A HERO IS BORN

 The greatest hero of the Philippines was a

“many- splendored genius. He was richly
dowered by God with superb intellectual,
moral, physical qualities. Truly, he ranks with
the world’s geniuses. He was an antropologist,
botanist, businessman, cartographer,
dramatist, economist, educator, engineer,
essayist, antomologist, ethnologist, farmer,
folklorist, geographer, grammarian, historian,
horticulturist, humorist, lexicographer,
linguist, musician, novelist, painter, physician
 poet, philologist, philosopher, polemist,
psychologist, satirist, sculptor, sportsman,
sociologist, surveyor, traveller and zoologist. More
than all these, he was a patriot, hero and martyr.
 Jose Mercado Rizal was born in Calamba on the
19th of June 1861 between eleven and twelve o’
clock at night, a few days before the ful moon.
 The delivery was exceedingly difficult and his
mother almost died. Her seemingly miraculous
survival was attributed to “Our Lady of Peace and
Good Voyage.
 Rizal was baptized by Rev. Rufino Collantes
of the Catholic church of Calamba on June 22,
1861, three days after his birth. He was
named “Jose” by his pious mother, in honor of
St. Joseph. His godfather was Rev. Pedro
Casanas. Rizal’s full name then was Jose
Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda.
 He was the seventh of the eleventh children

of Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora

Alonzo Realonda.
 Rizal’s Parents and Siblings
 Francisco Mercado Rizal was born in Binan,
Laguna on May 11, 1818 and died in Manila
on January 5, 1898 at the age of 80. He was
an educated farmer having studied Latin and
Philosophy at the College of San Jose in
Manila. In early manhood, after hi mother’s
death, he moved to Calamba and became a
tenant-farmer of the Dominican state. He
married a college-bred- Manilena, Teodora
Alonzo Realonda on June 28, 1848.
 Teodora Alonzo Realonda was born in Manila on
November 8, 1826 and died in Manila on August
16, 1911 at the age of 85. A graduate of Santa
Rosa College, she was a talented woman with
high culture, business ability and literary gift.

 RIZAL’S SIBLINGS:
 Saturnina(1850-1913)-the oldest of the Rizal’s
children. She married Manuel T. Hidalgo of
Tanauan, Batangas.
 Paciano (1851-1930)-the older brother of Jose.
After Rizal’s execution, he joined the
revolution and became a general. After the
revolution he retired to his farm in Los Banos
and led the life of a gentleman farmer. He died
a bachelor, though he had a common-law wife.
 Narcisa (1852-1939)-married Antonio Lopez, a
school teacher of Morong, Rizal.
 Olympia(1855-1887) married Silvestre Ubaldo,
a telegraph operator from Manila.
 Lucia(1857-1919)-married Mariano Herbosa
of Calamba.
 Maria(1859-1945)-married Dante Faustino

Cruz of Binan, Laguna.

 Jose(1861-1896)-married Josephine Bracken ,

a pretty Irish from Hongkong.

 Concepcion(1862-1865) died at the age of

three.
 Josefa(1865-1945)-she died as an old maid.
 Trinidad(1868-1951)-died an old maid too.
Rizal’s Ancestry
 Soledad(1870-1929)-married Pantaleon
Quintero of Calamba.
 Rizal’s Ancestry
 Domingo Lam-co-Rizal’s paternal great-

great grandfather. He was a native of

Chinchew, China’s City of Spring. Both his
father’s father and grandfather had been Ca
 pitanes (town mayors) of Binan, Laguna.
 Lakan-Dula-the Malayan king was Rizal’s

maternal ancestor.