LIWORIZ

The Ancestry and Early Years of Jose Protacio

Mercado Rizal y Alonso Realonda
 Rizal’s Ancestry
• Rizal’s Great Great Grandfather- Don
Domingo Lamco (Chinese name: Cue Hyi-
Lam,” also pronounced “Ke Yi-Nan in
Mandarin)

• Domingo Lam-Co’s home village was Siongqe

according to Manila church records. It was
said that Siongque Village of Fujian province,
which exists near the historic city of
Quanzhou, which is pronounced Chuanchow,
meaning City of Spring. The rural areas under
Quanzhou are the ancestral places of 80
percent of the top Filipino entrepreneurs of
Chinese descent.
 Rizal’s Ancestry

• A man named Domingo Lam Co (from Fujian, China)- landed in

Binondo, baptized in the Catholic Church of Manila’s Parian Chinese
ghetto in June 1697 at age 35. He later moved to Binan, Laguna where
he prospered and became a leader of the Chinese community. He
later married a Chinese mestiza named Ines de la Rosa, and settled at
the Dominican Estate.

• Lam-Co was the 19th generation from the Cua clan, which traces their
origins 3,000 years ago to patriarch Chua Siok-To in the Yellow River
basin of Central China.
 Rizal’s Ancestry

• Rizal himself was fluent in the Chinese language and

researched Chinese historical data referring to precolonial
Philippines to debunk Spanish claims that the country had
no early culture.
 Rizal’s Ancestry
• Their son, Francisco, assumed the surname Mercado (market)-

-Rizal’s grandfather- Rizal would adopt Mercado to differentiate

himself

• His son was Rizal’s father, Francisco Engracio Mercado, Rizal’s father.
They lived at the Dominican hacienda.

• 1848- Governor General Narciso Claveria issued a decree ordering all

natives to adapt new surnames for proper taxation. (Catalogo
Alpabetico de Apellidos)
 Rizal’s Ancestry (cont’d.)
• Exempted from the name change aside from the Spanish were Filipinos
from the old nobility such as the Lakandulas and the Makapagals who
helped the Spanish pacify the islands; also the pure Chinese who had a
separate tax

• Mercado family was not exempted as they already intermarried with

mestizos and lived in the islands for generations

• Rizal’s father chose Ricial (green fields), then eventually Rizal Mercado

• Rizal’s mother, Teodora Alonso Realonda, came from Manila, who had
Japanese and mestizo ancestry, and who owned a big store, would have
the name changed from Ricial to Rizal for convenience.
Rizal’s Immediate Family
 Rizal’s Ancestry (cont’d.)
• Rizal’s parents
Don Francisco Mercado (1818-1898)- born in Binan, Laguna
- said to be a man of few words
- said to be dignified and hospitable
- a model for fathers
- studied Latin and philosophy at Colegio de San Jose in
Manila
- said to be a hardy and independent-minded man
- Rizal was said to have inherited a profound sense of
dignity and self-respect, seriousness, self-possession and a strong
character
 Rizal’s Ancestry (cont’d.)
Dona Teodora Alonso (1826-1911)- said to be a vigorous and
persevering woman with a benevolent heart and a likeable
personality
- came from a distinguished and talented family
(descended from Lakandula, the native king of Tondo)
- studied at Colegio de Santa Rosa in Manila
- a highly cultured woman who knew literature,
was fond of poetry, and spoke Spanish fluently
- possessed refined culture, literary talent,
business ability, and the fortitude of Spartan women
 Rizal’s Ancestry (cont’d.)
:a remarkable woman of good character and of fine
culture
- a woman who discovered that her son had a
talent for poetry; she encouraged him to write poems. She
also wanted to stimulate Rizal’s imagination.

: from whom Rizal learned the alphabet and prayers

at the age of three
: Rizal’s first teacher would be his mother, a
remarkable woman of good character and of fine culture
 Rizal’s Ancestry (cont’d.)
The 11 Rizal siblings- (from eldest to youngest)
1.) Saturnina Rizal (1850-1913)
- oldest of the Rizal children, nicknamed Neneng; eldest daughter

2.) Paciano Rizal (1851-1930)

- oldest brother and confidant of Jose Rizal
- graduated with a Bachiller en Arts degree from San Juan de
Letran; studied at Colegio de San Jose;
- was like a second father to Jose Rizal
- Rizal respected him and valued his advice
- joined the Philippine Revolution and became a combat general
- after the Revolution, retired to his farm in Los Banos
 Rizal’s Ancestry (cont’d.)
- lived as a gentleman farmer
- died on April 13, 1930, an old bachelor aged 79
- had 2 children by his mistress, who was Severina Decena (a boy
and a girl)

3.) Narcisa Rizal (1852-1939)- pet name was Sisa; was a school teacher
and a musician; married a man from Morong

4.) Olympia Rizal (1855-1887)- Ypia was her pet name; married a
telegraph operator from Manila
- died while giving birth
 Rizal’s Ancestry (cont’d.)
5.) Lucia Rizal (1857-1919)- married a man from Calamba who was a
nephew of a friar priest; the husband died of cholera in 1889 but was
denied a Christian burial because he was the brother in law of Dr. Jose
Rizal.
- got into conflict with the friars because she was accused of
operating a gambling den.

