RIZAL’S LIFE: RIZAL’S FAMILY,

CHILDHOOD, AND EARLY EDUCATION

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born on June 19. 1861 in
Calamba, Laguna. The seventh of eleven children born to a relatively well-off family in a
Dominican-owned tenant land in Calamba, Laguna. Jose Rizal lived and died during the
Spanish colonial era in the Philippines.
In his early childhood. Jose had mastered the alphabet and learned to write and read.
His early readings included the Spanish version of the Vulgate Bible. At a young age, he
already showed inclinations to the arts. He amazed his family by his pencil drawings,
sketches, and moldings of clay. Later in his childhood, he showed special talent in painting
and sculpture wrote a Tagalog play, which was presented at a town flesta (and later penned a
short play in Spanish, which was presented in school.)

Don Francisco Mercado

Jose's father. Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado was a

productive farmer from Biñan, Laguna, He was an independent-
minded, taciturn, but dynamic gentleman from whom Jose
inherited his "free soul. Don Francisco became tiniente
gobernadorcillo (lieutenant governor) in Calamba and was thus
nicknamed Tiniente Kiko (Some students' comical conjecture that
the fictional character Kikong Matsing of Batibot was named after
Don Francisco is, of course, unfounded) Francisco Engracio Rizal
Mercado: Jose Rizal's father

Francisco's great grandfather was Domingo Lam-co, a learned pro-poor on maka-

masa Chinese immigrant businessman who married a sophisticated Chinese mestiza of
Manila named Ines de la Rosa. One of their two children. Francisco (alsol resided in Biñan
and married Bernarda Monicha. Francisco and Bernardas son, Juan Mercado, became the
gobernadorello (town mayor) of Biñan. Laguna. He married Cirila Alejandra, and they had
12 children, the youngest being Jose Rizal's father: Francisco.
Don Francisco was born on May 11, 1818 in Biñan. Laguna. When he was eight years
old, he lost his father. He was nonetheless educated as he took Latin and Philosophy at the
College of San Jose in Manila, where he met and fell in love with Teodora Alonso, a student
in the College of Santa Rosa. Married on June 28, 1848, they settled down in Calamba where
they were granted lease of a rice farm in the Dominican-owned haciendas (For an article that
focuses on Francisco Mercado's life and deep relation with his son Jose, read Appendix D.
"Francisco Mercado: Tiniente Kiko of Calamba.”)
 Doña Teodora Alonso

Jose's mother, Teodora Alonzo (also spelled "Alonso")

was an educated and highly cultured woman from Sta.
Cruz, Manila. Common biographies state that Doña
Teodora Alonso Quintos Realonda. also known as
"Lolay" was born on November & 1826 in Santa Cruz.
Manila and baptized at the Santa Cruz Church. Strangely
however, the volume in the church books that supposedly
contained Teodora's baptismal records was the only one
missing from the Teodora Alonzo: Jose Rizal's mother
otherwise complete records down to the eighteenth
century (Ocampo. 2012, p. 39) Asuncion Rizal-Lopez
Bantug, the granddaughter of Jose's sister Narcisa.
contrarily claims that Lola Lolay all her siblings were born in Calamba, but (just) lived in
Manila (Bantug & and Ventura. 1997, p 18)
Doña Lolay was educated at the College of Santa Rosa, an esteemed school for girls
in Manila She was usually described as a diligent business-minded woman, very graceful but
courageous, well-mannered, religious, and well-read. Very dignified she disliked gossip and
vulgar conversation. Possessing refined culture and literary talents, she influenced her
children to love the arts, literature, and help in the economy of the family, she ran sugar and
flour mills and a small store in their house, selling homemade ham edusages, jams, jellies,
and many others. (Looking back, her business, in a way, predated the meat-processing
commerce of the Pampanguefños today and the ube jam production of some nuns in Baguio)
It is believed that Doña Teodora's family descended from Lakandula. The last native
king of Tondo (For young Filipino generations. Lakandula has to be distinguished from the
unofficial Hari ng Tondo Asiong Salonga the Manila kingpin who was immortalized in the
movie incidentally by Laguna's own governor E. R. Ejercito)
Lolay's great-grandfather was Eugenlo Ursua (of Japanese descent) who married a
Filipina named Benigna. Regina, their daughter, married a Filipino Chinese lawyer of
Pangasinan. Manuel de Quintos, Lorenzo Alberto Alonso, a well off Spanish-Filipino mestizo
of Bifian, took as his significant other Brigida Quintos, daughter of Manuel and Regina
Quintos. The Lorenzo-Brigida union produced five children. the second of them was Jose
Rizal's mother. Teodora Alonso Quintos.
Through the Claveria decree of 1849 which changed the Filipino native surnames, the
Alonsos adopted the surname Realonda. Rizal's mother thus became Teodora Alonso Quintos
Realonda. (For a lecture that concentrates on Teodora Alonso's life and her love for Jose, read
Appendix C: "Teodora Alonzo: Lola Lolay of Bahay na Bato.")
 Jose’s Siblings

