HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF RIZAL’S FAMILY

Jose Rizal Family

The Jose Rizal family was a wealthy family in Calamba, Laguna and considered one of the
largest families in those times. The 13 member of Jose Rizal family consisted of his father
Francisco Mercado II and his mother Teodora Alonso Realonda. Jose Rizal had nine sisters and
one brother. The Jose Rizal family’s paternal ascendant was Domingo Lam-co, a full-blooded
Chinese who lived inAmoy,China and arrived in the Philippines in the closing years of the 17th
century. Domingo Lam-co was married to a Chinese half-breed named Ines de la Rosa. The
Mercado-Rizal family had also Japanese, Spanish, Malay and Negrito blood aside from their
Chinese blood.

Jose Rizal’s father was the youngest of 13 children of Juan and Cirila Mercado. He was born in
Binan, Laguna, studied in San Jose College of Manila and died in Manila. The mother of Jose
Rizal was a business -minded, religious and hard working individual who was born in Santa
Cruz,Manila on November 14, 1827 and died in Manila in 1913. She studied at the Colegio de
Santa Rosa and was the second child of Brijida de Quintos and Lorenzo Alonso.

Saturnina Rizal was the eldest of the offsprings of Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso
Realonda. She married Manuel Hidalgo who hailed from Tanauan, Batangas. The only brother of
Jose Rizal was Paciano Rizal and was the second child. Paciano studied at the San Jose College
in Manila and worked as a farmer and later as a general of the Philippine Revolution. The other
sisters of Jose Rizal were Narcisa, Olympia, Lucia, Maria, Concepcion, Josefa, Trinidad and
Soledad. Soledad was the youngest child and later was married to Pantaleon Quintero.

The parents of Jose Rizal were both farmers who were granted by the Dominicans with the lease
of a hacienda together with a rice farm. The mother of Jose Rizal, Teodora, had Spanish and
Japanese ancestors while the father of Teodora was a half Spaniard engineer known as Lorenzo
Alberto Alonzo.

The Rizal surname was obtained by Francisco Mercado as suggested to him by a provincial
governor after the Governor General of the Philippines, Narciso Claveria, issued a decree in
1849 by which native Filipino and immigrant families were to adopt Spanish surnames from a
list of Spanish family names. Jose Rizal also obtained the surname Rizal after dropping three
other names that made up his full name. Jose Rizal also retained Protacio as his other family
name. His family never actually recognized his Rizal surname but Jose Rizal was forced to use it
so that he can travel freely and disassociate him from his brother who was known to be notorious
due to Paciano’s links with native priests who were executed after they were found to be
subversives.
The Rizals is considered one of the biggest families during their time. Domingo Lam-co, the
family's paternal ascendant was a full-blooded Chinese who came to the Philippines from Amoy,
China in the closing years of the 17th century and married a Chinese half-breed by the name of
Ines de la Rosa.

Researchers revealed that the Mercado-Rizal family had also traces of Japanese, Spanish, Malay
and Even Negrito blood aside from Chinese.

Jose Rizal came from a 13-member family consisting of his parents, Francisco Mercado II and
Teodora Alonso Realonda, and nine sisters and one brother.

The Mercado - Rizal Family

FRANCISCO MERCADO (1818-1898)

Father of Jose Rizal who was the youngest of 13 offsprings of Juan and Cirila Mercado. Born in
Biñan, Laguna on April 18, 1818; studied in San Jose College, Manila; and died in Manila.

TEODORA ALONSO (1827-1913)

Mother of Jose Rizal who was the second child of Lorenzo Alonso and Brijida de Quintos. She
studied at the Colegio de Santa Rosa. She was a business-minded woman, courteous, religious,
hard-working and well-read. She was born in Santa Cruz, Manila on November 14, 1827 and
died in 1913 in Manila.

SATURNINA RIZAL (1850-1913)

Eldest child of the Rizal-Alonzo marriage. Married Manuel Timoteo Hidalgo of Tanauan,
Batangas.

PACIANO RIZAL (1851-1930)

Only brother of Jose Rizal and the second child. Studied at San Jose College in Manila; became a
farmer and later a general of the Philippine Revolution.

NARCISA RIZAL (1852-1939)

The third child. married Antonio Lopez at Morong, Rizal; a teacher and musician.

OLYMPIA RIZAL (1855-1887)

The fourth child. Married Silvestre Ubaldo; died in 1887 from childbirth.

LUCIA RIZAL (1857-1919)

The fifth child. Married Matriano Herbosa.

MARIA RIZAL (1859-1945)

The sixth child. Married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan, Laguna.

JOSE RIZAL (1861-1896)

The second son and the seventh child. He was executed by the Spaniards on December 30,1896.
CONCEPCION RIZAL (1862-1865)
The eight child. Died at the age of three.

JOSEFA RIZAL (1865-1945)

The ninth child. An epileptic, died a spinster.

TRINIDAD RIZAL (1868-1951)

The tenth child. Died a spinster and the last of the family to die.

SOLEDAD RIZAL (1870-1929)

The youngest child married Pantaleon Quintero.

Paternal Ancestors

Domingo Lam-Co, the family root, arrived from Amoy, China in 1660s and changed his name to
Mercado in 1697. He married late in life.

Francisco Mercado y Chinco, the first son of Domingo Lam-co.

Juan Mercado y Monica, youngest son of Francisco Mercado y Chinco, a captain in the Spanish
army

Petrona, Potenciana and Francisco Mercado, Sr., children of Juan Mercado. The youngest
Francisco Mercado, Sr. was the father of Jose Rizal, Francisco Mercado (Junior).

Influential Relatives

Jose’s relatives who influenced him greatly mostly consisted of his mother’s brothers: Tio Jose,
Tio Manuel, and Tio Gregorio.

Tio Jose - He is the youngest among the siblings of Teodora, and was schooled in Calcutta,
India. He was Jose Rizal’s inspiration as he sketches and paints. Tio Jose encouraged him to
engage in sculpturing.

Tio Manuel - Known to be big and strong, he influenced Jose to visit the outdoors, do long walks
with his pet black dog, Usman, and even go horseback riding with his horse, castaño.

Tio Gregorio - Through his Tio Gregorio, Jose learned the value of hard work, careful
observation of life, as well as independent thinking. Through him, Jose likewise became
interested in the printed page.
 CHILDHOOD DAYS IN CALAMBA
Jose Rizal, just like Filipino boys, had many beautiful memories of childhood. • He have a happy
home, filled with parental affection, impregnated with family joys, and sanctified by prayers. • In
the midst of such peaceful, refined, God-loving family, he spent the early years of his childhood.

Calamba, the Hero’s Town • Calamba was an hacienda town which belonged to the
Dominican Order. • It is a picturesque town nestling on a verdant plain covered with irrigated
rice fields and sugar-lands. • A few kilometers to the south looms is the legendary Mount
Makiling in somnolent grandeur.
Beyond this mountain is the province of Batangas. • East of the town is the Laguna de Bay. •
In the middle lake towers is the storied island of Talim and beyond it towards north is the distant
Antipolo, famous mountain shrine of the miraculous Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.
•In 1876 when he was 15 years old and was a student in the Ateneo de Manila he remembered
his beloved town. •He wrote a poem Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town).
EarliEst Childhood mEmoriEs. • The first memory of Rizal, in his infancy, was his happy days
in the family garden. • Because he was frail, sickly, and undersized child, he was given the most
tender care by his parents.
• His father built a nipa cottage in the garden for him to play in the daytime. • Another childhood
memory was the daily Angelus prayer. • By nightfall, Rizal related, his mother gathered all the
children at the house to pray the Angelus.
• With nostalgic feeling, he also remembered the happy moonlit nights at the azotea after the
rosary. • The aya related stories to Rizal children many stories about fairies; tales of buried
treasure and trees with blooming diamonds, and other fabulous stories.
• Sometimes, when he did not like to take his supper, the aya would treaten him that the aswang,
the nuno, the tigbalang, or a terrible bearded Bombay would come to take him away if he would
not eat his supper. • Another memory of his infancy was the nocturnal walk in the town,
especially when there was a moon.
• Recounting this childhood experience, Rizal wrote: “Thus my heart fed on sombre and
melancholy thoughts so that even still a child, I already wandered on wings of fantasy in the high
regions of the unknown.
The Hero’s First Sorrow • The Rizal children were bound together by the ties of love and
companionship. • Their parents taught them to love one another, to behave properly in front of
elders, to be truthful and religious, and to help one another.
• They affectionately called their father Tatay, and mother Nanay. • Jose was jokingly called Ute
by his brother and sisters. The people in Calamba knew him as Pepe or Pepito. • Of his sisters,
Jose loved most little Concha (Concepcion).
• He was one year older than Concha. • He played with her, and from her, he learned the
sweetness of brotherly love. • Unfortunately, Concha died of sickness in 1865 when he was 3
years old. • Jose, who was very fond of her, cried bitterly to lose her.
Devoted Son of Church •Young Rizal was a religious boy. •A scion of a Catholic clan, born and
bred in a wholesome atmosphere of Catholicism, and possessed of an inborn spirit, Rizal grew
up a good Catholic.
•At the age of 3, he began to take part in the family prayers. •When he was five years old, he was
able to read haltingly the family bible. •He loved to go to church to pray, to take part in novenas,
and to join the religious processions.
•It is said that he was so seriously devout that he was laughingly called Manong Jose by the
Hermanos and Hermanas Terceras.
•One of the men he esteemed and respected in Calamba during his boyhood was the scholarly
Father Leoncio Lopez, the town priest.
Father Leoncio Lopez
Pilgrimage to Antipolo
•On June 6, 1868, Jose and his father left for Calamba to go on a pilgrimage to Antipolo, in order
to fulfill his mother’s vow which was made when Rizal was born.
•It was the first trip of Jose across Laguna de Bay and his pilgrimage to Antipolo
• He was thrilled, as a typical boy should, by his first lake voyage. • He did not sleep the whole
night as the casco sailed towards the Pasig River because he was awed by “ the magnificence of
the watery expanse and the silence of the night. • After praying at the shrine of the Virgin of
Antipolo, Jose and his father went to Manila.
First Education from Mother • Jose’s first teacher was his mother. • At the age of 3, Jose learned
the alphabet and prayers from her. • Seeing Rizal had a talent for poetry, she encouraged him to
write poems. She gave her all her love and all that she learned in college.
The Story of the Moth • Of the story told by Dona Teodora to Jose, it was that of the young moth
made the profoundest impression on him. • The tragic fate of the young moth, which died a
martyr to its illusions, left a deep impress on Rizal’s mind.
Rizal’s Three Uncles • There were 3 uncles, brothers of his mother, who played a great part in
the early education of Rizal.
• Uncle Gregorio was a lover of books. • He instilled into the mind of his nephew a great love for
books. • He taught him to work hard, to think for himself, and to observe life keenly.
• Uncle Jose, who had been educated at Calcutta, India, was the youngest brother of Dona
Teodora. • He encouraged his nephew to paint, sketch, and sculpture.
• Uncle Manuel was a big, strong, and husky man. • He looked after the physical training of his
sickly and weak nephew. • He encourage Rizal to learn swimming, fencing, wrestling, and other
sports, so that in later years Rizal’s frail body acquired agility, endurance, and strength.
Artistic Talents • Since early childhood Rizal revealed his god-given talents for the arts
. • He drew sketches and pictures on his books of his sisters, for which reason he was scolded by
his mother.
• He carved figures of animals and persons out of wood. • Even before he learned to read, he
could already sketch pictures of birds, flowers, fruits, rivers, mountains, animals and persons. •
Jose had a soul of a genuine artist.
• Rather an introvert child, with a skinny physique and sad dark eyes, he found great joy looking
at the blooming flowers, the ripening fruits, the dancing waves of the lake, and the milky clouds
in the sky; and the listening to the songs of the birds, the chirpings of the cicadas, and the
murmurings of the breezes.
• He loved to ride on a spirited pony ( which his father bought for him) or take long walks in the
meadows for him) or take long walks in the meadows and lakeshore with his big black dog
named Usman.
• In his room, he kept many statuettes which he made out of clay and wax. • At one time, his
sisters teased him: “Ute, what are you doing with so many statuettes?” He replied: “ Don’t you
know that people will erect monument and statues in my honor for the future?”
Prodigy of the Pen• Not only was little Jose skilled in brush, chisel, and pen-knife, but also in
pen.
• He was born poet. • His mother encouraged him to write poetry.
• At an early age when children usually begin to learn ABC, he was already writing poems. • The
first known poem that he wrote was a Tagalog poem entitled Sa Aking Mga Kababata (To My
Fellow Children).
• Before he was eight years old, he wrote a Tagalog drama. • This drama was stages in Calamba
in connection with the town fiesta.
Lakeshore Reveries • During the twilight hours of summertime, Rizal, accompanied by his dog,
used to meditate at the shore of Laguna de Bay on the sad conditions of his oppressed people.
• Young that he was, he grieved deeply over the unhappy situation of his beloved fatherland. •
The Spanish misdeeds awakened in his boyish heart a great determination to fight tyranny.
Influences on Hero’s Boyhood • In the lives of all men there are influences which cause some to
be great and others not. In the case of Rizal, he had all favorable influences, which no other child
in our country enjoyed.
Hereditary Influence • According to biological science there are inherent qualities which a
person inherits from ancestors and parents.
•From Malayan ancestors, Rizal evidently, inherited his love for freedom, his innate desire to
travel and his indomitable courage. •From Chinese ancestors he derived his serious nature,
frugality, patience and love for children.
• From Spanish ancestors he got his elegance of bearing, sensitivity to insult and gallantry to
ladies. • From his father he inherited a profound sense of self-respect, the love for work and the
habit of independent thinking. • And from his mother his religious nature, the spirit of self-
sacrifice and the passion for arts and literature
Environmental Influence • According to psychologist, environment as well as heredity affects the
nature of a person. • It includes places, associates and events. • The beautiful scenic of Calamba
and the beautiful garden of the Rizal family stimulated the inborn artistic and literary talents of
Jose Rizal.
• The religious atmosphere at his home fortified his religious nature. • His brother Paciano
instilled in his mind the love for freedom and justice. • From sisters he learned to be courteous
and kind to women. • The fairy tales told by his aya awakened his interest in folklore and
legends.

