segunda solis katigbak (1863-1943)

 segunda katigbak was Jose Rizal’s “puppy love” and with her the hero was believed
to have had “love at first sight”.
 Lipa, Batangas
Segunda was born in 1863 (date unknown) to Don Norberto Kalaw Katigbak (gobernadorcillo
1862-1863) and Doña Justa Metra Solis.
 She was the second child in a family of seven: Mariano (Capitan Municipal 1896-1897), Norberto
Jr., Carmina, ysabel,Ynes and Jose
 Jose Rizal was only a young boy of sixteen (16) when he first fell in love, and it was with
Segunda Katigbak
 According to Rizal, "She was rather short, with eyes that were eloquent and ardent at
times and languid at others, rosy-cheeked, with an enchanting and provocative smile
that revealed very beautiful teeth, and the air of a sylph; her entire self diffused a
mysterious charm."
 Rizal's sister Olympia was a close friend of Segunda and a student at La Concordia
College, and Rizal went to visit her every week, during which he came to know Segunda
more intimately. Their affection for each other grew deeper with every meeting, one that
began with "love at first sight."
 Unfortunately, Segunda was already engaged to be married to her townmate, Manuel
Luz, and although Rizal had gotten hints of the lady's affection for him, he timidly
decided to back away and did not propose.
 Years later Segunda returned to Lipa and wed her betrothed, leaving a frustrated Rizal
to the mercy of his nostalgic memories.

Leonor de Vera Ignacio Cesario Valenzuela

 estimated between 1825 and 1885
 Daughter of José Cesario Valenzuela and Felizarda de Vera Ignacio
 Nicknamed Orang, Leonor Valenzuela was commonly described as a tall girl with regal
bearing who was Rizal’s province-mate. She was the daughter of Capitan Juan and
Capitana Sanday Valenzuela, who were from Pagsanjan, Laguna.
 Orang was Rizal’s neighbor when he boarded in the house of Doña Concha Leyva in Intramuros
during his sophomore year at the Universityof Santo Tomasas medicine student. To finally move
on perhaps from his unsuccessful love story with Segunda Katigbak, Rizal frequently visited
Orang’s house with or without social gatherings.
 The proofs that Rizal indeed courted her were the love letters he sent her. His love notes were
mysteriously written in invisible ink made of common table salt and water, which could be read
by heating the note over a candle or lamp.
 More than a manifestation of Rizal’s knowledge of chemistry, his magical love notes to Orang,
one can say, are a proof that he wanted to keep the courtship private. But why would he want
to make it secret?
  Many references declare that Orang was Rizal’s object of affection (too) while he was courting
the other Leonor, his cousin Leonor Rivera. If this were true, then sending invisible love letters
would indeed be the smart thing to do for other people would find them as mere blank papers.
 When Rizal left for Spain, he received a letter from his friend and confidant Jose M. Cecilio
(Chenggoy) indicating that the two ladies had an idea that their ‘common denominator’ was
not only their first name:
 “…nagpipilit ang munting kasera (Leonor Rivera) na makita si Orang, pero dahil natatakpan
ng isang belong puti, hindi naming nakilala nang dumaan ang prusisyon sa tapat ng bahay.
Sinabi sa akin ni O(rang) na sabihin ko raw sa munting kasera na hindi siya kumakaribal sa
pag-iibigan ninyo. Que gulay, tukayo, anong gulo itong idinudulot natin sa mga dalagang
ito!”
 Unlike her ‘tukayo’, Orang didn’t feel much sorrow upon Rizal’s departure. She was said to have
accepted other suitors, attended social parties, and ended up marrying an employee of a trade
house.

