THE IMPORTANCE OF THE RIZAL SUBJECT
THE RIZAL BILL was as controversial as Jose Rizal himself.
The mandatory Rizal subject in the Philippines was the upshot of this bill
which later became a law in 1956. The bill involves mandating educational
institutions in the country to offer a course on the hero’s life, works, and writings,
especially the ‘Noli Me Tangere’ and ‘El Filibusterismo’. The transition from being
a bill to becoming a republic act was however not easy as the proposal was met
with intense opposition particularly from the Catholic Church.
Largely because of the issue, the then senator Claro M. Recto—the main
proponent of the Rizal Bill—was even dubbed as a communist and an antiCatholic. Catholic schools threatened to stop operation if the bill was passed,
though Recto calmly countered the threat, stating that if that happened, then
the schools would be nationalized. Afterward threatened to be punished in future
elections, Recto remained undeterred.
Concerning the suggestion to use instead the expurgated (edited) version of
Rizal’s novels as mandatory readings, Recto explained his firm support for the
unexpurgated version, exclaiming: “The people who would eliminate the books
of Rizal from the schools would blot out from our minds the memory of the national
hero. This is not a fight against Recto but a fight against Rizal.” (Ocampo, 2012, p.
23)
The bill was eventually passed, but with a clause that
would allow exemptions to students who think that
reading the Noli and Fili would ruin their faith. In other
words, one can apply to the Department of Education
for exemption from reading Rizal’s novels—though not
from taking the Rizal subject. The bill was enacted on
June 12, 1956.
RA 1425 AND OTHER RIZAL LAWS
The Rizal Bill became the Republic Act No. 1425, known
as the ‘Rizal Law’. The full name of the law is “An Act to
Include in the Curricula of All Public and Private Schools, Colleges and Universities
Courses on the Life, Works and Writings of Jose Rizal, Particularly His Novels Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo, Authorizing the Printing and Distribution Thereof,
and for Other Purposes.”
The first section of the law concerns mandating the students to read Rizal’s novels.
The last two sections involve making Rizal’s writings accessible to the general
1
public—they require the schools to have a sufficient number of copies in their
libraries and mandate the publication of the works in major Philippine languages.
Jose P. Laurel, then senator who co-wrote the law, explained that since Jose Rizal
was the founder of the country’s nationalism and had significantly contributed to
the current condition of the nation, it is only right that Filipinos, especially the
youth, know about and learn to imbibe the great ideals for which the hero died.
Accordingly, the Rizal Law aims to accomplish the following goals:
1. To rededicate the lives of youth to the ideals of freedom and nationalism, for
which our heroes lived and died
2. To pay tribute to our national hero for devoting his life and works in shaping the
Filipino character
3. To gain an inspiring source of patriotism through the study of Rizal’s life, works,
and writings.
So far, no student has yet officially applied for exemption from reading Rizal’s
novels. Correspondingly, former President Fidel V. Ramos in 1994, through
Memorandum Order No. 247, directed the Secretary of Education, Culture and
Sports and the Chairman of the Commission on Higher Education to fully
implement the RA 1425 as there had been reports that the law had still not been
totally carried out. In 1995, CHED Memorandum No. 3 was issued enforcing strict
compliance to Memorandum Order No. 247.
Not known to many, there is another republic act that concerns the national hero.
Republic Act No. 229 is an act prohibiting cockfighting, horse racing, and jai-alai
on the thirtieth day of December of each year and to create a committee to
take charge of the proper celebration of Rizal Day in every municipality and
chartered city, and for other purposes.
The Importance of Studying Rizal
The academic subject on the life, works, and writings of Jose Rizal was not
mandated by law for nothing. Far from being impractical, the course interestingly
offers many benefits that some contemporary academicians declare that the
subject, especially when taught properly, is more beneficial than many subjects
in various curricula.
The following are just some of the significance of the academic subject:
1. The subject provides insights on how to deal with current problems
2
There is a dictum, “He who controls the past controls the future.” Our view of
history forms the manner we perceive the present, and therefore influences the
kind of solutions we provide for existing problems. Jose Rizal course, as a history
subject, is full of historical information from which one could base his decisions in
life. In various ways, the subject, for instance, teaches that being educated is a
vital ingredient for a person or country to be really free and successful.
2. It helps us understand better ourselves as Filipinos
The past helps us understand who we are. We comprehensively define ourselves
not only in terms of where we are going, but also where we come from. Our
heredity, past behaviors, and old habits as a nation are all significant clues and
determinants to our present situation. Interestingly, the life of a very important
national historical figure like Jose Rizal contributes much to shedding light on our
collective experience and identity as Filipino. The good grasp of the past offered
by this subject would help us in dealing wisely with the present.
3. It teaches nationalism and patriotism
Nationalism involves the desire to attain freedom and
political independence, especially by a country
under foreign power, while patriotism denotes proud
devotion and loyalty to one’s nation. Jose Rizal’s life,
works, and writings—especially his novels—essentially,
if not perfectly, radiate these traits. For one thing, the
subject helps us to understand our country better.
4. It provides various essential life lessons
We can learn much from the way Rizal faced various challenges in life. As a
controversial figure in his time, he encountered serious dilemmas and
predicaments but responded decently and high-mindedly. Through the crucial
decisions he made in his life, we can sense his priorities and convictions which
manifest how noble, selfless, and great the national hero was. For example, his
many resolutions exemplified the aphorism that in this life there are things more
important than personal feeling and happiness.
5. It helps in developing logical and critical thinking
3
Critical Thinking refers to discerning, evaluative, and analytical thinking. A
Philosophy major, Jose Rizal unsurprisingly demonstrated his critical thinking skills in
his argumentative essays, satires, novels, speeches, and written debates. In
deciding what to believe or do, Rizal also proved his being a reasonably reflective
thinker, never succumbing to the irrational whims and baseless opinions of
anyone. In fact, he indiscriminately evaluated and criticized even the doctrines
of the dominant religion of his time. A course on Rizal’s life, works, and writings
therefore is also a lesson in critical thinking.
6. Rizal can serve as a worthwhile model and inspiration to
every Filipino
If one is looking for someone to imitate, then Rizal is a very
viable choice. The hero’s philosophies, life principles,
convictions, thoughts, ideals, aspirations, and dreams are
a good influence to anyone. Throughout his life, he valued
nationalism and patriotism, respect for parents, love for
siblings, and loyalty to friends, and maintained a sense of
chivalry. As a man of education, he highly regarded
academic excellence, logical and critical thinking,
philosophical and scientific inquiry, linguistic study, and cultural research. As a
person, he manifested versatility and flexibility while sustaining a strong sense of
moral uprightness.
7. The subject is a rich source of entertaining narratives
People love fictions and are even willing to spend for books or movie tickets just
to be entertained by made-up tales. But only a few perhaps know that Rizal’s life
is full of fascinating non-fictional accounts.
For instance, it is rarely known that (1) Rizal was involved in a love triangle with
Antonio Luna as also part of the romantic equation; (2) Rizal was a model in some
of Juan Luna’s paintings; (3) Rizal’s common-law wife Josephine Bracken was
‘remarried’ to a man from Cebu and had tutored former President Sergio
Osmeña; (4) Leonor Rivera (‘Maria Clara’), Rizal’s ‘true love’, had a son who
married the sister of the former President of the United Nations General Assembly
Carlos P. Romulo; (5) the Filipina beauty queen Gemma Cruz Araneta is a
descendant of Rizal’s sister, Maria; (6) the sportscaster Chino Trinidad is a
descendant of Rizal’s ‘first love’ (Segunda Katigbak); and (7) the original
manuscripts of Rizal’s novel (Noli and Fili) were once stolen for ransom, but
Alejandro Roces had retrieved them without paying even a single centavo.
4
CHAPTER II
19th CENTURY PHILIPPINES AS RIZAL’S CONTEXT
Nineteenth Century is commonly depicted as the birth of modern life, as well as
the birth of many nation-states around the globe. The century was also a period
of massive changes in Europe, Spain and consequently in the Philippines. It was
during this era that the power and glory of Spain, the Philippines’ colonizers had
waned both in its colonies and in the world.
The Economic Context
End of Galleon Trade
Our locals were already trading with China, Japan and Siam (now Thailand),
India. Cambodia, Borneo, and the Moluccas (Spice Islands) when the Spanish
Colonizers came to the Philippines. In 1565, the Spanish government closed the
ports of Manila to all countries except Mexico thereby giving birth to the ManilaAcapulco Trade popularly known as Galleon Trade.
The Galleon Trade (1565-1815) was a ship (galleon) trade going back and
forth between Manila (which actually landed first in Cebu) and Acapulco,
Mexico. It started when Andres de Urdaneta, in convoy under Miguel Lopez de
Legaspi, discovered a return route from Cebu to Mexico in 1565. The trade served
as the central income-generating business for Spanish colonists in the Philippines.
Other consequences of this 250-year trade were the intercultural exchanges
between Asia (especially Philippines), Spanish America, and onward to Europe
and Africa.
Because of Galleon Trade, Manila became a trading hub where China, India,
Japan, and South East Asian countries sent their goods to be consolidated for
shipping. Those who ran the hub and did most of the work were primarily Chinese.
They arrived in the Philippines in junks yearly, bringing goods and workforce. With
the huge migration of Chinese because of the Galleon Trade, the Spaniards
feared them, taxed them, sent them out to the parian and eventually, when
tensions rose, massacred some of them. Such massacres were at their height in
the 17th century from suspicion, unease and fear until the Spaniards and the
Chinese learned to live with each other in the next few centuries.
5
The Manila Galleon Trade allowed modern, liberal ideas to enter the
Philippines, eventually and gradually inspiring the movement for independence
from Spain. On September 14, 1815, the Galleon Trade with Mexico’s war of
independence.
OPENING OF THE SUEZ CANAL
An artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt,
the
Suez
Canal
connects
the
Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea
through the Isthmus of Suez.
Constructed by the Suez Canal
Company between 1859-1869 under
the leadership of French diplomat
Ferdinand de Lesseps, it was officially
opened on November 17, 1869. (Manila
to Spain lasted for 90 days before Suez Canal was built)
With the opening of the canal, the distance of travel between Europe and the
Philippines was considerably abbreviated and thus virtually brought the country
closer to Spain. Before the opening of the canal, a steamer from Barcelona had
to sail around the Cape if Good hope to reach Manila after a menacing journey
of more than three months. With the Suez Canal, the voyage was lessened to only
32 to 40 days. The opening of the Suez Canal became a huge advantage in
commercial enterprises especially between Europe and East Asia. More
importantly it served as a significant factor that enabled the growth of
nationalistic desires of Jose Rizal and other Filipino Illustrados. The Suez Canal
expedited the importation not only of commercial products but also of books,
magazines and newspapers with liberal ideas from America and Europe, which
ultimately affected the minds of Rizal and other Filipino reformists. The availability
of Suez Canal has also encouraged the Illustrados especially Jose Rizal to pursue
education abroad and learn scientific and liberal education in European
academic institutions. Their social dealings with liberalism in the west have
influenced their thoughts on nationhood, politics and government.
TRIVIA
6
Republic Act No. 137- Province of Rizal
Republic Act No. 243- An Act granting the right to use public land upon the Luneta
in the city of Manila upon which to erect a statue of Jose Rizal,
Republic Act No. 345- Anniversary of Rizal’s Death
MONOPOLIES
Another main source of wealth during the post galleon era was monopoly
contracting. After 1850, government monopoly contracts for the collection of
different revenues were opened to foreigners for the first time. The opium
monopoly was specifically a profitable one. During the 1840’s, Spanish
government had legalized the use of opium and a government monopoly of
opium importation and sales was created. There were monopolies of special
crops and items such as spirituous liquors (1712-1864), betel nut (1764), tobacco
(1782-1882), and explosives (1805-1864). Among these monopoly systems, the
most controversial and oppressive to locals was the tobacco monopoly.
On March 1, 1782, Governor General Jose Basco placed the Philippine
Tobacco industry under government control, thereby establishing the tobacco
monopoly. It aimed to increase government revenue since then annual subsidy
coming for the widespread cultivation of tobacco in the provinces of Cagayan
Valley, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, la union, Isabela, Abra, Nueva Ecija, and
Marinduque.
These provinces planted nothing but tobacco and sold their produce only to
the government at a pre-designated price, leaving little or no profit for the local
farmers. The system set that required number of tobacco plants t must be sold to
them by each family. Nobody was allowed to keep even a few tobacco leaves
for personal use, thereby forcing the local farmers to buy the tobacco they
themselves from the government.
The colonial government exported the tobacco to other countries and to the
cigarette factories in Manila. The tobacco monopoly positively raised revenues
for the government and made Philippine tobacco prominent all over Asia and
some parts in Europe. The tobacco monopoly was finally abolished in 1882 (some
references state that the tobacco monopoly in the Philippines was from 1781 to
1881 not 1782 to 1882 although most authors agree that it lasted for exactly 100
years. A century of hardship and social injustice caused by the tobacco
monopoly prompted Filipinos.
7
THE SOCIAL BACKGROUND
EDUCATION IN THE 19TH CENTURY
With the coming of Spanish colonizers, the European system of education was
somewhat introduced to the archipelago. Schools were established and run by
Catholic missionaries. The colonial government and the catholic church made
religion a compulsory subject at all levels.
King Philip II’s Leynes de Indies (Laws of Indies) mandated Spanish authorities
in the Philippines to educate the locals. To teach them how to read and write and
to learn Spanish. The Spanish missionaries thus established schools, somewhat
educated the natives, but did not seriously teach them the Spanish language,
fearing that the Indios would become so knowledgeable and turn out to be their
co-equal. Less than one-fifth of those who went to school could read and write
Spanish, and far fewer could speak the language properly. The first formal schools
in the land were the parochial schools opened in their parishes by the missionaries,
such as the Augustinians, Franciscans, Jesuits, and Dominicans. Aside from
Religion, the native children were taught reading, writing, arithmetic and some
vocational and practical arts subjects. Aside from the Christian Doctrines, Latin
(the official language of the Catholic Church) was also taught to the students
instead of Spanish. The Spanish friars believed that the natives would not be able
to match their skills, and so one way for the locals to learn fast was to use strict
discipline, such as applying corporal punishment. Later on, colleges (which were
the equivalent of our high schools today) were established for boys and girls, there
was no co-education during the Spanish regime as boys and girls studied in
separate schools. The subject taught to college students included history, Latin,
geography, mathematics, and Philosophy.
University Education was opened in the country during the early part of the
century. Initially, the colleges and universities were open only to the Spaniards
and those with Spanish Blood (mestizos). It was only in the 19th century that these
universities started accepting native Filipinos. Still giving emphasis on religion,
universities then did not necessarily teach science and mathematics.
17th
In 1863, a royal decree called for the establishment of a public-school system
in the Philippines. Formerly run totally by the religious authorities, the education in
the colony was thus finally administered by the government during the last half of
the 19th century though even the church controlled its curriculum. Previously
exclusive for Spaniards and Spanish Mestizos, universities became open to natives
though they limited their accommodations to the sons of wealthy Indio Families.
8
Nonetheless, as a result of the growing number of educated natives, a new
social class in the country emerged, which came to be known as the Illustrados.
But despite their wealth and education, the Illustrados were still deemed by the
Spaniards as inferior. One of the aims of the Illustrados was to be in the same level
with the proud Spaniards.
With the opening of Suez Canal, which made travel to Europe faster easier,
and more affordable, many locals took advantage higher and better education
in Europe, typically in Madrid and Barcelona. There, nationalism and the thirst for
reform bloomed in the liberal atmosphere. The new enlightened class in the
Philippine independence movement, using the Spanish language as their key
means of communication. Out of this talented group of students from the
Philippines arose what came to be known as the Propaganda movement. The
most prominent of the Illustrados was Jose Rizal, who inspired the craving for
freedom and independence with his novels written in Spanish.
TRIVIA
Peninsulares- Spaniards born in Spanish
Insulares- Spaniards born in Philippines
Mestizo- (middle class)
Chinese - Indios
Chinese - Spaniards
Spanish - Indios
Indios- Pure Filipinos
POLITICAL LANDSCAPE
LIBERALISM
Liberalism is a worldview founded on ideas of freedom and equality. The
French Revolution (1789-1799) started a political revolution in Europe having
Liberty, Equality and Fraternity as its battle cry. This revolution became a
fundamental change in political history of France as French governmental
structure was changed from absolute monarchy into a more liberal government
system founded on the principles of citizenship and inalienable rights. As an
9
eventual repercussion of the French Revolution, Spain later experienced a stormy
century of political disturbances which included numerous changes in
parliaments and constitutions, the Peninsular War, the loss of Spanish America and
the Struggle between liberals and conservatives. They thus pursued curbing its
influence in political life and education. In the 19th century, the movement against
catholic church, called anti-clericalism, has gained some strength.
When the Philippines was opened to world trade in 19th century, liberal ideas from
America carried by ships and people from foreign parts started to penetrate the
country and sway the Illustrados. The Philippines actual experience of liberalism
came from the role modelling of the first liberal governor-general in the
Philippines, Governor-General Carlos Maria De la Torre. The liberal General was
appointed by the provisional government as Governor General of the Philippines.
He held the position from 1869-1871 and is widely considered to be the most
beloved of the Spanish Governors General ever assigned in the Philippines. His
liberal and democratic governance had provided Jose Rizal and the others a
review of a democratic rule and way of life. He avoided luxury and living a simple
life. He encouraged freedom and abolished censorship. He recognized the
freedom of speech and of the press. Because of his tolerant policy, Father Jose
Burgos and other Filipino priests were encouraged to pursue their dream of
replacing the friars with the Filipino clergy as parish priest. His greatest
achievement was the peaceful solution to the land problem in Cavite.
IMPACT OF BOURBON REFORMS
During the Napoleonic occupation of Spain, a liberal constitution was
promulgated in Cadiz in March 1812. Drafted by elected representatives, the
Cadiz Constitution was put in practice in almost of the areas of Hispanic
Monarchy still under control of the Spanish crown. This milestone constitution had
an impact on many other European constitutions as well as on the American
states after independence. The Cadiz Constitution was the first constitution in
Europe to deal with national sovereignty, sovereignty as coming from the people
and not from the king. Unlike the French constitution, which applied to all Frenchspeaking citizens of France, this Spanish Constitution of 1812 had a universal
character as it included everyone from overseas, like the Italian kingdoms as well
as the Philippines.
The first delegates from the Philippines were Pedro Perez de Tagle and Jose
Manuel Coretto who took their oath of office in Madrid. The Cadiz constitution,
which was formally implemented in Manila soon after, established the principles
of universal male suffrage, national sovereignty constitutional monarchy, and
10
freedom of the press, and advocated the and reform and free enterprise. From
the freedom-loving people of the Philippines in the 19 th century, the constitution
was very influential as it was a liberal constitution, which vested sovereignty in the
people, recognized the equality of all men and the individual liberty of the citizen,
and granted the right of suffrage.
11
TINIENTE KIKO OF CALAMBA (FRANCISCO MERCADO RIZAL)
WITH MORE THAN 600 resorts in the place today, its tourism’s promoters
claim that it has earned the nickname “Resort Capital of the Philippines”.
In 1848, Jose Rizal’s parents decided to build a home in this town in Laguna,
southern Luzon called Calamba. Its name was derived from "kalan-banga",
which means "clay stove" (kalan) and "water jar" (banga).
Rizal’s adoration of its scenic beauty—punctuated by the sights of the
Laguna de Bay, Mount Makiling, palm-covered mountains, curvy hills, and green
fields—was recorded in the poem he wrote in Ateneo de Manila in 1876, ‘Un
Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo’ (In Memory of my Town).
But if Rizal ‘s poem was written today, he might have mentioned the threefloor SM mall, shopping centers, and the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) terminus
in the place. A city since 2001, Calamba’s most recent claim to international fame
is perhaps it’s being the origin of Herbert Chavez, the ‘Superman’ look-alike via
plastic surgery recognized by the Guinness World Records as having the largest
collection of superman memorabilia.
DON FRANCISCO MERCADO
More than one and a half century ago, a far greater ‘superman’, Jose Rizal,
was born in the place. His father, Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado, was an
independent-minded, taciturn but dynamic gentleman from whom Jose
inherited
his
‘free
soul’.
Don
Francisco
became
‘tiniente
gobernadorcillo’ (lieutenant governor) in Calamba and was thus nicknamed
‘Tiniente Kiko’. Students’ comical conjecture that the fictional character ‘Kikong
Matsing’ of ‘Batibot’ was named after Don Francisco is, of course, unfounded.
Francisco’s great grandfather is Domingo Lam-co, a learned pro-poor or
‘maka-masa’ Chinese immigrant businessman who married a sophisticated
Chinese mestiza of Manila named Ines de la Rosa. One of their two children,
Francisco (also), resided in Biñan and married Bernarda Monicha. Francisco and
Bernarda’s son, Juan Mercado, became a ‘gobernadorcillo’ (town mayor) of
Biñan, Laguna. He married Cirila Alejandra and they had 12 children, the
youngest being Jose Rizal’s father, Francisco.
Jose’s father was born on May 11, 1818 in Biñan, Laguna. When he was
eight years old, he lost his father. He was nonetheless educated as he took Latin
and Philosophy at the College of San Jose in Manila, where he met and fell in love
with Teodora Alonso, a student in the College of Santa Rosa. Married on June 28,
12
1848, they settled down in Calamba where they were granted lease of a rice farm
in the Dominican-owned haciendas.
