Lesson 5 part 1 of his life

Page 18-23
Dr. Jose Rizal’s Life Story

Rizal’s Ancestry and childhood (1861-1869)

A. Geography of Calamba

 Small agricultural town at the foot of Mt. Makiling sloping down to Laguna de Bay
 Sugar was the major product
 Calamba named after a big native jar
 Estates were owned by the Dominican friars
 The scenic beauty helped develop Rizal’s poetic and artistic creativity
 Their hardships as tenants developed his noble and heroic spirit
 Home: a 2 storey, rectangular house made of adobe stones and hardwood; roofed with
red tiles; had a cistern (reservoir), for water; had an orchard and poultry of turkeys and
chicken

B. Rizal’s Family Ancestry

He is a mixture of East and West races: Negrito, Indonesian, predominantly Malayan, Chinese,
Japanese, Spanish.

 Paternal - Domingo Lamco from Fukien City who arrived in Manila in 1690, married a
Chinese Christian: Ines de la Rosa. He assumed the name MERCADO
(he was a merchant), which meant “market”, in English, in order to free the family from
prejudice of Chinese name.
RIZAL, a second surname given by the Spanish alcalde mayor (provincial governor) of
Laguna
RIZAL means a field where wheat, cut while still green sprouts again.

 Maternal - Manuel de Quintos, a Chinese mestizo from Lingayen, Pangasinan, married

to Regina Ursua (of Japanese ancestry) was a lawyer; Their daughter Brigida married
Lorenzo Alberto Alomso, an engineer. They had 5 children, including Teodora, Rizal’s
mother; The Alonso family produced lawyers, priests, engineers, and government
officials.

 The family belonged to then privileged class, the principalia; they owned carriages and
horses which were symbols of wealth and respectability

C. Rizal’s family
 Father: Francisco Mercado Rizal (born in Binan); “a model of fathers”
 Mother: Teodora Alonzo y Realonda
 Brother and sisters
a. Saturnina;
b. Paciano ( 10 years older than Jose; Pilosopo Tasio in “Noli”; “most noble of
Filipinos; was a Maj. Gen. under Emilio Aguinaldo; tortured by Spaniards); he
later retired to his farm in Los Banos and led a quiet life until his death in
1930;
c. Narcisa, musician and became a teacher in Morong;
d. Olimpia, became a telegraph operator in Manila;
e. Lucia, married to Mariano Herbosa who was denied a Christian burial;
f. Maria, nicknamed “Biang”;

Jose
 Was born June 19, 1861, on a Wed. between 11 PM-Midnight
 He Died on December 30, 1896
 He was the 7th of 11 children
  His Mother made a vow to the Virgin of Antipolo to take the baby to
the sanctuary by pilgrimage; mother named him “Jose”, who was a
devotee of St. Joseph
 he was Baptized after 3 days by Fr. Rufino Collantes (he commented
that he will be a great man with the big head of the baby)
 his Godfather was Fr. Pedro Casanas
 Rizal called his sisters Dona” od Senora ( if married) or
Senorita ( if single)

g. Concepcion, died at 3 yrs.; Rizal’s first sorrow;

h. Josefa, an epileptic, died an old maid at 80 years old;
i. Trinidad, the last of the family to die; died an old maid at 83;
j. Soledad “Choleng”

Hometown
 His mother was his first teacher Mother
 Private tutors: Maestro Celestino, Maestro Lucas Padua, Leon Monroy
 At 9 years old, he was sent to Binan to study under Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz
 Formal lessons in Latin & Spanish
 Developed his painting skills
 Referred to himself as a “fashionable” painter
Formal Search for Knowledge

Ateneo Education: Refinement of Rizal’s Skills (1872-1877)

 Managed by the Jesuit priests
 Passed the admission to Ateneo
 Obtained his Bachelor of Arts with Highest honors
 Had good scholastic records
 His favorite novel: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
 Mother was imprisoned while he was in Ateneo
 Extracurricular activities:
Bookworm; Campus leader; “Emperor” in the class room; Member: Marian Congregation;
Poetry lessons; Fine arts - sculpture
 Wrote poems in Ateneo
 There were only 12 students who graduated, 9 of them (including Rizal) got grades with
“excellent” marks
 Fr. Fransisco de Paula Sanchez: Rizal’s best professor in Ateneo
 Segunda Katigbak: First Romance of Rizal

University of Santo Tomas (1877-1882)

