CHAPTER 3: RIZAL’S LIFE
with good basic education
Jose Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso
Realonda
• Born on June 19, 1861 in Calamba
Laguna
• 7 of 11 children
th
• Mastered the alphabet and learned to
write and read in his early childhood
Don Francisco Mercado
• Jose’s Father, Franciso Engracio Rizal
Mercado
• Productive farmer from Binan, Laguna
• Became a tiniente governadorcillo
(lieutenant governor) in Calamba and
was thus nicknamed Tiniente Kiko
• Born on May 11, 1818 in Binan,
Laguna
• Married on June 28, 1848
• Settled down in Calamba where they
were granted lease of a rice farm in the
Dominican-owned haciendas
Dona Teodora Alonso Quintos Realonda
• Educated and highly cultured woman
from Sta. Cruz, manila
• Born on November 8, 1826 in Santa
Cruz, Manila and baptized at Santa
Cruz Church
• Educated at college of Santa Rosa, an
esteemed school for girls in Manila
• Believed that her family descended
from Lakandula, the last native king of
Tondo.
Jose’s Siblings
1. Saturnina (1850 – 1913)
• She and her mother provided little Jose
• she is the eldest
• she became the wife of Manuel Hidalgo
of Tanawan, Batangas
2. Paciano (1851 – 1930)
• Fondly addressed by his siblings as
Nor Paciano
• Studied at San Jose College in Manila,
became a farmer and later a general of
the Philippine Revolution
• After Jose’s execution in December
1896, he joined the Katipuneros in
Cavite under General Emilio
Aguinaldo
3. Narcisa (1852 – 1939) “Sisa”
• Helped in financial Rizal’s studies in
Europe (pawning her jewelry and
peddling her clothes)
• She could recite all of Rizal’s poems
from memory
4. Olympia (1855-1887)
• Rizal loves to tease her
• Rizal’s first love. Segunda Katigbak,
was her schoolmate at the La
Concordia College and she served as
the mediator between them
5. Lucia (1857 – 1919)
• Married Mariano Herbosa of Calamba,
Laguna who died in the cholera
epidemic in May 1889
• In Rizal’s article in La solidaridad title
Una Profanacion (A Profanation) he
scornfully attached the friard for
declining to bury in “sacred ground” a
“good Christian” simply because he
was the “brother-in-law of Rizal”
6. Maria (1859 – 1946)
• Rizal talked to ther about wanting to
marry Josephine Bracken.
• In December 12, 1891 he brought up to
Maria of his plan of establishing a
Filipino colony in North British
Borneo
• In December 28, 1891 he wrote to
Maria “Im told that your children were
indeed nice-looking”
7. Concepcion “Concha” (1862 – 1865)
• Died at the age of three
• Young pepe loved her most
RIZAL’S BIRTH
8. Josefa “Panggoy” (1865 – 1945)
• Died at the age of 80 because of
spinster
• She was epileptic
9. Trinidad “Trining” (1868 – 1951)
• Became the custodian of Rizal’s last
and greatest poem “Mi Ultimo Adios”
• Also joined the katipunan
10. Soledad “Choleng” (1870 – 1929)
• Best educated among Rizal’s sisters
• Married to Pantaleon Quintero of
Calamba in which their marriage
resulted in the Rizal Family’s
becoming connected by affinity to
Miguel Malvar
• Rizal: “Because of you, the peace of our
family has been disturbed”
• wept at losing her
THE SURNAME RIZAL
• Lamco - Rizal’s supposed surname
• Mercado – Rizal’s paternal
great0great grandfather, Chinese
merchant Domingo Lamco, adopted
the name which means “market”
• Rizal – Francisco, adopted the
surname (originally “Ricial”) which
means “the green of young growth” or
“green fields”
• When Paciano was a student at the
College of San Jose, he used “Mercado”
but he gained notoriety with his links
to Father Burgos of the “Gomburza” he
suggested Rizal to use the surname
“Rizal” for his safety.
• Teodora was said to have suffered the
greatest pain during the delivery of
Jose (His head was bigger than
normal)
• The first massive stone house in
Calamba was his birthplace
• 1876 at Ateneo de Manila – He wrote
a poem entitled “Un Recuerdo A Mi
Publo” (In Memory of My Town)
CHILDHOOD OF A PHENOM
• Nipa Cottage – because the young
pepe is week, sickly, and undersized in
his childhood, his father bulti a nipa
Cootage for him to play in the daytime
• Daily Angelus Prayer – by nightfall,
Teodora would gather the children
and pray the Angelus
• Concha’s death – Rizal mournfully
• Spanish Family Bible – at the age of
five young Pepe learned to read it
• Scholarly Catholic priest Leoncio
Lopez – Pepe’s estemmed and
 respected town priest, he used to visit
him and listen to his inspiring
opinions
• Artistic (Sketches and Clay) –
attracted Pepe’s fancy
• He may not be able to beat all the Binan
boys in their brawls but he beat them
all academically in Spanish, latin, and
many other subject

• Casco – a flat – bottomed boat with a

roof that Pepe enjoyed riding on their
way to pilgrimage in Antipolo (Shrine
of the Virgin of Antipolo)

• Alipato – A pony that Jose received

from his father

• Usman – Pepe’s black dog

• 3 Influencers of Rizal’s Childhood:

• Tio Jose Alberto – Cultivating artistic

ability

• Tio Manuel – fortifying his frail body

• Tio Gregorio – intensified his

avidness to read good books

EDUCATION IN CALAMBA

• Dona Teodora was Rizal’s first teacher

• Jose’s sister, Saturnina and three

maternal uncles also mentored him

• Privte tutors were hired to further

enhance his learnings (Maestro
Celestino and Maestro Lucas
Padua)

• Leon Monroy lives at the Rizal home

to tutor Pepe in Spanish and Latin.

EDUCATION IN BINAN

• Pepe was sent to a private school at

Binan (June 1869)

• Rizal was said to have some frequent

fight with Binan boys.