THE WOMEN

OF RIZAL
BEFORE Discussants:

JOSEPHINE Monica Gamis

Shierly Escobar
BRACKEN Jilyn Gagarin
Ronabelle Nicdao
Jose Rizal's dalliances with
various women in the Philippines
and elsewhere in the world have
made him a legend and a hero to
Filipino men who aspire to be as
smooth as he was. Whether
these encounters were more
likely brief flirtations than full-
blown relationships doesn't seem
to matter to many. The point is,
the man was just like us-falling in
love and waxing sentimental over
fond memories about the one
that got away. Or in this case, the
more than one who got away.
For some historians, there
were only 9 women who were
known to have a love affair
with our national hero whose
birthday we celebrate today
19 June. But, there are other
historians and sources that
indicate more than 9 women.
Based on historical
documents, these are the 12
"known" women in the life of
José Protacio Rizal Mercado
y Alonso Realonda better
known as Jose Rizal, national
hero of the Philippines.
Julia is a sixteen year old lady she
was the first girlfriend of Rizal. Rizal
was checking their tree yard of atis,
balimbing, macopa, santol, and
Julia Celeste Smith
tampoy this tree yard end to the river
side or river shore and Rizal was
only 15 when he first saw Julia by
accident in a river named Dampalit in
Los Baños a few days after Easter in
1877. She was wearing a red
wraparound skirt. Julia could not
catch the butterfly she was chasing.
Rizal ever gallant, caught two,
Trillana wrote. Heart beating with
strange fondness, Rizal offered her
the butterflies and she laughed with
innocent pleasure. He was instantly
attracted to her. But for lack of
subsequent contact, Rizal eventually
forgot Julia Celeste Smith.
Who she is: Segunda is a pretty
fourteen year old lady Batanguena
from Lipa was the second girlfriend of
Rizal. She was rather short, with eyes
that were eloquent, ardent at times,
Segunda Katigbak
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. At
16, first love of Jose Rizal from Lipa,
Batangas; sister of Rizal's friend,
Mariano Katigbak; close friend of
Olympia, Rizal's sister; already
engaged to Manuel Luz; considered
puppy love of Jose Rizal. Segunda
was the sister of Mariano Katigbak,
Rizal's friend and classmate. She
studied in La Concordia College,
where Rizal's sister Olympia also
studied.
How they met: Some say the two met in
Trozo, Manila, while others say it was in
Lipa, Batangas. Given that Segunda
studied in the same school as Rizal's Segunda Katigbak
sister, he did the most logical thing: visit
La Concordia College more frequently,
ostensibly to see his sister, but primarily to
get a glimpse of the girl he described as
having "eloquent eyes, rosy cheeks, and
a smile that reveals very beautiful teeth.“

How it ended: The story goes that Rizal

told Segunda that he was returning home
to Calamba for the New Year. He added
that he might see her when her steamer
docks at Biñan and she passes through
Calamba on her way to Lipa. He waited
for her and he did see her pass by on a
carriage-in fact, she even waved to him-
but instead of following her, he chose to
go home.
Jacinta is a professor from Pakil,
Laguna the third girlfriend of Rizal.
Rizal shortly after losing Segunda
Katigbak, he paid court to a young Jacinta Ibardo Laza
woman in Pakil, Laguna. Rizal
called Jacinta Ibardo Laza, Miss L.
Rizal described Miss L a fair with
seductive eyes. After visiting her in
her house several times for a tutor
lesson in the subject Rhetoric and
Poetry, he suddenly stopped his
wooming, and the romance died a
natural death. Rizal gave reasons
why the romance with Miss L died
because 1.) the sweet memory of
Segunda was still in his heart, and
2.) his father objected to the
romance with Miss L because she
is the professor of Rizal.
 Who she is: aka
Leonor Valenzuela
Orang, the fourth
girlfriend of Rizal. As a
sophomore student at
the neighbor of Jose
Rizal in Intramuros;
daughter of Capitan
Juan and Capitana
Sanday Valenzuela;
an elegant and
graceful, tall girl from
Pagsanjan, Laguna.
How they met: Being neighbors gave
Rizal plenty of opportunities to find
some reason to hang out with Orang
whether or not there was an occasion Leonor Valenzuela
for them to meet up. He wrote love
letters to her in invisible ink, and it's
been speculated that he did so to
cover up his indiscretion, as he was
also pursuing his next love, Leonor
Rivera, at the time.

