Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1. Julia/Minang
2. Segunda Katigbak
Rizal next met Segunda Katigbak, a charming girl 14 from Lipa, Batangas and the sister of his college friend
Mariano.Rizal first saw her in his grandmother’s suburban house in Trozo, which he used to visit on school holidays
in the company of friends. He had heard that she was already engaged, yet he found himself drawn to her
provocative smile and alluring presence.
On Thursdays and Sundays, Rizal would visit the Colegio De Concordia, where Segunda ang his sister Olympia
boarded. He would as to see his sister although he really wanted to see Segunda, Little by little, Rizal began to
drink ‘the sweetest poison of love”.
Her engagement to Manuel Luz, led Rizal to relinquish his feelings and felt constraint to speak of love.
Rizal sought the company of a local belle, the mysterious “Bb. L” (Leonor Valenzuela) in order to forget the
“Rose of Lipa” (Segunda Katigbak)
3. Leonor Valenzuela
During his sophomore year at the University of Santo Tomas, Rizal boarded at the house of Dona Concha Leyva
whose neighbour were Capitan Juan and Capitana Sanday Valenzuela who had three daughters, one of whom was
Leonor “Orang” as she fondly called. Rizal was frequent visitor in the Valenzuela house which was often a
boisterous place where students gathered to play and banter, would entertain friends with card tricks. He began to
pay special attention to Orang, escorting her and writing her notes in invisible ink, a mixture of common table salt
and water, which became visible only when warm over a lamp or cancle.
Orang let on that she wanted to marry a person who was a doctor, philosopher and a surveyor all rolled on one.
The Rizal left to Europe, Jose (Chenggoy) Cecilio, tattletale-friend and self-anointed apoderado engergico
(energetic proxy) of the hero, would carry news between the two..
Rizal would rather consider Orang as a good friend rather than a life partner. And eventually Orang married
another man, leaving Rizal on ponder more deeply about La Cuestion del Oriente, the code name of chenngoy and
Rizal used in their letter to another to identify Leonor Rivera and conceal their references to her from prying eyes.
4. Leonor Rivera
Almost simultaneous, Rizal was meeting another Leonor. The girl, Leonor Rivera, would be his girlfriend to the
next 11 years. The two were distant cousins.
Rivera was to his ideal woman, his model Maria Clara, one of the main characters in his first nover, “Noli Me
Tangere.” He was ready to marry her. Unfortunately, Rivera’s mother disliked Rizal who was the earning the
reputation being a dissident. The last saw each other before Rizal left Spain in May 1882.
The Mother hid from Rivera all the letters of Rizal was sending from Spain. After a passage of many years, thinking
that Rizal was abandoned her, Rivera sadly consented to marry Henry Kipping, an Englishman who was her
mother’s choice. Rizal was said to have cried shamelessly when news of the wedding reached him.
Rizal used to visit the home of Don Pablo Ortiga y Rey every Saturday evening. He and other Filipino Student
played parlor games with his two daughter, Pilar and Consuelo. It was Consuelo who awakened the sparks of love
in Rizal’s heart.
Consuelo loved Rizal. She wrote in her diary that she knew Rizal loved her, though he did not say it. Rizal gave her
flowers which she affectionately cherished.
Witt great real power, Rizal did not allow the romance to go on for two reasons:
1. He was still engaged to Leonor Rivera and he would not want to be unfaithful to her.
2. Eduardo de Lete, his friend deeply in love with Consuelo, and he did not want to break their friendship just for
a wisp of a girl. Thus in the summer 1833, he made a quick trip to Paris in order to forget Consuelo.
6. O-Sei-San (Japan)
On his second journey to Europe, Rizal passed through Japan and United States. In Japan, Rizal began to relax , his
frustration giving away to the tingle of spring and the scent of romance. He met 23-year-old Usui or O-Sei-San as
he called her, together they spent sweet hours and divine afternoon amidst the breathtaking cherry blossoms.
O-Sei-San was a descendant of the Japanese samurai class and their love affair that flared for “glided month”.
O-Sei-San was more that a hero’s sweetheart. Being an artist and linguist, she taught Rizal the art of Japanese
painting and improved his knowledge of Japanese language and literature. O-Sei-San beauty and affection almost
tempted Rizal to settle down in Japan. At the same time , he was offered a good job. If he were a man of less
heroic mould, of less power, he would have lived permanently in Japan – and happily at that with O-Sei-San; but
the then the world, in general, and the Philippines, in particular, would have lost a Rizal.
Filial Love