Saturnina Rizal (1850-1913) is the eldest child of Don

Francisco and Teodora Alonso, She and her mother provided the
little Jose with good basic education that by the age of three. Pepe
(Jose's nickname) already knew his alphabet.
Paclano Rizal, Jose's only brother, was born on March 7.
1851 in Calamba, Laguna. He was fondly addressed by his
siblings as Nor Paciano, short for Serior Paciana The 10-year
older brother of Jose studied at San Jose College in Manila,
became Revolution. (A detailed discussion on Paciano's life and
his influence on Jose is available in Appendix E "Paciano Rizal:
Pinoy Hero's Big Brother:")
After Jose's execution in December 1896, Paciano joined the Katipuneros in Cavite
under General Emilio Aguinaldo. As Katipunero. Paciano was commissioned as general of
the revolutionary forces and elected as secretary of finance in the Department Government of
Central Luzon. (For Jose and Paciano's collaboration and connection to Emilio Aguinaldo,
read the Appendix N: "Jose Rizal and Emilio Aguinaldo.”)
Narcisa Rizal (1852-1939) or simply “Sisa”' was the third child in the family, Later in
history, Narcisa (like Sturnina) would help in financing Rizal's studies in Europe, even
pawning her jewelry and peddling her clothes if needed. It was said she could recite from
memory almost all of the poems of our national hero (Discussions on Jose's known poems are
available in Appendix ) Jose Rizal's Poems.")
Olympia Rizal (1955-1887) was the fourth child in the Rizal family. Jose loved to
tease her sometimes good-humoredly describing her as his stout sister. Jose's first love
Segunda Katigbak was Olympia's schoolmate at the La Concordia College Rizal confided to
Olympia (also spelled "Olimpla") about Segunda, and the sister willingly served as the
mediator between the two teenage lovers, For Jose Rizal-and- Segunda Katigbak's love story,
read Appendix P. "Jose Rizal's Filipino Girlfriends)
Lucia Rizal (1857-1919) was the fifth child in the family. She married Mariano
Herbosa of Calamba Laguna Charged of inciting the Calamba townsfolk not to pay land rent
and cousing unrest the couple was once ordered to be deported along with some Rizal family
members (Lucia's husband died during the cholera epidemic in May 1889 and was refused a
Catholic burial for not going to confession since his marriage to Lucia In Jose's article in la
Solidaridad titled Una profecia (A Profanation, he scornfully attacked the friars for declining
to bury in "sacred ground a "good Christian simply because he was the brother-in-law of
Rizal.")
Maria Rizal (1859-1945) was the sixth child in the family. It was to her whom Jose
talked about wanting to marry Josephine Bracken when the majority of the Rizal family was
apparently not amenable to the idea. In his letter dated December 12. 1891. Jose hod also
brought up to Maria his plan of establishing a Filipino colony In North British Borneo. In his
letter dated December 28. 1891. Jose wrote to Mario I'm told that your children are very
pretty Today, we have a historical proof that Maria's progenies were indeed nice-looking
(lahing maganda). Maria and Daniel had five children: Mauricio, Petrona. Prudencio. Paz and
Encarnacion. Their son Mauricio married Conception Arguelles and the couple had a son
named Israel Arguelles Cruz. Ismael was the father of Gemma Cruz Araneta, the first Filipina
