Legend:

Names, Titles, Dates, Places, Specific Places

Jose Rizal: Ang Buhay ng Isang Bayani [documentary title]

Joonee Gamboa [narrator]
1996 [date of documentary release]
Memorias de un Estudiante de Manila (Rizal’s memoir)
- pen name: Moy Mercado

Full name: Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda

Mother: Teodora Alonso Realonda, Doña Lolay
Father: Francisco Rizal Mercado, Don Kikoy
● His parents were both born in Biñan, Laguna and later moved to Calamba, Laguna after
marriage to start an agricultural business. Calamba would later on become his birthplace.
Siblings: 11 (he is the 8th in order and the youngest boy)
● Saturnina “Neneng” Hidalgo (eldest sibling)
● Paciano Rizal (second eldest sibling, eldest brother)
● Narcisa Lopez (third sibling)
● Olympia Ubaldo (fourth sibling)
● Lucia Herbosa (fifth sibling)
● Trinidad “Trining” Rizal (tenth sibling)
Birthday: June 19, 1861

Education and Ventures

Elementary: When he was 9 years old, he and his brother Paciano Rizal moved to Biñan due to
education. He would later train under his brother’s former teacher, Justiniano Aquino Cruz.

Secondary: He enrolled himself in Ateneo Municipal de Manila at 11 years old. His mentor was
a Spanish Franciscan Friar named Francisco De Paula Sanchez, who inspired him to create
literature. Francisco’s classmate Leon Moroy taught him proper Spanish and Latin. He graduated
when he was 15 years old.

College:

Ateneo Municipal de Manila : Land Surveying and Assessment

University of Santo Tomas : Philosophy (pre law course)

He graduated from his colleges with outstanding remarks. Just as he planned on taking law, he
learned that his mother Doña Lolay had cataracts and was slowly worsening. Due to this, he
switched to Medicine and studied in University of Santo Tomas, later on specializing in
Ophthalmology, his best subjects being Medical Pathology (Patologia Medica) and Surgical
Pathology (Patologia Quirurgica).

Rizal planned to pursue Medicine abroad. His brother Paciano approves of his decision, but even
so, they decide to keep it a secret from the family. In order for Rizal to be able to travel to
Europe, he was given 365 pesos by his brother. Rizal’s friend Pedro Paterno commissioned his
journey to Europe. On May 2 1882, he officially traveled to Madrid, Spain. His eldest sister
Saturnina (otherwise known as Neneng) has heard of his trip and sent him a ring for him to pawn
to use for his expenses.

He then studied Medicine at the Universidad Central de Madrid, and earned the degree
Licentiate in Medicine.

During his trip to Spain, he met several Filipinos in a newspaper publishing group named
Circulo Hispano Filipino, who quickly became his friends, namely:
● Marcelo H. Del Pilar: Editor for Diariong Tagalog and later on La Solidaridad
● Graciano Lopez Jaena: Rizal’s former classmate in Medicine, who is well versed in
writing and founded La Solidaridad
● Gregorio Sanciangco: writer of El Progreso de Filipinas

In 1884, Rizal once recited a speech during a dinner at Restaurante Ingles in Madrid dedicated to
Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo and Juan Luna winning a painting competition. While his speech
was praised by the liberals in Spain, the Filipinos had a negative reaction towards it. Meanwhile,
the family hacienda’s sugar business was not selling, and so they were having difficulty sending
money to Rizal. Paciano wrote to Rizal, saying that Doña Lolay was sick, having difficulty
sleeping and eating due to the fact that rumors spread about Rizal’s speech and that he may not
be welcome in the Philippines anymore.

Rizal decided to go back home, but his family refused, stating that he should further specialize in
Medicine and train in Paris. There he meets Dr. Louis De Wecker, whom he assisted for 4
months. He lived with Felix Pardo de Tavera and Juliana Gorricho de Pardo de Tavera, Juan
Luna’s in-laws, helping them in exchange for the money Luna would provide to publicize his
works.

