Republic of the Philippines

Province of Cotabato
Municipality of Makilala
Makilala Institute of Science and Technology
Brgy. Concepcion, Makilala, Cotabato

Public Administration Department

Course Code: Rizal 1 Instructor: RODEL JAMES M. NASIS, LPT

Course Description: Life and Works of Dr. Jose P. Rizal Contact Number: 0907-983-8366
Credit Unit: 3 Units Email Address: rjamesnasis07@gmail.com
Module Number: 2
Duration: 2 Weeks

I. LEARNING OUTCOMES: At the end of this module, you are expected to:
a. discuss details on family background and childhood memories of Jose Rizal;
b. identify and evaluate the people and events and their influence on Rizal’s early life; and
d. recognize women in Rizal’s life.

II. Topics: a. The Rizal Family

b. Rizal’s Education in the Philippines and abroad
c. Rizal’s life abroad
d. Rizal: The Romantic Lover

III. REFERENCES:
Aguisanda, M. 2011. Rizal: Life, Works, and Writings. Dumaguete City: YAGE Publishing.
Solsoloy, B. 2019. Life and Works of Dr. Jose P. Rizal. Kabacan: Department of Social Science and Philosophy.

IV. COURSE CONTENT

The Dawn of a Hero: The Early Years of Jose P. Rizal

Jose Rizal

- born in Calamba, Laguna

- Born on June 19, 1861
- 7th of the eleven children to the spouses, Francisco and Teodora;
- referred as “Lucky Seven”
- “Philippine Hero”

A. Family

Francisco Mercado Rizal

- “Don Francisco”; father of Jose;
- born in Binan, Laguna on May 11, 1818;
- an educated farmer; studied Latin and Philosophy at the College of San Jose in Manila;
died on January 5, 1898, at the ripe age of 80

Teodora Alonzo Realonda

- Jose’s mother;
- born in the City of Manila on November 8, 1826;
- graduated from Santa Rosa College in Manila;
- talented woman with high culture, business acumen and
literary gift;
- she took personal charge in the early education on her
children;
- died in Manila on August 16, 1911 at the age of 85

Rizal: Life and Works of Dr. Jose P. Rizal 1

The Rizal Children:
1. Saturnina – used to call her Neneng; eldest of the Rizal children
2. Paciano – after the execution of Jose, he joined the Philippine revolution and eventually became a revolutionary
general
3. Narcisa – a school teacher
4. Olympia – a telegraph operator
5. Lucia – her husband died of cholera and was declined with Christian burial because he was a brother-in-law of
Jose Rizal
6. Maria – married to Daniel Faustino Cruz
7. Jose – “Lucky Seven”
8. Concepcion – died at the age of three years; the first sorrow of Rizal
9. Josefa – died an old maid at the age of 80
10. Trinidad – died an old maid like Josefa
11. Soledad – married to Pantaleon Quintero

2.2. Early Education

Doña Teodora – his mother; first teacher of Jose

 At five years old, Jose could read Latin alphabet, the Catholic prayers, and Spanish family Bible.

Biñan, Rizal (June 1870-December 1871) – first formal schooling of Jose

 Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz – his teacher at Biñan, Rizal

( Before June 1872, Doña Teodora was arrested and imprisoned for two years and a half on the charged of attempting to
poison the wife of Jose Alberto, his brother.)

2.3. Higher Education and Life Abroad

A. Jose Rizal in Ateneo (1872-1877)

o Rizal received a well-rounded education at Ateneo and became most brilliant Atenean of his time and was
proudly referred to as the “Pride of the Jesuits”.
o He graduated with the “highest honors”.
o He earned the degree of Bachelor of Arts which equivalent to high school diploma in today’s curriculum.
o Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez – favorite Jesuits Professor of Jose in his Literary
 “Mi Primera Insperacion” (My First Inspiration) – dedicated to his mother
o Agustin Saez – famous Spanish Painter; teacher of Jose in Painting
o Romualdo de Jesus – Filipino sculpture; teacher of Jose in Sculpture
o Extra-Curricular Activities:
 Secretary of Marian Congregation
 Member of Academy of Spanish Literature and the Academy of Natural Sciences
o Jose Rizal took a private lesson in Spanish at Santa Isabel College during his noon recesses which he
paid three pesos for three extra hours.