to win the Miss International title, also the first Southeast Asian to win an international
beauty pageant title. (For more Interesting discussions about Saturnina. Narcisa, Olympia,
Lucia, and Maria Rizal read Appendix F: Jose Rizal's Older Sisters.)
Also called "Concha by her siblings. Concepcion Rizal (1862-1865) was the eighth
child of the Rizal family. She died at the age of three. Of his sisters. it was said that the young
Pepe loved most little Concha who was a year younger than he. Jose played games and
shared children stories with her and from her he felt the beauty of sisterly love at a young age
Josefa Rizal's nickname is Panggoy (1865-1945). She was the ninth child in the family.
Panggoy died a spinster. Among Jose's letters to Josefa, the one date October 26, 1893 was
perhaps the most fascinating. Written in English, the letter addressed Josefa as "Miss
Josephine Rizal.” (After Jose's martyrdom, the epileptic Josefa joined the Katipunan and was
even supposed to have been elected the president of its women section. She was one of the
original 29 women admitted to the Katipunan along with Gregoria de Jesus, wife of Andres
Bonifacio. They safeguarded the secret papers and documents of the society and danced and
sang during sessions so that civil guards would think that the meetings were just harmless
social gatherings.)
Trinidad Rizal (1868-1951) or “Trining” was the tenth child. Historically, she became
the custodian of Rizal's last and greatest poem. Right before Jose's execution. Trinidad and
their mother visited him in the Fort Santiago prison cell. As they were leaving, Jose handed
over to Trining an alcohol cooking stove, a gift from the Pardo de Taveras, whispering to her
in a language. which the guards could not understand. There is something in it. That
something was Rizal's elegy now known as "Mi Ultimo Adios. Like Josefa, Paciano, and two
nieces. Trinidad joined the Katipunan after Jose's death.
Also called "Choleng Soledad Rizal (1870-1929) was the youngest child of the Rizal
family, Being a teacher, she was arguably the best-educated among Rizal's sisters. In his long
and meaty letter to Choleng dated June 6. 1890 ("Jose Rizal on Facebook Courtship 2013).
Jose told her sister that he was proud of her for becoming a teacher. He thus counseled her to
be a model of virtues and good qualities for the one who should teach should be better than
the persons who need her learning Rizal nonetheless used the topic as leverage in somewhat
rebuking her sister for getting married to Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba without their
parents consent "Because of you," he wrote “the peace of our family has been disturbed.”
Choleng's union with Pantaleon, nonetheless, resulted in the Rizal family's becoming
connected by affinity to Miguel Malvar (the hero who could have been listed as the second
Philippine President for taking over the revolutionary government after Emilio Aguinaldo's
arrest in 1901) Soledad and Pantaleon had five children: Trinitario, Amelia Luisa. Serafin and
Felix. Their daughter Amelia married Bernabe Malvar, son of Gen. Miguel Malvar (For more
fascinating discussions about Concepcion. Josefa, Trinidad, and Soledad Rizal, read
Appendix G: * Jose Rizal's Younger Sisters)
 The Surname Rizal

