NOTES: JOSE RIZAL LIFE AND WORKS (Prelim)
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
1
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.
 NOTES: JOSE RIZAL LIFE AND WORKS (Prelim)
 Alonzo – old name surname of his
mother.
 Realonda – used by Doñ a 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 Biñ an, 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.
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)
2
 NOTES: JOSE RIZAL LIFE AND WORKS (Prelim)
 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.
3
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 Biñ an, accompanied by Paciano.
 Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz –
Rizal‘s first teacher in Biñ an.
 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 Biñ an
after one year and a half of schooling.
 Arturo Camos – a French friend of
Rizal‘s father who took care of him on
board.
Martyrdom of GomBurZA
 NOTES: JOSE RIZAL LIFE AND WORKS (Prelim)
 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 – Doñ a 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 Doñ a Teodora.
 After arresting Doñ a Teodora, the
sadistic Spanish lieutenant forced her
to walk from Calamba to Santa Cruz,
Laguna (50km.).
 Doñ a 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 Doñ a 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.
4
 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
 NOTES: JOSE RIZAL LIFE AND WORKS (Prelim)
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 Doñ a 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.
5
It was Doñ a 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 Españ ol:Elcano el Primero en dar
la Vuelta al Mundo
4. El Combate: Urbiztondo, Terror de Jolo
5. Al Niñ o 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.
 NOTES: JOSE RIZAL LIFE AND WORKS (Prelim)
 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).