CHAPTER 3:

RIZAL’S LIFE: FAMILY, CHILDHOOD

AND EARLY EDUCATION

Daling, Rachelle
Encallado Melissa
Cuta, Dana May
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this Chapter, the students should be able to:
examine the life, family, childhood, and early education
of Dr. Jose P. Rizal
identify the people and events that influenced Rizal’s life
describe the characteristics that would later define Dr.
Jose P. Rizal character from his experiences
OVERVIEW
 The Life of the Philippine National hero.
 Focuses on birth, family and early education.
 His ancestors on both (paternal and maternal sides).
 His lineage was regarded as one of the biggest families of their era.
 He was born into a 13-member family included his parents,
Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso Realonda, as well as nine
sisters and one brother.
 His childhood are mixed with a happy and sad memories.
 He was delighted to be with his siblings, honing his skills as a young
boy, and he was raised with Catholic virtues and values instilled in
him.
 Unhappy events of Rizal, were the death of his sister
Concepcion, the execution of GOMBURZA, imprisonment of
his mother.
 This section will also tackle his early education, and how
the future national hero demonstrated academic ability at
such a young age.
 Rizal was given a tutor and later sent to Binan for formal
education.
 It was mentioned that it wasn’t an easy journey for Rizal to
get his education away from his family, but he finished with
flying colors because of his perseverance.
Summary of the Chapter
The birth and early education of Dr. Jose Rizal were discussed
on this chapter. He comes from a large family, with ten siblings,
but his parents were able to raise them to be better persons as
Filipinos. He was to fortunate during his time because his
parents belonged to the group of principals and ilustrados
which allowed him to have his own tutors and later be sent to
Binan for his first formal schooling. His mother was his first
teacher, where he learned storytelling, writing alphabet, and
recite Spanish prayers. His family had been supportive of his
education. Rizal, like any other ordinary boy of his time, had
happy and sad childhood memories. He wept over death of her
younger sister Concepcion or Concha. He was so young when he
was separated from his family to study in Binan, Laguna.
His stay in Binan was both meaningful and painful because he had
to deal with the difficulties of being a student away from his family.
He reaped what he sowed for at the end of his stay, he received
awards as best student for outperforming all Binan boys in
academic subjects such as Spanish, Latin and others. The Chapter
also discussed Rizal’s misfortunes following his education in Binan,
where he learned of the execution and deaths of Fathers Mariano
Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora from Paciano, his older
brother. They were instigated in the Cavite Mutiny in 1872. They
were advocators of the secularization of Philippine parishes. He
cried so loud when he witnessed his mother forced to walk from
Calamba to Santa Cruz, a distance of 50 kms because of malicious
charge. These incidents had a strong impact on him, as he was able
to write about the oppression that Filipinos faced during Spanish
colonization in the latter part of his life.
 Birth
 Family
 Parents
 Siblings
 Ancestors
 Childhood
 Early Education
 1st teacher
 Dona Teodora, Pepe and the Story of the Moth
 Private Tutors
 1st formal Schooling
 Rizal First School in Binan
 The Imprisonment of Dona Teodora
 The Death of GOMBURZA
 BIRTH