Leonor Bauson Rivera

 April 11, 1867, Camiling, Tarlac, Philippines
 Death: August 28, 1893, Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines (Child birth complications)
 daughter of Antonio Rivera and Silvestra Bauzon. Leonor’s father—
who was one of the few persons who conspired in Jose’s ‘secret’
departure to Spain—is a cousin of the hero’s father, Francisco
Mercado.
 Subjectively considered as a pretty lady, Leonor is commonly
described as having wavy soft hair, high forehead, wistful almond
eyes, small and pensive mouth, and charming dimples. She was said to
be intelligent and talented, as she could play the harp and the piano—
skills which matched her fascinating singing voice.
 Leonor was a “tender as a budding flower” colegiala at the La
Concordia College when she became romantically involved, though
secretly, with her distant relative Rizal.
 Rizal was already a second-year medical student then at the UST when
he boarded at his Uncle Antonio’s boarding house in Intramuros and
became the boyfriend of the landlord’s daughter.
 Secret as the romance was to Leonor’s parents, she used pen names in
her letters to Jose. She hid from the signatures ‘La Cuestion del
Oriente’ and ‘Taimis/Tamis’. Records aren’t clear on what Jose used in
return.
 CONSUELO ORTIGA Y PEREZ
 circa 1865
 Paris, Paris, Île-de-France, France
 In 1882, when Rizal was a student at the Universidad Central de Madrid, he frequented
the home of Don Pablo Ortiga y Rey, the former city mayor of Manila. He lived with his
son Rafael and his daughter Consuelo.
 Rizal, though he wasn't a handsome man, possessed a great deal of charisma and was
gifted with many talents and a deeply noble character. For this reason, it is of no
surprise that Consuelo, the prettier of Don Pablo's daughters, was very taken with him.
 Being lonely and somewhat isolated in a foreign country, Rizal found comfort in
Consuelo's vivacious company. He wrote her a poem entitled A La Senorita C.O. y
P. (To Miss C.O.y P.), in which he expressed his great admiration for the lady.
 Rizal's romance with Consuelo did not turn into a serious affair; he decided to take a
step back for two reasons: first, he was still engaged to Leonor Rivera at that time; and
second, he was aware of his friend's (Eduardo de Lete) affection for the girl and he did
not want to ruin their friendship over her.

SEIKO USUI
 When Rizal was in Tokyo a few days after he had moved to the Azabu district in 1888,
he spotted a pretty Japanese girl walking past the legion gate. He was captured by the
lady's regal air and charisma and endeavored to find ways to meet her.
 She lived with her parents and often took afternoon walks by the legation. Rizal waited
by the gate one afternoon and introduced himself..
 Rizal and O-Sei-San, as he fondly called her, met almost daily. They toured the
beautiful city spots, enjoyed the scenery, and visited the picturesque shrines. Rizal was
then a lonely young physician, disillusioned by his frustrated romance with Leonor
Rivera and burdened by soured hopes for justice in his country. O-Sei-San provided the
beautiful escape that he deeply needed, and he saw in her the qualities of his ideal
woman.
 Because of his deep affection for her, Rizal was almost tempted to settle down in
Japan. Conveniently enough, he was also offered a good position at the Spanish
Legation during that time.
 Rizal, however, had set his sights on other matters. He decided to leave Japan and
forget his romance, which pained him gravely as attested by an entry in his diary. His 45-
day sojourn in Japan was one of the happiest interludes in his life.

GERTRUDE BECKETTE
 An English girl, she was the daughter of Rizal’s landlord, Charles Beckett. After his
brief stays in Japan and the United Sates, Rizal chose to live in London, the capital of
the United Kingdom.
 Gertrude was a buxom young lady with blue eyes and brown hair. She fell in love with
Rizal and gave him all of her attention during the family picnics and gatherings. When
Rizal stayed indoors during rainy days painting and sculpting, she helped him mix his
colors and prepare his clay.
 Rizal enjoyed her company. Eventually their flirtatious friendship drifted towards a
blossoming romance. He affectionately called her "Gettie," and in return she called him
"Pettie."
  Rizal withdrew before his relationship with Gettie could become more serious, realizing
that he had a greater mission to fulfill and that in order to accomplish it he could not yield
to the option of marrying her. He suppressed the yearnings of his heart and decided to
leave so that the lady may forget him. Before he did, however, he finished a number of
sculptural works, one of which was a carving of the heads of the Beckett sisters.