How it ended: Without tears or

fanfare. Rizal may have been
besotted with Orang, but it's likely that
Orang didn't feel the same way about
him. She went on with her life,
entertaining other suitors, and not
even shedding a tear when Rizal left
the country.
Who she is: Fifth girlfriend of
Rizal. Leonor was the
daughter of a cousin of Leonor “Luntian” Rivera
Rizal's father, making her
Rizal's cousin and his
childhood sweetheart.
Leonor born in Camiling ,
Tarlac, on April 11, 1867, was
a frail, beautiful girl, tender
as a budding flower with
kindly wistful eyes.
How they met: They met in
Manila when Leonor was 13 years
old, and even as Rizal left for
Europe two years later, the two Leonor “Luntian” Rivera
kept up their correspondence,
which supposedly kept Rizal
inspired during his studies.

How it ended: Rizal’s letters to

Leonor went unacknowledged for
a whole year, as Leonor married
Henry Charles Kipping, an English
railway engineer-but not because
she wanted to. Her mother
preferred Kipping over Rizal, and
to convince Leonor to marry
Kipping, she said Rizal was
engaged to Ferdinand
Blumentritt's daughter.
Who she is: Sixth girlfriend of
Rizal. The most that can be
dug up about Consuelo is that Consuelo Ortiga y Rey
she was the daughter of Don
Pablo Ortiga, a former mayor
of Manila. Jose Rizal did not
pursue for two reasons
because he was still engaged
to Leonor Rivera at that time
and he did not want to ruin
his friendship with Eduardo
de Lete who also had an
affection with the girl.
How they met: Consuelo wrote in her
diary that she first met Rizal in Madrid
on September 16, 1882, and
apparently they talked the whole night
(always a promising start to any Consuelo Ortiga y Rey
relationship). Sources say she had a
penchant for asking Rizal to write her
poems and verses, and he would
happily comply. The most well-known
of these is entitled A La Señorita C.O. y
R.

How it ended: Circumstances

happened. One of Rizal's compatriots,
Eduardo de Lete, apparently had his
eye on Consuelo, which forced Rizal to
back out of whatever budding
relationship he had with her. Also, he
was still engaged to Leonor Rivera,
which he probably should have thought
of before even considering starting
something with another woman.
Who she is: Seventh
Girlfriend of Rizal.
Gertrude “ Gettie” Beckette
Nicknamed "Gettie" by
Rizal, Beckett was the
daughter of Charles
Beckett, who was Rizal's
landlord when he stayed
in London, England in
May 1888. Gertrude, a
blue-eyed and buxom girl
was the oldest of the
three Beckette
daughters.
How they met: After his stay in the US,
Rizal headed to London and stayed in
the boarding house run by Charles
Beckett. Gettie was apparently keen on
Rizal, helping him with his artwork. Gertrude “ Gettie” Beckette
Supposedly, her assistance helped Rizal
finish his works, namely, 'Prometheus
Bound', 'The Triumph of Death over Life,'
and 'The Triumph of Science over
Death.'

How it ended: It's pretty safe to say that

nothing really happened between them
in the first place, save for the crush
Gettie had on "Pettie" (this was her
nickname for Rizal). Some sources say
that it was only Gettie who wanted more
out of their friendship, while others say
that Rizal got cold feet, which made him
decide to leave London for Paris in
March 1889, possibly in an effort to let
Gettie down easy.
Who she is: Eight girlfriend of
Rizal.aka the prettier and
younger daughter of Mr. Eduardo Nellie Boustead
Boustead; Rizal's marriage
proposal failed because he did
not want to convert to
Protestantism and Nelly's mother
did not approve of Rizal, as she
had no desire to entrust her
daughter to a man who was
wanting in wealth and persecuted
in his own country. Nellie was the
daughter of British businessman
Eduardo Boustead and was half-
Filipina. She was also the fiancée
of Antonio Luna.
How they met: Rizal had been friends
with her family, and he used to fence with
Nellie and her sister Adelina at Juan
Luna's studio. In February 1891, Rizal
stayed at the Villa Eliada, the Bousteads'
winter residence in Biarritz on the French
Nellie Boustead
Riviera. Apparently, it got to the point
where Rizal actually considered
proposing to Nellie, although it might have
been the rebound blues talking; at the
time, he had just learned that Leonor
Rivera got married to someone else,
which probably prompted him to think,
"Hey, you know what? I'm gonna get
married too! That'll show her!"

