BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY

Malvar, Batangas, Philippines

LIFE, WORKS AND WRITINGS OF RIZAL (GED 103)

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Reading Material No. 5

“Nasan na ang pangako mo, Noong sinusuyo ako

Anong tamis anong lambing, Binibigkas ng labi mo
Ngunit kahit nagbago pa, Sa akin ang damdamin mo
Mananatili kang mahal sa puso ko”

All the girls Rizal loved before

In which the stories behind his dalliances reveal a high-level bolero, master in
mabulaklak na mga pangungusap, how you can make friends with an ex, and
why he was not the type to put a ring on it.
Credits to: Bam Abellon | December 30, 2018

It can only be with true passion that one can conquer and accomplish what
Filipino hero Jose Rizal had in his thirty-five-year life. He stopped at nothing
when it came to expressing his love not just for his country but also his
women. His travels across the Philippines and the world swayed him into
multifarious relationships that colored almost half his life. There are nine
women on record. It’s not to say that all those relationships were serious, but
he did pursue when he wanted to pursue, cared, at least, and displayed his
attentiveness and charm unapologetically.

He documented his affairs, too, using his much-praised grandiloquence. And

based on those documents, let’s just say the man is a high-high-
level bolero. And he wrote them letters (a dying art, so forgive us waxing
poetic about it). And let’s not forget he almost fought in a duel with the Filipino
army general Antonio Luna, when a drunk Luna made nasty comments about
a girl named Nellie Boustead. He was grand when he needed to be, and
smooth without trying; an expert playboy—or lover—if you will. Could he be
the original GOAT?

But amidst the flirting, he was a big believer that women should be
empowered. This was evident in his essay, “To the Young Women of Malolos,”
which he wrote for the 20 women of Bulacan who fought to have a night
school so they could study Spanish.

He wrote, in part, “No longer does the Filipina stand with her head bowed nor
does she spend her time on her knees, because she is quickened by hope in
the future; no longer will the mother contribute to keeping her daughter in
darkness and bring her up in contempt and moral annihilation. And no longer
will the science of all sciences consist in blind submission to any unjust order,
or in extreme complacency, nor will a courteous smile be deemed the only
weapon against insult or humble tears the ineffable panacea for all
tribulations.”

A supporter of women empowerment—who has that swagger? It’s not so hard

to imagine anyone flirting back after he inks his first sentence.

As proof of his “ways,” here are the recorded stories of the nine women of Dr.
Jose Rizal.

1 Segunda Katigbak
First love never dies they say—unless your first love is already engaged to be
married when you meet. Then you have to let it go really fast. Such was the
case of Jose Rizal and Segunda Katigbak, a Batangueña from Lipa City,
whom Rizal met when he was only a 16-year-old boy.

They met when the young hero visited his grandmother with his friend,
Mariano Katigbak, Segunda’s brother. The Katigbaks were close to Rizal’s
grandmother, and coincidentally, Segunda was at the grandma’s house when
Rizal and Mariano arrived. It was attraction at first sight. Segunda was also a
close friend of Rizal’s sister, Olympia, whom he visited every week at the La
Concordia College. The two became very close. However, Segunda was
already engaged to be married to a man who lived in her town, and Rizal had
to stop pursuing her.

Rizal wrote about the incident years later, “Ended, at an early house, my first
love! My virgin heart will always mourn the reckless step it took on the flower-
decked abyss. My illusions will return, yes, but indifferent, uncertain, ready for
the first betrayal on the path of love.”
Our heartache-filled, hugot-induced breakup films would be put to shame.

2 Leonor Valenzuela
Leonor “Orang” Valenzuela, Rizal’s second object of affection, is literally the
girl-next-door. They met when Rizal was a sophomore medical student at the
University of Santo Tomas, during which time he also lived at Doña Concha
Leyva’s boarding house in Intramuros, Manila. Orang, who was then 14 years
old, was his neighbor.