6.) Maria Rizal (1859-1945)- her nickname was Biang; married a man
from Binan.
 Rizal’s Ancestry (cont’d.)
7.) Jose Rizal- a Filipino national hero; nickname was Pepe; had a baby
boy with Josephine Bracken they named Francisco. But the baby boy
died a few hours after birth.

8.) Concepcion (1862-1865)- pet name was Concha

- said to have died of sickness at age 3
- her death was said to have been her first sorrow in Rizal’s
life
- played with her and learned the sweetness of sisterly
love
 Rizal’s Ancestry (cont’d.)
9.) Josefa (1865-1945)- pet name was Panggoy; an epileptic; died an old
maid and a spinster

10.) Trinidad Rizal (1868-1951)- Trining as her pet name; died a spinster
and the last to die in the family

11.) Soledad (1870-1929)- youngest child; her pet name was Choleng;
married a man from Calamba
 The Hacienda de Calamba
• After getting married, Rizal’s parents moved to the
neighboring town of Calamba, where the Dominicans had a
hacienda.

• The Dominican hacienda was over two thousand hectares

from the boundary of Binan and Santa Rosa to the foothills
of Mount Makiling

• Rizal’s family was able to lease 500 hectares and hired

sharecroppers to do the actual cultivation. Don Francisco
also became a principalia.
A bahay na bato was built at the Plaza de Calamba, while
Dona Teodora managed a store and a ham press which
produced meats. Rizal’s family also engaged in the trading of
sugar and of dyestuff. Later, a second bahay na bato was built
in another part of Calamba.

The Rizal House- had a library of more than a thousand

books
- also entertained visitors to Calamba consisting of
priests who enjoyed turkey dinners from the Rizal family and
of government officials
• Rizal would be close to his yaya

- Stories about fairies and buried

treasure while they were both
at the Azotea

- Asuang, tigbalang, nuno sa

punso, kapre

- Would arouse in Rizal an

enduring interest in legends
and folklore
Rizal would be close to the following tios-

1.) Tio Jose Alberto- studied at a British school in India and

traveled to Europe to hone his artistic ability which he also
encouraged Rizal

2.) Tio Manuel- wanted Rizal to develop athletic abilities,

such as fencing, wrestling and swimming

3.) Tio Gregorio- wanted Rizal to love books; love for

education
Fr. Leoncio Lopez- Rizal’s love for scholarship and intellectual
honesty; love for education

“Work hard and perform every task very carefully; learn to be

swift as well as thorough; be independent in thinking and
make visual pictures of everything.”
 Rizal as a boy growing up
• Happy years playing in the family garden

• The Angelus and other prayers

• Mother taught him to pray the Rosary and the prayers

• Pilgrimages to the Shrine of the Virgin of Antipolo- a

tribute by his mother for the birth of Rizal
 Rizal as a boy growing up
His mother would be his first teacher

• Story of the Moth (the dazzling light from the flame in the
lamp)

- The baby moth did not follow the mother moth’s advice
not to venture too close the flame.

- the lesson was not to venture too close to the flame, or

your wings would get burned off and you will fall into the
kerosene oil below
 Rizal as a Boy with his dog (Verguenza)
“ My heart was nourished with
somber and melancholic
thoughts, when even as a child, I
already wandered on the wings
of fantasy in the high region of
the unknown.”

Rizal was said to be a big thinker

His face was serious and serene,

as if he knew that he was
destined for martyrdom
 Three traumatic events

• The death of his sister Concepion at age 3 in 1865

• GOMBURZA (the three martyr priests)execution in 1872

• Spanish persecution of his mother in 1872

1872- Rizal’s mother was accused of being an accomplice to
murder by her brother Tio Jose Alberto’s wife. There were
also other accusations and imagined grudges. Dona Teodora
had to walk 30 kilometers from Calamba to the provincial
capitol in Santa Cruz, and then was detained.