DON FRANCISCO’S INFLUENCE TO RIZAL
When Jose was seven years old, his father provided him the exciting
experience of riding a ‘casco’ (a flat-bottomed boat with a roof) on their way to
a pilgrimage in Antipolo, and to visit afterward Saturnina at the La Concordia
College in Manila. As a gift, the child Jose also received a pony named
‘Alipato’ from his father (Bantug and Ventura).
One of Jose’s childhood tutors, Don Leon Monroy, was Don Francisco’s
friend whom the father personally chose to teach his son the basics of Spanish
and Latin. When Monroy died after five months of tutoring Rizal, Don Francisco
sent his son to a school in Biñan. After sometime, Jose told his father that he had
already learned all there was to be taught at Biñan. Teniente Kiko firmly scolded
Jose and hustled him back to the school. Maestro Justiano Aquino Cruz, Jose’s
teacher in Biñan, later confirmed nonetheless that Jose had indeed finished
already all the needed curricular works.
Against his wife’s reluctance, Don Francisco then sent Jose to enroll at the
Ateneo Municipal in Intramuros, Manila. When Jose was in his third year in Ateneo,
he became indulge in reading novels. Because Jose requested for it, his loving
father bought him an expensive set of the Universal History by Cesar Cantu.
While boarding in a small house on Calle
Caraballo, Jose was once persuaded by his
landlady Tandang (Old) Titay to play the card
game ‘panguingue’ for her. But Don Francisco
suddenly arrived from Calamba and caught
Jose at the ‘panguingue’ table. The father
scolded the young Rizal and the respectful son
wholeheartedly
accepted
his
father’s
reprimand (Bantug and Ventura).
After the Cavite mutiny and the martyrdom of the Gomburza in 1872, Jose,
for the first time, heard of the word ‘filibustero’ (subversive). But Don Francisco
then forbade the members of his family to utter the word. And when Rizal, upon
his return to the country from Europe in 1887, wanted to visit his girlfriend Leonor
Rivera in Pangasinan, his father strongly opposed the idea. Don Francisco
believed that the visit would put Leonor’s family in danger since at the time Jose
13
had already earned the label ‘filibustero’ for writing the controversial Noli Me
Tangere. Later in his life, Jose would use the derivative of the term (Filibusterismo)
to name his more ‘subversive’ second novel.
In 1891, Don Francisco, along with Paciano and son-in-law Silvestre Ubaldo,
had escaped from the clutch of their Spanish persecutors and opted to join Jose
in Hong Kong. The Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) were not that many in Hong
Kong yet, but it is said that the 73-year old Don Francisco loved the climate in the
place where he stayed with his beloved son.
RIZAL’S LOVE FOR HIS FATHER
Rizal’s affection for his father may have not been given much emphasis by
many biographies. But Jose, no doubt, adored Don Francisco.
In 1881, Jose made a clay bust of his father. About six years later, he carved
a life-size wood sculpture of Don Francisco. Perhaps, Jose even spent a lot of time
finishing the life-size sculpture—because Don Kiko, unlike the national hero, was
above average in height. In honor of his father, Jose named his premature son
(by Josephine Bracken) ‘Francisco’. The infant ‘Francisco’ unfortunately died
three hours after birth.
Before his death on December 30, 1896, Jose wrote this to his brother,
Paciano: “Tell our father I remember him, and how! I remember my whole
childhood, of his affection and his love. Ask him to forgive me for the pain that I
have unwillingly caused him.”
To his father, Jose directly wrote:
My beloved Father,
Pardon me for the pain with which I repay you for sorrows and sacrifices for
my education. I did not want nor did I prefer it.
Goodbye, Father, goodbye ….
Don Francisco died in Manila on January 5, 1898 at the age of 80,
approximately a year after his son’s martyrdom in Bagumbayan. Jose Rizal
considered Teniente Kiko as ‘model of fathers. Whenever we study the life of Don
Francisco, we remember our respective father whom we likewise subjectively call
‘the best Dad in the world’.
14
LOLA LOLAY OF BAHAY NA BATO (TEODORA ALONZO)
IF INTERNET’S SOCIAL MEDIA were already existing during the PhilippineAmerican War, and somebody had posted the famous picture of the aged Doña
Teodora Alonso next to the excavated skull of the national hero, there might have
been an online pandemonium which could have surpassed the Gangnam Style’s
record. Some consider the picture morbid, but others regard it as an indubitable
manifestation of the mother’s intense love for her son.
THE RIZAL HOME
Doña Teodora Alonzo y Quintos is the homemaker of the first massive stone
house, or ‘bahay na bato’, in Calamba, which is the very birthplace of the national
hero. It was a rectangular two-storey building, built of adobe stones and solid
woods, with sliding capiz windows. Its ground floor was made of lime and stone,
the second floor of hard woods, except for the roof, which was of red tiles. There
was an azotea and a water reservoir at the back. The courtyard contained
tropical fruit trees, poultry yard, a carriage house, and a stable for the ponies. Its
architectural style and proximity to the church implied the owners’ wealth and
political influence.
Rizal’s ancestral house was destroyed during World
War II. Juan Nakpil supervised its reconstruction
and restoration as ordered by President Quirino.
With funds mainly contributed by Filipino school
children, this Jose Rizal Shrine was inaugurated in
1950.
It is said that the only surviving feature of Rizal’s
original house is the deep well that has become a
‘wishing well’ for many tourists. Even the house’s
familiar white color was not preserved for it was
repainted a pale shade of green. Nonetheless,
many Rizal ‘relics’, including the supposed black
coat worn by Rizal during his execution, can be
found in the shrine.
15
TEODORA ALONSO
Unknown to many, Doña Teodora—
together with her husband—is buried near
the narra tree about 20 meters away from
the shrine’s ‘wishing well.’ For long, this
historic Calamba house was tended and
managed by Jose’s mother also known as
‘Lolay’.
Common
biographies
state
that Doña Teodora was born on November
8, 1826 in Santa Cruz, Manila and baptized
in Santa Cruz Church. Strangely however,
the volume in the church books that
supposedly contains Teodora’s baptismal
records is the only one missing in the
otherwise complete records down to the
eighteenth century (Ocampo, p. 39).
Asuncion Rizal-Lopez Bantug, the
granddaughter of Jose’s sister Narcisa,
distinctively claims that Lola Lolay and her
all siblings were born in Calamba, but (just)
lived in Manila (Bantug, p. 18).
Doña Lolay was educated at the College of Santa Rosa, an esteemed
school for girls in Manila. She was usually described as a diligent business-minded
woman, very graceful but courageous, well-mannered, religious, and well-read.
Very dignified, she disliked gossip and vulgar conversation. Possessing refined
culture and literary talents, she influenced her children to love the arts, literature,
and music. Herself an educated woman, Lolay sent her children to colleges in
Manila. To help in the economy of the family, she ran sugar and flourmills and a
small store in their home, selling home-made ham, sausages, jams, jellies, and
others. Looking back, her business in a way predated the meat processing
commerce of the Pampangueños today and the ube jam production of some
nuns in Baguio.
16
DOÑA TEODORA ‘S ANCESTRY
It is believed that Doña Teodora’s family
descended from Lakandula, the last native king of
Tondo. (For young generations, Lakandula has to be
distinguished from the unofficial ‘Hari ng Tondo’, Asiong
Salonga, the Manila kingpin who was immortalized in
the movie incidentally by Laguna’s own governor E. R.
Ejercito.)
Lolay’s great-grandfather was Eugenio Ursua (of
Japanese descent) who married a Filipina named
Benigna. Regina, their daughter, married a FilipinoChinese lawyer of Pangasinan, Manuel de Quintos.
Lorenzo Alberto Alonso, a well-off Spanish-Filipino mestizo of Biñan, took as his
‘significant other’ Brigida Quintos, daughter of Manuel and Regina Quintos. The
Lorenzo-Brigida union produced five children, the second of them was Jose Rizal’s
mother, Teodora Alonso Quintos.
Through the Claveria degree of 1849 which changed the Filipino native
surnames, the Alonsos adopted the surname Realonda. Rizal’s mother thus
became Teodora Alonso Quintos y Realonda.
LOLAY AND THE YOUNG RIZAL
Doña Teodora played an important role in the life of the national hero. She
was said to have suffered the greatest pain during the delivery of her seventh
child, the younger of her two sons, Jose. Her daughter Narcisa recalled: “I was
nine years of age when my mother gave birth to Jose. I recall it vividly because
my mother suffered great pain. She labored for a long time. Her pain was later
attributed to the fact that Jose’s head was bigger than normal” (Bantug and
Ventura). But this would not be the only pain that she would suffer on account of
this son.
Lolay was the first teacher of the hero—teaching him Spanish, correcting his
composed poems, and coaching him in rhetoric. On her lap, Jose learned the
alphabet and Catholic prayers at the age of three, and had learned to read and
write at age 5. At an early age, Rizal thus learned to read the Spanish family Bible,
which he would refer to later in his writings. Rizal himself remarked that perhaps
the education he received since his earliest infancy was what has shaped his
habits.
The mother also induced Jose to love the arts, literature, and the classics.
Before he was eight years old, he had written a drama which was performed at
a local festival and for which the municipal captain rewarded him with two pesos.
17
THE STORY OF THE MOTH
To impart essential lessons in life, Lolay held regular storytelling sessions with
the young Rizal. Doña Teodora loved to read to Pepe stories from the book
‘Amigo de los Niños’ (The Children’s Friend). One day, she scolded his son for
making drawings on the pages of the story book. To teach the value of
obedience to one’s parents, she afterward read him a story in it.
Lolay chose the story about a daughter moth who was warned by her
mother against going too near a lamp flame. Though the young moth promised
to comply, she later succumbed to the pull of the light’s mysterious charm,
believing that nothing bad would happen if she would approach it with caution.
The moth then flew close to the flame. Feeling comforting warmth at first, she
drew closer and closer, bit by bit, until she flew too close enough to the flame
and perished.
Incidentally, Pepe was watching a similar incident while he was listening
to the storytelling. Like a live enactment, a moth was fluttering too near to the
flame of the oil lamp on their table. Not merely acting out, it did fall dead as a
consequence. Both moths in the two tales paid the price of getting near to the
fatal light. Many years later, Rizal himself felt that the moths’ tale could serve as
an allegory of his own destiny. About himself, he wrote:
“Years have passed since then. The child has become a man…
Steamships have taken him across seas and oceans … He has received from
experience bitter lessons, much more bitter than the sweet lessons that his
mother gave him. Nevertheless, he has preserved the heart of a child. He still
thinks that light is the most beautiful thing in creation, and that it is worthwhile for
a man to sacrifice his life for it.”
AGAINST RIZAL’S FURTHER EDUCATION
Doña Teodora was remarkably against the idea of sending Jose to Manila
to study, arguing that he already knew enough and that “if he learns more, he
will only end up on the scaffold” (Bantug, p. 37). This stand she reiterated when
Rizal had to go to the University of Santo Tomas for higher studies. Aware that
Spanish officials frowned at learned Filipino, she told her husband: “Don’t send
him to Manila again; he knows enough. If he gets to know more, the Spaniards
will cut off his head” (as quoted in Zaide, p. 46).
Doña Teodora never ceased to worry about his bright son. In 1884, after
Rizal gave a toasting speech in Spain at the banquet for the winning Filipino
painters (Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo), his assail to the unworthy
Spaniards in the Philippines received a great deal of reactions. The general
sentiment was that it would not be good for him to return to the Philippines. This
caused Doña Teodora much worries that she turned ill. Upon recovering, she
18
begged his son through a letter not to meddle in things that bring her sorrow,
and to comply instead with the duties of a good Christian.
RIZAL’S TIO JOSE ALBERTO
Among Teodora’s siblings—Narcisa, Teodora, Gregorio,
Manuel, and Jose—it was the youngest, Jose Alberto,
who became the most historically significant to the Rizal
family. Jose Alberto, the illustrious engineer of Biñan,
studied in a British school in Calcutta, India. It is said that
he exerted a good influence on the young Rizal,
particularly inspiring him to cultivate his artistic talents.
Jose Alberto is diversely referred to as brother, cousin,
half-brother, or stepbrother of Teodora Alonso,
depending on the biographer you are reading. This is
now clarified by the unearthed information that even
before Lorenzo Alberto Alonso (Teodora and Jose Alberto’s father) took Brigida
as his better half, he “had married a 12-year old Ilocana named Paula
Florentino in 1814” (Ocampo, 2013, p. 38). Those who declare that Jose Alberto
is Teodora’s half-brother thus seem to imply that Jose Alberto was from the
Florentino lineage and therefore the only legal son of Lorenzo Alberto.
However, a document written by Rizal himself, now being kept at the Rizal
Library in Ateneo de Manila University, plainly reveals that Jose Alberto and
Teodora Alonzo are of the same parents. Moreover, Lorenzo Alberto Alonso’s
marriage to the 12-year old girl from Vigan—which was by a fixed marriage—did
not produce any child.
Dr. Bimbo Sta. Maria, an officer of Biñan-based organization, United Artists
for Cultural Conservation and Development (UACCD) believes that the halfbrother issue was part of the family’s plan to keep its ties with the Spanish
government (“Mga Lihim ng Pamilya ni Rizal”). Researching about Rizal’s family
for many years, Sta. Maria had known that Lorenzo Alberto was conferred the
title “Knight of the Order of Queen Isabella the Catholic” for supporting the
Dominicans in their missions in Indo-China. The title was transferable to one of his
legal children after his death. However, all his children by Brigida Quintos
(including Teodora Alonzo and Jose Alberto) were all illegitimate in papers. To
receive the influential title, Jose Alberto, with the approval of his siblings, thus
declared himself the legitimate son of Lorenzo Alberto and Paula Florentino, in
effect disowning his real mother.
If Sta. Maria’s theory is correct, then the controversial 200-year old
mansion in Biñan should at least be considered by the government as a
historical landmark for being the ancestral house of Teodora Alonso’s family. As
19
of this writing, the mansion is being demolished for plans of making the place
commercial.
DOÑA TEODORA’S IMPRISONMENTS
When Rizal was just about to go to Manila to continue his education at the
Ateneo, an ordeal occurred to his family—his mother was thrown into prison.
Jose Alberto, Lolay’s ‘favorite’ brother, had returned from Europe and
found that her wife, Teodora Formoso, left their home and children for another
man. He planned to divorce her, but Doña Teodora persuaded the couple to
reconcile so as to avoid family scandal. Alberto’s wife however sued her husband
for allegedly trying to poison her and incriminated Dona Teodora as his coconspirator.
Alberto’s wife was aided by the Spanish lieutenant of the Guardia Civil.
Remarkably, the Calamba’s gobernadorcillo, Antonio Vivencio del Rosario, was
hasty to believe the charge. The two officials were frequent guests at the Rizal
home but both had been nursing grudges against the Rizals. At one occasion,
Rizal’s father could not accommodate to give fodder for the lieutenant’s horse.
The gobernadorcillo, on the other hand, is said to have felt insulted that he had
not been shown any greater respect than the Filipino guests in his visits to Rizal
home.
Barbara Cruz-Gonzalez, great granddaughter of Rizal’s sister, Maria, shared
one detailed version of the ‘poisoning’ accusation based on the tales that
circulate in the involved clans (“Mga Lihim ng Pamilya Ni Rizal”). She narrated that
Jose Alberto, upon discovering his wife’s infidelity, locked Teodora Formoso in a
room in the historically controversial mansion in Biñan, and asked her sister
Teodora to watch over his wife. One day, Teodora Alonso brought some food to
Formoso which the latter refused to eat. Formoso instead fed it to her dog.
Allegedly, the dog eventually died after eating the food. Hence, with the help of
a leader of the Guardia Civil, who was purportedly Formoso’s lover, Jose Alberto’s
wife had sent Teodora Alonso to prison.
Rizal’s mother was imprisoned in Santa Cruz, the capital of Laguna. It is said
that the Rizals appealed to the Supreme Court, which ordered her immediate
discharge. But she was rearrested by the order of the insulted judge, stating that
Rizals’ appeal to the Supreme Court was contempt of his court. The Supreme
Court irrationally upheld this contention. Some other fabricated charges were
filed against her, hence she languished behind bars for about two and a half
years in the 1870s.
Teodora Alonso was imprisoned for the second time in the 1880s on the nonsense
charge that she did not call herself a ‘Realonda de Rizal’ but simply ‘Teodora
20
Alonso’. Concerning this, Rizal bitterly recorded: “From Manila they sent her to Sta.
Cruz, Laguna Province, through mountains from town to town … Imagine an old
woman of 64 traveling through mountains and highways with her daughter under
the custody of the civil guard. When my mother and sister, after four days of
traveling, arrived at Sta. Cruz, the governor, deeply touched, released
them.” (Epistolario Rizalino, Vol. V, Part II, p. 621.)
TEODORA’S LONG WALKS
In both imprisonments, Rizal’s mother was forced to walk rough roads
before being locked up in the prison cell in Santa Cruz, Laguna. When she was
incarcerated for the first time, some histories claim that she did a gruesome 50kilometer walk, while others state ‘16 kilometers. So why is there a discrepancy?
Which figure is plausible?
Online distance calculators today indicate that Calamba is 43-kilometer
away from Santa Cruz, suggesting that the ‘50 kilometers’ claim is more plausible.
But that is if the walk was really from Calamba to Santa Cruz. Because a relative
of Teodora Alonso, Jacoba Faustina-Cruz, narrated that the forced walk was only
from Biñan to Calamba (as quoted by Ocampo, 2010, Philippine Daily Inquirer).
Thus, if Cruz’s statement is true, then the ’16 kilometers’ claim is more reasonable.
Biñan and Calamba are 15.2465035627 kilometers away from each other,
according to a modern mobile phone’s application.
Concerning the second time Teodora was imprisoned, Rizal’s descendants
claim that the then half-blind Teodora Alonso was ordered to walk ‘85 kilometers’
from Manila to Santa Cruz (Bantug, p. 100). Modern distance calculators suggest
that 91.5 kilometers is the distance between the two locations, though it’s only
58.9813974616 kilometers if one could just fly like a bird in a straight line. The Zaides’
however claimed that the walk was only from Calamba to Santa Cruz (Zaide &
Zaide p. 205)—which if true, then the walk was just about a half shorter. Either way,
the miserable experience of Doña Teodora had predated the sufferings of the
victims in the infamous WW II Death March (about 151 kms.).
JOSE’S LOVE FOR HIS MOTHER
One known thing about Rizal is that he loved his mother very much. At the
end of his first year at the Ateneo, Rizal visited her mother in Santa Cruz prison
without telling his father. Doña Teodora joyfully embraced her son who told her of
his outstanding school grades.
The next summer vacation, Rizal did not forget to see again and brighten
up her mother with news of his academic successes. On her part, Doña Teodora
had mentioned of her dream the previous night. Rizal interpreted the dream as
portending that she would be released from prison in three months’ time. Rizal’s
21
‘prophecy’ proved true as Teodora was set free barely three months after her
son’s visit.
The most known poem written by Rizal in Ateneo, ‘Mi Primera Inspiracion’
(My First Inspiration) was dedicated to his mother on her birthday. It is believed to
have been written in the year 1874, upon the release from prison of his mother.
Upon learning that Doña Teodora was going blind, Rizal decided to take
medicine at the University of Santo Tomas. He nonetheless transferred to the
Universidad Central de Madrid where he obtained the degree of Licentiate in
Medicine. And because he really wanted to cure his mother's advancing
blindness, Rizal went to the University of Paris and then the University of Heidelberg
to complete further study in ophthalmology.
After earning the fury of the Spaniards in the Philippines for
writing the Noli, Rizal decided to return to Calamba in 1887
despite his loved ones’ strong warnings. His major reason
for standing by his decision is to perform an operation on
Doña Teodora’s eyes.
MOTHER AND SON IN DAPITAN
Newly released from prison in 1891, Doña Teodora joined
Rizal in Hong Kong where the Rizal family had a happy
Yuletide celebration together. And when Rizal was exiled
in Dapitan, Doña Teodora did not hesitate to leave the
peaceful life in Hong Kong in August 1893 just to keep
house for her son.
The son operated on his mother’s cataract in Dapitan. The whole
ophthalmic treatment was successful despite her being a difficult patient,
removing at least once the bandages from her eyes against her son’s
prescription.
In 1895, Doña Teodora left Dapitan for Manila to be with Don Francisco who
was getting weaker. Attesting to his mother’s being a loving wife, Rizal wrote in his
letter to Blumentritt: “My father is well again and my old mother does not want to
separate from him – like two friends in the last hours of farewell, knowing that they
are going to separate, they do not like to be far from each other.” In October
1895, Rizal sent her mother his now widely acclaimed poem ‘Mi Retiro’ which he
wrote upon her request.
After Doña Lolay left Dapitan, Josephine Bracken came to Rizal’s life. The
son wrote her mother about Josephine. Aware that the priests refused to marry
22
the couple, Doña Teodora told her excommunicated son that loving each other
in God’s grace was better than being married in mortal sin (Bantug, p. 120).
In 1896, when the revolution broke out while Rizal was on his way to Cuba,
he wrote to his mother these meaningful sentences: “Don’t worry about anything;
we are all in the hands of the Divine Providence. Not all who go to Cuba die, and
when finally, one has to die, at least one may die doing some good” (as quoted
in Bantug, p. 136).
DOÑA TEODORA’S SHARE OF MARTYRDOM
When Rizal was sentenced to death after a mock trial, the aged Doña
Teodora fervently plead to the governor general for her son’s life, but to no avail.
