C

HAPTER3
Ri
zal
’
sLi
fe:F
ami
l
y,Chi
l
dhooda
ndEa
rlyEdu
cat
ion
Obj
ect
ives
Att
hee n
doft hec h
a pter,thes t
udentshoul
dbea bl
eto:
● Exa minetheDr .J oseP.Ri za
l’
sli
fe,f ami
ly,chil
dhood,a n
de arlyeducat
ion;
● De scr
ibet h
ee fforts
,dili
gencea n
dde t
erminat
ionofDr .J oseP.Ri za
ltoa chi
eveexcel
len
ceinhi
s
earl
ye du
c a
tion ;
● C omparea ndc ontrastDr.JoseP.Ri z
al’
sf a
milyandthef amil
yoft hepresentGener
ati
on;
● Pa rt
ici
pateac t
ive l
yinc l
assdisc
ussionoft h
equ ali
ti
esandvi rt
uesofRizal t
hatar
eworthimi
tat
inga
s
astudent/ci
tizen.
● I dent
ifythepe oplea ndeventsandt h
eiri
n f
luenceinth
ee arlyli
feofRizal;and
● Gl e
anf r
omDr .Jos eP.Ri z
al’
sexper i
encesthetrai
tsthatwou l
dlat
e ronde f
inehi
schara
cter
.

C
HAPTER3
Ri
zal
’
sLi
fe:F
ami
l
y,Chi
l
dhooda
ndEa
rlyEdu
cat
ion

Th
ewi sdom a
nds ac
rif
ice
sofJ oseP.Riza
lf ort
hec ount
rye
arn
edhi
mthet
it
leofthegre
atest
Mal
ayanwhoe verl
ive
d.I twasanh onorher
igh
tful
lydeser
ve s
.Uptothi
sda
y,n
oAsianha
ss u
rpass
ed
Ri
zal
’si
ngenu
ityandextr
emeintel
li
genc
e .

Thefa
ctthathei
st hen at
ionalheroofthePhi
l
ippi
nesisjus
ton esi
deofhi
m.Th eli
feandti
mesof
Ri
zal,th oughs
hort,i
sane n
de avorthatschol
arsandsci
ent
ist
sa l
i
kef i
ndwort
hytostudya ndana
lyze
.Wh at
i
sita bou tt
heuni
onofF r
anci
s c
oMe rc
a doandTeodor
aAlonzo(Riza
l’
spa r
ent
s)tha
tpr oduceJos
eRizal
?As
wel
l-knownRi zal
i
st,Dr.AustinC r
a i
g wa sthefi
rstt
ot ra
ceRizal
’sfamil
yroot
sa nddiscoverhisChi
nes
e
an
ce stry.

Jos
eRialwasa9t hg e
nerat
ionpatr
il
in
ealdes
cendantofaC hi
nesei
mmigranta n
dbu s
inesstycoon
DonDoming
oLamco(C hin
e sename:pinyi
n:KeYinan)ofLagunawasthegreat
-gr
ea tgran
dfath
e rofJose
Riz
al.L
amcoisorig
inal
l
yf romAmoy,C hin
awh ocamet ot
hePh i
li
ppi
nesinthemid-1 7thcen
tury.Thisis
whereh
eme th
iswife,I
nezdel aRosadaugh
terofAgust
inC
hincoanimmig
ran
ttrade
rf romChuanchow.

Topreve
nttheconf
li
ctandhosti
li
tywiththeSpani
shauthor
it
ies
,h edec
idedtodropnameLa
m-co
andada
ptedaSpani
shsurna
me .Asme r
chants
,t h
eyc hos
ethen ame“Merc
ado“be c
auseitme
an sma
rke
t.
La
mcos ta
rtedthebusin
essesoft heMercadoc l
an.Hewa sas ucc
esfule
ntrepr
eneurinspit
eofthe
di
scr
imi
nati
onexper
ien
cedbyC hi
nes
et r
adersfr
omt heSpani
ards
.

InJun
e1 697,Lamcowasbapti
zedintheCat
hol
i
cc h
urchofMani
la’
sPa ri
anC
hin
eseghet
toandmove
d
t
oBinan,Laguna.Hewa s35yearsoldatthatti
me.Hisfi
nanci
als
tateimprovedi
nBinana
ndh ebec
amea
Ch
ines
ec ommu n
ityl e
ader.La
mc o’
ss onF r
anci
scoMerca
doa ndgra
n dsonJuanMerc
adomarri
edChi
nes
e
mest
iza
sa n
dbot hser
vedasdis
tin
g u
ishedmayorsofBi
nanforfi
veter
ms .

Juan’
swife,C i
ri
laAlej
an dra,wastheda ug
hterofa nimmig
ranttradera ndDomingoL a
mc o’s
bapt
ismalg
odsonSion
g-co.Th e
ya r
ethepare
ntsofRiza
l’
sfathe
r.WhenRiza
l’
sf a
th e
rwa sbor
n,thefamil
y
tr
ansfer
redtoCal
amba.Theh ousetheybui
l
twa sthef
irs
tstonehou
sei
nt h
ewh ol
et own.
JoseRiz
al’
sbrother
,Pa cianowasident
if
iedwit
hon eofthemart
yredpriest,JoseBurg
oss ot h
e
f
ami
l
ych
ang
edt
hei
rsu
rna
mef
romMe
rca
dot
oRi
zal
.