Father Leoncio Lopez a parish priest in Calamba fostered Rizal’s love for scholarship and
intellectual honesty.
• The sorrows in his family such as death of Concha in 1865 and the imprisonment of his mother
in 187-74 contributed to strengthen his character, enabling him to resist blows adversity in later
years.
The Spanish abuses and cruelties which he witnessed in his boyhood such as brutal acts if the
lieutenant of the Guardia Civil and the alcalde, the unjust tortures inflicted on innocent Filipinos
and the execution of Fathers Gomez, Burgos and Zamora in 1872 awakened his spirit of
patriotism and inspired him to consecrate his life and talents to redeem his oppressed people.
Aid of Divine Providence • Greater than heredity and environment in the fate of man is the aid of
Divine Providence.
• A person may have everything in life brains, wealth, and power but without the aid of Divine
Providence ne cannot attain greatness in the annals of the nation. • Rizal was providentially
destined to be the pride and glory of his nation. • God had endowed him with the versatile gifts
of a genius, the vibrant spirit of a nationalist and the valiant heart to sacrifice for a noble cause.
 RIZAL YEARS IN ATENEO
The Jesuits were considered the best educators of Spain, and perhaps of Europe, and so, when
they were permitted to return to the Philippines, although their power to administer parishes was
restricted except in the remote regions of Mindanao, the privilege of founding colleges, they had
to apply to the City of Manila for subsidies. That is why the college which began to function in
the year 1865, was called the Ateneo Municipal.

To enter the Ateneo a candidate was subjected to an entrance examination on Christian doctrine,
reading, writing, grammar, and elementary arithmetic. Jose did not take his entrance
examinations Jose did not remain in Manila but returned first to his town to celebrate the fiesta
of its patron saint; it was then that his father changed his mind and decided to send him to the
Ateneo instead.

Since Mercado, the first surname of the family, had come under suspicion of the authorities
because it was the name used by Paciano when he was studying and working with Father
Burgos, in whose house he lived, Jose adopted the second surname, Rizal.

Paciano who accompanied Jose, found him a house in Walled City, but Intramuros looked
gloomy to Jose, and he later found lodging outside, in the house of a spinster situated on Calle
Carballo, district of Santa Cruz. As if chance would furnish him data for his future campaigns, he
became acquainted in that house with various mestizos, begotten by friars.

The Jesuitical system of instruction was considered more advanced than that of other colleges in
that epoch. Its discipline was rigid and its methods less mechanical. It introduced physical
culture as part of its program as well as the cultivation of the arts, such as music, drawing, and
painting. It also establishes vocational courses in agriculture, commerce, and mechanics as a
religious institute, its principal purpose was to mold the character and the will of the boys to
comply more easily with the percepts of the Church. The students heard mass before the
beginning of the class, which was opened and closed with prayers.

In the first two terms the classes were divided into groups of interns and externs: the first
constituted the Roman Empire and the second, the Carthaginian Empire. In each empire there
were five dignitaries: Emperor, Tribune, Decurion, Centurion, and Standard-Bearer. These
dignities were won by means of individual competitions in which it was necessary to catch one’s
adversary in error three times. The empires considered themselves in perpetual warfare, and
when an individual of one empire was caught in error by one belonging to the enemy empire, a
point was counted in favor of the latter. At the end of each week or two, the points in favor of
each were added and the empire, which obtained more point, was declared winner.

There was a fraternity of Mary and Saint Louis Gonzaga, to which only those who distinguished
themselves in the class for their piety and diligence could belong. This fraternity met on Sundays
and after mass held public programs in which poems were recited or debates were held. With all
these inducements it was only natural that should be a spirit of emulation, a striving to surpass
ones colleagues found in the Ateneo.
The first professor Jose had was Fr. Jose Bech, whom he describes as a man of high stature; lean
body, bent forward; quick gait; ascetic physiognomy, severe and inspired; small, sunken eyes;
sharp Grecian nose; thin lips forming an arch with its sides directed toward the chin." He was
somewhat of a lunatic and of an uneven humor; sometimes he was hard and little tolerant and at
other times he was gay and playful as a child. Among Jose’s classmates were Peninsulares and
sons of Peninsulares; Francisco G. Oliva, very talented but not very studious; Joaquin Garrido,
endowed with a poor memory but with much talent and industry; and Gonzalo Marzano, who
occupied the throne of Emperor.

From the first days Jose learned to systematize his work; he fixed a program of what he had to do
in the twenty-four hours of the day and did not in the least deviate from it. Thus he disciplined
his will and subjected it to the commands of his reason.

As a newcomer, Jose was at first put at the tail of the class, but he was soon promoted and kept
on being promoted so that at the end of one month he had attained to the rank of Emperor. At the
end of the term he obtained marks of excellent in all the subjects and in the examinations. He had
reason to feel proud of his advancement; and so when he went home on vacation that year, he ran
alone to see his mother in the prison and tell her the happy news.

He must have uttered this exclamation on learning from his mother that they had played her a
mean trick. The judge, who was a blind partisan of the friars having been a domestic of theirs,
told her that if she confessed her culpability he would release her at once. With the desire to see
her children again, she pleaded guilty; but the judge, instead of releasing her, convicted her. In a
few months the judge asked her forgiveness for what he had done because according to him his
conscience hurt him, but the case had no remedy because it was already on appeal.

The second year, Jose had the same professor as in the previous year; but instead of lodging
outside the City, he resided at No. 6 Calle Magallanes. At the end of the term he obtained a
medal, and upon returning to his town, he again visited his mother in jail alone. This was three
months before her release.

The rejoicing that her release produced in his spirit had much influence on the result of his
studies in the third year, for he began to win prizes in the quarterly examinations.

About that time he devoted himself to reading novels, and one of those he enjoyed most was
Dumas’ (father) The Count of Monte Cristo. The sufferings of the hero of the twelve years. He
also asked his father to buy him a copy of The Universal History by Cesar Cantanu, and
according to himself he profited much from its perusal.

The family, who saw in Jose great aptitude for study, decided to place him as intern or boarding
student in the college the following year. In the corner of the dormitory facing the sea and the
pier Jose passed his two years of internship.

In the fourth year of his course he had Fr. Francisco Sanchez as professor. Jose describes him as
a model of rectitude, a solicitude, and love for the student, and his studied mathematics, rhetoric,
and Greek, and he must have progressed much, for at the end of the year he-obtained five
medals, which pleased him immensely because with them I could repay my father somewhat for
his sacrifices.

His aptitude for poetry revealed itself early, and from that time on he did not cease to cultivate it.

An incident which demonstrates Jose’s independence of character took place at this time. Fr.
Leoncio Lopez, parish priest of the town, who was a great friend of his father, also liked Jose as
a little friend. He was cultured but at the same time timid and tender. One day Jose’s mother
showed Father Lopez a poem of his young friend and that the latter must have copied it from a
book. Jose, who heard this, answered the priest violently, for which his mother reprehended him.
Afterward Father Lopez came to know from the Jesuits themselves that Jose was a pupil who
excelled in poetry; and, in spite of his age, made a trip to Manila expressly to apologize to Jose.
That gesture of Father Lopez’ won him Jose’s esteem and they became good friends again,
lending each other the books they had.

In the fifth years Jose had other professors: Frs. Vilaclara and Mineves. He studied philosophy,
physics, chemistry, and natural history, but his devotion to poetry was such that his professor in
philosophy advised him once to leave it, which made him cry. But in his rest hours he continued
cultivating the Muses under the direction of his old professor, Father Sanchez. Jose had then
written a short story (leyenda), which was only slightly corrected by his professor, and a
dialogue, which was enacted at the end of the course, alluding to the collegians’ farewell.
However, philosophy, just and serve, inquiring into the wherefores of things, interested him as
much as poetry; physics, drawing back the veil that divine drama of nature was enacted, natural
history seemed to him somewhat uninteresting although he much liked the shells and sometimes
imagined seeing a goddess in each shell he was on the shelf.

Jose was considered small of stature and he tried to correct this defect by applying himself
regularly to gymnastics in the college. He also engaged in other physical exercises, such as
fencing. After his baccalaureate, he surprised his family with his skill in handling the sword
when he gave an exhibition bout with the best swordsman of the town.

He also devoted time to painting and sculpture. In drawing and painting he was under the
guidance and direction of the Ateneo professor, the Peninsula Don Augustin Saez, who honored
him with his affection and consideration because of his progress. In sculpture his instructor was a
Filipino, Romualdo de Jesus, who felt proud in the last years of his life of having had such an
excellent pupil.
 WOMEN OF RIZAL

There were at least 9 women linked to Jose Rizal. These Jose Rizal women were Segunda
Katigbak, Leonor Valenzuela, Leonor River, Consuelo Ortiga, Josephine Bracken, Suzanne
Jacoby, O-Sei San, Gertrude Beckette, and Nelly Boustead. Jose Rizal standing at 4 feet and 11
inches was only a short man but like most women, the women in Jose Rizal’s life may have been
mesmerized by his intelligence, wit and charm.

Segunda Katigbak, a short woman who hailed from Lipa, Batangas was considered the puppy
love of Jose Rizal. However, this puppy love of Rizal was already betrothed to her towns mate,
Manuel Luz

Rizal’s admiration with Segunda Katigbak was followed by his affair with Leonor Valenzuela
who was a tall lass from Pagsanjan, Laguna. Rizal used an invisible ink in writing love notes sent
to Leonor. The love notes can be read only through the heat emitted by a lamp or candle. His last
encounter with Leonor was when he bade her goodbye before leaving for Spain.

Another Leonor but with a surname of Rivera also become one of the many Jose Rizal women.
Leonor Rivera became his sweetheart or girlfriend for 11 years and stopped him from falling for
other women even when traveling. However, Leonor’s mother disagreed with the relation of her
daughter with Rizal, who was known as a filibuster. All letters sent by Rizal to Leonor Rivera
were hidden by her mother, making Leonor believe that Rizal has forgotten her.

While Rizal was in Madrid, the pretty Consuelo Ortiga fell in love with him and he compensated
her affection with one of his best poems. Consuelo lived in Madrid and her house was often
visited by Rizal and his friends. Rizal backed out before the affair became a serious romance
since he was seriously in love with Leonor Rivera.

