The Life and Works of Jose Rizal Birth
The Rizal Law
 Republic Act no. 1425 or also known as The Rizal
Law
 Pinatibay noong June 12, 1956 ni President Ramon
Magsaysay
 The Board of National Education was mandated to
reproduce and distribute the works of Jose Rizal,
translated into English, Tagalog, and other dialects in
the country, free usage for everyone who wants to
read them.
 The main proponent of the Rizal Bill was Senator
Claro M. Recto. Senator Jose P. Laurel on the
other hand, sponsored the bill in the senate.
 After several amendments, the bill was eventually
signed by President Ramon Magsaysay on June
12, 1956.
o SECTION 1. Noli Me Tangere and El
Filibusterismo must be included in the
curricula of all schools.
o SECTION 2. It shall be obligatory on all
schools, colleges, and universities to keep in
their libraries an adequate number of copies
of the original and unexpurgated editions of
the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo
as well as Rizal’s other works.
Reasons Why we Need to Study Rizal
1. To rededicate the lives of youth to the ideals of
freedom, courage, fortitude, and patriotism.
2. To pay tribute to our Dr. Jose Rizal for devoting his
life and works in shaping the Filipino character.
3. To gain an inspiring source of patriotism through
the study of Rizal’s life, works, and writings.
4. To recognize the importance of Rizal’s ideals and
teaching in relation to present conditions and
situations in society.
5. To encourage the application of such ideals in
social and personal problems and issues.
Rizal's Life: Family, Childhood and Early Education
Meanings of Name
1. Jose - was chosen by his mother who was a devotee
of a Christian Saint (San Jose).
2. Protacio - from Gervacio P. which come from a
Christian calendar.
3. Rizal - from the word ‘Ricial’ in Spanish means a
field where wheat, cut while still green, sprouts
again.
4. Mercado - adopted in 1731 by Domigo Lamco (the
paternal great-greatgrandfather of Jose Rizal) which
the Spanish term mercado means ‘market’ in English.
5. Y - and
6. Alonso - old surname of his mother
7. Realonda - it was used by Doña Teodora from the
surname of her godmother based on the culture by
that time.
 June 19, 1861 - when he was born in Calamba,
Laguna
 June 22, 1861 - when he was baptized in a Catholic
Church
 Fr. Rufino Collantes - a Batangueño, the parish
priest who baptized Rizal.
 Fr. Pedro Casañas - Rizal’s godfather, native of
Calamba and close friend of the Rizal family
 Lieutenant-General Jose Lemery - the governor
general of the Philippines when Rizal was born.
Rizal’s Parents
Don Francisco Mercado Rizal
 Born in Binan, Laguna, on May 11, 1818.
 College of San Jose in Manila – studied Latin and
Philosophy
 He moved to Calamba and became a tenant-farmer of
the Dominican-owned hacienda
 became ‘tiniente gobernadorcillo’
 January 5, 1898 – he died in Manila at the age of 80.
 “A model of fathers”
Teodora Morales Alonzo Realonda de Rizal y Quintos
 Was born on November 9, 1827, in Tondo, Manila.
 She was known for being a disciplinarian as well as a
dedicated, courteous, and hard- working mother.
 She studied at the College of Santa Rosa.
 She was 20 years old when she married Francisco
Mercado of Biñan, Laguna in 1848.
 They settled in Calamba, Laguan and to them were
born eleven children. The Rizal family was primarily
engaged in agriculture.
 As the mother of a perceived enemy of the Spanish
authorities, Teodora was often persecuted.
 In 1872, she was imprisoned for two and a half years
on trumped-up charges of poisoning her brother's
wife.
 In 1891, she was made to walk fifty kilometers to
Sta. Cruz, Laguna, for failing to use her Hispanicized
surname, Realonda de Rizal.
 Her family was ejected from their lands in Calamba
due to a land conflict after which they relocated to
Manila.
 On August 16, 1911, Jose Rizal's mother died in her
home in San Fernando Street, Binondo, Manila.
Rizal’s Ancestry
 Domingo Lam-co was a Chinese from the Fukien
City of Changchow, a businessman living in the
Philippines.
 He embraced Christianity and married a Christian
woman, Ines dela Rosa.
 He used the surname Mercado, a Spanish word
meaning “market” suitable to him because he was a
market trader.
 The union of Domingo Mercado and Ines dela Rosa
is blessed with a child. They named him Francisco
 Mercado who later married Cirila Bernacha
(Bernarda Monicha in other writings), a Chinese
mestizo.
