Lesson 2

Rizal’s Ancestry, Birth, and Childhood

 The Rizal’s Family
 His Birth
 Justification for Being a National Hero
 Early Childhood and Education
 The Story of the Moth
 Artistic Talent
Writing Activities
Learning Outcomes
At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to:
1. Identify the family of Rizal as well as the lifestyle of the families during the 19th century;
2. Describe in full details the family of Rizal as member of the ilustrado class;
3. Compare the life of the family at that time with the family in the modern times;
4. Explain the relevance of the birth of the national hero;
5. Describe the significance of Rizal’s birth during the 19th century “Age of Enlightenment”.

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Rizal’s Family

Rizal’s family was considered one of the largest families in Calamba, Laguna during his time as it was a 13-
member family that consisted of his father Francisco Mercado II and his mother Teodora Alonso Realonda, Jose,
his nine sisters, and one brother. But despite the big size, the Rizal’s family was considered a wealthy family.
Jose’s parents were both farmers. They leased a hacienda with a rice farm to the Dominican.

Jose’s paternal ascendant was Domingo Lam-co, a Chinese from Amoy, China who arrived in the Philippines at
the end of the 17th century and was married to a half Chinese Ines de la Rosa. Aside from their Chinese blood,
Japanese, Spanish, Malay, and Negrito blood also ran in theirs.

Francisco, his father, was born in Biñan, Laguna and was born the youngest of 13 children of Juan and Cirila
Mercado. He studied in San Jose College of Manila. Teodora, the mother, who had Spanish and Japanese
ancestors, was born in Sta. Cruz, Manila in 1827 as the second child of Brijida de Quintos and the half-Spaniard
engineer Lorenzo Alberto Alonso. Teodora was a business-minded, religious, and hardworking woman. She
studied at the Colegio de Santa Rosa. Both Francisco and Teodora died in Manila.
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In 1849, the then Governor General of the Philippines, Narciso Claveria, issued a decree that native Filipinos and
immigrant families must adopt Spanish surnames from the given list of Spanish family names. The provincial
governor’s suggested to Francisco the surname Rizal. The family never actually recognized the surname Rizal.
But Jose had to use this surname for him to travel freely. He needed to make a disassociation from Paciano, his
only brother, who was known to be notorious because of his linkage with the native priests who were accused of
subversion.

Jose Rizal’s Siblings:

1. Saturnina Rizal (1850-1913) was the eldest child of the Rizal-Alonso marriage. She was nicknamed Neneng,
married to Manuel Timoteo Hidalgo of Tanauan, Batangas who was one of the correspondents of Rizal when
he was in Europe.

2. Paciano Rizal (1851-1930) was the second child in the family and studied at San Jose College in Manila. He
was a confidant of Jose Rizal. After the execution of Jose, he joined the Philippine Revolution and became a
combat general. After the revolution, he retired to farm and live in Los Baños. He died a bachelor on April 13,
1930 at the age of 79. He had two children, a boy and a girl by his mistress Severina Decena.

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3. Narcisa Rizal (1852-1939), the third child, became a teacher and musician. Sisa¸ her pet name was married to
Antonio Lopez, a teacher from Morong, Bataan who was a nephew of Father Leoncio Lopez. Father Leoncio
Lopez, a close family friend of the Rizals, was a well-respected Filipino parish priest of Calamba.

4. Olympia Rizal (1855-1887) whose pet name was Ypia, was married to Silvestre Waldo, a telegraph operator
from Manila. She bore five children and died when Rizal was in Europe. She was a schoolmate of Segunda
Katigbak, Jose’s first love. She served as the mediator between Jose and Segunda.

5. Lucia Rizal (1857-1919) was married to Mariano Herboza of Calamba, Laguna, a nephew of Father Casanas
(Jose’s godfather and a close friend of the family). The couple was deported once along with some of Rizal’s
family members because they were charged with inciting the town people of Calamba not to pay the rent for
the land. Mariano was denied a Catholic burial because he did not go to confession since he married Lucia.
Lucia died during the cholera epidemic in May 1889.

6. Maria Rizal (1859-1945) whose nickname was Biang was married to Daniel Faustino of Biñan, Laguna with
whom she had five children. It was to Maria whom Jose talked about his plan of marrying Josephine Bracken
since he knew that most of his family members were not agreeing to this idea. In a letter Jose wrote to her dated
December 12, 1891, he wrote about his plan of establishing a Filipino colony in North British Borneo.

7. Jose Rizal (1861-1896) the greatest Filipino and peerless genius, was the second son and the seventh child.
His nickname was Pepe. During his exile in Dapitan he lived with Josephine Bracken, an Irish girl from Hong
Kong. He had a son by her but the baby died a few hours after birth. Rizal named his son “Francisco” after
his father and buried him in Dapitan. Jose who died as a martyr through the Spanish firing squad on December
30, 1896 at 7:30 a.m. is the foremost national hero recognized by most Filipino up to the present.