Rec
entgene
alogi
calf
indi
ngsreve
aledt
hatRiz
alals
ohadSpa
nsh,J
apanes
e,andNe
gri
toance
str
y.
Te
odor
a(Ri
zal
’smot
he r
)greatgr
andf
ather
,Eugen
cioUru
suawa
sadesce
ndantofJ
apa
neseset
tl
ers
.

Ursuama r
ri
edaF i
li
pi
nan amedBeni
gnaandthei
ru ni
onproduce
dRe g
inaUr
sua.Atty.Ma n
uelde
Qui
ntos,aSa ng
leymesti
zofrom Pan
gasi
nanmarr
iedRegi
n aandthei
rda u
ght
erisname
dBr ig
ida
.Br i
gi
da
marr
iedah a
lf-c
asteSpa
niar
dn a
me dLor
enzoAl
bert
oAlonzo.Theya r
etheparen
tsofTeodoraandRiz
al’
s
gr
andpare
nts.

J
oseRi
zal
’
sFa
mil
y

TheRizalfamil
ybelongedtothe“pri
nci
pali
a”ana r
ist
ocrati
ctownofdist
ingui
shedf
amil
ie
s.Byf rug
alli
vi
ng,
har
da ndh onestwork,Rizal
’
spa r
entswerea bl
etolivewe l
l.Fromth
ef arms,whi
chwe r
erentedfromthe
Domini
canOr der,t
h eyharvest
edrice
,c orn,ands uga
r c
ane.Th e
yraisedpigs,c
hic
kens,a n
dt ur
keysin
the
irbackyard.ina ddi
ti
on,DonaTeodoraman a
gedag rocer
ys t
orean
dope rat
edasmallf
lou
rmill
.

Riz
al’
spa r
ent
swer
eabl
etobuil
dalar
geston
ehousewhic
hwassi
tua
tedneart
hetownc
h u
rch.They
ownedac arr
iagewhic
hwasas t
atu
ss ymbolofthei
ll
ustr
adosinth
ePh i
li
ppi
nesandaprivat
elibr
ary
con
sis
tin
gof1 ,000vol
ume
s.

Thei
rchil
dre
nwerest
udyi
nginc
oll
egesinMani
la
.Theypar
ti
ci
pate
dinall
soci
ala
ndr
eli
gi
ousaff
air
s
i
nthecommu ni
ty.Theywer
eg r
aci
ousandhospi
tabl
etoal
lvi
si
tor
sa n
dg ue
stsdur
ingt
het
ownfies
taand
ot
herh
olida
ys.

TheRiza
lfami
l
yh a
das i
mple
,conten
tedandh a
ppylif
eandwasin
t i
mat
elycl
ose.DonF ra
n c
isc
oa n
d
DonaTeodoral
ovedth
eirchi
l
dre
n,butthe
yn eve
rs poi
ledthe
m.Theywe rest
ri
ctpare
n t
sa n
dt heytra
ine
d
the
irch
il
drentol
oveGod,tobeha
vewel
l,tobeobedien
ta n
dtore
spectpeopl
eespec
ial
lytheoldfol
ks.
 Whent
hec
hil
dreng
oti
ntomi
schi
ef,t
heywe
reg
ive
nag
oods
pan
kin
gbe
cau
set
heybe
li
eve
dint
he
s
ayi
ng“Spa
ret
her
oda n
dspoi
lth
ech
il
d.”

Th
eHe
ro’
sFa
the
r

JoseRizal’
sfa the
r,DonF ranc
iscoMercadoRizal(1818-
1898)wa sborni nBin
a n,Laguna
.Hes tudie
dL a
tinandPhil
osophy
attheC oll
egeofSa nJ oseinManil
a.Afterthei
rpa r
ents
’sde a
th,
Franci
scoa ndtwoofh issi
ste
rsmove dtoC al
amba.Hebe camea
t
e na
n tf armer of t he Dominica
n-own edh aci
enda. He wa s
hardworkin
g,a ndindependent
-mindedwh otal
kedlessbutworked
morea ndvali
antinspi
r i
t.

J
os eRizal
descri
bedhisf a
therinhi
sdiary:
“
Myf a
therwasamodel off a
thershadgivenusan
educat
ioncommens ura
tewithou rsmal
lfort
une;a nd
thr
oughthrifthewasabletobuil
das tonehouse;erecta
l
itt
leni
pah ouseinthemiddl
eofou rrochardunderthe
shadeofsomet reesandother
s .”

TheHer
o’sMother
DonaTeodoraAlonzoY.Rea londa( 1826-1911)was
borni
nMe i
si
k,Sta.CruzMani
la.Shestudie
da tColegi
odeSta.
Rosai
nMa n
il
a.Shewasawoma nofref
inedcult
urea n
dc ha
rac
ter
,
wit
hexemplar
yli
ter
arytal
ents
,thefor
ti
tudeofaSpa r
tanwoman
andwi
thbusi
nessabi
li
ty,sh
ema na
gedtheirst
ore.

Rizall
oving
lydescr
ibedhi
smot her:
“Mymot herisawomenofmor ethanor di
nary
cultur
e;sheknowslit
era
tureands peaksSpani
sh
bettertha
nI .Sheevencor
rectedmypoemsa nd
gavemewi seadvis
eswhenIwa ss tudyi
ng
rhetori
c.Sheisama t
hemati
ci
ana ndh asrea
d
ma nybooks.”

Bot
hpa r
entsg r
eat
lyinf
luen
cedRiza
lasshowninhi
sc h
ara
cte
r.“Fr
om hi
sfath
erhei
nher
it
eda
pr
ofoun
ds ens
eofdi g
nitya
n dsel
f-r
espe
ct,ser
iou
snes
sandfromhi
smoth
erthedrea
meran
dbra
veryfor
sa
cri
fi
cesandherli
ter
aryprowe
ss”.

