BIOGRAPHY, WRITINGS, AND LEGACIES OF OUR BAYAN! G? 27 i Chapter ee Pere RIZAL'S LIFE: RIZAL'S FAMILY, CHILDHOOD, AND EARLY EDUCATION José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born on June 19, 1861 in Calamba, Laguna. The seventh of eleven children born to a relatively well-off family in a Dominican-owned tenant land in Calamba, Laguna, Jose Rizal lived and died during the Spanish colonial era in the Philippines. In his early childhood, Jose had mastered the alphabet and learned to write and read, His early readings included the Spanish version of the Vulgate Bible. At a young age, he already showed inclinations to the arts. He amazed his family by his pencil drawings, sketches, and moldings of clay. Later in his childhood, he showed special talent in painting and sculpture, wrote a Tagalog play, which was presented at a town fiesta (and later penned a short play in Spanish, which was presented in school). , Don Francisco Mercado Jose's father: Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado, was @ productive farmer from Bifian, Laguna, He was an independent-minded, taciturn, but dynamic gentleman from whom Jose inherited his “free soul Don Francisco became tiniente gobernadorcillo (lieutenant governor) in Calamba and was thus nicknamed Tiniente Kiko. (Some students’ comical conjecture that the fictional character Kikong Matsing of Batibot was named after Don Francisco Francisco Engracio Rizal i Mercado: Jose Rizal's father is. of course, unfounded) nipanetlscnt_ + Francisco's great grandfather was Doming? ~ (also). resided in Bifian and married Bernarda Monic! _ Son. Juan Mercado, became the gobernadorcillo (to" 28 © THe Ln FE AND WORKS OF JOSE RIZAL I tam-co. 4 jearned PFo-pocr op 1 " ied a § a ‘masa Chinese immigrant businessman who a children. Francisey “Inestis r : iza of Manila named Ines de la Rosa. One of a Francisco and Bernarda's ie mayor) of Bifian, Laguna. He iw i the youngest peing Jose Rizal's n, ophisticated Chinesg married Cirila Alejandra, and they had 12 childre father, Franci meisco, na, When he was eight ne took Latin ang nd fell in love with don June 28, 1842, ice farm in Lagu! jucated oS Don Francisco was born on May 11, 1818 in Bifian. Years old, he lost his father, He was nonetheless edi Philosophy at the College of San Jose in Manil Teodora Alonso, a student in the College of Santa Rose: they settled down in Calamba where they were gran! the Dominican-owned haciendas (For an article that focuses ix D: ‘la, where he met , Marries ted lease of a 71 on Francisco Mercado life and deep relation with his son Jose, read Appendi “Francisco Mercado, Tiniente Kiko of Calamba.") [Dofia Teodora Jose's mother,’ Teodora Alonzo (also spelled © “Alonso’), was an educated and highly cultured woman from Sta. Cruz, Manila. Common biographies state ‘that Dofia Teodora Alonso Quintos Realonda, ‘also known as ‘Lolay” was born on November 8 1826 in Santa Cruz, Manila and baptized at the Santa Cruz Church. Strangely however, the volume in the church books that supposedly contained Teodora's baptismal records was the only one missing from the “Teodora Alonzo: Jose Rizal's mother otherwise complete records down to the eighteenth (ourhappyschool.com) century (Ocampo, 2012, p. 39). Asuncion Rizal-Lopez Bantug, the granddaughter of Jose's sister Narcisa, contrarily claims that Lola Lolay and all her siblings were born in Calamba, but (just) lived in Manila (Bantug & Ventura, 1997, p. 18). Dofia Lolay was educated at the College of Scinta Rosa, an esteemied school for girls in Manila. She was usually described as a diligent business-minded woman, very graceful but courageous, well-mannered, religious, and wellnead, Very dignified, she disliked gossip and vulgar conversation. Possessing refined realtune and literary talents, she influenced her children to love the arts, literature, and are je Herselfan educated wornan.Lolay sent her children te olleges in Mania 7 the economy of the family, she ran sugar and flour mills and a small ore ir house, selling home-made ham, sausages, jams, jellies, and many others help i in theii h bi a BIOGRAPHY, WRITINGS, AND LEGACIES OF OUR BAYAN! Gt 29 (Looking back, her business, na way, predated the meat-processing commerce of _ the Pampanguefios today and the ube jam production of some nuns in Baguio) It is belleved that Dofia Teodora'’s family descended from Lakandula, the