RIZAL IN SUNNY SPAIN

Decision to go to Spain

 After finishing the fourth year of his medical

course, Rizal decided to go to study in Spain.
 His elder brother readily approved his going to
Spain and so did his two sisters Saturnina
(Neneng) and Lucia.
 Rizal, however, did not seek his parents’
permission and blessings to go abroad, because
he knew that they, especially his mother, would
disapprove it.
Secret Mission

 To observe keenly the following:

1. life and culture
2. languages and customs
3. industries and commerce
4. governments and laws of the European
nations.
Departure for Spain

 Rizal’s departure was kept secret to avoid

detection by the Spanish authorities and the
friars
 The kind Jesuit priests gave him letters of
recommendations to members of their Society in
Barcelona.
 Rizal departed on May 3, 1882 boarded the
Salvadora with the following route: Manila –
Singapore – Colombo – through the Suez Canal
– Naples and Marseiles – Barcelona.
Departure for Spain
 Only Uncle Antonio Rivera, Paciano, and his
sisters, and some close friends knew of his
departure.
 Paciano gave him P700, Saturnina gave him a
diamond ring
 An allowance of P35 per month was promised
by Paciano through Uncle Antonio
 Rizal used a passport named Jose Mercado
Singapore
 During his voyage he observed the people and things
around him and compared them with those in the
Philippines.
 He was the only Filipino on board.
 Rizal saw Singapore and was impressed by its progress
and beautiful sights
 He admired the confidence of the natives of Singapore
with their government
 Rizal stayed at Hotel de Paz for his two day stop over at
singapore.
 He transferd to Djemnah, a French steamer bound to
Europe
First trip to Suez Canal
First trip to Suez Canal
 Djemnah was larger and cleaner than the Salvadora
 He tried to speak french
 After a week he reached Point de Galle, that
afternoon they sailed and docked at Colombo
Ceylon
 The steamer crossed the Indian Ocean to Cafe
Guardafui in Africa. The trip was difficult because of
a stormy weather. Rizal was sea sick
 On June 2 he arrived at the terminal of Suez Canal,
enjoyed and was thrilled by the historic waterway
Naples and Marseilles
 Djemnah proceeded to Europe. June 11, Rizal
reached Naples.
 This Italian City pleased him because of its
business activity, its lively people, and its
panoramic beauty
 Night of June 12, the steamer docked at the
French harbor of Marsielles
 He visited the Chateau d’If, where Dantes, the
hero in The Count of Monte Cristo was
imprisoned.
 He stayed three days in Marseilles, enjoying
Barcelona

 At Marseilles, Rizal took the train to Barcelona

 Rizal reached his destination – Barcelona on
June 16, 1882.
 Rizal found Barcelona to be a great city. With an
atmoshpere of freedom and liberalism, and its
people were open-hearted, hospitable and
courageous.
 The Filipinos in Barcelona, some of whom were
his schoolmates in Ateneo, welcomed Rizal.
They threw a party for Rizal at their favorite café
in Plaza de Cataluna.
Amor Patrio

 In Barcelona, Rizal wrote a nationalistic essay

entitled “Amor Patrio” (Love of Country).
 He wrote this essay on the request of his friend,
Basilio Teodoro Moran, publisher of the first
bilingual newspaper in Manila, the Diariong
Tagalog on August 20, 1882. (Spanish and
Tagalog)
 He wrote this essay using the pen name Laong
Laan.
 The essay caused quite a stir among the readers
in the Philippines.
Amor Patrio

“Child we love play; Adolescent we forget it; youth,

we seek our ideal; disillusioned, we weep and go
in quest of something more positive and more
useful; parent, the children die and time
gradually erases our pain just as the air of the
sea slowly effaces the shores as the boat
departs from them. But, love of country can
never be effaced, once it has entered the heart,
because it carries in itself the divine stamp that
makes it eternal and imperishable.”
Amor Patrio

