CHAPTER 3

Early Education in Calamba

and Biñan

Althea Jean Z. Zorca BSOA-3

-Rizal had his early education in Calamba and Biñan. It
was a typical schooling that a son of an illustrado
family received during his time, characterized by the
four R‘s reading, writing, arithmetic and religion.

-Knowledge was forced into the minds of the pupils by

means of the tedious memory method aided by the
teacher’s whip.

-Rizal was able to acquire the necessary instruction

prepatory for college work in Manila and abroad.
THE HERO’S FIRST TEACHER
THREE PRIVATE TUTORS OF RIZAL

Maestro Celestino
- he is the first tutor of Rizal.
Maestro Lucas Padua
-second teacher

Leon Monroy
- A former classmate of Rizal‘s father, became the boy’s
tutor. The teacher lived at the Rizal home and instructed
Jose in Spanish and Latin. He died five months later.
JOSE GOES TO BIÑAN

- June, 1869, Jose left Calamba for Biñan. Paciano accompanied

him who acted like his second father. They rode in carromata,
reaching their destination after one and one half hours drive.
They proceeded to their aunt’s house, where Jose was to lodge.
FIRST DAY IN BIÑAN SCHOOL

-Paciano brought his younger brother to the school of Maestro Justiniano

Aquino Cruz.
-The school was a small nipa hut about 30m from the home of Jose‘s aunt.

-Jose described his teacher in Biñan:

“He was tall, thin, long necked, with a sharp nose and a body slightly bent
forward, and he used sinamay shirt woven by the skilled hands of women
of Batangas. He knew the grammars by Nebrija and Gainza.
FIRST SCHOOL BRAWL
- In the afternoon of his first day in school Jose met the bully Pedro. He was
angry at this bully making fun of him during his conversation with the
teacher in the morning.

- Jose challenge Pedro to a fight and readily accepted and thinking he could
beat up easily the Calamba boy who was smaller and younger.

- The two boys wrestled in the classroom. Jose learned the art of wrestling
from his Athletic Tio/ Uncle Manuel and he defeated the bigger boy. After
the feat, he became popular among his classmates.

- In succeeding days he had other fights with the boys of Biñan, but he
never ran away the fight.
PAINTING LESSONS IN BIÑAN

- Near the school was the house of an old painter, called Juancho who was
the father in law of the school teacher.

- Jose lured by his love of painting spent many leisure hours at the studio.
Juanco gave him lessons in drawing and painting.

- Jose Guevarra, Rizal’s classmate also loved painting and became

apprentices of the old painter. They became the favorite painters of the
class.
DAILY LIFE IN BIÑAN
- In academic studies, Jose beat all Biñan boys. He surpassed them all in
Spanish, Latin, and other subjects. Some of his older classmates were
jealous of his intellectual superiority. Rizal said that “in spite of the
reputation I had being a good boy, the day was unusual when I was not laid
out on a bench and given five/six blows.
END OF BIÑAN SCHOOLING
- Before the Christmas season in 1870, Jose received a letter from his
sister Saturnina, informing him the arrival of the steamer Talim which
would take him from Biñan to Calamba.

- Rizal left Biñan on Saturday afternoon, December 17, 1870, after one
year and half schooling in that town.
- He was thrilled to take passage on the steamer for it was the first time
he ever rode on a steamer. A Frenchman named Arturo Camps a friend of
his father who took care of him.
MARTYRDOM OF GOM-BUR-ZA (Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora)
- January 20, 1872 about 200 Filipino soldiers and workmen of the Cavite arsenal under
the leadership of Lamadrid, Filipino sergeant, rose in violent mutiny because of the
abolition of their usual privileges, including exemption from tribute and polo (forced by
the reactionary Gov. Rafael de Izquierdo).

-The Cavite Mutiny was suppressed 2 days later by troop reinforcements from Manila.

-The Spanish authorities, in order to liquidate: Father Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos
and Jacinto Zamora- they are the leaders of the secular movements to Filipinize the
Philippine parishes, and their supporters Jose Ma. Basa, Attorneys Joaquin Pardo De
Tavera and Antonio Ma. Regidor magnified the failed into a “revolt” for Philippine
Independence.
- The martyrdom of Gom-Bur- Za in 1872 truly inspired Rizal, to fight the
evils of the Spanish tyranny and redeem his oppressed people.

- Seventeen years later, in his letter written in Paris, April 18, 1889, to
Mariano Ponce.

- He dedicated his second novel, El Filibusterismo to Gom-Bur-Za.

INJUSTICE TO HERO’S MOTHER
- Before June of 1872 tragedy struck the Rizal family.
-Doña Teodora was suddenly arrested on a malicious charge that she and her
brother Jose Alberto tried to poison the latter‘s perfidious wife.

-Jose Alberto is a rich Biñan Ilustrado had just returned from a business trip in
Europe. During his absence his wife abandoned their home and children.
When he arrived in Biñan, he found her living with another man, he planned
to divorce her.

-Doña Teodora, to avert family scandal, persuaded him to forgive his wife.
The evil wife, with the connivance of the Spanish lieutenant of the Guardia
Civil- filed a case in court accusing her husband and Doña Teodora of
attempting to poison her.
- This lieutenant happened to have an ax to grind against the Rizal family,
because at one time Don Francisco (Rizal’s father) refused to give him
fodder for his horse.

- He arrested Doña Teodora to avenge himself, with the help of Calamba’s

gobernadorcillo, Antonio Vivencio del Rosario –a menial of the friars, these
two ungrateful men had been frequent guests at the Rizal home.

-After arresting Doña Teodora, the Sadistic Spanish lieutenant forced her to
walk from Calamba to Sta. Cruz (capital of Laguna Province), a distance of
50km.
-She was incarcerated at the provincial prison, where she languished for 2years and a half until the Manila Royal
Audiencia (Supreme Court) acquitted her of the alleged crime.

- Rizal’s mother was defended by Messrs. Francisco de Marcaida and Manuel Marzan - the most famous lawyers of
Manila. She finally succeeded to be acquitted and vindicated in the eyes of her judges and even her enemies after two
and a half years.

Thank you!