Dapitan City is Dr. Jose Rizal for me. The moment I stepped into the city of Dapitan, I was brought back to time I studied the life and works of our National Hero. In history class we learn abot Rizal's exile to Dapitan. And out travel Dapitan becomes a history lesson to my little brother. Lucky Browie indeed, before he learns from school, he gets to explore the very place of Rizal's exile.
After breakfast, we walked about a hundred meters to Punto De Disembargo De Rizal En Dapitan. On the night of July 17, 1892, Dr. Jose Rizal landed on the beach of Sta. Cruz in Dapitan. Today, there is a tableau depicting his landing.
Next stop was, St. James Catedral, another significant place in the life of Rizal. Inside the church marked is place where Rizal stood while hearing mass. It was in a corner where the priest won't be able to see him.
Right in front of the church is the famous Relief Map of Mindanao, here Browie had fun finding where we came from, he found Sarangani Bay. This map was constructed by Rizal with the help of his former teacher Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez, S.J.
Rizal Park and Shrine was the highlight of our travel. It is where we have seen how enthusiastic Papa was relating his Mercado side of the family to our guide. It was part of the 10 hectares protected area declared under Proclamation No. 616. The shrine has a collection of five reconstructed houses of bamboo and nipa originally built by Rizal. The latest addition within the property is a Museum that houses the works and memorabilia of Rizal.
The time we spent revisiting history made the whole travel time we had worth the back and leg pain. We can finally say the Zamboanga del Norte explored!
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