Had their forefathers not adopted other names, Jose and Paciano could have been
known as "Lamco" (and not Rizal) brothers.
Their paternal great-great grandfather. Chinese merchant Domingo Lamco, adopted
the name "Mercado which means " market. But Jose's father, Francisco, who eventually
became primarily a farmer, adopted the surname "Rizal" (originally Ricial which means the
green of young growth or green fields”) The name u suggested by a provincial governor who
was a friend of the family. The new name however, caused confusion in the commercial
affairs of the family Don Francisco thus settled on the name "Rizal Mercado as a compromise
and often just used his more known surname "Mercado.”
When Paciano was a student at the College of San Jose. he used "Mercado his last
name. But because he had gained notoriety with his links to Father Burgos of the
"Gomburza" he suggested that Jose use the surname Rizal" for Jose's own safety.
Commenting on using the name "Rizal" at Ateneo, jose once wrote. "My family never
paid much attention [to our second surname Rizal.] but now I had to use it thus giving me the
appearance of an illegitimate childi" (as cited in Arriza, 2012, para 8)
But this very name suggested by Paciano to be used by his brother had become so
well known by 1891. the year Jose finished his El Filibusterismo. As Jose wrote to a friend.
"All my family now carry the name Rizal Instead of Mercado because the name Rizal means
persecutionl Good! I too want to join them and be worthy of this fämily name." (as cited in
Arriza, 2012, para 8)

Rizal's Birth

Daña Teodora was said to have suffered the greatest pain during the delivery of her
seventh child Jose. Her daughter Narcisa recalled "I was nine years of age when my mother
gave birth to Jose. I recall it vividly because my mother suffered great pain. She labored for a
long time. Her pain was later attributed to the fact that Jose's head was bigger than normal”
(as cited in Lola Lolay 2013. para. 8)
Jose Rizal was born in Calamba In 1848 his parents decided to build a home in this
town in Laguna. southern Luzon. The name Calamba was derived from kalan banga. which
means "clay stove” (kalan) and water jart (banga).
Jose's adoration of its scenic beauty-punctuated by the sights of the Lagunio de Bay.
Mount Makiling, paim-covered mountains. curvy hills. and green fields- was recorded in the
poem he would later write at Ateneo de Manila in 1876. Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In
Memory of My Town (If Rizal's poem were written today resorts in the place today, he might
mention the three-floor SM mall shopping centers and the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX]
terminus In the place. A city since 2001. Calamba is said to have earned the nickname
"Resort Capital of the Philippines for Its more than 600 resorts in the place today.)
 The first massive stone house (or bahay na bato) in Calamba was the very birthplace
of our national hero. It was a rectangular two-storey building, built of adobe stones and solid
wood, with sliding capiz windows. Its ground floor was made of lime and stone the second
floor of hard wood, except for the roof which was of red tiles. There was an azotea and a
water reservoir at the back. Its architectural style and proximity to the church implied Rizal
family's wealth and political influence.

The Childhood of a Phenom

A phenom is someone who is exceptionally talented or admired especially an up-and-