last native king of Tondo, (For young Filipino generations, Lakandula has to be distinguished from the unofficial Hari ng Tondo, Asiong Salonga, the Manila kingpin who was immortalized in the movie incidentally by Laguna’s own governor E. R. Ejercito) lolay’s great-grandfather was Eugenio Ursua (of Japanese descent) who married a Filipina named Benigna. Regina, their daughter, married a Filipino- Chinese lawyer of Pangasinan, Manuel de Quintos. Lorenzo Alberto Alonso, a well- off Spanish-Filipino mestizo of Bifian, took as his “significant other” Brigida Quintos, daughter of Manuel and Regina Quintos, The Lorenzo-Brigida union produced five children, the second of them was Jose Rizal's mother, Teodora Alonso Quintos, Through the Claveria decree of 1849 which changed the Filipino native surnames, the Alonsos adopted the surname Realonda, Rizal's mother thus became ‘Teodora Alonso Quintos Realonda. (For a lecture that concentrates on Teodora Alonso's life and her love for Jose, read Appendix C: :“Teedora Alonzo Lola Lolay of Bahay na Bato) Saturnina Rizal (1850-1913) is the eldest child of Don Francisco and Teodora Alonso. She and her mother provided the little Jose with good basic education that by the age of three, Pepe (Jose's nickname) already knew his alphabet. Paciano Rizal, Jose’s only brother, was born on March 7, 1851 in Calamba,-Laguna. He was fondly addressed by his siblings as Nor, Paciano short for *Sefior Paciano” The 10-year older brother of Jose studied at San Jose College in Manila, became — paciano Rizal Jose Rizals brother a farmer, and later’ a general of the Philippine (ourhappyschool.com) Revolution. (A detailed discussion on Paciano's life and his influence on Jose is available in Appendix E: *Paciano Rizal: Pinoy Hero's Big Brother) After Jose’s execution in December 1896, Paciano joined the Katipuneros in Cavite under General Emilio Aguinaldo, As Katipunero, Paclano was commissioned 5 general of the revolutionary forces and elected as secretary of finance in the Department Government of Central Luzon. (For Jose and Paciano's collaboration ee cae to BANG RRAW req Pe ORIEN st pee Ble Rizal and Emilio LIBRARY SERVICES si SAN CARLOS Camon z i eA es Se te EOE, ee A ae aes a Bae. 30 © THLE ano -» 30 WORKS OF JOSE UZAL nthe family. Later r fl dchild n Europe, i izal's studies i dit was said she cussions =~ Nareisa Rizal (1852-1939) or simply “Sisa" was the thir 4 history, Narcisa (like Sturnina) would help in financing hs “7 ven pawning her jewelry and peddling her clothes if al hero. (Dis _ Seuld recite from memory almost all of the poems of our nONeN on Jose's known poems are available in Appendix }: “Jose Rizal's i ed loved Olympia Rizal (1855-1987) was the fourth child in the Rizal ae jose’ first tease her, sometimes good-humoredly describing her as hie st0¥ ®t pica ove, Segunda Katigbak, was Olympia's schoolmate at the La Concor Oe cays confided to Olympia (also spelled “Olimpla’) about Segunda, and the sist®r Served as the mediator between the two teenage lovers. (For Jose Segunda Katigbak’s love story, read Appendix P: “Jone Rizals Filipina Gir! Lucia Rizal (1857-1919) was the fifth child in the family. She sae ‘s a ah Herbosa of Calamba, Laguna. Charged of inciting the Calamba towns! ef Y pay land rent and causing unrest, the couple was once ordered to be eer te along with some Rizal family members, (Lucia’s husband died during the cholera epidemic in May 1889 and was refused a Catholic burial for not going to confessions ‘since his marriage to Lucia, In Jose's article in La Solidaridad titled Una profanacion (A.Profanation), he scornfully attacked the friars for declining to bury in “sacred ground”a “good Christian’ simply because he was the “brother-in-law of Rizal-) Maria Rizal (1859-1945) was the sixth child in the family. It was to her whom Jose talked about wanting to marry Josephine Bracken when the majority of the Rizal family was apparently not amenable to the idea. In his letter dated December 12, 1891, Jose had also brought up to Maria his plan of establishing a Filipino colony in North British Borneo. In his letter dated December 28, 1891, Jose wrote to Maria, “Im told that your children are very pretty’ Today, we have a historical proof that Maria's progenies were indeed nice-looking (lahing maganda). Maria and "Daniel had five children: Mauricio, Petrona, Prudencio, Paz, and Encarnacion. Their