The Dominicans sent 2 lawyers from UST to help Rizal’s

mother, who was released after 2 years in detention
• The Dominicans were very generous to the Rizal family. For
the first five years, they don’t have to pay any rent, after
which the Rizal family only had to pay 15 pesos instead of
the standard 25 pesos

• The lands were very fertile and there was a ready source of
water
 References
De Viana, Augusto V. 2018. Laon-Laan: A Guide for the Study and Understanding of
the Life and Contributions of Jose Rizal to Philippine Nationhood and Society.
Mandaluyong City: Books Atbp. Publishing Corp. Chapters 6-7.
Duka, Cecilio D.; Pila, Rowena. Rizal: His Legacy to Philippine Society. Pasig City: Anvil
Publishing Inc. 2010. Chapter 3.
Duddley Diaz. On the Sculpture of Rizal as a Boy with his Dog. 1998. Rizal +, Makati
City: Water Dragon Inc. 2018.
Wilson Lee Flores. “Rizal’s Rags to Riches” Ancestor from South China. Rizal +, Makati
City: Water Dragon Inc. 2018.
Zaide, , Gregorio F. and Zaide, Sonia M. Jose Rizal: Life, Works and Writings of a
Genius, Writer, Scientist and National Hero. Quezon City: All Nations Publishing Corp.
Chapters 1-2.
 References
https://www.facebook.com/HiddenTruthPH/posts/d41d8cd9/1293267467532488/. Hidden
Truth PH. Philippine Shocking History. November 14, 2019.
https://www.facebook.com/746405425374953/photos/a.746410228707806/10478796152275
31/?type=3&theater. Kuyang Mason. “Family Tree of Dr. Jose Mercado Rizal.” December 30,
2014.
https://www.slideshare.net/carlotonogbanua/jose-rizal-lecture. Carlo Tonogbanua. “Jose Rizal
lecture.” Slideshare. Published on Jun 29, 2011
https://www.aswangproject.com/creatures-mythical-beings-philippine-folklore-mythology/.
“The Aswang Project.” A Compendium of Creatures & Mythical Beings from Philippine Folklore
& Mythology. February 22, 2016
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/956143/for-tourists-rizal-house-still-tops-resorts. Maricar Cinco.
“For tourists, Rizal house still tops resorts.” Inquirer.net. Philippine Daily Inquirer. December 30,
2017.
 LIWORIZ
The Life of Jose Rizal (cont’d.)
Part 2- Rizal’s Education in Laguna and in Manila
 Rizal’s Early Education
• Rizal’s mother was his first teacher. Dona Teodora was an educated
woman who could speak Spanish well. She also knew practical math
from managing the family store. Young Jose learned alphabet and
writing from her.

• For Rizal, after God, the next dearest is one’s mother

• Rizal’s family hired a yaya or a nanny, who would tell Rizal stories
about elves, fairies and other elements for entertainment

• Rizal had tutors who taught him Latin and body exercise. The Rizal
home also had a library. Rizal also did drawing and crude sculpture.
• Rizal also had private tutors who taught Rizal basic Spanish and basic
Latin

• On June 1869, Rizal left Calamba for Binan, accompanied by Paciano.

Rizal felt homesickness when he went to Binan.

• At the age of 9, Rizal was sent to the school of Maestro Justiniano

Aquino Cruz in Binan, Laguna, who administered corporal
punishment and taught Rizal Spanish.
• Rizal then studied at the school of Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz, a
small nipa hut about 30 meters from the home of Jose’s aunt. Rizal
would also get involved in a school brawl, where he was bullied by a
boy named Pedro, who made fun of him.

• Rizal also took painting lessons in Binan, where he spent many leisure
hours drawing and painting at the painter’s studio.

• He also lived a simple life in Binan

• He did well in his academics in Binan, where he surpassed the other
Binan boys in Spanish, Latin and other subjects.

• His classmates were jealous of his intellectual superiority.

• In 1870, after a year and a half of schooling in Binan, he took the

steamship Talim, which took him back to Calamba.
1872- The execution of the GOMBURZA
 1872- Rizal’s mother accused as an
accomplice to murder
• Rizal’s mother was accused of being an accomplice
to murder by her brother Tio Jose Alberto’s wife.
There were also other accusations and imagined
grudges. Dona Teodora had to walk 30 kilometers
from Calamba to the provincial capitol in Santa Cruz
and then was detained.

• The Dominicans sent 2 lawyers from UST to help

Rizal’s mother, who was released after 2 years in
detention
 “Sa Aking Mga Kabata”- A Fake Poem

- The claim was that Rizal wrote

the poem in 1869 at the age of
8

- Poem was first published

posthumously, 10 years after
Rizal’s execution as an appendix
in the work by poet
Herminigildo Cruz, as part of
Cruz’s analysis of new styles of
Tagalog poetry of the early 20th
century.
 “Sa Aking Mga Kabata”- A Fake Poem
• According to Cruz, he got the poem from his friend, writer Gabriel
Beato Francisco, who got it from a Saturnino Racelis, a teacher in
Majayjay, Laguna, and said to be a close friend of Rizal of Lukban,
Quezon in 1884. Racelis said to have allegedly received a copy of this
poem from Rizal himself as a token of their close friendship.