DonFranc
isc
oMerc
adoRiza
landDon aTeodoraAl
ons
oYRea l
ondawereble
ssedwi
the
leve
n(1
1)
c
hil
dre
n:t wo(
2)boysandni
ne(9)gir
ls.Th
eywe reasfol
l
owsint
heorderoft
hei
rbir
th.
 DR.J
OSEP.RI
ZAL
’SF
AMI
LYTREE

L
Riz
alSi
bl
in
gs
1
. Sat
urn
ina(
1850-1
913)

Theel
destchi
ldoftheRizalc
hil
dre
n .Herni
ckna
mewa s“Nen
eng”
,s hema
rri
edtoMa nuelT.Hidal
go
ofTanauan,Batanga
s.Th eirchi
ldre
nwe reAlfr
edo,whoma rr
iedAur
oraTi a
oqu i
;Ade l
a,wh o
marr
ie;
dJoseVe r
;Abe lar
do;andAme li
aandAugus
to,whobot
hd i
edyoung
.Hidalg
oa ndRizals
ent
fr
equentcorr
espondencewh i
l
et helatt
erwasinEu r
ope.In1909,Saturni
nap ubl
ish
edPa scua
l
Pobl
ete
’sTagal
ogtransl
ati
onoftheNoliMeTang
ere.

2. Pa
cia
no(
1851-1
930)

Hewa sthesecon dchi

ld,closest,oldestbrotherofJos eRizal
.Hewa sRizal
’sconfidant,andhewas
theonewh oc onvince
dRi zaltos tu
dyi nEu r
opewi thoutthei
rpa r
ent’
spe rmiss
ion.Hes t
udie
dlati
n
undermae s
troJu st
ini
anoC ruzbeforea t
tendingtheC oleg
iodeSa nJoseinMa ni
la.Wh il
einthecit
y,
Paci
anoliveda ndworkedwi thF r.JoseA.Bu rgos,wh oe ar
nedthea ngerofth eSpa ni
shfri
arsby
campaig
ningfort hesecul
a ri
zat
ionmove ment.Pa c
ianowa sinchargeinsendingmon e
ya ndbudget
,
andconstantl
ya dvi
sedh i
sbr ot
he rJoseRizalt
h r
oughl et
terswhil
einEurope.Pa ci
an obecameanall
y
oftheK ati
pun a
n .Hebe cameag e n
eralinr evolut
ionarya r
mydu r
ingthe1 900’ s.AfterRiza
l’
s
executi
oninDe cember1 896a tBa gumbayan ,h ejoinedt h
ePh il
ip
pineRe vol
u t
iona ndbe c
amea
combatge n
eral.Her etur
n estoh i
sf ar
mi nLosBa nos ,whereh el
ivedasag e
ntlema n,far
mer,and
 di
eda
tth
eag
eof79.

3. Na
rci
sa(
1852-1
939)

Thet hi
rdc h
il
da ndwh os
en i
cknameis“Sisa
”n andwasma rr
iedt oAntoni
oLop ez(ne phewofF at
her
Leonci
oL opez).Sh ewasamu si
cia
na ndane ducat
orfromPu ebl
odeMor ong(f orme rnameofRi za
l
Provin
ce ).Theirchil
drenwereEmili
o,Angelic
a,wh oma r
ri
e dBe ni
toAbreu;An t
on i
o,wh oma rr
ied
Emili
anaRizal
,(theda ug
therofPaci
anoRizal
);C onsu
elo;Leoncio,whoma r
riedNatividadArgu
ell
es;
andI sabel
,F ra
n c
isco,Arseni
o,a ndF i
del
a,a llofwh om di
e dyoung.Na rc
isac ou l
dr e
cit
ef r
om
me morya l
mostallpoemsofJoseRizal
.

4. Ol
i
mpi
a(1
855
-1887)

Thefor
uthchi
dwithani
ckname“Ypi
a”,whowasmarri
edtoSi
lve
streUba
ldo,ate
legr
aphoperat
or
fr
omMa ni
la.The
irch
il
drenwereAri
ste
o,whomarri
edLeona
rdaLimj
ap;Cesar
ioandanot
herboy,
bot
hofwh omdi
edyoung.Shedi
edwhil
egi
vin
gbir
th1887.

5. L
uci
a(1
857-1
919)

Whoma r
ri
edMa r
cia
noHe rbosa(nephewoffa therCasa
nas)ofCalamba,Lag
una .Thei
rchi
ldr
enwere
Del
fi
na,fir
stwifeofGe neralSal
vadorNa t
ividadandwhoh e
lpedMa rc
elaAgon c
il
lomaketh ef
ir
st
Phi
l
ippi
nefalgi
nHon gKon g;Concepci
on;Pa troci
no,wh omarri
edJoseBatta
lones;Teodis
io,who
marr
iedLuc
inaVit
ingc
o;Es tani
sl
ao,a n
dPa z,Vi ct
ori
a,andJose.He r
bosadiednofChol
eraandwas
de
niedofChri
sti
anburi
albeingthebrot
her-i
n -lawofJoseRi
zal.