During the courtship, Rizal was said to have sent Leonor private and secret
love letters, which he wrote using invisible ink made with water and salt—he
was adept in chemistry, too. To read the letters, Orang had to heat the letter
over a candle or a lamp. (How did we get from this intricate, labored way of
courting someone to pressing that heart icon on Instagram? Just wondering.)
Rizal also frequented the Valenzuelas’ home, which was a hang out place of
the students in the area.

There are, however, documents that may serve as proof that Rizal’s efforts
were not effective. Some accounts say he was courting Leonor Valenzuela
and and his second cousin Leonor Rivera at the same time—thus the need for
invisible letters. (Still, we need to appreciate the effort that went with it.)
Rivera apparently knew of this and gave way to Rivera’s attraction for Rizal.
When Rizal left for Spain in 1882, it was said that he did say goodbye to
Orang, but kept in touch with the help of Rizal’s close friend, Jose “Chenggoy”
Cecilio.

Chenggoy was the ultimate teaser—and maybe wingman?—who was

amused with the “rivalry” of the namesakes. On one of Chenggoy’s letters to
Rizal, he wrote, “…nagpipilit ang munting kasera (Leonor Rivera) na makita si
Orang, pero dahil natatakpan ng isang belong puti, hindi naming nakilala nang
dumaan ang prusisyon sa tapat ng bahay. Sinabi sa akin ni O(rang) na
sabihin ko raw sa munting kasera na hindi siya kumakaribal sa pag-iibigan
ninyo. Que gulay, tukayo, anong gulo itong idinudulot natin sa mga dalagang
ito!” (Manebog 2013)

Lest it be forgotten, while he was pursuing the two Leonors, Rizal was in
Europe taking courses in medicine at Universidad Central de Madrid and
painting at Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Calle Alcala.
Maybe he still had time on his hands?

3 Leonor Rivera
Leanor Rivera and Jose Rizal lived the tragedies of Shakespeare’s poems.

They met when Rizal was 18 and Leonor was 13, at the boarding house of
Rizal’s uncle in Intramuros, Manila. Leonor was Rizal’s second cousin.

It was a perfect love story in the beginning: he, the intelligent charmer, and
she, the beautiful student who had a beautiful singing voice and was a
talented piano player. Soon, they fell in love. But as tragic love stories go,
they were besieged by obstacles. Leonor’s parents highly disapproved of their
relationship as they were wary of Rizal being a “filibuster.” In his letters, Rizal
called Leonor “Taimis” to hide her identity.
Before leaving for Europe in 1882, Rizal said that he had found the woman he
wanted to marry. But even his brother, Paciano Rizal, disagreed with the idea,
saying that it would be unfair to Leonor if he were to leave her behind after
getting married.

But their love—as young loves are—wanted to go against all that stood in the
way. Although they did not get married, they tried to continue sending each
other love letters, a lot of which were intercepted and kept hidden by Leonor’s
mother. In 1890, Leonor wrote a letter to Rizal saying that she was engaged
to be married to a British engineer named Henry Kipping. That same year, the
wedding pushed through.

Upon the coercion of her mother, Leonor burned Rizal’s letters to her—but it
was said she kept the ashes of those letters. A story goes that she hid some
of these ashes in the hem of her wedding gown.

But their dark romance didn’t end there.

In 1893, Leonor died during second childbirth. Documents show that when
Rizal heard of the news through his sister, Narcisa, he didn’t speak for a few
days. It is believed that Rizal immortalized Leonor through the character Maria
Clara in Noli Me Tangere. Like we said, it’s a Shakespearean kind of dark—
and no love story is more intense than the one that lost the battle with
circumstances.

4 Consuelo Ortega Y Rey

Consuelo Ortega Y Rey was the daughter of Don Pablo Ortiga Y Rey, who
was Mayor of Manila when Maria dela Torre was the governor. While Rizal
was in Madrid, he would hang out at Don Pablo’s house, which became a
place where Filipino students would often get together. Through one of these
gatherings, Rizal met Consuelo.

