Rizal’s mother, Teodora Alonso, is imprisoned by Spanish officials on suspicion that

she and her brother Alberto poisoned the latter’s wife. Many people know the real
reason is because Rizal’s father, Francisco, talked back to a Spanish lieutenant. And a
Spanish judge who visited their home felt insulted for not being treated the way he
expected.

Rizal grew up in a family that values the teachings of the Church. He was taught to properly
express gratitude to those who helped him - directly or indirectly. Rizal's brother, Paciano, was
closely related to Father Jose Burgos, one of the three martyr priests, GOMBURZA, implicated
in the 1872 Cavite Mutiny. Paciano's relationship with Father Burgos made him very vocal in his
criticisms regarding the abuses of the Spanish friars, which he then taught to his brother, Rizal.
When the execution of the GOMBURZA occurred, it became one of the most tragic moments in
Rizal's life. In return for the passion and desire to implement reforms and attain equality for the
Filipino people, Rizal dedicated his novel, El Filibusterismo, to the GOMBURZA priests. With
the injustices he had witnessed, he felt the need to avenge the death of those who sacrificed their
lives for reform.