LESSON 1

What is the importance of studying Rizal’s life, his writings and other heroes?

It is important to study Rizal‘s life and his writings including other heroes because the
contribution they give to the country is priceless. The youth know only the little background of their
lives and works and we are already moved, what about if we dig deeper into this?
 We will learn many lessons and inspirations with their works
 The love they give for the country especially Dr. Rizal, who is the mightiest
 The principle of pen is mightier than the sword.
The wounds made by verbal weapons won‘t be healed easily and creates more damage to
the personality of the tyrant Spaniards that is why Rizal is haunted by them. If all of the youth also
inherit this kind of concern and patriotism for the country, for sure we will have a nonstop cycle of
dignified youths that soon will be leaders.

Why Study Rizal?

It is of great importance that students understand the rationale behind having to take up a
Rizal course in college. For high school students, the Noli Me Tangere and the El Filibusterismo are
injected into the Filipino subject as part of the overall curriculum. In tertiary education, Rizal is a
subject required of any course, in any college or university in the Philippines.

Legislation of Rizal Law

 R.A. 1465 is Rizal Law
 Jose P. Laurel is the father of Rizal Law.
 Former Vice President Salvador Laurel, son of Jose Laurel facilitated the proper placement of
Rizal Law in the academe.
 Rizal died in 1896, and 60 years had pass before Rizal Law was promulgated in 1956.
 Carlos P. Romulo, in 1969 ordered the course Rizal to be offered as a 3-unit course and as a
pre-requisite for graduation.
 Legal basis of Rizal course in college
 As mandated by Republic Act 1425, this course covers the life and works of the
country‘s national hero, Jose Rizal. Among the topics covered are Rizal‘s biography
and his writings, particularly the novels Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, some of
his essays and various correspondences.
 Rizal Law requires the teaching of the course Rizal in college and orders the
reproduction and reading of the uncut version of his two novels.
 The law has made the reading of both novels obligatory

LESSON 2

Jose Protacio aka Pepe

Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo 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.‖

Story about Pepe’s Big Head

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).
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.

Who chose Rizal for a family name?

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).

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.

LESSON 3

Jose Rizal, like many Filipino boys, had many beautiful memories of childhood. His was a
happy home, filled with parental affection, impregnated with family joys, and sanctified by prayers. In
the midst of such peaceful, refined, God-loving family, he spent the early years of his childhood. The
beauties of Calamba impressed him as a growing child and deeply influenced his mind and character.
The happiest period of his life was truly his childhood days in his natal town.
Calamba, ―Craddle of a Genius.‖ The town of Calamba is situated on a verdant plain by the
rippling Laguna de Bay. A few kilometers to the south loom the legendary Mt. Makiling, and beyond
this mountain lies the coffee-producing Batangas. North of the town spreads the Laguna de Bay, ―a
lake of poems and songs‖, with many sailboats gliding by the somnolent Talim Island and numerous
birds flying in the azure skies. Beyond the lake, to the far distance in the north, is Antipolo, the
famous mountain shrine of the miraculous Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.
Calamba, with its fertile fields of rice and sugarcane, its evermore green meadows of
innumerable fruit trees and bananas, its singing birds abounding in lake, river, and fields, its starry
nights ‗filled with the poetry of sadness,‖ it‘s lovely sunrises over lake and mountains, and its
charming panoramic views, is a fit place to nurture a growing child. So it came to pass that it became
the ―cradle of a genius‖.
Rizal loved Calamba with all his heart and soul. In 1876, when he was 15 years old and
was a student in Ateneo, he remembered his beloved town. Accordingly, he wrote a poem Un
Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town).
Earliest Childhood Memories

The first memory of Rizal, in his infancy, was his happy days in the family garden when he was
three years old. Because he was a frail, sickly, and undersized child, he was given the tenderest care
by his parents. His father built a little nipa cottage in the garden for him to play in the daytime. A kind
old woman was employed as an AYA (maid) to look after his comfort. At times, he was left alone to
muse on the beauties of nature or to play by himself. In his boyhood memoirs, he narrated how he at
the age of three, watched from his garden cottage the culilan, the maya, the culae, the maria-capra,
the martin, the pipit, and other birds, listening ―with wonder and joy‖ to their twilight songs. 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.
With nostalgic feeling, he also remembered the happy moonlit nights at the azotea after the
nightly rosary. The aya related to the Rizal children (including Jose) many stories about the fairies;
tales of buried treasure and trees blooming with diamonds, and other fabulous stories. The imaginary
tales told by the aya aroused in Rizal an enduring interest in legends and folklore. Sometimes when
he did not like to take his supper, the aya would threaten him that the asuang, the nuno, the
tigbalang, or a terrible bearded and turbaned Bombay would come to take him away if he would not
eat his supper.
Another memory of his infancy was the nocturnal walk-in town, especially when there was a
moon. The aya took him for a walk in the moonlight by the river, where the trees cast grotesque
shadows on the bank. Recounting this childhood experience, Rizal wrote: ―Thus my heart fed on
somber and melancholy thoughts so that even while still a child, I already wandered on wings of
fantasy in the high regions of the unknown.‖