He showed affection towards Consuelo but was not serious in his pursuit as
he was still engaged to Leonor Rivera at the time. Yes, he loved the company
of women, but during that brief period, he too was lonely and yearning for the
physical void left by Leonor.

Although most accounts say the dalliance didn’t turn serious, Rizal wrote a
poem for her, entitled, “A La Señorita C.O.y.P.” Of course, these days, when
you write a poem for someone, that’s like a marriage proposal. In the end,
Consuelo got engaged to Rizal’s friend, Eduardo de Lete. It is said that
Eduardo’s love for Consuelo was also the reason Rizal didn’t pursue the
mestiza. Or maybe, in modern parlance, theirs was a classic case of a
rebound fling.
5 Seiko Usui
In many of his diary entries, Rizal wrote about how he was charmed by
Japan’s beauty, cleanliness, and peace and order. But if there was one thing
that almost kept him in the country where cherry blossoms bloom most
beautiful, it was a woman named Seiko Usui, affectionately called O-Sei-San.

It was in 1888. Rizal had just arrived in Japan from Hongkong upon an
invitation to take a job offer at the Spanish Legation. One day, while he was in
the office grounds, he saw O-Sei-San walk past the legation’s gate and was
immediately enthralled by her beauty. With the help of a Japanese gardener,
he asked to be introduced to the woman who captured his eyes—and the
gardener acquiesced. Rizal spoke little Japanese at the time, so the gardener
had to serve as a translator. However, a few minutes into the conversation,
they both found O-Sei-San spoke English and French, which was a relief as
Rizal spoke both languages. When the language barrier broke, they started to
build a relationship.

Seiko Usui, also known as O Sei San, was a Japanese samurai's daughter.
She was 23 years old when she first met Jose Rizal. He had moved to a
Spanish Legation in the Azabu district of Tokyo where she regularly worked.
She served as his interpreter during his stay in Japan. She also helped him to
be accustomed to the Japanese culture, taught him how to read and write
Nihonggo, and taught him the Japanese art of painting also known as su-mie.
Together, they visited The Imperial Art Gallery, The Imperial Library, various
universities, the Shokubutsu-en (Botanical Garden), the Hibiya Park, and
various shrines.
Rizal was almost tempted by her beauty and affection to stay in Japan. When
Rizal left for the United States, he told her in a note that he had spent a happy
golden month with her and that he do not know if he can have another.

As days went by, O-Sei-San taught Rizal the ways of the Japanese. They
went gallivanting, visiting museums, galleries, and universities. They talked
about the arts and culture, switching their language from French to English
and back as they pleased. Their love was childlike and spirited. According to
many accounts, Rizal was ready to move to Japan, stay with O-Sei-San, and
live a peaceful life with his love.

Unfortunately for this relationship, country-saving duties would call and he had
to leave Japan for San Francisco. He never saw O-Sei-San again. Their affair
lasted for around two months. It’s shorter than an average season of a Netflix
series, but you know Rizal and his intensity.

6 Gertrude Beckett
In the same year he began and ended his relations with O-Sei-San, our JR,
then 27, went to London and met a woman named Gertrude Beckett, the
eldest daughter of his landlord. Gertrude showered Rizal with all the love and
attention of a girl who is hopelessly in love. She even assisted Rizal as he
finished some of his popular sculptures, “Prometheus Bound,” “The Triumph
of Death over Life,” and “The Triumph of Science over Death.” He called her
Gettie, she called him Pettie. But all documents lead to say one thing: the
feelings weren’t mutually shared.
In 1889, Rizal left London, and left Gettie a composite carving of the heads of
the Beckett sisters. Marcelo del Pilar, Rizal’s friend, said Rizal left London to
move away from Gertrude, whose idea of their relationship was more than
what it really was—the most tormenting kind: an unrequited love.