• The Racelis family was well-known in Quezon province, but that his
name does not appear in any of Rizal’s voluminous correspondence,
diaries or writings

• The poem also does not have an original manuscript. Cruz’s copy was
said to be a typewritten copy where National Artist for Literature
Virgilio S. Almario was said to have pointed out “corrections” Cruz
made on some spelling when the poem was published.
 “Sa Aking Mga Kabata”- A Fake Poem

• But no manuscript in Rizal’s handwriting existed.

• When historian and scholar Jaime C. de Veyra published the

definitive collection of Rizal’s poetry in 1946, Sa Aking Mga Kabata
was not published in the original Tagalog but in a free Spanish
translation by Epifanio de los Santos as A mis companeros de ninez
done for the magazine Revista Filipina in 1916.
 “Sa Aking Mga Kabata”- A Fake Poem

• Rizal also did not mention the poem at all

• In Sa Aking Mga Kabata, wrote the eight-year old Rizal, Tagalog has
its own alphabet and letters. Rizal even compared Tagalog with Latin,
English, Spanish and the “language of angels”. But Rizal was only 8
years old at the time and hasn’t learned the other languages yet,
until he started traveling.

• Rizal himself said that said that he wasn’t that well versed in his
native language, Tagalog, because his early childhood education was
taught by his mother in Spanish.
 “Sa Aking Mga Kabata”- A Fake Poem
• Rizal wrote some letters in Tagalog to his family and friends, but his
difficulties in writing in its literary form became evident when he
abandoned writing his third novel Makamisa in Tagalog and shifted
to writing it in Spanish.

• The poem also could not have been written in 1869, because the
letters k and w were the results of a reform in Tagalog orthography
proposed by Rizal himself in 1890, more than 20 years later. During
Rizal’s childhood, the orthography was said to be different with words
spelled with a c or a qui rather than a k- and the syllable ua was used
for the letter w. Therefore if the poem was written in 1869, Rizal
would have written the title as Sa Aquing Manga Cabata.
 “Sa Aking Mga Kabata”- A Fake Poem
• The word Kalayaan as we now use it today was not widely used in
the 19th century. In fact, Rizal first encountered the word in the
summer of 1882 when he was already 21 years old while he was
studying in Europe, according to Professor Nilo Ocampo.

• Who then wrote the poem?

The poem begins and ends with either Cruz or Francisco. Either
would have been the original author of the poem. Alternately,
Racelis/Raselis would have written it.
 “Sa Aking Mga Kabata”- A Fake Poem
• The sole basis of Sa Aking Mga Kabata as a poem by Rizal was based on Pascual
Poblete’s footnote to his Tagalog translation of the Noli Me Tangere in 1909, stating
that the poem was well-known to Filipino poets during Rizal’s childhood.

• Rizal was also highly popular during that time, the first decade after his execution.
But then Rizal historian Wenceslao Retana’s publication Vida y Los Escritos del Dr.
Jose Rizal - the first Rizal biography, in 1907, which included almost all of Rizal’s
poems except Sa Aking Mga Kabata, may also have contributed to the unquestioned
mass dissemination of his other literary works.

• Even historian Ambeth Ocampo stated that:

Identifying the true author of Sa Aking Mga Kabata is important because millions of
Filipino children are miseducated each year during Buwan ng Wika when they are told
that Rizal composed a poem in his mother tongue when he was eight years old…A fact
that we now see as untrue.
 Rizal’s Education in Ateneo

• On June 10, 1872, accompanied by Paciano, Rizal took the road from
Binan going to Manila. He was still full of sadness at the time because
his mother was still in prison.

• Rizal was then recommended to be sent to Manila for his Bachiller en

Artes course, the equivalent of today’s high school. He was given a
choice of whether to go to the Jesuit run Ateneo de Municipal de
Manila or the Dominican run San Juan de Letran, where Rizal passed
entrance exams both at Colegio de Letran and at Ateneo de
Municipal.

• But Rizal’s father wanted him to study at Ateneo, then under the
direction of the Jesuit priests.
 Rizal’s Early Education- Ateneo (1872-1877)

• Rizal was aged 11 at the time. He was almost rejected from being
accepted in Ateneo because he was too frail and too sickly, said to be
undersized for his age.

• Besides, he was also said to be late for registration.