How it ended: Nellie wanted Rizal to

convert to Protestantism, and her mother
didn't approve of a man who didn't have
the capacity to give her daughter a good
life. But it didn't end in tears, as the two
had a pretty amicable breakup and she
even wished him well in a letter as he was
about to leave Europe.
Who she is: Nineth girlfriend
of Rizal. Aka Seiko Usui. At O-Sei San Kiyo
Azabu district, Tokyo, Japan in
1888; ; a Japanese samurai’s
daughter; Jose Rizal was her
first love; taught Jose Rizal
the Japanese art of painting
"Su-mie"; also helped in
improving his language. Seiko
Usui, who Rizal called "O-Sei-
San," worked at the Spanish
Legation in Tokyo. She was 23
years old when she met the
27-year-old Rizal.
How they met: Rizal started
working at the Spanish Legation in
February 1888. Seiko caught his
O-Sei San Kiyo
eye one afternoon while she was
walking in the garden, and Rizal
found out from a gardener who she
was. Given that Seiko spoke both
English and French, she and Rizal
managed to strike up a friendship
and eventually a relationship, and
she taught him Japanese as well.
Dates were spent exploring parks,
shrines, and museums such as the
Imperial Art Gallery.

How it ended: After a month-long

relationship, Rizal had to leave for
San Francisco in April 1888.
Who she is: Tenth
girlfriend of Rizal. Suzanne Jacoby Thill
Suzanne was a
Belgian woman who
was the niece of the
landladies of the
boarding house where
Rizal stayed in
Brussels in February
1890.
How they met: Someone keep Rizal
away from boarding houses. His six-
month stay in the city saw him spending
a lot of time with Suzanne, and they
attended the city's summertime festival
Suzanne Jacoby Thill
together.

How it ended: It seems that he just

wasn’t into her. Rizal left her a box of
chocolates, which she didn't even open,
possibly to keep as a memento. She
wrote him two months later, telling him
about the unopened box of chocolates
and urging him to hurry back. In another
letter she sent him, Suzanne wondered if
Rizal even thought about her, and
resigned herself to the fact that she
might not see him again. He ended up
returning to Brussels in April 1891, but
only so he could keep working on El
Filibusterismo.
Eleventh girlfriend of Rizal.
Aka Inday Torak. At Dapitan
City, Zamboanga del Norte
Pastora Necessario Carreon
where Jose Rizal was
exiled. She is the eleventh
girlfriend of Rizal. Pastora
Necessario Carreon is a
lady from Dapitan. She is a
Pastor on a church on
Dapitan after Suzane
Jacoby. Rizal fell deeply in
love in this girl but this
relationship not last
because Carreon is a
Pastora and she wants to
give her full love on his
church.
Who she is: Last love of Jose Rizal;
adopted daughter of George Taufer
from HongKong, married to Jose
Rizal (disputed by most historians). Josephine Bracken
Lived together and in early 1896
they were expecting a baby.
Unfortunately, Josephine had to go
into premature labor after Rizal
played a prank and frightened her. A
little boy of eight months was born,
who lived for only three hours. Rizal
named him Francisco in honor of his
father, and buried the child in
Dapitan.Born in Hong Kong to Irish
parents, Josephine was the wife of
Rizal; he called her "dulce
extranjera."
How they met: Josephine, together with
her adoptive father George Taufer, sailed
to the Philippines and then to Dapitan to
see Rizal, as Taufer's eyes required
medical attention and Rizal had already Josephine Bracken
developed an impressive reputation as an
eye specialist. Josephine and Rizal
eventually fell in love, although Rizal's
sisters thought she was a spy for the
Spanish, and they lived together in
Barangay Talisay in Dapitan. Their son
Francisco was stillborn.

How it ended: After Rizal's death,

Josephine returned to Hong Kong and
lived with her father. In 1900, she married
Vicente Abad and they had a daughter
named Dolores. Josephine died of
tuberculosis at the age of 25. Others say
she actually returned to the Philippines
and lived in Cebu with her husband and
taught English at various institutions.
#1
Give the first,
second and third
Ans:
girlfriend of
Rizal. 1st- Julia Celeste Smith
2nd- Segunda Katigbak
3rd- Leonor Valenzuela
#2
She has the
nickname
“ORANG” Ans:

Leonor Valenzuela
#3
She taught Jose
Rizal the
Japanese art of
painting "Su-mie"; Ans:

O-Sei San Kiyo

#4
She has the
nickname
“GETTIE”
ANS:

Gertrude Beckette
#5
A Belgian woman who
was the niece of the
landladies of the
boarding house where
ANS:
Rizal stayed in Brussels
in February 1890. Suzanne Jacoby Thill
#6
She was the
sixth girlfriend of
Rizal
ANS:

Consuelo Ortiga y Rey

#7
She was the
fiancé of Antonio
Luna.
Ans:

Nellie Boustead
#8
She was the
eleventh girlfriend of
Rizal Aka Inday
Torak.
Ans:

Pastora Necessario
Carreon
#9
She was the wife of Rizal;
he called her "dulce
extranjera."

Ans:

Josephine Bracken
#10
She was born in
Camiling , Tarlac,
on April 11, 1867,
was a frail, beautiful
girl, tender as a
Ans:
budding flower with
kindly wistful eyes. Leonor “Luntian” Rivera