In Rizal’s last hours, his sorrowful mother came to see her sentenced son. Teodora
Alonso was not permitted a last embrace by the guard though her beloved son,
in quiet grief, managed to press a kiss on her hand. Captain Rafael Dominguez,
the special Judge Advocate appointed to institute the court’s action against
Rizal, was said to have been moved with compassion at the sight of Rizal’s
kneeling before his mother and asking pardon.
What greater grief could dwell in a mother’s heart than to see the day
come when her dearly loved son would be executed just for wishing the best for
his family and country. On December 30, 1896, Doña Teodora indeed tragically
lost her much-loved son. More than ten years after, the Philippine government
offered her a lifetime pension as a sign of gratefulness. With sincere dignity, she
refused the offer, courteously explaining that her family had never been patriotic
for money. She suggested that if the government had plenty of funds, it better
reduces the citizens’ taxes.
At the age of 80, our Lola Lolay died in Manila on August 16, 1911.
Appropriate honors were accorded to her funeral. Her memories teach us to love
our respective mothers and grandmas while they are still alive.
23
PACIANO RIZAL: PINOY HERO’S BIG BROTHER
ON HIS ADVICE, the national hero dropped the last three names in his full
name and thus enrolled at the Ateneo as ‘Jose Protasio Rizal.’
Paciano, the second of eleven children of Don Francisco and Doña
Teodora, is the only brother of Dr. Jose Rizal. When he was a student at the College
of San Jose, Paciano had used “Mercado” as his last name. But because he had
gained notoriety with his links to Father Burgos of the ‘Gomburza,’ he suggested
that Jose use the surname ‘Rizal’ for his own safety.
THE SURNAME RIZAL
Had their forefathers not adopted other names, then Jose and Paciano
could have been known as ‘Lamco’ brothers.
Their paternal great-great grandfather, Chinese merchant Domingo
Lamco, adopted the name ‘Mercado’ which means ‘market’. But Jose’s father,
Francisco, who eventually became primarily a farmer, adopted the surname
‘Rizal’ (originally ‘Ricial’, which means ‘the green of young growth’ or ‘green
fields’). The name was suggested by a provincial governor who is a friend of the
family. The new name, however, caused confusion in the commercial affairs of
the family. Don Francisco thus settled on the name ‘Rizal Mercado’ as a
compromise, and often just used his more known surname ‘Mercado’.
Commenting on using the name ‘Rizal’ in Ateneo, Jose once wrote: “My family
never paid much attention [to our second surname Rizal], but now I had to use it,
thus giving me the appearance of an illegitimate child!”
But this very name suggested by Paciano to be used by his brother had
become so well known by 1891, the year Jose finished his El Filibusterismo. As Jose
wrote to a friend, “All my family now carry the name Rizal instead of Mercado
because the name Rizal means persecution! Good! I too want to join them and
be worthy of this family name...”
PACIANO’S PROFILE
Paciano Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born on March 7, 1851 in
Calamba, Laguna. According to Filipino historian Ambeth R. Ocampo, Paciano
was fondly addressed by his siblings as ‘ñor Paciano,’ short for ‘Señor Paciano’.
The 10-year older brother of Jose studied at San Jose College in Manila, became
a farmer, and later a general of the Philippine Revolution.
Had Paciano owned a Facebook account and you were his friend; you
would not be entertained that much by looking at his photo albums. Paciano had
only two known pictures—one is a ‘stolen shot’ by a nephew during a family
reunion, and the other, taken posthumously, of his corpse. A descendant
explained that Paciano—unlike his brother who even frequented photo studios
24
for his pictures—did not want to be photographed. The reason was that “he was
a wanted man in the past and if there were no photographs of him, then it would
be hard for the authorities to arrest him. He could walk everywhere without being
recognized” (Ocampo, p. 43).
According to his grandchildren, Paciano had a very fair complexion and
rosy cheeks. His descendants were quick to add that their lolo was more
handsome than the national hero, and much taller, about 5’7” to 5’9. “When he
died and the body was brought to the funeraria, his feet stuck out of the coffin,
which was too small for him” (as quoted in Ambeth Ocampo, p. 43).
This description though was neither relative nor one-sided, for it was
confirmed by Jose Rizal himself. In a letter to Blumentritt, he wrote: “[Paciano] is
more refined and serious than I, taller, slenderer, and fairer in complexion than I
with a nose that is fine, beautiful and sharp pointed, but he is bow-legged” (as
quoted in Ambeth Ocampo, p. 43).
PACIANO, BURGOS, AND THE GOMBURZA
When Jose was about to study in Manila, Paciano was studying at the
College of San Jose, living and working with his teacher Dr. Jose Burgos, a
dignified and courageous Filipino priest. Jose Burgos, just like some other Filipino
priests that time such as Mariano Gomez and Jacinto Zamora, was seeking reform
within the Catholic Church. Promoting equal rights for Filipino and Spanish priests
in the country and advocating the secularization of local churches, they openly
denounced the practice of throwing Filipino priests out of their churches to make
place for Spanish friars.
The Spanish priests took advantage of the mutiny by workers of the Cavite
Arsenal in 1872 to get rid of Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora. They were falsely
blamed for having stirred up the mutiny, court-martialed, and convicted. Later
known in history as the Gomburza, an acronym denoting their surnames, all three
were executed on February 17, 1872 at Bagumbayan by having the garrote
screwed into the backs of their necks until the vertebrae cracked.
On his part, Paciano was prevented from taking his final examinations
because of his known connection with Burgos and for denouncing the injustice
and abuses against Filipinos.
PACIANO AND THE SPANISH AUTHORITIES
Paciano Rizal grew up being exposed to the exploitation of the Spanish
clergy and colonial government. Because of his relationship with Burgos, Spanish
authorities had put him in the ‘watch list’ long before Jose was spied on by
officials. And even before Jose experienced to be exiled, Paciano had already
25
gone through deportation to Mindoro in 1890 to 1891 for fighting for the rights of
Calamba farmers.
Paciano deliberately exhibited a firm character in the face of the abusive
Spanish colonizers. It is said that he once went to the Dominican estate house in
Canlubang and was made to wait for a long time before the friars at last
attended to him. Some months later, he let those friars experience the same thing
when they went to his place to buy a reputedly good horse.
In November 1896, Paciano was arrested while Jose was in Fort Santiago
prison. To extract evidence for Jose’s involvement in the revolution, Paciano was
subjected to tortures for two agonizing days. Two officers took turns in thrashing
him and crushing his fingers using thumbscrew. Hanged by the elbows and raised
several feet, he was dropped repetitively until he lost consciousness.
But never did he sign any document that could incriminate his brother to any
charge. Paralyzed for days, it is said that Paciano never completely recuperated
from that torment.
THE CALAMBA AGRARIAN TROUBLE
Paciano’s deportation to Mindoro had something to do with the Calamba
agrarian trouble, also known as ‘Calamba hacienda question’. Being the elder
son, he was given responsibilities not only in watching his younger siblings but also
in the Mercado-Rizal farm. This thus put him in the forefront when an agrarian
upheaval arose.
In December 1887, Governor General Emilio Terrero, induced by the
contents of the Noli Me Tangere, ordered a government investigation of the way
friar estates were run. In Calamba, the folks chose to beseech Jose Rizal’s
assistance in collecting information and listing their comments as regards
Dominican hacienda management.
It was thus exposed and recorded that the Dominican Order continually
and arbitrarily increased the land rent or canon. It had been charging the tenants
ridiculous fees for irrigation services and other agricultural improvements which
were actually nonexistent. Excessive rates of interest were also charged for late
payment of rent. And when the rent could not be paid, the tenants’ houses and
belongings were confiscated. Since no receipts were issued for payments, some
tenants were accused of not paying and thus dispossessed of their fields.
These findings, which the townsfolk, friar representatives, and government
officials signed on January 8, 1888, were sent to the civil government. But the
authorities had their necks held by the friars. Unsurprisingly, Rizal’s report did not
26
resolve the agrarian trouble. Instead, the land occupied by the Rizal family and
that toiled by Paciano and Don Francisco became the target of Dominican
retaliation.
PACIANO AS CALAMBA LEADER
Angered enough by the grievances aired by the Calamba tenants, the
Dominicans even raised the rent higher. Because the Rizal family had stopped
paying the unreasonable rent, a lawsuit was filed to dispossess them of their lands.
The agrarian uproar got worse as the Calamba case which was appealed to the
Real Audiencia (highest court in the country) in 1888 had been won by the
Dominicans in 1890.
Under Paciano’s leadership, the Calamba townsfolk prepared to elevate
the case to the Tribunal Supremo (Supreme Court in Madrid). He actively
corresponded with Jose who rushed to Madrid to seek legal assistance for his
brother. Jose took the service of Marcelo H. del Pilar as their lawyer and tapped
every influential person and association he could just to help Paciano win his fight.
Unfortunately, Rizal found no Spanish authorities who would fully back up the
Calamba tenants’ advocacy.
Meanwhile, Valeriano Weyler, the governor general who replaced the
impartial Emilio Terrero, sent demolition teams to Calamba. Taking the friars’ side,
he ordered to raze to the ground the tenants’ houses. Forced to leave the place
within several hours, Rizal’s parents moved in with their daughter Narcisa. This
unfortunately resulted in her husband, Antonino Lopez, becoming the center of
persecution. After dismantling his house and confiscating his belongings, “Lopez
was then ordered deported to Mindoro, but Paciano offered to go in his place”
(Bantug, p. 96). Paciano, together with some in-laws, were arrested in Calamba
and shipped out of Manila in September 1890.
BEING JOSE’S SECOND FATHER
Some jokingly suggest that their respective grandfathers should also be
mentioned in history for allegedly sharpening the bolos and cleaning the guns of
heroes like Andres Bonifacio. But if you were a descendant of Paciano Rizal, you
could seriously claim that your forebear has a noteworthy place in Philippine
history for he did extensively influence the heroism of none less than the national
hero.
Acting as Jose’s caring guardian, Paciano brought him to Biñan to study
under the tutelage of Justiniano Aquino Cruz. Paciano introduced Jose to the
teacher, whom he (Paciano) knew very well because he had been a pupil under
the teacher before. In 1872, Paciano also accompanied the young Rizal in taking
the entrance exam at the College of the San Juan de Letran and in matriculating
instead at the Ateneo Municipal. Paciano even looked for Jose’s boarding house
in the Walled City.
27
In choosing a course to take at the University of Santo Tomas, Rizal was said
to have originally thought about law. Paciano however warned him that being a
lawyer could be problematic, for one might find himself backing a wrong cause.
Because he also wished to cure their mother, Jose thus opted to take medicine
instead.
Tired of discrimination against Filipinos by the Dominican professors, Rizal
stopped studying at UST in 1882. The two Rizals then made a secret pact that Jose
would go to Spain while his big brother would stay behind and care for their
parents. But Jose’s more crucial mission was not merely to continue his medical
studies but to ultimately liberate the exploited Filipinos from Spanish tyranny by first
widening his political knowledge through exposure to European governments.
So, when the day came for Jose to leave, “Paciano woke him before
daybreak and gave him 365 pesos for the trip” (Bantug, p. 52). Paciano then took
the responsibility in telling their parents about Jose’s leaving and in sustaining the
financial needs of his brother abroad. For five years, Paciano sent him monthly
stipend of 50 pesos, which was later reduced to only 35.
Maintaining a constant watch over Jose, Paciano would tell him where to
go and what to do. For instance, when Rizal reached Spain, a letter from Paciano
arrived, telling him to proceed to Madrid and reminding him he had gone to
Europe to dedicate himself to matters of ‘greater usefulness’. Sometime in
November 1885, Rizal also received a letter from his kuya disapproving his plan to
transfer to Paris. At the beginning of that year, Paciano disallowed Jose’s intention
to return home and advised him to wait for the opportune time for the situation in
the Philippines was dangerous for him.
When Jose had returned home in 1887, Paciano never left him during the
first days after arrival, fearing that his enemies would assault him. When Jose,
together with his assigned bodyguard and two brothers-in-law climbed up Mount
Makiling one morning, Paciano went with them. Hoisting a white sheet on top of
the mountain, they were accused of having erected the German flag. The Rizal
brothers nonetheless were able to explain their non-political adventure and were
believed in by the officials.
Before leaving the country for the second time, Jose wanted to marry his
girlfriend, Leonor Rivera, and leave her in a sister’s care. But Paciano was
adamant and was said to have told Jose, “Iniisip mo lang ang iyong sarili”
(Ocampo, p. 41). Paciano was supposed to have also explained that “it was
selfish of Rizal to marry someone, only to leave her behind” (Bantug, p. 76).
The passionate bond between the two heroes cannot be overemphasized.
Their last memorable moments together perhaps happened in 1891 when
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Paciano, after a year of being deported, had escaped further persecutions and
joined Jose in Hong Kong. With their parents and other family members, they
celebrated the year-end holidays together.
When Jose was about to be prosecuted, the older Rizal opted to be
tortured, which nearly cost his life, than to testify against his brother. Before his
execution, the national hero wrote these very emotional words to his
beloved kuya:
“For more than four years, we have neither seen nor written each other, not for
lack of love on your part nor on mine, but because knowing each other as we
do, we needed no words to understand each other. Now that I am about to die,
I dedicate these last times to you to tell you how sorry I am to leave you alone in
the world, bearing the burden of the whole family and our old parents. I think of
the hardships you went through to help me in my career and I believe I tried my
best to waste no time. My brother, if the fruit is bitter, the fault is not mine, but
fate’s…”
THE REVOLUTIONARY PACIANO
When some members of the Rizal family were peacefully living in Hong
Kong in 1891, the rumors of a looming revolution in the Philippines had reached
them. Perusing a map of the country, Paciano and Jose were often observed
discussing about the probable areas where the revolutionaries would begin to
strike.
After his brother’s execution in December 1896, Paciano joined the
Katipuneros in Cavite under General Emilio Aguinaldo. He was not new to reform
and revolutionary organizations. He had been an avid member of Propaganda
Movement, soliciting funds to finance the organization and the nationalist paper
‘Diariong Tagalog’.
As Katipunero, Paciano was later commissioned as general of the
revolutionary forces. He was said to have been elected too as secretary of
finance in the Department Government of Central Luzon. Assigned as
revolutionary commander in Laguna, he was supposed to have wittingly ordered
that firecrackers be used to make the Spaniards believe that the Katipuneros
were heavily armed. As a result, the enemies in hiding were flushed out and
forced to surrender.
During the Philippine-American War, Paciano continued to fight for
Philippine independence in his area of jurisdiction in Laguna. During the
revolution, he was said to have had several meetings with Apolinario Mabini.
Dented by malaria however, Paciano was captured by the Americans in 1900.
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He was released soon after on the power of his promise that he would lead a
peaceful life.
PACIANO CHOSE TO LIVE A QUIET LIFE
Paciano, in his later years, chose to live a serene life and busied himself in
the farm instead. He was supposed to have respectfully declined Governor
William Howard Taft’s offer to have an important government position in the
government and the bid to seek public office in Laguna.
In 1907, when the Philippine Assembly passed a resolution providing for a
life pension of P200 a month for his mother, Paciano courteously opposed the
plan, declaring that he was responsible to take care of his mother till her death as
he promised to the national hero.
Paciano never married but he had a daughter by Severina Decena named
Emiliana Rizal. A son of Emiliana reported that his lola Severina actually married
someone else from Calamba but used to visit her Rizal grandchildren when they
were young (Ambeth Ocampo, p. 41).
On April 13, 1930, Don Paciano died of tuberculosis at his Los Baños home
at age of 79. His remains were buried in the North Cemetery in Manila. His life
exemplifies that ‘a brother is a brother’ and reminds us that siblings must stand
united and remain loyal to each other. (© 2013 by Jensen DG. Mañebog)
30
SATURNINA RIZAL: THE HERO’S SECOND MOTHER
Saturnina Rizal (1850-1913) is the eldest child of Don
Francisco and Teodora Alonso. She and her mother
provided the little Jose with good basic education that by
the age of three, Pepe already knew his alphabet. The first
time Jose experienced to ride a casco (a flat-bottomed
boat with a roof) was when he and his father visited
Saturnina at the La Concordia College in Manila.
Saturnina had always been a loving ‘Ate’ Neneng to
Jose. When their mother was imprisoned, Saturnina
brought the young Jose to Tanauan during the summer
vacation of 1873 just to cheer up the sad little brother. On his way to Marseilles in
May 1882, Rizal—perhaps missing her ‘ate’—dreamed that he was traveling with
Neneng and that their path was blocked by snakes.
On September 26, 1882, Neneng offered a diamond ring to Jose, worrying
that he had no sufficient money to spend. In June 1885, Saturnina and her
husband sent one hundred pesos (P100) to Jose as their contribution to Jose’s
expenses in finishing his doctorate degree.
Saturnina married Manuel Timoteo Hidalgo of Tanauan, Batangas. Hidalgo
was also close to his ‘bayaw’ Jose as the two kept up a correspondence. Through
a letter, Hidalgo once informed Rizal of a cholera case in Manila in 1885 and
requested Jose to buy for him a Spanish book by Rousseau. For allegedly being a
conspirator and representative of Jose Rizal, Hidalgo also experienced
deportation (to Bohol) during the so-called Calamba agrarian trouble.
Manuel and Saturnina had five children, all of whom had a name which
began with letter A: Alfredo, Adela, Abelardo, Amelia, and Augusto.
Recent controversial story mentions Saturnina as being with her mother when
the latter allegedly tried to poison Teodora Formoso, the wife of Jose Alberto
(Teodora Alonso’s brother).
The story further alleges that Saturnina and her uncle Jose Alberto were the
real parents of Soledad, the supposed youngest sister of Jose.
In 1909, Doña Saturnina published Pascual Poblete’s Tagalog translation of
the Noli Me Tangere. Jose Rizal, on the other hand, immortalized his sister Neneng
through the oil painting he made of her, which is now housed in the Rizal Shrine in
Fort Santiago.(© 2013 by Jensen DG. Mañebog)
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NARCISA RIZAL: THE HOSPITABLE SISTER OF THE HERO
Narcisa Rizal (1852-1939) or simply ‘Sisa’ was the
third child in the family. Like Saturnina, Narcisa helped in
financing Rizal’s studies in Europe, even pawning her
jewelry and peddling her clothes if needed. It is said she
could recite from memory almost all of the poems of the
national hero.
Narcisa was perhaps the most hospitable among
the siblings. When Don Francisco and Doña Teodora
were driven out of their house in Calamba, Narcisa took
them in her house. It was with Narcisa also that Josephine
Bracken once stayed, when the rest of Rizal's family were suspicious that Rizal’s
girlfriend was a spy for the Spanish friars. In August 1896, while being kept under
arrest aboard the cruiser Castilla anchored off Cavite, Rizal thanked Narcisa, in a
letter, for her hospitality in letting Josephine stay in her home.
It was also Narcisa who painstakingly searched for the place where the
authorities secretly buried the dead Rizal. She found freshly turned earth at the
Paco cemetery where a body had been buried without a box of any kind and
with no identification on the grave. She wittingly made a gift to the caretaker to
mark the site ‘RPJ’, Rizal’s initials in reverse. Years later, Narcisa and her other
siblings dug up the hero’s remains at the spot.
Sisa married Antonino Lopez, a teacher and musician from Morong, Rizal.
For letting the Rizal parents live in their house, Lopez became the target of Spanish
persecution. He was threatened of deportation, his house was dismantled, and
the unsecured belongings were confiscated.
Narcisa and Antonino had eight children. Their son Antonio (1878-1928)
married his first cousin Emiliana Rizal, the daughter of Paciano Rizal by Severina
Decena. Narcisa’s daughter Angelica, who had visited Rizal in Dapitan, joined
the Katipunan after her uncle’s martyrdom.
In an interview by Ambeth Ocampo (p. 47), Narcisa’s grandchildren
revealed that their lolo, Antonino Lopez was actually the son of the priest Leoncio
Lopez—the ‘cura parroco’ of Calamba from whom Rizal based the character of
Fr. Florentino in his El Fili. Substantiating the disclosure, they explained that Narcisa
and Antonino, after marriage, lived in Leoncio’s parish house and Antonino
inherited all of Leoncio’s books and possessions when the priest died. (© 2013
by Jensen DG. Mañebog)
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OLYMPIA RIZAL: THE SISTER WHOM THE HERO LOVES TO TEASE
Olympia Rizal (1855-1887) is the fourth child in the
Rizal family. Jose loved to tease her, sometimes goodhumoredly describing her as his stout sister.
Jose’s first love, Segunda Katigbak, was Olympia’s
schoolmate at the La Concordia College. Rizal confided 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 the time.
Olympia married Silvestre Ubaldo, a telegraph operator from Manila. The
couple perhaps had no permanent address for they would stay wherever Silvestre
was assigned as telegraph operator. In one of Jose’s letters to his other sisters in
Calamba, he wrote, “Is Sra. Ipia (Señora Olympia) there already? Do her eyes still
become small when she laughs?”
Wherever Olympia and Silvestre were, they corresponded with Jose, telling
him updates about the family, like about their son Aristeo. While in Bulacan in
October 1882, Olympia wrote Jose about Saturnina’s giving birth and the cholera
epidemic in Bulacan and Laguna. Perhaps missing her brother, she asked Rizal to
try to come home as soon as possible. In January the next year, Ubaldo and
Olympia wrote Jose about the ten Baliwag silk handkerchiefs they sent for his
birthday and the unpleasant reactions of friars to Rizal's article in the Diariong
Tagalog.
