Life and Works

of Jose Rizal
Course Material No. 5

Mr.Patrick John S. Espiritu

Faculty, Social Sciences Cluster
College of Arts and Sciences
NU Laguna
Introduction to
Rizal’s Life
LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this module, you are expected to

• Discuss Rizal’s Ancestry and Family

• Be familiar with Rizal’s childhood experiences
• Describe people and events that influenced Rizal’s
early life
• Be aware about Rizal’s Education from Early
Childhood to Education in UST

HOW DOES YOUR FAMILY AFFECTS YOU AS A PERSON?

 RIZAL’S ANCESTRY

Rizal’s Family

Jose Rizal was born on June 19, 1861 in the town of Calamba, province of
Laguna. The town Calamba back then was a town with around four thousand
population and known for its agricultural prosperity and is among the major
producers of sugar and rice, with an abundant variety of tropical fruits.
Calamba is also surrounded by wonders creations such as Mount Makiling,
Laguna de Bay that made him love nature at his early age. Rizal apparently
came from a Chinese-Filipino descent – Francisco Mercado Y Chinco. Don
Francisco’s earliest ancestors were Siang-co and Zun-nio, who later gave birth to
Lam-co and said to have come from Southern China and migrated in the
Philippines in 1600s. He was then baptized (1697) in Binondo, adopting
“Domingo” as his first name. According to Reyno (2012), Domingo married to
Ines dela Rosa of Binondo known from entrepreneurial family. He added that
Domingo and Ines settled in the state of San Isidro Labrador, owned by
Dominicans.

Rizal’s Parents

Francisco Mercado was born in Biñan, Laguna on May 11, 1818. He took
up Philosophy and Latin in the Colegio de San Jose in Manila. After his
parents’ death, he moved to Calamba. There he became a tenant
farmer of the Dominican-owned hacienda and later became one of the
town’s wealthiest men. He was able to establish a private library and kept
carriage. The name ‘Francisco’ was in high honor in Laguna for it had
belonged to a famous sea captain who had been given the
ENCOMIENDA of BAY for his services.

Rizal’s mother Teodora Alonso came from the clan of Lakan Dula, known
as the last Malay king of Tondo, one of the wealthiest families in Manila.
She was also traced to Eugenio Ursua whose ancestors came from Japan.
She was the second daughter of Lorenzo Alberto Alonso who was a
former representative of Spanish Cortes and Brigida de Quintos whose
parents were Manuel de Quintos, of a well-known family in Pangasinan
and Regina Ursua who was the daughter of Benigna and Eugene Ursua.
Donya Teodora studied at the College of Santa Rosa. Rizal’s called her as
“a woman of more than ordinary culture” and “a mathematician and has
read many books”.
 Because of Francisco and Teodora’s industry and hardwork, their family
became a prominent member of the principalia class in town of Calamba. As
already noted, Teodora Alonso had a trace of Japanese ancestry. Moreover,
she was of Ilocano-Tagalog-Chinese-Spanish descent. Combining the paternal
and maternal ancestry, therefore Jose Rizal was born with Malay, Chinese,
Japanese and Spanish lineages in his blood.

Jose Protacio Mercado Rizal Alonzo y Realonda

✓ Jose-was chosen by his mother who was adevotee of the Christian saint
San Jose (St.Joseph)·

✓ Protacio-from Gervacio P. which come from a Christian calendar·

✓ Mercado- adopted in 1731 by Domigo Lamco (the paternal great-great

grandfather of Jose Rizal) which the Spanish term mercado means
‘market’ in English

✓ Rizal-from the word ‘Ricial’ in Spanish means a field where wheat, cut while
still green,sprouts again. Rizal was used, which means new pasture or
greenfield.