“It has always been said that love is the most

potent force behind the most sublime deeds;
very well, of all loves, the love of country is what
produced the greates, the most heroic…Read
history…”
Los Viajes and Revisita de
Madrid
 The Editor of Diarong Tagalog, Francisco
Calvo, conratulated Rizal for the article and
requested him for more article.
 In response to his request, he wrote his
second article Los Viajes (Travels)
 His third ariticle was Revisita de Madrid
(Review of Madrid). Unfortunately, it was
returned to him because the Diarong Tagalog
had ceased publication.
Rizal Moves to Madrid
 Rizal received a sad news about the cholera
that was ravaging Manila and the provinces.
 On a letter he received from Paciano dated
September 15, 1882, the Calamba folks were
having afternoon novenas and nocturnal
procession, praying to God to stop the dreadful
epidemic
 Another sad news he received was from
Chengoy (Jose M. Cecilio) telling how Leonor
Rivera was getting thinner because of the
absence of a love one
Madrid

 Upon Paciano’s advise, Rizal left Barcelona in

the fall of 1882 and established himself in
Madrid, the capital of Spain.
 At Madrid he enrolled at the Universidad
Central de Madrid (Central University of
Madrid) on November 3, 1882
 There he took two courses: Medicine and
Philosophy and Letters.
 Aside from his studies, Rizal also took painting
and sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts of San
Carlos
Madrid

 Rizal also took private lessons in French,

German, and English;
 Rizal led a Spartan life in Madrid. He lived
frugally, spending his money only on food,
clothing, lodging, and books.
 His only “vice” was taking part in the Madrid
Lottery.
 He spends his leisure time reading and writing at
his boarding house, attending reunions with
fellow Filipino students and practicing fencing
and shooting.
Madrid

 Amongst Rizal’s collection of books are:

Bible
Hebrew Grammar
Lives of the Presidents of the U.S.
Complete Works of Voltaire
Complete Works of Horace
Complete Works of C. Bernard
History of the French Revolution
The Wandering Jew
Ancient Poetry
Madrid

Works of Thucydides
The Byzantine Empire
The Characters by La Bruyere
The Renaissance
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet
Beecher Stowe
Works of Alexander Dumas
Louis XIV and His Court
Consuelo Ortiga y Perez

 During Rizal’s stay in Madrid, he would

frequently visit the home of Don Pablo Ortiga y
Rey who lived with his son Rafael and daughter
Consuelo.
 Don Pablo was a former city mayor of Manila
during the administration of the liberal governor
general Carlos Ma. De la Torre.
 Rizal was attracted by Consuelo’s beauty and
vivacity. As he made a poem entitled A La
Senorita C.O. y P. to express his admiration for
her.
Consuelo Ortiga y Perez

 Rizal, however, backed out from his romance

with Consuelo because
(1) he was still engaged with Leonor Rivera and
(2) his friend and co-worker in the Propaganda
Movement, Eduardo de Lete was madly in love
with Consuelo.
Circulo Hispano-Filipino

 Shortly after arriving in Madrid in 1882, Rizal

joined the Circulo Hispano-Filipino, a society
of liberal Spaniards and Filipinos.
 As a member of this society Rizal wrote a poem
entitled “Me Piden Versos” (They ask me for
Verses)
Masonry

 Freemasonry or the Masons, were a secret

society composed of liberal and republican
Spaniards in Spain. Amongst them were
prominent and intellectual Spaniards.
 The Spanish Masons openly and freely criticized
the government policies and particularly
lambasted the friars.
 In March 1883, Rizal joined the Masonic lodge
called Acacia in Madrid. His Masonic name was
Dimasalang
 Later he transferred to Lodge Solidaridad where
he became a Master Mason.
Masonry

