CHAPTER 1

A HERO IS BORN, 1861

“RIZAL WAS BORN IN CALAMBA, LAGUNA ON THE
19TH OF JUNE 1861 BETWEEN ELEVEN AND TWELVE
O’CLOCK AT NIGHT, A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE FULL
OF THE MOON.”

~JOSE RIZAL
 DR. JOSE RIZAL

DR. JOSE RIZAL, THE GREATEST HERO OF THE PHILIPPINES, WAS A “MANY-SPLENDORED”

GENIUS. HE WAS RICHLY DOWERED BY GOD WITH SUPERB INTELLECTUAL, MORAL AND

PHYSICAL QUALITIES. TRULY, HE RANKS WITH THE WORLD’S GENIUSES. HE WAS AN

ANTHROPOLOGIST, BOTANIST, BUSINESSMAN, CARTOGRAPHER, DRAMATIST, ECONOMIST,

EDUCATOR, ENGINEER, ESSAYIST, ENTOMOLOGIST, ETHNOLOGIST, FARMER, FOLKLORIST,

GEOGRAPHER, GRAMMARIAN, HISTORIAN, HORTICULTURIST, HUMORIST, LEXICOGRAPHER,

LINGUIST, MUSICIAN, NOVELIST, PAINTER, PHYSICIAN, POET, PHILOLOGIST, PHILOSOPHER,

POLEMIST, PSYCHOLOGIST, SATIRIST, SCULPTOR, SPORTSMAN, SOCIOLOGIST, SURVEYOR,

TRAVELER, AND ZOOLOGIST. MORE THAN ALL THESE, HE WAS A PATRIOT, HERO AND MARTYR.

UNLIKE MANY GENIUSES, HE CONSECRATED HIS GOD-GIVEN TALENTS, AND EVEN SACRIFICED

HIS OWN LIFE, FOR THE REDEMPTION AND WELFARE OF HIS PEOPLE. VERILY, A MAN OF HIS

HEROISM AND VERSATILITY APPEARS NOT ONCE IN THE HISTORY OF ANY NATION.
 THE WORLD WHEN RIZAL WAS
BORN

IN 1861, THE YEAR WHEN RIZAL WAS BORN, THE PHILIPPINES WAS BROWSING REDOLENTLY

BENEATH THE SHADOW OF THE CROSS. PAX HISPANICA REIGNED OVER THE ENTIRE

ARCHIPELAGO. THE PEOPLE, DESPITE THEIR BONDAGE TO SPAIN, WERE ENJOYING THEIR

SERENE, SIMPLE, AND CHRISTIAN WAY OF LIFE. COMPARATIVELY SPEAKING, THEY WERE

BETTER OFF THAN THE SUBJECT PEOPLES IN THE ENGLISH, DUTCH AND PORTUGUESE

COLONIES DURING THAT AGE. THE SPANISH GOVERNOR-GENERAL THEN WAS A GOOD

MILITARIST, GENERAL JOSE LEMERY, WHOSE ACHIEVEMENT WORTHY OF HISTORICAL

CITATION WAS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE POLITICO-MILITARY GOVERNMENT OF THE

VISAYAS AND MINDANAO. NO BLOODY MUSLIM PIRATICAL RAID, NO SERIOUS NATIVE

UPRISING, NO FRIGHTFUL UPSURGE OF BANDITRY, AND NO THREAT OF FOREIGN INVASION

MARRED THE GENERAL TRANQUILITY OF THE LAND.

GENERAL JOSE LEMERY
 THE BIRTH OF A HERO
NEAR MIDNIGHT OF WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1861, WHEN THE PHILIPPINES WAS
IN DEEP SLUMBER, A FRAIL BABY-BOY WAS BORN TO THE RIZAL FAMILY IN
CALAMBA, LAGUNA. IT WAS A MOONLIT NIGHT, BEING “A FEW DAYS BEFORE THE
FULL OF THE MOON.” THE DELIVERY WAS EXCEEDINGLY DIFFICULT, AND THE
MOTHER ALMOST DIED. HER SEEMINGLY MIRACULOUS SURVIVAL WAS
ATTRIBUTED TO OUR LADY OF PEACE AND GOOD VOYAGE. YEARS LATER JOSE
RIZAL RECORDED IN HIS BOYHOOD MEMOIRS: “IT WAS A WEDNESDAY, AND MY
ARRIVAL IN THIS VALLEY OF TEARS WOULD HAVE COST MY MOTHER HER LIFE
HAD SHE NOT VOWED TO THE VIRGIN OF ANTIPOLO THAT SHE WOULD TAKE ME ON
A PILGRIMAGE TO THAT SHRINE.’
 THE NAME “RIZAL”

THE ORIGINAL NAME OF THE RIZAL WAS “MERCADO”. IT WAS A

SURNAME ADOPTED IN 1731 BY DOMINGO LAM-CO, THE PATERNAL
CHINESE ANCESTOR. IN ENGLISH, IT MEANS “MARKET”. EVIDENTLY, LAM-
CO LIKED IT BECAUSE IT APPEALED TO HIS BUSINESS NATURE AND ALSO
BECAUSE IT REMINDED HIM OF HIS CHINESE ANCESTORS WHO WERE
MOSTLY MERCHANTS.