O Sei San, a daughter of a Japanese samurai, taught Rizal the Japanese art of painting known as
su-mie. She also taught Rizal to learn the Japanese language.

Gertrude Beckett also fell in love with Rizal but Rizal hastily left London for Paris to avoid
Gertrude who was then seriously falling in love with him.

After learning that Leonor Rivera already was engaged, Rizal thought of courting other girls and
came to know Nellie Boustead when he was a guest of the Boustead family at their resort
residence in Biarritz. Rizal even nearly started a fight with Antonio Luna who was also a suitor
after Antonio Luna said malicious remarks against Nellie Boustead in a party sponsored by
Filipinos in Madrid.

Rizal met Suzanne Jacoby in Brussels and they were deeply in love with each other.
During Rizal’s exile in Dapitan in 1895, he also met another European lass, Josephine Bracken.
Rizal was physically attracted to her and asked Josephine to marry him but Josephine was not
ready to make a decision due to her responsibility to her father who had an eye ailment. He still
took her as his wife even without the Church blessings.

There were at least nine women linked with Rizal; namely Segunda Katigbak, Leonor
Valenzuela, Leonor Rivera, Consuelo Ortiga, O-Sei San, Gertrude Beckette, Nelly Boustead,
Suzanne Jacoby and Josephine Bracken. These women might have been beguiled by his
intelligence, charm and wit.

Segunda Katigbak and Leonor Valenzuela

Segunda Katigbak was her puppy love. Unfortunately, his first love was engaged to be married
to a town mate- Manuel Luz. After his admiration for a short girl in the person of Segunda, then
came Leonor Valenzuela, a tall girl from Pagsanjan. Rizal send her love notes written in invisible
ink, that could only be deciphered over the warmth of the lamp or candle. He visited her on the
eve of his departure to Spain and bade her a last goodbye.

Leonor Rivera
Leonor Rivera, his sweetheart for 11 years played the greatest influence in keeping him from
falling in love with other women during his travel. Unfortunately, Leonor’s mother disapproved
of her daughter’s relationship with Rizal, who was then a known filibustero. She hid from
Leonor all letters sent to her sweetheart. Leonor believing that Rizal had already forgotten her,
sadly consented her to marry the Englishman Henry Kipping, her mother’s choice.

Consuelo Ortiga
Consuelo Ortiga y Rey, the prettier of Don Pablo Ortiga’s daughters, fell in love with him. He
dedicated to her A la Senorita C.O. y R., which became one of his best poems. The Ortiga's
residence in Madrid was frequented by Rizal and his compatriots. He probably fell in love with
her and Consuelo apparently asked him for romantic verses. He suddenly backed out before the
relationship turned into a serious romance, because he wanted to remain loyal to Leonor Rivera
and he did not want to destroy hid friendship with Eduardo de Lete who was madly in love with
Consuelo.

O Sei San
O Sei San, a Japanese samurai’s daughter taught Rizal the Japanese art of painting known as su-
mie. She also helped Rizal improve his knowledge of Japanese language. If Rizal was a man
without a patriotic mission, he would have married this lovely and intelligent woman and lived a
stable and happy life with her in Japan because Spanish legation there offered him a lucrative
job.

Gertrude Beckett
While Rizal was in London annotating the Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, he boarded in the house
of the Beckett family, within walking distance of the British Museum. Gertrude, a blue-eyed and
buxom girl was the oldest of the three Beckett daughters. She fell in love with Rizal. Tottie
helped him in his painting and sculpture. But Rizal suddenly left London for Paris to avoid
Gertrude, who was seriously in love with him. Before leaving London, he was able to finish the
group carving of the Beckett sisters. He gave the group carving to Gertrude as a sign of their
brief relationship.

Nellie Boustead
Rizal having lost Leonor Rivera, entertained the thought of courting other ladies. While a guest
of the Boustead family at their residence in the resort city of Biarritz, he had befriended the two
pretty daughters of his host, Eduardo Boustead. Rizal used to fence with the sisters at the studio
of Juan Luna. Antonio Luna, Juan’s brother and also a frequent visitor of the Bousteads, courted
Nellie but she was deeply infatuated with Rizal. In a party held by Filipinos in Madrid, a drunken
Antonio Luna uttered unsavory remarks against Nellie Boustead. This prompted Rizal to
challenge Luna into a duel. Fortunately, Luna apologized to Rizal, thus averting tragedy for the
compatriots.

Their love affair unfortunately did not end in marriage. It failed because Rizal refused to be
converted to the Protestant faith, as Nellie demanded and Nellie’s mother did not like a physician
without enough paying clientele to be a son-in-law. The lovers, however, parted as good friends
when Rizal left Europe.

Suzanne Jacoby
In 1890, Rizal moved to Brussels because of the high cost of living in Paris. In Brussels, he lived
in the boarding house of the two Jacoby sisters. In time, they fell deeply in love with each other.
Suzanne cried when Rizal left Brussels and wrote him when he was in Madrid.

Josephine Bracken
In the last days of February 1895, while still in Dapitan, Rizal met an 18-year old petite Irish girl,
with bold blue eyes, brown hair and a happy disposition. She was Josephine Bracken, the
adopted daughter of George Taufer from Hong Kong, who came to Dapitan to seek Rizal for eye
treatment. Rizal was physically attracted to her. His loneliness and boredom must have taken the
measure of him and what could be a better diversion that to fall in love again. But the Rizal
sisters suspected Josephine as an agent of the friars and they considered her as a threat to Rizal’s
security.

Rizal asked Josephine to marry him, but she was not yet ready to make a decision due to her
responsibility to the blind Taufer. Since Taufer’s blindness was untreatable, he left for Hon Kong
on March 1895. Josephine stayed with Rizal’s family in Manila. Upon her return to Dapitan,
Rizal tried to arrange with Father Antonio Obach for their marriage. However, the priest wanted
a retraction as a precondition before marrying them. Rizal upon the advice of his family and
friends and with Josephine’s consent took her as his wife even without the Church blessings.
Josephine later give birth prematurely to a stillborn baby, a result of some incidence, which
might have shocked or frightened her.
 RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY OF RIZAL

Rizal's Religious Views Rizal's Religious Uprbringing Rizal grew up nurtured by a closely-knit Catholic
family.
He was educated in the foremost Catholic schools in the period in the elementary, secondary and college
levels. ON RIZAL'S VIEW: "He must not be held responsible for everything spoken by his character but
only for what he said in his own name." A philosophy of a different Catholic practice intertwined with the
use of TRUTH and REASON. However, he developed a life of philosophy of a different nature. Why the
change? 1. Ideas of Modernism
2. Enlightenment Ideas
3. Principles of Deism, Rationalism and Masonry Deism: "natural selection" - the acceptance of a certain
by religious knowledge that is inborn to every person or that can be acquired by the use of reason with
rejection of supernatural revelation. Rationalism "there are truths that the intellect can grasp directly."
Masonry Three core principles of Brotherly love, relief and truth... With these principles, Rizal became
more hostile to the friars in the Philippines who: 1. Misuse the name of religion for a few pesos.
2. cry religion to enrich their haciendas
3. use religion to seduce simple young women
4. use religion to free themselves from an enemy
5. Use religion to disturb the peace of a married couple and of a family. Deistic Theology Roman Catholic
Theology Rizal - Pastel's Correspondence 1. Religious belief is reduced to God's existence and the
immortality of the soul. 2. Religious practice is reduced to mere ethical behavior 3. The role of the church
and her ministers is reduced to mere moral guides in matters pertaining to private life. 4. Supernatural
revelation is not possible. 5. Scripture is a mere classical writing. 6. Miracles are mere figments of the
imagination 1. Religious practice is an important dimension of man's belief in God. 2. Religious practice
is not merely an ethical behavior but God's way of guiding his people. 3. The Church and her ministers
are true instruments of God in guiding his people 4. Supernatural revelation is true. 5. Scripture is not just
like any other classical literary work but a book written according to the inspiration of God. 6. Miracles
are truly God's work. "The judgment of conscience is the supreme and final authority in the decision
regarding moral conduct and religious belief. God himself has equipped each one with the 'lamp' of
intelligence as personal guide.

The person may or must have recourse to the opinion and judgment of others, to extrinsic authority; but,
in the end, the decision rests on judgment made in the light of one's own God-given conscience." 1.
Rizal's conscience is culpably erroneous, blinded as it has been by pride and disorderly affections. On
Rizal's View: "Reason alone knows how to get up every time it falls as perforce it must in its long
pilgrimage here on earth." 2. Reason is not autonomous but must be guided by extrinsic authority and
objective norms, principally, the doctrines of the Church. Roman Catholic View: "Pastells believed that
Rizal had advocated autonomous reason.... which is the destruction of all knowledge and science." Rizal's
View: "It is up to my judgment afterwards.. to decide whether to follow it or not, for in this matter one
has to bear the responsibility for his own actions." Pastells admonished Rizal to "stop his nonsense of
wanting to look at his affairs through the prism of his own judgment and self-love.." inasmuch as "no one
sits in judgement in his own case." "No one can pass judgment on the beliefs of others using his own
beliefs as a norm." Rizal believed that religion is:
"to make men not enemies of one another but brothers and good brothers at that." On Private Judgment
Eugene Hessell - enumerated the works of Rizal that contains religious thoughts. 1. Noli me tangere 2. El
filibusterismo 3. Rizal's annotations of Antonio de Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas Fr. Pablo
Pastells - Jesuit priest - former subperfect of the boarders - former director of a religious association
REASON AND SELF-ESTEEM AND IT MUST BE FOR SOME PURPOSE... "masterpiece of creation,
perfect within his limitations." "God will have his own way." " We can never be so wise as to have no
need of the knowledge of others..." - Fr. Pastells "to be ignorant of the german people, their character and
pursuits." No German had heard of his book before it was published. He was influenced by the cool
German environment and the free hardworking, studious, well-governed German people - full of hope in
their future and master of their own destinies. Rizal denies being a protestant. Bousted family of France
whose daughter Nellie, willing to marry Rizal only if he could embrace Protestantism.. Rizal concluded
two things:

1.An idea sincerely conceived and practiced, no matter how opposite it is to one's own convictions
deserves a deep respect.

2. Religions, whatever they may be ought to make men not enemies of one another but brothers. On the
Problem of God Rizal's view on
Religion:
was based on pure intelligence and he preferred to see God in a more practical and realistic view rather
than believing for the sake of faith. Basically, he derived his belief through Reason and Necessity, not
through Faith. Pastells -
"God is the unchangeable spiritual substance, infinite, and subsisting by itself in a most simple act." The
Roman Catholic View:
They argued that man can know God both by Reason and by Faith at the same time, for faith and reason
are but two paths leading to the same truth that is God. Rizal - "How can I doubt God's existence when I
am so convinced of my own? Whoever recognizes the effect recognizes the cause. To doubt God's
existence would be to doubt one's own self-awareness (consientia) and consequently everything." Rizals
view Roman Catholic view Rizal believed in revelation, but for him it means “revelation of nature,” not
the revelation according to Christian theology.
Rizal denied the Roman Catholic notion of divine positive revelation for four reasons:
Pastels depended on the teaching of Vatican I concerning divine revelation. Revelation is defined as a
body of truths and moral doctrines tradition, which god had tradition, which god had promulgated through
the prophets and Christ, and entrusted to the infallible teaching office of the church. On Revelation 1. It
fails to satisfy the rationalists criterion of clarity. 2. It is not universal because language is of the
scriptures is not understood by all. 3.The bible, which is the record of the insights of men and women, is
unreliable because it contains, errors, inconsistencies, and contradictions, and it admits of conflicting
interpretations. 4.Miracles cannot be taken as true to authenticate revelation, since they contradict nature
and are therefore impossible. Rizal rather believed in the kind of revelation through the mediation of
nature, or natural revelation and conscience Rizal spoke of natural revelation as something that “speaks to
us and penetrates our being from the day we are born to the day we die.” Rizal further asserted that “the
best religions are those that are simplest, most in conformity with nature, most in harmony with the
aspiration and needs of men here les the excellence of Christ’s doctrine.”
As to the universality of divine revelation, pastels said that it is not necessary to know all of scripture;
what is need is to make a general confession of faith in Christ in all that the church teaches. And God
would go so far as to make a miracle in order to reveal to the “homo in silvis” the fundamental truths
necessary for salvation Faith, according to Pastells, is something that fives assent to higher order, the
truths revealed by God. Pastels argued that revelation is possible: “God has actually revealed truths
inaccessible to us by the light of reasons: ad the reality of revelation is attested to by extrinsic motives of
credibility”. For pastels, the religion of Christ remains the absolute religion. All other religions are false
When Catholics interpret God’s will, their interpretations are always good, some being better that others
when protestants do so, their interpretations can neither be food or nor better, bit can only be bad some
worse than others. Fr. Pastells reputation of Rizal’s religious views might have been mixed with some
other reasons. He might have refuted Rizal not only in behalf of religion but also in behalf of politics, the
kingdom of Spain. For Fr. Pastels also had his political assertions
 EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY OF RIZAL

THE EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY OF DR. JOSE RIZAL "My countrymen, I have given
proofs, more than anybody else or desiring liberties for our country and I still desire them. But I
place as a premise the education of the people so that by means of education and labor they
might have a personality of their own and make themselves worthy of liberties."

