36 Amazing Facts You

Probably Didn’t Know About

Jose Rizal
 1. Jose Rizal was a
naughty boy in the
famous “Moth and
Lamp” story
Instead of reading a Spanish children’s book diligently
given to him by his mother Teodora, he was instead
doodling caricatures on its pages.
Even after being scolded, he did not pay much
attention to the book, focusing his gaze on some
moths that were flying around a coconut oil lamp
instead.
2. The Young Jose Rizal
Experimented With
Drugs
18-year-old, Rizal once used hashish he bought
from a drugstore. At the time, the drug—a
hallucinogen more potent than marijuana—
could be easily bought over the counter along
with cocaine, morphine, and heroin.
3. There Are Three
Animals Named After
Rizal

While exiled in Dapitan, he collected three species

of animals:
• Apogonia Rizali (Heller), a type of small
beetle;
• Draco Rizali (Wandolleck), a species of a
flying dragon;
• and Rachophorous Rizali (Boetger), a species
of toad.
4. The Rizal Monument
in Luneta Was Not
Made by a Filipino
Artist
The design was the work of Swiss sculptor
Richard Kissling who won second prize in an art
competition held in 1907 to find the best scale
model for the future Rizal monument.
5. Rizal Cured Himself
of Tuberculosis and
Was Later Recognized
as a Tuberculosis Expert

6. When He Was Studying

in Spain, Rizal Had To Pawn
a Ring Owned by His Sister
Saturnina Just To Pay for
His Exams
7. He Was Already a
Terrific Sculptor Even at
a Very Young Age
Rizal carved a 9-inch statuette of the Sacred
Heart out of batikuling wood when he was only
14 years old. The Jesuit fathers brought this
statuette in Fort Santiago when they visited
Rizal in December 1896.

Aside from wood sculptures, Rizal also carved

40 amazing masterpieces out of plaster, terra-
cotta, wax, and clay.
8. Jose Rizal’s “El
Ermitaño.”

