Makamisa: The Search for Rizal's Third Novel

by Ambeth R. Ocampo

In Hong Kong, in 1892, Jose Rizal began writing a sequel to El Filibusterismo. He began in Tagalog, called the opening chapter "Makamisa", then started anew in Spanish, and eventually left behind two texts comprising an unfinished third novel. In 1987, while working in the National Library, Ambeth Ocampo stumbled on the Spanish drafts of Makamisa with a 245page manuscript labelled Borrador del Noli Me Tangere. He reconstructed the unwieldy drafts into a translation and a full narrative, which is the core of this book. He provides context for this by detailing for the non-specialist reader the scholarly chase that led to the discovery of the manuscript, the process of research, and the task of authentication that led to the conclusion that Makamisa is Rizal's third novel, and not, as previously thought, the unfiished work know as "Tagalog Nobility." Makamisa brings forward a new Rizal work for students and their families, historians and scholars, to enjoy -- one in which Filipinos can see themselves and part of their history. Through it Ocampo proves that Rizal is not a closed book, and that even as we approach the centennial in 1996, ther still is matter for study on, research on, and enlightenment from the enigma that is Jose Rizal.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

172 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Lamberto R. Ocampo better known as Ambeth R. Ocampo (b. 1961) is Filipino historian, academic, journalist, cultural administrator and author best known for his writings about Philippines' national hero José Rizal, and for his bi-weekly editorial page column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, "Looking Back." He became the Chairman of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines in 2002 until 2010, and was appointed as Chairman of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts in 2005 until 2007.

Reviews

[K.D. Absolutely · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book came into being accidentally. Ocampo was taking his MA at the De La Salle University and a part of the requirements for graduation was to submit a research paper. Being a historian, Ocampo went to the National Library and dug on the letters, folios and manuscripts written by our national hero, José Rizal. Ocampo found a manuscript, written in Spanish, that looked like the draft of his first novel, Noli Me Tangere (Touch Me Not). He began translating the manuscript to English but after several pages he had not encountered any names of the characters in Noli like Ibarra, Maria Clara, Kapitan Tiyago or Padre Damaso. It was then he realized that the manuscript was the unfinished 3rd novel by Jose Rizal entitled Makamisa (After the Mass).

Makamisa was originally written by Rizal in Tagalog because he thought that he would like the Filipino masses to read his work. You see, both Noli and Fili were originally written in Spanish. However, after two chapters, Rizal gave up. The reason? He felt awkward with his Tagalog. So, he rewrote the two chapters in Spanish and added a the third one before he stopped for an unknown reason. Historians think that he wrote this novel while we was on exile in Hong Kong because that was the time when he wrote the letter describing the novel to his Austrian friend and confidant, Ferdinand Blumentritt. I think he stopped because he moved from Hong Kong to Dapitan. You have to remember that in the court hearing Rizal's defense was that during his 3-year exile in Dapitan, he did not write or do anything political in nature.

Since Rizal's target audience with his third novel was the Filipinos, the three chapters deal more on the ways or daily lives of common Filipinos. It is also a satirical novel that makes fun both of the Spaniards and the Filipinos; although more of the latter. Padre Agaton is this Spanish friar who loves having sex with young women especially those who just arrive in the town. There is Kapitan Lucas who has a pretty daughter called Cecillia (or Marcella in the Tagalog manuscript) and Padre Agaton is courting her. Kapitan Lucas allows this because he believes that priests are also human beings so they have sexual urge and it is better if it is put into open especially in the case of Padre Agaton because the priest is responsible enough to provide for his children and the women who bore him those children.

I loved the third chapter in the Spanish (translated in English) manuscript describing the children's game Tuktukan which is similar to the rowdy usual Christmas party game called basagan ng itlog (egg breaking contest). Two raw eggs are tied up to strings hanging from the players' waist. Then each of the player swings his/her egg with the aim of breaking the other player's egg. The player whose egg breaks first losses the game. This game normally gets rowdy because of the sexual innuendo as it is normally played by two men. In Rizal's novel the game was normally played by young boys because when they became men, they switch to cockfighting.