• Rizal was the first in his family to adopt the surname Rizal.
- But according to the UST archives- Rizal continued to use
Mercado while he was a student at Ateneo and even later at UST
• Located in Intramuros, Rizal boarded a house in Caraballo street
Rizal’s Early Education- Ateneo (1872-1877)
 Rizal’s education in Ateneo
• A Jesuit system of education

• Rizal came from the provinces- Rizal was bullied- other students
mocked the way he spoke Tagalog and his lack of fluency in Spanish

• Rizal was asked by his Jesuit teachers to balance literature and the
sciences

• Competition games in the classroom- the Romans and the

Carthaginians

• Rizal’s interest in pre-colonial Philippines was stimulated while Rizal

was studying in Ateneo when Rizal met a sculptor, Teodoro
Romualdo de Jesus
 Rizal’s education in Ateneo (cont’d.)

• Rizal received the excellent grade of sobresaliente in all his subjects

at Ateneo. The following below are the classes he took:

Latin, Spanish, Greek, World Geography, World History, History of Spain

& the Philippines, Arithmetic & Algebra, Rhetoric & Poetry, French,
Geometry & Trigonometry, Philosophy 1, Philosophy 2, Mineralogy &
Chemistry, Physics, Botany & Zoology.
 Rizal’s education in Ateneo (cont’d.)

• Rizal also endeavored to become an expert land surveyor

• His Ateneo certificate entitled Bachiller en Artes bore the signature of

the UST Rector

• Fr. Francisco Paula de Sanchez inspired Rizal to study harder and to

write poetry- said to be his best professor at Ateneo.
 Rizal’s education in Ateneo (cont’d.)

• Rizal would also join 4 exclusive societies:

a.) The Academy of Spanish Literature

b.) The Academy of Natural Science
c.) The Marian congregation Sodality of our Lady
d.) The Apostle of Friendship
 Rizal’s Loves

• Segunda Katigbak- Rizal’s

first love. Rizal was 16,
Katigbak was 14.

- Segunda studied at La
Concordia College

- Rizal drew Segunda’s

portrait
 - as Rizal was going home to Calamba and while seeing
Segunda, Rizal failed to express his love for her. Rizal refused to say
anything.
- On Segunda’s way home permanently, she then
joined her family on a steamboat that dropped by Binan, on the way
back to Lipa.
- one of Rizal’s last memories of Segunda was when
Segunda’s carromata passed by and she was waving a handkerchief at
Rizal.
- she will eventually get married to a Manuel Luz in Lipa,
Batangas.
 Rizal at Santo Tomas (1877-1882)

- Rizal, at 16, then went to the University of Santo Tomas for higher
studies.

- Dona Teodora, who also knew what happened to the GOMBURZA,

has always been opposed to the idea of Rizal studying in Manila, even
before Rizal entered Ateneo, fearing that if he gets sent to Manila and
gets to know more, the Spanish would cut off his head.

- Initially, Rizal was enrolled at a course on Philosophy and Letters

during his 1st term, which his father liked and that he was still
uncertain of what career to pursue
Rizal at Santo Tomas (1877-1882)
- Rizal still sought the advice of Ateneo’s Rector, Father Pablo Ramon.

- During his first term at Santo Tomas, Rizal also studied in Ateneo. He
took a vocational course on land surveying, where he excelled

- Rizal, although a Thomasian by then, frequently visited Ateneo, with

which he remained loyal. He continued to participate in Ateneo’s
extracurricular activities.

- Rizal also dated a young woman in Calamba named Miss L, but the
relationship did not last long.
 Rizal at Santo Tomas: The Context of UST

• UST- challenges of secularization during the late Spanish period:

Under Governor General Raon and Simeon de Anda; under Governor
General Carlos Maria de la Torre; under President Emilio Aguinaldo

• 1898-1899- Revolutionary Government under Aguinaldo will totally

suppress and shut down UST and promote in its place the Universidad
Cientifico Literaria, to be succeeded by UP in 1908. The Americans will
reopen UST in 1899

• 1871- the new college of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine was
established at UST, where Rizal would enroll
• Rizal would also study further because Paciano already was managing
the family business and would inherit the family fortune

• The Dominicans also helped Rizal enroll in two courses at the same
time: a preparatory course leading to medicine and first year medicine
proper. This was given with the permission of the Governor General

• Rizal chose medicine over law- less risk of clashing with the Spanish
• Rizal also chose the Faculty of Pharmacy and Medicine due to:

a.) the promise of quick employment in the government’s health

department
b.) enrollment in the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters was declining
while that of Pharmacy and Medicine was increasing
c.) Medicine was an exciting frontier for young men at the time- women
were also said to be attracted to people who had high professional
degrees like medicine and pharmacy
 Rizal’s grades at UST
• Rizal’s grades were generally above average at UST:

Excellent: Cosmology & Metaphysics, Theodicy, History & Philosophy,

Chemistry, Therapeutics

Very Good: Medical Pathology, Surgical Pathology, Obstetrics

Good: Anatomy 1, Dissection 1, Anatomy 2, Dissection 2, Physiology,

Private Hygiene, Public Hygiene, Surgery

Fair: Physics, Natural History, General Pathology (where Rizal would

obtain a 3.0, a passing grade and his lowest at UST)
Rizal’s grades at UST
• Rizal was allowed to take up two courses leading to medicine at the
same time

• The culture was very different from Ateneo- classes were held in the
morning and its free time in the afternoon

• At the same time, Rizal was taking up a land surveying course at

Ateneo

• Rizal was also seeing three women at the same time- Leonor
Valenzuela, Leonor Rivera and Vicenta Ybardaloza (1879-1882)
 Leonor Valenzuela
• Rizal also courted Leonor Valenzuela, who
was his next door neighbor from his
boarding house. Leonor Valenzuela was a
tall girl with a regal bearing.

