nahulaan naman agad ni Dr. Rizal na may mahalagang sadya sa kaniya ang mga taong ito kaya sandaling nagpaalam sa kaniyang kalaro at, nagtung o sa kaniyang silid. Nilapitan siya ng isa sa mga naglalampaso at ipinatalastas na kaya sila nagtungo roon ay sa utos ng Supremo Bonifacio at ang ibig ay agawin si Dr. Rizal sa kamay ng mga tanod na kastila, mangyari na ang mangyayari. Sinasabi ng ibang nagalit si Dr. Rizal nang marinig ang gayong pasabi sa kaniya, nguni't ang totoo raw, ayon naman sa patunay ni G. Lope K. Santos, ay walang isinagot si Dr. Rizal kundi ang huwag silang gumawa ng gayon at siya ang bahala sa kaniyang katawan. ...Ang patrono ng lantsa na nagaapelyidong Reyes ay kapatid sa katipunan, kaya nangyaring nakapasok doon si Emilio Jaeinto at ang isa pa niyang kasamang si Guillermo Masangkay (Santos). 

and an unsuccesful one where he disguised as a laundryman from Kawit  --

• Nang si Rizal ay isakay sa munting bapor "Otalora" upang ilipat sa  malaking "Castilla" (Isla de Panay," ayon sa namatay na mananalaysay na si G. Manuel Artigas at Cuerva) ay muling humabol si Emilio Jacinto at upang maisagawa ito ay nagdamit labanderong taga-Kawit, nguni't ni hindi man lamang niya nakuhang makalapit kay Dr. Rizal dahil sa ito'y natatalibaan nang mabuti (Santos). 

Cruz (1922) had another version of the first rescue operation. This one had a date, August 5, 1896, and the cast is still the same, Jacinto and Masangkay as sailors (not laundrymen nor in disguise as Chinese) on board the launch "Caridad" that will bring Rizal to the boat "Espana."

• Datapwa, ang nais ni Bonifacio, bagaman si Rizal ay di nila kaayon, ay siya'y gawing pangulong pangdangal at siya'y magawang sanggunian, bagay itong di nangyari. Nang si Rizal ay dumating sa Maynila noong ika 5 ng Agosto ng 1896 na galing sa Dapitan na pinagtapunan sa kanya, ay tinangka nina Bonifacio, Emilio Jacinto at ibang kasamahan na siya'y itanan. Si Emilio Jacinto ay nagsuot marinero. at nagsadya sa lancha "Caridad" na kinalululanan ni Rizal sa paglunsad sa bapor "Espana."Kunwa'y nagliinis, at sa isang pagkakataon ay ibinulong sa ating bayani: "Kung kayo po'y ibibilanggo, ay ililigtas namin kayo. Kami'y nahahanda." Palibhasa'y umaasa si Rizal sa kalinisan ng kanyang budhi sa matapat na pakikisama niya sa pamahalaan noon, sumagot ng gayari: "Salamat. Huwag ninyong gawin iya sa akin. Bayaan ninyo't nalalaman ko ang aking gagawin." Dahil dito, ang nais na yaon nina Bonifacio ay di nga nangyari at sa gayo'y napilitang magkasya na sa sarisarili nilang pamamatnugot ng "Katipunan." 

It doesn't really matter now how many or which of the cited rescue missions took place. But definitely, Jacinto was able to talk to his idol Jose Rizal, ang kanyang uliran sa kabutihang asal at sa panunulat (Santos).

Jacinto wrote both in Tagalog and Spanish.  Because they spoke kastilang tindahan or lenguaje de tienda at home as most of Manila people of that time did, he was not fluent in Tagalog.  It was something learned fast under the tutelage primarily of Andres Bonifacio, and pretty soon he was at the helm of the Katipunan propaganda machine.

Critics praised his Tagalog prose. Bonifacio even deferred to Jacinto's version of the Kartilya and had it officially adopted by the Katipunan.  His Liwanag at Dilim, which embodied his personal political beliefs, had been deemed as the Katipunan political ideology as well.  It may be worth to check if the ideals defined under these section headings--Ang Ningning at Ang Liwanag (Light and Glitter), Kalayaan (Liberty), At Tayo'y Magkakapantay (All Men are Equal), Ang Pagibig (Love), Ang Bayan at ang mga (Gobierno) Pinuno (People and Government), Ang Maling Pagsampalataya (False Belief) and Ang Gumawa (Work)--especially People and Government, still apply to the crusade for Ang Daang Matuwid (The Straight Path) of our government today.

He wrote a few poems in Spanish, but only his A La Patria, which he signed as Dimas-Ilaw, saw print. De los Santos regarded this work "visibly an imitation of the Ultimo Adios and even of the pseudonym of the Great Filipino ... inferior to its model in literary respects but comes up to it in sincerity ..."

Jacinto wrote statutes that provided for some kind "of agricultural, industrial and commercial trust for the rebellious provinces ... [that] would sustain the revolution," which was reflective of Rizal's Liga Filipina (De los Santos).

• Nang kasalukuyang nag-aapoy ang himagsikan ay binalak ni Emilio Jacinto na magtatag ng isang samahan ng mga magkakababayan ukol sa pagsasaka, pagpapagawa at pangangalakal at ito 'y maglalayon ng pagpapayaman sa bayan upang may mapagkunan ng puhunan at lakas sa pakikibaka. Nahahawig ang samahang yaon sa Liga Filipina ni Rizal (Santos).

Idol! That was Rizal to Emilio Jacinto. 

And Bonifacio?  In today's parlance, they were BFFs! More of this in the next blog. 


References:

• Cruz, Hermenegildo.(1922). Kartilyang makabayan: mḡa tanóng at sagot ukol kay Andres Bonifacio at sa Kataastaasan, Kagalanggalang Katipunan ng mga Anak ng Bayan.  Manila: S.P.  Retrieved from http://name.umdl.umich.edu/ADT3553.0001.001
•  Santos, Epifanio de los. (1918, June). Emilio Jacinto. The Philippine Review. 3(6):412-430. Retrieved from  http://name.umdl.umich.edu/acp0898.0003.001 
• Santos, Jose P. (1935). Buhay at mga sinulat ni Emilio Jacinto. Paunang salita ng Kgg. Rafael Palma.  Published by Dr Jose Bantug, place of publication not indicated. 

Note:  Santos's Buhay is accessed as Pag susulatan nang dalauang binibini na si Urbana at ni Feliza: na nagtuturo ng̃ mabuting kaugalian / kinatha nang Modesto de Castro, obviously a catalog error, through http://name.umdl.umich.edu/aqa1997.0001.001.