With Makamisa, Ocampo disproved the previous thinking that the third novel of Rizal was entitled "Tagalog Nobility" (whose manuscript is also included in this book). In fact, there are other 2 unfinished manuscripts in the book but Rizal's letter to Blumentritt clearly points to Makamisa as the supposedly the third novel of Jose Rizal.

Reading the manuscript is bitin and one would just wonder how the rest of the story would have gone. One would also feel a pang of regret because with Rizal's gift in storytelling, people even those in today's generation would have enjoyed all those stories. There was even "Los Animales de Suan" that Rizal wrote whose plot seemed to be very similar to George Orwell's Animal Farm. Since Orwell was on earth in 1903-1950 and Rizal was executed in 1896, it seemed to me that Rizal could have written that cute political fable of Orwell only if he was able to finish that manuscript.

With all the additional knowledge I got from this book, I liked it (3 stars). Ocampo also included "Notes" at the end of the book indicating exactly his sources. So, compared to his Rizal: Without The Overcoat, this book is well-documented and has a common theme and that is about all the unfinished manuscripts of Rizal including Makamisa.

[Apokripos · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's so much potential in Jose Rizal's third novel, Makamisa, and, as with any unfinished writing, most of it — specially the other drafts that form the bulky appendix of the book (of which I was grateful Mr Ambeth Ocampo has the prescience to include here) — left me hanging.

Come to think of it, this book can also be labeled as the apocryphal writings of Jose Rizal. Much thanks goes to Mr Ocampo who brought it to light in the attention and delight of scholars, students and at most to modern readers proving once again that Rizal is still relevant.

Much as the Philippine National Hero remains an enigma in the eyes of Filipino, there's still much to be discovered about the Great Malayan.

[Paulinniss]

I love this book. "Makamisa: The Search for Rizal's Third Novel" by Ambeth R. Ocampo is a captivating and thought-provoking exploration of the life and works of the Philippine national hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. Ocampo, a renowned historian and scholar, takes readers on a fascinating journey as he delves into the mysterious and elusive third novel that Rizal was believed to have written but never finished. I love it and geometry dash scratch.
The book combines meticulous research, historical analysis, and Ocampo's engaging storytelling to unravel the enigma surrounding Rizal's lost novel, "Makamisa." Ocampo's writing style is accessible and compelling, making complex historical information and literary analysis approachable for readers of all backgrounds. Throughout the book, Ocampo not only provides insights into Rizal's life and his literary contributions but also offers a broader understanding of the socio-political context in which Rizal lived. He explores the themes and ideas that Rizal was likely to have addressed in "Makamisa," shedding light on Rizal's intellectual and philosophical development.
One of the strengths of Ocampo's work is his ability to present historical facts and interpretations in an engaging manner. He weaves together anecdotes, personal accounts, and historical documents, creating a narrative that captivates readers and invites them to immerse themselves in the world of Rizal and his literary pursuits.

[Matthew Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

The subject of his Masteral Thesis written in 1991, Ocampo comprehensively detailed his rediscovery of the manuscripts of Makamisa over thirty years ago by rewriting the very fabric of Rizaliana scholarship. It makes us understand that our hero attempted to write in the native vernacular of Tagalog as opposed to the standard convention of the ilustrado of writing in Spanish. There's more to Rizal than just his two distinct novels and his famed untitled last poem before martyrdom that sadly has been forgotten if not for the scholarship that Ambeth Ocampo has contributed in the past decade.

[Noemie]

awesome!

[Renato Tabilon]

Makamisa: The Search for Rizal's Third Novel

[Carlo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basically an unfinished novel by our great guy J. P. Rizal without a working title. An interesting read.

[Karlo De leon · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Darlyn]

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