FAMILY

PARENTS

SIBLINGS
THE MERCADO HOME
José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda
 born in the lakeside of Calamba, Laguna on the moonlit night
of June 19, 1861, between eleven and twelve o’clock in the
morning.
 Pepe was the seventh child of Don Francisco Mercado and
Dona Teodora Alonso.
 Reverend Father Rufino Collantes is the one who baptized Rizal,
on June 22, 1861.
 godfather: Reverend Father Pedro Casanas
 his baptismal certificate was unfortunately destroyed in a fire
in 1862.
 It was only restored with the help of eyewitness and under the
supervision of Father Leoncio Lopez, a Filipino priest and a
friend of the Mercado Family.
Father Lopez was the model for Pepe’s portrayal of Father
Florentino in “El Filibusterismo”
Jose Protacio in honor of Saint Protacio.
Dona Teodora was a devout follower of Saint Joseph, and it
was their custom to commemorate him on the 19th of each
month.
Saint Protacio, on the other hand is the patron saint of June
19, and he was martyred in Milan, Italy.
His family referred to him as Pepe.
Felice Predunte Santa Maria, the author of the book “In
Excelsis,” explained how Rizal got the nickname “Pepe.”
Explanation: Saint Joseph was Jesus Christ putative (commonly
accepted) father. San Jose’s name is always followed by letters ‘P.P’ for
pater putativus in Latin. The letter ‘P’ is pronounced ‘peh’ in Spanish,
giving rise to the nickname Pepe for Jose (Bagolong 2018, p4).
In his diary, ‘Memoirs of a Student in Manila’ he wrote that his mother
had a difficult time giving birth to him.
Dona Teodora made a pact with Antipolo’s Patroness, Our Lady of
Peace and Good Voyage, that she would send the child she was carrying
on a pilgrimage to her shrine once she had passed through the
difficult birthing process.
Dona Teodora kept her promise. She sent her seven-year-old son on a
journey from the hometown of Calamba to Antipolo, which was then
part of the province of Morong Don Francisco Mercado, the young
Rizal’s father, accompanied him.
Did you know?
• Rizal’s Surname in Spanish means “the green of young growth or green fields.””
• Rizal’s height – 5.28 feet (1 meter and 61 centemeters)
• Rizal’s IQ was estimated to be 150-160 point (highly gifted individual)
• The real name of Rizal’s black dog is Braganza Usman. However, the name
ascribed to the statue of the dog is “Verganza” at the Rizal Shrine in Calamba,
Laguna.
• Rizal’s favorite dish: Tinola and/or Carne Asada
• Rizal’s favorite breakfast: Hot Chocolate, Rice, and Sardinas Secas (dried
sardines or tuyo)
• Rizal’s favorite fruit: Mabolo Fruit
• Rizal’s book entitled El FIlibusterismo was inspired by Alexandre Dumas’ novel
The Count of Monte Cristo considering that it was actually one of Rizal’s favorite
story
• Rizal's last words were “Consummatum Est,” meaning “it is finished.” 
 BIRTH

FAMILY

PARENTS

SIBLINGS
FAMILY
Don Francisco and Dona Teodora despite of having a large
family they were able to find joy and happiness.
They do not spoil their children; in fact, they discipline
them well.
They were firm believers in the adage “spare the rod, spoil
the child,” means that if children are not discipline
decisively and are never punished when they deserve it,
they will become spoiled or bad mannered.
 As Catholics, they instilled in them the importance of being courteous to
others, particularly their elderly.
 Love of God became the foundation for them to value and respect other
rights.
 Every Sunday their family heard mass.
 Before going to bed they pray the Angelus and Holy Rosary together at 6am,
12pm and 6pm.
 They were accustomed to kiss their parent’s hands after the prayer recital.
 But Rizal’s life was not always focused on religion, they were also allowed
to play in the backyard.
As principalia, they were able to build a stone house near the church and
even bought another one; they owned a stagecoach, a library and were able
to send their children to college in Manila.
 BIRTH

FAMILY

PARENTS

SIBLINGS
PARENTS
Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y Alejandra II
 was born as the youngest of 13 children to Cirila Alejandro
and Juan Mercado on May 11, 1818 in Binan, Laguna
 he was from the fourth generation of a Chinese immigrant
named Domingo Lamco who arrived in the late 1600.
 Early Education: In his hometown, he studied Latin, and
later went on to study philosophy and Latin at the Colegio
de San Jose in Manila.
 The people of Calamba held him high after he was elected
Cabeza de Barangay or the head of the Barangay
 He was a landowner in Calamba, Laguna.
 His rented holdings increased as a result of his hard work and
dedication, and he built a stone house in the town center.
 But due to his failure in the agrarian case with the friars, he was
evicted from his house in September 1899.
 He died in Manila on January 5, 1898 at the age of 80.