✓ Alonzo-old surname of his mother·

✓ Y-and

✓ Realonda- it was used by Doña Teodora from the surname of her

godmother based on the culture by that time

Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado Alonzo y Realonda is the full name of the
Philippine national hero. Suggestive of his time, Rizal has 6 names. There are
two given Christian names and four surnames. He was simply Pepe to his family
and friends; Pepe Rizal to the family’s friar-friends; as a medical practitioner, he
was Dr. Jose Rizal; in the academe he was Dr. Jose Rizal, Jose Rizal or Rizal. He
was Lolo Jose for his great grandchildren; and he was Joe for his live-in partner,
Josephine Bracken. Rizal was born on June 19, 1861, the 7th child of Don
Francisco Mercado and Doña Teodora Alonso. He was christened Jose
Protacio, in honor of two saints. His mother was a devotee of Saint Joseph while
Saint Protacio is the patron saint for June 19.
In the book In Excelsis, writer Felice Prudente Santa Maria explained how
Rizal got the nickname “Pepe.”“Saint Joseph was the putative (commonly
accepted) father of Jesus Christ. In Latin, San Jose’s name is always followed by
the letters ‘P.P’ for pater putativus. In Spanish, the letter ‘P’ is pronounced as
‘peh’ giving rise to the nickname Pepe for Jose.”

Jose Rizal’s mother almost died during the delivery because of his big
head. As he recounted many years later in his student memoirs: “I was born in
Calamba on June 19, 1861, between 11 o’clock and midnight, a few days
before full moon. It was Wednesday and my coming out in this vale of tears
would have cost my mother her life had she not vowed to the Virgin of Antipolo
to take me to her sanctuary by way of pilgrimage. “ (Zaide, 1997). The great
grandfather of Jose Rizal was a Chinese merchant Domingo Lamco, who later
on adopted the surname Mercado. In Laguna, many families adopted the
family name Mercado. So, to distinguish Lamco-Mercado from other Mercados
who are not related to them, the alcalde mayor (their family friend) suggested
addition of another surname, Rizal. Domingo Lamco-Mercado was a merchant
while Francisco Mercado-Rizal was a farmer. Accordingly, the family name Rizal
could be traced from the word ricial which means green fields. This is a Spanish
term which means “a field where wheat stalks are cut still green, to sprout again
(Daquila 2009).
Fr. Rufino Collantes, who baptized Rizal, was impressed by the baby’s big head,
and told the members of the family who were present: “Take care of this child, for
someday he will become a great man.” His words proved to be prophetic, as
confirmed by subsequent events. (Zaide, 1997). And so, at the course of Rizal’s life, his
“big head” indeed contributed multifarious, patriotic great events towards the shaping
of the Filipino nationhood.

The Child Rizal

Jose was the 7th among the 11 children of Don Francisco and Dona Teodora.
He was a frail, sickly and undersized child.
He experienced his first sorrow when his younger sister Concepcion died at age
3.
He fears when his nanny threatened that aswang, tikbalang and heavy-
bearded Bombay would take away if he would not eat his supper.
Rizal was afraid of ghosts - like Pepe, many children grew up fearing mysterious
creatures
At age three, he learned the alphabet from his mother
Rizal was a happy student. Unlike some students, Rizal loved school
At age 8, he wrote his first poem entitled “Sa Aking Mga Kababata”
Rizal couldn’t carry out a tune. He admitted in his memoirs that singing was not
his cup of tea.
 He was influenced by his three uncles – Jose, Alberto, Gregorio, and Manuel.

RIZAL AS A SON

➢ Rizal had a colorful, heroic yet tragic life.

➢ He had written poems at an age where most children are just playing and
carefree.
➢ My First Inspiration was dedicated to his mother who had taken care of him and
taught him his first lessons.
➢ As a son, Rizal implied he was grateful to his parents.
➢ He always treasured the care demonstrated to him by his parents due to
his poor health.
➢ As a loyal son, Rizal began to have misgivings on friendship and started to
be suspicious of his fellowmen because of incarceration of his mother.
➢ The injustice suffered by his mother created in him hatred of the Spanish
regime. The men who arrested Donya Teodora were frequent visitors in
their home.
➢ Rizal as a loving and an obedient son to his parents:
- His first course in UST was Philosophy and Letters because of his father's
decision.
- He shifted to Medicine in his 2nd year in UST when he knows that his
mother was going to be blind.