In a letter dated June 12, 1885, Olympia asked Jose to write the priest
Federico Faura to transfer them back to Calamba. The loving brother thus wrote
to P. Faura and Sr. Barrantes on June 28, 1885 requesting them to work for the
transfer of his brother-in-law from Albay where the latter was assigned.
In March 1887, Olympia informed Jose that her husband was assigned in
Manila and that their parents were in good health. Paradoxically, Olympia died
of hemorrhage while giving birth on September that same year—an event that
spoiled Rizal’s homecoming. Interestingly, about three years before her death, in
Jose’s letter to his parents where she talked about the student agitation in Madrid
and the condition of the sugar trade, he all of a sudden asked about the
condition of Olympia who was then expecting. He even joked about her being a
mother, “If her habits haven't changed yet, I fear very much for the skin of that
boy: How many pinchings he will get.”
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Like Jose’s other in-laws, Olympia’s husband did not escape the Spaniards’
persecution. With Paciano, Ubaldo was deported to Mindoro because of the
Calamba agrarian trouble. In December 1891, he nonetheless escaped from
further oppression in the Philippines and arrived at Hong Kong with Paciano and
Don Francisco to join Dr. Rizal there.(© 2013 by Jensen DG. Mañebog)
34
LUCIA RIZAL: PARTAKER OF THE HERO’S SUFFERING
Lucia Rizal (1857–1919) is the fifth child in the Rizal
family. She married Mariano Herbosa of Calamba,
Laguna. Charged of inciting the Calamba townsfolk not
to pay land rent and causing unrest, the couple was
once ordered to be deported along with some Rizal
family members.
Lucia’s husband Mariano died during the cholera
epidemic in May 1889. He was refused a Catholic burial
for not going to confession since his marriage to Lucia.
In Jose’s article in La Solidaridad entitled Una
profanacion (‘A Profanation’), he scornfully attacked
the friars for declining to bury in ‘sacred ground’ a ‘good
Christian’ simply because he was the “brother-in-law of Rizal”.
In December 1891, the then widowed Lucia was among Rizal’s siblings who
were present in their so-called ‘family reunion’ in Hong Kong. She also
accompanied Jose when he returned to Manila in June the following year. From
July 6 to 15, 1892, Jose however was regrettably imprisoned in Fort Santiago and
later deported to Dapitan on a made-up charge that anti-friar pamphlets were
found in Lucia’s luggage on board Don Juan.
Lucia and Mariano’s children were Delfina, Concepcion, Patrocinio,
Teodosio, Estanislao, Paz, Victoria, and Jose. Delfina (1879 –1900) became
renowned for being one of the three women (along with Marcela Agoncillo and
her daughter Lorenza) who seemed together the Philippine flag. She became the
first wife of Gen. Salvador Natividad of the Philippine Revolution. Teodosio (Osio)
and Estanislao (Tan) became pupils of their uncle Jose in the school he
established in Dapitan. (© 2013 by Jensen DG. Mañebog)
35
MARIA RIZAL: THE HERO’S CONFIDANT
Maria Rizal (1859-1945) is the sixth child in the
family. It was to her whom Jose talked about wanting
to marry Josephine Bracken when the majority of the
Rizal family was apparently not amenable to the
idea. In his letter dated December 12, 1891, Jose had
also brought up to Maria his plan of establishing a
Filipino colony in North British Borneo.
Jose and Maria’s letters to each other contain
many interesting information about their lives. While
in Madrid in December 1882, Jose wrote her sister,
“since the middle of August I haven't taken a bath
and I haven't perspired either. That is so here. It is very cold and a bath is
expensive. One pays thirty-five cent for one.”
In Maria’s letter dated March 15, 1887, she explained to her slighted (or
better yet, ‘nagtatampo’) brother that she got busy that’s why she had not
immediately updated him about her new status as married to the “very young
man from Biñang whose name is Daniel Faustino Cruz.” A caring family
physician, Jose once prescribed through letters a remedy for Maria’s toothache
and a treatment for her son Moris (Mauricio).
In his letter dated December 28, 1891, Jose wrote to Maria, “I'm told that
your children are very pretty.” Today, we have a historical proof that Maria’s
progenies were indeed nice-looking (‘lahing maganda’). Maria and Daniel had
five children: Mauricio, Petrona, Prudencio, Paz and Encarnacion. Their son
Mauricio married Conception Arguelles and the couple had a son named
Ismael Arguelles Cruz. Ismael was the father of Gemma Cruz Araneta, the first
Filipina to win the Miss International title, the first Southeast Asian to win in an
international beauty pageant title.
Mauricio ‘Moris’ Cruz became a pupil of his uncle Jose in Dapitan.
Updating Maria on the progress of her son, Jose once sent her a letter
interestingly describing the ‘lolo’ of our Miss International as “stout and dark and
he knows how to swim a little.” Moris—Rizal’s ‘favorite’ nephew whom he further
described as using a lot of Manila vulgar expressions—also had a Jesuit priest
son, Jose A. Cruz. (© 2013 by Jensen DG. Mañebog)
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CONCEPCION RIZAL: THE HERO’S FIRST GRIEF
Also called ‘Concha’ by her siblings, Concepcion Rizal (1862-1865) was the
eight child of the Rizal family. She died at the age of three.
Of his sisters, it is said that Pepe loved most the little Concha who was a year
younger than him. Jose played games and shared children stories with her, and
from her he felt the beauty of sisterly love.
When Concha died of sickness in 1865, Jose mournfully wept at losing her.
He later wrote in his memoir, “When I was four years old, I lost my little sister
Concha, and then for the first time I shed tears caused by love and grief.”
From Concha’s life we could learn that not a few children in those times
died young. If records are correct, more than ten of Rizal’s nieces and nephews
also died young, not to mention that Jose’s child himself experienced the same
fate.
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JOSEFA RIZAL: THE KATIPUNERA
Josefa Rizal’s nickname is Panggoy (1865-1945). She’s
the ninth child in the family who died a spinster.
Among Jose’s letters to Josefa, the one dated October
26, 1893 is perhaps the most fascinating. Written in English, the
letter addressed Josefa as “Miss Josephine Rizal”, thereby
making her the namesake of Rizal’s girlfriend Josephine
Bracken.
In the letter, Jose praised her sister for nearly mastering the English
language, commenting that the only fault he found in Josefa’s letter is her
apparent confusion between the terms ‘they are’ and ‘there’. Jose also wrote
about the 20 pesos he sent; the 10 pesos of the amount was supposed for a lottery
ticket.
This indicates that Jose did not stop ‘investing’ in lottery tickets despite
winning 6, 200 pesos in September the previous year. Even when he was in Madrid,
he used to spend at least three pesetas monthly for his ‘only vice’ (Zaide, p. 221).
After Jose’s martyrdom, the epileptic Josefa joined the Katipunan and is
even supposed to have been elected the president of its women section. She
was one of the original 29 women admitted to the Katipunan along with Gregoria
de Jesus, wife of Andres Bonifacio.
They safeguarded the secret papers and documents of the society and
danced and sang during sessions so that civil guards would think that the
meetings were just harmless social gatherings. (© 2013 by Jensen DG. Mañebog)
38
TRINIDAD RIZAL: THE CUSTODIAN OF THE HERO’S GREATEST POEM
Trinidad Rizal (1868-1951) or ‘Trining’ was the tenth
child and the custodian of Rizal’s last and greatest poem.
In March 1886, Jose wrote to Trining describing how
the German women were serious in studying. He thus
advised her: “now that you are still young and you have
time to learn, it is necessary that you study by reading and
reading attentively.”
Perhaps sensing that studying is not Trinidad’s thing,
Jose continued, “It is a pity that you allow yourself to be
dominated by laziness when it takes so little effort to shake
it off. It is enough to form only the habit of study and later everything goes by
itself.” Four years later, Trining surprised Jose by writing him, “Dearest Brother: I left
the College two years, one month and a half ago.”
In August 1893, Trinidad, along with their mother, joined Rizal in Dapitan and
resided with him in his casa cuadrada (square house). It is said that Trinidad had
once planned Rizal’s escape from his exile. In January 1896, Jose invited Trinidad
to return to Dapitan. Jose though had one hesitation: “The difficulty is, whom are
you going to marry here? The town is lonely still, for there is almost no one.”
Trining once wrote to Jose: “I have read your letter to our brother Paciano
in which you asked how I'm getting along with Señora Panggoy. Thank God we
are getting along well and we live together peacefully.” Never married, Trinidad
and Josefa lived together until their deaths.
Right before Jose’s execution, Trinidad and their mother visited him in the
Fort Santiago prison cell. As they were leaving, Jose handed over to Trining an
alcohol cooking stove, a gift from the Pardo de Taveras, whispering to her in a
language which the guards could not understand, “There is something in it.” That
‘something’ was Rizal’s elegy now known as “Mi Ultimo Adios”. Like Josefa and
two nieces, Trinidad joined the Katipunan after Rizal’s death.
In 1883, Trining was in bed for five months, from April to August, being sick
with intermittent fever—that kind which rises and falls and then returns, occurring
in diseases such as malaria. Astonishingly however, she was the last of the family
to die. (© 2013 by Jensen DG. Mañebog)
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SOLEDAD RIZAL: THE HERO’S CONTROVERSIAL SISTER
Also called ‘Choleng’, Soledad Rizal (1870-1929)
was the youngest child of the Rizal family. Being a
teacher, she was arguably the best educated among
Rizal’s sisters.
In his long and meaty letter to Choleng dated June
6, 1890, Jose told her sister that he was proud of her for
becoming a teacher. He thus counseled her to be a
model of virtues and good qualities “for the one who
should teach should be better than the persons who
need her learning.”
Rizal nonetheless used the topic as leverage in
somewhat rebuking her sister for getting married to Pantaleon Quintero of
Calamba without their parents’ consent. “Because of you”, he wrote, “the peace
of our family has been disturbed.”
Some timeless lessons in ethics and good manners can be learned from the
letter. For instance, it reveals that Jose was very much against women who allow
themselves to be courted outside their homes. He said to Choleng, “If you have
a sweetheart, behave towards him nobly and with dignity, instead of resorting to
secret meetings and conversations which do nothing but lower a woman's worth
in the eyes of a man… You should value more, esteem more your honor and you
will be more esteemed and valued.” (Copyright by author Jensen DG. Mañebog)
40
RIZAL’S BIRTH
Donya Teodora was said to have suffered the greatest pain during the
delivery of her seventh child, Jose. Her daughter Narcisa recalled: “I was nine
years of age when my mother gave birth to Jose. I recall it vividly because my
mother suffered great pain. She labored for a long time. Her pain was later
attributed to the fact that Jose’s head was bigger than normal.”
Jose Rizal was born in Calamba. In 1848, his parents decided to build a home
in his town in Laguna. The name Calamba was derived from kalan banga, which
means “clay stove” (kalan) and “water jar” (banga). Jose’s adoration of its scenic
beauty-punctuated by the sights of the Laguna De Bay, Mount Makiling, palm
covered mountains, curvy hills, and green fields- it was recorded in the poem he
would later write at Ateneo De Manila in 1876. Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In
Memory of my town). (if Rizal’s poem were written today, he might mention the
three-floor SM mall, shopping centers, and the South Luzon Expressway terminus
in the place.)
The first massive stone house in Calamba was the birthplace of our national
hero. It was a two-storey building. Its architectural style and proximity to the
church implied Rizal Family’s wealth and political influence.
THE CHILDHOOD OF A PHENOM
Jose Rizal’s first memory, in his infancy, was his happy days in their family
garden when he was three years old. Because the young Pepe was weak, sickly,
and undersized, he was given the fondest care by his parents, so his father built a
nipa cottage for Pepe to play in daytime.
Another childhood memory was the daily Angelus prayer in their home, Rizal
recorded in his memoir that by nightfall, his mother would gather all the children
in their home to pray the Angelus. At the early age of three, he started to take a
part in family prayers.
At the age of five, the young Pepe learned to read the Spanish family Bible,
which he would refer to later in his writings. Rizal himself remarked that perhaps
the education he received since his earliest infancy was what had shaped his
habits.
As a child, Rizal loved to go to chapel, pray, participate in novenas, and join
religious procession. In Calamba, one of the men he esteemed and respected
was the scholarly Catholic priest Leoncio Lopez, the town priest. He used to visit
him and listen to his inspiring opinions on current events and through life views.
also, at the age of five, Pepe started to make pencil sketches and mold in clay
41
and wax objects, which attracted his fancy. When he was about six years old, his
sister once laughed at him for spending much time making clay and wax images.
Initially keeping silent, he then prophetically told them “all right laugh at me now!
Someday when I die, people will make monuments and images for me. “
When Jose was seven years old, his father provided him the exciting
experience of riding a “casco” (a flat-bottomed boat with a roof) on their way to
a pilgrimage in Antipolo. The Pilgrimage was to fulfill the vow made by Jose’s
mother to take him to the shrine of Virgin of Antipolo should she and her child
survive the ordeal of delivery, which nearly caused her life. From Antipolo, Jose
and his father proceeded to Manila to visit his sister Saturnina who was at the time
studying at La Concordia College. In Sta. Ana, Manila.
As a gift, the child Jose received a pony named “Alipato” from his father. As
a child, he loved to ride his pony or take long walks in the meadows and lakeshore
with his black dog named “Usman”.
The mother also induced Jose to love the arts, literature and the classics.
Before he was eight years old, he had written a drama (some source say Tagalog
comedy) which was which the municipal captain rewarded him with two pesos
(some references specify that It was staged in a Calamba festival and that it was
a gobernadorcillo from Paete who purchased the manuscript of two pesos.)
Contrary to the “former” common knowledge however, Rizal did not write the
Filipino poem “Sa Aking Mga Kababata/kabata” (To My Fellow Children). The
poem was previously believed to be Rizal’s first written poem at the age of eight
and was said to have been published posthumously many years after Rizal’s
death. However, Jose had a preserved correspondence (letters) with his brother
Paciano admitting that he (Jose) had only encountered the word “Kalayaan”
when he was already 21 years old. The term (“Kalayaan”) was used not just once
in the poem “Sa Aking Mga Kababata/kabata” (for more details concerning this
matter, read the article, “Did Jose Rizal Write the Poem “Sa Aking Mga
Kababata”)
The young Rizal was also interested in magic. He read many books on magic.
He learned different tricks such as making a coin disappear and making a
handkerchief vanish in air.
Some other influences of Rizal’s childhood involved his three uncles: his Tio
Jose Alberto who inspired him to cultivate his artistic ability; his Tio Manuel who
encouraged him to fortify his frail body through physical exercises; and his Tio
Gregorio who intensified Rizal’s avidness to read good books.
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JOSE RIZAL AND HIS CHINESE ANCESTORS
National hero Jose Rizal would have been known as Jose Co, the greatgreat grandson of Siang Co and Zun Nio from Fujian, China.
Although Rizal now has several streets, provinces and barrios named after
him for his martyrdom, many still wonder why his father had a different surname.
Jose Protacio Mercado y Alonso, popularly known as Jose Rizal was the
seventh of 11 children of Francisco Engracio Mercado and Teodora Alonso of
Biñan Laguna. The national hero traced his roots to the village of Sionque in the
district of Chin-Chew, Fujian.
From Fujian, Siang Co and Zun Nio a son, Lam Co migrated to the Philippines
in 1690. At 35, Co was baptized into the Catholic faith in Binondo, acquiring his
Christian name - Domingo Co - and married a Chinese mestiza, Ines de la Rosa.
Co was close friends with Spanish friars Francisco Marquez and Juan
Caballero who had enticed him to settle in the friars an estate in San Isidro
Labrador in Biñan, where he helped develop the irrigation system in the area.
The union of Co and Dela Rosa produced a son in 1731. The offspring
acquired the Christian name Francisco Mercado. Francisco was derived from one
of Co's friar friends while Mercado meant 'market' in Spanish, signifying his future
job as trader.
The young Francisco married Bernarda Monica, a native of the nearby
hacienda in San Pedro, Laguna and born children Clemente and Juan, who
would be Rizal's grandfather.
In 1783, Francisco Mercado was elected gobernadorcillo (municipal
mayor) of Biñan while Rizal's grandfather Juan Mercado was elected Capitan del
pueblo of the same town in 1808, 1813 and 1823.
Juan Mercado married Cirila Alejandro, a Chinese mestiza, and had 13
children, one of them Rizal's father Francisco Engracio Mercado. Rizal's
grandfather died when Francisco Engracio was only eight, and the child helped
his widowed mother run the family business.
Francisco Engracio was studying Latin and Philosophy at the Colegio de
San Juan de Letran when he met his wife Teodora Alonso y Realonda who was
studying in Colegio de Sta. Rosa. Francisco Engracio and Teodora raised their
family in the rented estate from the Dominican Order and produced rice, corn
and sugarcane.
In 1848, Governor General Narciso Claveria decreed that Filipinos and
Chinese immigrants adopt Spanish family names and Francisco Mercado opted
to adopt Ricial which means green fields. However, his new surname confused
many of his business associates and patrons, forcing him to change it to Rizal
Mercado.
43
In 1865 during his studies in Ateneo Municipal de Manila, Jose Protacio Rizal
Mercado dropped his second last name to disassociate himself from his brother
Paciano who was then under surveillance of Spanish authorities because of his
links with the martyred Filipino priests Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto
Zamora. Rizal also needed a fresh identity so he could travel freely abroad without
the hassles of Spanish inquisition.
Today in Philippine History, May 11, 1818, Francisco Mercado was born in
Biñan, Laguna.
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JOSE RIZAL: THE ADVENTUROUS VOYAGER
HE DID GO PLACES!
Jose Rizal’s thrilling experience during his first lake-and-river voyage perhaps
inspired him to travel more.
Riding in a ‘casco’, Jose temporarily left his hometown Calamba on June 6,
1868. He and his father went on a pilgrimage to Antipolo and afterward visited his
sister Saturnina in Manila, who was at the time a student at La Concordia. Across
Laguna de Bay and the Pasig River, Jose had an unforgettably amazing trip that
he did not fail to record the journey in his memoir.
IN BIÑAN AND MANILA
A year after, Paciano brought Jose to the nearby town Biñan to attend the
school of Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz. Except for occasional homecomings,
he stayed in the town for a year and a half of schooling, living in an aunt’s house
where his breakfasts generally consisted of a plate of rice and two dried sardines
(‘tuyo’).
Don Francisco sent Jose to Manila in June 1872 to enroll in Ateneo
Municipal. Paciano found Jose a boarding house in Intramuros though Jose later
transferred to a house on Calle Carballo in Santa Cruz area. The following year,
Jose transferred residence to No. 6 Calle Magallanes. Two years after, he became
an intern (boarding student) in Ateneo and stayed there until his graduation in
the institution.
From 1877 to 1882, Rizal studied in the University of Santo Tomas, enrolling in
the course on Philosophy in Letters, but shifted to Medicine a year after. During his
first year in UST, he simultaneously took in Ateneo a vocational course leading to
being an expert surveyor. He boarded in the house of a certain Concha Leyva in
Intramuros, and later in “Casa Tomasina”, at Calle 6, Santo Tomas, Intramuros. In
‘Casa Tomasina’, his landlord-uncle Antonio Rivera had a daughter, Leonor, who
became Jose’s sweetheart.
IN EUROPE
Sick and tired of the discriminatory and oppressive Dominican professors,
Rizal stopped attending classes at UST in 1882. On May 3 of that year, he left for
Spain to complete his studies and widen his political knowledge through exposure
to European governments. It’s funny that his departure for Spain had gone down
to history as a ‘secret departure’ although at least ten sure people—including his
three siblings and an uncle—collaborated in his going away, exclusive of the
unnamed and unnumbered ‘Jesuit priests’ and ‘intimate friends’ who coconspired in the plan.
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On his way to Madrid, Rizal had many stopovers. He first disembarked and
visited the town of Singapore. Onboard the steamship ‘Djemnah’ he passed
through Punta de Gales, Colombo and Aden. En route to Marseilles, he also went
across the historic waterway of Suez Canal and visited the Italian city of Naples.
He left Marseilles, France for Barcelona in an express train.
After some months, Rizal left Barcelona for Madrid and enrolled in Medicine
and Philosophy and Letters at the Universidad Central de Madrid on November 3,
1882. In Rizal’s letter dated February 13, 1883, he informed Paciano of his meeting
with other Filipinos: “The Tuesday of the Carnival we had a Filipino luncheon and
dinner in the house of the Paternos, each one contributing one ‘duro’. We ate
with our hands, boiled rice, chicken adobo, fried fish and roast pig.”
Ironically, a year after that sumptuous feasting, Rizal became penniless as
his family encountered economic regression. One day in June 1884, Rizal who
failed to eat breakfast still went to school and even won a gold medal in a
contest. At night, he attended the feast held in honor of two award-winning
Filipino painters, Juan Luna and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo. In the occasion, he
delivered a daring liberal speech which became so controversial that it even
caused sickness to his worrying mother. Perhaps, being broke and hungry could
really make one braver and more impulsive. As one student commented, “Hayop
man, ‘pag gutom, tumatapang.”
In 1885, Rizal who had finished his two courses in Madrid went to Paris,
France. From November 1885 to February 1886, he worked as an assistant to the
celebrated ophthalmologist, Louis de Weckert.
In February 3, 1886, he left Paris for Heidelberg, Germany. He attended
lectures and training at the University of Heidelberg where he is said to have
completed his eye specialization. Afterward, Rizal settled for three months in the
nearby village, Wilhemsfeld, at the pastoral house of a Protestant pastor, Dr. Karl
Ullmer. It was also during this time that the correspondence and long-distance
friendship between Jose and Ferdinand Blumentritt began. Rizal wrote a letter in
German and sent it with a bilingual (Spanish and Tagalog) book ‘Aritmiteca’ to
Blumentritt who was interested in studying Jose’s native language.