 
OUR LADY OF PEACE AND GOOD VOYAGE
THE BABY BOY WAS BAPTIZED BY FR. RUFINO COLLANTES IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH OF

CALAMBA ON JUNE 22, 1861, THREE DAYS AFTER HIS BIRTH. HIS GODFATHER WAS REV.

PEDRO CASAÑAS. HE WAS NAMED “JOSE” BY HIS PIOUS MOTHER, IN HONOR OF ST.

JOSEPH. IT WAS CUSTOMARY FOR CATHOLIC PARENTS TO NAME THEIR CHILDREN AFTER

THE SAINTS.

THE FULL NAME OF THE BABY BOY, WHO WAS DESTINED TO BECOME THE GREATEST

GENIUS AND HERO OF THE PHILIPPINES, WAS JOSE PROTACIO RIZAL MERCADO Y

ALONSO REALONDA.
 RIZAL’S HOMETOWN

CALAMBA IS A SMALL TOWN NEAR THE FOOT OF MT. MAKILING. THIS

TOWN IS DEVOTED IN PRODUCING SUGAR AND SUGAR BASE PRODUCTS. THE
WHOLE ESTATE WAS OWNED BY DOMINICAN FRIARS.

ITS SCENIC ENVIRONMENT INFLUENCED JOSE FOR HIS POETIC

CREATIVITY. INCLUDING AN ORCHARD. ALL OF THESE BROADENED HIS
PERCEPTION AND A LASTING MEMORY FOR HIS HOMETOWN
 PARENTS
JOSE WAS THE SEVENTH OF THE ELEVENTH CHILDREN OF FRANCISCO MERCADO RIZAL AND TEODORA

ALONZO REALONDA. BOTH FATHER AND MOTHER WERE FILIPINO PARENTS – DEVOUTLY RELIGIOUS,

EDUCATED, INDUSTRIOUS, AFFECTIONATE BUT STRICT, HOSPITABLE AND CIVIC-SPIRITED.

THE HERO’S FATHER, FRANCISCO MERCADO (1818-1898), WAS BORN IN BIÑAN, LAGUNA, ON MAY 11, 1818

AND DIED IN MANILA ON JANUARY 5, 1898, AT THE AGE OF 80. HE WAS AN EDUCATED FARMER HAVING

STUDIED LATIN AND PHILOSOPHY AT THE COLLEGE OF SAN JOSE IN MANILA. IN EARLY MANHOOD, AFTER

HIS MOTHER’S DEATH, HE MOVED TO CALAMBA AND BECAME A TENANT-FARMER OF THE DOMINICAN

ESTATE. HE MARRIED A COLLEGE-BRED MANILEÑA, TEODORA ALONZO REALONDA, ON JUNE 28, 1848.

DR. RIZAL, HIS GREATEST CHILD, AFFECTIONATELY CALLED HIM “A MODEL OF FATHERS.” HE WAS QUIET,

SERIOUS, FRUGAL MAN, TALLER THAN THE AVERAGE FILIPINO, WITH WIDE SHOULDERS, BROWN

COMPLEXION, PROMINENT FOREHEAD, LARGE DARK EYES, LARGE EARS AND FIRM JAWS.”
 The Rizal Family
Rizal’s great-great grandfather was Domingo Lamco a Chinese Merchant who married
Ines de la Rosa a Chinese mestiza from Parian. Lamco had a son named Francisco who was
to be Rizal’s great-grandfather became popular and was appointed as municipal captain of
Binan in 1783. The family adopted the name Mercado to free the younger generation the
prejudices that followed those with a Chinese name.

Francisco Mercado’s wife was named Bernardo Monicha, they had two children named
Juan and Clemente. Juan married Cirilia Alejandra. The couple had 14 children including
Francisco who was to be Rizal’s father.

Materially, socially, and professionally, the family of Rizal’s mother Teodora Alonso
was better than the family of her husband Francisco. In short they were better in all aspects.
 The hero’s mother, Teodora Alonso(1826-1911), was born in Manila on November 8, 1826
and died in Manila on August 16, 1911, at the age of 85. A graduate of Santa Rosa College, she
was talented woman with high culture, business ability and literary gift. Dr. Rizal, loving her as
much as his father said of her: “My mother is more than a woman of ordinary culture; she
knows literature and speaks Spanish better than I . . . She is a mathematician and has read
many books.” Aside from helping her husband in farming and business, she looked after the
education and moral training of her numerous children.