 The young couple lived in Biñan where Francisco
became the governor of the town.
 Captain Juan and Captain Cirila had thirteen
children; the youngest was Francisco Mercado, Jose
Rizal’s father.
FULL NAME: Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso
Realonda
 Birthdate: June 19, 1861
 Birthplace: Calamba, Laguna
 Baptismal Date: June 22, 1861
 Death Anniversary: December 30, 1869
 Philippine National Hero
 A linguist, he knows about 22 languages, Traveler.
 A talented, brilliant and genius man of honor
 An Ophthalmologist
 A poet, novelist, philosopher, and a historian
 He is also a farmer-business man.
 Sculptor: “The Triumph of Science over Death”
 Cartographer
 Bibliophile
 Sportsman: fencing, Archery, and chess
Dr. Otley Beyer- isang dalubhasa sa Antropolohiya at
damdamin katulong sa tekniko ng komisyon, na gumawa ng
ng pamantayan sa pagpili ng pambansang bayani.
Mga Pamantayang itinalaga ni Dr. Otley Beyer
1. Isang Pilipino
2. Namayapa na
3. May matayog na pagmamahal sa bayan
4. May mahinahong damdamin ngunit may matatag
na pagpapasya sa paglutas ng mga suliranin
5 Pangalan na pinagpilian ng Komisyon upang maging
pambansang Bayani
1. Marcelo H. Del Pilar
2. Jose Rizal
3. Emilio Jacinto
4. Graciano Lopez Jaena
5. Heneral Antonio Luna
A Good Middle-Class Family
 They belonged to the Principalia.
 Had a large 2-story stone house, a Carjuabe and a
vast private library with the home of 1,000 and more
books.
 Can afford to send their children to Manila for
college.
 They had a simple, happy, and contented life.
 Every day the family prays angelus and rosary.
The Philippines in the 19th Century as Rizal's Context
 -The 19th century (1801-1900) was a century of
changes and filled of turning points in our history and
identity.
 It was this time when a lot of changes happened in
aspects of political, economic and social.
 The nationalist sentiments awakened, a propaganda
movement started, a national anti-colonial movement
and revolution ignited, and our independence
declared.
Economic Conditions
 During the 19th century, the Philippines’ economic
condition gave rise to Haciendas or the “cash-crop
economy”. Some cash-crops are: Sugar, Tobacco,
Abaka, and Coffee.
 Being open to world trade and having these products
abundant in the Philippines, the Philippines became a
major exporter for these products and became well-
known in other parts of the world.
 a shift from barter system to moneyed economy.
 The number of families which prospered from
foreign commerce and trade were able to send their
sons for an education in Europe.
 Filipinos who were educated abroad were able to
absorb the intellectual development in Europe.
Social Conditions
The Filipinos in the 19th century had suffered from feudalistic
and master slave relationship by the Spaniards. Their social
structure is ranked into three groups:
1. Highest Class
 The people that belong in this class include the
Spaniards, peninsulares and the friars.
 They have the power and authority to rule over the
Filipinos.
 They enjoyed their positions and did what they want.
o The Spanish officials
o The Peninsulares (Spaniards who were
born in Spain). They held the most
important government jobs, and made up the
smallest number of the population.
o The Friars are members of any of certain
religious orders of men, especially the four
mendicant orders (Augustinians,
Carmelites, Dominicans, and
Franciscans).
2. Middle Class
 The people that belongs into this class includes the
natives, mestizos and the criollos.
 Natives – the pure Filipinos
 The Mestizos - are the Filipinos of mixed indigenous
Filipino or European or Chinese ancestry.
 Criollos/Insulares - European descent but born in the
colonies of Spain. A son or daughter of a Spanish
couple is an insulare.
3. Lower Class
1. This class includes the Filipinos only.
o The Indios are the poor people having pure
blood Filipino which ruled by the Spaniards.
 Political Conditions
The Spaniards ruled the Filipinos in the 19th century. The
Filipinos became the Spaniard’s slave. The Spaniards claimed
their taxes and they worked under the power of the Spaniards.
2. The Gobernador y capitan-general was the
representative of the King of Spain in the Islands.
3. The alcalde mayores headed the provinces.
4. While the gobernadorcillo was the counterpart of
today’s municipal mayor.
5. The cabeza de barangay was then part of kadatuan
and was a tax and contributions collector for the
