CHAPTER 1: ADVENT OF A NATIONAL HERO

Dr. Jose Rizal an example of a many-splendored genius who becomes the greatest hero of a nation.
The Birth of a Hero,
Born on the night of Wednesday, June 19, 1861, in the lakeshore town of Calamba, Laguna Province, Philippines.
Rizal’s full name is Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda
He was born at the expense of his mother almost dying due to his big head.
Baptized at an age of three years old at the 22 nd of June by Father Rufino Collantes (Spanish Priest).
Rizal’s godfather is Fr. Pedro Casañas.
The name Mercado in 1731 which means “market”
His name “Jose” was chosen by his Mother, who was a devotee of the
Christian saint San Jose.
Rizal’s Parents,
Jose Rizal was the seventh of eleven children of Francisco Mercado Rizal (Father) and Teodora Alonso Realonda
(Mother).
Francisco Mercado Rizal (1818-1898) was born in Biñan, Laguna, on May 11, 1818, and died in Manila on January
5, 1898, at the age of 80. He studied Latin and Philosophy at the College of San Jose in Manila. He was known to be
a hardy and independent-minded man. Dubbed by
Rizal, “a model of fathers”. Doña Teodora (1826-1911), was born in Manila and was educated at the College of
Santa Rosa. She possessed refined culture and literary talent, business and fortitude of Spartan women. Rizal
lovingly said, “She knows literature and speaks Spanish better than I, she corrected my poems and gave me good
advice…”.

The Rizal Children

1. Saturnina (1850-1913) – Oldest of the Rizal children, nicknamed “Neneng”.
2. Paciano (1851-1930) Older brother and confidant of Jose Rizal; after his young
Brother’s execution. He became a combat general when he joined the Philippine
Revolution.
Second Father of Jose Rizal - Known as the Pilosopo Tasio in Noli Me Tangere.
3. Narcisa (1852-1939) – pet name “Sisa” and married to Antonio Lopez.
4. Olimpia (1855-1887) – Ypia was her pet name and married to Silvestre Ubaldo.
5. Lucia (1857-1919) – She married to Mariano Herbosa.
6. Maria (1859-1945) – Biang was her nickname and married to Daniel
Faustino Cruz
7. Jose (1861-1896) – the greatest Filipino hero.
8. Concepcion (1862-1865) – her pet name was Concha, died of sickness at age 3.
9. Josefa (1865-1945) – her pet name was Panggoy.
10. Trinidad (1868-1951- Trining was her pet name.
11. Soledad (1870-1929) – youngest of the Rizal children; pet name Choleng and married to Panteleon Quintero

Rizal’s Ancestry
Rizal a mixture of races, both the blood of East and West.
Negrito, Malay, Indonesian, Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish
Predominantly Malayan

Rizal’s Paternal Side

Rizal’s great-great grandparents is Domingo Lamco who later adopted the name Mercado (1731), a
Chinese immigrant from Changchow. Also married Ines de la Rosa, a Chinese Christian lady from manila.
Great grandparents is Francisco Mercado, who married Cirila
Bernacha.
Grandparents is Juan Mercado, who married Cirila Alejandro.
Francisco Mercado is the youngest son of Juan Mercado and he is Rizal’s father.
Rizal’s Maternal Side
Rizal’s great-great grandparents is Eugenio Ursua (of Japanese ancestry), who married Benigna (Filipina).
Great parents is Regina Ursua, who married Atty. Manuel de Quintos (Filipino-Chinese lawyer from Pangasinan).
Grandparents is Lorenzo Alberto Alonso (prominent Spanish- Filipino Mestizo of Binan)

CHAPTER 2: CHILDHOOD YEARS IN CALAMBA

Jose Rizal had many beautiful memories of childhood in his native town. Grew up in a happy home,
rules by good parents.

Calamba, the Hero’s Town

Rizal’s natal town of Calamba, named after a big native jar.
The happiest period of Rizal’s life was spent in this lakeshore town.

Town of Calamba
A hacienda town-belonged to the Dominican Order (owned all lands around it)
Covered with irrigated rice fields and sugar-lands
In the South, Mount Makiling and beyond was Batangas.
In the East, Laguna de Bay.
North was Antipolo; location of a famous mountain shrine of the miraculous Lady of Peace and Good Voyage)
In 1876 Rizal, who was 15 yrs. old, wrote the poem “Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo” (In Memory of My Town).

Earliest Childhood Memories

Rizal’s first memory happened when he was 3 years old.
It was his happy days in the family garden; during this moment, he was given the tender care by his parents
because he had an aya (nurse maid) who looked after him.
He was frail, sickly, and undersized.
Another memory of Rizal is the daily Angelus prayer and the happy moonlit nights at the azotea after
the nightly Rosary.
Whenever he spent time with the aya, he was told about legends and folklore which aroused his interest.
Aya would threaten him with asuang, nuno, tigbalang, or a terrible bearded and turbaned Bombay that
would come and take him away if he would not eat his supper.
He also had memories of the nocturnal walk in town, especially when there was a moon with his aya by the river.