First Sorrow

The Rizal children were bound together by ties of love and companionship. They were well-
bred, for their parents taught them to love one another, to behave properly in the presence of elders,
to be truthful and religious, and to help one another. They affectionately called their father Tatay and
their mother Nanay.
Of his sisters, Jose loved most the little Concha (Concepcion). He was one year older than
Concha. He played with her, and from her he learned the sweetness of brotherly love.
Unfortunately, Concha died of sickness in 1865 when she was only three years old. Jose,
who was very fond of her, cried bitterly to lose her. ―When I was four years old,‖ he said, ―I lost my
little sister Concha, and then for the first time I wept tears of love and grief….‖ The death of little
Concha bought him his first sorrow.
INFLUENCE ON HERO’S BOYHOOD
Hereditary Influence
Environmental Influence
Aid of Divine Providence
RIZAL’S UNCLES WHO HELP HIM A LOT IN HIS DEVELOPMENT

GREGORIO- Was a lover of books. He instilled into the mind of his precocious
nephew*Jose) a great love for books. He taught him to work hard, to think for himself, and to observe
life keenly.
JOSE- Who had been educated at Calcutta, India, was the youngest brother of Doña
Teodora. He encouraged his nephew to paint, sketch, and sculpture.
MANUEL- Was a big, strong, and husky man. He looked after the physical training of his
sickly and weak nephew. He encouraged young Rizal to learn swimming, fencing, wrestling and other
sports, so that in later years of Rizal‘s frail body acquired agility, endurance and strength.

What Is Martial Law?

 Martial law is law administered by the military rather than a civilian government, typically to
restore order.
 Martial law is declared in an emergency, in a Fascism: a way of organizing a society in which a
response to a crisis, or to control occupied
government ruled by a dictator controls the lives of the
territory.
 When martial law is declared, civil liberties, people and in which people are not allowed to disagree
such as the right to free movement, free
with the government.
speech, protection from unreasonable
searches and habeas corpus laws may be suspended.
 Typically, the imposition of martial law accompanies curfews, the suspension of civil law, civil
rights, habeas corpus, and the application or extension of military law or military justice to
civilians. Civilians defying martial law may be subjected to military tribunals (court-martial).

Proclamation of Martial Law: On Sept. 21, 1972, Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos placed the
Philippines under Martial Law. The declaration issued under Proclamation 1081 suspended
the civil rights and imposed military authority in the country. Marcos defended the declaration
stressing the need for extra powers to quell the rising wave of violence allegedly caused by
communists. The emergency rule, according to Marcos‘ plan, was to lead the country into
what he calls a ―New Society‖

The Nightmare that was Martial Law

Jo-Ed K. Tirol, Ph.D., or “Jo-Ed”, is an Assistant Professor at the Department of History of the Ateneo
de Manila University. This post was originally published in his personal Facebook Account.

Martial Law was born six months before I was. So if we were both students, so to speak, we
would probably have ended up as batch mates. However, as much as I would like to think I know who
I am now, I doubt that Martial Law so long ago would recognize what it has become today, to have
persisted beyond anyone‘s expectations, including its own.
The trouble with Martial Law is that although it has only one true father, Ferdinand Marcos, it
has many godparents, in the form of those who conspired to set it in motion, and later, those who
kept it growing stronger and more terrible, encouraging it with hubris and entitlement, and letting it
gorge on the bodies of the innocent and victimizing thousands more with torture, rape, and trauma.
And amidst the silence and fear of the ordinary Filipino, Martial Law became a weapon of abuse
against the weak, an opportunity for self-enrichment for the greedy, and a channel of disinformation
for those who wished to keep their crimes hidden. But even when
Martial Law was nominally ended in 1981, and more properly dismantled in 1986, Martial Law
has never quite left our midst. It is hard to speak of the exile of the monster, much less the slaying of
the ghost, when the architects still remain in our midst, and the beneficiaries continue to live off the
the wealth that never rightly belonged to them.
In fact, over the last thirty years the children and grandchildren of Martial Law like to encourage lies
about their father‘s history, inventing new lies, recreating and rewriting narratives that never existed,
yet easily swallowed by the gullible, or by those desperate to forget what really happened.

“This is why we beg the question if Martial Law ever truly left, or remains lurking in our midst, not just
the bogeyman told to frighten children, but a true beast waiting to be summoned by its followers and
high priests, to once more prey on the unwary, and if we are all not careful, devour us all for good.”
This is why we beg the question if Martial Law ever truly left, or remains lurking in our midst,
not just the bogeyman told to frighten children, but a true beast waiting to be summoned by its
followers and high priests, to once more prey on the unwary, and if we are all not careful, devour us
all for good. The tragedy facing us today is that we never understood what Martial Law really did to us
thirty-one years ago, because we were too afraid to really face the beast. Perhaps this is so because
we did not want to see the beast among us and within us. Perhaps we were too afraid to remember,
and in so doing, if we are not careful, allow it to creep back, in new subtle forms, taking out one-by-
one those who could prevent its return, while convincing the majority that it had never brought harm
before, but only the facade of law and order.
What I fear the most, and the anniversary has come upon us once more, is that if Martial Law were to
be unleashed upon us once more, we will all be to blame the second time around.
For we refused to listen to the cries of those we have lost, refused to learn to the stories that needed
to be told, refused to remember the story of us, the nightmare that was Martial Law.

