The death of Jose Rizal brought more fierceness to the revolution that finally overthrew the

tyranny of Spain. His intellectual talent and bravery in resisting the Spanish colonial government
were admired by many Filipinos. The courageous stance of our national hero awakened the
nationalistic spirit among the youth.

At such a young age, our hero has already witnessed inequality, discrimination, and even racism
by Spaniards against Filipinos. It is noteworthy that with Jose Rizal's fearlessness, the Philippines
regained its freedom from the Spaniards. Indeed, Rizal deserves the sacred name "hero" because
his bravery is incomparable, as he set an entire community on the path of freedom. In this lesson,
we will take you on a journey through his greatness, from his early childhood up until he left for
Europe.

3.1 Family and Early Life

The complete name of our hero is Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda. He was the
seventh child of Francisco Rizal Mercado and his wife, Teodora Alonso Realonda. His mother
gave birth to him on June 19, 1861, in Calamba, Laguna. Rizal's family was like any other 17th-
century family in the Philippines. It was of mixed origins. Tracing back his bloodline, Rizal's
forebearers came from Fujian, China. His grandfather, Domingo Lam-co, was an immigrant
Chinese merchant who immigrated to the Philippines in the late 17th century. His mother's
ancestry runs in the mixed blood of Chinese, Japanese, and Tagalog, that originated from Doña
Teodora’s grandmother, Regina Ochoa, and Rizal's grandfather, Lorenzo Alberto Alonso, who was
also a half-Spaniard engineer.

In 1849, Governor-General Narciso Claveria ordered all Filipinos to use Spanish family names to
facilitate the tax-census registry. Therefore, Lam-co, the father of Francisco, changed their family
name to Spanish "Mercado," which means "market," to signify their merchant roots. The name
"Rizal" was not actually found in the Catálogo Alfabetico de Apellidos. Instead, only the surname
"Risal" was found in the catalog of surnames. Jose became the first in their family to use Rizal
instead of Mercado to avoid any association with the executed.Fr. Burgos, who happened to have
a connection with his older brother, Paciano Mercado.

At such a young age, Jose showed an advanced intellect. At the age of three, he was taught the
alphabet by his mother. When he turned five, our hero was able to read and write. However,
Rizal's childhood was not all about happy memories. In 1870, just when Rizal was about to go to
Manila to continue his education at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, he witnessed the unfair ordeal
of his mother. Because of a false accusation of attempting to poison her sister-in-law, Doña
Teodora was arrested by the Spaniards and made to walk 50 kilometers around Laguna. After
more than a day of walking under the sun, Doña Teodora was charged and, without a trial,
imprisoned in Santa Cruz for two years (Guerrero 1974).

Another event that moved Rizal's sentiments was the devious execution of the Gomburza. They
were falsely accused of leading the Cavite Mutiny of 1872. They were charged with sedition and
treason and executed by means of garrote on February 17, 1872, at Bagumbayan.

Fr. Mariano Gomez, Fr. Jacinto Zamora, and Fr. Jose Burgos, like other Indios and creole priests
within the Catholic Church, were simply advocating reform for secular clergy. They were asking for
equal rights for Filipino and Spanish priests. They demanded the assignment of the secular priests
to the parishes and denounced the unfair removal of their assignment for the parishes to be taken
over by the Spanish regular priests. The sentiments of the native priests fell on deaf ears, andthe
Spanish military tribunal denied their cause. Without hesitation, the Gomburza were publicly
executed.

But what is Rizal's ancestral history? It was mentioned earlier that our hero came from Chinese
descent. The legal status of the inhabitants in the Philippines during the Spanish colony was
associated with cultural identity. They were identified either as Chinese, mestizo, or Indio. The
status was, not a persornal orientation or choice. It was based on the status of the parents,
specifically that of the father. Thus, the child of a Chinese man and a native woman, or a mestiza
was labeled as a Chinese mestizo. On the other hand, if the offspring was from a female
descendant, the classification was determined by their marriages.

If a mestiza married an Indio, the offspring would be classified as an indio. By marrying a Chinese
or mestizo, the mother and her children would be identified as mestizos. Thus, through marriage,
native women or mestizas could possibly change their status. This system was not obstinate, and
changing the status of one's family could be done through legal procedures (Schumacher 1991).

As to Rizal's lineage history, it is presumed that he is from the fourth generation of Chinese
mestizos, taking. into account that his grandfather, Domingo Lam-co, was married to a Chinese
mestiza, and both his son and grandson married Chinese mestizas. With the acquired prestige,
economic wealth, and status in their hometown, it enabled them to convert their family from the
mestizo padron to Indios, therefore making Don Francisco Mercado and Jose Rizal Indios (Craig
2002).