8. Concepcion Rizal (1862-1865) who had the pet name Concha died of sickness at the age of three. It is said
that her death was Jose’s first sorrow in life and that of all his sisters, it was Concha that the young Jose loved
the most.

9. Josefa Rizal (1865-1945) who was the ninth child and an epileptic died at the age of 80 as an old maid.
Panggoy, her nickname, was one of those 29 original women admitted to the Katipunan along with Gregoria
de Jesus, the wife of Andres Bonifacio. These 29 women safeguarded the Katipunan’s secret papers and
documents and would dance and sing during the society’s meetings to deceive the civil guards that the meetings
were mere social gatherings.

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10. Trinidad Rizal (1868-1951) or Trining was the 10th child who also joined the Katipunan after the death of
Jose. It was she whom Rizal entrusted his last and greatest poem. Before Jose’s execution, she and her mother
visited him in Fort Santiago. As the two were leaving the prison cell, Jose handed over to her a lamp and
whispered “There is something in it.” That something was the “Mi Ultimo Adios” hidden in the lamp which
was actually an alcohol cooking stove gifted to Jose by the mother of Dr. Trinidad Pardo de Tavera so that he
could warm his food.

11. Soledad Rizal (1870-1929), the teacher in the family, was the youngest child, who was also called Choleng.
Jose was proud of her as she became the best educated amongst his sisters. Her marriage though was without
the consent of their parents. So Jose’s way of reprimanding her was through his advice to her to be a model of
virtues. Soledad was married to Pataleon Quintero of Calamba with whom she bore five children.

The National Hero is Born

Jose Rizal (Jose Protacio Mercado Rizal y Alonso Realonda) was born on June 19, 1861, a Wednesday, between
eleven o’clock and midnight, in the lakeshore town of Calamba, Laguna. According to some accounts, his birth
almost caused his mother’s life because of his big head. This made his mother vow to take him to a pilgrimage to
the Virgin of Antipolo. Since it was a full moon when he was born, some stories were either invented or
documented about certain premonitions or omens on his birth. He was baptized Jose, the chosen name of his
mother being a devotee of San Jose (St. Joseph) on June 22, three days after his birth, at the Catholic church of
Calamba by Rev. Rufino Collantes, the parish priest then. As already mentioned, his godfather was Father Pedro
Cosanas.

During the christening ceremony, Father Collantes was impressed by the baby’s head, and told the members of
the family who were present: “Take good care of this child, for someday he will become a great man”. His words
proved to be prophetic as confirmed by subsequent events.

Justification for Being a National Hero

There are several questions regarding Rizal’s heroism. According to the report made by National Heroes
Committee (under Executive Order No. 75), these are the elements to qualify as a national hero in verbatim.

1. Heroes are those who have a concept of nation and thereafter aspire and struggle for the nations freedom.

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2. Heroes are those who define and contribute to a system or life of freedom and order for a nation.

3. Heroes are those who contribute to the quality of life and destiny of a nation.

4. A hero is part of the peoples’ expression.

5. A hero thinks of the future, especially the future generations.

6. The choice of a hero involves not only the recounting of an episode or events in history, but of the entire
process that made this particular person a hero.

All these qualities are present in his life and also in his works that show his endeavor to free the country against
the evil tyranny of the Spaniards. Republic Act No. 1425 or the Rizal Law substantiates the proof that Rizal
deserves to be the national hero. This Act directs all public and private schools, colleges, and universities to offer
courses or subjects on the life, works, and writings of Dr. José Rizal, particularly his two great novels.

But despite the Act, there are some challenges to that title attributed to Rizal stating that Andres Bonifacio was
more deserving to be the national hero and perhaps even becoming the first president. There is no doubt that
Bonifacio was the hero of the “Revolution of 1892-1898” but there are some arguments that can be considered in
the following statement:

1. Bonifacio can be a national hero but it is highly questionable that he could have been the “First
President”.

2. There is no clear recognition coming from the Filipinos at that time as well as from the “Americans”
that the government of the Katipunan was the government of “all” Philippine Islands.

3. That “Bayang Katagalugan” which insisted that the scope was the whole islands in the Philippines or
the “8 Tagalog speaking provinces” rose arms against Spain.

4. There are no clear election results showing that Aguinaldo overwhelmingly won during the Tejeros
Convention, where Andres Bonifacio was elected as the “Director of Interior”. Due to the insults
hurled at Bonifacio by Daniel Terona, then he (Bonifacio) nullified the convention.

5. The death of Andres Bonifacio in the hands of Aguinaldo was a shame in the victory of the Filipino
people. His death showed that he was a victim in the hands of fellow Filipino while Rizal’s death was
a clamor against the Spanish evil justice system.