7 Suzanne Jacoby
Maybe Rizal was repulsed with the idea of having an idle mind. With all the
loneliness and anxiety from the turmoil of his country and family, he was even
able to fill his resting moments learning new things—like flirting with women.
When he arrived in Belgium in 1890, he lived at a boarding house that was
run by two sisters whose last name was Jacoby. The sisters had a niece
named Suzanne. You probably can guess now what happens with Rizal and
his caretaker’s kin. If it’s not a neighbor, it’s a caretaker’s kin. Are we seeing a
trend here? Obviously the guy is too busy to explore beyond a one-kilometer
radius.
The relationship was probably a fling, too, as Rizal made no mention of
Suzanne when he wrote letters to his friends about his stay in Belgium. Rizal
left the country in August that year. Suzanne was heartbroken. Rizal
continued writing El Filibusterismo, writing for La Solidaridad, and worrying
about his family back home. It was said that Suzanne wrote Rizal letters. Rizal
may have replied once. In 1891, Rizal went back to Belgium—not for
Suzanne—but to finish writing El Filibusterismo. He stayed for a few months,
left, and never returned. Maybe she got the point after that.

8 Nellie Boustead
Remember that famous time when Antonio Luna and Jose Rizal almost got
into a duel because of a girl? The girl in the middle of that madness was Nellie
Boustead. Rizal and Nellie met in Biarritz, where Nellie’s wealthy family
hosted Rizal’s stay at their residence on the French Riviera. Before Biarritz,
Rizal already made friends with the Boustead family a few years back, and
even played fencing with Nellie and her sister.

During his stay at the beautiful Biarritz vacation home, Rizal learned of Leonor
Rivera’s engagement and thought of pursuing a romantic relationship with
Nellie, who was classy, educated, cheerful, and athletic. After strengthening
their relationship, Rizal wrote letters to his friends, telling them about his
intention to marry her. They were all supportive, including Antonio Luna.
Although they seemed like the ideal couple, marriage for Rizal was still not
meant to be. First, Nellie’s mother did not think Rizal had the resources to be
a good provider for her daughter. Second, Nellie wanted Rizal to convert to
Protestantism. Rizal refused. But their friendship must have been strong
enough because they ended up being friends after all the drama.

Before Rizal left Paris in 1891, Nellie wrote him a letter: “Now that you are
leaving I wish you a happy trip and may you triumph in your undertakings, and
above all, may the Lord look down on you with favor and guide your way
giving you much blessings, and may your learn to enjoy! My remembrance will
accompany you as also my prayers.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you become friends with your ex.

9 Josephine Bracken
Josephine Bracken was the woman who stayed with Rizal until his execution
in 1896. She was also, allegedly, the woman whom Rizal married. However,
accounts of their marriage have been much-debated over the years.

Josephine was the adopted daughter of one George Taufer, whom she lived
with in Hongkong for years before she needed to seek help from an
ophthalmologist due to George’s blindness. They then sought the help of Jose
Rizal, who was already exiled in Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte at the time.
Rizal and Josephine fell in love and in a month made the announcement that
they wanted to get married. But just like the other Rizal great loves, this one
was once again complicated. No priest would marry the two, for reasons that
are still unclear—but perhaps it was because of Rizal’s status in politics.
Without a legal paper, Rizal and Josephine lived together, and had a son, who
died a few hours after birth. Rizal named his son after his father, Francisco.

Up to this day, there is no legal proof that Josephine and Rizal ever got
married.

In retrospect, maybe Rizal was not meant for a long commitment, like
marriage—with all his travels and freedom-fighting obligations. Maybe heroes
can only be alone with their thoughts. Left alone, they will naturally think too
much, and thinking for an entire country, we assume, can be exhausting.
Maybe Rizal just always needed a companion.

But if there’s one thing his dalliances and longings and pursuits remind us, it
is that heroes are humans, too. Humans have needs. And he did die for our
country. He gets a pass—even when he was a master in ghosting.

Reading Material No. 5

Source: https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/spotlight/12/30/18/all-the-girls-rizal-
loved-before
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/171800856/seiko-usui,