Rizal as an engineer?
Water System for Dapitan
Rizal held the title of expert surveyor (perito agrimensor),
which he obtainedfrom Ateneo. He supplemented his training as a
surveyor by reading engineering books. InDapitan, he applied his
knowledge in engineering by constructing a system of waterworks in
order tofurnish clean water to the townspeople.Without any aid from
the government, he succeeded in giving good water system to
Dapitan.An American engineer, Mr. H. F. Cameron, praised Rizal's
engineering feat in the followingwords:Another famous and
well-known water supply is that of Dapitan, Mindanao, designed
andconstructed by Dr. Rizal during his banishment in that
municipality by the Spanish authorities...this supply comes from a
little mountain stream across the river from Dapitan and follows
thecontour of the country for the whole distance. When one
considers that Doctor Rizal had noexplosives with which to block
the hard rocks and no resources save his own ingenuity, one
cannothelp but honor a man, who against adverse conditions, had the
courage and tenacity to construct theaqueduct which had for its
bottom the fluted tiles from the house roofs, and was covered
withconcrete made from limed burned from the sea coral. The length
of this aqueduct is severalkilometers, and it winds in and out
among the rocks and is carried across gullies in bamboo pipesupheld
by rocks or brick piers to the distribution reservoir.
Community Projects for Dapitan
When Rizal arrived in Dapitan, he decided to improve it, to the
best of his God-giventalents, and to awaken the civic consciousness
of its people. He wrote to Fr. Pastells: " I want todo all I can do
for this town."Aside from constructing the towns first water
system, he spent many months in draining themarshes in order to get
rid of malaria that infested Dapitan.The P500 which an English
patient paid him was used by him to equip the town with itslighting
system which consist of coconut oil lamps placed in dark streets of
Dapitan. Electriclighting was unknown then in the Philippines not
until 1894 when Manila saw the firstelectric lights.The
beautification and remodeling of the town plaza with the help of
Father Sanchezenhances the beauty as jokingly remarked that it
could "rival the best in Europe". In front of thechurch, Rizal and
Fr. Sanchez made a huge relief map of Mindanao out of earth,
stones, and grass.This map still adorns the town plaza of
Dapitan.
As an engineer, Rizal applied his knowledge through the
waterworks system heconstructed in Dapitan. Going back to his
academic life, Rizal obtained the title of expertsurveyor ( perito
agrimensor ) from the Ateneo Municipal. From his practical
knowledgeas agrimensor, he widened his knowledge by reading
engineering-related books. As aresult, despite the inadequacy of
tools at hand, he successfully provided a good water system in the
province.COMMUNITY PROJECTS FOR DAPITAN When Rizal arrived in
Dapitan, he decidedto improve it to the best of his God-given
talents and to awaken the civic consciousnessof its people. Aside
from constructing the town's first water system, he spent
manymonths draining the marshes in order to get rid of malaria that
infested Dapitan. As aEuropean-trained physician, he knew that
malaria is spread by the mosquitoes which thrive in swampy
places