6. Ma
ria(
1859-1
945)

He
rn i
cknamewas“Bi
ang”andwasma r
ri
edtoDani
elaFau
sti
noCruzofBi
nan,Lag
una.Thecoupl
e
wasbless
edwit
hf i
vechil
dre
n.Theirchi
ldr
enwereEncar
naci
on,whoma r
ri
edRosendoBana
ad;
Maur
ici
,whomarr
iedCon
cepci
onArg
ue l
l
es;andPe
trona
,Paz,andPru
denc
io,whodi
edyoung
.

7. J
osePr
ota
cioMe
rca
doRi
zal
YRe
alon
da(
1861
-1896)

Hi
sn i
ckn
amewa s“ Pepe”
,thegrea
te s
tF i
l
ipi
noh e
ro,andpeerl
essgeni
us.Hebecamet h
eNa t
ional
Her
ooft hePhi
l
ippines.HewasaFil
ipi
noNa t
iona
li
standpol
ymathduri
ngthet
ailen
doft heSpanis
h
per
iodoft hePhili
ppi
nes.Anophth a
lmol
ogistbyp r
ofess
ion
,Ri z
albecameawr it
era ndake y
memberoftheFil
ipi
noPropag
andaMove mentwhic
hadvocat
edpoli
tca
lref
ormsforthecol
onyun der
Spa
in.

In1872-1 877,s tudi

edh ighs choolatAteneoMu ni
c i
paldeMa nil
aa ndgraduat
e d wit
h
honors.In1 878,t ooku pPh i
losoph yandL ett
ersa ttheUniversi
tyofSa ntoToma s(UST)wh il
e
studyi
ngsurveyinga tth
eAt eneoMu n i
ci
paldeMa ni
la.In1879,h eenrol
l
edi ntheCol
legeofMe di
ci
ne
atUn i
ver
sit
yofSa ntoToma s.In1 884,h estart
edwr i
ti
nghisfi
rstnovel
,Nol iMeTanger.InJune21,
1884,h ereci
e vedth edegreeinL ic
e nt
iat
ei nMedici
nefromt heUn i
vers
idadC ent
raldeMa dri
dand
whileononJ u n
e1 9,1 885,r e
c ievedt hede gr
eei nLicen
tiateinPh i
losophya ndL et
tersand
complete
ds tudies,DoctorofMe dicine
.I n1 886,h estudi
edOp hthal
mologya ttheUn i
versi
tyof
 Lei
pzig
.I nF e
bruar
y21 ,1887,hec omple
tedt henovelNol
iMeTa n
gerea ndfina
ll
y,Ma rc
h1 887,
Riza
lpubl
ishedtheNoli
MeTa ng
erei
nBe rl
in,Germanywithth
ef i
nanci
als
uppor tofDr.MaximoViol
a.
In1890,pu bl
is
hedhisedi
ti
onofMor ga’
sSu c
esosinPa r
is,Fra
ncea n
dpu bl
ished“TheI n
dolenceof
theFil
i
pinos”andmovedtoBrussel
s,Belgui
mi nSeptember18,1891publis
hedh i
ss ec
ondn ovel
,El
Fi
li
buster
ismowiththeass
ist
ancefr
omVa l
enti
nVe ntu
raandJoseMa .Bas
a .

In1892,hefoundedtheLaLig
aFil
i
pin
ainTondo,Mani
la
.I nJul
y7,1892,An dr
esBonifac
io
foundedtheKKKtos ec
ureind
ep en
dencefr
omSp an
ishru
le.I
n1 892to1896,helivedi
nDa pi
tanto
ser
vei nvari
ouscapaci
ty.InDecember30,1896,hehadacommonl awrel
ati
onshi
pwithJose
ph i
ne
Bra
cke n,anIri
shgi
rlf
romHongK ong.Hehadasonbutdi
edafewh ou
rsaft
erbirt
h.Rizaln
a medhim
Fra
nc i
scoafte
rhisFath
e r
.

Hewasexe c
utedbyt heSpani
shcol
onialgovernmentforthecri
meofr e
bell
iona ft
erthe
Phi
l
ippineRevol
uti
on,inspire
di npartbyhiswr i
ti
ng s
,br okeout.Thoughhewa sn ota ct
ivel
y
i
nvolvedinit
splanni
ngorc ondu
ct,heult
imat
elyapprovedofitsgoalswhi
chevent
uall
yl edtothe
Phi
l
ippineIn
dependence
.Exe cut
edbyaf i
ri
ngsquada t7:03inthemorni
ngatth
eBa g
umba yanF i
el
d
an
dwa sburi
edatthePa c
oC emeter
ya f
terexecut
ion.Hi swidel
yconsi
deredoneoft hegreatest
her
oe softhePh
il
ippi
nes.

8. C
onc
epc
ion(
1862-1
865
)

He
rni
ckn
a s“
mewa Conc
ha”
.Sh
edi
eda
tth
eag
eoft
hre
e.He
rde
athwa
sRi
zal
’
sfi
rsts
orr
owi
nli
fe.

9. J
ose
fa(
1865-1
945)

He
rn i
ckna
mewas“ Pa
nggoy”
.Sh
ewa
sepi
l
ept
ica
ndd
ieds
pin
ste
ratt
hea
geof80.Sh
ebe
camea
memberofth
eKa
tipunan
.

1
0.Tr
ini
dad(
1868-1
951
)

Herni
ckna
mewa s“Tr
ini
ng”
.Shewast
heal
stoft
heRiz
alc
hil
dre
ntosur
vivea
nddi
edass
pins
tertoo
anddi
edatth
ea geof83.Sheal
sobe
cameamemberoft
heKati
pun
anandshewa
sth
ecare
takerof
“MiUl
ti
moAdios
”.