 Managed by the Dominican priests (Dominicans and Jesuits were rival educators)
 April 1877, enrolled in Philosophy and Letters for 2 reasons: His father liked it and he was not
certain as to the career he would pursue
 Mother opposed son’s pursuit for higher learning that if he gets to know more, they will cut off his
head
 1877-1878: finished surveying at Ateneo
 It was during this period that he experienced the Spanish brutality when he failed to salute a
Guardia Civil
 Spanish students on campus called the Filipino students “chongos” (monkeys); in return the
Filipinos called them “Bangus” (Milkfish)
 1880: Founded the secret society in UST called Companerism (comradeship); this led Filipino
students into combats against Spanish students in street fights; members were called
Companerismo of Jehu

Disadvantage at UST:

 Dominican professors were hostile

 There was racial discrimination
 The method of teaching was obsolete.

 He took up Medicine to help the failing eyesight of his mother.

 Paciano advised him to go to Europe

 To seek more knowledge on Western medicine

 Help the Filipino cause
 Observe the life and culture, language, commerce, government, laws in Europe to liberate
the people

 He left for Europe on May 3, 1882 (SS Salvador)

Education in Europe

 On November 3, 1882, he enrolled in the Universidad Central de Madrid;

 On June 21, 1884, he was given the license in medicine by the Universidad Central de
Madrid;
 He studied and passed all subjects leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine
Reasons why he was not awarded his Doctor’s Diploma:

a.) He did not present the thesis required for graduation

b.) He did not pay the corresponding fees.

 M.D. was conferred to him posthumously – in 1961 – 100 years after his birth!
 June 19, 1885(Rizal’s 24th birthday).
 He was awarded the degree of licentiate in Philosophy & letters by the Universidad
Central de Madrid with the rating of “EXCELLENT” (Sobresaliente)
 He also became qualified to be a professor in humanities in any Spanish Universities
 He became a full-pledged physician & qualified to practice medicine

The Travels of Dr. Rizal

Rizal’s Secret Mission

To observe keenly the life and culture, languages and customs, industries and commerce, and
governments and laws of the European nations in order to prepare himself in the mighty task of
liberating his oppressed people from Spanish tyranny.

Secret Departure for Spain

Purpose: to avoid detection by the Spanish authorities and friars. Paciano, his only brother,
knew about his secret departure for Spain.

To Singapore:
Departure: May 3, 1882 on board Spanish Steamer Salvadora and arrived in Singapore on May 9,
1882
Registered at: Hotel de La Paz (and stayed for 2 days there)

From Singapore to Colombo:

He boarded the ship Djemnah (French Steamer) on May 11, 1882. On May 18, 1882, he
reached Colombo, capital of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). He had a brief stop-over at Aden, proceeded to
city of Suez, the Red sea terminal of the Suez Canal and passed by Port Said, to see the interesting
sights.

To Europe:
He reached Naples on June 11, 1882. On June 12, 1882, his ship docked at French harbor,
Marseilles where he spent 21/2 days; he visited the famous Chateau d’ If, the prison house of Dantes in
“The Count of Monte Cristo. On June 15, 1882, left Marseilles by train and reached Barcelona by June
16.
He wrote his first article “Amor Patrio” at Plaza de Cataluña where his friends gave him a
welcome party;

Two Sad news he received:

 cholera was ravaging Manila according to Paciano’s letter date September 15.
 Chengoy related the unhappiness of Leonor Rivera

Life in Madrid:
 On November 3, 1882, he enrolled in the Universidad Central de Madrid.
 He enrolled in Medicine, Philosophy & letters all at the same time.
 He wrote La Señorita, a poem dedicated to C.O. y P.; written on August 22, 1883. He led a
SPARTAN (disciplined life): tight budget, spent most of his time reading; his only
extravagance was on lottery tickets.

First visit to Paris

 In March 1883 – joined Masonic Lodge
Reason why he became a Mason: To secure aid in his fight against the friars in the Philippines:
 June 17- August 20 – journeying to Paris
 Financial worries: failure of farm produce due to drought and locusts
  Rizal’s Salute to Luna & Hidalgo
Spolarium – Juan Luna won first prize
Christian Virgins Exposed to the Populace – by Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo
 Dr. Miguel Morayta – professor of history; his address resulted to student demonstrations

Paris to Berlin (1885-1887)