 Jose Rizal considered his father to be a “model of fathers” and as

a result, had provided them with education. He believed that his
father was strong willed, educated and independent-minded
individual, traits that he inherited.
 Dona Teodora Morales Alonzo Realonda y Quintos
November 9, 1827, she was born in Manila as the second
child of Lorenzo Alonso and Brigida de Quintos.
She is from Meisik, Tondo.
Attended at the College of Santa Rosa.
a remarkable woman, with refined culture, literary talent,
business acumen and the tenacity of Spartan women.
Rizal penned a poem about adoring his mother. “My
mother is a woman of higher culture; she is a
mathematician who has read a lot of books.”
She died on August 16, 1911, in Manila at the age of 85, in
her home at San Fernando Street in Binondo.
The Philippine Government offered her a life pension shortly
before her death. She politely declined saying, “My family has
never been patriotic for money.” “If the government has a surplus
of funds and is unsure what to do with them, it should lower
taxes.” Such a remark befitted her as a deserving mother of
national hero!
Jose Rizal in his letter to Blumentritt which read as follows:
“My mother is not a woman of ordinary culture. She is more
knowledgeable about literature and speaks more fluently than I
do. When I was studying rhetoric, she even corrected my poems
and gave me sound advice. She is a mathematician who has read a
lot of books. Her father, the Philippine delegate to the Cortes, had
been her teacher.”
 BIRTH

FAMILY

PARENTS

SIBLINGS
SIBLINGS
 Dr. Jose Rizal’s parents was married on June 28, 1848.
They had 11 children, with two boys and 9 girls.
Saturnina (1850-1913)
 the eldest of the siblings and was commonly
referred to as “Neneng.”
 Attended La Concordia College in Manila’s Sta.
Ana
 Manuel Hidalgo of Tanauan, Batangas was her
husband.
 1909, she published Pascual Poblete’s Tagalog
translation of Noli Me Tangere.
 She passed away in 1913, at the age of 63.
Paciano (1851-1930)
 Our national hero’s elder and only brother.
 Commonly referred to as “Ciano”
 He studied Latin in Colegio San Jose in
Manila with Maestro Justiniano Cruz
 Jose referred to him as “Uto” because in
addition to his uncle’s assistance, his brother
sent him a monthly allowance of 50 pesos,
which was later reduced to 35 pesos.
 He was an arden and dynamic Katipunero.
 Many thought he was the Pilosopong Tasyo
mentioned in Noli Me Tangere.
 On June 23, 1888, Jose Rizal wrote to Ferdinand Blumentritt and
expressed regret for failing to introduce his brother to him. For
those who are looking good people will really find the most
dignified Filipinos in him.
 He was apprehended by American forces in 1900 as a result of his
involvement as military commander of the Revolutionary forces in
Laguna.
 Prior to his death, he led a simple life as a farmer.
 He married his common-law wife, Severina Decena, and they had
two children.
 He died of tuberculosis at the age of 79.
Narcisa (1852-1939)
The second daughter and third child
Called “Sisa” by her siblings
Believed that she also supported her
brother Jose’s studies abroad and
perhaps the only amongst the
siblings that could narrate the
poems of Jose.
Married to Antonio Lopez, a teacher
and musician
She is the one also who visited Jose Rizal in his prison
cell the day before his execution on December 30,
1896.
Rizal’s remains were buried in unmarked grave in
Cementerio General de Paco. After a two-day search,
his sister Narcisa discovered it.
To mislead authorities, she placed a marble marker
given by Dorateo Ongjunco with the initials R.P.J., the
inverted initials of Jose Protacio Rizal.
Olympia (1855-1887)
 Was called as “Ypia”
 Married to Silvestro Ubaldo, a
telegraph operator from Manila.
 The fourth child in the Rizal family.
 Jose loved to tease her, sometimes
good-humoredly describing her as
his stout sister.
 Rizal confined to Olympia about Segunda and the sister willingly served as the
mediator between the two teenage lovers.
 It was thus unclear whether it was Olympia or Segunda whom Jose was
frequently visiting at La Concordia at that time.
 Lucia (1857-1919)
 In 1857, Lucia Rizal Herbosa was born.
 Married Mariano Herbosa and they had five children.
 Mariano died in 1899 as a result of epidemic, but he
was denied a Christian burial. This was due to the fact
that he was Jose Rizal’s brother-in-law.
 This marked the beginning of the Rizal’s family’s
persecution by Spanish friars.
 Lucia passed away in 1919.
Maria (1859-1945)
 Maria Cruz Rizal was born in the year 1859.
 Nickname: “Biang”
 She married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Binan,
Laguna and they had five children together.
 One of Maria’s children, Mauricio Cruz,
became a student of Jose Rizal in Dapitan
and was known to be one of his uncle’s
favorites.
 During Jose’s lifetime, Maria was known
recipient of many of his letters.
 Maria passed away in 1945.
 Concepcion (1862-1865)
 Was called as “Concha”, she died at the age of three.