1
1.Sol
eda
d(1
870-1
929)

Theyou ng
estwh osen i
cknamei s“Chol
eng”marri
edtoPa n
tal
eonQuin
teroofCalambaandwa s
bl
es s
edwithfivec hi
l
drenwe reTrini
tar
io,whoma rr
iedMari
aSanMa t
eo;wh omarri
edBerna
be
Malvar(
sonofGe neralMig
uelMa l
var);Lui
sa,whoma r
rie
dJoseArgu
ell
es;andSera
finandFel
i
x,
bothofwhomdi e
dyou ng.Sh ebecameat eac
her
,iss a
idrohavebe
en“ t
hebesteduca
ted”a
mong
Riz
a l
’
ssis
ters
.Sol e
dadp as
seda wayin1929,att
heageof59.

Th
eBi
rt
hofRi
zal

J
oseP.Riz
al,the7
thchi
l
doftheRi
zalf
ami
l
y,wasbornonJun
e19,1861
,We dnes
day,
be
twe
en11:00a
nd1 2:
00midn
ighti
nth
etownofCal
amba
,provi
nceofLa
gun
a,Phil
i
ppin
es.His
moth
era l
mos
tdi
eddu
rin
ghe
rde
li
ver
ybe
cau
seJ
ose
’sh
eadwa
sbi
g.Ash
ere
cou
nte
dinh
iss
tude
nt
memoir
s:

“
Mycomi
ngoutint
h i
sval
eoftea
rswoul
dhavecostmymot
herh
erli
fe,ha
dsh
enotvowed
t
oth
eVir
ginofAnt
ipol
otota
kemetohersa
nctu
a r
ybywayofpi
l
gri
mage.”

Hewa sbapti
zedintheCat
holi
cC h
urchinCalambaonJ u
ne22,1 861byt h
epa r
ishpri
est,
Fat
herRufi
noColl
ante
s.Hisgodfa
therwasFathe
rPe droCasan
as,aclos
ef r
iendoftheRi
zalfa
mil
y.
Fat
herCol
lan
teswa si
mpresse
dbyt henighea
dofba byJos
e.Het ol
dthem“Takegoodcareofthis
chi
l
d,forsome da
yh ewil
lbecomeag r
eatman”.Then ame“Jose”waschosenbyhismotherhonor
ofSanJos
e( St
.Joseph)whosefeas
twa sMar
ch1 9.

Hi
sc omplet
en amewasJOSEPROTAC IOMERC ADORIZALALONZOYREALONDA.Th en ame
Pr
otaciowa stakenfromtheCathol
i
cc al
endarwhic
hwa saprac
tic
eduri
ngth
eSpa ni
shtime,th a
t
whenac hi
ldisborn,he/sh
eisnamedafterth
es a
intoftheday.Thesurn
ameMer
cadowh i
chme ans
marketinEngli
shadoptedi
n1731byh i
spater
balgrea
t-gran
dfat
her,Domi
ngoL
amco,af u
ll
-blooded
Ch
ineseme rchant
.

Addedsur
nameRi
zalwasgi
vwnbyDonFra
nci
scowh
ichiscl
ose
rt otheSpa
nis dRa
hwor c
ial
whic
hme ans“l
unti
angbu
kir
in”rel
ate
dtohisworkashaci
endaowner/fa
rmer.Alonzowast
he
surn
ameofRi z
al’
smotherReal
ondawasusedbyDonaTeodorawhi
chi sthesurnamepofh
er
godmot
her.

J
oser
iza
l’
sCh
il
dhoodYe
ars

JoseRizal
,a sayou ngboyh adbeaut
if
ul,fr
iut
fula
ndpleasan
tme mori
esaswe l
lassor
row.
Heg re
wu pi
nah a
ppyh ome .Hec oul
drememberthetendere
stc a
reofh i
sparen
tsbecausehewa s
fra
il
,s ic
klya ndu nder
siz
edboy.Hi sfat
herbui
ltan i
pahutint hegardenforhimtoplayint h
e
dayti
me .Att herag eof3( thre
e ),hee n
joyedwa t
chi
ngint hegardentheinse
cts,thema ya,
cul
iawan,ma r
iacapra,pipi
t,th ema r
ti
nandotherbi
rds.Helist
ened“withexci
tementandwonder”
tothei
rtwili
ghtsongsands ounds.

An
othe
rc h
il
dhoodmemor
ywa
sth
eda
il
ypr
ayi
ngofAn
gel
usof6:
00pmi
nth
eira
lta
rasa
llof
t
hemg
ather
edforpra
yers.

Al
lte“
h azol
ea”onamoonl
i
tn i
ght
,theaya(nurs
ema i
d)wouldte
lls
tori
esaboutf
ari
es,
l
ege
nds,tal
esofbur
iedt
rea
sure
s,andot
herf
abu
lousstor
ies
.Some t
imesofhedi
dn otl
i
ketoeat
h
issupper
,theAyawoul
dthr
eat
enhi
mt ha
tas
uwang,t
ikbal
ang,nu
noort het
urban
edBombaywil
l
c
omet ohi
maway.