• Rizal sent Leonor, or Orang, love notes

written in invisible ink. The ink consisted of
common table salt and water. The ink left no
trace on the paper.
• Rizal knew his chemistry, taught Orang, the secret of reading any
note written in invisible ink by heating it over a candle or lamp so
that the words may appear. But then, Rizal stopped short of
proposing marriage to Orang.
 Leonor Rivera
• Rizal’s next romance was with Leonor Rivera. In
1879, at the start of his junior year in university, he
lived in Casa Tomasina at No. 6 Calle Santo Tomas, in
Intramuros. His landlord uncle, Antonio Rivera had a
pretty daughter, Leonor, a student at La Concordia
College, where Soledad, Rizal’s youngest sister, was
studying. They became engaged.

• Rizal signed Rivera’s name as Taimis to camouflage

their intimate relationship from their parents and
friends.
• Also a time for idleness in Ateneo- Rizal therefore joined groups like
Companerismo de Jehu on the Jewish-Roman Wars.

• Student culture was also different- at Ateneo, they start with a holy
mass in the morning. The Dominicans did not believe in imposing
ideas on students as they were to be more responsible and mature.
They therefore cannot be forced to attend mass, and could do
whatever they want during their free time in the afternoon
• It was at Santo Tomas that Rizal showed his true colors as a nationalist-
wrote his prize winning and nationalist poem A la Juventud Filipina-
where the youth is the beautiful hope of the motherland

• Also wrote Consejo de los Dioses – honored Cervantes and wrote that
the Spanish poet was good as the giant of classics like Homer and
Horace- did not win the top prize as it went to a Spaniard.

• The Spanish were ill at ease as Rizal was just an indio from the
provinces and he managed to out-Spanish the peninsulares who were
priests and journalists- hurt pride
To the Filipino Youth A La Juventud Filipina)

Hold high the brow serene,

O youth, where now you stand;

Let the bright sheen

Of your grace be seen,

Fair hope of my fatherland!

Come now, thou genius grand,

And bring down inspiration;

With thy mighty hand,

Swifter than the wind's violation,

Raise the eager mind to higher station.

Come down with pleasing light

Of art and science to the fight,

O youth, and there untie

The chains that heavy lie,

Your spirit free to blight.

See how in flaming zone

Amid the shadows thrown,

The Spaniard'a holy hand

A crown's resplendent band

Proffers to this Indian land.

 Thou, who now wouldst rise

On wings of rich emprise,

Seeking from Olympian skies

Songs of sweetest strain,

Softer than ambrosial rain;

Thou, whose voice divine

Rivals Philomel's refrain

And with varied line

Through the night benign

Frees mortality from pain;

Thou, who by sharp strife

Wakest thy mind to life ;

And the memory bright

Of thy genius' light

Makest immortal in its strength ;

 And thou, in accents clear

Of Phoebus, to Apelles dear ;

Or by the brush's magic art

Takest from nature's store a part,

To fig it on the simple canvas' length ;

Go forth, and then the sacred fire

Of thy genius to the laurel may aspire ;

To spread around the fame,

And in victory acclaim,

Through wider spheres the human name.

Day, O happy day,

Fair Filipinas, for thy land!

So bless the Power to-day

That places in thy way

This favor and this fortune grand !

 What was life like at UST?
• UST said to be a haven of diversity, and had Spaniards, insulars and
peninsulars, and some mestizos as professors; had laymen and
clergymen as educators; students came from all walks of life; also
archbishops on both sides of the debate, revolutionaries and
nationalists.