 November, 1885 – left Paris
 Rizal went to Paris & Germany to specialize in ophthalmology
 Reason: he wanted to cure his mother’s eye ailment
 German scientists he met: Dr. Feodor Jagor, Dr. Hans Meyer, Dr. Adolph B. Meyer, and Dr.
Rudolph Virchow
 Maximo Viola was his friend in Barcelona
- a medical student & a member of a rich family of San Miguel, Bulacan.
 Rizal served as an assistant to Dr. Louis de Wecker, French ophthalmologist (1852-1906)

Outside of his working hours at Dr. Weckert’s clinic, Rizal relaxed by visiting his friends:
 Family of Pardo de Taveras (Trinidad, Felix and Paz)
 Juan Luna – engaged to Paz Pardo de Tavera – a pretty girl
 Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo

Historic Heidelberg:
 February 1, 1886 – left gay Paris for Germany
 Worked at the University Eye Hospital under Dr. Otto Becker – distinguished German
Ophthalmologist
 July 31, 1886 – Rizal wrote his first letter in German to Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt,
director of the Ateneo of Leitmeritz, Austria
 Leipzig- was cheapest in Europe; so he stayed two months & a half (21/2)
 Worked as proof-reader in a publishers firm (bec. of his knowledge of German, Spanish &
other European languages)
 October 29, 1886 – left Leipzig for Dresden where he met Dr. Adolph B. Meyer – director of
the Anthropological & Ethnological Museum.
 November 1, 1886 – left Dresden by train reaching Berlin in the evening

Rizal Welcomed in Berlin’s Scientific Circles

 He met for the 1st time Dr. Feodor Jagor; a German scientist-traveler & author of Travels in
the Philippines
 Dr. Jagor introduced Rizal to Dr. Rudolph Virchow, a famous German anthropologist; son of
Dr. Hans
Virchow
 He worked in a clinic of Dr. Karl Ernest Schweigger; a famous German opthalmologist.

Rizal’s lived in this famous Capital of Unified Germany for 5 reasons:

 to gain further knowledge of ophthalmology
 to pursue his studies of sciences & languages
 to observe that the economy had political conditions of the German nation
 to associate with famous German scientists & scholars
 to publish his novel, Noli Me Tangere

By day, he worked as an assistant in the clinic of Dr. Schweigger, a German ophthalmologist; at

night – he attended lectures in the University of Berlin

Rizal’s darkest winter: On the bleak winter of 1886, he experienced the following:
 He lived in poverty at Berlin; the diamond ring w/c his sister, Saturnina gave was pawned; He
could not pay his landlord. He ate only once a day (bread & water or some cheap vegetable
soup). His clothes were old and threadbare. He washed his own clothes because he could not
afford to pay laundry. Paciano was delayed in raising necessary funds. Rizal starved in Berlin
and shivered w/ wintry cold; began to cough & feared that he was going to be sick with
tuberculosis.
  Brought him great joy after enduring so much suffering because his 1 st novel Noli Me Tangere
came off the press in March, 1887
 Noli Me Tangere published in Berlin (1887), dedicated to the Philippines, “To my Fatherland
” The idea of writing a Novel on the Philippines was inspired by Harriet Beecher Stowe’s
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
 On January 2, 1884, at a reunion of Filipinos at the Paterno residence in Madrid. Rizal
proposed the writing of a novel about the Philippines by a group of Filipinos. Unfortunately,
Rizal’s project did not materialize because almost everybody wanted to write on women and
his companions wasted their time gambling or flirting with Spanish señoritas. So, Rizal wrote
the novel alone.
 February 21, 1887 – Noli is finally finished and ready for printing

Rizal suspected as French spy:

 Chief of police in Berlin visited Rizal’s boarding house asking for passport. Rizal had none.
Chief told him to secure a passport within four days.
 Rizal, accompanied by Viola, went to the Spanish ambassador, the Count of Benomar. But the
ambassador failed to keep his promise because he had no power to issue the required passport.
 Rizal presented himself at the office of the German police chief at the expiration of the four-
day ultimatum.
 Police chief received intelligence reports that Rizal has frequent visits to villages & little
towns in the rural areas. Resided there where he was apparently a lover of France. (France &
Germany relationship was strained on account of Alsace-Lorraine)
 Rizal, fluent in German told the police chief that he was not a French spy but a Filipino
physician, an ethnologist.

Rizal’s Grand Tour in Europe with Maximo Viola (1887)

 Dr. Maximo Viola was his companion during his tour in Europe
 In Teschen ( now Decin, Czechoslovakia) the first meeting with Prof. Blumentritt
 It was during their tour in Europe, an Exposition of the Philippines was also held in Madrid,
Spain. The primitive Igorots were exhibited in this exhibition.