NOTES: JOSE RIZAL LIFE AND WORKS (Prelim)

Prepared by: Mr. Feddy B. Junsay Jr., LPT, MAED

What is Republic Act 1425 or Rizal Law?
-House Bill No. 5561 / -Senate Bill No. 438.
-It is commonly known as the Rizal Act, established on 12th of June 1956 by Senator Claro M. Recto.
-It requires the curricula of private and public schools, colleges and universities courses to include, works
and writings of Jose Rizal, particularly his novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo.
-It was made effective on August 16, 1956. Rizal Law (Republic Act No. 1425)
As stated in the preamble of RA 1425/Rizal Law;
“Whereas, today more than other period f or history, there is a need for a re-dedication to the ideals of
freedom and nationalism for which our heroes lived and died.”
“Whereas, all educational institutions are under the supervision of, and subject to regulation by the
State, and all schools are enjoined to develop moral character, personal discipline, civic conscience, and
to teach the duties of citizenship.”
The purpose of Batas Rizal is to rekindle the flame of nationalism in the hearts of the Filipino,
particularly the youth. We are forgetting what our patriots have done and given to fight for our freedom.
Factors in Determining of a Person: Just, Patient, Courageous, Bearer of Wisdom, Respectful, Nationalist,
Criteria in Choosing the Philippine National Hero
Filipino citizen, Patriot/nationalist, Has already been dead, Patient
Personalities Nominated to be our National Hero
Marcelo H. del Pilar, Emilio Jacinto, Graciano Lopez-Jaena, Antonio Luna
Issues about the Proclamation of Dr.Jose Rizal as National Hero
1. He was the illegitimate son of Adolf Hitler
2. He should not be proclaimed as the national hero because of his cowardice to fight the colonizers
through revolution. 3. He was regarded as an ―American-made hero.
*Declaration of Rizal as our national hero was only their strategy to hinder our nationalistic feelings.
Philippines: Spanish Period
Emergence of political unrest in Spanish Politics
1. It started during the reign of King Ferdinand VII
2. Spanish political instability resulted to frequent shifts of colonial policies and unfixed terms of
government officials in the Philippines.
*Representation in the Spanish Cortes, Deprivation of Human Rights to the Filipino, Corrupt Spanish
official, Inequality, Racial Discrimination, Land ownership and Feudalism

*Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda Doctor – complete his medical course in Spain and
was conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine by the Universidad Central de Madrid.
Jose – chosen by his mother who was a devotee of the Christian St. Joseph.
Protacio – form Gervacio P come from a Christian calendar, in consideration of the day of his birth.
Rizal – from ―Ricial‖ in Spanish means a field where a wheat, cut while still green, sprouts again.
Mercado – adopted by Domingo Lamco which Spanish term means market.
Alonzo – old name surname of his mother.
Realonda – used by Doña Teodora from the surname of her godmother based on the culture by that time.
*Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda
-He was born near midnight of Wednesday of June 19, 1861 to the Rizal family of Calamba, Laguna.
-He was baptized by Rev. Rufino Collantes in the Catholic church of Calamba on June 22, 1861, three
days after birth.
-His Godfather named Father Perdo Casanas, a close friend of Rizal family.
-Lieutenant-General Jose Lemery was the governor-general of the Philippines when Rizal was born.
*Rizal’s Father: Don Francisco Mercado (1818-1898)
-Born in Biñan, Laguna on May 11, 1818.
-Studied Latin and Philosophy at the College of San Jose in Manila.
-Became a tenant-farmer of the Dominican-owned hacienda.
-A hardly and independent-minded man, who talked less and worked more, and was strong in body and
valiant in spirit.
-Died in Manila on January 5, 1898 at age of 80. -Rizal affectionately called him ―a model father‖.
*Rizal’s Mother: Doña Teodora Alonso Realonda (1826-1911)
-Born in Manila on November 8, 1826.
-Educated at the College of Santa Rosa, a well-known college for girls in the city.
-A remarkable woman, possessing refined culture, literary talent, business ability,has fortitude of Spartan.
-Is a woman of more than ordinary culture; she known literature and speaks Spanish (according to Rizal).
-Died in Manila on August 16, 1911 at age of 85.