Jose Rizal What is education? Education is "the culture which each generation purposely gives to
those who are to be its successor, in order to qualify them for at least keeping up, if possible, for
raising the level of improvement which has been attained." According to Pestalozzi, education is
the unfolding of the natural, hidden faculties of the child. according to Froebel, he thought that it
is the perfecting, advancing, and progressing of man from one stage of development to another.
PHILOSOPHY IMPORTANCE TO A PERSON Rizal's philosophy of education under two
headings: THE MISSION OF EDUCATION EDUCATING THE EDUCATOR end of the
report. (o:"3 is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with
existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. people can clarify what they believe,
and they can be stimulated to think about ultimate questions the very language we speak uses
classifications derived from philosophy every institution of society is based on philosophic ideas
THE MISSION OF EDUCATION "Instruction" Madrid, 1882 "education elevates the country to
the highest seat of the immortal dazzling glory" "education is the greatest benefactor of human
beings" "through it, the arts and sciences, which crown men with honor are born" "it
domesticates barbarous nations and make champions of savages" "it is the fountain of crystalline
virtue which elevates mortal beings to the height of the gods" "through education, the human
breast is inflamed with the love of the good and the noble which are the balsam of life"
"education offers the country immortal splendor and lustre" AIM OF EDUCATION is the
development of people's mentality education aims at the making of every citizen a professional
man education aims at the making of every citizen a professional man but the real aim of
education is not in QUANTITY but in QUALITY lawyers may be plenty doctors may abound in
number trouble insult the FIRST MISSION OF EDUCATION is to open the possibility of the
future to those creatures most commendable effect of education enable the individual to see
many things in a wider perspective education aims at the development of self consciousness of
the individual as well as the consciousness that he is part of a greater whole "The school is the
foundation of society, the school is the book in which is read the future of the people. Show us
the school of the people and we will tell you what kind of people they are." speaking of
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT prerequisite of any social progress EDUCATING
THE EDUCATORS failure or success the lack of financial aid is the very great obstacle to the
realization of any educational program the lack of inducement or stimulus to make the children
study makes a second great obstacle ROLE OF MOTIVATION IN EDUCATION b o r e d o m
study for study's sake is ideal MORE PRACTICAL THAN IDEALISTIC mere idealism
will FAIL the home is recognized as a great social force in the education of a people the centers
of learning are of course the greatest factor in education the home can best serve the interest of
enlightenment if the parents would help in the molding of the mentality of the children towards
social progress fanatics without a shades of a real thinker aim producing a well-balanced
mentality progress the school includes the atmosphere in it. A very fine building with an
intolerable atmosphere is not conducive to learning the school does not become a place of pain
and torment intellectual recreation THE EDUCATORS moral
responsibility good teacher honorable
personality word of mouth and by examples of deeds in conclusion under such pitiful condition
of education, poor mentality becomes the result. the education institution is not just an
intellectual recreation but a place of diversion "HE WHO GIVES HIS GOLD AND LIFE TO
THE STATE HAS THE RIGHT TO DEMAND THAT IT SHOULD GIVE HIM LIGHT IN
ORDER TO GAIN BETTER HIS GOLD AND CONSERVE BEST HIS LIFE."

The writings and various events on the life of Jose Rizal are filled of ideas concerning education.
He recognized the importance of education in the development of a nation and its people.
Crisostomo Ibarra, the principal character of his novel Noli Me Tangere possesses a desire to
establish a suitable school. Ibarra mentioned in the novel what he considered a modern school.
According to him the building should be spacious and hygienic, the site should be large and
provided with playground and garden. Rizal himself dreamed of founding a school in accordance
with the demands of modern times and circumstances.

According to Austin Craig, Rizal ambitioned to make education accessible to all, “the teaching
instinct that led him to act as mentor to the Filipino students in Spain and made him the
inspiration of a mutual improvement club of his young countrymen in London, suggested the
foundation of a school in Paris. Later a Pampangan youth offered him $40,000 with which to
found a Filipino college in Hong Kong, where many young men from the Philippines had
obtained an education better than their own land could afford but not entirely adapted to their
needs. The scheme attracted Rizal and a prospectus for such an institution which was later found
among his papers not only proves how deeply he was interested, but reveals the fact that his idea
of education were essentially like those carried out in the present public school course of
instruction in the Philippines”.

Rizal also showed his support to the group of women in Malolos when their petition of
establishing a school was denied by Gen. Weyler. He wrote a letter to the ladies in support to
their courageous action. Rizal preaches the need of education and said that “ignorance is
slavery”. Rizal always reminded his sisters the value and importance of education thus when
Josefa and Trinidad visited Rizal in Hong Kong he encourage the two to learn the English
language. Perhaps Rizal’s appreciation of education was influenced by his mother, Doña
Teodora Alonzo. His mother was considered his first teacher. At the age of three he learned the
alphabet and also taught him to appreciate Spanish poetry.
He even recognized the importance of industrial education as well. Rizal included this concept in
the five purposes of the La Liga Filipina which he founded, the development of instruction,
agriculture and commerce.

When Jose Rizal was deported in Dapitan on 1893, he devoted his time in teaching young
children. Rizal applied the learning he acquired in the different school that he visited during his
travels. It was in Dapitan particularly Talisay where Rizal used his talents and limited resources
to serve his countrymen during the four years of his exile. He practiced his profession as a
doctor, farmer, teacher, community developer, engineer and scientist. Rizal opened a school for
young boys in the community. They were given subjects in reading, writing, arithmetic,
geography, geometry, languages, history and good conduct. Rizal even gave practical lessons on
the use of their hands, for he believed that education should be inculcated or integrated with the
development of the community. He also taught his students different kinds of sport activities
such as boxing, swinging on parallel bars and rings, swimming and arnis on account of his belief
that a sound body makes a sound mind.

Rizal’s method of teaching is different compared from other schools of his time. He saw to it that
learning should be adaptable to the needs or actual life of the people. Rizal is not just a
conventional type of teacher; his visions were not just for himself but for the benefits of his
countrymen. The effort of our present Department of Education and other learning institutions in
curriculum development is in harmony with the ideas and visions of Rizal. The government is
also giving its full support and prioritizes the education of Filipinos. But we should also
remember that the time and needs of the learners during Rizal’s time is different to the learners
of today. There might be ideas or methods which are no longer needed in the present. But still we
owe him for pioneering a technique in teaching. Our educators should also follow and be
motivated by the exemplar deeds of Rizal. If he were living today, he would definitely continue
his undertakings in molding the minds of our youth. Just as what he had told “Ang mga kabataan
ang pag-asa ng bayan”.
 THE MANY SIDED PERSONALITY OF RIZAL
Filipinos and foreigners alike have paid tribute that his place of honor in history is secure. His
Austrian bosom friend, Prof. Ferdinand Blumentritt, Rector of the Imperial Atheneum of
Leitmeritz, said that “Rizal was the greatest product of the Philippines and his coming to the
world was like the appearance of a rare comet, whose brilliance appears only every other
century.”Another German friend, Dr. Adolf B. Meyer, Director of the Dresden Museum who
admired his all-around knowledge and ability, remarked “Rizal’s many-sidedness was
stupendous.”
His precocity since early boyhood turned into versatility in later years. Being curious and
inquisitive, he developed a rare facility of mastering varied subjects and occupations.

ACTOR:
He acted a character in Luna’s paintings and acted in school dramas.
AGRICULTURIST:
He had farms in Dapitan (1892-1896) where he planted different fruit-beating trees.
ANIMAL LOVER:
He loved animals, as a small boy.
ANTHROPOLOGIST:
He made researches on the physical and social make up of man.
ARCHAEOLOGIST:
He studied monuments and antique currency everywhere he went.
ASCETIC:
He always practiced self-discipline wherever he went.
BOOK LOVER:
He had a big library and bought many books abroad.
BOTANIST:
He maintained a garden in Dapitan where he planted and experimented on plants of allkinds.
BUSINESSMAN:
He had a partner in Dapitan in the abaca business there.
CARTOGRAPHER:
He drew maps of Dapitan, the Philippines and other places he visited.
CHESS PLAYER:
He played chess and bear several Germans and European friends and acquaintances.
COMMENTATOR:
He always expressed and published his personal opinion.
CONCHOLOGIST:
He had a good shell collection in Dapitan.
EDUCATOR:
He taught in his special school in Dapitan.
ETHNOLOGIST:
In his travels, he compared different races and he noted the differences.
FATHER of COMMUNITY SCHOOL:
He proposed to open a college
in Hongkong and his special school inDapitan.
FENCER:
He fenced with Europeans and Juan Luna and other friends in Europe.
FREEMASON ABROAD:
He was a member of La Solidaridad Lodge in Spain.
HORTICULTURE AND FARMER:
He cultivated and experimented plants in Dapitan.
HISTORIAN:
His annotation of Antonio de Morga’sSucesos de las Islas Filipinas entitled him as one.
HUMORIST:
As found in numerous humorous incidents in the Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
ICHTHYOLOGIST:
He collected 38 new varieties of fish in Dapitan.
JAPANOPHILE:
His admiration of Japanese traits and his knowledge of her language proved he was one.
JOURNALIST:
He authored and published many articles in Spanish and English in London.
LABORATORY WORKER:
He was employed in the clinic of Dr. Weckert and Dr. Becker in Paris.
LINGUIST:
He spoke over 20 languages.
LOVER OF TRUTH:
He chided Spanish Spanish writers for not writing the truth about the Filipinos.
MUSICIAN:
He played the flute and composed pieces of music and cultivated music appreciation.
MYTHOLOGIST:
He used mythology in his Noli and Fili.
NATIONALIST:
He gave full expression of the native spirit strengthened by world civilization and loved and
defended everything Filipino.
OPTHALMOLOGIST:
He graduated in an ophthalmologic college in Spain.
ORIENTALIST:
He admired the special characteristic and beauties of Oriental countries peoples.
PHARMACOLOGIST:
He treasured and popularized the usefulness and preparation of cures for treatment of his
patients.
PHILOLOGIST:
He loved learning and literature is unequalled.
PHILOSOPHER:
He regulated his life and enjoyed calmness of the lie at all time.
PHYSICAL CULTURIST:
He maintained a good health by exercising all parts of his body and eating proper foods.
PHYSICIANS:
He treated several patients afflicted not only with eye sickness.
POET:
He wrote over 35 poems.
POLITICIAN:
He exposed the evils of the political activities of the Spaniards in the Philippines through his
writing.
POLYGLOT:
He wrote and spoke in 20 languages.
PROOFREADER:
He worked part-time in Germany.
PROPAGANDIST:
He encouraged the recommendation of improving government entities and discouraged abuses
by publishing articles.
REFORMER:
He published his modern methods of government administration, so changes could be made.
RESEARCHER:
Being a wide reader, he compared the old and new practices in life.
REVOLUTIONIST:
He encouraged reforms, discouraged old, impractical usage and desired new and useful law to
benefit his countrymen. He desired changes for the better.
RHETORICIAN:
He always practiced the art of persuasive and impressive speaking and writing.
RURAL RECONSTRUCTION WORKER:
He practiced rural reconstruction work in Dapitan in 1894 and succeeded.
SANITARY ENGINEER:
He constructed water system in Dapitan.
SCIENTIST:
His practice of many sciences here and abroad made him a noted scientist.
SCULPTOR:
He's skillful sculptor.
SHARP SHOOTER:
He could hit a target of 20 m away.
SINOLOGIST:
His ancestry and ability to speak made him one.
SOCIOLOGIST:
He encouraged and introduced solutions based on his study on Philippines social problems.
SODALIST:
He always joined fraternities, associations and brotherhood for self-improvement.
SURVEYOR:
He engaged from a surveying class at Ateneo.
TOURIST:
He was considered due to his extensive travels.
TRAVELER:
He traveled around the world three times.
YOUTH LEADER:
He considered the youth as “The Hope of His Fatherland”.
ZOOLOGIST:
He was fond of pets. He researched later on their physiology, classification and habits.
 RIZAL’S POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY

In the Philippines, philosophers seem to be taken as outrageous, nasty, and annoying. Being a
Filipino himself, Dr. Jose Rizal joined the majority of the Filipinos to consider philosophers as
non-sense, dumb, and stupid - in fact, sometimes crazy. This is evident in his use of Pilosopong
Tasyo in his notable writings.