LESSON 4
Jose Rizal, like many Filipino boys, had many beautiful memories of childhood. His was a
happy home, filled with parental affection, impregnated with family joys, and sanctified by prayers. In
the midst of such peaceful, refined, God-loving family, he spent the early years of his childhood. The
beauties of Calamba impressed him as a growing child and deeply influenced his mind and character.
The happiest period of his life was truly his childhood days in his natal town.
Calamba, ―Craddle of a Genius.‖ The town of Calamba is situated on a verdant plain by the
rippling Laguna de Bay. A few kilometers to the south loom the legendary Mt. Makiling, and beyond
this mountain lies the coffee-producing Batangas. North of the town spreads the Laguna de Bay, ―a
lake of poems and songs‖, with many sailboats gliding by the somnolent Talim Island and numerous
birds flying in the azure skies. Beyond the lake, to the far distance in the north, is Antipolo, the
famous mountain shrine of the miraculous Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.
Calamba, with its fertile fields of rice and sugarcane, its evermore green meadows of
innumerable fruit trees and bananas, its singing birds abounding in lake, river, and fields, its starry
nights ‗filled with the poetry of sadness,‖ it‘s lovely sunrises over lake and mountains, and its
charming panoramic views, is a fit place to nurture a growing child. So it came to pass that it became
the ―cradle of a genius‖.
Rizal loved Calamba with all his heart and soul. In 1876, when he was 15 years old and
was a student in Ateneo, he remembered his beloved town. Accordingly, he wrote a poem Un
Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town).
Earliest Childhood Memories

The first memory of Rizal, in his infancy, was his happy days in the family garden when he was
three years old. Because he was a frail, sickly, and undersized child, he was given the tenderest care
by his parents. His father built a little nipa cottage in the garden for him to play in the daytime. A kind
old woman was employed as an AYA (maid) to look after his comfort. At times, he was left alone to
muse on the beauties of nature or to play by himself. In his boyhood memoirs, he narrated how he at
the age of three, watched from his garden cottage the culilan, the maya, the culae, the maria-capra,
the martin, the pipit, and other birds, listening ―with wonder and joy‖ to their twilight songs. 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.
With nostalgic feeling, he also remembered the happy moonlit nights at the azotea after the
nightly rosary. The aya related to the Rizal children (including Jose) many stories about the fairies;
tales of buried treasure and trees blooming with diamonds, and other fabulous stories. The imaginary
tales told by the aya aroused in Rizal an enduring interest in legends and folklore. Sometimes when
he did not like to take his supper, the aya would threaten him that the asuang, the nuno, the
tigbalang, or a terrible bearded and turbaned Bombay would come to take him away if he would not
eat his supper.
Another memory of his infancy was the nocturnal walk-in town, especially when there was a
moon. The aya took him for a walk in the moonlight by the river, where the trees cast grotesque
shadows on the bank. Recounting this childhood experience, Rizal wrote: ―Thus my heart fed on
somber and melancholy thoughts so that even while still a child, I already wandered on wings of
fantasy in the high regions of the unknown.‖

First Sorrow

The Rizal children were bound together by ties of love and companionship. They were well-
bred, for their parents taught them to love one another, to behave properly in the presence of elders,
to be truthful and religious, and to help one another. They affectionately called their father Tatay and
their mother Nanay.
Of his sisters, Jose loved most the little Concha (Concepcion). He was one year older than
Concha. He played with her, and from her he learned the sweetness of brotherly love.
Unfortunately, Concha died of sickness in 1865 when she was only three years old. Jose,
who was very fond of her, cried bitterly to lose her. ―When I was four years old,‖ he said, ―I lost my
little sister Concha, and then for the first time I wept tears of love and grief….‖ The death of little
Concha bought him his first sorrow.
INFLUENCE ON HERO’S BOYHOOD
Hereditary Influence
Environmental Influence
Aid of Divine Providence

RIZAL’S UNCLES WHO HELP HIM A LOT IN HIS DEVELOPMENT

GREGORIO- Was a lover of books. He instilled into the mind of his precocious
nephew*Jose) a great love for books. He taught him to work hard, to think for himself, and to observe
life keenly.
JOSE- Who had been educated at Calcutta, India, was the youngest brother of Doña
Teodora. He encouraged his nephew to paint, sketch, and sculpture.
MANUEL- Was a big, strong, and husky man. He looked after the physical training of his
sickly and weak nephew. He encouraged young Rizal to learn swimming, fencing, wrestling and other
sports, so that in later years of Rizal‘s frail body acquired agility, endurance and strength.

What Is Martial Law?

 Martial law is law administered by the military rather than a civilian government, typically to
restore order.
 Martial law is declared in an emergency, in a Fascism: a way of organizing a society in which a
response to a crisis, or to control occupied
government ruled by a dictator controls the lives of the
territory.
 When martial law is declared, civil liberties, people and in which people are not allowed to disagree
such as the right to free movement, free with the government.
speech, protection from unreasonable
 searches and habeas corpus laws may be suspended.
 Typically, the imposition of martial law accompanies curfews, the suspension of civil law, civil
rights, habeas corpus, and the application or extension of military law or military justice to
civilians. Civilians defying martial law may be subjected to military tribunals (court-martial).

Proclamation of Martial Law: On Sept. 21, 1972, Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos placed the
Philippines under Martial Law. The declaration issued under Proclamation 1081 suspended
the civil rights and imposed military authority in the country. Marcos defended the declaration
stressing the need for extra powers to quell the rising wave of violence allegedly caused by
communists. The emergency rule, according to Marcos‘ plan, was to lead the country into
what he calls a ―New Society‖

The Nightmare that was Martial Law

Jo-Ed K. Tirol, Ph.D., or “Jo-Ed”, is an Assistant Professor at the Department of History of the Ateneo
de Manila University. This post was originally published in his personal Facebook Account.

