Chapter Two

Pepe’s Education
-Early Education in Laguna
-Experiences in Binan
 Education in Calamba
• Pepe was first schooled in their home.
• His mother, Dona Teodora was his
first teacher.
• She taught him how to pray and read the
alphabet and the Holy Bible.
• Her mother also read him interesting
stories and poetry.
• The story of the Moth was the most
memorable and touching story
that Pepe liked the most.
 Pepe’s Private Tutor
• The parents of the Mercado siblings assured
the education of their children.
• They hired private tutors, especially for Pepe,
to provide good and knowledgeable lessons at
home.
• Maestro Celestino(first tutor)
• Maestro Lucas Padua(second tutor)
 Pepe’s Private Tutor
• Don Francisco later hired dis former classmate,
Leon Monroy, to teach Pepe Spanish and Latin.
• He was a hired stay-in tutor but died after five
months.
• The death of Senor Leon Monroy caused
Pepe’s parents to send him to a private school
in Binan.
 First Formal Schooling- Binan, Laguna
(1870-1871)
• Sunday afternoon in June 1870,
Pepe left Calamba for Binan for his
first schooling.
• He was accompanied by Paciano
and they rode in a carromata,
and headed to their aunt’s place
where Pepe was to stay.
• In Binan, Pepe and his cousin
Leandro went for sightseeing
around the town.
 First Formal Schooling- Binan, Laguna
(1870-1871)
• On the next day(Monday), Paciano brought Pepe
to Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz’s
schoolhouse located about 30 meters away from
their aunt’s house.
• The school was made of a nipa hut.
• Pepe experienced some little difficulties like
bullying, skirmish and fighting.
• His uncle Manuel taught him how to fight that
later made him popular in their school.
 First Formal Schooling- Binan, Laguna
(1870-1871)
• Pepe’s life in Binan was marked by happines.
• Pepe nurtured his skills on painting.
• Senor Juancho taught him how to do drawing
and painting.
• His classmate, Jose Guevarra joined Pepe for
drawing and painting lessons during their free
time.
 First Formal Schooling- Binan, Laguna
(1870-1871)
• Pepe, along with his classmates, concentrated much
of their learning on Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and
Religion.
• They focused on Religion, since it was more rigid and
their teacher was overly strict.
• They were forced to memorize each lessons and
discipline was imposed with a whip.
• Jose excelled on all the subjects and lessons. There
well jealousy occurred among them, and by that they
made wrong stories about Pepe which caused him
with five to six blows as he was laid out on a school
bench.
 After his Binan experiences
• After passing all the necessary requirement in his
studies, Maestro Justiniano informed the parents of Pepe
that he had learnt everything that he could teach him,
and recommended that Pepe should be sent to college in
Manila.
• Her sister Saturnina wrote to Pepe about the arrival of
the steamer Talim to Binan, saying that he could board
bound for Calamba.
• Pepe was sad to left Binan and move for another
schooling. He left Binan at the 17th of December 1870.
 After his Binan experiences
• Rizal left Binan with so much experiences.
• He arrived Calamba in time for the Christmas
season.
• He was so happy to be with his family again.
 The Imprisonment of Dona Teodora
• The story of Dona Teodora’s imprisonment
started when she tried to help and persuaded
his brother, Senor Jose Alberto, to just forgive
his wife who went along with another man and
then after, abandoning and leaving their
children at home, in order to avoid scandal.
• However, the woman connived with the Spanish
authority and told that Teodora and her
husband tried to poisoned her.
 The Imprisonment of Dona Teodora
• Teodora was arrested and forced to walk for about
50 km from Calamba to Sta. Cruz and was
imprisoned for almost 2 years and a half.
• The incident saddened the whole Mercado family,
especially the 11 year old Pepe, after hearing that
his mother was treated unkindly, no proper
medicine and accommodation.
• The case reached the Manila Royal Audiencia
where she was acquitted.
 The Death of the GomBurZa
• A revolt happened on the night of January 20,
1872, when about 200 Filipino workers and
soldiers were not given the proper privileges
and not being exempted from tribute and
forced labor(polo) at that time.
• The mutiny was suppressed after two days
when reinforcement troops arrived from
Manila.
 The Death of the GomBurZa
• The incident was used by the
Spanish authorities to
liquidate the three priests:
– Mariano Gomez
– Jose Burgos
– Jacinto Zamora
• By the orders of Gov. gen.
Rafael de Izquierdo, they were
executed through garrote.
The Connection of the death of the GomBurZa to the Mercado
Family

• Fr. Jose Burgos was Paciano’s teacher and a good

friend.
• After the execution, Paciano returned to Calamba and
told his younger brother Pepe about the news.
• The event added to the rousing indignation that Pepe
felt for the injustice done to his family and vowed to
fight against the evils of Spanish authority.
• He later wrote the El Filibusterismo , that he
dedicated to the three priests.
 Pepe’s experiences in Manila(1872-1877)
• After the execution of the GomBurZa and the
imprisonment of Dona Teodora, Pepe was sent to
Manila to study at the Ateneo de Municipal.
• On his first day in Manila, he was accompanied by
Paciano. He took the entrance examination at the
College of San Juan de Letran.
• After returning and attending the town fiesta in
Calamba, Don Francisco changed his mind about
Pepe’s education. And decided finally to attend at
the Ateneo de Municipal.
 Pepe’s experiences in Manila(1872-1877)