The Hero’s First Sorrow

 Rizal’s first sorrow was the death of his sister Little Concha
(Concepcion). - “When I was four years old,” he said, “I lost my little sister Concha, and then for the first time I shed
tears caused by love and grief…”
Devoted Son of the Church
A scion of a Catholic Clan.
At the age of 3, he began to take part in the family prayer because his mother taught him the Catholic
Prayers.
When he was 5 years old, he was able to haltingly read the Spanish Family Bible.
He was so devoted that he was laughingly called as Manong Jose by the Hermanos and Hermanas Terceras
One of the men he esteemed and respected in Calamba during his boyhood was Father Leoncio Lopez, the
town priest.

First Poem by Rizal

God-given talent for literature, which was noticed by his mother and encouraged him.
At the age of 8, Rizal wrote his first poem “Sa Aking mga Kabata” (To My Fellow Children. It tells about his appeal
to our people to love our national language.

Influences in the Hero’s Boyhood:

 Hereditary Influences
 Environmental Influences
 Aid of Divine Providence

Environmental Influences
Scenic beauty of Calamba and their beautiful garden stimulated his inborn artistic and literary talents
Religious atmosphere fortified his religious nature.
Paciano, instilled love for freedom and justice
Rizal’s Sisters – to be courteous and kind to women.
Aya (Maid) – Her fairy tales awakened his interest in folklore and legends.
Tio Jose Alberto – Inspired him to develop artistic ability.
Tio Manuel – develop his frail body with physical exercises (horse riding, walking, wrestling).
Tio Gregorio – intensified his voracious reading of good books.
Father Leoncio Lopez – fostered his love for scholarship and intellectual honesty.
Death of Concha (1865) and imprisonment of his mother (1871-74)- strengthened his character, to
resist blows of adversity in later years.
Spanish cruelties and abuses and execution of GOMBURZA (1872) that awakened his spirit of patriotism.

CHAPTER 3: EARLY EDUCATION IN CALAMBA AND BINAN

A typical schooling that a son of an ilustrado family received during his time, which was characterized by the four
R’s, reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion.

The Hero’s First Teacher

His first teacher was Doña Teodora (his mother).
Doña Teodora was patient, conscientious, and understanding; she first to discover his talent for writing, and
encouraged Rizal to write poems.
Private Tutor
1. First Tutor, Maestro Celestino
2. Second Tutor, Maestro Lucas Padua
3. Leon Monroy – former classmate of his father, and thought Rizal Spanish and Latin.
After the death of Monroy, Rizal’s parents decided to send him to a private school in Biñan.

Martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za.
January 20, 1872 – Cavite Mutiny.
February 17, 1872 – Father Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora were executed ordered by Gov.
General Izquierdo.
The secularization movement was headed by the GOMBURZA
The martyrdom of the priests GOM-BUR-ZA, inspired Rizal to fight the Spanish tyranny and redeem his oppressed
people.
The heroic story of Burgos was told to him by Paciano who quit his studies at the College of San Jose and returned
to Calamba
1891 – Rizal dedicated his second novel El Filibusterismo to GOMBURZA.

Injustice to Hero’s Mother

June, 1872 - Dona Teodora was suddenly Arrested on a malicious charge that she and her brother tried to
poison the latter’s wife for 2 and a half years.
Because of the infidelity of Alberto’s wife, he planned to divorce her; subsequently, his wife connived with
the Spanish lieutenant of the Guardia Civil and filed a case against Rizal’s mother.
Antonio Vivencio Del Rosario a gobernadorcillo of Calamba, helped the lieutenant arrest Doña Teodora.
Teodora was made to walk 50 kilometers from Calamba to the provincial prison in Santa Cruz.
She was defended in court by the two most famous lawyers in Manila, Don Francisco de Mercaida and Don
Manuel Marzan.

CHAPTER 4: SCHOLASTIC TRIUMPHS AT ATENEO DE

MANILA (1872-1877
Jose was sent to Manila four months after the Martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za and with Doña Teodora still in prison. He
studied in the Ateneo Municipal, a college under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits. The municipal is
College of San Juan de Letran’s bitter rival (Dominican-owned). It was establish in 1817 and was known
as the Escuela Pia (Charity School) for the poor boys in Manila.