The first taste of injustice of the young Rizal was when Rizal was waiting the
month of July to go to school in Manila, darkness descended upon their home.
Jose Alberto, a brother of Dona Teodora and one of wealthiest men in Binan,
upon his return from a trip to Europe, came home to find his wife gone and his
children abandoned. By all appearance, his wife had been unfaithful to him.
Jose thus planned to separate from her, but Teodora intervened for the sake of
the children and on account of the Catholic principles she professed. She
succeeded in dissuading him from separating from his wife, and the family was
reunited. This notwithstanding, Jose Alberto’s wife conspired with the Spanish
lieutenant of the Guardia Civil and filed a suit against Dona Teodora for
purportedly attempting to poison her. Dona Teodora was arrested and forced
to walk a distance of 50 kilometers from Calamba to the capital of Laguna, then
Sta. Cruz. She was then jailed for almost two and a half years. Attempts were
made by Rizal’s family to absolve her from the case, to the point of pleading at
the Royal Audiencia. She was later freed by Governor Izquierdo upon the
request of the young Soledad, whose graceful dancing charmed the governor-
general and his guest.
 Pepe never forgot the incident. The injustice suffered by her mother in the
hands of the Spaniards instilled in him a deep hatred for the Spanish regime.
Moreover, as the men who arrested Dona Teodora were frequent visitors in their
home, Rizal lost confidence in friendship and came to mistrust his fellowmen. It
was therefore with a sad and heavy heart that he left for Ateneo de Manila
(Duka, 2010).
When Rizal was a freshman medical student at the University of Santo
Tomas, he experienced his first taste of Spanish brutality. Once dark night in
Calamba, during the summer vacation in 1878, he was walking in the street. He
dimly perceived the figure of a man while passing him. Not knowing the person
due to darkness, he did not salute nor say a courteous “Good Evening.” The
vague figure turned out to be a lieutenant of the Guardia Civil. With a snarl, he
turned upon Rizal, whipped out his sword and brutally slashed the latter on the
back.
The wound was not serious, but it was painful. When he recovered, Rizal
reported the incident to General Primo de Rivera, the Spanish governor general
of the Philippines at that time. But nothing came out of his complaint, because
he was an Indio and the abusive lieutenant was a Spaniard. Later, in a letter to
Blumentritt, dated March 21, 1887, he related: “I went to the Captain-General
but I could not obtain justice; my wound lasted two weeks”. In the time of Rizal,
the entire Philippines was under the Spanish colonization, wherein the
government is controlled by priests rather than officials. Rebellion was still in
rampage. There was still a large resistance against the Spaniards. Filipinos or
“Indios” as we are called were put into slavery and the exploitation of resources
was at large. The Filipino people struggled under the bondage of Spanish
misrule.

The Childhood of Jose Rizal

The childhood of Jose Rizal can be characterized by his desire to learn,

even frequenting the church nearby his home to watch and observe people.
The childhood of Jose Rizal can be characterized by his desire to learn, even
frequenting the church nearby his home to watch and observe people but not
to be religiously inclined.

Jose Rizal was not a physically blessed or strong. However, he had a

strong will guided and taught by his mother, his first teacher. He learned almost
without the use of books. His mother was the one who laid the foundation of his
great knowledge achieved in such a short time. His brilliance was also the
character of the young Jose Rizal. Jose Rizal learned his letters at the age of
three, after insisting that he be taught to read and share the lessons learned by
his elder sister. Rizal even tried to spell out the words of his sister’s story book with
the use of a syllabary in such a way that one does when using a dictionary in a
foreign language. He also spent much of this time in a church nearby his house
just watching or observing the people coming in and out.