Josefa (1865-1945)
 Josefa Rizal was born in 1865
 Nickname: “Panggoy”
 She was unmarried and lived with sister
Trinidad until death.
 Josefa was dead to have suffered from
epilepsy.
 She died in 1945.
Trinidad (1868-1951)
 Trinidad Rizal was born in the year 1868.
 She remained single and shared a home
with her sister Josefa.
 Trinidad was the one received from Jose
an alcohol lamp in which he secretly hid
the “Last Farewell,” also know as “Mi
Ultimo Adios,” a poem Rizal wrote on the
eve of his death in 1896.
 Trinidad dies in 1951, having outlived all
of her siblings.
Soledad (1870-1929)
Soledad Rizal Quintero was the
youngest of the Rizal siblings,
born in 1870.
She married Pantaleon Quintero
and they had five children.
Soledad passed away in 1929.
 The siblings of Rizal were responsible for the family’s unity,
providing Rizal with moral and spiritual support that made him
accomplished the heroic mission that dominated their lives.
Additionally, according the Weyler, Manuel Hidalgo was deported to
Bohol solely because he was Rizal’s brother-in-law. Despite the fact
that the entire family was deported and persecuted, there was not
single suggestion in the hundreds of family letters that Jose abandon
his mission.
Rizal was so close to all of his siblings. His relationship with only
brother Paciano was however more than of an older brother. Paciano
took on the role of Rizal’s second father. Rizal admired him and valued
all of his advice. Paciano accompanied Rizal to his first day of school in
Binan. Paciano also persuaded Rizal to pursue higher education in
Europe. He was sending Rizal his allowance while he was studying
abroad (Obias 2018, p43).
 ANCESTORS

Mixed Racial Origin

He has the blood of a Negrito, Indonesian, Malay, Chinese,

Japanese, and Spanish

Jose Rizal’s paternal side had Chinese ancestor, and

Japanese ancestor on his maternal side.

Rizal-Mercado Family belonged to the middle class or

principalia class or creoles class.
 ANCESTORS
Patrilineal Descent:
Domingo Lam-co
- a native Chinese immigrant from Sionggue, City of Changlow,
Province of Fukein, who arrived in Manila in the year 1690.
- Jose’s great-great grandfather on his father side.
- In 1731, he decided to change his surname to “Mercado”, which translates
“market”.
Ines de la Rosa
- a wealthy Chinese Christian lady from Manila.
- Jose’s great-great grandmother on his patrilineal side
- had 2 children: Francisco and Josefa
- died five days after giving birth.
 ANCESTORS
Patrilineal Descent:
Francisco Mercado
- Jose’s great grandfather on his patrilineal side.
- was named after an uncle and a friar scholar in Manila.
- lived in Binan and was elected as the town’s Gobernadorcillo.
- died in 1801

Cirila Bernacha
- also known as Bernarda Monicha
- a Chinese-Filipino mestiza.
- Jose’s great grandmother on his father’ side
- had 2 children before her husband’s death: Juan and Clemente
 ANCESTORS
Patrilineal Descent:
Juan Mercado
- Jose’s grandfather on his patrilineal side.
- was also elected as the town’s Gobernadorcillo, and was affectionally known
as Kapitan Juan by many.
- was elected three (3) times in 1808,1813, and 1823
- served as Hermano mayor on several on several occasions

Cirila Alejandra
- daughter of Lamco’s grandson, Siangco.
- a Chinese-Filipino mestiza.
- Jose’s great grandmother on his father’ side
- had 12 children, the youngest of whom was Jose’s father, Francisco Mercado.
 ANCESTORS
Matrilineal Descent:
Raha Lakandula, the last native king of Tondo and a Bornean Muslim.
Eugenio Ursua
- Dona’s Teodora’s great-grandfather
- wasof Japanese ancestry
- was elected three (3) times in 1808,1813, and 1823
- served as Hermano mayor on several on several occasions

Benigna
- a Filipina
- had a daughter named Regina
Regina
- married to a Chinese Lawyer named Manuel de Quintos from Pangasinan.
 ANCESTORS
Matrilineal Descent:
Brigada
- one of the daughters of Regina and Manuel de Quintos
- married to Lorenzo Alberto Alonso, a deputy for the Philippines in the
Spanis Cortes, and was a prominent Bian Spanish-Filipino mestizo.
- had five (5) children: Narcisa, Teodora, Gregorio, Manuel, and Jose.