Martial Law was born six months before I was. So if we were both students, so to speak, we
would probably have ended up as batch mates. However, as much as I would like to think I know who
I am now, I doubt that Martial Law so long ago would recognize what it has become today, to have
persisted beyond anyone‘s expectations, including its own.
The trouble with Martial Law is that although it has only one true father, Ferdinand Marcos, it
has many godparents, in the form of those who conspired to set it in motion, and later, those who
kept it growing stronger and more terrible, encouraging it with hubris and entitlement, and letting it
gorge on the bodies of the innocent and victimizing thousands more with torture, rape, and trauma.
And amidst the silence and fear of the ordinary Filipino, Martial Law became a weapon of abuse
against the weak, an opportunity for self-enrichment for the greedy, and a channel of disinformation
for those who wished to keep their crimes hidden. But even when
Martial Law was nominally ended in 1981, and more properly dismantled in 1986, Martial Law
has never quite left our midst. It is hard to speak of the exile of the monster, much less the slaying of
the ghost, when the architects still remain in our midst, and the beneficiaries continue to live off the
the wealth that never rightly belonged to them.
In fact, over the last thirty years the children and grandchildren of Martial Law like to encourage lies
about their father‘s history, inventing new lies, recreating and rewriting narratives that never existed,
yet easily swallowed by the gullible, or by those desperate to forget what really happened.

“This is why we beg the question if Martial Law ever truly left, or remains lurking in our midst, not just
the bogeyman told to frighten children, but a true beast waiting to be summoned by its followers and
high priests, to once more prey on the unwary, and if we are all not careful, devour us all for good.”
This is why we beg the question if Martial Law ever truly left, or remains lurking in our midst,
not just the bogeyman told to frighten children, but a true beast waiting to be summoned by its
followers and high priests, to once more prey on the unwary, and if we are all not careful, devour us
all for good. The tragedy facing us today is that we never understood what Martial Law really did to us
thirty-one years ago, because we were too afraid to really face the beast. Perhaps this is so because
we did not want to see the beast among us and within us. Perhaps we were too afraid to remember,
and in so doing, if we are not careful, allow it to creep back, in new subtle forms, taking out one-by-
one those who could prevent its return, while convincing the majority that it had never brought harm
before, but only the facade of law and order.
What I fear the most, and the anniversary has come upon us once more, is that if Martial Law were to
be unleashed upon us once more, we will all be to blame the second time around.
For we refused to listen to the cries of those we have lost, refused to learn to the stories that needed
to be told, refused to remember the story of us, the nightmare that was Martial Law.
Excerpt on Pepe’s fight with a Bully
Jose was also serious and touchy. Though small and short,
he would not allow himself to be bullied by others. He would keep
silent and would hold his peace as much as possible, except when
he was sufficiently provoked. He would not forget Pedro, the son of
the school master and Andres who nearly broke his arm. He
described both fellows:
BULLYING is the use of force or
coercion to abuse or intimidate others.
The behavior can be habitual and
involve an imbalance of social or
physical power. It can include verbal
harassment or threat, physical assault
or coercion and may be directed
repeatedly towards particular victims,
perhaps on grounds of race, religion,
gender, sexuality,
orability.(wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullying).
 “Pedro must have been older than I, and he had the advantage of me in height, but
when we started to wrestle, I kicked him, and twisted him back-I don’t know by what
lucky chance over some benches in the classroom. I let him go,
leaving him considerably mortified. I have made a name among ASSERTION is standing up for one’s
my classmates by this feat, perhaps because of my small size, rights. It is a profession of one’s
rights, and putting up defense
and so, after class a youngster Andres Salandanan challenged when challenged or violated.
me for arm wrestling match. He put up an arm; so, did I; I lost and
nearly cracked my head against the pavement of the house.”
(Daquila, 2009 p.122).

LESSON 5

Life and Studies at Ateneo

The Jesuits were considered the best educators of
Spain, and perhaps of Europe, and so, when they were
permitted to return to the Philippines, although their power to
administer parishes was restricted except in the remote regions
of Mindanao, the privilege of founding colleges, they had to
apply to the City of Manila for subsidies. That is why the college
which began to function in the year 1865, was called the
Ateneo Municipal.
Since Mercado, the first surname of the family had come
under suspicion of the authorities because it was the name
used by Paciano when he was studying and working with Father Burgos, in whose
house he lived, Jose adopted the second surname, Rizal.
Rizal enters Ateneo. Father Margin Fernando, the College registrar refused to admit
Jose Rizal because: a) he was late for registration; 2) he was sickly and undersized for
his age. Because of the help of Manuel Xeres Burgos (nephew of Fr. Burgos), Rizal
was admitted to the Ateneo. The first teacher of Rizal in Ateneo was Father Jose
Bech. He had two teachers he could not forget. They were Francisco de Paula
Sanchez, a young, upright, serious, and one who rejoiced at the advancement of his
students. On the contrary, Fr. Jose Vilaclara, a teacher in philosophy and sciences
found poetry useless. Trying to convince his students to follow what he firmly believed
in, he discouraged Rizal from writing.
Despite his resentment on the remarks of Fr. Vilaclara, Rizal did not allow criticisms to
dampen his fascination in literature. He continued writing and secretly sent his
composition to Fr. Sanchez who likewise corrected them enthusiastically.
JESUIT SYSTEM OF EDUCATION

Reasons why Jesuit System was advance than other college

1. It trained the character of students by rigid discipline and religious instruction.

2. It promotes physical culture, humanities and scientific studies.
3. Aside from academic courses leading to AB, it offers vocational course in agriculture,
commerce, mechanics and surveying.
4. They were given splendid professors.
5. They acquired prestige as an excellent college for boys.