 Rizal joined Freemasonry to secure their aid in

the fight against the Friars in the Philippines.
 Amongst the prominent members of the Masons,
included, Miguel Morayta, statesman and
professor; Francisco Pi y Margal, journalist and
former President of the short-lived First Spanish
Republic; Manuel Becerra, Minister of Ultramar;
Emilio Junoy, journalist and member of the
Spanish Cortes; and Juan Zorilla,
parliamentarian and head of the Republican
Progressive Party.
Masonry
 Two reasons why he became a Mason:
 The bad friars in the Philippines unworthy of
their priestly habit or calling
 He needed the help of the Masons to fight the
bad friars in the Philippines. (it was a shield to
use in his fight against the evil forces of
tyranny)
Financial Worries

 Because of drought and locust the harvest of

rice and sugarcane failed in Calamba.
 The manager of the Dominican-owned hacienda
increased the rentals of the lands cultivated by
the Rizal family
 Due to this the monthly allowances of Rizal in
Madrid were late in arrival and there were times
when they never arrived.
Financial Worries

 On June 24, 1884 because Rizal was broke, he

was unable to eat his meals for the day.
 He attended his class in the university with an
empty stomach.
 Rizal even participated in a Greek language
contest and won the gold medal.
 Fortunately, in the evening, Rizal was the guest
speaker at banquet held in honor of Juan Luna
and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo, where Rizal
was able to eat dinner.
Salute to Luna and Hidalgo

 National Exposition of Fine Arts in Madrid - 1884

 The Filipino community in Spain sponsored a
banquet to celebrate the double victory of the
Filipino artist in the National Exposition of Fine
Arts in Madrid.
 Juan Luna, with his Spoliarium won the first
prize.
 Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo won the second prize
with his Christian Virgins Exposed to the
Populace
Salute to Luna and Hidalgo

 Rizal in his speech, saluted Luna and Hidalgo as

two glories for Spain and the Philippines, whose
artistic achievements transcended geographical
frontiers and racial origins.
 In Rizal’s speech, he said genius is universal.
“Genius knows no country, genius sprouts
everwhere, genius is like light, air, the patrimony
of everybody, cosmopolitan like space, like life,
like God.”
Student Demonstrations

 Nov. 20-22, 1884 the city of Madrid exploded in

bloody riots by the students of Unibersidad
Central de Madrid.
 Dr. Miguel Morayta, professor of history, at the
opening ceremonies of the academic year
proclaimed the “freedom of science and the
teacher.”
 Such liberal view was condemned by the
Catholic bishops of Spain, and promptly
excommunicated Dr. Morayta.
Student Demonstrations

 Angered by the bigotry of the Catholic bishops,

the university students rose in violent
demonstrations.
 Practically all students in various colleges joined
the massive demonstrations including Rizal,
Valentin Ventura and other Filipinos.
 Many university professors openly supported the
student rioters.
Student Demonstrations

 Bloody fights raged in the university buildings

and in the city streets. The students armed with
clubs, stones, and fists, fought the government
forces.
 Fortunately, Rizal and other Filipinos did not
received even a cane blow, nor taken prisoner,
nor arrested.
Completion of Studies

 The academic year 1884-1885 Rizal passed all

subjects leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine.
 Rizal completed his medical course in Spain. He was
awarded the Degree of Licentiate in Medicine by the
Universidad Central de Madrid on June 21, 1884.
 The next academic year (1884-85) he studied and
passed all subjects leading to the Degree of Doctor of
Medicine. However, he was not awarded his Doctors
Diploma because he did not present his thesis nor
paid the corresponding fees
 Rizal also finished his studies in Philosophy and
Letters and was awarded the degree on June 19,
1885, his 24th birthday.
Completion of Studies

 By obtaining a degree in Philosophy and Letters,

Rizal became qualified to be a professor of
humanities in any Spanish university.
 He did not bother to secure the post-graduate
degree of Doctor of Medicine because it was
also good only for teaching.
 Rizal knew, however, that with his brown color
and Asian racial ancestry no friar-owned
university or college in the Philippines would
accept him in its faculty staff.