son Mauricio married Conception Arguelles and the couple had a son named Ismael Arguelles Cruz. Ismael was the father of Gemma Cruz Araneta, the first Filipina to win the Miss International title, also the first Southeast Asian to win an international beauty-pageant title. (For more interesting discussions about Saturnina, Narcisa, Olympia, Lucia, and Maria Rizal, read Appendix F: “Jose Rizal's Older Sisters-) Also called ‘Concha’ by her siblings, Concepcion Rizal (1862-1865) was the eighth child of the Rizal family. She died at the age of three, Of his sisters, it was said that the young Pepe loved most little Concha who was a year younger than he Jose played games and shared children stories with hen, and from her he felt the beauty of sisterly love at a young age. , ~ Josefa Rizal's nickname is “Panggoy” (1865-1945) She was the ninth child in the family. Panggoy died a spinster. Among Jose's letters to Josefa, the one dated October 26, 1895 was perhaps the most Coonan, Written in English, the letter jarfano a é:BIOGRAPHY, WRITINGS, AND LEGAGIES oF OUR BAYANE Ot SL. ‘addressed Josefa as “Miss Josephine Rizal’ (After Jose's martyrdom, the epileptic Josefa joined the Katipunan and was even supposed to have.een elected the president of its women section. She was one of the original 29 women admitted ‘to the Katipunan along with Gregoria de Jesus, wife of Andres Bonifacio. They safeguarded the secret papers and documents of the society and danced and sang during sessions so that civil guards would think that the meetings were just harmless social gatherings) Trinidad Rizal (1868-1951) or *Trining* was the tenth child. Historically, she became the custodian of Rizal's last and greatest poem. Right before Jose's execution, Trinidad and their mother visited him in the Fort Santiago prison cell. As they were leaving, Jose handed over to Trining an alcohol cooking stove, a gift from the Pardo de Taveras, whispering to her in a language, which the guards could not understand, “There is something in it” That “something” was Rizal's elegy now, known as “Mi Ultimo Adios” Like Josefa, Paciano, and two nieces, Trinidad joined the Katipurian after Jose's death. Also called “Choleng; Soledad Rizal (1870-1929) was the youngest child of the Rizal family. Being a teacher, she was arguably the best-educated among Rizal's sisters. In his long and meaty letter to\Choleng dated June 6, 1890 (‘Jose Rizal on Facebook Courtship’ 2013), Jose told her sister that he was proud of her for becoming a teacher. He thus counseled her to be a model of virtues and good qualities “for the ‘one who should teach should be better than the persons who need her léarning” Rizal nonetheless used the topic as leverage in somewhat rebuking her sister for getting married to Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba without their parents’ consent. “Because of you" he wrote, ‘the peace of our family has been disturbed” . k Choleng's union with Pantaleon, nonetheless, resulted in the Rizal family's becoming connected by affinity to Miguel Malvar (the hero who could have been listed as the second Philippine President for taking over the revolutionary government after Emilio Aguinaldo's arrest in 1901), Soledad and Pantaleon had five children: Trinitario, Amelia, Luisa, Serafin, and Felix. Their daughter Amelia married Bernabe Malvar, son of Gen. Miguel Malvar. (For more fascinating discussions about Concepcion, Josefa, Trinidad, and Soledad Rizal, read Appendix 6: ‘Jose Rizal's Younger Sisters”) The Surname Rizal Had their forefathers not adopted other names, Jose and Paciano could have been known as *Lameo" (and not Rizal) brothers. Their paternal great-great grandfather, Chinese merchant Domingo Lamco, adopted the name “Mercado, which means “market” But Jose's father, Francisco, who eventually became primarily a farmer, adopted the surname ‘Rizal’ (originally:32. The IE LIFE AND WORKS OF JOSH RIZAL «o) The name wag ‘Ricial, which means “the green of young growth’ oF “aren ee the new name, Stiggested by d provincial governor who was a friend of the family. Don Francisco however, caused confusion in the commercial affairs of the doften just used his ‘is settled on the name “Rizal Mercado" as « compromise, 20 more known surname ‘Mercado’ e he used Mercado" as jose, his links to Fatl 7 -pizal’ for Jose’s own When Paciano was a student at the College of Sa" J