In the first two terms the classes were divided into groups of interns and externs:
the first constituted the Roman Empire and the second, the Carthaginian Empire. In
each empire there were five dignitaries: Emperor, Tribune, Decurion, Centurion, and
Standard-Bearer. These dignities were won by means of individual competitions in
which it was necessary to catch one‘s adversary in error three times. The empires
considered themselves in perpetual warfare, and when an individual of one empire was
caught in error by one belonging to the enemy empire, a point was counted in favor of
the latter. At the end of each week or two, the points in favor of each were added and
the empire, which obtained more point, was declared winner.

As a newcomer, Jose was at first put at the tail of the class, but he was soon
promoted and kept on being promoted so that at the end of one month he had attained
to the rank of Emperor. At the end of the term, he obtained marks of excellent in all the
subjects and in the examinations. He had reason to feel proud of his advancement; and
so, when he went home on vacation that year, he ran alone to see his mother in the
prison and tell her the happy news.

Second year in ateneo (1873-1874), he again became an emperor; he also

received excellent grades in all subjects and a gold medal. At March 1874, he returned
to Calamba for his vacation. Third year in Ateneo (1874-1875), he only got 1 medal in
his Latin subject, then on March 1875 he returned to Calamba. Fourth year in Ateneo
(1875-1876), he became an internee in the Ateneo. One of his professors this time was
Fr. Francisco Sanchez whom inspired Rizal to study harder and write poetry. Last year
in Ateneo (1876-1877), Rizal won 5 medals and topped in all subjects and on March,
1876 he returned to Calamba. Rizal became the pride of the Jesuits and he obtained
highest grades in all subjects. He received the degree of Bachelor of Arts with highest
honors during commencement exercise.

First Romance of Rizal

Shortly after his graduation from the Ateneo, Rizal, who was then 16 years old,
experience his first romance— ―that painful experience which comes to nearly all
adolescent‖. Segunda Katigbak is the girl who stole Rizal‘s heart, she is a pretty 14
years old Batangueña from Lipa. He used to know Segunda because of his friend
Mariano Katigbak, brother of Segunda, during weekends Rizal visit Segunda‘s place—
La Concordia College and came to know her more intimately. But this love story didn‘t
last long as Segunda was already engaged to be married to her townmate Manuel Luz.
The last time they talked to each other was before the Christmas vacation on 1877
before they both live and return to their hometown. ―Well, good-bye. Anyway—I‘ll see
when you pass Calamba on your way to Lipa‖, the last word Rizal said to Segunda
before they will apart forever.
LESSON 6

Fortunately, Rizal‘s tragic first romance, with its bitter disillusionment, did not
adversely affect his studies in the University of Santo Tomas. His love for higher
education proved to be greater than his love for a pretty girl.
In April, 1877, Rizal, who was then nearly 16 years old, matriculated in the
University of Santo Tomas, taking Philosophy and Letters. He enrolled in this course for
two reasons: 1. His father liked it and 2. He was still ―Uncertain as to what career to
follow.‖ He had written to the Father Pablo Ramon, Rector of Ateneo, who had been
good to him during his student days in that college, asking for advice on the choice of
career. Unfortunately, the Father Rector was in the Mindanao and during those days it
took several months foe a letter to travel between Manila and Mindanao. Consequently,
during his first-year term (1877-79) in the UST, he studied Cosmology, Metaphysics,
Theodicy, and History of Philosophy.
It was during the following school term (1878-1879) that Rizal took up
medicine, enrolling simultaneously in the preparatory medical course and the regular
first year medical course. The reasons why he studied medicine were: (1) he wanted to
be a physician so that he might cure his mother‘s failing eyesight and (2) the
Father Pablo Ramon, Rector of Ateneo, whom he consulted for a choice of career,
finally answered his letter, recommending medicine.

Romances with Other Girls

Notwithstanding his academic studies in the University of Santo Tomas and
extracurricular activities in the Ateneo, Rizal had ample time for love. He was a romantic
dreamer who liked to sip the ―nectar of love.‖ His sad experience with his first love had
made him wiser in the ways of romance.
Shortly after losing Segunda Katigbak, he paid court to a young woman in
Calamba. In his memoirs, he called her simply Miss L, describing her as ―fair with
seductive and attractive eyes.‖ After visiting her in her house several times, he suddenly
stopped his wooing, and the romance died a natural death.
Several months later, during his sophomore year at the University of Santo
Tomas, he boarded in the house of Doña Concha Leyva in Intramuros. The next-door
neighbors of Doña Concha were Capitan Juan and Capitana Sanday Valenzuela,
parents of a charming girl named Leonor. Rizal, the medical student from Calamba, was
a welcomed visitor in the Valenzuela home, where he was the life of the social parties
because of his clever sleight-of-hand tricks. He courted Leonor Valenzuela, who was a
tall girl, ―almost as tall as Jose himself,‖ and had a regal bearing. He sent her over love
notes written in invisible ink. This ink consisted of common table salt and water. It left no
trace on the paper. Rizal, who knew his chemistry, taught Orang (pet name of Leonor
Valenzuela) the secret of reading any note written in the invisible ink by heating it over a
candle or lamp so that the lettering may appear. But as with Segunda, he stopped short
of proposing marriage to Orang.
 Rizal‘s next romance was with another Leonor- Leonor Rivera- his cousin
from Camiling. In 1879, the start of his junior year at the University, he lived in ―Casa
Tomasina,‖ a boarding house managed by his Uncle Antonio Rivera, at No. 6 Calle
Santo Tomas, Intramuros. His landlord-uncle had a pretty daughter, Leonor, a student
at La Concordia College, where Soledad (Rizal‘s younger sister) was then studying.
Leonor, born in Camiling, Tarlac, on April 11, 1876, was a frail, beautiful, ―tender as a
budding flower with kindly, wistful eyes.‖ Between Jose and Leonor sprang a tenderly
beautiful romance. They became engaged. In her letters to Rizal, Leonor signed her
name as ―Taimis,‖ in order to hide their intimate relationship from their parents and
friends.