Rizal was known as an illustrado.• In Rizal’s political view, a conquered country like the
Philippines should not be taken advantage of but rather should be developed, civilized, educated
and trained in the science of self-government.• In his essay “The Philippines: A Century Hence,”
contains predictions on the possible future of the Philippines within a hundred years: 1. that the
Philippines would stay a Spanish colony provided its citizens receive not only the rights and
privileges of citizens of the Spanish crown, but also the inherent rights of a human being; 2. that
the Philippines will inevitably rise in revolt against Spain if continuously exploited and abused;
and that the Philippines may be conquered by other nations after Spains presence in the country
is extinguished. The restoration of Filipino representation to the Spanish Cortes and freedom of
the press2. Reorganization of the administrative machinery3. Adoption of comprehensive
examination and the publication of its results and allowing Filipinos to have same opportunity
with the Spaniards to hold government officeRizal’s Concept of Government and PoliticsMax
Weber defines government as“monopoly of the legitimate use of physical power”In which is
UNFAIR says Rizal. Its emphasize is the corruption ofthe Spanish bureaucrat.Rizal wrote: “In
order to govern people he does not know orunderstand, he ought to possess the talent of a genius
andextraordinary knowledge.”

Rizal’s Definition of Basic Political Terms1. Political Culture - is a set of ideas, values and
attitudes about government and political process held by a community or nation.2. Political
Socialization – defined as the process by which people at various stages of their lives, acquire
views and orientation about politics.3. Political Ideology – is a comprehensive and logically
ordered set of beliefs about the nature of people and bout the institutions and role of government.
Nationalism – is the idea of oneness by a group of peoplewho possess common traditions, a
shared history, a set ofgoals, and a belief in a specific future.5. Representative Government – is
the notion that thepeople have an inherent right to sit in a chamber thatdetermines their future.6.
Democracy – a government in which all power is shared bycitizens is labeled a democracy. Rizal
Would Criticize Today’s Society Conclusion: We can be free but we cannot be independent.We
can be independent but we cannot be free. Beforewe can reach that true freedom that we’re
aspiringfor, we need to have enough education to haveindividuality. Without Rizal, there may
have been a delay inthe maturation of our libertarian struggle.

RIZAL'S POLITICAL ideas are scattered through his published and unpublishedworks ; the two
novels, the annotations to Morga, newspaper articles, pamphlets, letters.They occur for the most
part in fragmentary form as partial studies, occasionalreflections, obiter dicta: yet they seem to
spring from a fairly consistent body of doctrinewhich he had worked out in his own mind,
though he never found the time to get thewhole of it on paper.Various attempts have been made
to reconstruct this body of doctrine. The mostobvious method has been to cull from Rizal's
writings all the "political" passages and tocombine them in the manner that seems to make the
most sense to the compiler. The greatweakness of this method is that while the resulting
synthesis may be eminentlysatisfactory to the one who constructs it, we cannot be at all sure that
it would be so toRizal himself. For the pieces of this puzzle can be assembled sembled in a
number of different ways ; by simply changing the relationships between them we can make
Rizalout to be a radical or a moderate, a liberal or a conservative, a reformer or a
revolutionary.Now he obviously could not have been all these at once, and so our
differentreconstructions may indeed throw light on our own political opinions, but not
necessarilyon those of Rizal.

change in the colonialadministration on principle. But even the Spanish Liberals, while they might pay
lip-service to liberty, equality and fraternity, did not seriously entertain the introduction of any real
reforms. As certain Liberals themselves put it, they could afford to be Liberals inSpain; in the Philippines
they could not be anything but Spaniards.We would expect Rizal to look upon this policy as mistaken.
But he went further thanthat. He looked upon it as impossible. How indeed, he asked, did Spain propose
to stopprogress in the Philippines? He could think of only four ways: by keeping the Filipinos ina state of
utter ignorance, by reducing them to abject poverty, by not allowing them toincrease in numbers, or by
sowing discord among them. None of these devices couldpossibly work.The first had been in operation
for some time, and, with singular lack of success. Inspite of an educational system designed to impart
ignorance rather than knowledge, anincreasing number of Filipinos were finding ways and means of
enlightening themselvesand their fellow countrymen either by self-instruction or travel abroad. As for the
secondmethod, a little reflection would show that its effect was bound to be the exact opposite of what
was intended.The third method was to limit the population of the Philippines and by slow degrees

Finally and in the last analysis, what did Rizal understand by nationalism? There is noquestion but that he
meant by it, first and foremost, sacrifice. The true patriot is he who isready at all times to forego his own
personal and private advantage in order to advancethe welfare of his people. The common good of the
nation is a fine thing; it is a preciousthing: but like all fine and precious things it has an exorbitant price.
That price issacrifice, and the true patriot is he who is willing to pay that price ; to pay it

"sin dudas,sin pesar,"

that is to say, without thinking twice about it, and without calculating the cost.Such in brief are what I
have called the base lines of Rizal's political doctrine. Howare we to evaluate that doctrine? Rizal being
our national hero we naturally tend to acceptwhatever he wrote almost as gospel truth. It may therefore be
of help towards an objectiveappreciation if we pointed out what seem to be deficiencies in his historical
analysis.There are some. Rizal consistently overrates the pre-Spanish culture of thePhilippines, which was
not nearly as developed as he makes it out to be both in "ThePhilippines a Century Hence" and in the
annotations to Morga. On the other hand hisevaluation of Spanish rule is vitiated by the assumption that
the Spanish conquestdestroyed the indigenous culture and substituted an alien culture in its stead. This is
tooversimplify matters considerably. Cultures are not destroyed in quite so summary afashion. Spanish
rule undoubtedly modified our native culture and added to it elementswhich were completely new –
Christianity, for instance; but it hardly destroyed it. TheFilipinos did indeed receive Spanish culture, but
they did so selectively and vitally; they

10made it their own, a culture different both from what they had originally and what theSpaniards
brought.I suppose that Rizal, if pressed, would admit this; but he would claim (indeed, he hasclaimed)
that this transformation of our culture was a bad thing, a forcible deflection of its normal line of
development. This view seems to me unsound. One may well ask: whatis the "normal" line of
development of any culture? Is it claimed that cultures developnormally only in a vacuum, solely by the
unfolding of its own inner potentialities andnever by stimulation or enrichment from without? If so, then
what existing culture can besaid to have had a normal development? What existing or even extinct culture
can becalled native in this sense? Can even our pre-Spanish culture, with its numerousborrowings and
adaptations from India and Indonesia, be called such?No one questions the fact that the Spanish conquest
of the Philippines was violent anddestructive, as all conquests must be, and that the subsequent colonial
rule was in manyways oppressive and repressive. But it is going beyond the evidence to argue from this,
asRizal seems to do, that the Spanish period of our history was an almost completelynegative interlude: a
state of suspended , animation ; a kind -of Dark Age whichcontributed nothing to the enrichment or
development of our national culture. Thecultural value of Christianity is pretty generally admitted even by
those who do notbelieve in it, and our debt to Spain in this regard is as obvious as it is profound.Does the
Filipino or Malay amor propio deserve the key role which Rizal gives to it inthe awakening of Filipino
national consciousness? People like myself who have only theslightest acquaintance with social
psychology would be tempted to say no. We tend tolook for more tangible causes, usually of an economic
or political nature. Still, one canperceive, especially if one happens to be a Filipino, that there is great
value in thisinsight, even if one cannot agree with Rizal's valuation of it. Certainly there were othercauses
equally important which I have tried to suggest elsewhere. Not the least of themwas precisely the action
of Spain itself which Rizal tends consistently to minimize.It is curious but undeniable that colonial rule by
the Western nations sooner or laterdevelops the nationalisms which eventually put an end to colonial rule;
and this not onlynegatively as sheer reaction but positively, by supplying the separatist movement with
itsframe of reference and its principles. It may even be said that colonialism, at least of theWestern type,
is self-liquidating.

11But this ought not to be surprising, especially to us Filipinos, who must realize that itwas through the
mediation of Spain in part that the ideas of human equality, civicfreedom and the rule of law, ideas
Hellenic and Christian in origin, became an integralpart of our national culture. One does not have to read
very extensively in Rizal and hisassociates to realize that their rejection of colonialism had for its
theoretical base not anAsian but a Western world view. It was not from the Upanishads, or the
ConfucianAnalects, or the Kokutai-no Hongi, or even the Code of Kalantiao that they derived
theirinspiration. The liberty, equality and fraternity they spoke of were forged in the Greek city-state, the
Christian gospels, the universities of the Middle Ages, and the Declarationof the Rights of Man and the
Citizen.But these considerations are surely peripheral to Rizal's main argument. That muststand in its
essential lines as a monument to the man's perceptiveness and breadth of vision. We may cavil at the
details, but we are bound to recognize that among Rizal'scontemporaries no one grasped so surely the
prime factors of the problem presented by the political situation on the Philippines.
 SOCIAL PHILOSOPHY OF RIZAL

PHILOSOPHY may be defined as the study and pursuit of facts which deal with the ultimate
reality or causes of things as they affect life.

The philosophy of a country like the Philippines is made up of the intricate and composite
interrelationship of the life histories of its people; in other word, the philosophy of our nation
would be strange and undefinable if we do not delve into the past tied up with the notable life
experiences of the representative personalities of our nation.

Being one of the prominent representatives of Filipino personalities, Jose Rizal is a fit subject
whose life philosophy deserves to be recognized.
Having been a victim of Spanish brutality early in his life in Calamba, Rizal had thus already
formed the nucleus of an unfavorable opinion of Castillian imperialistic administration of his
country and people.
Pitiful social conditions existed in the Philippines as late as three centuries after his conquest in
Spain, with agriculture, commerce, communications and education languishing under its most
backward state. It was because of this social malady that social evils like inferiority complex,
cowardice, timidity and false pride pervaded nationally and contributed to the decay of social
life. This stimulated and shaped Rizal’s life phylosophy to be to contain if not eliminate these
social ills.

That body of knowledge relating to society including the wisdom which man's experience
in society has taught him is social philosophy. The facts dealt with are principles involved in
nation building and not individual social problems. The subject matter of this social philosophy
covers the problems of the whole race, with every problem having a distinct solution to bolster
the people’s social knowledge.

Rizal’s social philosophy dealt with;

1. Man in society;
2. Influential factors in human life;
3. Racial problems;
4. Social constant;
5. Social justice;
6. Social ideal;
7. Poverty and wealth;
8. Reforms;
9. Youth and greatness;
10. History and progress;
11. Future Philippines.
The above dealt with man’s evolution and his environment, explaining for the most part human
behavior and capacities like his will to live; his desire to possess happiness; the change of his
mentality; the role of virtuous women in the guidance of great men; the need for elevating and
inspiring mission; the duties and dictates of man’s conscience; man’s need of practicing
gratitude; the necessity for consulting reliable people; his need for experience; his ability to
deny; the importance of deliberation; the voluntary offer of man’s abilities and possibilities; the
ability to think, aspire and strive to rise; and the proper use of hearth, brain and spirit-all of these
combining to enhance the intricacies, beauty and values of human nature. All of the above served
as Rizal’s guide in his continuous effort to make over his beloved Philippines.