• UST supervised provincial universities and opened its doors to women

through a course for midwives

• New scientific instruments and inventions (phonographs,

telephones, Faraday’s electromagnet, machine for measuring gravity);
12,000 volumes in library; oldest university museum in Asia; an
amphitheater for the dissection of cadavers; a depository of dead
bodies; sent faculty to train abroad in Europe
• Life as a student at UST had many privileges-
a.) considered as the cream of society
b.) exemption from the polo y servicios and other taxes
c.) students walked around in coats and in walking sticks
d.) went around to eat at a panciteria in the Binondo district and
frequented stores to buy drawing and writing supplies

• Education at UST was rigorous and even Rizal would receive a 3.0 or
passing grade in Pathology, the study of tropical diseases

• Whipping incident- Rizal would complain to the Governor General- a

reminder that Rizal was still a colonial and an indio
De Viana, Augusto V. 2018. Laon-Laan: A Guide for the Study and Understanding of the Life and Contributions
of Jose Rizal to Philippine Nationhood and Society. Mandaluyong City: Books Atbp. Publishing Corp. Chapter 9.
Duka, Cecilio, Pila, Rowena. Rizal: His Legacy to Philippine Society. Pasig City: Anvil Publishing Inc. 2010.
Chapter IV.
Jose Victor Z. Torres. A Fake Rizal Poem: “Sa Aking Mga Kabata”. Rizal +, Makati City: Water Dragon Inc. 2018.
Zaide, , Gregorio F. and Zaide, Sonia M. Jose Rizal: Life, Works and Writings of a Genius, Writer, Scientist and
National Hero. Quezon City: All Nations Publishing Corp. Chapters 3, 4, 5, 7.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nccaofficial/18009683433 . “Pagaalsa sa Cavite”. NCCA Official. Flickr.

Uploaded on June 9, 2015.
https://www.google.com/search?q=sa+aking+mga+kabata&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjv9o
6MpYTtAhWCHqYKHZm8DB4Q_AUoAXoECBoQAw&biw=1280&bih=551#imgrc=zhaLUL1bVYOsnM. “Sa Aking
Mga Kabata”. Google Images.
http://allaboutjoserizal.blogspot.com/2013/09/triumphs-inthe-ateneo-hold-high.html. Triumphs in the
Ateneo. All About Pepe. 2010. https://varsitarian.net/filipino/20090715/si_jose_rizal_bilang_isangtomasino.
Tomas U. Santos. “Si Jose Rizal bilang isang Tomasino. The Varsitarian- The Official Student Publication of the
University of Santo Tomas. July 15, 2009.
http://allaboutjoserizal.blogspot.com/2013/09/triumphs-inthe-ateneo-hold-high.html. At the University of
Santo Tomas. All About Pepe. 2010.
https://www.facebook.com/UST1611official/posts/jose-rizals-grades-in-the-faculty-of-medicine-and-surgery-
carefully-preserved-in/1587490467929398/. Tesa Virtudazo. Facebook. University of Santo Tomas. June 19,
2017.
http://www.positivelyfilipino.com/magazine/2013/6/rizals-great-loves. Penelope V. Flores. “Rizal’s Great
Loves.” Positively Filipino. Your Window on the Filipino Diaspora. June 19, 2013.
http://astigngpinoy.blogspot.com/2010/12/about-leonor-valenzuela.html.cashmakers. “About Leonor
Valenzuela.” Philippines Pride. Wednesday, December 29, 2010.
https://www.joserizal.com/goodbye-to-leonor/. “Goodbye to Leonor”. JoseRizal.com. 2020.
http://writingsofrizal.weebly.com/a-la-juventud-filipina-english.html . To The Filipino Youth. Writings of Rizal.
Weebly.com.
 LIWORIZ
The Life of Jose Rizal- Travel to Europe- (Part
3.1,cont’d.)
 On to Europe

• Rizal, like many of his peers, would decide to continue and

complete their education abroad- a choice for Filipino elites who
had the money to pay from their pockets

• From 1881-1887, the farms leased by the Rizal family yielded very
good harvests

• Rizal kept his plans secret from his parents, who disapproved, and
also from Leonor, but had the support of his brother Paciano. Rizal
was said to have embarked on a secret mission to eventually
prepare for Philippine liberation in the future.
 Why Europe?
• Europe was the center of intellectual development, science and of
scientific research

• Aside from universities, libraries and museums, in Europe, one can

find radical thinkers and philosophers such as Hegel, Marx and
Nietszche, also of Voltaire, Tolstoi and Dostoyevsky

• There were also no friars, nor of the guardia civil and of the Spanish
officials

• The capacity to compare the Philippines with that of Spain

 Rizal’s travels to Europe
• On his way to Europe, Rizal
sailed first on the ship
Salvadora to Singapore, then
transferred to the ocean liner
Djemnah on the way to
Colombo, the port of Aden, the
Suez Canal, and on the way to
the port of Barcelona in Spain

• Rizal during his travels, was

able to compare different parts
of Spain to other European
societies
 Rizal’s travels to Europe
• Rizal enrolled at courses on Medicine and Philosophy and Letters at
the Universidad Central de Madrid, which contained a diversity of
political beliefs

- influenced by Dr. Miguel Morayta ,who was anti-

monarchist and an anarchist.