Victim of Spanish Officer’s Brutality

When Rizal was a freshman medical student at the University of Santo
Tomas, he got his first taste of Spanish brutality. One dark night in Calamba, during his
summer vacation in 1880, 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 or
say a courteous ―Good Evening.‖ The vague figure was a lieutenant of the Guardia Civil.
With a snarl, he turned upon Rizal, whipped out a sword and brutally slashed the later
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. In a letter to Blumentritt, dated March
21, 1887, he related: ―I went to the Captain General but I could not obtain any Justice;
my wound lasted two weeks.

Rizal, the Champion of Filipino Students

 Rizal was the champion of the Filipino students in their frequent fights against
arrogant Spanish students, who insultingly call their brown classmates, ”Indio,
chongo!”. In retaliation, Filipinos call them ”Kastila, bangus!”. Hostility often
exploded in angry street rumbles.
 Rizal participated in street brawls.
 In 1880, he founded a secret society of Filipino students in UST called
Compañerismo (Comradeship), members were called ‖Companions of Jehu‖.
 Rizal was the chief of the secret society and his cousin from Batangas,
Galicano Apacible was the secretary.
 There was a time in their fights, when Rizal was wounded on the head, his
friends brought him in his boarding house and Leonor Rivera aided and washed
his wound.

UNHAPPY DAYS AT THE UST

Rizal was unhappy in the Dominican institution because:

 The Dominican professors were hostile to him
 The Filipino students were racially discriminated against by the Spaniards
 The method of instruction was obsolete and repressive.
  He failed to win high scholastic honors due to the attitude of his professors.

Activity 2: Skill-building Activities (with answer key) (18 mins + 2 mins checking)

Rizal’s decision to study abroad

After finishing Rizal‘s fourth year of medical course, he decided to go to Spain because
he could no longer endure the discrimination and hostility in the UST.Many approved
this plan. However, for the first time, he did not seek his parents‘ permission for he knew
that they would disapprove it.
 He also didn‘t tell his beloved Leonor because he knew she couldn‘t keep it a
secret.
 Rizal’s parents, Leonor, and the Spanish authorities have no idea of his
decision to go abroad to finish his medical studies in Spain.
 He believed that professors in Spain were more liberal than of those who were
in the UST.
 Jose Rizal was disgusted with the antiquated method of instruction in UST
(Domincan-owned university) and racial prejudice of Dominican professors
against Filipino students.
 He decided to complete his studies in Spain, because the government of Spain
at that time was constitutional monarchy, which granted human rights to the
people.
 Aside from this, his another reason, more importantly than finishing his course
was his ‖secret mission‖.

LESSON 7

Decision to go to Spain
After finishing the fourth year of his medical course, Rizal decided to go to study
in Spain. His elder brother readily approved his going to Spain and so did his two sisters
Saturnina (Neneng) and Lucia. Rizal, however, did not seek his parents‘ permission and
blessings to go abroad, because he knew that they, especially his mother, would
disapprove it. Rizal has a secret mission why he wants to go abroad to observe the
following: 1) life and culture in Europe, 2) languages and customs, 3) industries and
commerce, and 4) Governments and laws of the European nations.

Departure for Spain

Rizal‘s departure was kept secret to avoid detection by the Spanish authorities
and the friars. The kind Jesuit priests gave him letters of recommendations to members
of their Society in Barcelona. Rizal departed on May 3, 1882 boarded the Salvadora
with the following route: Manila – Singapore – Colombo – through the Suez Canal –
Naples and Marseiles – Barcelona. Only Uncle Antonio Rivera, Paciano, and his sisters,
and some close friends knew of his departure. Paciano gave him P700, Saturnina gave
him a diamond ring. An allowance of P35 per month was promised by Paciano through
Uncle Antonio. Rizal used a passport named Jose Mercado.
Singapore

During his voyage he observed the people and things around him and compared
them with those in the Philippines. He was the only Filipino on board. Rizal saw
Singapore and was impressed by its progress and beautiful sights. He admired the
confidence of the natives of Singapore with their government. Rizal stayed at Hotel de
Paz during the two days of his stop-over at Singapore. He spent most of his time visiting
the historic places, botanical garden, temples, and art galleries and writing his diary and
letters.