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC THOUGHTS

- body of principles that guides man in the solution of social problems of his species.
- to correct the one sidedness of the specialized social studies and to endeavor to see social life as
a whole.
- it refers to the body of principles that served as his guide in trying to make over his nation.
FIVE PRINCIPLES
1. Poverty does not stop development.
The Philippines a Century Hence
"Wealth brings with it refinement and the spirit of preservation, while poverty inspires
adventurous ideas, the desire to change things, little attachment to life, and the like"
2. Necessity to live is a strong motive of action.
Noli Me Tangere
"A man may do anything , even break laws, do unwarranted and unsocial things, pretend
anything and even accept that his actions are wrong- never complain about them and recognize
justice in the charge against them- but only to protest in the end “but it is necessary to live”
3. The consequence of the above nature of society is the creation of false ideal.
Indolence of the Filipinos
“Attending masses, believing what he is told, paying what is demanded of him, paying and
forever paying; working, suffering in silence without desiring anything, without aspiring to know
or even to understand Spanish, without separating from his carabao as the priests shamelessly
say, without protesting against injustice, against any arbitrary actions, against any assault, against
any insult; that is, not to have heart, brain or spirit…..”
4. Justice cannot undo any wrong done
El Filibusterismo
"Basilio reasoned out “All the replevin of justice, all the vengeance on earth will not revive a
single hair of my mother or renew a smile in the lips of my brother!”
5. Wealth may not be a poison but something to serve the end of a medicine, it must not be
valued more than an instrument in social adaptation.
Noli Me Tangere
“Men ought to learn to foster justice, a necessary thing in life so as not to enslave himself to his
desires and greeds.”

The Body knowledge relating to the society including the wisdom which man’s experience in the
society.

RIZA L philosophy deaths with

1. Man in society
2. Influential factors in human life
3. Racial problem
4. Social constant
5. Social Justice
 RIZAL Philosophies in Life
PHILOSOPHY may be defined as the study and pursuit of facts which deal with the ultimate
reality or causes of things as they affect life.

The philosophy of a country like the Philippines is made up of the intricate and composite
interrelationship of the life histories of its people; in other word, the philosophy of our nation
would be strange and undefinable if we do not delve into the past tied up with the notable life
experiences of the representative personalities of our nation.

Pitiful social conditions existed in the Philippines as late as three centuries after his conquest in
Spain, with agriculture, commerce, communications and education languishing under its most
backward state. It was because of this social malady that social evils like inferiority complex,
cowardice, timidity and false pride pervaded nationally and contributed to the decay of social
life. This stimulated and shaped Rizal’s life phylosophy to be to contain if not eliminate these
social ills.

Educational Philosophy
Rizal’s concept of the importance of education is clearly enunciated in his work entitled
Instruction wherein he sought improvements in the schools and in the methods of teaching. He
maintained that the backwardness of his country during the Spanish ear was not due to the
Filipinos’ indifference, apathy or indolence as claimed by the rulers, but to the neglect of the
Spanish authorities in the islands. For Rizal, the mission of education is to elevate the country to
the highest seat of glory and to develop the people’s mentality. Since education is the foundation
of society and a prerequisite for social progress, Rizal claimed that only through education could
the country be saved from domination.

Rizal’s philosophy of education, therefore, centers on the provision of proper motivation in order
to bolster the great social forces that make education a success, to create in the youth an innate
desire to cultivate his intelligence and give him life eternal

Religious Philosophy
Rizal grew up nurtured by a closely-knit Catholic family, was educated in the foremost Catholic
schools of the period in the elementary, secondary and college levels; logically, therefore, he
should have been a propagator of strictly Catholic traditions. However, in later life, he developed
a life philosophy of a different nature, a philosophy of a different Catholic practice intermingled
with the use of Truth and Reason.

Why the change?

It could have been the result of contemporary contact, companionship, observation, research and
the possession of an independent spirit.Being a critical observer, a profound thinker and a
zealous reformer, Rizal did not agree with the prevailing Christian propagation of the Faith by
fire and sword. This is shown in his Annotation of Morga’s Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas.
Rizal did not believe in the Catholic dogma that salvation was only for Catholics and that outside
Christianity, salvation was not possible even if Catholics composed only a small minority of the
world’s religious groups. Nor did he believe in the Catholic observation of fasting as a sacrifice,
nor in the sale of such religious items as the cross, medals, rosaries and the like in order to
propagate the Faith and raise church funds. He also lambasted the superstitious beliefs
propagated by the priests in the church and in the schools. All of these and a lot more are
evidences of Rizal’s religious philosophy.

Ethical Philosophy
The study of human behavior as to whether it is good or bad or whether it is right or wrong is
that science upon which Rizal’s ethical philosophy was based. The fact that the Philippines was
under Spanish domination during Rizal’s time led him to subordinate his philosophy to moral
problems. This trend was much more needed at that time because the Spaniards and the Filipinos
had different and sometimes conflicting morals. The moral status of the Philippines during this
period was one with a lack of freedom, one with predominance of foreign masters, one with an
imposition of foreign religious worship, devotion, homage and racial habits. This led to moral
confusion among the people, what with justice being stifled, limited or curtailed and the people
not enjoying any individual rights.

To bolster his ethical philosophy, Dr. Rizal had recognized not only the forces of good and evil,
but also the tendencies towards good and evil. As a result, he made use of the practical method of
appealing to the better nature of the conquerors and of offering useful methods of solving the
moral problems of the conquered.
To support his ethical philosophy in life, Rizal:
1. censured the friars for abusing the advantage of their position as spiritual leaders and the
ignorance and fanaticism of the natives;
2. counseled the Filipinos not to resent a defect attributed to them but to accept same as
reasonable and just;
3. advised the masses that the object of marriage was the happiness and love of the couple and
not financial gain;
4. censured the priests who preached greed and wrong morality; and
5. advised every one that love and respect for parents must be strictly observed

Political Philosophy

In Rizal’s political view, a conquered country like the Philippines should not be taken advantage
of but rather should be developed, civilized, educated and trained in the science of self-
government.

He bitterly assailed and criticized in publications the apparent backwardness of the Spanish
ruler’s method of governing the country which resulted in:
1. the bondage and slavery of the conquered ;
2. the Spanish government’s requirement of forced labor and force military service upon the n
natives;
3. the abuse of power by means of exploitation;
4. the government ruling that any complaint against the authorities was criminal; and
5. Making the people ignorant, destitute and fanatic, thus discouraging the formation of a
national sentiment.
Rizal’s guiding political philosophy proved to be the study and application of reforms, the
extension of human rights, the training for self government and the arousing of spirit of
discontent over oppression, brutality, inhumanity, sensitiveness and self love.

Social Philosophy
That body of knowledge relating to society including the wisdom which man's experience in
society has taught him is social philosophy. The facts dealt with are principles involved in nation
building and not individual social problems. The subject matter of this social philosophy covers
the problems of the whole race, with every problem having a distinct solution to bolster the
people’s social knowledge.

Rizal’s social philosophy dealt with;

1. man in society;
2. influential factors in human life;
3. racial problems;
4. social constant;
5. social justice;
6. social ideal;
7. poverty and wealth;
8. reforms;
9. youth and greatness;
10. history and progress;
11. future Philippines.

The above dealt with man’s evolution and his environment, explaining for the most part human
behavior and capacities like his will to live; his desire to possess happiness; the change of his
mentality; the role of virtuous women in the guidance of great men; the need for elevating and
inspiring mission; the duties and dictates of man’s conscience; man’s need of practicing
gratitude; the necessity for consulting reliable people; his need for experience; his ability to
deny; the importance of deliberation; the voluntary offer of man’s abilities and possibilities; the
ability to think, aspire and strive to rise; and the proper use of hearth, brain and spirit-all of these
combining to enhance the intricacies, beauty and values of human nature. All of the above served
as Rizal’s guide in his continuous effort to make over his beloved Philippines.
 RIZAL LIFE IN BARCELONA
On the afternoon of May 15, Rizal left Marseilles to proceed to Spain via train. He
crossed the Pyrenees and stopped for a day at the frontier town of Port Bou. After the passport
inspection at Port Bou, Rizal continued his trip by rail, finally reaching Barcelona on June 16,
1882. His first impression of Barcelona was unfavorable. He thought of it as an ugly, dirty and
its residents are inhospitable. Later, he changed his impression and liked the city. He found it as
a great city, with an atmosphere of freedom and liberalism. He also found its people were open-
hearted, hospitable, and courageous. He enjoyed promenading along Las Ramblas which was the
famous street in Barcelona. Filipinos in Barcelona were some of his classmates in Ateneo,
welcomed him. They gave him a party at café Plaza de Cataluña. After toasts, Rizal in turn gave
them the latest news and gossips in the Philippines. In Barcelona, Rizal wrote a nationalistic
essay entitled “Amor Patrio” which was his first written article on Spain’s soil. He then sent his
article to Basilio Teodoro Moran, publisher of Diariong Tagalog. Basilio was deeply impressed
by the article congratulated Rizal and asked Rizal to publish more articles. While living in
Barcelona, Rizal received bad news about the cholera outbreak ravaging Manila and the
provinces. Many people died and more were dying daily. Sad news was that his beloved Leonor
Rivera was getting thinner because of the absence of her loved one. Also, Paciano advised Rizal
to continue his medical course in Madrid. Heeding his advice, Rizal left Barcelona in the fall of
1882 and proceeded to Madrid.

16 June 1882
At 12:00 noon, Rizal arrived at Barcelona and boarded in the Fonda De España.
23 June 1882
In a letter, Rizal related to his parents his experiences during his trip from Port Said to
Barcelona. In the same Letter, he requested them to send him a birth certificate and statement
showing that he had parents in the Philippines.
18 August 1882
P. Leoncio Lopez of Calamba issued a certified copy of Rizal’s birth certificate.
20 August 1882
His article "Amor Patrio" was published in the Diarong Tagalog, a Manila newspaper edited by
Basilio Teodoro. This was the First article he wrote abroad.

Jose Rizal's Arrival in Barcelona

Rizal in Barcelona, Spain
16 June 1882
At 12:00 noon, Rizal arrived at Barcelona and boarded in the Fonda De España.
23 June 1882
In a letter, Rizal related to his parents his experiences during his trip from Port Said to
Barcelona. In the same Letter, he requested them to send him a birth certificate and statement
showing that he had parents in the Philippines.
18 August 1882
P. Leoncio Lopez of Calamba issued a certified copy of Rizal’s birth certificate.
20 August 1882
His article "Amor Patrio" was published in the Diarong Tagalog, a Manila newspaper edited by
Basilio Teodoro. This was the First article he wrote abroad.
Rizal in Madrid, Spain
2 September 1882
Rizal matriculated at the Universidad Central de Madrid. He took the following subjects: medical
clinic, surgical clinic, legal medicine and obstetrical clinic.
2 October 1882
He attended his regular classes which stared in all earnest.
4 October 1882
Asked to deliver a poem by the members of Circulo Hispano-Filipino, there together in the effort
to save the association from disintegration, Rizal recited "Me piden versus." The meeting was
held at the house of Pablo Ortiga y Rey.
7 October 1882
He attended again of the Circulo Hisfano-Filipino held in house of Mr. Ortiga.
2 November 1882
He wrote the article "Revista de Madrid" which was in intended for publication in the Diarong
Tagalog in Manila, but was not published because the newspaper stops its circulation.
7 November 1882
Rizal wrote an article entitled "Las Dudas". The article was signed Laong - Laan.
30 December 1882
In a letter, Rizal revealed to Paciano his plan of going to Paris or Rome in June. He wanted to
practice French in Paris and Italian in Rome and to observe the customs of people in those cities.
- In the evening, Rizal dreamed he was an actor dying in the scene, feeling intensely the shortage
of his breath, the weakening of his strength, and darkening of his sight. He woke up tired and
breathless.
1 January 1883
Rizal felt sad in the morning. He recollected the terrible dream he had the previous night.
15 January 1883
He attended the birthday of Pablo Ortiga with some of the Filipinos.
16 January 1883
He attended the masquerade ball in Alhambra with some of his countrymen.
13 February 1883
In a letter Rizal appraised his brother Paciano of his activities in Madrid, his impressions of the
city and his meeting with his friends in gathering. In part he said: "The Tuesday of the Carnival
we had a Filipino luncheon and dinner in the house of the Pateros, each one contributing one
duro. We ate with our hands, boiled rice, chicken adobo, fried fish and roast pig.
Rizal in Paris, France
17 June 1883
Rizal arrived at Paris. He spent the whole day walking around and observing the beautiful cities.
18 June 1883
With Felipe Zamora and Cunanan, He visited the Leannec Hospital to observe how Dr, Nicaise
treated his patients. He was stunned to see the advanced facilities in the accommodation in the
said hospital.
19 June 1883
He again visited Dr. Nicaise who showed the technique of operation. Later he went to see
dupytren Museum.