Jose traveled next to Leipzig and attended some lectures at its university.
Having reached Dresden afterward, he met and befriended Dr. Adolph B. Meyer,
the Director of the Anthropological and Ethnological Museum. Also, a
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Filipinologist, Meyer showed Rizal some interesting things taken from tombs in the
Philippines.
In November 1886, he went to Berlin and further enhanced his skills and
knowledge in ophthalmology. In that famous city, not only did he learn other
languages but also became member of various scientific communities and
befriended many famed intellectuals at the time. On February 21, 1887, he
finished his first novel and it came off the press a month later.
GRAND EUROPE TOUR
With his friend Maximo Viola who loaned him some amount to cover for the
printing of the ‘Noli’, Rizal traveled to various places in Europe. Through Paciano’s
remittance, Jose had paid Viola and decided to further explore some places in
Europe before returning to the Philippines. They went first to see Potsdam, a city
southwest of Berlin which became the site of the Potsdam Conference (1945) at
which the leaders of powerful nations deliberated upon the postwar
administration of Germany.
On May 11, 1887, they left Berlin for Dresden and witnessed the regional
floral exposition there. Wanting to visit Blumentritt, they went to Leitmeritz,
Bohemia passing through Teschen (Decin, Czechoslovakia). Professor Blumentritt
warmly received them at Leitmeritz railroad station. The professor identified them
through the pencil sketch which Rizal had previously made of himself and sent to
his European friend. Blumentritt acted as their tour guide, introducing them to his
family and to famous European scientists like Dr. Carlos Czepelak and Prof. Robert
Klutschak.
On May 16, the two Filipinos left Leitmeritz for Prague where they saw the
tomb of the famous astronomer Copernicus. They stopped at Brunn on their way
to Vienna. They met the famed Austrian novelist Norfenfals in Vienna, and Rizal
was interviewed by Mr. Alder, a newspaper correspondent. To see the sights of
the Danube River, they left Vienna on a boat where they saw passengers using
paper napkins. From Lintz, they had a short stay in Salzburg. Reaching Munich,
they tasted the local beer advertised as Germany’s finest. In Nuremberg, they
saw the infamous torture machines used in the so-called Catholic Inquisition.
Afterward, they went to Ulm and climbed Germany’s tallest cathedral there. They
also went to Sttutgart, Baden, and then Rheinfall where they saw Europe’s most
beautiful waterfall.
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In Switzerland, they toured Schaffhausen, Basel, Bern, and Lausanne before
staying in Geneva. Rizal’s 15-day stay in Geneva was generally enjoyable except
when he learned about the exhibition of some Igorots in Madrid, side by side some
animals and plants. Not only did the primitive Igorots in ‘bahag’ become objects
of ridicule and laughter, one of them (a woman) also died of pneumonia.
On June 19, 1887, Rizal treated Viola for it was his 26th birthday. Four days
after, they parted ways—Viola went back to Barcelona while Rizal proceeded to
Italy. In Italy, Rizal went to see Turin, Milan, Venice, and Florence. In Rome, he paid
a visit to the historical places like the Amphitheatre and the Roman Forum. On
June 29, he had seen the glorious edifices, like the St. Peter’s Church, in the
Vatican City. Literally and figuratively speaking, Rizal did go places. As a coprofessor commented, “Nag-gala talaga ang lolo mo!”
FIRST HOMECOMING
Despite being warned by friends and loved ones, Jose was adamant in his
decision to return to his native land. From a French port Marseilles, he boarded
on July 3 the steamer ‘Djemnah’ which sailed to the East through the Suez Canal
and reached Saigon on the 30th of the month. He then took the steamer
‘Haiphong’ and reached Manila near midnight of August 5.
After meeting some friends in Manila, he returned to Calamba on August
8. Restoring his mother’s eyesight, he began to be dubbed as “German doctor”
or “Doctor Uliman” (from the word ‘Aleman’ which means German) and made a
lot of money because people from different places flocked him for a better vision.
Because of his enemies’ allegation that ‘Noli’ contained subversive ideas, Rizal
was summoned by the Governor General Emilio Terrero. Seeing no problem in the
book, Terrero nonetheless assigned to Rizal a body guard, Don Jose Taviel de
Andrade, to protect the ‘balikbayan’ from his adversaries.
In December 1887, the Calamba folks asked Rizal’s assistance in collecting
information as regards Dominican hacienda management. It was in compliance
to the order of the government to investigate the way friar estates were run. So,
Rizal had reported, among others, that the Dominican Order had arbitrarily
increased the land rent and charged the tenants for nonexistent agricultural
services. The enraged friars pressured the governor general to ‘advise’ the author
of the ‘Noli’ to leave the country. (In other words, “napuno na talaga sa kanya
ang nga pari”)
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SECOND TRAVEL ABROAD
What Rizal failed to accomplish in his six-month stay in the country was
visiting his girlfriend Leonor Rivera in Pangasinan. His father strongly opposed the
idea, sensing that the visit would put Leonor’s family in jeopardy.
On February 3, 1888, Rizal sailed to Hongkong onboard ‘Zafiro’ and just
stayed inside the ship during its short stop at Amoy. He stayed at Victoria Hotel in
Hongkong (not in Sta. Mesa) and visited the nearby city Macao for two days
along with a friend, Jose Maria Basa. Among other things, Rizal experienced in
Hong Kong the noisy firecracker-laden Chinese New Year and the marathon
lauriat party characterized by numerous dishes being served. (The ‘lauriat’ combo
meal in ‘Chowking’ originated from this Chinese party.)
From Hong Kong, he reached Yokohama, Japan on February 28 and
proceeded to Tokyo the next day. He lived in the Spanish legation in Tokyo upon
the invitation of its secretary, Juan Perez Caballero. In March 1888, he heard a
Tokyo band nicely playing a European music and was astonished to find out after
the gig that some of its members were Filipinos (Zaide & Zaide, p. 130). We can
surmise from this that even during Rizal’s time, some Filipinos were already
entertainers in Japan (‘Japayuki’ or ‘Japayuko’).
But if there were a person who was truly entertained at the time, it was Rizal
himself who was amused by the Japanese girl who used to pass by the legation
every day. The 23-year old Seiko Usui whom he fondly called ‘O-Sei-San’ became
his tour guide and sweetheart rolled into one.
SAIL TO THE WEST
Because he loved his mission more than O-Sei-San, he boarded the ‘Belgic’
on April 13, 1888. In the vessel, he had befriended Tetcho Suehiro, a Japanese
novelist and human rights fighter who was also forced by his government to leave
his country. The ship arrived in San Francisco on April 28. For a week, they were
however quarantined, allegedly because of the cholera outbreak in the Far East.
In reality, some politicians were just questioning the arrival of the Chinese coolies
in the ship who would displace white laborers in railroad construction projects.
On May 6, he went to Oakland. Onboard a train, he took his evening meal
at Sacramento and woke up at Reno, Nevada. He had visited also the states of
Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Illinois, and finally reached New York on May 13. On
Bedloe Island, he had seen the Statue of Liberty symbolizing freedom and
democracy. Inconsistently, Rizal observed that there was racial inequality in the
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land and real freedom was only for the whites. But if Rizal were alive today, he
would be surprised that the Americans have already allowed a black guy to
become their president for two terms.
IN GREAT BRITAIN
On May 16, 1888 on the ship ‘City of Rome’ Rizal sailed for Liverpool and
arrived on May 24. A day after, he reached London and stayed briefly at Dr.
Antonio Ma. Regidor's home. He then boarded at the Beckett family where he fell
in love with Gertrude, the oldest daughter of his landlord.
In June 1888, Rizal made friends with Dr. Reinhold Rost and his family. Expert
in Malayan language, Rost had in his house a good Filipiniana library. Our national
hero was described by Rost as “a pearl of a man” (‘una perla de hombre’).
In London, Rizal manually copied and annotated Morga’s ‘Sucesos de las
Islas Filipinas’, a rare book available in the British Museum. He also became the
honorary president of the patriotic society Asociacion La Solidaridad (Solidaridad
Association) and wrote articles for the ‘La Solidaridad’. In his 10-month stay in
London, he had short visits in Paris, Madrid, and Barcelona. In Spain, he met
Marcelo H. del Pilar for the first time.
IN FRANCE
Leaving London for good, he went to Paris in March 1889. He shortly lived in
the house of a friend, Valentin Ventura before transferring in a little room where
he had as roommates two Filipinos, one of which was Jose Albert, a student from
Manila. In Paris, Rizal frequented the Bibliotheque Nationale, working on his
annotation of the ‘Sucesos’.
He spent his spare hours in the houses of friends like Juan Luna and his wife
Paz Pardo de Tavera. Rizal witnessed the Universal Exposition of Paris, having as its
greatest attraction the Eiffel Tower.He formed the ‘Kidlat Club’, a temporary social
club which brought together Filipinos witnessing the exposition. He also organized
the ‘Indios Bravos’, an association which envisioned Filipinos being recognized for
being admirable in many fields, and the mysterious Redencion de los Malayos
(Redemption of the Malays) which aimed to propagate useful knowledge. In
Paris, Rizal also finished and published his annotation of the ‘Sucesos.’
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IN BELGIUM
After celebrating the Yuletide season in Paris in 1889, Rizal shortly visited
London for the last time. With Jose Albert, Rizal left Paris for Brussels on January 28,
1890. The two stayed in a boarding house administered by the Jacoby sisters
(Suzanne and Marie) where Rizal met and had a transitory affair with Petite, the
niece of his landladies.
In Belgium, Rizal busied himself with writing the ‘Fili’ and contributing for La
Solidaridad using the pen names Dimas Alang and Laong Laan. When he heard
the news that the Calamba agrarian trouble was getting worse, Rizal decided to
go home. But Paciano told him through a letter that they lost the court case
against the Dominicans in the Philippines and they intended to bring the case to
Madrid. This prompted Jose to go to Madrid instead to look for a lawyer and
influential people who would defend the Calamba tenants.
IN MADRID
Rizal traveled to Madrid in August 1890. Along with his lawyer, Marcelo H.
Del Pilar, he tried to seek justice for his family but could not find anyone who could
help him.
Rizal encountered many adversities and tribulations in Madrid. He heard
that his family was forced to leave their land in Calamba and some family
members were even deported to far places. One day, Rizal challenged his friend
Antonio Luna to a duel when he (Luna), being unsuccessful in seeking Nellie
Boustead’s love, gave negative comments on the lady. Rizal also dared to a duel
Wenceslao Retana of the anti-Filipino newspaper ‘La Epoca’ who wrote that
Rizal’s family did not pay their land rent. Both duels were fortunately aborted—
Luna became Rizal’s good friend again and Retana even became Rizal’s first
non-Filipino biographer.
In Madrid, Rizal also heard the news of Leonor Rivera's marriage with an
Englishman Henry Kipping who was the choice of Leonor’s mother. As if
‘misfortunes’ were not enough, there emerged the Del Pilar-Rizal rivalry for
leadership in the Asociacion Hispano Filipino. The supposedly healthy election for
a leader (‘Responsible’) produced divisive unpleasant split among the Filipinos in
Madrid (the Rizalistas vs. the Pilaristas). Rizal thus decided to leave Madrid, lest his
presence results in more serious faction among Filipinos in Madrid.
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IN BIARRITZ, PARIS, AND BRUSSELS
Rizal proceeded to take a more than a month vacation in Biarritz, a tourist
town in southwestern France noted for its mild climate and sand beaches. Arriving
there in February 1891, Rizal was welcomed as a family guest in the house of the
Bousteds, especially by Nellie whom he had a serious (but failed) romantic
relationship.
In Biarritz, he continued to worked on his ‘El Fili’ and completed its
manuscript on March 29, the eve of his departure for Paris. Valentin Ventura
hosted his short stay in Paris, and the Jacobies, especially Petite Suzanne, cordially
welcomed his arrival in Brussels in April 1891. In Brussels, Rizal revised and prepared
for printing his second novel until the end of May. By June 1891, he was already
looking for a printing firm to print the ‘El Filibusterismo.’
IN GHENT
Rizal went to Ghent in July 1891 because the cost of printing in the place
was cheaper. He lived in a low-cost boarding house where he had as roommate
Jose Alejandro, an engineering student in the University of Ghent. Tightening their
belts, they rented a room exclusive of breakfast. They bought a box of biscuit,
counted the contents, and computed for their daily ration for a month. In just 15
days, Alejandro had eaten up all his shares whereas Rizal frugally limited himself
to his daily allocation.
The publisher F. Meyer-Van Loo Press, No. 66 Viaanderen Street agreed to
print the ‘El Fili’ on installment basis. Despite pawning all his jewels and living
tightfistedly, Rizal run out of funds and the printing had to be suspended on August
6. But through Valentin Ventura’s ‘salvific’ act, the ‘El Filibusterismo’ came off the
press on September 18, 1891. Two weeks after, he visited Paris for the last time to
bid goodbye to his friends and compatriots.
IN HONG KONG AND SANDAKAN
In October 1891, Rizal left Europe for Hong Kong onboard the ship
‘Melbourne’ on which he began writing his third (but unfinished) novel. He arrived
in Hong Kong on November 20 and resided at No. 5 D’ Aguilar Street, No. 2
Rednaxela Terrace. (In case you did not notice, ‘Rednaxela’ is ‘Alexander’
spelled reversely).
Having escaped the friars’ persecution, Don Francisco, Paciano, and
Silvestre Ubaldo (Jose’s brother-in-law) also arrived in Hong Kong. Shortly after,
52
Doña Teodora and children Lucia, Josefa, and Trinidad also came, and the Rizal
family had a sort of family reunion in the Yuletide season of 1891.
In Hong Kong, Jose opened a medical clinic. A Portuguese friend, Dr.
Lorenzo P. Marques helped him to have plentiful patrons of various nationalities.
His successful operation on his mother’s left eye allowed her to read again.
In March 1892, he went to Sandakan (East Malaysia) aboard ‘Menon’ to
negotiate with British authorities concerning the founding of a Filipino colony in
North Borneo (now called Sabah). On March 21, Rizal asked Governor General
Eulogio Despujol through a letter to allow the landless Filipinos, especially the
deported Calamba tenants, to establish themselves in North Borneo. Rizal was
back in Hon Kong in April, 1892.
SECOND HOMECOMING
Wanting to confer with Despujol concerning his North Borneo colonization
project, Rizal left Hong Kong on June 21, 1892 along with his sister Lucia. Without
his knowledge, the Spanish consul in Hong Kong sent a cablegram to Despujol
stating figuratively that “the rat is in the trap”. A secret case against Rizal was thus
filed in Manila for anti-religious and anti-patriotic public campaign.
Rizal and his sister arrived in Manila at 12:00 noon of June 26, 1892. At 7 pm,
he was able to confer in Malacañan with Despujol who agreed to pardon his
father and told him to return on June 29. He then visited sisters and friends in
Manila.
On June 27, he took a train and visited his friends in Central Luzon. He had
a stopover at the Bautista mansion in Malolos, Bulacan and spent the night in the
house of Evaristo Puno in Tarlac, Tarlac, about 30 kilometers away from the
residence of Leonor Rivera-Kipping in Camiling. He also went to San Fernando
and Bacolor, Pampanga and returned to Manila on June 28, at 5 pm. On June
29, 30, and July 3, he had other interviews with Despujol. The colonization project
was rejected though Rizal’s request to lift the exile of his sisters was granted.
On the evening of July 3, Rizal spearheaded the meeting in the house of
Doroteo Ongjunco on Ylaya Street, Tondo, Manila of at least 20 Filipinos, including
Andres Bonifacio and Apolinario Mabini. Rizal explained the aims of the civic
association ‘La Liga Filipina’. Officers were then elected, having Ambrosio
Salvador as the president, thereby officially establishing the league.
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Just three days after though, Rizal was arrested during his interview with the
governor general. Despujol showed him anti-friar leaflets ‘Pobres Frailes’ (Poor
Friars) allegedly discovered in his sister Lucia’s pillow cases. Imprisoned in Fort
Santiago for almost ten days, Rizal was brought at 12:30 am on July 14 to the
steamer ‘Cebu’. Passing through Mindoro and Panay, the vessel docked at
Dapitan in Zamboanga del Norte on the evening of July 17. True, Dapitan is a
scenic place with fine beaches, perhaps a soothing place for a ‘balik-bayan’ like
Rizal. But Jose was not there as a tourist or a vacationer—he was an exile. The ship
captain Delgras handed him over to the local Spanish commandant, Ricardo
Carnicero and that signaled the start of Rizal’s life as a deportee in Dapitan. (©
2013 by Jensen DG. Mañebog)
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THE FAMILIAR STATEMENT that Doña Teodora was Rizal’s first teacher is not just a
sort of ‘venerating’ his mother who sacrificed a lot for our hero. It was a technical
truth. In his memoirs, Rizal wrote, “My mother taught me how to read and to say
haltingly the humble prayers which I raised fervently to God.”
EDUCATION IN CALAMBA
In Rizal’s time, seldom would one see a highly educated woman of fine
culture like Doña Teodora who had the capacity to teach Spanish, reading,
poetry, and values through rare story books. Under her supervision, Rizal had thus
learned the alphabet and the prayers at the age of three.
Aside from his mother, his sister Saturnina and three maternal uncles also
mentored him. His uncle Jose Alberto taught him painting, sketching, and
sculpture. Uncle Gregorio influenced him to further love reading. Uncle Manuel,
for his part, developed Rizal’s physical skills in martial arts like wrestling.
To further enhance what Rizal had learned, private tutors were hired to give
him lessons at home. Thus, Maestro Celestino tutored him and Maestro Lucas
Padua later succeeded Celestino. Afterward, a former classmate of Don
Francisco, Leon Monroy, lived at the Rizal home to become the boy’s tutor in
Spanish and Latin. Sadly, Monroy died five months later. (Of course, there is no
truth to some students’ comically malicious insinuation that Rizal had something
to do with his death.)
EDUCATION IN BIÑAN
Rizal was subsequently sent to a private school in Biñan. In June 1869, his
brother Paciano brought him to the school of Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz. The
school was in the teacher’s house, a small nipa house near the home of Jose’s
aunt where he stayed. In Rizal’s own words, his teacher “knew by the heart the
grammars by Nebrija and Gainza.”
During Rizal’s first day in Biñan school, the teacher asked him:
“Do you know Spanish?”
” A little, sir,” replied Rizal.
” Do you know Latin?”
” A little, sir.”
Because of this, his classmates, especially the teacher’s son Pedro, laughed
at the newcomer. So later in that day, Jose challenged the bully Pedro to a fight.
Having learned wrestling from his Uncle Manuel, the younger and smaller Jose
had defeated his tormenter. Compared to bullying victims today, we can say that
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Rizal did not wait for anyone to enact a law against bullying, but rather took
matters into his own hands.
After the class however, he had an arm-wrestling match with his classmate
Andres Salandanan in which Jose lost and even almost cracked his head on the
sidewalk. That only proves that merely being a ‘desperado’ won’t make you win
all your fights.
In the following days, Jose was said to have had other fights with Biñan
boys. (If his average was two fights per day, as what happened during his first day
in Biñan school, then he might have been more active than today’s MMA [mixed
martial arts] fighters). For his scuffles, he nonetheless received many whippings
and blows on the open palm from his disciplinarian teacher.
Rizal may have not won all his brawls but he nevertheless beat all Biñan
boys academically in Spanish, Latin, and other subjects.
EDUCATION IN MANILA
There’s a claim that from Biñan school, Rizal studied in Colegio de San Juan
de Letran. The story states that after attending his classes for almost three months
in Letran, Jose was asked by the Dominican friars to look for another school due
to his radical and bold questions.
However, standard biographies agree that Rizal just took the entrance
examination in that institution but Don Francisco sent him to enroll instead in
Ateneo Municipal in June 1872. Run by the Jesuit congregation (Society of Jesus),
Ateneo upheld religious instruction, advanced education, rigid discipline,
physical culture, and cultivation of the arts, like music, drawing, and painting.
Ironically, this school which is now the archrival of La Salle in being exclusively
luxurious, among others, was formerly the ‘Escuela Pia’ (Charity School)—a school
for poor boys in Manila established by the city government in 1817.
Paciano found Jose a boarding house in Intramuros but he later transferred
to the house of a spinster situated on Calle Carballo in Santa Cruz area. There he
became acquainted with various mestizos that were said to be begotten by friars.
(Jose perhaps had not thought twice to befriend them, believing that they were
probably nice people—for after all, they were ‘mga anak ng pari’ [children of
priests]).
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To encourage healthy competitions, classes in Ateneo were divided into
two groups which constantly competed against each other. One group, named
the Roman Empire, comprised the interns (boarders) while the other one, the
Carthaginian Empire, consisted of the externs (non-boarders). Within an empire,
members were also in continuous competition as they vied for the top ranks
called dignitaries— Emperor, being the highest position, followed by Tribune,
Decurion, Centurion, and Standard-Bearer, respectively. Initially placed at the tail
of the class as a newcomer, Jose was soon continually promoted—that just after
a month, he had become an Emperor, receiving a religious picture as a prize.
When the term ended, he attained the mark of ‘excellent’ in all the subjects
and in the examinations. The second year, Jose transferred residence to No. 6
Calle Magallanes and he obtained a medal at the end of that academic term.