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The Siblings of Jose Rizal
Saturnina (1850-1913)
-Oldest of the Rizal children, -Nicknamed Neneng , -Married to Manuel T. Hidalgo of Batangas.
Paciano
-Older brother and confident of Jose Rizal. -He was the second father to Rizal.
-Immortalized him in Rizal‘s first novel Noli Me Tangere as the wise Pilosopong Tasio.
-Rizal regarded him as the ―most noble of Filipinos‖. -He became a combat general in the Philippine
Revolution. -Died on April 13, 1930,an old bachelor at age of 79, he had two children by his mistress
(Severina Decena) – a boy and a girl.
Narcisa (1852-1939)
Olympia (1855-1887)
Lucia (1857-1979)
Maria (1859-1945)
Concepcion (1862-1865)
-She died at age of three because of sickness. -Her death was Rizal‘s first sorrow in life.
Josefa (1865-1945)
-An old maid, died at age of 80.
Trinidad (1868-1951)
-An old maid, died at age of 83.
Soledad (1870-1929)
-Choleng was her pet-name, -She was married to Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba.

Rizal’s Home (Physical)

-It is one of the distinguished stone houses in Calamba during the Spanish times.
-It was a two-storey building, rectangular in shape, built of adobe stones and hard-woods and roofed with
red tiles. During the day, it hummed with the noises of children at play and the songs of the birds in the
garden; by night, it echoed with the dulcet notes of family prayers.
-The Rizal family belonged to the principalia, town aristocracy in Spanish Philippines.
-The Rizal family had a simple, contented and happy life. Calamba was a hacienda town which belonged
to Dominican Order, which also owned all the lands around.
-Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town) – a poem about Rizal‘s beloved town written by
Rizal in 1876 when he was 15 years old and was student in the Ateneo de Manila.
-The first memory of Rizal, in his infancy, was his happy days in the family garden when he was three.
-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. Another memory of Rizal during infancy was
the nocturnal walk in the town, especially when there was a moon.
-The death of Concha was his first sorrow. -At age of three he began to take part in the family prayers.
-At 5, he was able to read haltingly the Spanish family bible, and make sketches with this pencil and to
mould in clay and wax on objects which attracted his fancy.
The Story of the Moth‖ – made the profoundest impression of Rizal.
Sa Aking Mga Kabata‖- the first poem written in the native language at age of 8, he also wrote his first
dramatic work (Tagalog comedy).

Influences on the Hero’s Boyhood

1.Hereditary influence; 2.Environmental influence; 3.Aid of the Divine Providence
-Tio Jose Alberto – he develop the artistic ability of Rizal.
-Tio Manuel – he guided Rizal on his physical exercises.
-Tio Gregorio – intensified Rizal‘s voracious reading of good books.
-Father Leoncio Lopez – fostered Rizal‘s love for scholarship and intellectual honesty.

Early Education in Calamba and Biñan

-The first teacher of Rizal was his mother, who was remarkable woman of good character and fine
culture.; -Maestro Celestino – first private tutor.; -Maestro Lucas Padua – science tutor.
-June 1869 – Rizal left Calamba to study in Biñan, accompanied by Paciano.
-Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz – Rizal‘s first teacher in Biñan.
Pedro – his classmate that challenge him to fight.
-Andres Lakindanan – challenged Rizal to a wrestling match.
-Juancho – an old painter who was the father-in-law of the school teacher; freely give Rizal lesson in
drawing and painting.
-December 17, 1870 – he left Biñan after one year and a half of schooling.
-Arturo Camos – a French friend of Rizal‘s father who took care of him on board.

