The Spaniards had hoped that Jose Rizal's banishment to Dapitan, a sleepy town in Zamboanga del Norte that faced the Sulu Sea, would finally break his spirit, since it was so far removed from the cities where he had lived and thrived with fellow La Liga Filipina members. Our national hero, on the other hand, had other plans. Rather than accepting defeat, Rizal made his presence in Dapitan felt deeply by members of the local community.