In the third year, he won prizes in the quarterly examinations. The following year,
his parents placed him as intern (boarding student) in the school and stayed there
until his graduation. At the end of the school year, he garnered five medals, with
which he said he could somewhat repay his father for his sacrifices. On March 23,
1877, he received the Bachelor of Arts degree, graduating as one of the nine
students in his class declared ‘sobresaliente’ or outstanding.
Some of his priest-professors in Ateneo were Jose Bech, a man with mood
swings and somewhat of a lunatic and of an uneven humor; Francisco de Paula
Sanchez, an upright, earnest, and caring teacher whom Rizal considered his best
professor; Jose Vilaclara; and a certain Mineves. At the Ateneo, Rizal cultivated
his talent in poetry, applied himself regularly to gymnastics, and devoted time to
painting and sculpture. Don Augustin Saez, another professor, thoughtfully guided
him in drawing and painting, and the Filipino Romualdo de Jesus lovingly
instructed him in sculpture.
In 1877, Rizal enrolled in the University of Santo Tomas, taking the course on
Philosophy in Letters. At the same time, he took in Ateneo a land surveyor and
assessor's degree (expert surveyor), a vocational course. He finished his surveyor's
training in 1877, passed the licensing exam in May 1878, though the license was
granted to him only in 1881 when he reached the age of majority.
After a year in UST, Jose changed course and enrolled in medicine to be
able to cure the deteriorating eyesight of his mother. But being tired of the
discrimination by the Dominican professors to Filipino students, he stopped
attending classes at UST in 1882. It’s worthwhile to note that Rizal’s another reason
for not completing medicine in UST was that the method of instruction was
57
obsolete and repressive. Rizal’s observation perhaps had served as a challenge
for UST to improve in its mode of instructions.
If records were accurate, Rizal had taken a total of 19 subjects in UST and
finished them with varied grades, ranging from excellent to fair. Notably, he got
‘excellent’ in all his subjects in the Philosophy course.
EDUCATION IN EUROPE
On May 3, 1882, he left for Spain and enrolled in Medicine and Philosophy
and Letters at the Universidad Central de Madrid on November 3. In some days
of November 1884, Rizal was involved in the chaotic student demonstrations by
the Central University students in which many were wounded, hit by cane,
arrested, and imprisoned. The protest rallies started after Dr. Miguel Morayta had
been excommunicated by bishops for delivering a liberal speech, proclaiming
the freedom of science and the teacher, at the opening ceremony of the
academic year. Incidentally, the street in Manila named after Morayta (Nicanor
Reyes Street today) has always been affected by, if not itself the venue of, student
demonstrations.
In June of 1884, Rizal received the degree of Licentiate in Medicine at the
age of 23. His rating though was just ‘fair’ for it was affected by the ‘low’ grades
he got from UST. The next school year (1884-1885), he took and completed the
three additional subjects leading to the Doctor of Medicine degree. He was not
awarded the Doctor’s diploma though for failing to pay the fee and the required
thesis.
Exactly on his 24th birthday, the Madrid university awarded him the degree
of Licentiate in Philosophy and Letters with the grade of excellent
(‘sobresaliente’). We can thus argue that Rizal was better as a ‘philosopher’ than
a physician.
Wanting to cure his mother's advancing blindness, Rizal went to Paris. He
was said to have attended medical lectures at the University of Paris. From
November 1885 to February 1886, he worked as an assistant to Dr. Louis de
Weckert. Through this leading French ophthalmologist, Rizal was thankful that he
learned how to perform all the ophthalmological operations.
In February 3, 1886, Rizal arrived in Heidelberg, Germany. He attended the
lectures of Dr. Otto Becker and Prof. Wilhelm Kuehne at the University of
Heidelberg. He also worked at the University Eye Hospital under the guidance of
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Dr. Becker. Under the direction of this renowned German ophthalmologist, Rizal
had learned to use the then newly invented ophthalmoscope (invented by
Hermann von Helmholtz) which he later used to operate on his mother’s eye. In
Heidelberg, the 25-year-old Rizal completed his eye specialization.
Afterward, Rizal spent three months in the nearby village, Wilhemsfeld
where he wrote the last few chapters of ‘Noli Me Tangere’. He stayed at the
pastoral house of a kind Protestant pastor, Dr. Karl Ullmer, the whole family of
whom became Rizal’s good friends. In August 1886, he attended lectures on
history and psychology at the University of Leipzig. In November 1886, he reached
Berlin, the famous city where he worked as an assistant in Dr. Schweigger’s clinic
and attended lectures in the University of Berlin.
In Berlin, he was inducted as a member of the Berlin’s ‘Ethnological Society’,
‘Anthropological Society’, and ‘Geographical Society’. In April 1887, he was
invited to deliver an address in German before the ‘Ethnographic Society’ of
Berlin on the orthography and structure of the Tagalog language.
In Germany, Rizal met and befriended the famous academicians and
scholars at the time. Among them were Prof. Friedrich Ratzel, German historian;
Dr. Hanz Meyer, German Anthropologist; Dr. Feodor Jagor, the author of ‘Travels
in the Philippines’ which Rizal had read as a student in Manila; Dr. Rudolf Virchow,
German anthropologist; and Rudolf’s son, Dr. Hans Virchow, Descriptive Anatomy
professor.
Especially after the hero’s martyrdom, these people who were the
renowned personalities in the academe not only in Germany but also in Europe
were so proud that once in their life they had known the educated and great
Filipino named Jose Rizal.
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JOSE RIZAL’S LOVELIFE
60
SEGUNDA KATIGBAK: JOSE RIZAL’S FIRST LOVE
She was Jose Rizal’s “puppy love” and with her the
hero was believed to have had “love at first sight”.
Rizal was 16 years old when one Sunday in 1887 he
paid visit to his maternal grandmother in Trozo, Manila and
there met, among others, Segunda Katigbak, a two-yearyounger-than-him ‘colegiala’. In his ‘Memorias de Un
Estudiante de Manila’, Rizal graphically described her as a
short lady with “eloquent eyes, rosy cheeks, and smile that
reveals very beautiful teeth”. Mariano Katigbak, Segunda’s
brother and Rizal’s classmate who was also in the house,
probably had no idea that his friend had been experiencing “a love at first sight”
being bewitched by his alluring sister.
During the 1880s, the Katigbaks of Batangas were known for their successful
and very lucrative coffee industry. When Jose met Segunda, she was at the time
a boarding student of La Concordia College where Rizal’s sister Olympia was also
studying. Jose and Segunda got to know each other more intimately as his visits
to his sister Olympia (or rather to his love interest Segunda) in La Concordia
surprisingly became more frequent.
How could Rizal forget that incident when he was urged by other
acquaintances and conformed to make a pencil sketch of Segunda? “From time
to time”, he later recorded in his diary, “she looked at me, and I blushed.” When
Segunda one day gave him a white artificial rose, she had made herself at school,
he gave her in exchange that pencil sketch he had drawn of her.
In hindsight, we can submit that Rizal was somewhat clueless and naïve. As
in the song “Paper Roses,” the artificial flower was perhaps Segunda’s way of
insinuating that their affection was hopeless from the very start. The ‘rumor’ that
she had been engaged to be married to a fellow-townsman, Manuel Luz, even
before she met Pepe, was all along true. Rizal’s discovery of the real score later
was probably his major reason, being a man of delicadeza, why he did not
propose to her, more than his being ‘torpe’ or a reluctant lover.
It was also at La Concordia where the young lovers talked to each other
for the last time. It was a romantic day in December 1877 when the confused Rizal
came to see the ever-hopeful Segunda. Rizal said goodbye because he would
spend his New Year vacation in his hometown starting the following day. Segunda
replied that she was also going home to Lipa a day later. She then maintained
silence, perhaps giving Rizal enough opportunity to say anything romantic,
especially that sweetest tri-syllabic pronouncement which a lover would want to
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hear from a beloved. To her surprise, Rizal indeed uttered a three-syllable
statement. The young Rizal said, “Well, good-bye” (which is virtually equivalent to
today’s cold text message “Ah ok” plus a smiley). “Anyway—I’ll see you when you
pass Calamba on your way to Lipa”, he nevertheless promised.
Rizal went home to Calamba and woke up the following day determined
to fulfill his promise to Segunda. The steamer carrying Segunda anchored in Biñan
so Jose saddled his white horse to wait at the road. When Segunda’s carromata
passed by, she smiled and waved her handkerchief to him. Initially wanting to
follow, Rizal at the last minute turned his horse around and decided to ride home
instead. That incident marked the end of everything between the young lovers.
Segunda returned to Batangas and in due time married Don Manuel Luz y Metra
who also hailed from a prominent family in Batangas. Segunda’s husband was
actually the nephew of her maternal grandmother.
The Luz-Katigbak ancestral house called ‘Casa de Segunda’, an
old ‘bahay-na-bato’ which survived the World War II bombings, still exists today in
Lipa on a street ironically named ‘Calle Rizal’. The house was restored as a
vacation house and later turned into a private museum. The sportscaster Chino
Trinidad, a descendant of Segunda and Manuel, once related in a TV interview
that Rizal had gone to ‘Casa de Segunda”, played chess and lost to his Lolo
Manuel. The historic house has been declared a National Heritage house in 1996
by the National Historical Commission.
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LEONOR RIVERA: JOSE RIZAL'S TRUE LOVE
ON TOP OF BEING DUBBED as Jose Rizal’s
“childhood sweetheart,” “betrothed,” and “lover by
correspondence,” she was widely considered as the
hero’s “true love”.
Leonor Rivera (April 11, 1867 – August 28, 1893) of
Camiling, Tarlac was the daughter of Antonio Rivera
and Silvestra Bauzon. Leonor’s father—who was one of
the few persons who conspired in Jose’s ‘secret’
departure to Spain—is a cousin of the hero’s father,
Francisco Mercado.
Subjectively considered as a pretty lady, Leonor is commonly described as
having wavy soft hair, high forehead, wistful almond eyes, small and pensive
mouth, and charming dimples. She was said to be intelligent and talented, as she
could play the harp and the piano—skills which matched her fascinating singing
voice.
Leonor was a “tender as a budding flower” colegiala at the La Concordia
College when she became romantically involved, though secretly, with her
distant relative Rizal. Though both Leonor Rivera and Segunda Katigbak (Rizal’s
first love) studied in the same school, they probably had not met and known each
other (much less pulled each other’s hair) as the Tarlaqueña was four years
younger than the Batangueña. Rizal was just a young high school student in
Ateneo when he was ‘dating’ Segunda. When he boarded at his Uncle Antonio’s
boarding house in Intramuros and became the boyfriend of the landlord’s
daughter, Rizal was already a second-year medical student then at the UST.
Secret as the romance was to Leonor’s parents, she used pen names in her
letters to Jose. She hid from the signatures ‘La Cuestion del Oriente’ and
‘Taimis/Tamis’. Records aren’t clear on what Jose used in return. (Some students
jokingly guess that he used pseudonyms like ‘Pinsan’, or ‘Kuya Pepe’, or ‘Ang
inyong boarder’. The funniest suggestion so far is: “Ang pamangkin ng iyong ama,
a.k.a The Calamba boy.”)
In one of Indios’ street brawls against young Spaniards in Escolta, Rizal was
wounded on the head. Bleeding and filthy, he was brought home by friends to his
boarding house. With tender love and care, Leonor nursed him. His wound was
gently washed and carefully dressed, though the band-aid used was unnamed.
All Leonor ever wanted was to be on Jose’s side each time, to look for him, and
take care of him. But this became far from possible when Jose left for Spain in May
1882 without giving her a notice, fearing that she—being young and not that
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cautious yet—could not keep a secret. The ‘farewell poem’ he left for her had
not washed away the sorrow she felt when she learned of her boyfriend’s
departure. Seriously affected by Rizal’s departure, Leonor had become often
unwell because of insomnia.
While busy studying and fighting for a cause abroad, Rizal nonetheless took
time to write to his sweetheart. Numerous multi-lingual (Filipino, English, Spanish,
and French) love letters were exchanged between the lovers. Rizal was puzzled
though as time came when Leonor became silent.
To probe into why Leonor was not answering his letters was one of the
reasons Rizal went home in August 1887, notwithstanding the dangers he could
face in such a decision. When he returned though, Leonor was no longer in Manila
for her family had transferred to Dagupan, Pangasinan where her parents had a
clothing merchandise business. The couple wanted to see each other but both
were prohibited by their respective parents. Don Francisco Mercado believed
that the meeting would put the Rivera family in danger for the author of the Noli
at the time was already branded by the Spaniards as a ‘filibustero’ (subversive).
Before his second departure from the country in 1882, Rizal wanted to marry
the uncomplaining Leonor and leave her in his sister Narcisa’s care. Don Francisco
however consistently disapproved of Jose’s plan. Paciano also thought that it was
selfish of his brother to marry Leonor only to leave her behind.
In foreign lands, Rizal kept on sending letters to Leonor but received no
reply. The lovers had no idea that Doña Silvestra—who understandably did not
like the controversial Filipino for a son-in-law—had been hiding from Leonor all the
letters sent her by Rizal. It was said that Mrs. Rivera bribed two post office officials
to give her all of Jose’s letters and gifts for her daughter.
The mother convinced Leonor to marry Charles Henry Kipping, an English
railway engineer who was responsible for the completion of the railroad from
Bayambang to the ‘Ferrocarril de Manila’ (railroad from Manila-Dagupan). Mrs.
Rivera and Kipping were said to have connived in making Leonor believe that
Jose had already fallen in love with other women in Europe.
Leonor desolately consented to marry her mother’s choice on supposed
conditions that she would never play the piano again, all her and Jose’s letters to
each other which had been gathered be burned and the ashes be deposited in
her jewelry box, and that her mother stand beside her at her wedding. The
marriage ceremony happened two days before Rizal’s birthday in 1891.
Six months before the ceremony, Rizal had received a letter announcing
this imminent Kipping-Rivera wedding. The letter was from his true love herself who
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was also asking for his forgiveness. Rizal described the news as a great blow to
him as he was “stunned, his eyes dimmed with tears, and his heart broke.” The
mail signaled the death of Rizal’s 11-year love affair with Leonor.
After two years of her married life, Leonor died on August 28, 1893 from
complications of childbirth, while Jose was serving his term as an exile in Dapitan.
Rizal’s mourning heart was injured even more upon learning that “Leonor had
asked to be buried in the saya (native skirt) she was wearing when he and she
had first come to an ‘understanding.’ She had also asked for the silver cup which
held the ashes of the few letters from him which had reached her” (Bantug, p.
115).
While walking toward the place of his execution on December 30, 1896,
Rizal turned towards the sea and was said to have uttered, “What a beautiful
morning! On mornings like this, I used to take walks here with my sweetheart”
(Ocampo, p. 228). By the term “sweetheart”, Rizal was most likely referring to
Leonor Rivera. On the record therefore, she was the girlfriend last mentioned by
the hero before he died. In fact, Rizal was said to have “kept a lock of Leonor’s
hair and some of her letters until his death” (Bantug, p. 115).
Rizal had a crayon sketch of Leonor which was preserved, the image of
which can now be searched and viewed over the internet. On top of this, Rizal
immortalized his true love by basing from her the character of ‘Maria Clara’ in his
Noli and Fili.
As a postscript, Kipping and Rivera had a child named Carlos Rivera
Kipping (who later became Carlos Rivera Kipping, Sr.) who married Lourdes
Romulo, a sister of the former United Nation official and Boy Scouts of the
Philippines co-founder Carlos P. Romulo. The descendants of the Kipping family
donated to the Yuchengco Museum in Makati City the box which housed the
ashes of burned Rizal’s letters to Leonor. The box was covered with Leonor’s dress
with the letters “J” and “L” embroidered on it.
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LEONOR VALENZUELA AND JOSE RIZAL'S INVISIBLE LOVE LETTERS
Nicknamed Orang, Leonor Valenzuela was commonly
described as a tall girl with regal bearing who was Rizal’s
province-mate.
She
was
the
daughter
of Capitan Juan and Capitana Sanday Valenzuela,
who were from Pagsanjan, Laguna.
Orang was Rizal’s neighbor when he boarded in
the house of Doña Concha Leyva in Intramuros during
his sophomore year at the University of Santo Tomas as
medicine student. To finally move on perhaps from his
unsuccessful love story with Segunda Katigbak, Rizal
frequently visited Orang’s house with or without social gatherings. The proofs that
Rizal indeed courted her were the love letters he sent her. His love notes were
mysteriously written in invisible ink made of common table salt and water, which
could be read by heating the note over a candle or lamp.
More than a manifestation of Rizal’s knowledge of chemistry, his magical
love notes to Orang, one can say, are a proof that he wanted to keep the
courtship private. But why would he want to make it secret?
Many references declare that Orang was Rizal’s object of affection (too)
while he was courting the other Leonor, his cousin Leonor Rivera. If this were true,
then sending invisible love letters would indeed be the smart thing to do for other
people would find them as mere blank papers.
Without clear material evidence, the ‘two-timer charge’ could indeed be
easily denied. (To do a further speculative stretch, Rizal was perhaps thinking that
if both ladies would become his girlfriends, he would not make the mistake of
calling any of them by a wrong name.)
When Rizal left for Spain, he received a letter from his friend and confidant
Jose M. Cecilio (Chenggoy) indicating that the two ladies had an idea that their
‘common denominator’ was not only their first name:
“…nagpipilit ang munting kasera (Leonor Rivera) na makita si Orang, pero dahil
natatakpan ng isang belong puti, hindi naming nakilala nang dumaan ang
prusisyon sa tapat ng bahay. Sinabi sa akin ni O(rang) na sabihin ko raw sa
munting kasera na hindi siya kumakaribal sa pag-iibigan ninyo. Que gulay,
tukayo, anong gulo itong idinudulot natin sa mga dalagang ito!”
The letter suggests that either Orang was giving way to Rivera-Rizal love
affair or she (Orang) was not that interested in Rizal. In fact, records were not clear
if she officially reciprocated Rizal’s courtship. If indeed she never took Rizal’s
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courtship seriously, we could not actually blame her. Her would-be affair with Rizal
could only be either a rebound relationship (from Segunda-Jose failed affair) or
an unhealthy love triangle (with the other Leonor in the equation).
Unlike her ‘tukayo’, Orang didn’t feel much sorrow upon Rizal’s departure.
She was said to have accepted other suitors, attended social parties, and ended
up marrying an employee of a trade house.
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CONSUELO ORTIGA Y REY: THE "CRUSH NG BAYAN" IN RIZAL'S TIME
She was probably very likable because at least
two Filipinos in Spain in Jose Rizal’s time had had feelings
for her.
Consuelo Ortiga y Rey was considered the prettier
of the daughters of Don Pablo Ortiga y Rey, the Spanish
liberal and former mayor of Manila who became vicepresident of the Council of the Philippines in the Ministry
of Colonies. Very supportive to the Filipinos in Madrid,
Don Pablo’s house was the common meeting place of
‘Circulo Hispano-Filipino’ members like Rizal. The Ortiga
residence was thus frequented by Filipino lads especially
that Don Pablo had beautiful daughters.
Consuelo recorded in her diary that she first met Rizal on September 16,
1882 when he went to Spain for the first time primarily to study. The diary entry
indicated that they talked the whole night and that the young Filipino said many
beautiful things about her. The Spanish ladyalso wrote of a day Rizal spent at their
house when he entertained them with his ingenious humor, elegance, and sleightof-hand tricks.
Most likely, Consuelo had witnessed Rizal’s recitation of a poem on October
4, 1882 in the effort to save a Filipino meeting from disintegration. Rizal had also
recorded either in his diary or letters that he attended another meeting of
compatriots in Ortiga’s residence on October 7, 1882 and the birthday party of
Consuelo’s father on January 15, 1883.
The following year (1884), Rizal and other compatriots attended (again) the
birthday party of Don Pablo in which there was a dance. It was not clear if Rizal
had a dance with Consuelo but five days after, he sent her a piece of guimaras
cloth. Rizal recorded that he again went to see Consuelo on February 10 after
doing something at the university district. On March 15, Rizal and other
compatriots—including Eduardo de Lete—were again gathered in the Ortiga
house.
Lete was actually one of the reasons Rizal gave up his affection for
Consuelo. Lete seriously liked Ms. Ortiga and Rizal did not wish to ruin their
friendship over a lady. It was said that even Maximino and Antonio Paterno, Rizal’s
good friends, regularly visited the lady. (Thus, we can submit that Consuelo was
the “crush ng bayan” among Filipinos in Madrid in Rizal’s time).
It can be remembered that Eduardo de Lete (the ‘karibal’) was one of the
Filipinos who promised Rizal of helping in the writing of a nationalistic novel but
ended up contributing nothing—for they, according to Rizal, were more
interested to write on women and would rather spend their time gambling or
flirting with Spanish women. It was not clear if Lete and Consuelo ‘became an
item’ but this Lete—whom Rizal considered in suppressing his feelings for
Consuelo—later attacked the hero through an article in ‘La Solidaridad’ on April
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15, 1892 depicting Rizal as coward, egoistic, opportunistic, and someone who
had abandoned the country’s cause. Officially therefore, this Lete had hurt the
hero’s feeling not just once but at least twice.
Rizal’s admiration for Consuelo was immortalized by the poem he wrote,
‘A La Señorita C.O. y R’. This poem which is now subjectively regarded as one of
Rizal’s best was written either as a reaction to Consuelo’s request or out of Rizal’s
pure volition as an admirer. Ultimately though, Rizal really had to give up his feeling
for Consuelo for he was then still engaged to Leonor Rivera.