Rizal Enters the Ateneo

June 10, 1872 - Rizal was accompanied by Paciano when they went to Manila to take the entrance
examinations on Christan doctrine, arithmetic, and reading at College of San Juan de Letran and passed
them.
Rizal’s father wished to send Jose at Letran but later changed his mind and decided to send him at Ateneo
instead.
The college registrar of Ateneo Municipal, Fr. Magin Fernando, refused to admit Jose because:
1. He was late for registration
2. He was sickly and undersized for his age.
Upon the intercession of Fr. Burgos’ nephew, Manuel Xerez Burgos, Rizal was finally admitted at Ateneo.
Jose used the surname Rizal instead of Mercado because it had come under suspicion of the Spanish
authorities
Rizal boarded in a house on Caraballo Street which was owned by Titay who owed 300 pesos from Rizal’s
family.

Jesuit System of Education

Ateneo trained the character of the student by rigid discipline and religious instruction. Promoted
physical culture, humanities and scientific studies.
It also offered vocational courses, such as agriculture, commerce, mechanics, and surveying.
Before the beginning of the class, the students should hear the Mass in the morning daily. Praying is done to open
and close the classes.
There are two groups of students: Roman Empire, consisted of internos (boarders) with red banners; and
Carthaginian Empire, consisted of the externos (non-boarders) with blue banners.
Losing part, upon the 6th loss, the banner was changed with a figure of a donkey.
Students vied for position as each empire had its rank. Any student could challenge any officer in his
“empire” to answer questions on the day’s lesson. With 3 mistakes, opponents could lose his position.
1st – Emperor
2nd – Tribune
3rd – Decurion
4th – Centurion
5th – Standard-Bearer
The uniform of the Ateneo students consisted of hemp-fabric trousers and striped cotton coat. The coat
was called rayadillo and was adopted as the uniform for Filipino troops during the days of the First
Philippine Republic.

Rizal’s First Year in Ateneo (1872-1873)

-The first day of class in Ateneo started in June 1872
Fr. Jose Bech – First professor of Rizal
Since Rizal was a newcomer and he only knows a little Spanish, he was placed at the bottom of the class,
Standard-Bearer. He was an externo and was assigned to Carthaginians. At the end of the month, he became
emperor of his Empire. He was the brightest pupil in the whole class. Rizal took private lessons in Santa Isabel
College which he paid 3 pesos for extra lessons in Spanish. Rizal’s grades were marked excellent and he placed 2nd
at the end of the year.

Prophecy of Mother’s Release

Doña Teodora told her son of her dream the previous night. Rizal, interpreting the dream, told her
that she would be released from prison in 3 months time.
Barely three months passed, and suddenly Dona Teodora was set free.
Doña Teodora likened his son to the youthful Joseph in the Bible in his ability to interpret dreams.

Poems Written in Ateneo

 Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration) – first poem he wrote for his mother’s birthday.
In 1875, inspired by Father Sanchez, he wrote more poems such as:
Filicitacion (Felicitation),
El Embarque: Himno a la Flota de Magallanes (The Departure Hymn to Magellan’s fleet),
Y Es Espanol: Elcano, el Primero en dar la Vuelta al Mundo (And He is Spanish: Elcano, the first to circumnavigate
the world), and
El Combate: Urbiztondo Terror de Jolo (The Battle: Urbiztondo, Terror of Jolo)

First Romance of Rizal

- Rizal experienced his first love when he was 16 years old. It was with Segunda Katigbak, a pretty 14
year-old Batangueña from Lipa. Rizal’s sister, Olimpia, was a close friend of Segunda in La Concordia
College. Rizal’s first romance, which was hopeless since the very beginning Segunda was already engaged,
because of his own shyness and reserve failed to propose to Segunda. Rizal remained in Calamba, a
frustrated lover who cherished his nostalgic memories of a lost love. Meanwhile, Segunda returned to
Lipa and later married Manuel Luz.

CHAPTER 5: MEDICAL STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF

SANTO TOMAS (1877-1882)
After finishing the first year of a course in Philosophy and Letters, he transferred to the medical course. During the
years of his medical studies in this university which was administered by the Dominicans, rival educators of the
Jesuits, he remained loyal to Ateneo, where he continued to participate in extra-curricular activities and where
he completed the vocation course in surveying.

Mother’s Opposition to Higher Education

Doña Teodora opposed the idea of sending Rizal to UST to pursue higher education because she
knew what happened to Gom-Bur-Za and the Spaniards might cut off his head if he gets to know more.
Despite his mother’s tears, Don Francisco told Paciano to accompany Rizal to Manila.