He then decided to travel to Heidelberg, Germany for a while to complete his training in
Ophthalmology. He also trained himself to write and speak more European languages better. In
Heidelberg, he trained under a renowned professor, Otto Becker. His friendship with Ferdinand
Blumentritt, an Austrian scholar, started when they began writing letters to each other about
Blumentritt’s fascination with the Philippine islands. Rizal sent him a book about the
Philippines, and in return, Blumentritt introduced him to several renowned European scholars.
The two became very close friends, with Blumentritt becoming Rizal’s confidant. It was also in
Heidelberg where Rizal finished writing the final chapters of Noli me Tangere. Rizal was having
difficulty publishing Noli me Tangere, when his friend Maximo Viola, whom he met in
Barcelona, traveled to Heidelberg to bring Rizal to a doctor and pay for the book’s publication.

Rizal decided to go back home to the Philippines, despite the friars’ increasing anger towards
him. The Filipinos welcomed him with open arms, after news spread of his studies in medicine.
After 3 weeks, he was called by the Governor-General (Gobernador-Heneral) because of the
friars’ protests about his book Noli me Tangere. The governor-general instructed a soldier named
Jose Taviel de Andrade to stand guard and watch Rizal’s every move in the guise of him being
Rizal’s custodian. The two became friends, with Andrade being an educated liberal, and even
helped dissuade rumors the friars made about Rizal. When the governor-general ordered to stop
the publication for Noli me Tangere, the friars banned together to persuade the governor-general
to give a harsher order, like sentencing Rizal to prison. The general advised Rizal to move out of
the country so as to bring peace to the friars.

Rizal then traveled to Japan. He stayed there for a while before traveling to America. He visited
the big cities, and then went to England. Heeding one of Blumentritt’s letters, Rizal met Dr.
Reinhold Rost, who he quickly became friends with. Rost helped Rizal gain access to the British
Library, and there he found the book Sucesos de las islas Filipinas, which was published by
Antonio de Morga, a book important to the early history of the Spanish colonization in the
Philippines. He then tried republishing the book, to which his friend Antonio Maria Regidor
declined. So he traveled to Paris to publish the book, because the publishing rates there are lesser
compared to England. It was around the same time Rizal became active in La Solidaridad, a
newspaper published by his friends and was spearheaded by Graciano Lopez Jaena. He wrote
about how the Filipinos aren’t what the Spaniards talk about, that they’re decent people paying
taxes and should be treated equally. One of his famous works, Sa mga Kababaihang Taga-
Malolos, talks about how women are striving hard to learn, read, and write the Spanish language.

Due to the Rizal family’s support, Paciano continued to legally challenge the friars who owned
the Hacienda de Calamba, whom the Rizal family previously owned. In a letter written by
Silvestre Ubaldo, Olympia Rizal’s wife and one of Rizal’s in-laws, 13 of their lands and 60 of
their farm laborers are being demanded in court, and if the family cannot abide, they would have
to be thrown out of their house, and all of their farm destroyed. Manuel Hidalgo, Neneng’s
husband, was thrown to Dapitan several times and was caught while the family was having
Noche Buena (Christmas dinner). When the issue reached higher government officials, All of the
Calamba farmers were thrown out, including the Rizal family. Around 300 families were chased
out of their houses, Narcisa wrote. Paciano moved with his in-laws to Mindoro, and when
Lucia’s husband Matriano Herbosa died, he was denied a Catholic burial. The same thing was
about to happen with one of Rizal’s niblings who died due to sickness. Rizal was worried. He
wanted to go back to the Philippines and watch everything happen, but was stopped by his
family and friends, with the reason that “what else could he do but worsen their suffering?”.
Meanwhile, Rizal and Del Pilar had a feud over La Solidaridad and in their Filipino community
in Madrid. It started when Rizal was chastising the Filipino men’s flirty nature and his pieces of
advice over Del Pilar’s governance over La Solidaridad. When he returned to Spain after such
time had passed, he thought his ideals would be openly accepted, and that the newspaper
publishing group would still revere him as one of the editors. He did not think that when he left,
the community would start revering Del Pilar as the head of all of their political propaganda, and
thought less of Rizal. Rizal stated that Del Pilar’s group of friends, including his former rival
Eduardo de Lete, boycotted an election as to which Filipino will lead their community in Madrid,
just to shame him. He thought that the elections were just formalities, but every time they
counted Rizal’s votes, it did not add up to what they agreed on. Even if he won the rest of the
elections, he was still hurt.