After the Galleon Trade ended in 1815, the economy of the Philippines grew, and it brought back
prosperity to the Indios, including the Western, British, and. American merchants (Schumacher
1991). ln the mid-1830s, when Manila was opened to foreign trade with fewer restrictions, the
demand for Philippine sugar and abaca (hemp) grew. Relatively, the volume of exports like books,
magazines, and newspapers from Europe and America opened the minds of Filipino reformists
like Jose Rizal. It was more intense when the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 was completed.
Central Luzon, Batangas, parts of the Bicol Region, Negros, and Panay that were in control of the
large rice, sugar, and abaca growing lands profited the most. Hemp and coffee were also exported
to foreign markets, while imported goods from Europe found their way to the Philippine market. It
also benefited the inquilinos and haciendas, as well as the Filipino hacienderos of Pampanga,
Batangas, and Western Visayas, and the friars who owned the large haciendas of Bulacan (De
Viana et al. 2018).

The growth of commercial agriculture in the Philippines was evident in the case of Domingo Lam-
co, who came to Biñan in the mid-18th century. An inquilino can have an average holding of 2.9
hectares at that time. It was during the 1890s when Don Francisco came to Calamba and rented a
hacienda with over 390 hectares. With the engagement in commercial agriculture, another social
class was created.

The property of the church and the rice estates of the pre-Spanish haciendas were planted with
coffee, hemp, and sugar, owned by Chinese-Filipino mestizo entrepreneurs. The Spanish and
Chinese mestizos eventually became, leaders in terms of education and finance after ascending to
a position of power in society. The Dominican order that owned the land gave the inquilinos
(native entrepreneurs) the right to use the land for farming or production in exchange for rent. This
system began in the Philippines after the Galleon Trade ended and the Suez Canal opened in
1860, which allowed intensive cultivation of the land for mass production of crops.
Furthermore, education in the 19th century was mandated by the monarchy. The Philippine
government was ordered by King Philip Il to educate and teach the natives Spanish, primarily for
religious of instructions. During the Roman Catholic era, the first formal schools were opened and
established (Jesuits, Franciscans, Augustinians, and Dominicans). Reading, writing, arithmetic,
and Vocational subjects were also part of their curriculum. Secondary education was opened with
boys and girls studying separately after Archbishop Domingo de Salazar ordered that every town
have separate schools for boys and girls in 1582. Subjects included history, Latin, geography,
mathematics, and philosophy (Aguinaldo 2011), In the 17th century, universities were only open to
Spanish people and Spanish mestizos. Public education did not arrive in the Philippines until the
1860s. It was only during that period that schools for Filipino natives were opened. However, the
curriculum was controlled by the Catholic Church. The center of the curriculum was on religion
instead of science and mathematics.

A royal decree was instituted in 1863 on the establishment of public schools in the Philippines to
accommodate more students from different social classes like Spanishcitizens, mestizos, and
Indios. But the public schools only accommodated the sons of wealthy Indios. The growing
numbers of educated Filipino natives resulted in the creation of a new social class called the
ilustrados. Just like the Indios or the Filipino natives, the ilustrados were not safe from
discrimination by the Spanish citizens. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1860 served as an
opportunity for them to seek higher education in Europe. Hence, in 1880, the wealthy were able to
send their sons to study in Europe. There, a sense of nationalism bloomed in the liberal
atmosphere amongst.

3.2 Early Education

Mothers are usually their children's first teachers. Our young hero had his first education at home
under the mentorship of his mother, Doña Teodora. When he was three years old, he learned the
alphabet and could recite prayers. At the age of five, Rizal was already capable of the basics of
reading and writing. It was also Doña Teodora who discovered his talent for poetry. In one of his
letters to Doña Teodora, he wrote. "My mother," (written in his student memoirs), "taught me how
to read and to say haltingly the humble prayers which I raised fervently to God" (quoted in
Mañebog 2013). She encouraged Rizal to write poems, so Doña Teodora had to tell young Rizal
many stories to stimulate his imagination and creativity.