his last name. But because he had gained notoriety with of the “Gomburza, he suggested that Jose use the surname safety. Y: @ wrote: My farnily e one ee [had to use it, zal], but now dlr (as cited 2 Commenting on using thé name "Rizal" at Ateneo, never paid much attention [to our second surname Rit thus giving me the appearance of an illegitimate chil para. 8) his brother had become But this very name suggested by Paciano to be used by Jose wrote to so well known by 1881, the year Jose finished his Zl Filbusterismo. AS A a friend, All my family now carry the name Rial instead of Mercado DeCAth™ name Rizal means persecution! Good! I too want to join them and be worthy 0! {his family name... (as cited in Arriza, 2012, para. 8). {Rizal's Birth Dofia Teodora was said to have suffered the greatest pain during the delivery of her seventh’child, Jose, Her daughter Narcisa recalled: “I was nine years of age when my mother gave birth to Jose. | recall it vividly because my mother suffered great pain, She labored for a long time. Her pain was later attributed to the fact that Jose's head was bigger than normal’ (as cited in “Lola Lolay” 2013, para. 8) Jose Rizal was born in Calamba. In 1848, his parents decided to build a home in this town in Laguna, southern Luzon. The name Calamba was derived from kalan- banga, which means “clay stove (Kalan) and “water jar" (banga) Jose's adoration of its scenic beauty—punctuated by the sights of the Laguna de Bay, Mount Makiling, palm-covered mountains, curvy hills, and green fields— was recorded in the poem he would later write at Ateneo de Manila in 1876, Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo(in Memory of My Town) (If Rizal's poem were written today. he might mention the three-floor SM mall, shopping centers, and the South Luzon Expressway [SLEX] terminus in the place. A city since 2001, Calamba is said to have earned the nickname “Resort Capital of the Philippines" for its more than 600 regorts in the place today) The first massive stone house (or bahay na bate) in Calamba was the very birthplace of our national hero. It was.a rectangular two-storey building, built in Arriza, 2012, »IMOGRAPHY, WRITINGS, AND LEGACIES OF OUR BAYANE cat 33, of adobe stones and solid wood, with sliding capiz windows, Its ground floor ‘was made of lime and stone, the second floor of hard wood, except for the rool, which was of red tiles, There was an azote and a water reservoir at the back. Ite architectural style and proximity to the church implied Rizal family's wealth and political influence. A phenom is someone who is exceptionally talented or admired, especially an up-and-comer. Rizal, especially during his childhood, was none less than a phenom. Jose Rizal's first memory, in his infancy, was his happy days in their family garden when he was three years old. Their courtyard contained tropical fruit trees, poultry yard, a carriage house, and’a stable for the ponies. Because the young Pepe was weak, sickly, and undersized, he was given the fondest care by his parents, so his father built a nipa cottage for Pepe to play in the daytime. Memory of his infancy included the nocturnal walk in the town, especially when there was a moon. Jose also recalled the ‘aya" (nursemaid) relating to the Rizal'children some fabulous stories, like those about the fairies, tales of buried treasure, and trees blooming with diamonds. ‘Another childhood memory was the daily Angelus prayer in their home. Rizal recorded in his memoir that by nightfall, his mother would gather all the children in their home to pray the Angelus. At the early age of three, he started to take a part in the family prayers. ‘When Concha died of sickness in 1865, Jose mournfully wept at losing her. He later wrote in his memoir, “When I was four years old, I lost my little sister Concha, and then for the first time I shed tears caused by love and grief’ (Memoirs of a Student in Manila’ n.d). 