Sculpted by Jose Rizal during his exile in

Dapitan, El Ermitaño is an 1893 terra cotta
figurine given as a gift to Fr. Pablo Pastells. It
shows Rizal’s own interpretation of St. Paul the
Hermit or Paul of Thebes, known in Catholic
history as the first Christian hermit.
10. Jose Rizal’s anti-
Chinese Sentiment
Sculpted by Jose Rizal during his exile in Dapitan,
El Ermitaño is an 1893 terra cotta figurine given as
a gift to Fr. Pablo Pastells. It shows Rizal’s own
interpretation of St. Paul the Hermit or Paul of
Thebes, known in Catholic history as the first
Christian hermit.
11. Rizal is regarded by
many as the “Father of
Philippine Comics”
because of some
humorous illustrations
he made in Germany
The said drawing, entitled “The baptism of two
brothers” (see photo above), was inspired by
the German cartoon “Max and Moritz.” Rizal
made it to entertain the children of his landlord,
Pastor Ulmer. The original copy is now
preserved in the National Library of the
Philippines.
12. Jose Rizal and the
Christmas Tree
Jose-Rizal-+-Little-Fir-Tree-+-Hans-Cristian-
Andersen-+-first-Christmas-tree-in-the-
Philippines
Historical records suggest that it was the
Germans who indeed started the Christmas tree
tradition in the 16th century. It was later
introduced in the U.S. where it was initially met
with resistance and seen as a “pagan symbol.”
14. According to
Faustino “Tinong”
Alfon, Rizal’s former
cook in Dapitan, our
national hero’s favorite
fruits were lanzones
and mangoes
15. Rizal Was Widely
Featured in Cigarette
Wrappers
Most of these wrappers, made with Art Deco or
Art Nouveau designs, were produced in Binondo
during the turn of the century. An old cigarette
label, Las Delicias, even went to the extreme by
featuring Rizal smoking a cigar
16. Rizal was
exceptional and prolific
in a wide range of
subjects–except music
17. Vital statistics: Rizal
was about five feet
three inches tall and
had a waistline of
about 25″ to 26.”
18. It was rumored that
both Adolf Hitler and
Mao Zedong were the
illegitimate sons of
Jose Rizal
19. Rizal Had a Third,
Unfinished Novel
20. Rizal once sent a
love letter written in
invisible ink to Leonor
Valenzuela, a tall girl
from Pagsanjan
The message could only be deciphered if you
put the letter over a lamp or candle. Leonor
Valenzuela was one of Rizal’s first sweethearts.
Unfortunately, they parted ways when Rizal had
to leave for Spain.
21. “A la Senorita C.O. y
R.,” one of Rizal’s best
poems, was dedicated
to Consuelo Ortiga y
Rey, a pretty lady
whom Rizal fell in love
with when he was in
Madrid
22. Jose Rizal and
Leonor Rivera
A native of Camiling in Tarlac, Leonor Rivera
captured Rizal’s heart when they met during the
former’s 13th birthday party. Rizal was then a
medical student who boarded at the Casa
Tomasina, which at that time was managed by
the Riveras.
 23. Rizal composed a
farewell song for
Leonor Rivera just
before his departure
for Europe
The song, entitled “Leonor,” became very
popular that many “were heard singing it in the
streets and during social gatherings. The
moment they saw Leonor, the children would
sing the song.”
24. The Luna-Boustead-
Rizal Love Triangle
Surprisingly, among those who found
themselves on the receiving end of that
legendary temper was Jose Rizal, who became
Luna’s friend and compatriot when they’re both
studying in Europe. How such friendship almost
ended up in a duel remains one of the most
intriguing “what-ifs” in Philippine history, an
event that would have cost us one or two
national heroes were it not for a sudden twist
of fate
25. Rizal played a key
role in the
identification of
Oncomelania cuadrasi,
a Philippine snail that
harbors the parasite
that causes
schistosomiasis
26. While in Dapitan,
Rizal wrote an
extensive written
discourse on kulam
Entitled “La curacion de los hechizados” (The
treatment and cure of the bewitched), this lesser-
known work of Rizal explores the psychological
treatment for kulam and even explained that
witches were not always women who are old or
ugly.
He also discussed the difference
between hiloanon of the Visayas, who gives poison
to her victims, and the manggagaway, the
‘traditional’ witch who uses ragdoll and pins.
27. Jose Rizal and
Pedro Paterno
28. Jose Rizal’s Paranormal
Encounter
While in exile in Dapitan, Rizal wrote to a Jesuit
priest about one of his houses being haunted by
a poltergeist. In this case, the poltergeist was
said to be targeting his significant other
Josephine Bracken who also believed that it was
the spirit of her dead father.
29. During Rizal’s
execution, a total of 8
Filipinos armed with
Remingtons formed the
firing squad
There were also 8 Spanish soldiers
with Mausers behind them, ready to shoot the
Filipino soldiers if they refused to execute Rizal.
30. A descendant of one of the
executioners, Adolfo Pastor
Quetcuti, revealed that the
captain of the guards put only
one live bullet in one of the
rifles while placing blanks in
the others.
31. Not all of Rizal’s
skeletal remains were
buried under the
monument in Luneta
A vertebra or a piece of the backbone where
Rizal was allegedly hit by the bullet was claimed
by his family and is now displayed at the Rizal
Shrine, Fort Santiago.
32. Jose Rizal’s last
Words
 33. Rizal’s original
execution photo
features a dog, the
mascot of the firing
squad
It is said that the dog ran around the corpse
whining after a soldier fired one last shot in
Rizal’s head to make sure he was dead.
34. Rizal stuffed
unknown papers in his
pockets and shoes on
the eve of his execution
He did this thinking that his corpse would be
turned over to his family after the execution. But
as we all know, his body was dumped by Spanish
officials in an unmarked grave in Paco cemetery.
The papers had since deteriorated, the contents
of which were never identified.
35. He left specific
instructions on how he
wanted to be treated
after his death
36. Rizal’s execution led
to the death of a
Spanish Prime Minister
On August 8, 1897, an Italian anarchist named
Michele Angine Golli shot at point-blank range
Spanish Premier Antonio Canovas del Castillo
outside a spa. After being interrogated, Golli said
he killed Canovas to avenge his fellow
anarchists who had been imprisoned and
executed in the castle of Montjuich, Barcelona.
THANK YOU!
Resources
List the resources you used for your research:
• https://filipiknow.net/jose-rizal-facts/
• abs-cbnNEWS.com, (2011). Jose Rizal was a sculptor, too.
[online] Available at: http://www.abs-
cbnnews.com/lifestyle/07/06/11/jose-rizal-sculptor-too
[Accessed 19 Jun. 2014]