Rizal”s Life:

Higher Education
and Life Abroad
 Scholastic Triumphs in Ateneo de
Manila
• Ateneo Municipal
•
1872-1877
Escuela Pia (Charity School)
• June 10, 1872, Rizal was accompanied by Paciano went to
Manila
• Father Magin Ferrando refused to admit Rizal in Ateneo for
two reasons: (1) Rizal was late for registration (2) Rizal was
sickly and undersized for his age
• Because of Manuel Xerez Burgos intercession, Rizal was
reluctantly admitted at the Ateneo
 First year in Ateneo de Manila
1872-1873
• Rizal’s first professor was Father Jose Bech
• A Religious Picture was the first Rizal’s prize for being the
brightest pupil in the whole class
• To improve his Spanish, Rizal took private lessons in Santa
Isabel College during noon recesses
• At the end of the school year in March 1873, Rizal returned to
Calamba for summer vacation
 Second year in Ateneo de Manila
1873-1874
• Rizal received excellent grades in all subjects and a gold medal
• The Count on Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
• Universal History by Cesar Cantu
• Dr. Feodor Jagor- a German scientist-traveler who visited the
Philippines in 1859-1860, who wrote “Travels in the Philippines”
• Rizal was impressed in this book because of (1) Jagor’s keen
observations of the defects of Spanish Colonization (2) His prophecy
that someday Spain would lose the Philippines and that United States
of America would come to succeed as colonizer
 Third year in Ateneo de Manila
1874-1875
• Rizal grades remained excellent in all subjects but he won only one
medal in Latin
• At the end of the school year, Rizal returned to Calamba for the
summer vacation. He himself was not impressed by his scholastic work.
Fourth year in Ateneo de Manila
•
1875-1876
June 16, 1875, Rizal became an interno
• Padre Francisco de Paula Sanchez- one of Rizal’s professor who inspired him to
study harder and to write poetry
• Rizal topped all his classmates in all subjects and won five medals at the end of
the school
 Last Days in Ateneo de Manila
1876-1877
• Rizal’s studies continued to farewell. He was truly “the pride of the
Jesuits”, the brilliant Atenean of his time
• March 23, 1877 Commencement Day of Rizal, who was 16 years old,
received from his Alma Mater the Degree of Bachelor of Arts with highest
honors
• Marian Congregation
• Rizal studied painting under the famous Spanish painter Agustin Saez and
sculpture under Romualdez de Jesus a Filipino Sculpture
• Rizal carved an image of the Virgin Mary on a piece of batikuling with his
pocket-knife
 Anecdoctes on Rizal, The Atenean
• Felix M. Roxas, an incident of Rizal’s school days in Ateneo
which reveals hero’s resignation to pain and forgiveness “Neither
bitterness nor rancor towards the guilty party”

• Manual Xerez Burgos- this anecdotes illustrates Rizal’s

predilection to help the helplesss at the risk of own life
 Poems written in Ateneo
• MI PRIMERA INSPIRACION (1874)

• 1. Felicitacion 2. El Embarque: Himno a la Flota de Magallanes 3. Y Es

Espanol: Elcano, El Primero en dar la Vurlta al Mundo 4. El Combate:
Urbiztondo, Terror de Jolo

• AL NIÑO JESUS (1875)

• AL A VIRGIN MARIA- another religious poem which doesn’t have exact date
when it was written

• SAN EUSTACIO MARTIR (June 2, 1876)- a drama based on the prose story
of St. Eustace
 Medical Studies at The University of Santo
Tomas 1877-1882
• After finishing the first year of a course in Philosophy and Letters
(1877-1878), Rizal transferred to the medical course
• April 1877- Rizal took the course on Philosophy and Letters because of
(1) His father like it (2) He was “still uncertain as to what career to
pursue”
• During Rizal’s first school term in UST, he also studied in Ateneo and
took vocational course leading to the title of Perito Agrimenso
• On November 25, 1881, Rizal was issued for passing the final
examination in the surveying course
 Medical Studies at The University of Santo
Tomas 1877-1882
• A LA JUVENTUD FILIPINA- this winning poem of Rizal is a Classsic in
Philippine Literature for two reasons:
(1) It was a great poem in Spanish written by a Filipino whose merit was
recognized by Spanish Literary Authorities
(2) It expressed for the first time the nationalistic concept that the
Filipinos and not the foreigners were the “Fair hope the Fatherland”
• EL CONSEJO DE LOS DIOSES
• JUNTO AL PASIG A FILIPINAS ABD-EL-ADIS Y MAHOMA AL M.R.P.
PABLO RAMON
• Compañerismo- Rizal founded a secret society of Filipino students in
University of Santo Tomas in 1880
 Unhappy Days at the UST
• Rizal 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
(3) the method of instruction was obsolete and repressive