• At first, he was refused admittance in the said

school for 2 reasons:
– He was already late for registration
– He was so frail and sickly, aside from being too
small for his age.
• Due to the intervention of Manuel Xeres
Burgos, Pepe was finally admitted.
 Ateneo De Municipal Experience
• Pepe enrolled at Ateneo under the surname
“Rizal”.
• Ateneo was ruled by the Jesuits. The system of
education was more advanced than the other
schools during that time.
• The school offered different subjects related to
sciences, arts, agriculture and even mechanics.
 Ateneo De Municipal Experience
• The students were divided
into two the externos
(non-boarders) and the
internos(boarders).
• The externos were known
as Roman Empire and the
internos were the
Carthaginian Empire.
• The best student in each
group was called the
Emperor.
 Ateneo De Municipal Experience
• The students are required to
wear a hem-fabric uniform
trousers called rayadillo.
• Pepe was assigned in the
Carthaginian Empire because
he was an externos.
• He progressed rapidly in the
class and then became the
Emperor.
• He received his first ever prize
for being the top in their class,
a religious picture and he was
so happy.
 Ateneo De Municipal Experience

• Pepe attended private

lessons in Spanish at the
San Isabel College.
• Although he was
regarded with excellent
marks in the class, some
professors had remarks
about him and that
made Pepe disliked it.
• He landed second place
at the end, even with
excellent marks.
 Ateneo De Municipal Experience
• Pepe returned home to
Calamba for a vacation, but
before that, he visited first
his mother and told her
about his achievements in
the school.
• After, Pepe returned to
school, met his former
classmates from Bina, and
regain again the status of
being the Emperor.
• After the school year, Pepe
once again visited her
mother in the prison. Then
he went back to Calamba,
to his family.
• By the time Pepe returned
again for his studies, as an
adolescent, he began
reading books and novels
like the Count of
Montecristo by Alexander
Dumas and “Travels in the
Philippines” by Dr. Feodor
Jagor.
 Ateneo De Municipal Experience
• In June 1874, Pepe is in his junior
year in college.
• His mother was freed and arrived
to met him and informed him
that she was freed.
• Pepe was till unhappy because
he was not excellent the
previous year because of his
grades in his Spanish course.
• In the end of the school year,
March 1875, he returned to
Laguna, dissatisfied with the
result of his performance in the
school.
• On June 16, 1875, Pepe became
an interno to Fr. Francisco de
Paula Sanchez, who admired his
skills and intellectual capacity.
• Pepe became the “Pride of the
Jesuits”. He graduated with flying
colors. He received awards and
medals for attending and passing
academic subjects and
extra-curricular activities; like
Marian Congregation and etc.
– Member of the Academy of
Spanish Literature
– Academy of Natural Sciences
Ateneo De Municipal Experience
• After graduation, Pepe
experienced his first romance.
• He met Segunda Katigbak in his
maternal grandmother’s house.
• Segunda studied at La Concordia
College where his sister Olympia
also studied.
• Unfortunately, Segunda was
engaged to Manuel Luz Jose.
University of Santo Tomas Experience
• In April 1877, Don Francisco
asked Paciano to
accompany Pepe to enrol in
Manila.
• Pepe was 16 when he
enrolloed in UST because:
– He was not yet certain on
what career he want to
pursue
– His father liked the course
Bachelor of Arts in
Philosophy and Letters.
 University of Santo Tomas Experience
• Pepe enrolled to a
vocational course- perito
agrimensor( expert in
surveying) at Ateneo while
studying in UST.
• At the following school
year, Pepe was adviced to
take up Medicine.
• He like to take Medicine for
his mother.
• He decided to take
Medicine in UST.
• Even Pepe was a
Thomasian, he remained
loyal to Ateneo.
• He was still attending his
affliations in Ateneo,
passing the board of
surveyors(but not granted
with the title because he
was underage), president of
the two academies he
attended, and secretary of
the Marian Congregation.
 University of Santo Tomas Experience
• Pepe’s experience in the school of
medicine was not that better.
• He only received the grade fair and
good compared to the grades he
got from Ateneo.
• This gave Pepe a heavy heart for he
knew he fared better than his
peninsulares classmates.
• He hated his Dominican professors
who were cruel and biased to his
Filipino classmates who just kept
quiet in spite being humiliated.
 University of Santo Tomas Experience
• Rizal experienced the
brutality of the Spanish
authorities when he was a
first year in medical course.
• Despite his over and hectic
schedules in Ateneo and
UST, Pepe still have time for
love.
• In 1879, Pepe met Leonor
Rivera, a frail and pretty
young lady and daughter of
his landlord uncle, Antonio
Rivera.
• Leonor was born in
Camiling Tarlac, and
studying at La Concordia
College where his youngest
sister was studying then.
University of Santo Tomas Experience
 University of Santo Tomas Experience
• Pepe wrote award winning
literary pieces like:
– A La Juventud Filipina(to the
Filipino Youth)`
– El Consejo delos Dioses(The
Council of the Gods)
– Junta al Pasig (Beside the
Pasig)-a zarzuela
written in 1880 on the
occasion of the Feast
of the Immaculate
Conception
– A Filipina(sonnet)
 University of Santo Tomas Experience
• After attending the • He informed Paciano, Saturnina,
Lucia and his uncle Antonio Rivera
medical course in UST, about his plans and kept it with his
Pepe decided to study in parents.
Spain. • Aside from pursuing strong
medical course, 3 reasons about
• He could no longer his plans in Spain:
endure rampant bigotry, – Biased and hostile treatment
of the OP professors against
discrimination, hostility him.
prevailing in UST by the – Disgusted with the antiquated
Friars. method of instruction in the
UST during his time
– The racial discrimination that
the OP solons had against the
Filipinos.