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SEIKO USUI: JOSE RIZAL'S JAPANESE GIRLFRIEND
If only Jose Rizal had no patriotic mission and no
political will, he would have married her and settled in
Japan for good.
It was during Rizal’s second trip abroad when he
met Seiko Usui. From Hong Kong, he arrived in Japan in
February 1888 and moved to the Spanish Legation in the
Azabu district of Tokyo upon the invitation of an official
in the legation.
One day, Rizal saw Seiko passing by the legation
in one of her daily afternoon walks. Fascinated by her
charm, Rizal inquired and learned from a Japanese gardener some basic
information about her. The next day, Rizal and the Japanese gardener waited at
the legation gate for Seiko. Acting as a go-between and interpreter, the gardener
introduced the gracious Filipino doctor and the pretty Japanese woman to each
other. The gardener’s role as intermediary was cut short however when Seiko
spoke in English. She also knew French, and so she and Rizal began to converse
in both languages.
O-Sei-San, as Rizal fondly called Seiko, voluntarily acted as Rizal’s generous
tour guide. She accompanied him to Japan’s shrines, parks, universities, and other
interesting places like the Imperial Art Gallery, Imperial Library, and the
Shokubutsu-en (Botanical Garden). Serving as his tutor and interpreter, she helped
him improve his knowledge of the Japanese language (Nihonngo) and explained
to him some Japanese cultural elements and traditions like the Kabuki plays.
It was thus not surprising that Jose fell for the charming, modest, pretty, and
intelligent daughter of a samurai. Seiko subsequently reciprocated the affection
of the talented and virtuous guest who, like her, had deep interest in the arts.
Their more than a month happy relationship had to end nonetheless, as the
man with a mission Rizal had to leave Japan. His diary entry on the eve of his
departure illustrates what he had thrown away in deciding to leave O-Sei-San:
“Japan has enchanted me. The beautiful scenery, the flowers, the trees, and the
inhabitants – so peaceful, so courteous, and so pleasant. O-Sei-San, Sayonara,
Sayonara! I have spent a happy golden month; I do not know if I can have
another one like that in all my life. Love, money, friendship, appreciation, honors
–these have not been wanting.
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To think that I am leaving this life for the uncertain, the unknown. There I was
offered an easy way to live, beloved and esteemed…”
As if talking to Seiko, Rizal affectionately addressed this part of his diary entry
to his Japanese sweetheart:
“To you I dedicate the final chapter of these memoirs of my youth. No woman,
like you has ever loved me. No woman, like you has ever sacrificed for me. Like
the flower of the chodji that falls from the stem fresh and whole without falling
leaves or without withering –with poetry still despite its fall – thus you fell. Neither
have you lost your purity nor have the delicate petals of your innocence faded –
Sayonara, Sayonara!
You shall never return to know that I have once more thought of you and that
your image lives in my memory; and undoubtedly, I am always thinking of you.
Your name lives in the sight of my lips, your image accompanies and animates all
my thoughts. When shall I return to pass another divine afternoon like that in the
temple of Maguro? When shall the sweet hours I spent with you return? When shall
I find them sweeter, more tranquil, more pleasing? You the color of the camellia,
its freshness, its elegance…
Ah! Last descendant of a noble family, faithful to an unfortunate vengeance, you
are lovely like…everything has ended! Sayonara, Sayonara!”
Onboard the steamer ‘Belgic’, Rizal left Japan on April 13, 1888 never to see Seiko
again. In 1897, a year after Rizal’s martyrdom, Seiko married Alfred Charlton, British
chemistry teacher of the Peer’s School in Tokyo. Mr. Charlton died on November
2, 1915, survived by Seiko and their child Yuriko.
At the age of 80, Seiko died on May 1, 1947 and was buried in the tomb of
her husband at Zoshigawa Cemetery. Their daughter Yuriko became the wife of
a certain Yoshiharu Takiguchi, son of a Japanese senator.
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GERTRUDE BECKETT: JOSE RIZAL'S FLING IN LONDON
SHE HELPED JOSE RIZAL mix his colors for painting
and prepared the clay for his sculpturing, hoping that a
colorful romantic relationship would be formed between
them.
Gertrude was the daughter of Rizal’s landlord—
Charles Beckett who is an organist at St. Paul’s Church in
London. Coming from brief stay in Japan and the United
States of America, Rizal chose to live in the capital city of
the United Kingdom on May, 1888.
The oldest of the ‘three’ (some say ‘four’) Beckett sisters, Gertrude (also
called ‘Gettie’ or ‘Tottie’) was a curvy lady with cheerful blue eyes, brown hair,
rosy cheeks, and thin lips. (Based on the pictures of Rizal’s ‘girlfriends’ now
available over the internet, one can even argue that Gertrude is the most
beautiful.)
This English girl (who probably spoke the British accent of the ‘Harry Potter’
characters) fell in love with Rizal. The more-than-normal assistance she gave to
the Filipino boarder betrayed her special feelings for him. She showered him with
all her attention and assisted him in his painting and sculpturing. With her aid, Rizal
finished some sculptural works like the ‘Prometheus Bound’, ‘The Triumph of Death
over Life,’ and ‘The Triumph of Science over Death.’
Away from his home, it was just normal for Rizal to find enjoyment in
Gertrude’s loving service. Rizal called her by her nickname “Gettie” and she
affectionately called him “Pettie.” It was said that their friendship glided towards
romance, but Rizal, for some reasons, was alleged to have ultimately backed out.
Some sources nonetheless suggest that their relationship was just a one-sided love
affair as Rizal never really reciprocated her love.
Either way, it was clear that the couple did not end up as husband and
wife as Rizal chose to leave London on March 19, 1889 so that Gertrude may
forget him. As Rizals compatriots like Marcelo del Pilar put it, Rizal left London
because he was running away from a girl. Before leaving though, he finished his
composite carving of the heads of the Beckett sisters and gave it to Gettie as a
souvenir.
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SUZANNE JACOBY: JOSE RIZAL'S FLING
When Jose Rizal left her place, her dream was
to follow him and to travel with the Filipino lover boy
who was always in her thoughts.
Suzanne Jacoby was a Belgian lady whom Rizal
met when he was 29. To somewhat economize in his
living expenses, he left the expensive city of Paris and
went to Belgium in January 1890. Along with his friend
Jose Albert, Rizal arrived in Brussels on February 2 and
stayed in the boarding house managed by two
Jacoby sisters, Suzanne and Marie (some references
say “Catherina and Suzanna”). It was said that Rizal had a transitory romance
with the petite niece of his landladies, Suzanne.
In Rizal’s 6-month stay in the boarding house, Suzanne, also called ‘Petite,’
got to know and was attracted to the skillful and enigmatic Filipino doctor. Jose
might have had a somewhat romantic intimacy with Petite—a relationship
which was probably comparable to today’s ‘mutual understanding’ (like what
Rizal possibly had with Gertrude Beckett). Presumably, Petite and Jose (who was
at one time called ‘Pettie” by Beckett) had together enjoyed the merriments of
Belgium’s summertime festival of 1890 with its multicolored costumes, animated
floats, and lively crowds.
But the relationship was most likely not that serious as Rizal did not mention
her in his letters to his intimate friends. Informing Antonio Luna of his life in Brussels,
Rizal just talked about going to the clinic, working and studying, reading and
writing, and practicing at the ‘Sala de Armas’ and gymnasium. Historically, his
affair with Suzanne could not possibly blossom as Rizal, that time, was busy
writing the ‘Fili’, contributing for La Solidaridad, and worrying for his family as
regards the worsening Calamba agrarian trouble.
Suzanne shed tears when Rizal left Belgium toward the beginning of
August, 1890. He was said to have made Suzanne’s sculpture which he
unexplainably gave to his friend Valentin Ventura. Leaving Brussels, Rizal left the
young Suzanne a box of chocolates. Two months later, she wrote him a letter,
saying: “After your departure, I did not take the chocolate. The box is still intact
as on the day of your parting. Don’t delay too long writing us because I wear
out the soles of my shoes for running to the mailbox to see if there is a letter from
you. There will never be any home in which you are so loved as in that in Brussels,
so, you little bad boy, hurry up and come back…”
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In her another letter, she was mentioning of Rizal’s letter to her, suggesting
that the Filipino in Madrid probably replied to her at least once. From her letter
though, we can glean that the affection was (already) one-sided:
“Where are you now? Do you think of me once in a while? I am reminded of our
tender conversations, reading your letter, although it is cold and indifferent. Here
in your letter I have something which makes up for your absence. How pleased I
would be to follow you, to travel with you who are always in my thoughts.
You wish me all kinds of luck, but forget that in the absence of a beloved one a
tender heart cannot feel happy.
A thousand things serve to distract your mind, my friend; but in my case, I am
sad, lonely, always alone with my thoughts – nothing, absolutely nothing relieves
my sorrow. Are you coming back? That’s what I want and desire most ardently –
you cannot refuse me.
I do not despair and I limit myself to murmuring against time which runs so fast
when it carries us toward a separation but goes so slowly when it’s bringing us
together again.
I feel very unhappy thinking that perhaps I might never see you again.
Goodbye! You know with one word you can make me very happy. Aren’t you
going to write to me?
To her surprise, Rizal returned to Brussels by the middle of April 1891 and
stayed again in the Jacoby’s boarding house. Rizal’s return however was not
specifically for Suzanne for the hero just busied himself revising and finalizing the
manuscript of El Fili for publication. On July 5, 1891, Rizal bade goodbye to
Brussels and Suzanne, never to come back again in Belgium and in her arms.
Lately, a certain Belgian named Pros Slachmuylders claimed that Rizal
had romance with his landladies’ niece named Suzanna Thill, not with Suzanne
Jacoby. Thill was said to be 16 years old when Rizal was in Belgium in 1890. One
hundred and seventeen (117) years after Rizal left Belgium, Slachmuylders’
group unveiled in 2007 a historical marker which commemorates Rizal’s stay in
Brussels.
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NELLIE BOUSTEAD: JOSE RIZAL'S ALMOST WIFE
Perceiving Jose Rizal’s imminent courtship to
her, his compatriot Marcelo H. del Pilar teased the
lover boy by suggesting that his first novel should be
renamed ‘Nelly Me Tangere’.
Nellie Boustead, also called Nelly, was the
younger of the two pretty daughters of the wealthy
businessman Eduardo Boustead, son of a rich British
trader, who went to the Orient in 1826. The Bousteads
hosted Rizal’s stay in Biarritz in February 1891 at their
winter residence, Villa Eliada on the superb French Riviera. Rizal had befriended
the family back in 1889-90 and used to fence with the Anglo-Filipino Boustead
sisters (Adelina and Nellie) at the studio of Juan Luna.
Having learned Leonor Rivera’s marriage to Henry Kipping, Rizal
entertained the idea of having romantic relation with the highly educated,
cheerful, athletic, beautiful, and morally upright Nellie. He wrote some of his
friends (though remarkably except Ferdinand Blumentritt) about his affection for
Nelly and his idea of proposing marriage to her.
His friends seemed to be supportive of his intentions. Tomas Arejola, for
instance, wrote him: “… if Mademoiselle Boustead suits you, court her, and marry
her, and we are here to applaud such a good act.” (Zaide, p. 184).
Even Antonio Luna, who had been Nelly’s
fiancé, explicitly permitted Rizal to court and marry
her. It could be remembered that Jose and Antonio
nearly had a deadly duel before when he (Antonio),
being drunk one time, made negative remarks on
their ‘common denominator’. As regards Jose’s
courtship to Nelly later, Antonio gentlemanly
conceded to Rizal through a letter:
“With respect to Nelly, frankly, I think there is nothing
between us more than one of those friendships enlivened by being fellow
countrymen. It seems to me that there is nothing more. My word of honor. I had
been her fiancé, we wrote to each other. I like her because I knew how worthy
she was, but circumstances beyond our control made all that happiness one
cherished evaporate. She is good; she is naturally endowed with qualities
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admirable in a young woman and I believe that she will bring happiness not only
to you but to any other man who is worthy of her…I congratulate you as one
congratulates a friend. Congratulatons!” (as quoted by Zaide, pp. 184-185)
As Nelly had long been infatuated to Rizal, she reciprocated his affection
and they officially became an item. With Nelly, Rizal enjoyed his stay in Biarritz as
he had many lovely moonlight nights with her. Inspired by her company, Rizal was
also able to work on the last part of his second novel at the Bousted’s residence.
Though very much ideal, Nelly-and-Jose’s lovely relationship unfortunately
did not end up in marriage. Nelly’s mother—a Filipina who came from the rich
Genato family in Manila—was not in favor of taking as a son-in-law a man who
could not provide a sure stable future for her daughter. On top of this, Rizal refused
to be converted in Protestantism which Nellie demanded. Later in his life, Rizal
would state in his letter, “… had I held religion as a matter of convenience or an
art getting along in this life … I would now be a rich man, free, and covered with
honors.” (Zaide, p. 185)
The breakup between the very civil and educated couple was far from
bitter as the two parted as friends. When Rizal was about to leave Europe in April
1891, Nelly sent him a goodbye letter, saying: “Now that you are leaving I wish
you a happy trip and may you triumph in your undertakings, and above all, may
the Lord look down on you with favor and guide your way giving you much
blessings, and may your learn to enjoy! My remembrance will accompany you as
also my prayers.”
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JOSEPHINE BRACKEN: JOSE RIZAL'S DEAR AND UNHAPPY WIFE
IN JOSE RIZAL’S OWN WORDS, she was his dear
wife. A few hours before his execution, they embraced
for the last time and he gave her a souvenir—a religious
book with his dedication, “To my dear unhappy
wife, Josephine.”
EARLY LIFE
Marie Josephine Leopoldine Bracken was born on
August 9, 1876 in Victoria, Hong Kong. She was the
youngest of the five children of an Irish couple who were
married on May 3, 1868 in Belfast, Ireland: British army corporal James Bracken
and Elizabeth Jane MacBride. A few days after giving birth to Josephine, her
mother Elizabeth died. Her father decided to give her up for adoption to her
childless godparents, American George Taufer, an engineer of the pumping plant
of the Hong Kong Fire Department, and his Portuguese (second) wife. Josephine’s
real father (James) left Hong Kong after retirement and was said to have died at
the hands of robbers in Australia.
When Josephine was 7, her godmother—whose name Leopoldine was
added to her own—also died. In 1891, her foster father remarried another
Portuguese lady from Macau, Francesca Spencer. Because Josephine could not
get along with Taufer’s new wife, she (Josephine) ran away and sought shelter in
a boarding house run by nuns. After two months, either she was taken back or she
voluntarily returned home.
MEETING IN DAPITAN
Josephine and Taufer first met Rizal in Hongkong, when they consulted the
Filipino doctor for Taufer’s failing eyesight. In 1895, the Taufer family sailed to the
Philippines to seek treatment from Rizal for Taufer’s cataract. They arrived in
Manila on February 5, and later that month, Josephine, George, and a certain
Manuela Orlac, the mistress of a friar at the Manila Cathedral (Bantug. p. 117),
sailed to Dapitan where Rizal had been living as a political exile for three years.
The petite Josephine who had blue eyes and brown hair was 18 years old
at the time of their arrival in Dapitan. Josephine was said to be not a remarkable
beauty, but she “had an agreeable countenance because of the childlike
expression of her face, her profound blue and dreamy eyes and abundant hair
of brilliant gold” (Alburo). It is thus said that the lonely Rizal was attracted to
Josephine who was a happy character despite having lived a difficult life with her
adoptive father and his various wives. Unsurprisingly, the two easily fell in love with
each other.
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TAUFER’S OPPOSITION
Rizal worked on Taufer’s eyes but later told the patient that the illness was
incurable. It is supposed that it was this news, plus Josephine’s wish to stay with
Rizal and “the marriage in Manila of a daughter by his first wife” (Alburo) which
led the distressed Taufer to slash his wrist (some say ‘throat’)—an attempt which
Rizal and Josephine had fortunately averted.
Taufer’s supposed furious jealousy and strong opposition to the couple’s
union caused Josephine to accompany him as they left for Manila on March 14,
1895, together with Rizal’s sister, Narcisa. Josephine nonetheless carried a letter
from Rizal recommending her to Doña Teodora:
The bearer of this letter is Miss Josephine Leopoldine Taufer whom I was at
the point of marrying, counting on your consent, of course. Our relations were
broken at her suggestion, on account of the numerous difficulties in the way. She
is almost alone in the world; she has only very distant relatives.
As I am interested in her and it is very possible that she may later decide to join
me and as she may be left all alone and abandoned, I beg you to give her
hospitality there, treating her as a daughter, until she shall have an opportunity or
occasion to come here.
I have decided to write the general about my case.
Treat Miss Josephine as a person I esteem and value much and whom I would not
like to be unprotected and abandoned.
When Taufer left for Hong Kong, it was with Narcisa that Josephine stayed.
The rest of Rizal’s family was suspicious that Josephine had been working as a spy
for the Spanish friars.
MARRYING JOSEPHINE
Some references claim that even before Taufer and Josephine left for
Manila, Rizal had already proposed to her and applied for their marriage. Dapitan
parish priest Antonio Obach however wanted Rizal’s retraction of his anti-clerical
views as a prerequisite and would only grant the church ceremony if Rizal could
get permission from the Bishop of Cebu. “Either the Bishop did not write him
back or Rizal was not able to mail the letter because of the sudden departure of
Mr. Taufer” (Wikipedia).
When Josephine returned to Dapitan, the church wedding she hoped for
could not happen. Rizal would not retract and so Obach denied them the
permission to marry, and “the Bishop of Cebu confirmed the priest’s decision”
(Bantug, p. 118).
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With Josephine’s consent, Rizal nonetheless took her as his wife even without the
Catholic blessings. The couple married themselves before the eyes of God by
“holding hands in the presence of two witnesses” (Alburo).
Aware of the circumstances, Doña Teodora told her excommunicated son
that loving each other in God’s grace was better than being married in mortal sin
(Bantug, p. 120). These words somewhat gave Rizal a peace of mind. But still
believing that his live-in relationship was somewhat of a shame, Rizal never told
his friend and confidant Blumentritt about it.
JOSEPHINE AS RIZAL’S WIFE
Depending on the reference one is using, Rizal and Josephine lived
together either in Rizal’s ‘casa cuadrada’ or octagonal bamboo house. In his
letters to his family, Rizal related that Josephine “turned the house into a love nest,
stocking the pantry with preserves and pickles” (Alburo). To prove the depiction,
the letters were accompanied by packages of food “prepared by the woman
who lives in my house” (Alburo).
Josephine kept house and took good care of “Joe,” her nickname for Rizal.
She “cooked, washed, sewed, and fed the chickens. She learned to make suman
(a sticky rice dessert wrapped in banana leaves), bagoong, noodles, and bread.
With the Spanish she learned from Rizal, she could write a simple letter. His [Rizal]
nephews called her ‘Auntie’” (Bantug, p. 120).
To his mother, Rizal described Josephine as “good, obedient, and submissive …
We have still to have our first quarrel, and when I reprove her, she does not talk
back.”
RIZAL’S SON
Before the year ended in 1895, the couple had a child who was born
prematurely. “Rizal’s sisters say the boy was named Peter; others say he was
named Francisco, after Don Francisco Mercado” (Bantug, p. 121).
Unfortunately, the son died a few hours after birth. Rizal was said to have
“made a pencil sketch of the dead infant on the jacket of a medical book. He
then buried the baby in an unmarked grave in a secluded part of Talisay”
(Bantug, p. 121).
Filipino historian Gregorio Zaide narrated that Rizal played a prank on
Josephine which frightened her so that she untimely gave birth to an eight-month
baby (Zaide, p. 240). But doubting the veracity of this tale, some intriguingly ask
questions like: Was the miscarriage due to a fall down from the stairs? Did Rizal
push her during one of their quarrels? Or, did they quarrel intensely at all?
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Some sources declare that the two had quarrels, “one of which, according
to a 1966 article in the Free Press, was violent, leading to her [Bracken’s]
miscarriage. The same article, written by L. Rebomantan, suggests that Rizal’s
days of consolation with Josephine were [soon] over and that his request for
assignment to Cuba was also prompted by his unhappiness with her.” (Alburo)
LEAVING DAPITAN
On July 30, 1896, Rizal received a letter from the governor general
sanctioning his petition to serve as volunteer physician in Cuba. In the late
afternoon of July 31, Rizal and Josephine got on the ‘España’ along with Narcisa,
a niece, three nephews, and three of his students. The steamer departed at
midnight of July 31 and arrived in Manila on August 6.
While Rizal was being kept under arrest aboard the cruiser ‘Castilla’ docked
at Cavite, Josephine stayed in Narcisa’s home in Manila. While waiting for Jose’s
fate, she “filled her time with tutoring in English and taking piano lessons from one
of her 15 pupils” (Alburo).
GOODBYE JOSE
When Rizal was tried on the morning of December 26, 1896, Josephine was
said to be among the spectators inside the military building, Cuartel de España,
along with some newspapermen and many Spaniards (Zaide & Zaide, p. 259).
At about 6 p.m. on the day before Rizal’s execution, Josephine Bracken arrived
in Fort Santiago. Rizal called for her and they emotionally talked to each other.
Though some accounts state that Josephine was forbidden from seeing her
husband on the fateful day of his martyrdom, the historian Gregorio Zaide wrote
that at 5:30 a.m., she and Josefa (Rizal’s sister) came. The couple was said to have
embraced for the last time and Rizal gave to Josephine the book ‘Imitation of
Christ’ (by Thomas a Kempis) on which he lovingly wrote: “To my dear and
unhappy wife, Josephine/ December 30th, 1896/ Jose Rizal”.