According to Caraig, the Lamco family was not used to taking their grandparent’s
names. He named his son Sangley, which translates to the same thing in that Mercado.
According to Russell and Rodriguez, Governador General Clavera issued a decree
changing the last names of each family in order to survey the number of people in his
encomendero and tax them. Francisco Mercado evaded the decree and instead used a
Spanish term that sounded like a sleaze word racial that means a green field or grazing
land.
 CHILDHOOD
Jose Rizal’s Childhood was filled with
happy memories.
He enjoyed seeing the magnificent beauty
of Laguna de Bay
He wrote a poem about his hometown
entitled “In Memory of My Town” (Un
Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo)
He was eager to learn.
He was amiable, thoughtful, and loving
son, brother, and sibling.
Since he was a weak, sickly, and
undersized, he was given the fondest care
by his parents.
 CHILDHOOD
He recalled the “Aya” (nurse maid) telling stories such as ghost
stories, treasure stories, legends, and folktales. When he refused to
eat, she would scare him with stories about aswang, nuno sa punso,
and tikbalang.
He often enjoyed playing alone ang listening to different bird sings
His mother, not only taught him the alphabet and write poems, but
also to pray on a daily basis, including the recitation of the Holy
Rosary.
His uncle Jose was in charge of teaching him on a regular basis.
His uncle Manuel worked on his physique until he had a silk and
brace body.
His uncle Gregorio instilled in the desire to do more and work
harder in order to achieve his goals in life.
He loved to sketch or draw.
 CHILDHOOD
He owned a pony named Alipato, which he used to
ride around his hometown’s beautiful scenery.
He used to walk his black dog, Usman (others call it
Berganza), at night.
He could also perform magic tricks.
Jose’s happiest memory from his childhood was a
trip with his father to Antipolo to fulfill his mother’s
vow to perform pilgrimage to the Virgin of Antipolo.
Jose’s first grief was the death of his beloved little
sister, Concha (Conception)
Recounting this childhood experience, Rizal wrote:
“Thus my heart fed on sombre and melanchony
thoughts so that even still a child, I already
wandered on wings of fanytasy in the high regions
of the unknown.”
 EARLY Education
First Teacher: His Mother Teodora
Jose Rizal’s first teacher was his mother,
Doña Teodora, who was a remarkable and
educated woman in her own right.
She taught Pepe the alphabet and the prayers.
She also taught him to read the Holy Bible.
She would tell him stories which would later
fueled his strong interest in poetry.
“The Story of the Moth”, was the story that
touched him so deeply that he recorded it in
his diary.
 EARLY Education
Doña Teodora, Pepe and The Story of the
Moth
Doña Teodora’s storytelling sessions
with the young Rizal in order to impart
important lessons.
Amigo de los Nios (The Children’s
Friend)
Pepe was scolded for drawing funny
pictures on the pages of a book. Then
later, her mother told him to listen and
began to read the fable of the young
moth and the old one.
 EARLY Education
The Story of the Moth
The story was about the mother moth
warning its offspring of the danger of
fluttering to close to flame. The little moth
did heed the advice, thus it was burned by
the flame. Gave him the moral lesson that if
one must succeed, he must take risks and
prepare for the worst consequences.
Without courage, there will be no Glory.

“The advice and warnings sounded feebly in my ears. What I thought of

most was the death of the headless moth. But in the depth of my heart, I
did not blame it. My mother’s care had not had quite the result she
intended.” – Jose Rizal
Private Tutors

 Maestro Celestino – first private tutor

 Maestro Lucas Padua – second private tutor

 Maestro Leon Monroy – a classmate of Don

Francisco Mercado Rizal
– he became Rizal’s tutor in Spanish
and Latin
– but he died 5 months later

JOSE GOES TO BINAN

 June 1869 – Rizal goes to Binan with Paciano

 CARROMATA – the mode of transportation
•Then, THEY PROCEEDED TO THEIR AUNT'S HOUSE, WHERE
JOSE WAS TO LODGE.
•First day in Binan School
•Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz – was the formal teacher
•“He was a tall, lean, long-necked man with a sharp nose
and a slight bent forward body.”
•“He used to wear a sinamay shirt woven by Batangas
women deft hands.”