Heisbroughtforawal
kf ortherel
ief
-givi
ngbreeze,toseethefrui
tbe a
rin
gtress
,f l
owers,
bi
rds.Thesc e
nicbeautyofhistownC ala
mba ,thelegen
daryMt .Maki
li
nga n
dt hedis
tantAnti
polo
wit
htheshr
ineofthemi r
acul
ousladyofPe a
cea ndGoodVoyag e
.
Attheageoft hr
ee(3).Hebe g
antojoinrel
igi
ousprocess
ions,novenainthechurc
ha n
da t
th
ea geoffive(5),h ewasablet oreadtheSp a
nis
hBiblewiththeh e
lpofhismother.WhenRi z
al
wasnear
ly7ye arsold(Jun
e6,1 868),hi
sf a
thertookhimf orapil
gri
ma g
et oAnti
poloi
nor derto
 f
ulf
il
lhi
smot he
r’svowswh i
chwasmadewhenJos
ewasborn
.DonaTeodoracou
ldnotacc
ompa
ny
t
hembe ca
useheh adgi
venbirt
htoTr
ini
dad.Itwa
sth
efir
sttri
pofRi
zala
cros
sL ag
unadeBaya
nd
h
isfi
rstpi
lgr
imagetoAnt
ipol
o.

Af
terpr
ayi
ngatt
heshri
neofth
eVirg
inofAn
tip
olo,t
heywe
ntt
oMa
nil
a,t
ovi
si
thi
ssi
ste
r
Sa
tur
nin
aa tt
heLaCon
cor
diaC
oll
egei
nSant
aAn a
.

Th
eHe
ro’
sFi
rstSor
row

TheRizalchi
l
dre
nwe r
eboundt
oget
herbythetie
soflovea ndc
areJosel
ovedmosth
isli
tl
e
s
ist
erConch
a( Conce
pci
on)whowasnexttohi
m.Un fort
unat
ely,Conch
adiedattheag
eoft h
ree
a
ndforth
ef i
rstti
meheshedtea
rsf
orl
oveandgri
ef,whichi
ssa i
dtobehisf
ir
stsor
row.

Th
eSt
oryoft
heMot
h

Ofa
llt
hest
ori
estol
dbyDonaTeodor
atoJos
e,t
hes
tor
yoft
hemot
hma
det
hepr
ofou
nde
st
i
mpr
intonhi
mwh i
chhere
c a
ll
eda
fte
rsomeye a
rs…

“MyMot herwasteach
inghmeh owtor ea
dSp ani
sh“TheC hi
l
dren’
sF ri
ends(ElAmi
godeL os
Ni
n os).Thiswasar ar
ebooka ndoldcopy.Thisni
ght,mymot herbecameimpatie
ntwithh
ear i
ngme
reads opoorl
y.Idi dnotunderst
andSpanis
ha ndsoIc oul
dn otreadwit
he xpressi
onshetookt he
booka ndreadittomebu tIwaswa t
chin
gtheflamewithsomelitt
lemothsci
rcli
ngaroundt
hef l
ame .
Soona smymot hernoti
cedthatIwa snotint
erest
ed.Sh estoppedands a
idtome“ Iamg oi
ngt o
readtoyouve ryprett
ys t
ory.Ion ceopenedmye yesonh e
aringthewordstory.Shetol
dme“ The
storyofthemot h
”.

Onceu ponat i
me,a noldmot hh adwa rnedh erda ughtera gai
ns tthef lame,s o
beaut
ifu
l,s oinviti
ng,yetf at
alanddeceit
fulforitdes troyedwh oeverc a
met ooc l
os e.She
hers
elfs a
id,s hewa sonc etemptedbyi t;sheh adba r
elyes capedwi thh a l
f-burntwings.
Thefri
gh t
enedyou ngmot hpromisedtoobey,bu twa ss oona skingh erself:“nowwh ymy
mothertryt ogivemeas uchscare?Wh yshouldIc l
osemyeyest ot os uchpr ett
ys ig
ht?
Theseoldpeoplei ssuchcowa r
ds!Theyt hi
nkeveryf l
yisa nelepha nt
,a nyol ddwa rfag i
ant.
Whatharmc anitdot ome,wh at
evers hesays,ifIc omenea rth eflame,a sl onga sIa m
car
eful
?Wh atIa m,al i
tt
les i
l
ly?Wh atastoryIs hallhavef orallotherg i
rlsifI,bei ngvery
car
efulofc ourse,t a
keac l
oserlook.“Nos ooners ai
dt hatdone,a ndth es il
l
yl i
ttlemoth
wentfl
utteri
nga roundthef l
ame.Atf i
rstsheonlyf eltpl
ea sant
lywa r
m;t hisenc ouragedher
andshef l
ewc l
os erandcloserunti
latla
st,dazzledbyf l
ame,f ellandper i
sh edinit.

Assheputmet
obed,mymot hers
aid:”Seetoitth
a tyoudonotbehavel
i
kethe
youngmoth
.Don’
tbedi
dobedi
ent
,oryoumayg etbur
iedasitdid.“
Idonotknowwhet
her
Ianswer
edornot
….

Thestor
yrevea
ledtomethethi
ngsunt
ilt
henunknown.Mothsnol
ongerwer
e,forme,in
sig
nif
ica
nt
i
nse
cts
.Mothstal
ked,theykn
ewhowt owarn.Theyadvi
s edju
stl
ikemymother.Theli
ghts
eemedtome
mor
ebeau
tif
ul.I
thadgrownmored
a z
zli
ngan
dmor eat
trac
tive.Ikn
e wwhyth
emot h
scir
cle
dthefl
ame.
 Th
et r
agi
cfa
teofth
eyoungmothle
ftade
epi
mpa
ctonRi
zal
’
smi
nd,a
ndl
i
ket
hatyou
ngmot
hhe
wa
sfa
tedtodi
easamar
tyrforan
obl
eide
al.