Rizal traveled to Biarritz, France. He was given time to rest and calm himself down, and
properly write El Filibusterismo in peace, along with Juan Luna. He then traveled to Belgium to
publish his book, however, he lacked funding. He was in a state of desperation and anger,
constantly ripping and thrashing the papers he used to write on. A friend named Valentin
Ventura paid to publish El Filibusterismo, while another friend, Jose Maria Basa, lent Rizal fare
money so he could travel to Hong Kong. Basa also smuggled 600 copies of El Filibusterismo in
the Philippines, the same thing he did with Rizal’s previous novel Noli me Tangere.

When the friars learned of Jose’s arrival in Asia, they moved Paciano and his in-laws from
Mindoro to Jolo, Sulu. Fortunately, they were able to escape and sail to Hong Kong, including
Don Kikoy. The friars directed their anger at Doña Lolay instead, detaining her under the rumor
that she was not using her last name Realonda properly. She was made to walk a death march
from Manila until Sta. Cruz for four days. The gobernadorcillo felt bad for her, and later on set
her free, advising her to sail to Hong Kong, where her husband and children are. Welcoming the
year 1889, the Rizals were complete once more, celebrating the arrival of a new year in the
comfort of Hong Kong.

Rizal opened a clinic in Hong Kong, while his sisters dealt with the household chores. The
family was content with the solace they were in, but Jose did not rest, for he knew he had a lot of
things to do. He founded La Liga Filipina, a secret nonviolent reform society, on July 3, 1892.
Its aim was to unite Filipinos into doing whatever needed reformation their country needed. He
then went to North Borneo, now known as the Sabah dispute, to build settlements in case
Filipinos get deported from Calamba. He showed his plan to the new Gobernador-Heneral de
Bohol, asking permission to go back to the Philippines to fix personal matters. He was allowed to
come back, but did not guarantee his freedom. Even so, he was already prepared for anything
that would happen. Rizal was exiled in Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte. He lived with the military
commander and his wife. They betted in a lottery, and when they won, they split the prize. That
was how Rizal was able to buy land in Talisay, Dapitan, worth 18 pesos. Later on, he built a
clinic and a small school, with a European style schooling. He taught Spanish, English, and the
necessary lessons needed in common jobs. Rizal wrote Haec Est Sibylla Cumana at Dapitan as a
game for his pupils. Even in his life, he was not left alone by Blumentritt and his friends in
Europe. They would send letters to each other to update the other about their current wellbeing.
Rizal was able to discover new frog and insect species, to which his European friends named
after him. Time came when his mother and a few of his younger sisters were allowed to live with
him.

By 1896, La Liga Filipina’s rebellion quickly became a full blown revolution, which turned into
a nationwide uprising. Upon Blumentritt’s suggestion, Rizal offered his medical expertise to
become a volunteer to help the victims of yellow fever and was permitted by Gobernador-
Heneral Ramon Blanco to leave for Cuba. Rizal left for Cuba, but was arrested midway in
Barcelona. He was sent back to Manila by Gobernador-Heneral Eulogio Despujol to face his trial
for rebellion and conspiracy. He was then imprisoned in Fort Santiago in the first days of
November, 1896.

On December 26, 1896, he was given his last trial, and on December 29, he was sentenced to
death. Doña Lolay was the first to visit Rizal hours before his death. He asked for her
forgiveness, and to collect his body after he died. The next were his sisters and their children.
One by one, he gave them all of his possessions during his stay inside Fort Santiago. He gave a
small ornate kerosene lamp (lamparilya) given to him by the de Taveras to his sister Trinidad
(otherwise known as Trining), while whispering “there is something inside,” in English, so that
the guards cannot understand. In the lamp he contained his final poem titled Mi Ultimo Adios. He
wrote letters to everyone who could not attend.

Jose Rizal was executed by firing squad on December 30, 1896, at 7 am in Bagumbayan, Luneta.
His final words were “Consummatum est!”, which means “It is finished.”, the same last words
Jesus Christ uttered as he died on the cross. His mother came to collect his body, but they denied
his corpse, and was buried in secret in a cemetery in Paco, without a gravemark and a name.