As he grew older, Rizal also acquired lessons from his three maternal uncles, who helped him
develop his God-given talents. His Uncle Jose Alberto guided him in the wise direction of his
studies and developed his artistic ability. Uncle Gregorio instilled a love for education into the mind
of Jose and also encouraged his nephew to be a wide reader. Lastly, Uncle Manuel Alberto, who
was concerned with Jose's frail physique, made sure that Jose excelled in sports. Aside from the
training he received from his uncles, his father Don Francisco, hired some tutors. His first tutor
was Maestro Celestino, who was followed by Maestro Lucas. His third tutor was Maestro Leon
Monroy, who taught him Spanish and Latin. Unfortunately, after five months, Maestro Monroy
passed away. In order to further Jose's education, Doña Teodora and Don Francisco sent their
son to a private school in Biñan. This is where the formal schooling of our young hero began.

Rizal's older brother, Paciano, brought him to Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz in Biñan. The
school was within Maestro Cruz's house, in a nipa hut about half the distance from where Rizal's
older brother walked an hour from the home of Jose's aunt, where he was staying. He described
his teacher as "a tall man, lean and long necked, with a sharp nose and body slightly bent forward.
He used to wear a sinamay shirt woven by the deft hands of Batangas women." Academically,
Jose was the brightest of the pupils. The fact that he excelled in Spanish, Latin, and other.
subjects made his older classmates envious. After, studying in Bifñan, Jose went back to Calamba.
After a few months of staying in Calamba, the 12-year-old Jose Rizal was sent by his parents to
the Ateneo Municipal de Manila (now, Atene0 de Manila) in Intramuros to study. However,
because it was past the registration date, Rizal almost did not make it to the Ateneo.

Initially, Rizal considered going to San Juan de Letran, where he had qualified in the entrance
examination. But with Manuel Jerez's help, a nephew of Fr. Jose Burgos, he was accepted at
Ateneo. The school was administered by the Spanish Jesuits, and it was also the most advanced
school at that time. In his first year in Ateneo, Jose, who had crude or little knowledge of Spanish,
became a source of laughter for his classmates and professors. There, he experienced
discrimination from his professors and classmates, mainly because of the fact that he was from
Calamba, Laguna. For this reason, Jose was ranked last in his class but made. significant
advancement in it. During break time, he took private lessons at Santa Isabel College to improve
his Spanish. As the second semester closed, he got the position of class emperor. After five years
of studying in Ateneo, Rizal, at 16 years old, graduated with the highest grades in all subjects,
including philosophy, physics, biology, chemistry, and language. He obtained his degree in
Bachelor of Arts with a grade of sobresaliente, which means excellent, in all his subjects. However,
Rizal did not graduate as valedictorjan. Our hero was not the only one who had intellectual talent
during his time. It was Rizal's-unselfish exploit of his mental gift that profited the Filipino people.

Rizal was only 16 when he experienced his first romance with a girl named Segunda Katigbak.
Rizal saw her as a lady with "eloğuent eyes, rosy cheeks, and smile that reveals very beautiful
teeth." Unfortunately, the lady was already engaged to another man, whom her parents had
chosen for her.

But since he was shy and timid, despite her expressed interest in him, he failed to propose.
Shortly after losing Segunda Katigbak, he found his heart beating for another lady named Miss L,
a professor from Pakil, Laguna. After visiting her for a tutor lesson in the subject of

rhetoric and poetry, he suddenly stopped pursuing his feelings because Rizal was still in love with
Segunda, and his father objected mainly because she was a professor. After several months,
Rizal met. Leonor Valenzuela at Doña Concha Leyva's home in lntramuros. Sadly, like in his past
relationship, Leonor had to marry another man her parents chose for her,

After earning a degree at Ateneo, Don Francisco knew that his son was gifted with exceptional
intelligence, so he decided to send Rizal to pursue his higher education in Manila. But Doña
Teodora was hesitant about the idea. She knew the fate of the Filipinos who acquired more
education. They would either be executed or exiled by the Spanish authorities in the Philippines.
Don Francisco and Paciano, however, were convinced of the future that awaited Rizal, whose
intelligence at that time was the best, and supported Jose's decision to pursue his higher
education at the University of Santo Tomas (UST). Rizal started studying at UST in 1877, where
he enrolled in Philosophy and Letters and pursued medicine at the same school. While studying at
UST, Rizal also enrolled in the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, where he took the course surveying.
He showed interest in the said course that he was able to finish it in one year. His medical studies
lasted from 1878 to 1882. He showed eagerness in finishing his course in ophthalmology with the
hope that he could save his mother's failing eyesight. However, Rizal was not able to obtain
impressive grades in his medical course but performed well in Philosophy and Letters. It was also
during that time when Rizal met Leonora Rivera, the daughter of his landlord-uncle, Antonio
Rivera. Their relationship went on for 11 years.