• In Rizal’s novel, El Filibusterismo, he described how the Filipino

students were humiliated and insulted by their Dominican professors
and how backward the method of instruction was, especially in the
teaching of the natural sciences. He related in Chapter XIII, “The
Class in Physics”
Rizal’s Life
Abroad
May 03, 1882
Rizal’s first trip abroad to Spain
- Aside from completing his studies in Spain, Rizal has his “secret mission”
- Jose Mercado
Singapore
• Donato
• May 8, 1882- while the steamer was approaching Singapore, Rizal saw a
beautiful island, fascinated by its scenic beauty, he remembered “Talim Island
with the Susong Dalaga”
• May 9, 1882- the Salvadora docked at Singapore
• Hotel de la Paz- Rizal registered here and spent two days on a sightseeing soiree
of the city, which was a colony of England.
FROM SINGAPORE TO COLOMBO
• In Singapore, Rizal transferred to another ship Djemnah, a French steamer,
which left Singapore for Europe on May 11, 1882
• May 17, 1882- Djemnah reached Point Galle, a seacoast town in southern Ceylon
(now Sri Lanka)

NAPLES AND MARSEILLES

• June 11, 1882- Rizal reached Naples -Rizal was pleased on this Italian city
because of its business activity, its lively people, and its panoramic beauty
• Night of June 12, 1882- the steamer docked at the French harbor of Marseilles
• Rizal visited the famous Chateau d’If, where Dantes, hero of the Count of Monte
Cristo, was imprisoned
• Rizal stayed two and a half days in Marseilles
BARCELONA
• Afternoon of May 15, 1882- Rizal left Marseilles by train for the last lap of
his trip to Spain
• June 16, 1882- Rizal finally reached his destination—Barcelona
• Amor Patrio (Love of Country)- nationalistic essay, Rizal’s first article
written on Spain’s soil -under his pen-name Laong Laan, appeared in print in
Diariong Tagalog on August 20, 1882
• Basilio Teodoro Moran- a friend of Rizal in Manila and the publisher of
Diariong Tagalog where Rizal sent this article
• Los Viajes (Travels)- Rizal’s second article for Diariong Tagalog
• Rizal left Barcelona in the fall of 1882 and established himself in Madrid,
the capital of Spain
LIFE IN MADRID
• November 3, 1882- Universidad Central de Madrid (Central University of Madrid) in
two courses—Medicine and Philosophy and Letters

• Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando

• Circulo Hispano-Filipino (Hispano-Philippine Circle)- a society of Spaniards and

Filipinos which Rizal joined shortly after his arrival in Madrid in 1882

• Me Piden Versos (They Ask Me For Verses)- upon the request of the members of this
society, Rizal’s wrote this poem which he personally declaimed during the New Year’s
Eve reception of the Madrid Filipinos held in the evening of December 31, 1882 -in this
sad poem, Rizal poured out the cry of his agonizing heart

• Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Eugene Sue’s The Wandering Jew- these two
books aroused Rizal’s sympathy for the oppressed and unfortunate people
FIRST VISIT TO PARIS (1883)
• June 17 to August 20, 1883- Rizal sojourn in Paris
• June 17 to August 20, 1883
• Acacia in Madrid
• Science, Virtue and Labor
• June 21, 1884 - Rizal completed his medical course in Spain
• June 19, 1885 - Rizal was awarded with the rating of
“Excellent”: (Sobresaliente)
• Rizal went to Paris and Germany in order to specialize in
ophthalmology
• Alin Mang Lahi (Any race)
BERLIN
- Maximo Viola
- Taglische Verkunst
(Tagalog Metrical Art)
- First Asian to be accorded of being member (with honors) of
Anthropological, Ethnological & Geographical Societies of Berlin
- Noli Me Tangere, March 1887

BERLIN
- Maximo Viola
- Taglische Verkunst
(Tagalog Metrical Art)
- First Asian to be accorded of being member (with honors) of
Anthropological, Ethnological & Geographical Societies of Berlin
- Noli Me Tangere, March 1887
RIZAL’S GRAND TOUR OF EUROPE WITH VIOLA (1887)
• May 11, 1887- Rizal and Viola left Berlin by train
I. LEITMERITZ • -for the first time, the two great scholars—Rizal
and Blumentritt—met in person
II. PRAGUE
III. VIENNA (May 20, 1887)
IV. DANUBIAN VOYAGE TO LINTZ (May 24, 1887)
V. FROM LINTZ TO RHEINFALL
• Munich
• Nuremberg
• The Cathedral of Ulm
• From Ulm, they went to Stuttgart, Baden and then Rheinfall VI.
CROSSING THE FRONTIER TO SWITZERLAND
VII. GENEVA
ITALY
• June 27, 1887- Rizal reached Rome, the “Eternal City” and also called
the “City of the Caesars”
• June 29, 1887- the Feast Day of St. Peter and St. Paul, Rizal visited for
the first time the Vatican, the “City of the Popes” and the capital of
Christendom of wonderful sojourn in Rome.