Rizal Enters the University

April 1877 – Rizal, who was nearly 16-years-old, matriculated in the University of Santo Tomas.
He enrolled in UST taking up Philosophy and Letter for 2 reasons;
(1)His father liked it
(2)he was “still uncertain as to what career to pursue”
He asked the advice of Father Pablo Ramon, Rector of the Ateneo, on what career to choose but Father Recto was
in Mindanao so he was unable to advice Rizal.
First-year Term (1877-78) – Rizal studied Cosmology, Metaphysics, Theodicy, and History of Philosophy.
Ateneo Rector’s advice – study medicine; reason:
to be able to cure his mother’s growing blindness.

Finishes Surveying Course in Ateneo (1878)

While Rizal was studying at UST, he also studied in Ateneo. He took the vocational course leading to the title of
“perito agrimensor” (expert surveyor).
He excelled in all subjects in the surveying course obtaining gold medals in agriculture and topography.
At the age of 17, he passed the final examination in the surveying course and at Nov. 25, 1881 he was
granted the title Surveyor.
He was president of the Academy of Spanish Literature and secretary of the Academy of Natural Sciences.

Romances with Other Girls

Miss L
Seductive and attractive eyes.
Romance died in a natural manner
No one knows who this Miss L, hence her identify is lost in
history.
2 Reasons for his change of heart: (1) the sweet memory of Segunda was still fresh in his heart and (2)
his father did not like the family of “Miss L”.

Leonor Valenzuela
Daughter of the next-door neighbors of Doña Concha Leyva (her
house is where Rizal boarded) with a pet name: Orang.
Tall girl with a regal bearing.
Rizal sent her love notes written in invisible ink. This ink consisted of common table salt and water. He
taught Orang the secret of reading any note written in the invisible ink by heating it over a candle or lamp so that
the words may appear.

Leonor Rivera
Rizal’s cousin from Camiling and was born in Camiling, Tarlac on April 11, 1867.
A student of La Concordia College where Rizal’s youngest sister, Soledad was then studying.
Rizal lived in: Casa Tomasina No. 6 Calle Santo Tomas, Intramuros
Antonio Rivero – Rizal’s landlord-uncle is the father of Leonor
Rivera.
Rizal described her as a frail, pretty girl “tender as a budding flower with kindly, wistful eyes”.
They became engaged.
In her letters to Rizal, Leonor signed her name as “Taimis”, in order to camouflage their intimate relationship
from their parents and friends.

Unhappy Days at the UST.

He was unhappy at this Dominican institution of higher learning because,
(1) the Dominican professors were hostile to him
(2) the Filipino students were racially discriminated against by the
Spaniards, and,
(3) the method of instruction was obsolete and repressive.
Due to his unfriendly attitude of his professors, Rizal, the most brilliant graduate of Ateneo, failed to win high
scholastic honors.

CHAPTER 6: IN SUNNY SPAIN (1882-1885)

Jose Rizal, being disgusted by the method of instruction by the Dominican-owned university and the
racial prejudice by the professors, decided to complete his studies in Spain.

Rizal’s Secrete Mission.

The Secret mission was conceived with the approval of his brother Paciano.
To observe keenly the life and culture, languages and customs, industries, commerce and
government, and laws of the Europian Nations in order to prepare himself for the mighty task of liberating
oppressed people from Spanish tyranny.
Rizal’s secret mission was likewise disclosed by Paciano in his letter to his younger brother in May 20, 1982.

Secret Departure for Spain

The only one who knows Rizal’s departure to Spain is;
Older brother (Paciano)
His uncle (Antonio Rivera, father of Leonor Rivera)
His sisters (Neneng and Lucia)
Valenzuela family (Capitan Juan and Capitana Sanday and their daughter Orang)
Pedro A. Paterno
Mateo Evangelista – his compadre
Ateneo Jesuit fathers
Some intimate friends, including Chengoy (Jose M. Cecilio).
He used the name Jose Mercado, a cousin from Binan.
May 3, 1882 - Rizal departed on board the Spanish streamer Salvadora bound for Singapore.

Singapore
Rizal carefully observed the people in the steamer, 16 passengers. He was the only Filipino.
Captain Donato Lecha - ship captain from Asturias, Spain, befriended him.
May 08, 1882 - he saw a beautiful island; he remembered “Talim Island with the Susong Dalaga”
May 09 - the Salvadora docked at Singapore.
Hotel de la Paz – Rizal registered here and spent two days on sightseeing on a soiree of the city.

From Singapore to Colombo

May 11 - Rizal transferred to another ship Djemnah, a French streamer.
Among these passengers, there were Filipinos (Mr. & Mrs. Salazar, Mr. Vicente Pardo, and Jose Rizal).
May 17- the Djemnah reached Point Galle, a seacoast town in southern Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Rizal was
unimpressed by this town; he said it is “picturesque but lonely and quiet and at the same time sad”.
Colombo - the capital of Ceylon; Rizal wrote on his diary “Colombo is more beautiful, smart and elegant than
Singapore, Point Galle and Manila”