B. The University of Santo Tomas (1877-1882)

o April 1877 – enrolled at UST; He took Philosophy and Letters (because his father liked it and he still was
undecided on what course to take)
o 1878 – decided to take up Medicine (he wanted to be a physician that he might cure his mother’s failing
eyesight and Father Rector of Ateneo and Father Pablo Roman recommended medicine)
 “A La Juventud Filipina” (To the Filipino Youth) – an entry submitted by Jose Rizal in a literary
contest called Liceo Artistico-Literario in 1879; they awarded Jose Rizal a as first prize, a silver
pen in shape of feather decorated with a gold ribbon
o Jose enrolled in vocational course at the Ateneo, leading to the title of Pireto Agrimensor (Expert
Surveyor). He excelled in all subjects in surveying and was awarded gold medals in Agriculture and
Topography.
o 1878 (age 17) – he passed the final examination as Surveyor
o November 25, 1881 – finally issued his title as Surveyor at the age of 20

C. Central University of Madrid (1882-1885)

o May 3, 1882 – Rizal left the port of Manila
 “Amor Patrio” (Love of Country) – nationalistic essay in Spanish and it was translated in Tagalog
by Marcelo H del Pilar, published on August 20, 1880 under pen name Laong Laan (Ever Ready)
in Diariong Tagalog (a bilingual newspaper in the Philippines); the essay urges Filipino to love
their fatherland, Philippines
 “Los Viajes” (Travels)
 “Revisita de Madrid” (Review of Madrid)
o November 3, 1882 - enrolled at the Universidad Central de Madrid
 “Me Piden Versos” – a sad poem, created in response to the request of Spanish-Filipino society:

Rizal: Life and Works of Dr. Jose P. Rizal 2

 Circulo Hispano-Filipino
o Medicine and Philosophy and Letters – two courses of Rizal
o During his free time, Rizal studied painting and sculpture in the Academy of San Carlos.
o He also took private lesson in French, German, and English under private tutor.
o He also practiced regularly in fencing and shooting in the hall of Arms of Sanz y Carbonell.
o He was given his title as Licenciado en Medicina (Licentiate in Medicine) in June 21, 1884.
o He also awarded with Licenciado en Filosofia y Letras (Licentiate in Philosophy and Letters with the
rating sobresaliente (qualified to be a professor in humanities in any Spanish university).
o He passed the courses in History of Medicine, Surgical Analysis, and Normal Histology in 1884-1885.

D. Life Abroad and Going Back Calamba, Laguna

o He decided to advance in medicine and specialized ophthalmology by working as an assistant to Dr. Louis
de Weckert in Paris from October 1885 – March 1886.
o In Germany, he became an assistant to several experts in Ophthalmology such as Javier Galezowsky
and Otto Becker in 1886; and Dr. R. Schulzer and Dr. Schigger in 1887.
 “A las Flores de Heidelberg” (To the Flowers of Heidelberg) – a poem about his favorite flower in
Neckar river was light blue
o Maximo Viola – loaned Rizal of some amount for the publication of his first novel “Noli Me Tangere” and
provided him daily meals
o After the publication of the Noli Me Tangere, Rizal crossed the frontier towards Lausanne, Berne, and
Geneva, Switzerland with Maximo Viola on June 2-3, 1887.
o June 23, 1887 – Rizal and Viola had parted ways
o June 27, 1887 – Rizal reached Rome
o June 29, 1887 – he went to Vatican City (The City of Popes)
o August 6, 1887 – he arrived in Manila
o August 8, 1887 – he headed towards Calamba, Laguna
o His eagerness to go home was propelled by his desire to operate Doña Teodora’s eyes, to serve his
countrymen, to know the impact of Noli Me Tangere among Spaniards and Filipinos, and to know
the reasons why Leonor had stopped writing him.
o He established a medical clinic in Calamba, where his first patient was his mother.
o Because of his novel Noli Me Tangere, threats were at Rizal’s doorstep while he was at home but he never
stopped writing, He started to conceptualize and outline the sequel of his another novel, El Filibuterismo
which expected to be more intellectually vulgar and revealing.
o Pestered by the threats, Rizal left Calamba for Europe. He left Manila for Hongkong in February 3, 1888;
He reached Japan on February 28, 1888; was marred by racial prejudice in America on April 28, 1888; He
left New York for London on May 24, 1888 where Dr. Reinhold Rost called Rizal as “pearl of man”.
o September 18, 1891 – the novel “El Filibusterismo” was out through the help of Valentin Ventura