FIRST HOMECOMING (1887-1888)

- He established a medical clinic and a gymnasium
- "Doctor Uliman“
STORM OVER THE NOLI
• Governor General Emilio Terrero (1885-1888)
• Don Jose Taviel de Andrade
• Msgr. Pedro Payo (a Dominican)- sent a copy of Noli to Father Rector
Gregorio Echavarria of the University of Sto. Tomas for examination by
a committee of the faculty
• Fr. Salvador Font- Augustinian cura of Tondo, head of the committee
• Rev. Vicente Garcia

FAREWELL TO CALAMBA
• Rizal was compelled to leave Calamba for two reasons: (1) his
presence in Calamba was jeopardizing the safety and happiness of his
family and friends (2) he could fight better his enemies and serve his
country’s cause with greater efficacy by writing in foreign countries
• Himno Al Trabajo (Hymn to Labor)- a poem written by Rizal
dedicated to the industrious folks of Lipa
IN HONGKONG AND MACAO
- February 8, 1888
- Jose Maria Basa, Balbino
Mauricio, and Manuel Yriarte
- Jose Sainz de Varanda

JAPAN (February 28, 1888 - April 13,1888)

- One of the happiest interludes in the life of Rizal
- O Sei-San - Seiko Usui
- Tetcho Suehiro

UNITED STATES
April 28, 1888
- "America is the land par
excellence of freedom but only
for the whites"
LONDON
- May 1888 to March 1889
- Dr. Reinhold Rozt, Rizal as "a pearl of a man" (una perla de hombre)
- Morga's book, Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas
- Marcelo H. Del Pilar and Mariano Ponce
- Asociacion La Solidaridad
- February 15, 1889 – Graciano Lopez Jaena, "La Solidaridad"
- Los Agricultores Filipinos (The Filipino Farmers)

2ND SOJOURN IN PARIS

- March 19, 1889 - Kidlat Club
- Indios Bravos
- R.D.L.M Society
- Annotated Edition of Morga Published
- International Association of Filipinologists
- Project for Filipino College in Hong Kong
- The Philippines Within a Century and The Indolence of the Filipinos
- Por Telefono

BELGIAN BRUSSELS
- Sobre la Nueva Ortografia de la Lengua Tagala (The New Orthography of the
Tagalog Language)
- Letters from home which Rizal received in Brussels worried him
- “To my Muse’” (A Mi…)

MISFORTUNES IN MADRID
- Jose Ma. Panganiban
-Aborted Duel with Antonio Luna
-Rizal challenges Retana to Duel
-Infidelity of Leonor Rivera
-Rizal-Del Pilar Rivalry
BIARRITZ VACATION
-He was a guest of the rich Boustead family at its winter residence—Villa Eliada
-February, 1891- Rizal arrived in Biarritz
-March 29, 1891- the eve of his departure from Biarritz to Paris, he finished the
manuscript of El Filibusterismo

GHENT
- F. Meyer-Van Loo Press (No. 66 Viaanderen Street)
- August 6, 1891-the printing of his book had to be suspended
- Valentin Ventura- the savior of the Fili
-September 18, 1891- El Filibusterismo came off the press
- La Publicidad
- Nuevo Regimen
- Rizal dedicated El Filibusterismo to Gom-Bur-Za (Don Mariano Gomez, 73
years old; Don Jose Burgos, 35 years old; Jacinto Zamora, 37 years old)
IN HONGKONG
• November 20, 1891-Rizal arrived in Hong Kong • Rizal established his
residence at No. 5 D’ Aguilar Street No. 2 Rednaxola Terrace, where he also
opened his medical clinic
• December 1, 1891- Rizal wrote his parents asking their permission to return
home. - On the same date, his brother-in-law, Manuel T. Hidalgo, sent him a
letter relating the sad news of the “deportation of twenty-five persons from
Calamba, including father, Neneng, Sisa, Lucia, Paciano and the rest of us.”
• The Christmas of 1891 in Hong Kong was one of the happiest Yuletide
celebrations in Rizal’s life: For he had a happy family reunion
• To earn a living for himself and for his family, Rizal practiced medicine
• Dr. Lorenzo P. Marques- a Portuguese physician, who became Rizal’s friend
and admirer.
SECOND HOMECOMING AND LA LIGA FILIPINA
-Rizal’s bold return to Manila in June, 1892 was his second homecoming

-Rizal firmly believed that the fight for Filipino liberties had assumed a new
phase: it must be fought in the Philippines not in Spain. “The battlefield is in
the Philippines,” he told countrymen in Europe, “There is where we should
meet… There we will help one another, there together we will suffer or
triumph perhaps.”
FOUNDLING OF THE LIGA FILIPINA
• July 3, 1892- Rizal attended a meeting with patriots at the home of the
Chinese-Filipino mestizo, Doroteo Ongjunco, on Ylaya Street, Tondo, Manila
• Rizal explained the objectives of the Liga Filipina, a civic league of Filipinos,
which he desired to establish and its role in the socio-economic life of the
people.

• The officers of the new league were elected

- Ambrosio Salvador (President)
- Deodato Arellano (Secretary)
-Bonifacio Arevalo (Treasurer)
-Agustin de la Rosa (Fiscal)