5 ‘At the age of five, the young Pepe learned to read the Spanish family Bible, whicli he would refer to later in his writings, Rizal himself remarked that perhaps the education he received since his earliest infancy was what had shaped his habits (Memoirs of a Student” nd, para. 3). As a child, Rizal loved to go to the chapel, pray, participate in novenas, ahd join religious processions. In Calamba, one of the men he esteemed and respected was the scholarly Catholic priest Leoncio Lopez, the town priest. He used to visit him and listen to his inspiring opinions on current events and thorough life views. Also at the age of five, Pepe started to make pencil sketches and mold in clay and wax objects, which attracted his fancy. When he was about six years old, his sisters once laughed at him for spending much time making clay and wax images. Initially keeping silent, he then prophetically told them “All right laugh at me now! Someday when I die, people will make monuments and images of me*340 THEI AND We 4 /ONKS OF JOSE RIZAL ; rn the exciting: experience oa pilgrimage in her to take hin, -| he ordeg) child survive ¢ d here ose and his father me studying gy dht their way ide by Jose’s MoU When Jose was seven years old, his father provide of riding a “asco” (a flat-bottomed boat with a roof) on Antipolo. The pilgrimage was to fulfill the vow md _ {0 the Shrine of the Virgin of Antipolo should she and her of delivery. which nearly caused her life. From Antip proceeded to Manila to visit his sister Saturnina, w! the La Concordia College in Sta, Ana. ho was at the ti tthe child Jose received q iv ~ frorn his father ony named “Alipato foartug & Ventura, 1997, P- 23). As q wed to ride this pony or child, he lo | “| take long walks in the meadows and - lakeshore with his black dog named Asa gif “Usman.” The mother also induced Jose to love the arts, literature, and the classics. Before he was eight years old, ‘Th . ae he had written a drama (some sources Thettalancesvaliowerow ada Shine Soy oq Tagalog comedys) Which wos performed at a local festival and for which the municipal captain rewarded him with two pesos. (Some references “specify that it was staged in a Calamba festival and that it was a gobernadorcillo from Paete who purchased the manuscript for two pesos) Contrary to the “former” common knowledge however, Rizal did not write the Filipino poem “Sa Aking Mga Kababata/Kabata’ (To My Fellow Children). The poem was previously believed to be Rizal's first written poem at the age of eight and was said to have been published posthumously many years after Rizal's death. However, Jose had a preserved correspondence (letters) with his brother Paciano admitting that he (Jose) had only encountered the word “kalayaan" when he was already 21 years old. The term (‘kalayaan’) was used not just once in the poem "Sa Aking Mga Kababata/Kabata* (For more details concerning this matter, read the article, ‘Did Jose Rizal Write the Poem “Sa Aking Mga Kabata’?” in OurHappySchool. com) : The young Rizal.was also interested in. magic. He read many books on magic. He learned different tricks, such as making a coin disappear and making a handkerchief vanish in thin air. E 2 Some other influences of Rizal childhood involved his three uncles his To Jose Alberto who inspired him to cultivate his artistic ability: his Tio Manuel who encouraged him to fortify his frail body through Physical exercises; / is Tio Gregorio who intensified Rizal's avidness to read good books end neTGGRANIIY, WRITINGS, AND LEGACIES OF UR HAVANT 6t 3B ' [The Story of The Moth ‘To impart essential life lessons, Lolay held regular storytelling sess) ons with the young Rizal. Dofia Teodora loved to read to Pepe stories from the book Amigo de dos Nifos (The Children’s Friend). One day, she scolded his son for making drawings ‘on the pages of the story book. To teach the value of obedience to one’s parents, she | afterward read hima story in it, Lolay chose the story about a daughter moth who was warned by her mother against going too near a lamp flame. Though the young moth promised to comply. she later succumbed to the pull of the light’s mysterious charm, believing that © nothing bad would happen if she approached it with caution, The moth then flew close to the flame, Feeling comforting warmth at first, she drew closer and closer, bit by bit, until she flew too close enough to the flame and perished. Incidentally. Pepe was watching a similar incident while he was listening to the storytelling. Like a live enactment, a moth was fluttering too near to the flame of the oil lamp on their table. Not merely acting out, it did fall dead as a consequence. Both moths in the two tales paid the price of getting near the fatal light. Many years later, Rizal himself felt that the moths’ tale could serve as an allegory of his own destiny.