BARCELONA • Afternoon of May 15, 1882 – Rizal left Merseilles by train for the last lap of his
trip to Spain • Rizal crossed the Pyreness and stopped for a day at the frontier town of Port Bou •
June 16, 1882 – Rizal finally reached his destination – Barcelona • Rizal’s first impression of
Barcelona, the greatest city of Cataluña and Spain’s second largest city was unfavorable
 RIZAL’S EUROPEAN SOJOURN

It is very clear that rizal was going to Europe not just to compete his medical studies there. there
were hidden purposes for his voyage to a new world. It can be inferred from Paciano's letter to
Rizal that the following were the real purposes of rizal's voyage to Europe: to make a name for
himself in the realm of journalism; to observe and study European society; & to prepare himself
for the task of liberating the Filipinos from spanish tyranny.

After the publication of Noli, Rizal planned to visit the important places in Europe. Rizal
received his money from Paciano worth 1,000 pesos. He immediately paid viola the sum of 300
pesos from his kind loan. At dawn of May 11, 1887, Rizal and Viola left Berlin by train. Spring
was in the air and Europe is blooming with flowers. Their destination was Dresden, “One of the
best cities in Germany”

Rizal and Viola spent some time in Dresden. Their visit coincided with the regional floral
exposition. Rizal studied different plants because he was interested in botany. They visited Dr.
Adolph B. Meyer, who was overjoyed to see them. They also visited the Museum of Art and
Rizal was deeply impressed by the painting of “Prometheus Bound”, a Greek mythological
tragedy. While strolling at the scene of the Floral Exposition, they met Dr. Jagor. Dr. Jagor
advised them to wire Blumentritt of their coming because the old professor was of a nervous
disposition and he might suffer a shock at their sudden visit. Their next stopover was Teschen.
Rizal and Viola sent a wire to Blumentritt, as suggested by Dr. Jagor.

At 1:30 p.m. of May 13, 1887, the train with Rizal and Viola on board arrived at the railroad
station of Leitmeritz, Bohemia. Professor Blumentritt waited for them in the station after he
received the wire. He was carrying a pencil sketch of Rizal which the letter had previously sent
him, so that he could identify his Filipino friend. He warmly welcomed Rizal and Viola. For the
first time, Rizal and Blumentritt met each other. They greeted each other in fluent German. Upon
seeing the talented Rizal, the old professor immediately took him into heart, loving him as a son.
Rizal had beautiful memories of his visit to Leitmeritz. He enjoyed the warm hospitality and
enjoyed the cooking of the professor’s wife Rosa. Blumentritt’s children were Dolores, Conrad,
and Fritz. Blumentritt showed the scenic sights and historical spots of Leitmeritz. One afternoon
he invited them to a beer garden where the best beer of Bohemia was served. At the beer garden,
they met the burgomaster or the town mayor. Blumentritt introduced the two to the burgomaster.
Rizal talked in fluent German, for which the burgomaster and his friends were amazed. On
another afternoon, Rizal and Viola were invited to a meeting o the Tourists’ Club of Leitmeritz,
of Blumentritt was secretary. The members of the society were amazed by the fluency of Rizal in
German. Rizal painted a portrait of the kind professor and gave it to him as a commemoration of
his happy hours at the professor’s home. Rizal also met another renowned scientist of Europe
namely, Dr. Carlos Czepelak. Rizal had a nice conversation with the Polish scholar. Blumentritt
also introduced Rizal to Professor Robert Klutschak, an eminent naturalist. On their last night in
Leitmeritz, Rizal and Viola, reciprocated Blumentritt’s hospitality with a banquet. On May 16, at
9:45 A.M., Rizal and Viola left Leitmeritz by train. Blumentritt and his family were at the
railroad station to see them off, and they all shed tears in parting as the train departed. Rizal
carried with him all the beautiful memories of his visit to Leitmeritz.

After their stay at Leitmeritz, Rizal together with Viola visited the city of Prague. They carried
recommendation letters from Blumentritt to Dr. Willkomm, a professor of natural history in the
University of Prague. The kind-hearted professor together with his wife and daughters welcomed
them and showed them the city’s historic spots. Rizal and Viola visited the tomb of Copernicus,
the museum of natural history, the bacteriological laboratories, the famous cave where San Juan
Nepomuceno was imprisoned, and the bridge from which the saint was hurled into the river.
After their stay at the home of the Willkomms, Rizal and Viola left Prague and went to Brunn.

On May 20, Rizal and Viola arrived in the beautiful Vienna. Famous in songs and story, this city
very much fascinated Rizal because of its beautiful buildings, religions images and charm. Rizal
and Viola presented a letter of recommendation, from Blumentritt, to Norfenfals, one of the
greatest novelists in Europe during that time. The great novelist was impressed by Rizal’s genius.
Later he spoke highly of Rizal. Also in Vienna, Rizal received his lost diamond stickpin. It was
found by a main in Hotel Krebs and was given to Blumentritt who, in turn, forwarded it to
Rizal. The two stayed at Hotel Metropole. They visited the city’s interesting places, such as
churches, museums, art galleries, theaters and parks.

On May 24, Rizal and Viola left Vienna on a river boat to see the beautiful sights of the Danube
Rivera. As they both travel with boat, Rizal observed the different sights like the barges loaded
with products, the flowers and plants growing along the river banks, the boats with families
living on them, and the quaint villages on the riversides. They also noticed that the passengers
were using paper napkins during meals.

On June 1883, Rizal left Madrid to visit Paris. He stayed at the Hotel de Paris but then moved
to a cheaper hotel. Like all tourists, Rizal was charmingly titillated by the attractive scenery of
Paris such as the beautiful boulevards, the Opera House, the Place de la Concorde, the Arch of
Triumph, the Bois de Boulogne, the Madelaine Church, the Cathedral of Notre Dame, the
Column of Vendome, the Invalides, and the Versailes. Rizal closely observed the French way of
life and spending many hours at the museums. In Spain, he became close with prominent
Spanish liberal and republican Spaniards, who were mostly Masons. Rizal was impressed by the
way the Spanish Masons openly and freely criticized the government policies and lambasted the
friars. In March 1883, he joined the Masonic lodge called Acacia in Madrid. His reason for
joining was to secure Freemasonry’s aid in his fight against the friars in the Philippines. Later he
was transferred to Lodge Solidaridad where he became a Master Mason on November 15, 1890.
Still later, he was awarded the diploma as Master Mason by Le Grand Orient de France in Paris.
After departure for Spain, things turned from bad to worse in Calamba. Harvests failed on
account of drought and locusts. Also the Dominican-owned hacienda increased the rentals of the
lands cultivated by the Rizal family. Due to these crises, allowances of Rizal were many times
late or sometimes never arrived, causing too much suffering to him. And on November 20, 21
and 22, 1884, Rizal was involved in student demonstrations. They were fighting for Dr. Miguel
Morayta who proclaimed that “the freedom of science and the teacher”. Such liberal view was
condemned by the Catholic bishops of Spain. On June 21, 1884 Rizal completed his medical
course in Spain. He was conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine by the Universidad
Central de Madrid. In the next academic year, he studied and passed al subjects leading to the
degree of Doctor of Medicine. Rizal also finished his studies in Philosophy and Letters with
excellent ratings.
 RIZAL’S PEACEFUL LIFE IN DAPITAN
During the early part of his exile in Dapitan, Rizal lived at the commandant’s residence. With his
prize from the Manila Lottery and his earnings as a farmer and a merchant, he bought a piece of
land near the shore of Talisay near Dapitan. On this land, he built three houses- all made of
bamboo, wood, and nipa. The first house which was square in shape was his home. The second
house was the living quarters of his pupils. And the third house was the barn where he kept his
chickens. The second house had eight sides, while the third had six sides.
"I shall tell you how we lived here. I have three houses-one square, another hexagonal, and the
third octagonal. All these houses are made of bamboo, wood, and nipa. I live in the square house,
together with my mother, my sister, Trinidad, and my nephew. In the octagonal house live some
young boys who are my pupils. The hexagonal house is my barn where I keep my chickens.
"From my house, I hear the murmur of a clear brook which comes from the high rocks. I see the
seashore where I keep two boats, which are called barotos here.
"I have many fruit trees, such as mangoes, lanzones, guayabanos, baluno, nangka, etc. I have
rabbits, dogs, cats, and other animals.
"I rise early in the morning-at five-visit my plants, feed the chickens, awaken my people, and
prepare our breakfast. At half-past seven, we eat our breakfast, which consists of tea, bread,
cheese, sweets, and other things.
"After breakfast, I treat the poor patients who come to my house. Then I dress and go to Dapitan
in my baroto. I am busy the whole morning, attending to my patients in town.
"At noon, I return home to Talisay for lunch. Then, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., I am busy as a
teacher. I teach the young boys.
"I spend the rest of the afternoon in farming. My pupils help me in watering the plants, pruning
the fruits, and planting many kinds of trees. We stop at 6:00 p.m. for the Angelus
"I spend the night reading and writing."

During his exile, Rizal practiced medicine, taught some pupils, and engaged in farming and
horticulture. He grew many fruit trees (like coconut, mango, lanzones, makopa, santol,
mangosteen, jackfruit, guayabanos, baluno, and nanka) and domesticated some animals (like
rabbits, dogs, cats, and chickens). The school he founded in 1893 started with only three pupils,
and had about more than 20 students at the time his exile ended.

Rizal would rise at five in the morning to see his plants, feed his animals, and prepare
breakfast. Having taken his morning meal, he would treat the patients who had come to his
house. Paddling his boat called ‘baroto’ (he had two of them), he would then proceed to Dapitan
town to attend to his other patients there the whole morning.

Rizal would return to Talisay to take his lunch. Teaching his pupils would begin at about 2
pm and would end at 4 or 5 in the afternoon. With the help of his pupils, Rizal would spend the
rest of the afternoon in farming—planting trees, watering the plants, and pruning the fruits. Rizal
then would spend the night reading and writing.
Rizal provided significant community services in Dapitan like improving the town’s drainage
and constructing better water system using empty bottles and bamboo joints. He also taught the
town folks about health and sanitation so as to avoid the spread of diseases. With his Jesuit priest
friend Sanchez, Rizal made a huge relief map of Mindanao in Dapitan plaza. Also, he bettered
their forest by providing evident trails, stairs, and some benches. He invented a wooden machine
for mass production of bricks. Using the bricks he produced, Rizal built a water dam for the
community with the help of his students.

As the town’s doctor, Rizal equally treated all patients regardless of their economic and
social status. He accepted as ‘fees’ things like poultry and crops, and at times, even gave his
services to poor folks for free. His specialization was ophthalmology but he also offered
treatments to almost all kinds of diseases like fever, sprain, broken bones, typhoid, and hernia.

Rizal also helped in the livelihood of the abaca farmers in Dapitan by trading their crops in
Manila. He also gave them lessons in abaca-weaving to produce hammocks. Noticing that the
fishing method by the locals was inefficient, he taught them better techniques like weaving and
using better fishing nets.

Rizal was in Dapitan when he learned that his true love Leonor Rivera had died. What somewhat
consoled his desolate heart was the visits of his mother and some sisters.