SUZANNE JACOBY
 A Belgian lady, Rizal met her when he stayed in Brussels as the cost of living in Paris was too
expensive, he stayed in a boarding house managed by two Jacoby sisters, Suzanne and Marie.
 Rizal stayed in Belgium for 6 months; Suzanne was absolutely smitten with him.
Rizal however did not seem to reciprocate the feelings as intensely as her. Rizal
did not even mention her in his letters to his friends. When the time that Rizal
had to (once again) leave, she wept, Rizal only leaving her with a box of
chocolates
 Two months later, she wrote him a letter, saying “after your departure, I did not
take the chocolate. The box is still intact as on the day of your parting. Don’t
delay too long writing us because I wear out the soles of my shoes for running to
the mailbox to see if there is a letter from you. There will never be any home in
which you are so loved as in that in Brussels, so, you little bad boy, hurry up and
come back…”
 In another one of her letters, it was clear that the affection has already become
one-sided.
 Rizal returned to Brussels one more time in April 1891 but not specifically for
her, as he just busied himself with revising and finalizing his manuscript of El
Filibusterismo

NELLIE BOUSTEAD

 In 1891, Rizal took a vacation in Biarritz in order to find reprieve from his troubles in Madrid.
He was a guest of the Boustead family in their winter residence, Villa Eliada. Mr. and Mrs.
Boustead had two beautiful daughters, Adelina and Nellie.
 After having lamented his frustrated romance with Leonor Rivera on account of the lady's
engagement to another man, Rizal came to develop considerable affection for Nellie, the
prettier and younger daughter of Mr. Eduardo Boustead. He found her to be
intelligent, morally upright, and full of life. Rizal wrote to his closest friends about his
intention to marry her.
 Rizal's friends were delighted to hear that he had found a suitable girl whom he at last
wished to settle down with. Even Antonio Luna, who had previously loved Nellie,
encouraged Rizal to court her and ask for her hand in marriage. With all the
encouragement from the friends he held dear, Rizal wooed Nellie (also called Nelly) who, in
turn, returned his affections.
  Rizal's marriage proposal failed for two reasons: first, Nellie demanded that he give up his
Catholic faith and convert to Protestantism, which was her religion. Rizal did not like this
idea. Second, Nelly's mother did not approve of Rizal, as she had no desire to entrust her
daughter to a man who was wanting in wealth and persecuted in his own country. In spite
of the circumstances, Rizal and Nellie parted as good friends.

JOSEPHINE BRACKEN

 Rizal's exile in Dapitan was one of the most lonesome and sorrowful periods of his life. He
missed the company of his friends and family, and the death of Leonor Rivera on August 28,
1893 left a gaping void in his heart.

 Josephine Bracken arrived at the shores of Dapitan accompanying her blind adoptive father,
Mr. George Taufer. No ophthalmologist in Hong Kong, their home country, could cure the
man's blindness and so they sought the services of the famous Dr. Jose Rizal.
 Rizal and Josephine fell in love at first sight. Their romantic interlude went on for about a
month, after which they decided to marry. The priest of Dapitan, however, refused to
conduct the ceremony without consent from the Bishop of Cebu.

 When Mr. Taufer heard of his daughter's plan to marry he became so enraged at the thought
of losing Josephine that he attempted to kill himself with a razor to his throat. Rizal
prevented this tragedy by holding the man's wrists back. Josephine left with her father on
the first available steamer to Manila in order to avoid more trouble. Since Mr. Taufer's
blindness was venereal in nature, it was incurable.
 Mr. Taufer went back to Hong Kong alone, and Josephine stayed in Manila with Rizal's
family. At length, she returned to Dapitan. Since no priest would marry them, Rizal and
Josephine held hands, exchanged vows, and married themselves before God.

 Rizal and Josephine lived together in Dapitan as husband and wife, and in early 1896 they
were expecting a baby. Unfortunately, Josephine had to go into premature labor after Rizal
played a prank and frightened her. A little boy of eight months was born, who lived for only
three hours. Rizal named him Francisco in honor of his father, and buried the child in
Dapitan.