Rizal was 16 years old when one Sunday in 1887 he paid visit to his maternal grandmother in Trozo,

Manila and there met, among others, Segunda Katigbak, a two-year-younger-than-him ‘colegiala’. In his
‘Memorias de Un Estudiante de Manila’, Rizal graphically described her as a short lady with “eloquent
eyes, rosy cheeks, and smile that reveals very beautiful teeth”. Mariano Katigbak, Segunda’s brother and
Rizal’s classmate who was also in the house, probably had no idea that his friend had been experiencing
“a love at first sight” being bewitched by his alluring sister.

During the 1880s, the Katigbaks of Batangas were known for their successful and very lucrative coffee
industry. When Jose met Segunda, she was at the time a boarding student of La Concordia College
where Rizal’s sister Olympia was also studying. Jose and Segunda got to know each other more
intimately as his visits to his sister Olympia (or rather to his love interest Segunda) in La Concordia
surprisingly became more frequent.

Segunda was a friend to Jose’s sister Olympia. Through Olympia, Jose and Segunda became intimately close
leading Jose to regularly visit Segunda’s dormitory.

Sadly, their relationship was hopeless right from the very start because Segunda was already set to marry a
fellow-townsman in Batangas, Manuel Luz. But that didn’t stop the lovers from seeing each other. Jose Rizal
was so in love with Segunda that he made a sketch of her. One day, Segunda gave him an artificial white rose.
In exchange, he handed the pencil sketch to Segunda.