Knights
of Rizal Dr. Sam Bernal, PhD.. MD(standing) and Richard Branders examine the discovery
of documents with Helena Stejskalova, durator of Cesky Budejovice Museum explaining
each document.
Prague, Czech Republic - June 26, 2009 - Documents of Rizal and Blumentritt
including five paintings of Juan Luna could fetch an estimated value of US$8 million,
according to Stephan Klococka. They were found hidden in Cesky Budejovice Museum,
98 kilometers north of Prague, Czech Republic.
Four boxes
were discovered believed to shed historical facts that are extremely important
in Philippine history during the colonial Spanish era that span for over 320 years.
These documents were never published. They were protected in vaults and had survived
two world wars, 41-year Communist regime and 21years under the Soviet Union.
The
existence of the discovery was mentioned to the Czech Ambassador to the Philippines
in the summer of 2008 and was immediately suggested to Noubikko to visit the museum.
The discovery was first mentioned at the Knights of Rizal Council meeting
in Bonn, Germany in November of 2008. Lucien Spattel, a retired NATO officer and
Rizal-research specialist who was in Ceske Budejovice in 2007, confirmed their
existence. He said that he knew then that there were more to found.
In
June 17 of 2009, two American experts, Dr. Samuel Bernal, PhD. MD and Richard
Branders, Security Adviser for Czech Republic and Poland were joined by Noubikko
to reevaluate the findings. This time, they were showed pages upon pages of personal
letters of Rizal, archives of unpublished manuscripts, portraits and paintings
all of which are extremely important documents about the Rizal-Blumentritt relationship
and the Philippines.
Helena Steyskalova, curator of the museum
said the collection is enough to build another museum. Dr. Bernal said the collection
is amazing. And, Branders said this could, definitely, puzzle the attention of
international Rizal experts.
In June 23, 2009, an emergency
meeting was called by Stephan Klococka, Deputy Commander for the Knights in Prague
and planned the presentation of the discovery to the media and to all scholars
to insure truthfulness of historical facts.
It is not yet
known as to what is the extent of the findings. Personal letters and manuscripts
are one-of-a-kind which were kept for over a century, most likely, they have never
been read by any historian, Noubikko said. He also said that he is certain this
is one of the most important historical discoveries in modern times.