Three uncles who were brothers of his mother also had much influence on
the early childhood of Jose Rizal. The youngest uncle named Jose, took care of
teaching regular lessons to Rizal. His huge uncle Manuel developed his physique
until he had a body of silk and steel and no longer a skinny and sickly boy. The
last uncle, Gregorio instilled in the mind of Rizal that it was not easy to obtain
something until you put effort into it. There was a also a time when Rizal was able
to draw a bird flying nearby without lifting the pencil he was using from the
paper till the picture he drew was finished. He can also draw a running horse
and a chasing dog. Clay and wax were the favorite play materials of Rizal. He
used these materials in forming modeled birds and butterflies. This animal
molding activity also started his study of nature.

Jose Rizal also owned a pony and used it to have long rides into the
surrounding country which was rich in scenery. He also took long walks together
with his big black dog named Usman. He also loved to play with the doves in his
neighborhood. He learned about the myths and legends in Laguna after
sleeping through the nut in a little straw hut used by Laguna farmers during the
harvest season. Rizal was also good in hand tricks which he perfected to amaze
the simple folk and performed magic lantern exhibitions.

Even in his childhood, Rizal already knew how to respect the rights of
others and requested his elders to reason with him rather than get mad at him
for small offenses. He became a welcome companion for adults even at his
young age since he respected their moods and was never a hindrance to their
activities. (https://www.joserizal.com/childhood-jose-rizal/)

EARLY EDUCATION in CALAMBA and BIÑAN

Rizal had his early education in Calamba and Biñan. It was a typical
schooling that a son of an ilustrado family received during his time,
characterized by the four R’s- reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion.
Instruction was rigid and strict. Knowledge was forced into the minds of the
pupils by means of the tedious memory method aided by the teacher’s whip.
Despite the defects of the Spanish system of elementary education, Rizal was
able to acquire the necessary instruction preparatory for college work in Manila.
It may be said that Rizal, who was born a physical weakling, rose to become an
intellectual giant not because of, but rather in spite of, the outmoded and
backward system of instruction obtaining in the Philippines during the last
decades of Spanish regime.

The Hero’s First Teacher The first teacher of Rizal was his mother,
who was a remarkable woman of good character and fine culture.
On her lap, he learned at the age of three the alphabet and the
prayers. "My mother," wrote Rizal in his student memoirs, "taught me
how to read and to say haltingly the humble prayers which I raised
fervently to God."As tutor, Doña Teodora was patient,
conscientious, and understanding. It was she who first discovered
that her son had a talent for poetry.

The first was Maestro Celestino and the second, Maestro Lucas
Padua. Later, an old man named Leon Monroy, a former classmate
of Rizal’s father, became the boy’s tutor. This old teacher lived at
the Rizal home and instructed Jose in Spanish and Latin.
Unfortunately, he did not lived long. He died five months later.

Jose goes to Biñan one Sunday afternoon in June , 1869, Jose, after
kissing the hands of his parents and a tearful parting from his sister,
left Calamba for Biñan. He was accompanied by Paciano , who
acted as his second father. The two brothers rode in a carromata,
reaching their destination after one and one-half hours’ drive. They
proceeded to their aunt’s house, where Jose was to lodge. It was
almost night when they arrived, and the moon was about to rise.
That same night, Jose, with his cousin named Leandro, went
sightseeing in the town. Instead of enjoying the sights, Jose
became depressed because of homesickness.

First Day in Biñan School. The next morning (Monday) Paciano

brought his younger brother to the school of Maestro Justiniano
Aquino Cruz.The school was in the house of the teacher, which was
a small nipa hut about 30 meters from the home of Jose’s aunt.
Immediately, Jose was assigned his seat in the class. Jose
described his teacher in Biñan as follows: "He was tall, thin, long-
necked, with sharp nose and a body slightly bent forward, and he
used to wear a sinamay shirt, woven by the skilled hands of the
women of Batangas.