In August 1893, Doña Teodora, along with daughter Trinidad, joined Rizal in Dapitan and
resided with him in his ‘casa cuadrada’ (square house). The son successfully operated on his
mother’s cataract.

At distinct times, Jose’s sisters Maria and Narcisa also visited him. Three of Jose’s
nephews also went to Dapitan and had their early education under their uncle: Maria’s son
Mauricio (Moris) and Lucia’s sons Teodosio (Osio) and Estanislao (Tan). Jose’s nieceAngelica,
Narcisa’s daughter, also had experience living for some time with her exiled uncle in Mindanao.

In 1895, Doña Teodora left Dapitan for Manila to be with Don Francisco who was getting
weaker. Shortly after the mother left, Josephine Bracken came to Jose’s life. Josephine was an
orphan with Irish blood and the stepdaughter of Jose’s patient from Hongkong. Rizal and
Bracken were unable to obtain a church wedding because Jose would not retract his anti-Catholic
views. He nonetheless took Josephine as his common-law wife who kept him company and kept
house for him. Before the year ended in 1895, the couple had a child who was born prematurely.
The son who was named after Rizal’s father (Francisco) died a few hours after birth. (For
detailed discussion on Rizal-Bracken relationship, look for the section “Josephine Bracken”
under “Rizal’s love life”.

Not just once did Rizal learn that his ‘enemies’ sent spies to gather incriminating proofs that
Rizal was a separatist and an insurgent. Perhaps disturbed by his conscience, a physician named
Matias Arrieta revealed his covert mission and asked for forgiveness after he was cured by Rizal
(Bantug, p. 115).

In March 1895, a man introduced himself to Rizal as Pablo Mercado. Claiming to be

Rizal’s relative, this stranger eagerly volunteered to bring Rizal’s letters to certain persons in
Manila. Made suspicious by the visitor’s insistence, Rizal interrogated him and it turned out that
his real name was Florencio Nanaman of Cagayan de Misamis, paid as secret agent by the
Recollect friars. But because it was raining that evening, the kind Rizal did not command
Nanaman out of his house but even let the spy spend the rainy night in his place.

In July the next year, a different kind of emissary was sent to Rizal. Doctor Pio Valenzuela
was sent to Dapitan by Andres Bonifacio—the Katipunan leader who believed that carrying out
revolt had to be sanctioned first by Rizal. Disguised as a mere companion of a blind patient
seeking treatment from Rizal, Valenzuela was able to discreetly deliver the Katipunan’s message
for Rizal. But Rizal politely refused to approve the uprising, suggesting that peaceful means was
far better than violent ways in obtaining freedom. Rizal further believed that a revolution would
be unsuccessful without arms and monetary support from wealthy Filipinos. He thus
recommended that if the Katipunan was to start a revolution, it had to ask for the support of rich
and educated Filipinos, like Antonio Luna who was an expert on military strategy (Bantug, p.
133)

In 1895, Blumentritt informed Rizal that the revolution-ridden Cuba, another nation colonized by
Spain, was raged by yellow fever epidemic. Because there was a shortage of physicians to attend
to war victims and disease-stricken people, Rizal in December 1895 wrote to the then Governor
General Ramon Blanco, volunteering to provide medical services in Cuba. Receiving no reply
from Blanco, Rizal lost interest in his request.

But on July 30, 1896, Rizal received a letter from the governor general sanctioning his
petition to serve as volunteer physician in Cuba. Rizal made immediate preparations to leave,
selling and giving as souvenirs to friends and students his various properties.

In the late afternoon of July 31, Rizal got on the ‘España’ with Josephine, Narcisa, a niece,
three nephews, and three of his students. Many Dapitan folks, especially Rizal’s students, came
to see their beloved doctor for the last time. Cordially bidding him goodbye, they shouted
“Adios, Dr. Rizal!” and some of his students even cried. With sorrowing heart, He waved his
hand in farewell to the generous and loving Dapitan folks, saying, “Adios, Dapitan!”

The steamer departed for Manila at midnight of July 31, 1896. With tears in his eyes, Rizal
later wrote in his diary onboard the ship, “I have been in that district four years, thirteen days,
and a few hours.
 RIZAL’S DEATH
The death of Jose Rizal came right after a kangaroo trial convicted him on all three charges of
rebellion, sedition and conspiracy. He was guided to his cell in Fort Santiago where he spent his
last 24 hours right after the conviction. At 6:00 AM of December 29, 1896, Captain Rafael
Dominguez read Jose Rizal’s death sentence and declared that he will be shot at 7:00 AM of the
next day in Bagumbayan.

At 8:00 PM of the same day, Jose Rizal had his last supper and informed Captain Dominguez
that he had forgiven his enemies including the military judges that condemned him to die. Rizal
heard mass at 3:00 in the morning of December 30, 1896, had confession before taking the Holy
Communion. He took his last breakfast at 5:30 AM of December 30, 1896 and even had the time
to write two letters one for his family while the other letter was for his brother Paciano. This was
also the time when his wife, Josephine Bracken and his sister Josefa arrived and bade farewell to
Rizal.

Rizal who was dressed in a black suit was a few meters behind his advance guards while moving
to his slaughter place and was accompanied by Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade, two Jesuit priests and
more soldiers behind him. The atmosphere was just like any execution by musketry by which the
sound of the drums occupied the air. Rizal looked at the sky while walking and mentioned how
beautiful that day was.

Rizal was told to stand on a grassy lawn between two lam posts in the Bagumbayan field,
looking towards the Manila Bay. He requested the firing squad commander to shoot him facing
the firing squad but was ordered to turn his back against the squad of Filipino soldiers of the
Spanish army. A backup force of regular Spanish Army troops were on standby to shoot the
executioners should they fail to obey the orders of the commander.

Jose Rizal’s death was carried out when the command “Fuego” was heard and Rizal made an
effort to face the firing squad but his bullet riddled body turned to the right and his face directed
to the morning sun. Rizal exactly died at 7:03 AM and his last words before he died were those
said by Jesus Christ: “consummatum est” which means it is finished.

Jose Rizal was secretly buried in Paco Cemetery in Manila but no identification was placed in his
grave. His sister Narcisa tried to look in every gravesite and found freshly turned soil at the Paco
cemetery, assuming the burial site as the area where Rizal was buried. She gave a gift to the site
caretaker so as to mark the grove with RPJ which was the initials of Rizal in reverse.

THE LAST DAYS OF JOSÉ RIZAL: A Timeline of His Last Arrest,

Incarceration, Execution and the Journey of His Remains
 6 October 1896, 3:00 AM: On his 4th day of being held in his cabin at the MV Isla de
Panay docked at Barcelona, Spain on his way to Cuba, Rizal was awakened to be brought to
Montjuich Prison in Barcelona, Spain.

6 October, 8:00 PM: Aboard the Colon, Rizal left Barcelona for Manila.

3 November: Rizal was brought to Fort Santiago, where other patriots, including his brother
Paciano, were being tortured to implicate him. Paciano refused to sign anything despite being his
body broken and his left hand crushed.

20 November: Preliminary investigation began with Rizal appearing before Judge

Advocate Colonel Francisco Olive. The investigation lasted five days.

26 November: The records of the case were handed over to Governor General Ramon
Blanco who then appointed Captain Rafael Dominguez as special Judge Advocate.

8 December: From a list submitted to him by the authorities, he chose the brother of his
friend, Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade to become his trial lawyer. He was only made to choose
among army officers and not a civilian lawyer.

11 December: In his prison cell, Rizal was read the charges against him: “principal
organizer and the living soul of the Filipino insurrection, the founder of societies, periodicals and
books dedicated to fomenting and propagating the ideas of rebellion.”

13 December: Ramon Blanco was replaced by Camilo de Polavieja, a more ruthless

character, as Governor General of the Philippines. Dominguez submitted the papers of the Rizal
case to Malacañan Palace.

15 December: Rizal issued his manifesto to certain Filipinos calling to end the “absurd”
rebellion and to fight for liberties with education as a prerequisite. The authorities supressed the
manifesto.

25 December: Rizal’s saddest Christmas, away from family and friends.

26 December, 8:00 AM: Trial of Rizal began at the Cuartel de España. On the same day,
the court-martial secretly and unanimously voted for a guilty verdict with the penalty of death
before a firing squad

28 December: Polavieja signs the death verdict.

29 December, 6:00 AM: Rizal was read his verdict by Captain Rafael Dominguez: To be
shot the next day at 7:00 AM at the Luneta de Bagumbayan (Rizal Park).
 29 December, 7:00 AM: Rizal was transferred to the chapel cell adorned by religious
images to convince him to go back to the Catholic fold. His first visitors were Jesuit priests
Fathers Miguel Saderra Mata and Luis Viza.

29 December, 7:15 AM: After Fr. Saderra left, Rizal asked Fr. Viza for the Sacred Heart
statuette which he carved when he was an Ateneo student. From his pocket the statuette appears.

29 December, 8:00 AM: Fr. Viza was relieved by Fr. Antonio Rosell who joined Rizal
for breakfast. Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade joins them.

29 December, 9:00 AM: Fr. Federico Faura, who once said that Rizal would lose his
head for writing the Noli Me Tangere, arrived. Rizal told him, “Father you are indeed a
prophet.”

29 December, 10:00 AM: Fathers José Vilaclara and Estanislao March visited Rizal,
followed by a Spanish journalist, Santiago Mataix of El Heraldo de Madrid, for an interview.

29 December, 12:00-3:30 PM: Rizal’s time alone in his cell. He had lunch, wrote letters
and probably wrote his last poem of 14 stanzas which he wrote in his flowing handwriting in a
very small piece of paper. He hid it inside his alcohol stove. The untitled poem was later known
as Mi Ultimo Adios (My Last Farewell). In its second stanza, he already praised the
revolutionaries in the battlefield for giving their lives “without doubt, without gloom.

29 December, 3:00 PM: According to an account of the agent of the Cuerpo de

Vigilancia guarding Rizal’s cell, Rizal signed what seems to be the document retracting his anti-
Catholic writings and his membership in masonry. This event is a contentious issue among Rizal
experts

30 December, 5:30 AM: Rizal took his last meal. According to stories told to Narcisa by
Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade, Rizal threw some eggs in the corner of a cell for the “poor rats,”
“Let them have their fiesta too.” Rizal also wrote to his family and to his brother.

30 December, 5:00 AM: Teary-eyed Josephine Bracken and Josefa Rizal came.
According to the testimony of the agent of the Cuerpo de Vigilancia, Josephine and Rizal were
married. Josephine was gifted by Rizal with the classic Thomas á Kempis book Imitations of
Christ in which he inscribed, “To my dear and unhappy wife, Josephine, December 30th, 1896,
Jose Rizal.” They embraced for the last time.

30 December, 6:00 AM: Rizal wrote his father, Francisco Mercado “My beloved Father,
Pardon me for the pain with which I repay you for sorrows and sacrifices for my education. I did
not want nor did I prefer it. Goodbye, Father, goodbye… Jose Rizal.” To his mother, he had
only these words, “To my very dear Mother, Sra. Dña Teodora Alonso 6 o’clock in the morning,
December 30, 1896. Jose Rizal.”
 30 December, 6:30 AM: Death march from Fort Santiago to Bagumbayan begins. 4
soldiers with bayoneted rifles lead the procession followed by Rizal, Taviel de Andrade, Fathers
Vilaclara and March and other soldiers. They passed by the Intramuros plaza, then turned right
to the Postigo gate then left at Malecon, the bayside road now known as Bonifacio Drive.

30 December, 7:00 AM: Rizal, after arriving on the execution site at the Luneta de
Bagumbayan, was checked with his pulse by Dr. Felipe Ruiz Castillo. It was perfectly normal.
Rizal once wrote, “I wish to show those who deny us patriotism that we know how to die for our
duty and our convictions.”

30 December, 7:03 AM: With the captain shouting “Fuego!” Shouts rang out from the
guns of eight indio soldiers. Rizal, being a convicted criminal was not facing the firing squad.
As he was hit, he resists and turns himself to face his executors. He falls down, and dies facing
the sky.

But in two years, the victorious Philippine revolutionaries will seal the fate of the Spanish
Empire in the east. Three hundred thirty three years of Spanish Colonialism ended in 1898.