•“He knew the grammars of Nebrija and Ganiza by heart.”

•The school was in the house of the teacher, which was a
small nipa hut about 30 meters from the home of Jose’s
aunt.
 Rizal’s Classmate are (Pedro, Andres Salandanan, Jose Guevarra)
• Jose met the bully, Pedro. He was angry at this bully for making fun of him during his conversation
with the teacher in the morning.
• Jose challenged Pedro to a fight. The latter readily accepted, thinking that he could easily beat the
Calamba boy who was smaller and younger.
• Jose, learned the art of wrestling from his athletic Tio Manuel, and successfully defeated the bigger
boy. For this feat, he became popular among his classmates.
• A classmate named Andres Salandanan challenged him to an arm-wrestling match. Jose, having the
weaker arm, lost and nearly cracked his head on the sidewalk.
• There was a painter named, Juancho, who was a father-in-law of the schoolteacher. Jose, lured by his
love of painting, spent many leisure hours at the painter’s studio.
• Old Juancho freely gave him lessons in drawing and painting. He was impressed by the artistic talent
of the Calamba lad.
• Jose and his classmate, Jose Guevarra, who also loved painting, became apprentices of the old
painter. They improved their art, so that in due time they became “the favorite paints of the class”.
• In academics, Jose beat all Binan boys. He surpassed them all in Spanish, Latin and other subjects.
The Imprisonment of Dona Teodora
 Donya 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 Binan ilustrado, he had just returned from a business trip in Europe.

 During his absence, his wife abandoned their house and their children. When he arrived in Binan, he
found her wife living with another man. Because of this incident, he planned to divorce her.

 Donya Teodora, to cover family scandal, persuaded him to forgive his wife.

 The family trouble was amicably settled. However, the evil wife, with the connivance of the Spanish
lieutenant of the Guardia Civil, filed a case in court accusing her husband and Donya Teodora of
attempting to poison her.

 After arresting Donya Teodora, the sadistic Spanish lieutenant forced her to walk from Calamba to
Santa Cruz.
 Upon arrival, she was incarcerated at the provincial prison, where she languished for two
years and half until the Manila Royal Audiencia acquitted her of the alleged crime.

 My mother was defended by Messrs. Francisco de Marcaida and Manuel Marzan, the most
famous lawyers of Manila.

 Recounting this incidence of his mother’s imprisonment, Rizal said in his student memoirs:

 “OUR MOTHER WAS UNJUSTLY SNATCHED AWAY FROM US AND BY WHOM? BY SOME MEN
WHO HAD BEEN OUR FRIENDS AND WHOM WE TREATED AS HONORED GUESTS. WE
LEARNED LATER THAT OUR MOTHER GOT SICK, FAR FROM US AND AT AN ADVANCE AGE.

 SHE FINALLY SUCCEEDED TO BE ACQUITTED AND VINDICATED IN THE EYES OF HER JUDGES,
ACCUSERS, AND EVEN HER ENEMIES, BUT AFTER HOW LONG? AFTER TWO AND HALF
YEARS.”
THE DEATH OF GOMBURZA
• The priests, Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora were jailed in Fort Santiago prior to being accused of
rebellion. During the trial, the government failed to prove that they were really connected with
the Cavite mutiny, an uprising of Filipino military personnel. They also incurred the hate of
Spanish authorities for fighting for equal rights among priests. They fought for secularization
issues in the Philippines that led to the conflict between religious and church seculars.

• The governor-general Rafael Izquierdo promised to present documents to prove that the three
priests were guilty of rebellion. But he never presented any document and to this day, no
document had been found to show that Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora were in any way, connected
with the mutiny. Nevertheless, they were sentenced to death by garrote on February 17,
1872. During their execution one by one —first Zamora, then Gomez and lastly Burgos —
the witnesses of the event took off their hats and knelt to pray for the souls of the innocent
priests. Being falsely accused of treason and sedition, they were executed. Their
execution left a huge impact on many Filipinos, including Dr. Jose Rizal, our national hero, who
dedicated his novel El Filibusterismo to their memory. Due to their death, the strong feelings of
anger and resentment among Filipinos are awakened. They questioned Spanish
authorities and demanded reforms.