gobernadorcillo.
Sources of Abuses in the Administrative System:
1. There was an appointment of officials with inferior
qualifications, without dedication of duty and moral
strength to resist corruption for material
advancement. Through the power and authority the
Spaniards possess, they collected and wasted the
money of the Filipinos.
2. There were too complicated functions to the unions
of the church and the state.
3. Manner of obtaining the position.
o Through the power that the Spaniards
possess, they had the right to appoint the
different positions. The appointment of
positions is obtained by the highest bidder
which is the Governor-general of the
country.
4. Term of office
o Term of office is the length of time a person
(usually a politician) serves in a particular
office is dependent on the desire of the King
of the country.
5. Distance of the Colony
o The Spanish officials traveled to various
places and the needs of the Philippines were
ignored. They did not put too much attention
to the needs of the other people. There were
inadequate administrative supervisions, they
were unable to face and solve the problems
regarding to the Philippines. There were also
overlapping of powers and privileges of
officials which made them competitive.
6. Personal interest over the welfare of the State
Rizal’s Higher Education
Ateneo (1872-1877)
- A college under the supervision of Jesuits.
- Formerly known as “Escuela Pia” for poor boys in Manila
- Students were divided into two groups, Roman Empire and
Carthaginian Empire. The best student in each empire
acquires Emperor, which Rizal eventually acquired of one
month after his first year
Don Francisco- San Jose College, Ateneo de Manila, and San
Juan de Letran chose between these three for Rizal’s
secondary education.
Father Magin Ferrando- the college registrar who refused to
admit rizal due to two reasons: late for registration & sick and
undersized for his age.
First Year in Ateneo
Father Jose Bech- Rizal’s first professor in Ateneo
Dr. Jose Rizal
- was placed at the bottom of the class but eventually
acquired his title of Emperor one month after.
- Took private lessons in Santa Isabel College to
improve his Spanish, paying three pesos for those extra
lessons.
- He placed second because of his resentment on his
professors yet his grades remained sobresaliente
- He returned to Calamba for vacation. Soon after, he
knew of his mother’s imprisonment in Tanawan where
he was brought by his sister, Neneng.
Second Year in Ateneo
Dona Pepay- an old widow landlady of Rizal in Intramuros,
Manila
Dr Jose Rizal
- Received a gold medal and became an emperor once
again.
- The Count of Monte Cristo- Rizal’s favorite novel
- Universal History by Cesar Cantu- A historical work
which will aid Rizal’s studies.
- Travels in the Philippines by Dr. Feodor Jagor- a
book rizal was impressed in due to Dr. Jagor’s keen
observation of the defects of the Spanish colonization.
 Dr Feodor Jagor- A German scientist-traveler
who visited the Philippines.
Third Year in Ateneo
Dona Teodora was released in prison due to Rizal’s sister,
Soledad, who captivated the Governor-General and wished
upon her mother’s release.
Rizal won one medal which was in Latin
March 1875, Rizal returned to Calamba.
Fourth Year in Ateneo
June 16, 1875- Rizal became an interno.
Padre Francisco de Paula Sanchez- A great education and
scholar who inspired Rizal to study harder and write poetry.
Rizal won five medals at the end of the term.
Last Year in Ateneo
The Pride of Jesuits- Dr. Jose Rizal
March 23, 1877- Rizal received the degree of Bachelor of
Arts with highest honor
Dr Rizal’s extra-curricular activities:
Marian Congregation- an extra curricular activity Rizal
joined in where he became the secretary.
Academy of Spanish Literature and Academy of Natural
Sciences- Ateneans who were gifted in literature and sciences.
Dr. Rizal’s Teachers:
Father Sanchez- cultivated his literary
Father Vilaclara- focus on studies on philosophy and natural
sciences.
Agustin Saez- a famous painter who taught him painting.
Romualdo de Jesus- Sculpture
Tio Manuel- Gymnastics and Fencing
Father Lleonart- The professor who requested to card an
image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Dr. Rizal’s Love interests:
Julia Celeste Smith- due to lack of subsequent contact, he
forgot her.
Segunda Katigbak- 14 years old Batanguena
POEMS WRITTEN IN ATENEO
1. Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration) – the first
poem Rizal probably wrote during his days in Ateneo which
was dedicated to his mother on her birthday; Rizal wrote it
before he was 14 years old.
2. Felicitacion (Felicitation) – Rizal wrote this poem to
congratulate his brother-in-law, Antonio Lopez, husband of his
sister Narcisa.
3. El Embarque: Himno a la Flota de Magallanes (The
Departure: Hymn to Magellan’s Fleet)
4. Y Es Espanol; Elcano, el Primero en dar la Vuelta al
Mundo (And He is Spanish: Elcano, the First to
Circumnavigate the World)
5. El Combate: Urbiztondo, Terror de Jolo (The Battle:
Urbiztondo, Terror of Jolo)
6. Un Recuerdo a Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town) – a
tender poem in honor of Calamba, the hero’s natal town
7. Alianza Intima Entre la Religion y la Buena Educacion
(Intimate Alliance Between Religion and Good Education)
– Rizal showed the importance of religion in education
8. Por la Educacion Recibe Lustre la Patria (Through
Education the Country Receives Light) – Rizal believed in
the significant role which education plays in the progress and
welfare of a nation
9. El Cautiverio y el Triunfo: Batalla de Lucena y Prision
de Boabdil (The Captivity and the Triumph: Battle of
Lucena and the Imprisonment of Boabdil) – this martial
poem describes the defeat and capture of Boabdil, last
Moorish sultan of Granada
10. La Entrada Triunfal de los Reyes Catolices en Granada
(The Triumphal Entry of the Catholic Monarchs into
Granada) – this poem relates the victorious entry of King
Ferdinand and Queen Isabel into Granada, last Moorish
stronghold in Spain
11. El Heroismo de Colon (The Heroism of Columbus) –
this poem praises Columbus, the discoverer of America
12. Colon y Juan II (Columbus and John II) – this poem
relates how King Kohn II of Portugal missed fame and riches
by his failure to finance the projected expedition of Columbus
to the New World
13. Gran Consuelo en la Mayor Desdicha (Great Solace in
Great Misfortune) – this is a legend in verse of the tragic life
of Columbus
14. Un Dialogo Aluviso a la Despedida de los Colegiales (A
Farewell Dialogue of the Students) – this was the last poem
written by Rizal in Ateneo; it is a poignant poem of farewell to
his classmate
15. Al Niño Jesus (To the Child Jesus) – this poem was
written in 1875 when Rizal was 14 years old; it was a brief
ode
16. A La Virgen Maria (To the Virgin Mary) – another
religious poem which doesn’t have exact date when it was
written
17. San Eustacio, Martir (St. Eustace, the Martyr) – a
drama based on the prose story of St. Eustace which he wrote
in poetic verses during the summer vacation of 1876 and
finished it on June 2, 1876
Medical Studies at University of Santo Thomas (1877-
1822)
Dona Teodora opposed the idea of Rizal going to a university
because of the possibility of his execution.
April 1877- Rizal took Philosophy and Letters in UST
because his father liked it.
Fr. Pablo Ramon- an Atenean Rector who recommended
Rizal to transfer to the medical course.
First School Term in UST
 -Rizal still studied in Ateneo, taking a vocational
course which lead to his title perito agrimensor.
 -Obtaining gold medals in agriculture and
topography in the surveying course in Ateneo.
 -Passed the surveying course but could not be
granted because he was below age.
Rizal’s Love Interest while on UST
 Miss L. – The love didn’t last on because his love for
Segunda was fresh.
 Leonor Valenzuela (Orang) –
o Daughter of Capitan Juan and Capitana Sanday
Valenzuela
o Their exchange of message was through heating a
paper over a candle or lamp
 Leonor Rivera
 o Second cousin from Camiling/ Daughter of his  Abd-el-Azis y Mahoma – a poem composed by
uncle, Antonio Rivera Rizal in 1879 which was declaimed by an Atenean,
o Engaged Manuel Fernandez, on the night of December 8,
o Taimis – pen name to hide their intimate 1879, in honor of the Ateneo’s Patroness.
relationship from their family.  Al M.R.P. Pablo Ramon – a poem composed in
 Vicenta Ybardolaza 1881 as an expression of affection to Atenean rector
o Skillfully played the harp at Regalado home Father Pablo Ramon, who had been so kind and
o Pakil, Laguna helpful to him.
1878- Rizal’s first Spanish Brutality due to not saluting to a
lieutenant of the Guardia Civil where got whipped in the
back.
General Primo de Vera- Ignored Rizal’s reports because of
him being an “Indio”.
Reasons why Rizal didn’t like UST:

 The Dominican professors were hostile to him

Liceo Artistico-Literario (Artistic-Literary Lyceum) of
Manila
 A society of literary men and artists which held a
contest for natives or mestizos.
La Juventud Filipina (To the Filipino Youth)
 submitted by Rizal which impressed the Board of
Judges, winning the first prize.
 Feather-shaped silver pen decorated with a gold
Ribbon – First prize
 The winning poem
 Reasons winning the contest: “A great poem in
Spanish written by a Filipino” & “Expressed the
nationalistic concept of Filipinos being the “fair hope
of the Fatherland.”
Held another contest for both Filipinos and Spaniards to
commemorate the fourth centennial of the death of
Cervantes.
 The Filipinos were racially discriminated by the
Spaniards
 Method of instruction is obsolete and repressive.
El Filibusterismo- described how Filipinos were humiliated
and insulted by Dominican professors.
He related in Chapter XIII “The Class in Physics”.
 Laboratory apparatus were kept and no laboratory
experiments were done.
Scholastic Honors- Rizal failed to win due to unfriendly
attitude of his professors.
Spain- where Rizal finished his medical studies and to fulfill
his “secret mission”
 His parents know nothing about Rizal going to
Spain, Only his brother Paciano, his sisters
Saturnina and Lucia, Uncle Antonio Rivera, and
the Valenzuelas.

Cervantes

 Glorified man-of-letters
 Author of Don Quixote

El Consejo de los Dioses (The Council of the Gods) – An

allegorical drama Rizal entered

 A gold ring engraved the bust of Cervantes- The

first prize that was awarded to Rizal.
 D.N del Puzo- A Spanish writer winning the second
prize.
Other Works of Rizal:

 Junto al Pasig (Beside the Pasig) – a zarzuela

staged by the Ateneans on December 8, 1880 on the
occasion of the annual celebration of the Feats Day of
the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the Ateneo.
 A Filipinas – a sonnet he wrote in 1880 for the
album of the Society of Sculptors which urged all
Filipino artists to glorify the Philippines.