2.4. Rizal: The Romantic Lover

1. Segunda Katigbak
o First fling at love; happened when he was 16 years old and a student at the
Ateneo.
o A classmate of his sister and studying at a nearby college.
o “Ended, at an early hour my first love. My virgin heart will always mourn the

Rizal: Life and Works of Dr. Jose P. Rizal 3

 reckless step it took on the flower-decked abyss. My illusion will return, yes, but different,
uncertain, ready for the first betrayal on the path of love.”

2. “Miss L.”
o The girl was “fair with seductive and attractive eyes.”
o He had to stop visiting this woman for two reasons:
i. The sweet memory of Segunda was still fresh in his heart; and
ii. His father objected to the match.

3. Leonor Valenzuela
o A tall girl with regal bearing.
o They wrote love letters to each other using invisible ink.
o The affair did not blossom into a full-blown romance. After all, Rizal was
more serious with his medical studies at UST than with the affair of the
heart.

4. Leonor Rivera
o From Camiling, Tarlac.
o A frail, beautiful girl, Rizal said of her: “Tender as a budding flower with kindly,
wistful eyes.”
o Their tender love affair which lasted 11 years (1879-1890) came to a bitter
ending when Rizal received a letter from Leonor Rivera informing him of her
forthcoming marriage to an Englishman, asking for his forgiveness saying that
it was her mother’s choice.

5. Consuelo Ortega y Rey

o A woman who visited Rizal in Paris, but ended for two compelling reasons:
i. He was still engaged to Leonor Rivera and he would not want to be
unfaithful to her; and
ii. Eduardo de Lete, his friend was deeply in love with Consuelo; and
he did not want to break their friendship just for a “wisp of a girl”.
o A lovely poem dedicated to Consuelo on August 22, 1883 entitled, C. O. y
R.

6. O-Sei-San (Seiko Usui)

o A daughter of the storeowner in Yokohama, Japan during Rizal’s second trip
abroad.
o Her beauty, charming tenderness, and high
intelligence captured the heart of 29 year old Rizal.

7. Gertrude Beckett
o In London in 1888, Rizal had another fling at love.

Rizal: Life and Works of Dr. Jose P. Rizal 4

 o She was frank and open in her affection for his talented physician.
o The relationship became more serious but he could not marry Gertrude because he was still
“holding the torch” for Leonora Rivera.

8. Adelina Bousted
o A French-Filipina who’s staying in Paris.
o “Adeline was demure, dignified and refined.” – Rizal said.
o Rizal’s marriage proposal did not prosper for three reasons:
i. Adelina was not sure Rizal loved her because of his broken engagement with Leonor
Rivera;
ii. Rizal refused to accept the condition that he becomes a Protestant like her; and
iii. Adelina’s mother was opposed to the match because Rizal was not rich enough to support
a family in style.

9. Suzanne Jacoby
o A pretty Belgian girl.
o Suzanne was deeply in love with Rizal but then again, his loyalty to Leonor
Rivera dissuaded him from pursuing the relationship to a happy
conclusion.

10. Josephine Bracken

o Rizal married this woman twice, and bore for him a son.
o An Irish girl from Hong Kong.
o Her father Mr. Taufer came to Dapitan in February 1895 in order to have his
blindness treated by Rizal, accompanied by Josephine Bracken.
o Their story was indeed love at first sight, was truly the fulfillment of that
biblical dictum of “till death do us part”.
o After their first marriage, Francisco was born, their son.
o Their second marriage was held of the Roman Catholic Church at 5 o’clock in
the morning of December 30, 1896 (execution day) inside Rizal’s Death Cell
at Fort Santiago.
o After Rizal’s death, Josephine left Calamba and joined the Philippine Revolution; She served as
nurse to the wounded revolutionary soldiers under General Emilio Aguinaldo in Cavite.
o Governor Polaviaje deported Josephine back to Hong Kong in 1897.
o In Hong Kong, Josephine married Vicente Abad; a Filipino sales representative.

