Leonor Valenzuela and Jose Rizal's Invisible

Love Letters
Submitted by admin on Mon, 08/05/2013 - 05:00

Leonor Valenzuela and Jose Rizal's Invisible Love Letters

© 2013 by Jensen DG. Mañebog

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.

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HOMEPAGE of Interesting ARTICLES on Rizal's Life, Works, and Writings

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.

Without clear material evidence, the ‘two-timer charge’ could indeed be easily denied. (To do a
further speculative stretch, Rizal was perhaps thinking that if both ladies would become his
girlfriends, he would not make the mistake of calling any of them by a wrong name.)

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!”

The letter suggests that either Orang was giving way to Rivera-Rizal love affair or she (Orang) was
not that interested in Rizal. In fact, records were not clear if she officially reciprocated Rizal’s
courtship. If indeed she never took Rizal’s courtship seriously, we could not actually blame her. Her
would-be affair with Rizal could only be either a rebound relationship (from Segunda-Jose failed
affair) or an unhealthy love triangle (with the other Leonor in the equation).

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. (© 2013 by Jensen DG. Mañebog)
The author's e-book on Jose Rizal's love life

RELATED ARTICLES:
Segunda Katigbak: Jose Rizal's First Love
Leonor Rivera: Jose Rizal's True Love
Leonor Valenzuela and Jose Rizal's Invisible Love Letters
Consuelo Ortiga y Rey: The "Crush ng Bayan" in Rizal's Time
Seiko Usui: Jose Rizal's Japanese Girlfriend
Gertrude Beckett: Jose Rizal's Fling in London
Suzanne Jacoby: Jose Rizal's Fling
Nellie Boustead: Jose Rizal's Almost Wife
Josephine Bracken: Jose Rizal's Dear and Unhappy Wife

Jose Rizal's Life, Works, and Writings: Online Syllabus & Articles

s
Jensen DG. Mañebog, the contributor, is a book author and professorial lecturer in the
graduate school of a state university in Metro Manila. His unique e-books on Rizal
(available online) comprehensively tackles, among others, the respective life of Rizal’s
parents, siblings, co-heroes, and girlfriends. (e-mail: jensenismo@gmail.com)

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TAGS: Jose Rizal, Leonor Valenzuela, Rizal's Girlfriend, History, Philippine Studies, Filipino Heroes; Leonor Valenzuela and
Jose Rizal's Invisible Love Letters