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Martyrdom of GomBurZA
-January 20, 1872 – about 200 Filipino soldiers and workmen of the Cavite arsenal under the leadership
of Sgt. Lamadrid (he was Filipino, but rose in mutiny because of the abolition of their usual privileges).
-Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, Jacinto Zamora – were executed at sunrise of February 17, 1872, by the
order of Governor-General Izquierdo.
-The martyrdom of the GomBurZa in 1872 truly Rizal to fight the evils of Spanish tyranny and redeem
his oppressed people.
-Rizal dedicated his second novel El Filibusterismo to GomBurZa.
Injustice to Rizal’s Mother
-June 1872 – Doña Teodora was suddenly arrested on a malicious charge that she and her brother Jose
Alberto, tried to poison the latter‘s perfidious wife.
-Antonio Vivencio del Rosario – Calamba‘s gobernadorcillo, who helped to arrest Doña Teodora.
-After arresting Doña Teodora, the sadistic Spanish lieutenant forced her to walk from Calamba to Santa
Cruz, Laguna (50km.).
-Doña Teodora was incarcerated at the provincial prison, where she languished for two years.
-Francisco de Marcaida and Manuel Marzan – the most famous lawyers of Manila that defend Doña
Teodora.
Scholastic Triumph at Ateneo de Manila
-Ateneo Municipal, a college under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits.
-Escuela Pia (Charity School) – formerly name of Ateneo, a school for poor boys in Manila which was
established by the city government 1817.
-June 10, 1872 – Rizal was accompanied by Paciano on his way to Manila.
-Father Magin Ferrano – he was the college registrar, who refused to admit Rizal in Ateneo for two
reason: a) he was late or registration b) he was sickly and undersized for his age.
-Manuel Xerez Burgos – because of his intercession, nephew of Father Burgos, Rizal was reluctantly
admitted Ateneo.
-He registered Rizal as his surname since Mercado was suspected by the Spanish authorities.
-Rizal was first board in a house outside in Caraballo Street. This was owned by a spinster named Titay
who owed the family the amount of 300 pesos.
Jesuits System of Education
-It trained the character of the students by rigid discipline and religious instructions.
-Students were divided into two groups:
-Roman Empire – consisting of internos (boarders); red banner.
-Carthaginian Empire – composed of the externos (non-boarders); blue banner.
-Intelligence distribution:
-Emperor – 1st, -Tribune – 2nd, -Decurion - 3rd, -Centurion – 4th, -Stand – 5th
-The Ateneo students wore a uniform consisted of ―hemp-fabric trousers‖ and ―striped cotton coat‖.
The coat material was called ravadillo.
First Year in Ateneo (1872-1973)
-Father Jose Bech – Rizal‘s first professor in Ateneo who he described as ―tall thin man, with a body
slightly bend forward, a harried walk, an ascetic face, severe and inspired, smell deep-sunken eyes, a
sharp nose that was almost Greek, and thin lips forming an arc whose fell toward the chin‖.
-A Religious picture – a Rizal‘s first prize for being brightest pupil in the whole class.
-To improve his Spanish, he took private lessons in Santa Isabel College during noon recesses. He paid
three pesos for those extra Spanish lessons.
-At the end of the school year in March, 1873, he returned to Calamba for summer vacation.
-When the summer vacation ended, Rizal returned to Manila for his second year term in Ateneo. This
time he boarded inside Intramuros at No. 6 Magallanes Street. His landlady was an old widow name
Doña Pepay
Last Year in Ateneo (1876-1877)
-Rizal‘s studies continued to fare well. As a matter-of-fact, the excelled in all subjects. The most brilliant
Atenean of his time, he was truly the pride of the Jesuits.
-March 23, 1877 – Commencement Day, Rizal who was 15 years old, received from his Alma Mater; the
Degree of Bachelor of Arts, with highest honour.
-Marian Congeragtion – a rel. society wherein Rizal was an active member & later became the secretary.
-Rizal cultivated his literary talent under the guidance of Father Sanchez.
-Rizal studies painting under the famous Spanish painter, Agusti Saez, and sculpture under omualdo de
Jesus; a noted Filipino sculptor.
-Rizal carved an image of the Virgin Mary on a piece of batikuling with his pocket-knife.
-Father Lieonart – impressed by Rizal‘s sculptural talent, requested him to carve for him an image of
Sacred Heart of Jesus.