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His Early Childhood and Education

Jose was a young boy with a “thirst for knowledge”. He was first taught at
home. Then he was sent to Biñan in June 1869 at a young age of eight.
Justiniano Aquino Cruz was his maestro there who developed his knowledge
of the Spanish language.

This was an excerpt of their first meeting.

Maestro: “Do you know Spanish?”

Jose: “A little señor.”

Maestro: “Do you know Latin?”

Jose: “A little sir.”

Rizal earned the admiration of his teacher when he heard this from Rizal. He
admired his humility as a student. His motivation was to give Rizal a lot of
opportunities to learn more subject areas. Juancho was another maestro who
taught Rizal in painting and the very reason why Rizal also excelled in drawing and sketches.

He had a very productive learning experience in Biñan but he was also involved in a duel with Pedro, the son of
his teacher who laughed at him when he heard Jose’s answers during a conversation with the teacher. He was
smaller than Pedro but he won in this fistfight though. This may be a symbolic image of Rizal (as an Indio) who
challenged the Spanish authorities later in his life.

The Story of the Moth

The first education of young Jose was at home. Having Doña Teodora as his “first teacher”, the young
Jose was being prepared for his formal schooling. One night, young Jose’s mother read him the Story of the Moth.
According to the story:

One night, all the family, except my mother and myself, went to bed early. Why, I do not
know, but we two remained sitting alone. The candles had already been put out. They had
been blown out in their globes by means of a curved tube of tin. That tube seemed to me the
finest and most wonderful plaything in the world. The room was dimly lighted by a single
light of coconut oil. In all Filipino homes such a light burn through the night. It goes out just

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at day-break to awaken people by its spluttering.

My mother was teaching me to read in a Spanish reader called "The Children's Friend" (El
Amigo de los Ninos). This was quite a rare book and an old copy. It had lost its cover and my
sister had cleverly made a new one. She had fastened a sheet of thick blue paper over the
back and then covered it with a piece of cloth.

This night my mother became impatient with hearing me read so poorly. I did not
understand Spanish and so I could not read with expression. She took the book from
me. First she scolded me for drawing funny pictures on its pages. Then she told me to listen
and she began to read. When her sight was good, she read very well. She could recite well,
and she understood verse-making, too. Many times during Christmas vacations, my mother
corrected my poetical compositions, and she always made valuable criticisms.

I listened to her, full of childish enthusiasm. I marveled at the nice-sounding phrases which
she read from those same pages. The phrases she read so easily stopped me at every
breath. Perhaps I grew tired of listening to sounds that had no meaning for me. Perhaps I
lacked self-control. Anyway, I paid little attention to the reading. I was watching the
cheerful flame. About it, some little moths were circling in playful flights. By chance, too, I
yawned. My mother soon noticed that I was not interested. She stopped reading. Then she
said to me: "I am going to read you a very pretty story. Now pay attention."

On hearing the word 'story' I at once opened my eyes wide. The word 'story' promised
something new and wonderful. I watched my mother while she turned the leaves of the
book, as if she were looking for something. Then I settled down to listen. I was full of
curiosity and wonder. I had never even dreamed that there were stories in the old book
which I read without understanding. My mother began to read me the fable of the young
moth and the old one. She translated it into Tagalog a little at a time.

My attention increased from the first sentence. I looked toward the light and fixed my gaze
on the moths which were circling around it. The story could not have been better timed. My
mother repeated the warning of the old moth. She dwelt upon it and directed it to me. I
heard her, but it is a curious thing that the light seemed to me each time more beautiful, the

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flame more attractive. I really envied the fortune of the insects. They frolicked so joyously
in its enchanting splendor that the ones which had fallen and been drowned in the oil did
not cause me any dread.

My mother kept on reading and I listened breathlessly. The fate of the two insects interested
me greatly. The flame rolled its golden tongue to one side and a moth which this movement
had singed fell into the oil, fluttered for a time and then became quiet. That became for me
a great event. A curious change came over me which I have always noticed in myself
whenever anything has stirred my feelings. The flame and the moth seemed to go further
away and my mother's words sounded strange and uncanny. I did not notice when she
ended the fable. All my attention was fixed on the face of the insect. I watched it with my
whole soul... It had died a martyr to its illusions.

As she put me to bed, my mother said: "See that you do not behave like the young moth.
Don't be disobedient, or you may get burnt as it did." I do not know whether I answered or
not... The story revealed to me things until then unknown. Moths no longer were, for me,
insignificant insects. Moths talked; they know how to warn. They advised just like my
mother. The light seemed to me more beautiful. It had grown more dazzling and more
attractive. I knew why the moths circled the flame.