(A good summary of Rizal’ life is presented in Appendix B: Jose Rizal: A Biographical Outline) About himself, he wrote: o Years have passed since then. The child has become a man- Steamships have taken him across seas and oceans. He has received from experience bitter lessons, much more bitter than the sweet lessons that his mother gave him. Nevertheless, he has preserved the heart of a child. He still thinks that light is the most beautiful thing in creation, and that it is worthwhile for a man to sacrifice his life for it’ (as cited in "My First Reminiscence,’ nd. para. 9) _ [Education in Calamba Be The familiar statement that Dofia Teodora was Rizal's first teacher is not just” a sort of “venerating® his mother who sacrificed a lot for our hero. It was actually 5 a technical truth. In his memoirs, Rizal wrote, “My mother taught me how to read and to say haltingly the humble prayers which I raised fervently to God In Rizal's time, seldom would one see a highly educated woman of fine culture, like Dofia Teodora who had the capacity to teach Spanish, reading, poetry, and values through rare story books. Lolay, indeed, was the first teacher of the hero— teaching him Spanish, correcting his composed poems, and coaching him in rhetoric. On her lap, Jose learned the alphabet and Catholic prayers at the age of three, and learned to read and write at age of 5.maternal Uncles cy: | aketching, and sculpture, 9 He manuel. (OF His pary, 36 m THe Les. ‘AND WORKS OF JOSE RIZAL Aside from his mother, Jose's sister Saturnt “jetored him, His uncle Jose Alberto taught him painting" Uncle Gregorio influenced him to further love reading be ioe : 3 - developed Rizal's physical skills in martial arts, like wres' were hired to give - To further enhance what Rizal had learned, private (lors Ts padug " him lessons at home, Thus, Maestro elestino tutored him, and Moe Francisco, Leon later succeeded Celestino, Afterward, a former classmate of DOR TE Monroy, lived at the Rizal home to become the boy's tutor im SPan®™ © naughty Sadly Monroy died five months later. (Of course, there is no truth aa th) : students’ comical insinuation that Rizal had something to do with his death. [Education : Rizal was subsequently sent toa private school in Bifian. In June Paciano brought him to the school of Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz. The school ‘was in the teacher's house, a'small njpa house near the home of Jose's aunt where he stayed. In Rizal's own words, his teacher “knew by the heart the grammars by Nebrija and Gainza” : 1869, his brother, During Rizal's first day at the Bifian school, the teacher asked him: : “Do you know Spanish?” “A little. sir” replied Rizal. “Do you know Latin?” “A little, sir’ Because of this, his classmates, especially the teacher's son Pedro, laughed at the newcomer. So later in that day, Jose challenged the bully Pedro to a fight Having learned wrestling from his Uncle Manuel, the younger and smaller Jose defeated his tormenter: (Compared to bullying victims today, we can say that Rizal did not wait for anyone to enact a law against bullying, but rather took matters » into his own hands.) After the class, he had an.arm-wrestling match with his classmate Andres “Salandanan: In that match, however, Jose lost and even almost cracked his head on the sidewalk (That only proves that merely being a deaperado won't win all your fights) In the following days, Jose was said to have some other fi (if his average was two fights per day, as what happened make you 4 1 4 | | 4 ights with Bifian boys. during his first dayBIOGRAPHY, WRITINGS, AND LEGACIES OF OUR BAYANI'62. 37 > in Bifian school, then he might have been more active than today’s MMA [mixed martial arts] fighters.) For his scuffles, he nonetheless received many whippings and blows on the open palm from his disciplinarian teacher. : Rizal might not have won all his brawls but he, nevertheless, beat all Bifian boys academically in Spanish, Latin, and many other subjects. After sometime, Jose i told his father that he had already learned all there was to be taught in Bifian, Don ; Francisco firmly scolded Jose and hustled him back to the school. Maestro Cruz, Jose's teacher in Bifian, later confirmed, however, that Jose had indeed finished already all the needed curricular works. So despite his wife's reluctance, Don Francisco then decided to send Jose to a school in Manila.