- joined the liberals and was influenced by Don Pablo

Ortiga at the Circulo Hispano-Filipino
 Rizal’s Activities while in Europe

• Rizal studied painting and sculpture

• Rizal practiced fencing and shooting in the university Hall of Arms

• Rizal loved music, visited art galleries and museums and read books
on all kinds of subjects
 Rizal’s Habits in Europe
- rigidly budgeted his time and money

- Only spent of food, clothing, lodging and books

- Never gambled and overspent on wine and women

- Rizal’s only vice was to invest a few pesetas for lottery

 Rizal’s Habits
- Spent leisure time reading and writing at the boarding house, attend
the reunions of Filipino students at the house of the Paterno
brothers, especially Pedro Paterno, from a Spanish mestizo family

- Rizal practiced fencing and shooting at the gymnasium

- During the summers, Rizal sipped coffee and fraternized with

students from Cuba, Mexico, and Argentina

- Also visited the home of Don Pablo Ortiga, a liberal who served
under Spanish Governor General Carlos Maria del a Torre
 Dating a Spanish girl- Consuelo Ortiga
• The daughter of Don Pablo Ortiga
y Rey

• It was said that Rizal was not really a

handsome man. He was neither a
dashing nor an imposing man, but a
shy, small man

• But Rizal possessed charisma, because

of his many talents and noble character,
which made him appealing to young
women such as Consuela Ortiga
 Dating a Spanish girl- Consuelo Ortiga
(cont’d.)
• Rizal would even compose a lovely poem for Consuelo, A La Senorita
Co y R , where Rizal expressed his admiration for her. It was said that
Rizal found solace and joy in her company.

• But before his romance with Consuelo could blossom into a serious
affair, he backed out for two reasons:

a.) he was still engaged to Leonor Rivera

b.) his friend and co-worker in the Propaganda Movement, Eduardo de

Lete, was madly in love with Consuelo and Rizal had no wish to break
their friendship because of a pretty girl.
 El Amor Patrio (Love for Country)
• Penned in the first months when Rizal was overseas in
1882.

• appeared in Diariong Filipino in Manila under the

pseudonym Laong Laan on 20 August 1882

• Rizal’s first published work

• focused on his perceptions of the Philippines; paints the

Philippines as a homeland, worthy of love and protection;
exhorts the youth to stand up for the Philippines
 El Amor Patrio (Love for Country)

• Rizal takes a naturally more prosaic approach, though no less

powerful: It has always been said that love is an extremely powerful
force behind most noble activities. Well then, of all loves, the love of
country has inspired the grandest, the most heroic and the most
selfless of deeds. Do read history books or historical records and
traditions, from Father Raul Bonoan, SJ’s translation

• the path to understanding your country is to understand your

history.
 Freemasonry
Freemasonry- a brotherhood that espouses
equality among men, regardless of race,
wealth and education

- advocated the acquisition of

knowledge through a rational and scientific
approach

- not a religion, but believed in

a universal being who is the grand architect
of the universe; attacked established
religions
 Freemasonry
-the Roman Catholic Church declared Freemasonry an evil
organization, while members were asked to retract their beliefs,
otherwise they were excommunicated

-Rizal entered Freemasonry in 1883 through the Lodge Acacia;

eventually became a Master Mason at Lodge Solidaridad in 1890;
became Master Mason at Le Grand Orient France. Rizal eventually
challenged Church teachings
De Viana, Augusto V. 2018. Laon-Laan: A Guide for the Study and Understanding of the Life
and Contributions of Jose Rizal to Philippine Nationhood and Society. Mandaluyong City:
Books Atbp. Publishing Corp. Chapter 10.
Duka, Cecilio, Pila, Rowena. Rizal: His Legacy to Philippine Society. Pasig City: Anvil
Publishing Inc. 2010. Chapter 5.
Zaide, , Gregorio F. and Zaide, Sonia M. Jose Rizal: Life, Works and Writings of a Genius,
Writer, Scientist and National Hero. Quezon City: All Nations Publishing Corp. Chapter 6.

http://www.knightsofrizal.be/rizal_travels.php . Dr. Jose Rizal’s Travels. Non Omnis Moriar.

Knights of Rizal Diamond Chapter- Antwerp-Flanders-Belgium. 2013.
https://www.facebook.com/730070553736351/photos/a.873329289410476/10516131282
48757/?type=3&theater. “Consuelo Ortiga y Perez.” Facebook. Manilakad. June 18, 2016.
http://www.philippinestamps.net/Masonic-Masons.htm. Linda Stanfield (Website
Owner). Republic of the Philippines - Stamps and Postal History. Philippines
Masonic Philately. Connecticut, USA.
https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2010/06/26/587431/art-rizal. Alejandro Roces.
“The Art of Rizal.” PhilStar Global. June 26, 2010.