comer, Rizal, especially during his childhood. was none less than a phenom.
Jose Rizal's first memory, in his Infancy, was his happy days in their family garden
when he was three years old. Their courtyard contained tropical fruit trees, poultry yard a
carriage house, and a stable for the ponies. Because the young Pepe was weak, sickly, and
undersized, he was given the fondest care by his parents, so his father built a nipa cottage for
Pepe to play in the daytime. Memory of his infancy included the nocturnal walk in the town.
Especially when there was a moon Jose also recalled the "aya" (nursemaid) relating to the
Rizal children some fabulous stories, like those about the fairies, tales of buried treasure and
trees blooming with diamonds.
Another childhood memory was the daily Angelus prayer In their home. Rizal
recorded in his memoir that by nightfall, his mother would gather all the children In their
home to pray the Angelus. At the early age of three, he started to take a part in the family
prayers.
When Concha died of sickness in 1865, Jose mournfully wept at losing her. He later
wrote in his memoir. "When I was four years old, I lost my little sister Concha, and then for
the first time I shed tears caused by love and grief "Memoirs of a Student in Manila,” n.d.)
At the age of five, the young Pepe learned to read the Spanish family Bible, which he
would refer to later in his writings Rizal himself remarked that perhaps the education he
received since his earliest Infancy was what had shaped his habits (Memoirs of a Student and.
para. 3).
As a child, Rizal loved to go to the chapel. pray, participate in novenas, and Join religious
.processions. In Calamba, one of the men he esteemned and respected was the scholarly
Catholic priest Leoncio Lopez, the town priest. He used to visit him and listen to his inspiring
opinions on current events and thorough life views,
Also at the age of five. Pepe started to make pencil sketches and mold in clay and wax
objects, which attracted his fancy When he was about six years old, his sisters once laughed
at him for spending much time making clay and wax images Initially keeping silent he then
prophetically told them "All right laugh at me now! Someday when I die, people will make
monuments and images of me.”
When Jose was seven years old. his father provided him the exciting experience of
riding a "casco" (a flat-bottomed boat with a roof) on their way to a pilgrimage in Antipolo
The pilgrimage was to fulfill the vow made by Jose's mother to take him to the Shrine of the
Virgin of Antipolo should she and her child survive the ordeal of delivery, which nearly
caused her life. From Antipolo. Jose and his father proceeded to Manila to visit his sister
Saturnina who was at the time studying at the La Concordia College in Sta. Ana.
As a gift, the child Jose received a pony named "Alipato"
from his father (Bantug & Ventura. 1997. p. 23). As a
child. he loved to ride this pony or take long walks in the
meadows and lakeshore with his black dog named
“Usman.”
The mother also induced Jose to love the arts, literature,
and the classics. Before he was eight years old. he had
written a drama (some sources say “a Tagalog comedy”)
The Rizal Ancestral House, now called Rizal which was performed at a local festival and for which
Shrine Calamba (sites.google.com)
the municipal captain rewarded him with two pesos.
(Some references specify that it was staged in a Calamba festival and that it was a
gobernadorcillo from Paete who purchased the manuscript for two pesos)
Contrary to the former common knowledge however: Rizal did not write the Filipino
poem Sa Aking Mga Kababata/Kabata (To My Fellow Children. The poem was previously
believed to be Rizal's first written poem at the age of eight and was said to have been
published posthumously many years after Rizal's death However, Jose had a preserved
correspondence (letters) with his brother Paciano admitting that he (Jose) had only
encountered the word "kalayaan when he was already 21 years old. The term (kalayaan") was
used not just once in the poem "Sa Aking Mga Kababata/Kabata" (For more details
concerning this matter. read the article. "Did Jose Rizal Write the Poem Sa Aking Mga
Kabata"?" in OurHappySchool. com)
The young Rizal was also interested in magic. He read many books on magic. He
learned different tricks, such as making a coin disappear and making a handkerchief vanish in
thin air.
Some other influences of Rizal's childhood involved his three uncles: his Tio Jose
Alberto who inspired him to cultivate his artistic ability: his Tio Manuel who encouraged him
to fortify his frail body through physical exercises, and his Tio Gregorio who intensified
Rizal's avidness to read good books.

The Story of The Moth

To Impart essential life lessons. Lolay held regular storytelling sessions with the
young Rizal. Doña Teodora loved to read to Pepe storles from the book Amigo de Jos Niños
(The Children's Friend). One day, she scolded his son for making drawings on the pages of
the story book. To teach the value of obedience to one's parents, she afterward read him a
story in it.
Lolay chose the story about a daughter moth who was warned by her mother against
going too near a lamp flame Though the young moth promised to comply. she later
succumbed to the pull of the lights mysterious charm, believing that nothing bad would
happen if she approached it with caution. The moth then flew close to the flame Feeling
comforting warmth at first ahe drew closer and closer bit by bit until she flew too close
enough to the flame and perished.
Incidentally, Pepe was watching a similar incident while he was listening to the
storytelling Like a live enactment a moth was fluttering too near to the flame of the oil lamp
on their table. Not merely acting out it did fall dead as a consequence Both moths in the two
tales paid the price of getting near the fatal light.
Many years later, Rizal himself felt that the moths tale could serve as an allegory of
his own destiny. (A good summary of Rizal's life is presented in Appendix B: Jose Rizal A
Biographical Outline: About himself, he wrote: Years have passed since then The child has
become a man. Steamships have taken him across seas and oceans. He has received from
experience bitter lessons, much more bitter than the sweet lessons that his mother gave him.
Nevertheless. he has preserved the heart of a child. He still thinks that light is the most
beautiful thing in creation, and that it is worthwhile for a man to sacrifice his life for it (as
cited in "My First Reminiscence, and para. 9)