Ri
zal
’sMentor
s
DonaTeodor
a,Riz
al’
smot
herwa
shi
sfi
rstt
eache
r.Bare
lythr
ee(3)ye
arsol
d,Ri
zall
ear
nedt
he
al
pha
betfromh i
smothe
r.Hewast
aug
hth
owt
oreadandwri
tei
nSpan
ish.

Ashegrewolder,hi
spa r
entse mpl
oyedpri
vatet u
torstog i
veh i
ml e
ssonsathome.Thefi
rstwas
Maestr
oC el
esti
noandthesecond,Mae st
roLuca
sPadua.L ater
,a ndoldma nnamedLeonMonr
oy,aformer
cla
ssmatesofRiza
l’
sfather
,becameth eboy’
stutor
.Th isoldtea
cherlive
da ttheRi
zalhomea
ndin
struc
ted
Josei
nSpa n
ishandLat
in.Unfor
tunat
ely,hedidnotl
ivelong.Hed i
edfivemon t
hslat
er.

Af
terMon
roy’
sde
ath
,th
ehe
ro’
spa
ren
tsde
cide
dtode
ndt
hei
rgi
ft
eds
ont
oapr
iva
tes
chooli
n
Bi
nan
.

Ata boutthisti
me,twoofh ismothe
r’scousinfrequ ent
edCal
amba.UncleManuelAl
bert
o,s eei
ng
Ri
zalfr
ail
inbod y,concern
edh i
msel
fwitht
heph ysi
caldevelopmentofhi
syoungnephewtaugh
tthelat
terof
l
ovefortheope nairanddevel
opedinhi
mag reatadmira
tionf ort
hebeaut
yofn at
ure
,wh i
leUncl
eGregori
o,
aschol
ar,in s
til
le
di nt
ot hemindoft h
eboyl ovef orth ee duc
ati
on.Hea dvi
sedRizal
:“Workh a
rda nd
per
forme verytaskve rycare
ful
y;learnt
obes wif
ta swe llasthor
ough;beindepen
dentinthi
nki
nga nd
makevisu
a l
pictur
esofe ver
ythi
ng.”

Riz
alpos
s e
ssedaGod-g
ivent
ale
ntforl
i
ter
atu
re.Hi
smoth
erwh
owa
sal
ove
rofl
i
ter
atu
ren
oti
ced
h
ispoe
tici
ncl
i
nat
io,he
n c
e,sh
ee nc
our
agedh
imtowri
tepoet
ry.

Sinc
ec hi
l
dhood,Ri za
lshowedanu n
usualtal
enti
nartandli
ter
atur
e.Hes cri
bbedversesonloos
e
she
e t
sofpa pera
ndont het ext
booksofhi
ss i
ster
s.Hismot
her,wh owasaloverofli
ter
atu
re,n ot
ice
dhis
poeti
cinc
li
nati
onandg i
ftforwri
tin
gpoetr
y.Att heageofei
ghtyearsol
d,Rizal
wrotehisfi
rstpoeminth
e
nat
ivela
nguageenti
tl
ed,“SaAkingMgaKabat
a-ToMyF el
l
owChil
dren”

ToMyFel
l
owChi
ldr
en
(
SaAki
ngMgaK
abata)

Wh e
n everpe opleofac oun tr
yt rul
yloved
Thelang uagewh ichbyh e
av’ nthe ywe retaughttouse
Thatc ountrya l
sos urelyl i
bertypursue
Asd oe sthebi rdwh ichsoa rstof reerspacea bove
F orL anguagei sthefina ljudgean drefer
e e
Upont hepe opl
ei nthelan dwh er
eith ol
dss way;
Int ruthou rhuma nr ac
er e semblesint hi
swa y
Theot herlivingbeingsbor ninli
berit
y.
Wh oe verkn owsn othowt ol oveh i
sn ati
vetou nge
Iswor set hana nybeas tore vi
lsme l
li
ngfish.
Toma keou rlangu a
ger i
ch erou ghttobeou rwi sh
Th es amea sanymot herlove sfeedh eryou ng.
 Tagal
ogandtheLati
nLanguagearthes a
me
Andengl
isha
n dCas
til
i
ana ndtheangl
e’stongu
e;
AndGod,whosewatchf
ulcareo’e
ra l
lisfl
ung,
Hasgi
venusHisbl
essingsinspeec
hwec l
ai
m,

Ourmothe
rtongue,l
ikeallt
heh i
ghes
tthatweknow
Hadal
phabetan
dl e
ttersofit
sveryown;
Bu
tthesewer
elost-byf ur
iouswaveswereovert
hrown
Li
kebanca
sinthestormys ea
,longyearsag
o.

“SaAki
ngMgaK
abata”
(
ToMyF el
l
owChi
ldr
en)

Kapagangbaya’
ysadyangumibig
Saka ni
yangsal
it
angkal
oobnglan g
it,
Sa
ng l
angkal
ayaannasari
ngma sapi
t
Ka
t u
ladngi
bongn a
sahimppawid.

Pagka’
tangsal
ita’
yisangkahat
ula
n
Sabayan,sanayo’t
,mg akahar
ian,
Atangis
angtao’ykatu
lad,kabagay
Nga l
i
nma ngl
i
kh anoongkala
yaan.

Anghindimag
ma hals
akaniyangsal
it
a
Mahi
gi
ts aha
yopa tmala
nsangisda,
K a
yaan gmarapa
tpagyama n
ingkusa
Natul
a dngi
nangtunaynan ag
pala
.

