Rizal’s First Homecoming to Calamba after Five Years

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, our national hero, is the boldest and
strongest person in history. He could be Malakas, Superman, or Zeus in fairytales and
folklore. However, his life is one that you will never wish for. He struggled and sacrificed a
lot of things. Being the genius boy of Calamba, from a prominent family, he has been given a
chance to study abroad as much as they can afford.

This article or chapter will talk about the “first homecoming of Rizal”. After five
years of staying in Europe, Jose Rizal decided to finally go home for different reasons: for
his family, neighborhood, people, and his lover.

Being able to be at home is the happiest feeling because you could be with your
family. According to the article, I felt so sad knowing that Rizal’s life is at the end of the
cliff, as rumors had spread that he was a German spy and a Protestant, which became a
reason why his father doesn’t want him back. Despite that, after all of his worries and doubts,
I saw the love of his family towards him, especially Paciano, who protected him and never
left his side from the first days after his arrival.

Wondering why he was so determined to be back at Calamba is for his first reason: to
operate on his mother's ailing eye problem or as almost blind. So, if you are the child, you
will feel sad about the reality that you want to switch positions with your parent. Reading the
story, I was so touched to realize what kind of relationship they have as a mother and a son.
All the hard work he has put into studying and practicing medicine will pay off. I shivered at
the fact that, after establishing a medical clinic, Rizal was successful in his first operation.
Exploiting as a physician for his mother leads him to be called “Doctor Uliman”, as patients
from different places flock to Calamba. If I had a chance to judge this situation, all I could
say based on what I already read from other stories, facts, or articles is that, Rizal could be a
legend. Why? Because after knowing that this happened in the 1880’s, this kind of job or
profession is so rare, as those rich people could only afford to attend school.
 In the same article, it was stated that Rizal’s second reason for coming home was to
serve his fellowmen, who had been oppressed by the Spanish tyrants for a long time. As I ran
over the article, I was moved by Rizal’s idea of bravery. During that time, Spaniards had
access to all authority and power, including weapons for battle. In order to fulfil his reason
for coming home, Rizal fought those white men, using his pen as his sword. It is also one of
the reasons that Rizal pushes him to study abroad in order to widen his knowledge. In fact,
Rizal’s mother was against the idea that he would continue his studies because it might put
his son in great danger.

However, Rizal used his learning to write about the oppressions of the Filipinos at the
hands of the Spanish tyrants. The writings revealed the cruelty and abuses of the white races
toward the Philippines and its people. From that moment on, I chose to believe that
intelligence is one way of dealing with survival. Education, on the other hand, prevails as it
helped open the minds of the Filipino people to their enemies. After the publication of
Rizal’s first novel, many Filipinos were enlightened and started to build different
organizations to fight back and get the freedom they had been dreaming of for a long time.
Through Rizal, Filipinos were no longer treated as mere Filipinos; slaves and Indio, but
started to be recognized and respected by others.

As I continued to read, I discovered that Rizal plays an important role for Filipinos
living in those times and today because he touches and inspires many lives, young
generations in particular, to study hard and value the importance of education in shaping a
person into a better individual. In my case, I could relate to Rizal's passion for his country by
being a person who strives for excellence. As a student, I can contribute to change and be
proud of my nation by carrying out my responsibilities as a citizen.
 The article further shows Rizal's motive for persevering to go back to his hometown;
he wants to find out for himself how the NOLI (his first novel) and his other writings were
affecting Filipinos and Spaniards in the country. In connection with the above statement,
Rizal’s novels awaken Filipino awareness as well as push them to establish the grounds for
aspiring independence. The idea that Rizal led the country into its betterment gave every
Filipino the idea that freedom is possible with courage and non-violence. His unique way of
fighting made me realize that a person can become a hero using his pen; words can motivate
and empower others. On the other hand, Rizal intended to write his novel, NOLI, in Spanish
for the Spaniards to read. Unfortunately, after the discovery of his novel, the Spanish
authorities—both civil-colonial and church—reacted and applied strict censorship and strong
criticisms since the novel indicated how power was abused and how people would do
anything to get it. From these, I realized that if only Filipinos learned sooner how to deal
with the Spaniards and that all of them have access to education, just as is happening now,
maybe they wouldn’t suffer and experience the burden of achieving freedom.

I was shocked to know that the rise of the novel’s discovery also led to the People
Power Revolution, which set forth the idea of fighting against Spanish authorities and
colonization. Many events have happened, including the execution of GomBurZa, which
triggered Rizal to continue his writings with El Filibusterismo, his second novel. I am a big
fan of Rizal, especially as to how he fights for his country and his loved ones. This is also the
reason why I was moved by Rizal: that we Filipinos, especially those who are living today,
should enjoy the independence and freedom from the efforts and his bloodshed and value,
appreciate, and live with purpose. As a child, I was motivated to also fight for my family and
defend them to the utmost of my knowledge and ability. Seeing how hard it is to lead makes
me salute Rizal in all ways that I can.
 The last but one of the most exciting and saddest reasons Rizal came home was to
discover why Leonor Rivera remained silent. This girl is his childhood sweetheart and
greatest lover. They started to fall in love with each other at a very young age, through
exchanging letters and sending poems to her. At the time Rizal left the country, it had a big
impact on Leonor, causing her frequent sickness because of insomnia. I understand both
parties, as Rizal just wanted to focus on his studies in Europe, for he has a lot of dreams and
goals, while Leonor is just a girl who gave love and wanted to be loved.

After how many years, as he hurriedly got home, there’s no shadow of his beloved
girl as they moved to another place? There is the same as what I watched when I was in
grade 9: The Romeo and Juliet, where they really wanted to meet each other but were being
prohibited by their fathers. The sorrow they endured is for their welfare. Rizal is being
protected the same way as his lover. The Mercado family wanted to avoid putting the Rivera
family in danger, as Rizal had been labelled as Filibustero by the Spanish colonial
government. And, same as from what I have watched, they never had a happy ending, as
Rizal wanted them to get married, but they never met again. In addition, their love story is
like a tragic typical story: as one will go, another one will come. Leonor had been married to
another man, and Rizal, despite preventing love for other women because they said the
greatest love never dies, ended up dating and having attachments with different girls from
different countries.

In conclusion, Rizal had encountered a lot of challenges, but see, he survived; he

surpassed all of them. Those reasons that need to be answered and explained are half
successful and half sorrowful. He wanted to push himself into each thing and issue, but he
also kept in mind that if he made a mistake, a lot of people would suffer. August 1887, when
he first arrived in Calamba, and February 3, 1888, were almost six months of mixed
emotions. Rizal had left his country with a heavy heart, but this action and decision are for
his own good and the safety of his family and friends.