Jose Rizal displayed his literary intelligence while at UST. In 1879, the Liceo-Artistico Literario of
Manila sponsored a poetry writing contest, where Rizal joined and got the first prize for the poem,
"To the Filipino Youth." The same society sponsored another literary contest the following year in
honor of the 264th death anniversary of "Spain's most glorified man-of-letters." Rizal yet again
submitted a metaphorical drama titled "The Council of the Gods." Despite the protests of the
Spanish critics, Rizal won the first prize.

While Rizal was considered a Thomasian, he was unhappy with his stay at UST for three reasons:
(1) the Dominican professors were hostile to him; (2) racial discrimination among the Filipino
students was apparent; and (3) the instructional approach was old-fashioned and autocratic (Zaide
1992), Since he could no longer endure the discrimination and hostility he experienced in UST,
Rizal decided to continue his medical studies in Europe. Before leaving, he consulted his two
siblings, Paciano and Saturnina, about his decision, and the two supported its Rizal's plans.
However, part of his plan was the not to seek permission from his parent Na for he knew that they
would disapprove of it. He believed that the professors in Spain were more liberal than those in
UST. Before leaving for Europe, the Royal Economic Society of Friends awarded him a diploma
and a silver medal for his wax model of a face that was used in commemorating the first
centennial anniversary of the said society.

3.3 "Sa Aking mga Kabata" Controversy

Traditionally, we are made to believe that the poem "Sa Aking mga Kabata" was written by our
hero, Jose Rizal. One of its objectives is to mold nationalism among young Filipinos. The poem
was said to be Rizal's first poem, written at the age of eight (1869). During the celebration of
"Buwan ng Wika," the famous first three lines of the third stanza, written in Tagalog, "Ang hindi
magmahal sa kanyang salita, masahol pa sa hayop at malansang isda," are oftentimes quoted
during speeches. Rizal encouraged his fellow children to speak the native language as a sign of
love for the motherland.

However, the said poem drew speculations from different scholars, authors, and historians. They
doubted its authenticity, which is why one of the authors who wrote "Rizal: Makata, National Artist
for Literature," in the name of Virgilio Almario, claimed that it was not Rizal who wrote the said
poem. To prove his point, Almario gathered pieces of evidence. One of the pieces of evidence
shows that the word "malaya" or "kalayaan," which appeared twice in the poem, was discovered
by Rizal in 1882 when he saw the Tagalog translation of “Libertad/Liberty" in one of Marcelo H. del
Pilar's translation of Rizal's article, "EI Amor Patrio" ("Ang Pag-Ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa"). There is
also evidence that our hero was unknowledgeable of the word "kalayaan" until he turned 25.
Furthermore, the word "kalayaan" creates more doubts, as one of the letters he wrote to Paciano
explains that he (Rizal) found difficulty translating some words to Tagalog.

My Dear Brother,

There I'm sending you at last the lacked many words, for example, for the word Freiheit or liberty.
The Tagalog word kaligtasan cannot be used, because this means that formerly he was in prison,
slavery, etc. I found in the translation of Amor Patrio the noun malaya, kalayahan that Marcelo del
Pilar uses. In the only Tagalog book I have - Florante -l don't find an equivalent noun." (Guillermo
2021)

Also, during Rizal's childhood in 1869, when the said poem was "created," the letter K was not
used. Words with /k/ sounds were spelled with the letter C instead. As a matter of fact, Rizal
expressed his advocacy for a new spelling in Tagalog in an article published in La Solidaridad
dated April of 1890, where he wrote:

"...it occurred to me to do something to lighten the work and make easy the first attempts of
children to learn by simplifying the orthography (spelling), introducing another more rational and
more logical [method], which will be in harmony with the spirit of the language itself and of its sister
languages." (quoted in Morrow 2007).

In that article, Rizal pointed out the use of the letters "k" and "w," instead of the Spanish letters "c"
and "o," as he laid down the rules for using the Tagalog language. So, who wrote the poem? The
poem was first published in one of the books by Herminigildo Cruz in 1906, about 10 years after
the death of Rizal. He claimed that the poem was handed to him by one of the authors named
Gabriel Beato Francisco, who also claimed to have received it in 1884 from Saturnino Raselis, a
"supposed" close friend of Rizal. But Rizal never mentioned in any of his writings the name of
Saturnino Raselis. Unfortunately, no evidence was presented that Raselis was indeed Jose Rizal's
close friend. Lastly, unlike Rizal's other literature, he did not have any manuscript of the said
poem., Until now, Saturnino Raselis and the original author of the poem remained a mystery.