An gwikangTagalogtul
addinngLat
in
SaIngle
s ,Kast
il
aa tsa
li
tangang
hel
,
Sa p
agka’tangPoon gmaala
mtuming
in
An gsi
yangn a
g g
awa d,nagbi
gaysaati
n.

Angsal
it
an at
i’
yhuwaddinsaiba
Namaya l
fabetoa
tsari
l
ingle
tra,
Nakayanawa l
a’
ydina
tna
nn gsigwa
Angl
undaysalawanoongdakongu n
a.

Thispoemrevea
lsRizal
’
se arli
estnat
ional
i
stsent
iment.Inpoe
ticverse
s,h eproudl
ypr ocl
ai
med
t
hatape opl
ewh otr
ulyl
ovethei
rn a
tivelang
uagewills
ure
lys t
ri
veforl
i
be r
tyli
ke“thebi
rdwh ic
hs oar
sto
f
reers
pa ceabove”a
ndthatTa
galogi
st heequalL
ati
n,Engl
ish
,Spani
sh,andanyothe
rlang
u a
g e
.

Fath
erLeonci
oL opez
,t heol
dan
dle
arn
edpa
ris
hpr
ies
tofC
ala
mbaf
ost
ere
dRi
zal
’
slovef
or
s
chol
ars
hipandi
nte
ll
ect
ualhones
ty.

Ata
nea
rlya
ge,Ri
zalwa
sal
rea
dye
xpos
edt
oth
ein
jus
tic
esa
ndbr
uta
li
ti
esofSpa
nis
hau
thor
it
yin
th
ePh i
l
ippi
nespr
act
icu
lar
lyth
eGuardi
aCivi
lwhowe r
esupp
osedtoprot
ectth
epeoplefr
om h
arm.Ri
zal
wond
eredwhythe
seabuseswer
eha
pp e
nin
ge s
peci
al
lytot
hepoor
.Year
slat
er,her
ela
ted:

Is pentmany,manyh oursofmyc h
il
dhooddownont hes hor
eoft h el
ake,L a
gu nadebay.Iwa s
dreamingofwhatmighhtbeoveront heot h
ersi
desofthewa ves.Almos tever
yda y,i
nourtown,
wes a
wt heGua
rdiaCi
villi
eutenanti
nju
ringsomeunarmeda ndinoffens
ivevill
ager s
.Thevil
l
a g
ers
onlyf au
ltwaswhatthatwh i
lea tadi
stancehehadnot akenof fhishatma dma dehi
sbow.Th e
al
ca l
detreat
edth
ispoorvill
agersint
hesa mewaywheneverhevisis
tedus.

Wes awnorest
rai
ntputuponbru
t a
li
t y.Ac t
sofvi ol
enceandotherexces
swer ecommitt
eddai
ly…I
a
skedmyselfif
,int
h el
andswhi
chlayacr
os st h
el a
ke,t h
epeopleli
vedinthesamewa y.Iwonderedi
fthere,
t
heytor
turedanycount
rymanwit
hh ardandc ruelwhipsmerelyonsuspi
cion.Oreveryonderal
so,inorder
t
oli
veinpeace,woul
doneh a
vetobribet
yr ants?

Riz
a l
,you nga shewa s
,g ri
eveddeeplovertheu n
happysit
uat
ionsofhisbelovedfathe
rlan
d.Th e
Spani
shmi sdeedsa wakene
dinh i
sboyishhea
r tagrea
tdetermi
nati
ontofi
ghttyr
anny
.
JoseRiz a
llovedhissit
ersthatheus ual
l
ywr ot
elette
rstothemwhil
einthePh i
li
ppi
nesa ndfori
egn
count
rie
s .Hee mphasiz
esh i
sideasaboutwome ntheri
ghteouspl
aceinthesoci
ety.Hea ls
oc omparedthe
Fil
i
pin
at oEu ropeanwome na stothei
rdigni
ty.On eofhislet
ter
sbeforehelef
tth ePhil
i
ppine
sf orCubain
1896statedth u
s :

ToMySi
ster
s.

“Iurgeyout a
kec are,ser
vea ndloveourpar entsasyouwouldli
keyou rc
hil
drenla
tertota
kecare
ofyou ,s erveandloveypui nyou rol
da ge.Ma yyouli
veunit
ed,forgi
veonea nother
’sas
per
it
ies
ands li
ght-faul
ts,yh enat
uralthornsofli
febec auseiti
sdispl
easur
ef orparent
stos eeth
atthei
r
chil
drena renotl i
vi
ngi nhar
mony.Af t
erwards ,whenareparent
swer edead,wes h a
llmi
sst
hem
great
lya ndwes hallbesor
ryf ornothavi
ngser vedthemwhi
letheyli
ved.

Igi
vemybr ot
her
-in-la
wver ymanyth
anksfort
hefr
iends
h i
ptheyha
vea
lwa
ysa
ccor
dedme;t
hey
ha
velovedmeasabr other
;Icou
ldnothel
pbutl
ovet
hemlikewi
se.

Ma
ymyneph
ewsa
ndni
ecess
tudy,beg
ood,obedi
entt
oth
eirpa
rent
s,g
randpa
rent
sanda
unt
s.

Maymyboyscont
inuebeha
vingwel
l…Is h
allknowhowt
ota
kec ar
eoft hemifIr
etu
rn.Godwi
l
l
di
spos
eofth
at.Theyhavel
sotnot
hing
:iti
sa l
waysg
oodt
ohavebehavedwel
l.

Your
s,
RI
ZAL