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It was Doña Teodora who was first discovered the poetic genius of her son, and it also she who first
encourage him to write poems. However, it was Father Sanchez who inspired Rizal to take full of his
God-given gift in poetry.
-Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration), 1874, the Rizal probably wrote during days in Ateneo
which was dedicated to his mother on her birthday; Rizal wrote he was 14 years old.
1875 (inspired by Father Sanchez)
1. Felicitacion
2. El Embarque: Himno a la Flota de Magallanes
3. Y Es Español:Elcano el Primero en dar la Vuelta al Mundo
4. El Combate: Urbiztondo, Terror de Jolo
5. Al Niño Jesus (To the Child Jesus) – brief ode.

1877
1.El Heroismo de Colon (The Heroism of Columbus) – poem praises Columbus.
2.Colon y Juan II (Columbus and John II) – relates how King John II of Spain missed fame and riches by
his failure to finance the projected expedition of Columbus to the New World.
3.Gran Cunsuelo en la Mayor Desdicha (Great Solace in Great Misfortune) – a legend relates to the tragic
life of Columbus.
4.Un Dialogo Aluviso a la Despedida de los Colegiales (A Farewell Dialogue of the Students) – farewell
to his classmates in Ateneo.
5.A la Virgen Maria (To the Virgin Mary) – another religious poem which doesn‘t have exact date when it
was written.

Life in the University of Santo Tomas (1877-1882)

-After finishing the first year of a course in Philosophy and Letters (1877-1878). He transferred to the
medical course.
-April 1877 – he enrolled in the UST taking Philosophy and Letters because; 1) his father like it, 2) he
was “still uncertain as to what career to pursue”.
-Father Pablo Ramon – Rector of Ateneo, who had been good to him his students days in that college,
asking for advice on the choice of a career but unfortunately he was in Mindanao.
-During Rizal‘s first school term in the UST, Rizal also studied in Ateneo. He took the vocational course
leading to the title of perito agrimensor (expect surveyor).
While at UST, he fell in love with three women. During his first year, he fell in love with a woman
simply called “Miss L”, a woman with a fair, seductive and attractive eyes. The romance dead a natural
death because of two reasons: (1) the sweet memory of Segunda Katigbak was still fresh to in his memory
a and, (2) Rizal‘s father did not like the family of Miss L.
-During his sophomore year, he courted Leonor Valenzuela, a tall girl with regal bearing. Rizal sent her
love notes in invisible ink. But just like Segunda he also stopped visiting her.
During his junior year, Rizal had romance with Leonor Rivera, of Camiling, Tarlac. Leonor was a pretty
girl and a students of La Concordia Colllege. Both Rizal and Leonor were engaged, he used the sign name
―Taimis‖ to cover their relationship from their parents.
-Rizal studied in UST from 1878-1882. his grade in Medicine consists of 2 excellent, 3 very good, 8
good, and 2 fair (physics and general pathology). His grades in UST College of Medicine were not as
impressive as what he got at Ateneo Philosophy and Letters due to the hostility of the Dominican
professors. Accordingly, laboratory equipment's are just for display and racial discrimination against the
Filipino students.
A La Juventud (To the Filipino Youth) – at 18, submitted tis poem, it is inspiring poem of flawless form.
This poem won as a classic Filipino literature for two reasons: a) it was a great poem in Spanish written
by the Filipino, whose merit was recognized by Spanish literary authorities, 2) expressed for the first time
the nationalistic concept that the Filipino, and not the foreigners, were the “fair hope of the Fatherland”.
The Board of Judges, composed of Spaniards was impressed by Rizal‘s poem and gave it gave it the first
prize which consisted of a silver pen, feather-shaped and decorated with a gold ribbon.
-A Filipinas – a sonnet written by Rizal for the album of the Society of Sculptors; in this sonnet, he urged
all Filipino artists to glorify the Philippines.
Unhappy Days in UST
-Rizal found the atmosphere at the UST suffocating to his sensitive spirit. He was unhappy at this
Dominican institution of higher learning because 1) the Dominican professors were hostile to him 2) the
Filipino students were racially discriminated by the Spaniards 3) the method of instruction was obsolete
and repressive.
-In Rizal novel, El Filibusterismo, he described how the Filipino students were humiliated and insulted by
their Dominican professors and how backward the method of instruction was, especially in the teaching
of the natural sciences. He related in Chapter XIII (The Class in Physics).