Education in Calamba

The familiar statement that Doña Teodora was Rizal's first teacher is not just sort of
"venerating his mother who sacrificed a lot for our hero. It was actually a a technical truth In
his memoirs, Rizal wrote, "My mother taught me how to read and to say haltingly the humble
prayers which I raised fervently to God.”
In Rizal's time, seldom would one see a highly educated woman of fine culture. like
Doña Teodora who had the capacity to teach Spanish. reading. poetry, and values through
rare story books. Lolay, indeed. was the first teacher of the hero teaching him Spanish
correcting his composed poems. and coaching him in rhetoric. On her lap Jose learned the
alphabet and Catholic prayers at the age of three, and learned to read and write at age of 5.
Aside from his mother, Jose's sister Saturnina and three maternal uncles also
mentored him. His uncle Jose Alberto taught him painting, sketching, and sculpture, Uncle
Gregorio influenced him to further love reading. Uncle Manuel, for his part developed Rizal's
physical skills in martial arts, like wrestling.
To further enhance what Rizal had learned, private tutors were hired to give him
lessons at home. Thus, Maestro Celestino tutored him, and Maestro Lucas Padua later
succeeded Celestino. Afterward, a former classmate of Don Francisco, Leon Monroy, lived at
the Rizal home to become the boy's tutor in Spanish and Latin Sadly. Monroy died five
months later (Of course, there is no truth to some naughty students comical insinuation that
Rizal had something to do with his death.)
Education in Biñan

Rizal was subsequently sent to a private school in Biñan, In June 1869, his brother
Paciano brought him to the school of Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz. The school was in the
teacher's house, a small nipa house near the home of Jose's aunt where he stayed in Rizal's
own words, his teacher “knew by the heart the grammars by Nebrija and Gainza.”
During Rizal's first day at the Biñan school. the teacher asked him:
"Do you know Spanish?"
“A little, sir" replied Rizal”
“Do you know Latin?”
"A little, sir.”

Because of this. his classmates, especially the teacher's son Pedro, laughed at the
newcomer. So later in that day. Jose challenged the bully Pedro to a fight Having learned
wrestling from his Uncle Manuel. the younger and smaller Jose defeated his tormenter.
(Compared to bullying victims today, we can say that Rizal did not wait for anyone to enact a
law against bullying. but rather took matters into his own hands)
After the class. he had an arm wrestling match with his classmate Andres Salandanan.
In that match, however. Jose lost and even almost cracked his head on the sidewalk. (That
only proves that merely being a desperado won't make you win all your fights)
In the following days. Jose was said to have some other fights with Biñan boys. (If his
average was two fights per day. as what happened during his first day in Biñan school, then
he might have been more active than today's MMA (mixed martial arts) fighters) For his
scuffles, he nonetheless received many whippings and blows on the open palm from his
disciplinarian teacher.
Rizal might not have won all his brawls but he nevertheless, beat all Biñan boys
academically in Spanish Latin, and many other subjects. After sometime. Jose told his father
that he had already learned all there was to be taught in Biñan Don Francisco firmly scolded
Jose and hustled him back to the school. Maestro Cruz. Jose's teacher in Biñan. later
confirmed, however, that Jose had indeed finished already all the needed curricular works. So
despite his wife's reluctance. Don Francisco then decided to send lose to a school in Manila.