PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Old Nalsian Road, Nalsian, Calasiao, Pangasinan, Philippines 2418

Tel. No. (075)522-8032/Fax No. (075)523-0894/Website: www.philcst.edu.ph
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED, Member: Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU),
Philippine Association of Maritime Institutions (PAMI)

LIFE AND WORKS OF DR. JOSE RIZAL

Module 4: Rizal’s Life Higher Education and Life Abroad

After finishing the fourth year of his medical course at the University of Santo Tomas
(UST), Rizal, disgusted with the method of instruction in the Dominican-owned university and the
racial prejudice of Dominican professors against Filipino students, decided to study in Spain. He
predicted that his decision to study abroad would not be favored by his parents, hence, he did not
ask for their blessings. Aside from studying, he had a secret mission; to keenly observe the life and
culture, languages and customs, industries and commerce, and government and laws of the
European nations in order to prepare himself for the great task of liberating his oppressed people
from Spanish tyranny.
Rizal’s departure for Spain was kept secret to avoid detection by the Spanish authorities and
the friars. Even his own parents did not know because his mother would not allow him. Only
Paciano, his uncle, his sisters Neneng and Lucia, the Valenzuela family, Pedro Paterno, Mateo
Evangelista, the Ateneo Jesuit fathers, and some intimate friends knew about it. The Jesuits gave
him letters of recommendation to the members of their Society in Barcelona. He used the name
Jose Mercado.

These were the places he visited on his way to Spain:

1. May 3, 1882 – He departed on board the Spanish steamer Salvadora bound for Singapore.

2. May 9, 1882 – The Salvadora docked in Singapore.

3. May 11, 1882 – He boarded the ship Djemnah, a French steamer bound for Europe.

4. May 17, 1882 – The Djemnah reached Point Galle, a seacoast town in southern Ceylon.

5. May 18, 1882- The voyage resumed towards Colombo, the capital of Ceylon, From Colombo,
the Djemnah continued the voyage. Crossing the Indian Ocean to the Cape coast of Africa. The
next stopover was in Aden. From Aden, the ship proceeded to th city of Suez, the Red Sea Terminal
of Suez Canal. The Djemnah took five days to traverse the Suez Canal. At Port Said, Rizal landed
in order to see the interesting sights.
 PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Old Nalsian Road, Nalsian, Calasiao, Pangasinan, Philippines 2418
Tel. No. (075)522-8032/Fax No. (075)523-0894/Website: www.philcst.edu.ph
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED, Member: Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU),
Philippine Association of Maritime Institutions (PAMI)

6. June 11, 1882 – He reached Naples. He was fascinated by the Mount Vesuvius, the Castle of
Sst. Telmo and other historical sight.

7. June 12, 1882 – The steamer docked at the French harbor of Marseilles.

8. June 15, 1882 – He left Marseilles to proceed to Spain via train.

9. June 16, 1882 – He reached Barcelona, Spain by rail. He wrote a nationalistic essay “Amor
Patrio” which was the first written article in Spanish soil. He then sent his article to basilio Teodoro
Moran, publisher of Diariong Tagalog.

10. November 3, 1882 – he enrolled at the Universidad Central de Madrid.

He took up two courses at the Universidad Central de Madrid namely, Medicine and
Philosophy and Letters. Aside from the two major courses, he also studied painting and sculpture
at the Academy of fine Arts of San Fernando. He also took lessons in French, German, and English
under private instructors and assiduously practiced fencing and shooting at the Hall of Arms of
Sanz y Carbonnel.

He lived a simple life in Madrid intent on studying and preparing himself for the service of
his fatherland. While there, he budgeted his money and time and never wasted a peseta for
gambling wine and women. During his free time, he frequented the theater, attended operas and
concerts, visited arts, galleries and museums, and read a variety of books. He was deeply affected
by Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Eugene Sue’s The Wandering Jew. These two books
aroused his sympathy for the oppressed and unfortunate people.

Rizal being a lonely young man in a foreign country, was attracted to Consuelo Ortiga y
Perez, the daughter of Don Pablo Ortiga y Rey, former city mayor of Manila during the
administration of governor- general Carlos Ma. Dela Torre. He even composed a lovely poem on
August 22, 1883, dedicated to her. In this poem, entitled, “A La Senorita C.O.yP. (To Miss
C.O.yP.), he expressed his admiration for her. However, before his romance with Consuelo could
blossom into a serious affair, he suddenly backed out because he was still engaged to Leonora
Rivera and his friend and co-worker in the Propaganda Movement, Eduardo de Lete, was madly
in love with Consuelo. He had no wish to break their friendhip because of a pretty girl.

In 1883, he joined the Masonic Lodge Acacia in Madrid. His masonic name was Dimasalang.
It is believed that he joined Masonry for two inferential reasons:

1) the abuse committed by friars against the Filipino people and

2) the possible help the Masons could extend as a protective sshield to use in his fight against
evil forces of tyranny and exploitation. He became a Master Mason in Lodge Solidaridad
and from then on, he ceased tgoing to church regularly.
 PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Old Nalsian Road, Nalsian, Calasiao, Pangasinan, Philippines 2418
Tel. No. (075)522-8032/Fax No. (075)523-0894/Website: www.philcst.edu.ph
ISO 9001:2015 CERTIFIED, Member: Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU),
Philippine Association of Maritime Institutions (PAMI)

At the National Exposition of Fine Arts in Madrid in 1884, two Filipinos won outstanding
honors for their country. Juan Luna’s canvass “Spolarium” won first prize (gold medal), while
Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo’s “Christian Virgins Exposed to the Populace” was awarded
second prize (silver medal). The Filipino colony of Madrid tendered a banquet at Café Ingles in
honor of Luna and Hidalgo. Rizal was invited to give the principal speech. Somewhere in his
speech, he assailed with refined sarcasm the bigotry and blindness of some unworthy Spaniards in
the Philippines.

Rizal and other Filipino students together with other foreign students participated in the
bloddy student riots that erupted at the Central University. The issue at hand was Dr. Miguel
Morayta’s proclamation of “Freedom of Science and the Teacher” during the opening
ceremonies of the academic year in 1884. The reactionary catholic bishops of Spain condemned
this liberal view and Dr. Morayta was excommunicated. This angered the students and violent riots
started. The University rector who sided with the students was forced to resign.

On June 1884, he was awarded the degree of Licentiate in Medicine. The next academic
year, he passed all subjects leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine. However, he was not
awarded his doctoral diploma because he did not present the thesis required for graduation nor and
was not able to pay the corresponding fees. He was awarded the degree of Licentiate in philosophy
and Letters on June 19, 1885, his 24th birthday with the rating of excellent. By obtaining this
degree, he baceme qualified to be a professor of Humanities in any Spanish university. Likewise,
by receieving his degree of Licentiate in Medicine, he baceme a full- pledged physician, qualified
to practice medicine.

However, he did not bother to secure the post-graduate degree of Doctor of Medicine because
it was just like the licentiate in Philosophy and Letters, good only for teaching purposes. Being a
man of high ibntelligence and foresight, he knew that with his brown color and Asian racial
ancestry, no friar-owned university or college in the Philippines would accept him in its faculty
staff.

Copyright 20111 by Julie Lomibao, Gemma B.

Somera, Joanne E. Camus-Rivera, Crisesta C Dulos

IPM Publishing

Culiat, Quezon City

Ipm_pub@yahoo.com