V. ACTIVITY/EXERCISE: (To be submitted 2 weeks after the release of this module together with the
assessment/evaluation below.)

Journal Entry No. 2. (Use separate sheet of paper to answer this activity.)

Criteria:
Content (Response to the topic with varied sentence structure and vocabulary, opinions, and supported with facts) - 40%
Idea Development (Gives examples and details to explore and development of ideas and opinions.) -30%
Organization (Logically organized, with introduction, development of main idea and conclusions.) – 20%
Mechanics (Spelling and punctuations.) – 10%

The early years of Rizal has always been fascinating. From her mother being her first teacher to the stories she tells
him (like the story of the Moth) that became an important aspiration for Rizal to continue his pursuit for education which
later became his weapon to write his powerful novels against the Spaniards. Now for this entry, I want you to write
something about your childhood, may it be just like Rizal’s. You may provide your own title to this entry.

VI. ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION:

A. Instruction: Match Column A with Column B. Write the letter of the correct answer before each number.

Rizal: Life and Works of Dr. Jose P. Rizal 5

 Column A Column B
1. Trinidad a. Father of Jose
2. Jose b. Old maid like Josefa
3. Olympia c. A school teacher
4. Saturnina d. Mother of Jose
5. Francisco e. Eldest sister of Jose
6. Narcisa f. “Lucky Seven”
7. Teodora g. General of Philippine Revolution
8. Paciano h. 9th children of Francisco and Teodora Rizal
9. Concepcion i. A telegraph operator
10. Josefa j. 12th children of Francisco and Teodora
Rizal
k. Died at the age of 3

B. Instruction: Write the correct answer to the following questions. Write it on the space provided in each number.
1. What was the first alphabet Rizal learned? _____________________________
2. Who was Rizal’s first teacher in Biñan, Rizal? _____________________________
3. What was the name of the school where Rizal took private Spanish lessons? _____________________________
4. Who was the famous Spanish painter who taught painting to young Jose Rizal? ________________________
5. Rizal was involved in extra-curricular activities, name one club which he joined.
___________________________________________________________
6. What was the degree completed by Rizal in Ateneo? _____________________________
7. To whom did Rizal dedicate his poem “Mi Primera Insperacion”? ___________________________
8. In his first semester at the University of Sto. Tomas, in which course was Rizal enrolled?
_____________________________
9. Who loaned him some amount for the publication of his first novel “Noli Me Tangere”?
_____________________________
10. In London, who called Rizal as “Pearl of Man”? _____________________________

C. Instructions: Briefly answer the following questions. Use the space below to answer.
Criteria:
5 pts – Contains all the important points and supported by specific details, analysis, and examples.
3pts – Contains some important points and some supporting details, analysis, and examples.
1 pt – Contains irrelevant points and irrelevant supporting details, analysis, and examples.

1. Aside from being 7th child of Teodora and Francisco, why was Jose P. Rizal considered to be the “Lucky Seven” of their
family?
2. Why did Jose take medicine at the University of Santo Tomas? Give two (2) reasons.
3. Why did Dr. Reinhold Rost call Rizal as “pearl of man”?

D. Instructions: Choose inside the box the letter of your correct answer. Write your answer in space provided below.

Rizal: Life and Works of Dr. Jose P. Rizal 6

a. Segunda Katigbak b. Miss L. c. Leonor Valenzuela d. Leonor Rivera e. Consuelo Ortega
f. O-Sei-San g. Getrude Beckett h. Adelina Bousted i.Suzanne Jacoby j. Josephine Bracken

1. After Rizal’s death, she left Calamba and joined the Philippine Revolutionary.
2. She is the lover of Jose Rizal when he was in Japan.
3. A 16-year old student of Ateneo, whom Jose fell in love with.
4. Jose described her as a “demurred, dignified, and refined Filipina.”
5. She visited Jose Rizal twice in Paris.
6. A woman with seductive and attractive eyes.
7. The woman who asked Rizal for forgiveness after she married an Englishman.
8. Jose Rizal married this woman twice.
9. She had a serious relationship with Jose Rizal aside from being his patient.
10. The one who wrote Jose Rizal a love letter using an invisible ink.

Rizal: Life and Works of Dr. Jose P. Rizal 7