Rizal buried without a coffin
Rizal's Death 30 December 1896.
By Rudy Arizala
Rizal had left the following instructions in an undated letter to his family, written in Fort Santiago before he was executed on Dec. 30, 1896: "Bury me in the ground, place a stone and a cross over it. My name, the date of my brith and of my death. Nothing more. If you later wish to surround my grave with a fence, you may do so. No anniversaries. I prefer Paang Bundok (where Manila's North Cemetery now stands)."
None of these final instructions were followed except for the construction of a fence around his grave —the Rizal monument at the Luneta park in Manila.
Aside from this non-compliance with Rizal's wish, what happened to his remains after he was shot in Bagumbayan field on 30 December 1896? Rizal's remains were secretly buried without a coffin. Hereunder is what happened according to Rizal's biographer Jose Baron Fernandez*:
The body of Rizal was placed in a van and with utmost secrecy and then buried in the old and unused Paco cemetery. Sra. Teodora, the mother of Rizal, wanted to comply with the last wish of her son, that the family take charge of his remains. After serveral objections on the part of some Spanish officials, Civil Governor Manuel Luengo agreed to the petition of Sra. Teodora. However, when the funeral coach left, they had already secretly taken the body away and Rizal's sister, Narcisa, went to all the cemeteries of Manila looking for the remains of Rizal in vain. On the way back, she saw, through the open gate of the Paco cemetery, some guardia civiles. This gave her a hint. She entered the cemetery and after much searching found a freshly dug-in grave covered with earth. She gave the gravedigger some money and placed a plaque with the initials of her brother in reverse, R.P.J., which means Rizal, Protacio Jose.
There were no funeral ceremonies for Rizal, but on the 11th day after his death, the family was informed that early the next day a Mass was to be said for the eternal repose of his soul. Rizal's family arrived at 6:00 a.m., but after waiting for two hours, they were informed that the Mass had been celebrated already at 5:00 a.m.
A few days after the Americans took Manila in August 1898, Rizal's sister Narcisa asked permission of the new authorities to exhume the remains of Rizal. Permission was granted. When the body was exhumed, it was discovered that Rizal's body had not even been placed in a coffin. The shoes were identified, but whatever had been hidden inside them had already disintegrated. The remains were placed in appropriate condition and reinterred in the proper manner at the Paco cemetery . Then the sepulchre was well-tended.
In 1911, the remains of Rizal were transferred from the Paco cemetery to the base of the monument which had earlier been erected at the Luneta (Now Rizal Park). His aged mother was still alive and able to attend the ceremonies. A few weeks later, she died. It would seem that Rizal's mother made an effort to survive her son, to go on living until the time that her son's memory would officially be vindicated.
(*Please see “Jose Rizal, Filipino Doctor and Patriot” by Jose Baron Fernandez, pp.370-71 & pp.392-93.)