The Story of the Moth is in Rizal’s diary describing his childhood study under the tutorship of his mother.
The story is significant as it was like a prophecy of what can happen to Rizal when he gets near the “light”. The
young moth symbolizes Rizal as Youth and the old moth was his mother and the light signifying “education”.
Later in Rizal’s life, as he was nearing his death, he realized that “if you know more… then they will cut your
head”.

Artistic Talent

During his early childhood, God-given talent for art was already evident in Jose. As early as five years
old, he already made sketches with his pencil and moulded in clay and wax objects which attracted his
fancy. Once the mayor of Calamba asked him to paint in oil colors a new banner that delighted the town
folks because it came way better than the original one.

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Jose had the soul of a genuine artist in the body of an introvert child with a skinny physique and sad dark
eyes. His passion for art was genuine because he found great joys in looking at the blooming flowers, the
ripening fruits, the dancing water of the lake and the milky clouds in the sky. He found joy in the songs
of birds, the chirps of cicadies and the murmurs of the breeze.

There is an interesting anecdote of an incident about his clay and wax images. His sisters laughed at him
for spending so much time making images rather than participating in their games. This happened when
he was about six years old. He just kept silent as they laughed. But as his sisters were leaving, he told
them: “All right laugh at me now! Someday when I die, people will make monuments and images of me.”

First Poem by Rizal:

Aside from his talents in sketching and sculpturing, Rizal had

also an inclination to literature. He had been scribbling verses
on loose sheets of paper and on textbooks of his sisters since
his childhood. His mother, who also loved literature,
encouraged him to write poetry when he showed inkling to it.
When Rizal was eight years old, he wrote his first poem in the
native language entitled Sa Aking Mga Kababata (To My
Fellow Children).

TO MY FELLOW CHILDREN
Whenever people of a country truly love
The language which by heav'n they were taught to use
That country also surely liberty pursue
As does the bird which soars to freer space above.
For language is the final judge and referee
Upon the people in the land where it holds sway;
In truth our human race resembles in this way
The other living beings born in liberty.
Whoever knows not how to love his native tongue
Is worse than any best or evil smelling fish.
To make our language richer ought to be our wish

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The same as any mother loves to feed her young.
Tagalog and the Latin language are the same
And English and Castilian and the angels' tongue;
And God, whose watchful care o'er all is flung,
Has given us His blessing in the speech we calim,
Our mother tongue, like all the highest tht we know
Had alphabet and letters of its very own;
But these were lost -- by furious waves were overthrown
Like bancas in the stormy sea, long years ago.

The poem reveals Rizal’s earliest nationalist sentiments. In poetic verses, he proudly proclaimed that
people who truly love their native language would surely strive for liberty like “birds which soar to free
space above” and that Tagalog was equal to Latin, Spanish, English and any other languages.

First Drama by Rizal

After writing the poem To My Fellow Children, Jose, who was then eight years old, wrote his first
dramatic work which was a Tagalog comedy. It was staged during a Calamba festival and was
delightfully applauded by the audience. It is said that a gobernadorcillo from Paete, a town in Laguna
who happened to witness the comedy liked it so much that he purchased the manuscript for two pesos
and brought it to his hometown Paete to be staged during its town fiesta.

Rizal as a Boy Magician

Since early manhood Rizal had been interested in magic. With his dexterous hands, he learned various
tricks, such as making a coin appear or disappear in his fingers and making a handkerchief vanish in the
air. He entertained his town folks with magic-lantern exhibitions. This consisted of an ordinary lamp
casting its shadow on a white screen. He twisted his supple fingers into fantastic shape making their
enlarged shadows on the screen resemble certain animals and persons. He gained skill in manipulating
marionettes (puppets worked from above by strings attached to their limbs). His fondness for magic
continued even when he was already in his manhood. In Chapters XVII and XVIII of El Filibusterismo,
one could see his wide knowledge of magic.

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Reminder: Refer to the Reminders given in the Lesson 1 Activity

Activities:
I. Directions: Give your answers to the following:

1. Compare and contrast the childhood life during those times of Rizal with your childhood times.
2. What do you think is the relevance of knowing and comparing one’s childhood to one’s adulthood?
3. Compare Rizal’s family with the modern Filipino family.
4. Write a short analysis about Rizal’s childhood education.
5. What big difference do you see between his and your childhood education? Why do you think it
is a big difference?
6. Explain the relevance of the “Story of the Moth” in Rizal’s life.
7. How would you relate your own life to the Story of the Moth?
8. What do you think are the possible reasons why Rizal’s early education was better compared to his
brother and sisters?
9. What significance do you see on the birth of Jose Rizal to us Filipinos and to our country?
10. Do you see Rizal on someone else this generation? Do you think, at this point, there is a need for
the Philippines to have a Rizal on a different body.

II. Directions: Print a family picture and a childhood picture of yours. Paste both of them on a separate
sheet of yellow paper. Then write a short memory of your childhood with your family.

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