The real name of Jose Rizal’s mother was Teodora Alonso Quintos, and according to
Pacian(Rizal’s brother), there was a time when Rizal bore the name Realonda because back
then, it was customary to add the name of the godfather or godmother to the child’s name. Jose
also gave Dr. Blumentritt a letter containing the real name of her mother.
 It is said that on the maternal side, Rizal’s ancestor was Lakan-Dula, the last
Malayan King of Tondo. A maternal great-great-grandfather was Eugenio Ursua, of Japanese
blood. Jose’s mother Teodora belonged to a clan of gifted men. Her brothers Gregorio,
Manuel and Jose were men of unusual talents. Her father, Lorenzo Alberto Alonso, was an
engineer who was awarded by Spain with the coveted decoration of “Knight of the Grand
Order of Isabela the Catholic.” Her maternal grandfather was Manuel de Quintos, a prominent
Manila lawyer. Her paternal grandfather, Cipriano Alonso, was a Captain of Biñan. In 1849,
when Governor Narciso Claveria ordered the Filipino families to choose new surnames from
a list of Spanish family names, the children of Lorenzo Alberto Alonso adopted the name
‘Realonda”. Hence Teodora Alonso became Teodora Alonso Realonda.
LAKAN DULA EUGENIO URSUA
LORENZO ALBERTO ALONZO AND MANUEL ALBERTO ALONZO
 Jose was the first to use the name “Rizal” in 1872 when he enrolled at Ateneo Municipal
owned by the Jesuits. The Cavite mutiny in 1872 had a profound effect on the life of Rizal,
despite the fact that he was only 11 years old at that time. His brother Paciano had contacts
with Father Burgos who was executed because of the uprisings. Thus, the family adopted the
name Rizal to avoided suspicion.

Teodoro Alonso had the most unique and striking personality in the family, due to her
intelligence, and her disposition. She knew how to appreciate good literature and corrected his
son’s verses, she was also proficient in mathematics. Educated in the college of Santa Rosa,
she was a devout catholic and believed in the saints.

Jose’s father was 43 years old when Rizal was born, studied in Colegio de San Jose and
possessed an elementary education which was sufficient enough to manage agricultural
properties. Francisco and Teodora had 11 children: Two boys and 9 Girls
FRANCISCO MERCADO RIZAL AND TEODORA ALONZO REALONDA
 THE RIZAL CHILDREN

GOD BLESSED THE MARRIAGE OF FRANCISCO

MERCADO RIZAL AND TEODORA ALONSO
REALONDA WITH ELEVEN CHILDREN – TWO BOYS
AND NINE GIRLS. THESE CHILDREN WERE AS
FOLLOWS:
 
1. SATURNINA (1850-1913) SHE WAS THE OLDEST OF THE RIZAL
CHILDREN. SHE MARRIED MANUEL T. HIDALGO.
2. PACIANO (1851-1930) HE WAS THE OLDER BROTHER OF DR. RIZAL.
AFTER HIS YOUNGER BROTHER’S EXECUTION, HE JOINED THE
REVOLUTION AND BECAME A GENERAL. AFTER THE REVOLUTION HE
RETIRED TO HIS FARM IN LOS BAÑOS AND LED THE LIFE OF A
GENTLEMAN FARMER. HE DIED AN OLD BACHELOR, THOUGH HE HAD A
COMMON-LAW WIFE.
3. NARCISA (1852-1939) SHE MARRIED ANTONINO LOPEZ, A
SCHOOL TEACHER OF MORONG, RIZAL.
4. OLYMPIA (1855-1887) SHE MARRIED SILVESTRE UBALDE, A
TELEGRAPH OPERATOR FROM MANILA.
5. LUCIA (1857-1919) SHE MARRIED MARIANO HERBOSA OF
CALAMBA.
6. MARIA (1859-1945) SHE MARRIED DANIEL FAUSTINO CRUZ
OF BIÑAN, LAGUNA.
7. JOSE (1861-1896) THE “LUCKY SEVEN” IN A FAMILY OF
ELEVEN CHILDREN. HE MARRIED JOSEPHINE BRACKEN, A
PRETTY IRISH FROM HONGKONG.
8. CONCEPCION (1862-1865) SHE DIED AT THE AGE OF THREE.
9. JOSEFA (1865-1945) SHE DID NOT MARRY; SHE DIED
UNMARRIED.
10. TRINIDAD (1868-1951) SHE DIED UNMARRIED, LIKE JOSEFA.
11. SOLEDAD (1870-1929) SHE WAS THE YOUNGEST OF THE
RIZAL CHILDREN. SHE MARRIED PANTALEON QUINTERO OF
CALAMBA.
THE RIZAL FAMILY
 A hero is a social construct. Since the nature of the process,
recognizing heroes is always subjective. To bridge the gap, the National
Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) released some criteria
for recognizing heroes, through their Project Saysay.

Criteria for Recognizing Heroes

1. the extend of a person’s sacrifice for the welfare of the country
2. the motives and methods employed in the attainment of the ideal
3. the moral character of the person concern
4. the influence of the person concerned on his/her age and or the
succeeding age
5. those who have a concept of nation and thereafter aspire and struggle
for the nation’s freedom
6. those who define and contribute to a system of life of freedom and
order for a nation
7. those who contribute to the quality of life and destiny of a nation
8. A part of a people’s expression
9. person who thinks of the future, especially the future generations
10. 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
 Task No. 1
Reflect on the Filipino concept
of a hero. How can a student like
you become a hero in your own
way?
Thank you.