First trip to Suez Canal

Rizal boarded the Djemnah from Singapore to

Europe, a French steamer, it was larger and cleaner than
the Salvadora. He tried to speak French with some
passengers, which he learned it Ateneo, but unfortunately
passengers cannot understand him
After a week he reached Point de Galle, that
afternoon they sailed and docked at Colombo Ceylon. The
steamer crossed the Indian Ocean to Cafe Guardafui in
Africa. The trip was difficult because of a stormy weather.
Rizal was sea sick. On June 2 he arrived at the terminal of
Suez Canal, enjoyed and was thrilled by the historic
waterway. Suez Canal is man-made waterway which constructed by the Famous
French-man
On June 11, Rizal reached Naples. This Italian City pleased him because of its
business activity, its lively people, and its panoramic beauty. Night of June 12, the
steamer docked at the French harbor of Marsielles. He visited the Chateau d‘If, where
Dantes, the hero in The Count of Monte Cristo was imprisoned. He stayed three days in
Marseilles, enjoying every day of his sojourn.
At Marseilles, Rizal took the train to Barcelona. Rizal reached his destination –
Barcelona on June 16, 1882. Rizal found Barcelona to be a great city, with an
atmosphere of freedom and liberalism, and its people were open-hearted, hospitable
and courageous. The Filipinos in Barcelona, some of whom were his schoolmates in
Ateneo, welcomed Rizal. They threw a party for Rizal at their favorite café in Plaza de
Cataluna.
Rizal Moves to Madrid

Rizal received a sad news about the cholera that was ravaging Manila and the
provinces. On a letter he received from Paciano dated September 15, 1882, the
Calamba folks were having afternoon novenas and nocturnal procession, praying to
God to stop the dreadful epidemic. Another sad news he received was from Chengoy
(Jose M. Cecilio) telling how Leonor Rivera was getting thinner because of the absence
of a love one. Upon Paciano‘s advise, Rizal left Barcelona in the fall of 1882 and
established himself in Madrid, the capital of Spain. At Madrid he enrolled at
the Universidad Central de Madrid (Central University of Madrid) on November 3, 1882
there he took two courses: Medicine and Philosophy and Letters. Aside from his
studies, Rizal also took painting and sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts of San
Carlos. Rizal also took private lessons in French, German, and English; Rizal led a
Spartan life in Madrid, he lived frugally, spending his money only on food, clothing,
lodging, and books his only ―vice‖ was taking part in the Madrid Lottery. He spends his
leisure time reading and writing at his boarding house, attending reunions with fellow
Filipino students and practicing fencing and shooting.

Consuelo Ortiga y Perez

During Rizal‘s stay in Madrid, he would frequently visit the home of Don Pablo
Ortiga y Rey who lived with his son Rafael and daughter Consuelo. Don Pablo was a
former city mayor of Manila during the administration of the liberal governor general
Carlos Ma. De la Torre. Rizal was attracted by Consuelo‘s beauty and vivacity. As he
made a poem entitled A La Senorita C.O. y P. to express his admiration for her. Rizal,
however, backed out from his romance with Consuelo because (1) he was still engaged
with Leonor Rivera and (2) his friend and co-worker in the Propaganda Movement,
Eduardo de Lete was madly in love with Consuelo.

Other activities of Rizal in Madrid

Shortly after arriving in Madrid in 1882, Rizal joined the Circulo Hispano-
Filipino, a society of liberal Spaniards and Filipinos. As a member of this society Rizal
wrote a poem entitled ―Me Piden Versos‖ (They ask me for Verses).
Freemasonry or the Masons, were a secret society composed of liberal and
republican Spaniards in Spain. Amongst them were prominent and intellectual
Spaniards. The Spanish Masons openly and freely criticized the government policies
and particularly lambasted the friars. In March 1883, Rizal joined the Masonic lodge
called Acacia in Madrid. His Masonic name was Dimasalang. Later he transferred to
Lodge Solidaridad where he became a Master Mason.

 Two reasons why he became a Mason:

 The bad friars in the Philippines unworthy of their priestly habit or calling
 He needed the help of the Masons to fight the bad friars in the Philippines.
(it was a shield to use in his fight against the evil forces of tyranny)

Completion of Studies

The academic year 1884-1885 Rizal passed all subjects leading to the degree of
Doctor of Medicine. Rizal completed his medical course in Spain. He was awarded the
Degree of Licentiate in Medicine by the Universidad Central de Madrid on June 21,
1884. The next academic year (1884-85) he studied and passed all subjects leading to
the Degree of Doctor of Medicine. However, he was not awarded his Doctors Diploma
because he did not present his thesis nor paid the corresponding fees. Rizal also
finished his studies in Philosophy and Letters and was awarded the degree on June 19,
1885, his 24th birthday. By obtaining a degree in Philosophy and Letters, Rizal became
qualified to be a professor of humanities in any Spanish university. He did not bother to
secure the post-graduate degree of Doctor of Medicine because it was also good only
for teaching. Rizal knew, however, 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.

LESSON 8

Rizal went to Paris and Germany in order to specialize in ophthalmology—Rizal

chose this branch of medicine because he wanted to cure his mother‘s eye ailment. He
met and befriended several top German scientists, Dr. Feodor Jagor, Dr. Adolph B.
Meyer, Dr. Hans Meyer, and Dr. Rudolf Virchow.