First School Brawl. In the afternoon of his first day in school, when
the teacher was having his siesta, Jose met the bully, Pedro. He
was angry at this bully for making fun of him during his conversation
 with the teacher in the morning.Jose challenged Pedro to a fight.
The latter readily accepted, thinking that he could easily beat the
Calamba boy who was smaller and younger. The two boys
wrestled furiously in the classroom, much to the glee of their
classmates. Jose, having learned the art of wrestling from his
athletic Tio Manuel, defeated the bigger boy. For this feat, he
became popular among his classmates. After the class in the
afternoon, a classmate named Andres Salandanan challenged
him to an arm-wrestling match. They went to a sidewalk of a house
and wrestled with their arms. Jose, having the weaker arm, lost and
nearly cracked his head on the sidewalk.In succeeding days he
had other fights with the boys of Biñan. (read more at
http://joseprizal-one.blogspot.com/2006/03/rizal-family-early-
childhood-and.html )

STUDENT of MANILA

Rizal was sent by his father in Ateneo Municipal, formerly known as Escuela Pia,
for a six-year program, Bachiller en Artes. He took the entrance exam on June 10, 1872,
four months after the execution of GOMBURZA. He followed the advice of his brother,
Paciano, to use the name Jose Rizal instead of Jose Mercado. He feared that Rizal
might run into trouble if it was known openly that they were brothers since Paciano was
known to have links to Jose Burgos.

Druing this time, Ateneo Municipal was known to offer the best education for boys. It
was managed by priests, but with an important difference in the sense that these
religious were not friars but Jesuit Fathers. Students in Ateneo were required to attend
masses in the morning before the start of classes. Ateneo was also known for its rigid
discipline and religious instruction that trained students’ character.

Students in Ateneo were divided into two groups:

Roman Empire – students boarding at the Ateneo
Carthaginians – composed of non-boarding students

The student groupings was done to start a competitive mindset. In the beginning,
Rizal lagged behind his classmates but because of his willingness and being serious on
his studies, he became the “emperor” of their class, it means he was the most
outstanding students in his class. Rizal studied at Ateneo from 1872 – 1877. In those
years, he consistently showed excellence in his academic performance. He graduated
with a degree Bachiller en Artes, with the highest honors.
After graduating from the Ateneo, Don Francisco sent him to University of Santo
Tomas, however, Donya Teodora opposed this idea in the beginning because she is
afraid on what happened to the GOMBURZA. Despite of this opposition of his mother,
Rizal enrolled in UST. During his first year, he took Philosophy and Letters. In the same
year, he took up a vocational course in Ateneo that gave him title of perito agrimensor
(expert surveyor) issued on November 25, 1881.
He shifted to Medicine in his second year in UST because he felt the need for him
to take up this course when he knew the failing eyesight condition of his mother. During
those years, his academic performance was not as impressive as that in Ateneo.
Despite of this, he was one of the seven who remained up to the last year of study in
UST. In 1882, Rizal and Paciano made a secret pact – Rizal would go to Europe to
complete his medical studies there and prepare himself for the great task of liberating
the country from Spanish tyranny.

What’s Next?

Rizal in Europe
Rizal’s Second Trip Abroad

References:

Miranda G. (2015).The Rizal Family's origin. Calamba: Memories , History, Culture,

Traditions, Folklores, Personalities, & Events. Retrieved from
https://tagacalamba.wixsite.com/calamba

Daquila Sonia. Seeds of Revolution (2009)

Duka,Cecilio. Rizal: His Legacy to Philippine Society, 2010.

Zaide, Gregorio F. and Sonia M. Zaide (2011). Jose Rizal: Life, Works and Writings of a Genius
Scientist and National Hero, p. 49.

https://www.joserizal.com/childhood-jose-rizal/