Jose Rizal’s Lovers

Segunda Katigbak

Rizal met Segunda through his sister, Olympia Rizal, and Segunda’s brother, Mariano Katigbak.
While he was on his way to his grandmother, he and his friend decided to stop by his house.
There, the 16 year old Rizal met the 14 year old Segunda. It was love at first sight. He described
her as “rather short, with eyes that were eloquent and ardent at times and languid at others, rosy–
cheeked, with an enchanting and provocative smile that revealed very beautiful teeth, and the air
of a sylph; her entire self diffused a mysterious charm”. Segunda was Rizal’s first love. He tried
pursuing her, but she was already engaged to Manuel Luz.
Leonor Rivera

Leonor is Rizal’s longest love, their relationship having spanned nearly 10 years. She is also said
to be incarnated as Maria Clara in his novel Noli me Tangere. He was 17 when he met a 14 year
old Leonor, in his uncle Antonio Rivera’s boarding house in Intramuros, Manila.

He charmed her with his intelligence, and she was flattered, a silent beautiful woman who knew
how to sing and play the piano. When Rizal left for Europe in 1882, she was 16 years old. Their
relationship started when Rizal left her a letter. She was the reason Rizal stayed so focused on his
career abroad. Mariano Katigbak wrote him a letter stating that Leonor was gravely affected with
his departure, that she suffered from insomnia. When Rizal came back to the Philippines in 1887,
Don Kikoy advised Rizal not to visit Rivera to avoid putting her and her family’s lives in danger,
having been labeled a filibustero. He begged his father to let him see her one last time before his
second departure, but they never saw each other ever again.

Rizal did not receive letters for a year, Rivera’s mother having intercepted their letters and
burned them. The last letter Rizal received from her was in 1890, to inform him that she is to be
engaged to a British railroad engineer named Henry Kipping. Rivera did not stop the wedding,
however, had conditions that everyone had to adhere to: her mother must be beside her at the
church, she must not sing in her life ever again, and she will stop playing the piano. The wedding
pushed through that same year. Rizal was devastated.

Consuelo Ortiga

While in Madrid, Rizal and his friends frequented Don Pedro Ortiga, a Spanish liberal who used
to be the mayor of Manila’s house. It was there where he met the liberal’s daughter, Consuelo
Ortiga. In several of her writings, she had said that Rizal had charmed her with his magic tricks.
He wrote her a poem titled A La Señorita C.O.y.P. It was not a serious affair; he believed himself
to be engaged with Leonor Rivera, and he saw how the woman and his friend, Eduardo de Lete,
looked at each other. Consuelo and Eduardo were wed.

Seiko Usui (Osei-san)

Rizal wrote a lot about his fascination for Japan; the cleanliness, peace, and beauty. While he
was in the office of the Embassy, he met Seiko Usui, whom he affectionately called Osei-san.
She was the last living descendant of a noble Japanese family. She could speak English and
French, and the two decide to enter a relationship. She taught him Japanese culture, and they
would visit shrines, museums, and temples together. He was ready to live in Japan with her,
however, he had to go to San Francisco, and he never saw her ever again. That was the end of
their two month affair.
Nellie Boustead

Rizal and Nellie met in Biarritz, France, in Nellie’s vacation home. She hosted his stay, and,
when Rizal learned of Leonor’s engagement to Kipping, Rizal pursued a relationship with
Boustead. He was on set to marry her, and his friends supported her. One night, when Rizal and
his friends went drinking in the vacation house, Rizal and Juan Luna nearly dueled over their
feelings for Boustead. They did not marry, but still stayed as friends.

Josephine Bracken

Josephine Bracken is Rizal’s last love, and in some accounts, his wife. The two met when
Bracken and her adoptive father George Taufer went to Rizal’s office in Dapitan for an eye
appointment. Taufer had a double cataract and Rizal could not help with anymore. Rizal and
Bracken fell in love, Rizal having confessed while the two were walking at the seashore. No
priest would ever legally marry the two because of Rizal’s standing in politics, and demand him
to go back to Christianity first. Rizal’s relatives seemed to show dislike of Rizal and Bracken
living under the same roof without being married, and would occasionally harass Bracken.
However, she yielded in order to support Rizal in his stead. The two had a son, who died in
childbirth. Rizal named the child after his father, Francisco.

On the evening of December 29, hours after Rizal was sentenced for his execution, the Catholic
Church claimed he had returned to being a Catholic and married Bracken, their marriage
officiated by Fr. Vicente Balaguer, S.J. There are no legal records left of the marriage, and
everyone disputed the validation of the ceremony, even if Bracken and Fr. Balaguer attested to it.

Supplementary Document: jose rizal: ang buhay ng isang bayani (important details)