IN GAY PARIS (1885-1886)

After his studies in Central University of Madrid, Rizal, who was 24 years old and
already a physician, went to Paris in order to acquire more knowledge in ophthalmology.
On his way to Paris, he stopped at Barcelona to visit his friend Maximo Viola a medical
student and a member of a rich family of San Miguel, Bulacan, Rizal‘s friend. He stayed
at Señor Eusebio Corominas house over the week, he was the editor of the newspaper
La Publicidad and made a crayon sketch of Don Miguel Morayta, owner of La
Publicidad and a statesman.
On November 1885, Rizal was living in Paris where he sojourned for about four
months. Rizal worked as an assistant from November 1885 to February 1886 Dr. Louis
de Weckert (1852-1906) a leading French ophthalmologist.
At the studio of Juan Luna, the great master of the brush, Rizal spent many
happy hours. Rizal helped Luna by posing as model in several paintings. In Luna‘s
canvas ―The Death of Cleopatra‖ he posed as an Egyptian priest. In another of Luna‘s
great paintings, ―The Blood Compact,‖ he posed as Sikatuna, with Trinidad Pardo de
Tavera taking the role of Legazpi. Luna was engaged to a pretty girl named Paz Pardo
de Tavera and later became his wife.
On November 27, 1878 Rizal told Enrique Lete that he ―learned the solfeggio, the
piano, the voice culture in one month and a half‖. By sheer determination and constant
practice, Rizal came to play the flute fairly well. He was a flutist in various impromptu
reunions of Filipinos in Paris. Alin Mang Lahi (Any Race) is a patriotic song written by
Rizal which asserts that any race aspires for
freedom.

In Historic Heidelberg
On February 8, 1886 Rizal arrived in Heidelberg, a historic city in Germany
famous for its old university and romantics surroundings. He became popular among
the Germans because they found out that he was a good chess player. He worked at
the University Eye Hospital under the direction of Dr. Otto Becker, distinguished
German ophthalmologist. On April 22, 1886 Rizal wrote a fine poem entitled “A Las
Flores de Heidelberg” (To the Flowers of Heidelberg) because he was fascinated by
the blooming flowers along the Neckar River, which is the light blue flower called
“forget-me-not”—his favorite flower. Rizal was fortunate to witness the fifth centenary
celebration of University of Heidelberg on August 6, 1886.

First Letter to Blumentritt

On July 31, 1886 Rizal wrote his first letter to Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt
who is the Director of the Ateneo of Leitmeritz, Austria. Blumentritt is an Austrian
ethnologist and he has an interest in the Philippine language. Rizal sent Aritmetica
(Arithmetic) book to Blumentritt which was published in 2 languages – Spanish and
Tagalog – by the University of Santo Tomas Press in 1868. The author was Rufino
Baltazar Hernandez. Blumentritt became the best friend of Rizal.
In Leipzig and Dresden
On August 14, 1886 Rizal arrived in Leipzig, there he attended some lectures at
the University of Leipzig on history and psychology. He befriended Prof. Friedrich
Ratzel, a famous historian, and Dr. Hans Meyer, German anthropologist. Rizal found
out that the cost of living in Leipzig was the cheapest in Europe so he stayed for 2
months and a half. On October 29, he went to Dresden, where he met Dr. Adolph B.
Meyer, the Director of the Anthropological and Ethnological Museum.
Rizal was enchanted by Berlin because of its scientific atmosphere and the
absence of race prejudice. In this city, he cam in contact with great scientists: Dr.
Feodor Jagor German scientist-traveler and author of Travels in the Philippines; Dr.
Rudolf Virchow famous German anthropologist; Dr. W. Joest German geographer; and
Dr. Karl Ernest Schweigger a famous German ophthalmologist. Rizal has five reasons
why he stayed in Berlin: (1) To gain further knowledge of ophthalmology (2) To further
his studies of science and languages (3) To observe the economic and political
conditions of the German nation (4) To associate with famous German scientists and
scholars (5) To publish his novel, Noli Me Tangere.
Rizal on German Women
Rizal sent a letter to his sister, Trinidad, dated on March 11, 1886. In his letter,
Rizal expressed his high regard and admiration for German womanhood. Rizal said that
German woman is serious, diligent, educated and friendly. German women are not
gossipy, and quarrelsome like the Spanish women, they are not particular about
beautiful dresses and expensive jewelries, though they could dress nicely like any other
woman in the world. Rizal regretted that in the Philippines, the woman is more
interested in how they dress than how much they know. However, he praised the
delicacy of feeling, fine manners, devotion, and hospitality of the Filipino women,
especially those in the province who are not yet sophisticated.
Aside from German woman, some of the following German customs were
admired by Rizal: on Christmas season, people will select a pine tree from the bushes
and adorned it with lanterns, papers, lights, dolls, candies, fruits, etc.; another is the
self-introduction to strangers in a social gathering.

Rizal’s Darkest Winter

Rizal spent winters in many temperate countries, but the winter of 1886 in Berlin
was his darkest winter. He lived in poverty because no money arrived from Calamba
and he was flat broke. He could not pay his landlord and he was eating only one meal a
day. His clothes were old and threadbare. His health broke down due to lack of proper
nourishment. This is one of the most memorable days in the life of Rizal.

OTHERS

 As the brother of Paciano, Rizal was identified as subversive.

 Rizal‘s frustration served as a challenge for him to achieve more in his studies
 Calamba, the birth place of Jose Rizal belonged to Dominican Order.
 Rizal wrote this poem, ―Sa Aking mga Kababata‖ when he was 8 years old.
 Rizal‘s first teacher in his formal education was Maestro Celestino.
 The hated symbol of Spanish tyranny in the Philippines was guardia civil.
 Doña Teodora was arrested.
 An ode which won Rizal first prize in literary competition was Ala Juventud
Filipina.