There’s an allegation that either the evening before or in the early morning
of Rizal’s day of execution, the couple was married in a ceremony officiated by
the priest Vicente Balanguer. Nonetheless, the members of Rizal family themselves
seriously doubt the claim as no records were found as regards the wedding.
JOINING THE KATIPUNAN
Three days after Rizal’s martyrdom, Josephine hurriedly joined the
Katipunan’s forces in Cavite. As Rizal’s widow, she could have easily penetrated
the revolutionary group but it was said that “Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo was
reluctantly persuaded to admit Josephine into the military ranks, providing her
with lessons in shooting and horseback riding” (Alburo). Aside from serving as an
inspiration to the Katipuneros (being Rizal’s wife), she assisted in operating the
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reloading of jigs for Mauser cartridges at the Imus arsenal under revolutionary
General Pantaleón Garcia” (Wikipedia).
She also helped in taking care of the sick and wounded. In fact, “it was her
suggestion to start a field hospital in the casa hacienda of Tejeros” (Alburo). When
Imus became under threat of recapture, Bracken made her way through bushes
and mud to the forces in Maragondon where she witnessed the Tejeros
Convention on March 22, 1897.
When the enemies captured San Francisco de Malabon, “Josephine,
accompanied by her brother-in-law Gen. Paciano Rizal, left for Bay, Laguna,
passing through forests and over mountains, many times barefoot and riding on
a carabao” (Alburo).
While in Bay, Josephine was summoned by the Spanish governor general,
Camilo Polavieja. She was given the options of leaving the country or be
subjected to torture and imprisonment. Owing however to Mr. Taufer’s American
citizenship, she could not be compulsorily banished, though Josephine eventually
left for Hong Kong in May 1897 “upon the advice of the American consul in
Manila” (Wikipedia).
JOSEPHINE’S SECOND HUSBAND
Upon returning to Hong Kong, Josephine went back to Taufer’s house. She
petitioned for her share of Rizal’s library in Hong Kong, which was under the
guardianship of Jose Maria Basa. Though sympathetic to her, Basa could not
grant her request because the Rizals, especially Doña Teodora, were contesting
the petition and Josephine had no proof that she was legally married to Jose.
After her foster father’s death, she married the Philippine-born mestizo
Vicente Abad y Recio from Cebu. Some sources introduce Bracken’s second
husband as the son of a Hong Kong tabacalera company owner whereas others
present him as one of the employees of Tabacalera.
It was said that Hong Kong-based Julio Llorente, a Cebuano friend of Rizal,
introduced Abad to Bracken. Llorente was also the one who wrote the letter of
introduction to Rizal carried by Josephine and Taufer when they arrived in Dapitan
in 1895.Llorente must have referred his co-Cebuano Abad to Josephine to be her
student in English. As a businessman in Hong Kong, Abad had to learn English.
Having been to the Philippines and knowing Spanish, Josephine was thus an ideal
tutor for him.
The two fell for each other and after a short courtship got married on
December 15, 1898. Some narrations state that the couple moved to the
Philippines in May 1899 while others say that the family returned to Manila a year
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after the couple’s child was born. Josephine gave birth to their daughter, Dolores,
on April 17, 1900.
After some months in Manila, they moved and settled in Cebu City. The
place, by then, was already under the control of the Americans and Julio Llorente
himself even became Cebu governor under the American rule. Abad returned to
Cebu to open the first bicycle store and rental in the place, a business which was
said to have blossomed.
TUTORING SERGIO OSMEÑA
While Abad was managing the bicycle business, Josephine was also
earning in the place by using it as study center. This is proved by the advertisement
placed in the newspaper ‘El Pueblo’ in April 1900, which posted: “Josephine
Bracken (sic) de Abad, Profesora de Lenguas living near Plaza Rizal, is giving
lessons in English and German in her residence.”
Their place was on Magallanes and Burgos Streets, just a stone’s throw
away from Basilica del Santo Niño and the present-day Cebu City Hall. There,
Josephine had taught the young Sergio Osmeña y Suico (better known as Sergio
Osmeña, Sr.) who later became the 4th President of the Philippines (1944 to 1946).
Osmeña was said to have learned at least two things in the place: paddling a
bike and the English language. However, Osmeña’s biographer, Vicente Albano
Pacis, doubts that the first Visayan to become Philippine president learned much
from Bracken (Alburo).
Bracken’s little experience as English tutor in Manila and Cebu (and most
probably her connection to the national hero and Llorente) made it easier for her
to get a steadier occupation “as public-school teacher at the recommendation
of [a certain] Dr. David Barrows” (Alburo). The poor condition of her health
nonetheless precluded her to work further. To seek a cure for her tuberculosis, she
returned to Hong Kong once again.
DEATH AND INTERMENT
The rapid advancement of Josephine’s terminal tuberculosis of the larynx
took its toll on her body and also drained her family’s financial resources. She was
confined in St. Francis Hospital, a Catholic charitable institution in Hong Kong.
Msgr. Spada, the Vicar General in Hong Kong who visited her in the hospital,
had this to say about the dying Josephine: “The last time I saw Mrs. Rizal, I was
stricken with pity. She was broken down; yes, very much broken down both in
health and in spirit. I deemed it my first duty to comfort her and revive her spirit,
but my efforts were futile. It was a losing fight. Poor woman, she had lost all hope,
and with it, her faith in humanity.” (“Final Rest”)
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On the eve of March 14-15, 1902, Bracken restfully died in the land where
she was born. Because of the contagiousness of her ailment, she was immediately
buried the next day at the Happy Valley Cemetery, not too far from the grave of
her mother (Grave No. 4258) in the Military Section. A small news item on page 4
of Hong Kong’s ‘China Mail’ reported that she died at “No. 87, Praya East, where
she had been residing for some time”.
The funeral, the news item added, was “attended by a number of
prominent Filipinos.” Her husband who hastily arrived in Hong Kong was said to
have witnessed the closing of his wife’s grave. Unfortunately, Vicente failed to
indicate to any relative the exact location of Bracken’s tomb, as he himself died
the following year, of the same disease, and buried in the same cemetery.
However, the idea that Josephine was buried in a pauper’s grave in Hong
Kong was fervidly refuted later by her husband’s family. The Abad family could
easily afford a decent burial for Josephine, especially with her brother-in-law Jose
also in Hong Kong, so argued Dolores, Vicente Abad’s daughter by Bracken
(Alburo).
BRACKEN’S DAUGHTER
Since her mother died when she was about to turn 2, Dolores Bracken Abad
did not have vivid memories of Josephine. The tales she knew about her mother
were only those related to her by Josephine's in-laws. Remember that she also
had no father to tell her about her mom for he himself died a year after
Josephine’s demise.
Dolores married Antonio Mina of Ilocos. (Though Dolores was not a fruit of
Rizal-Josephine’s union, this Ilocano could legitimately boast that he married the
only sibling [half-sister] of Jose Rizal’s son).
Josephine’s daughter died on December 9, 1987 and was survived by four
children. Macario Ofilada, Dolores’ grandson wrote the first full biography of
Josephine Bracken, ‘Errante Golondrina’.
RIZAL FAMILY’S DISLIKE OF BRACKEN
It is almost a historical fact that the Rizal family, except for Narcisa (and
possibly Choleng and Paciano), had never liked Jose’s ‘dear unhappy wife’. One
may argue that even after the passing of both Jose and Josephine, her memory
was not that generously welcomed in the Rizal clan.
One friend jokingly concluded, in hindsight, that Josephine was a sort of
‘bad omen’ (if ever you believe in that) and exclaimed, “Malas siya sa buhay ni
Rizal.” His ‘theory’ he based on the observation that almost everyone who had
become connected to Josephine died young—her own mother (who died shortly
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after giving birth to her), her real father, her Portuguese step mother, Jose Rizal,
Mr. Taufer, and his second husband Vicente Abad.
But this argument, which is an instance of a ‘false cause fallacy’, is most
likely not the reason the Rizal family did not like Bracken. There was an explicit
declaration that the Rizals were suspicious that she was a spy for the friars and
regarded her as “threat to Rizal’s security.” (Bantug)
Remember that when Bracken and Taufer arrived in Dapitan in 1895, they
were with a certain Manuela Orlac. It was Orlac’s being a mistress of a friar which
caused some of Jose’s sisters to presume that Josephine had come as friars’
undercover.
While staying with Narcisa’s family in Binondo, Bracken would frequently
leave the house and return after some hours. To find out where she was going,
the Rizal sisters asked someone to trail and keep an eye on her. One afternoon, it
was discovered that she had gone to the archbishop’s place. Josephine later
confessed that she had indeed gone to see the church official to beg for Rizal’s
freedom.
The ‘spy-charge’ against Bracken was never proved as it was never true.
But even then, the Rizal family could not be persuaded to like her, especially that
her union with Jose was not sanctioned by the Church. The family’s antipathy
toward her was thus understandable as many were indeed scandalized by the
couple’s live-in relationship. As a result, many distasteful stories about the couple
were also passed around by gossips.
Far from being selfish though, Bracken thought of leaving Dapitan to save
Rizal from further humiliation. In fact, she even selflessly induced Rizal to get
married should he find someone else in Spain. While Rizal was waiting for a ship
which would bring him to his medical mission in Cuba, Josephine wrote him this
self-sacrificing unedited letter dated August 13, 1896:
If you go to Spain, you see any one of your fancy you better marry her but, dear,
heare me, better marry than to live like we have been doing. I am not ashamed
to let people know my life with you but as your dear Sisters are ashamed, I think
you had better get married to someone else. Your sister Narcisa and your Father,
they are very good and kind to me.
RIZAL’S ‘DULCE ESTRANJERA’
As a testament of his love for her, Jose Rizal made use of his common-law
wife as a model and inspiration in at least two of his artworks: a carving of her
head and shoulder (side view) and a plaster statue of her reclining.
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When Josephine (temporarily) left Dapitan to accompany Taufer to
Manila, Rizal gave her this short poem:
“A Josefina”
Josephine
Who to these shores came,
Searching for a home, a nest,
Like the wandering swallows,
If your fate guides you
To Shanghai, China, or Japan,
Forget not that on these shores
A heart beats for you.
In Rizal’s last and greatest poem posthumously entitled “Mi Ultimo Adios”,
there’s a line which reads, “Adios, dulce estranjera, mi amiga, mi alegria” which
is now commonly translated, “Farewell, sweet foreigner, my darling, my delight!”
As the line is conventionally accepted as Rizal’s farewell to his “dear unhappy
wife,” Josephine Bracken had thus earned the historical moniker, “Rizal’s dulce
estranjera (sweet foreigner).”
Josephine, for his part, had also immortalized her affection for Rizal through
her letters with which she consoled him when he was on his way to Cuba and
during his prison days. Some of her letters involved matters like sending him his
clothing and the foods he loved like a hundred sweet santoles, lansones, and
cheese. But Bracken’s (unedited) letter dated August 13, 1896 stands out as it
manifests the purity of her love to our national hero:
I am always sorry, thinking of you. Oh, dear, how I miss you, I will always be good
and faithful to you, and also do good to my companions so that the good God
will bring you back to me.
I will try all my best to be good to your family, especially to your dear old Parents:
“the hands that we cannot cut, lift it up and kiss it, or adore the hand that gives
the blow.” How it made the tears flew in my eyes when I read those few lines of
you. Say, darling, say it makes me think of our dear old hut in Dapitan and the
many sweet ours we have passed their.
Love, I will love you ever; love, I will leave thee never; ever to me precious to thee;
never to part, heart bound to heart, or ever to say goodbye.
So, my darling, receive many warm Affection and love from your ever faithful and
true till death.
Josephine Bracken
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Today, there’s a small street somewhere in Project 4, Quezon City which is
named in the memory of Rizal’s “dear unhappy wife”.
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JOSE RIZAL'S BITTER-SWEET LIFE IN DAPITAN
THE DEPORTEE could have stayed in
the Dapitan parish convent should he
retracted his ‘religious errors’ and made a
general confession of his past life. Not willing to
accede to these main conditions set by the
Jesuits, Jose Rizal instead opted to live at
commandant’s residence they called ‘Casa
Real’.
The commandant Captain Ricardo
Carnicero and Jose Rizal became good friends so much so that the exile did not
feel that the captain was actually his guard. Later in his life in Dapitan, Rizal wrote
a poem ‘A Don Ricardo Carnicero’ honoring the kind commandant on the
occasion of his birthday on August 26, 1892.
In September 1892, Rizal and Carnicero won in a lottery. The Manila Lottery
ticket no. 9736 jointly owned by Rizal, Carnicero, and a Spanish resident of Dipolog
won the second prize of Php 20, 0000. Rizal used some part of his share (Php 6,
200) in procuring a parcel of land near the coast of Talisay, a barrio near Dapitan.
On a property of more than 10 hectares, he put up three houses made of
bamboo, wood, and nipa. He lived in the house which was square in shape.
Another house, which was hexagonal, was the barn where Rizal kept his chickens.
In his octagonal house lived some of his pupils—for Rizal also established a school,
teaching young boys practical subjects like reading, writing, arithmetic,
geography, and Spanish and English languages. Later, he constructed additional
huts to accommodate his recovering out-of-town patients.
DAILY LIFE AS AN EXILE
During his exile, Rizal practiced medicine, taught some pupils, and
engaged in farming and horticulture. He grew many fruit trees (like coconut,
mango, lanzones, makopa, santol, mangosteen, jackfruit, guayabanos, baluno,
and nanka) and domesticated some animals (like rabbits, dogs, cats, and
chickens). The school he founded in 1893 started with only three pupils, and had
about more than 20 students at the time his exile ended.
Rizal would rise at five in the morning to see his plants, feed his animals, and
prepare breakfast. Having taken his morning meal, he would treat the patients
who had come to his house. Paddling his boat called ‘baroto’ (he had two of
them), he would then proceed to Dapitan town to attend to his other patients
there the whole morning.
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Rizal would return to Talisay to take his lunch. Teaching his pupils would begin at
about 2 pm and would end at 4 or 5 in the afternoon. With the help of his pupils,
Rizal would spend the rest of the afternoon in farming—planting trees, watering
the plants, and pruning the fruits. Rizal then would spend the night reading and
writing.
RIZAL AND THE JESUITS
The first attempt by the Jesuit friars to win back the deported Rizal to the
Catholic fold was the offer for him to live in the Dapitan convent under some
conditions. Refusing to compromise, Rizal did not stay with the parish priest
Antonio Obach in the Church convent.
Just a month after Rizal was deported to Dapitan, the Jesuit Order assigned
to Dapitan the priest Francisco de Paula Sanchez, Rizal’s favorite teacher in
Ateneo. Many times, they engaged in cordial religious discussions. But though
Rizal appreciated his mentor’s effort, he could not be convinced to change his
mind. Nevertheless, their differences in belief did not get in the way of their good
friendship.
The priest Pablo Pastells, superior of the Jesuit Society in the Philippines, also
made some attempts by correspondence to win over to Catholicism the exiled
physician. Four times they exchanged letters from September 1892 to April 1893.
The debate was none less than scholarly and it manifested Rizal’s knowledge of
the Holy Scriptures for he quoted verses from it. Though Rizal consistently attended
mass in Dapitan, he refused to espouse the conventional type of Catholicism.
ACHIEVEMENTS IN DAPITAN
Rizal provided significant community services in Dapitan like improving the
town’s drainage and constructing better water system using empty bottles and
bamboo joints. He also taught the town folks about health and sanitation so as to
avoid the spread of diseases. With his Jesuit priest friend Sanchez, Rizal made a
huge relief map of Mindanao in Dapitan plaza. Also, he bettered their forest by
providing evident trails, stairs, and some benches. He invented a wooden
machine for mass production of bricks. Using the bricks, he produced, Rizal built
a water dam for the community with the help of his students.
As the town’s doctor, Rizal equally treated all patients regardless of their
economic and social status. He accepted as ‘fees’ things like poultry and crops,
and at times, even gave his services to poor folks for free. His specialization was
ophthalmology but he also offered treatments to almost all kinds of diseases like
fever, sprain, broken bones, typhoid, and hernia.
Rizal also helped in the livelihood of the abaca farmers in Dapitan by trading
their crops in Manila. He also gave them lessons in abaca-weaving to produce
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hammocks. Noticing that the fishing method by the locals was inefficient, he
taught them better techniques like weaving and using better fishing nets.
AS A SCIENTIST AND PHILOLOGIST
Aside from doing archaeological excavations, Rizal inspected Dapitan’s
rich flora and fauna, providing a sort of taxonomy to numerous kinds of forest and
sea creatures. From his laboratory and herbarium, he sent various biological
specimens to scientists in Europe like his dear friend Doctor Adolph B. Meyer in
Dresden. In return, the European scholars sent him books and other academic
reading materials.
From the collections he sent to European scholars, at least three species
were named after him: a Dapitan frog (‘Rhacophorus rizali’), a type of beetle
(‘Apogonia rizali’), and a flying dragon (Draco rizali).
Having learned the Visayan language, he also engaged himself in the study
of language, culture, and literature. He examined local folklores, customs,
Tagalog grammar, and the Malay language. His intellectual products about
these subjects, he related to some European academicians like Doctor Reinhold
Rost, his close philologist friend in London.
SPIES AND SECRET EMISSARY
Not just once did Rizal learn that his ‘enemies’ sent spies to gather
incriminating proofs that Rizal was a separatist and an insurgent. Perhaps
disturbed by his conscience, a physician named Matias Arrieta revealed his
covert mission and asked for forgiveness after he was cured by Rizal (Bantug, p.
115).
In March 1895, a man introduced himself to Rizal as Pablo Mercado.
Claiming to be Rizal’s relative, this stranger eagerly volunteered to bring Rizal’s
letters to certain persons in Manila. Made suspicious by the visitor’s insistence, Rizal
interrogated him and it turned out that his real name was Florencio Nanaman of
Cagayan de Misamis, paid as secret agent by the Recollect friars. But because it
was raining that evening, the kind Rizal did not command Nanaman out of his
house but even let the spy spend the rainy night in his place.
In July the next year, a different kind of emissary was sent to Rizal. Doctor Pio
Valenzuela was sent to Dapitan by Andres Bonifacio—the Katipunan leader who
believed that carrying out revolt had to be sanctioned first by Rizal. Disguised as
a mere companion of a blind patient seeking treatment from Rizal, Valenzuela
was able to discreetly deliver the Katipunan’s message for Rizal. But Rizal politely
refused to approve the uprising, suggesting that peaceful means was far better
than violent ways in obtaining freedom. Rizal further believed that a revolution
would be unsuccessful without arms and monetary support from wealthy Filipinos.
He thus recommended that if the Katipunan was to start a revolution, it had to
ask for the support of rich and educated Filipinos, like Antonio Luna who was an
expert on military strategy (Bantug, p. 133).
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VISITED BY LOVED ONES
Rizal was in Dapitan when he learned that his true love Leonor Rivera had
died. What somewhat consoled his desolate heart was the visits of his mother and
some sisters.
In August 1893, Doña Teodora, along with daughter Trinidad, joined Rizal in
Dapitan and resided with him in his ‘casa cuadrada’ (square house). The son
successfully operated on his mother’s cataract.
At distinct times, Jose’s sisters Maria and Narcisa also visited him. Three of
Jose’s nephews also went to Dapitan and had their early education under their
uncle: Maria’s son Mauricio (Moris) and Lucia’s sons Teodosio (Osio) and
Estanislao (Tan). Jose’s niece Angelica, Narcisa’s daughter, also had experience
living for some time with her exiled uncle in Mindanao.
In 1895, Doña Teodora left Dapitan for Manila to be with Don Francisco who
was getting weaker. Shortly after the mother left, Josephine Bracken came to
Jose’s life. Josephine was an orphan with Irish blood and the stepdaughter of
Jose’s patient from Hongkong. Rizal and Bracken were unable to obtain a church
wedding because Jose would not retract his anti-Catholic views. He nonetheless
took Josephine as his common-law wife who kept him company and kept house
for him. Before the year ended in 1895, the couple had a child who was born
prematurely. The son who was named after Rizal’s father (Francisco) died a few
hours after birth. (For detailed discussion on Rizal-Bracken relationship, look for the
section “Josephine Bracken” under “Rizal’s love life”.)
GOODBYE DAPITAN
In 1895, Blumentritt informed Rizal that the revolution-ridden Cuba, another
nation colonized by Spain, was raged by yellow fever epidemic. Because there
was a shortage of physicians to attend to war victims and disease-stricken
people, Rizal in December 1895 wrote to the then Governor General Ramon
Blanco, volunteering to provide medical services in Cuba. Receiving no reply from
Blanco, Rizal lost interest in his request.
But on July 30, 1896, Rizal received a letter from the governor general
sanctioning his petition to serve as volunteer physician in Cuba. Rizal made
immediate preparations to leave, selling and giving as souvenirs to friends and
students his various properties.
In the late afternoon of July 31, Rizal got on the ‘España’ with Josephine,
Narcisa, a niece, three nephews, and three of his students. Many Dapitan folks,
especially Rizal’s students, came to see their beloved doctor for the last time.
Cordially bidding him goodbye, they shouted “Adios, Dr. Rizal!” and some of his
students even cried. With sorrowing heart, He waved his hand in farewell to the
generous and loving Dapitan folks, saying, “Adios, Dapitan!”
The steamer departed for Manila at midnight of July 31, 1896. With tears in
his eyes, Rizal later wrote in his diary onboard the ship, “I have been in that district
four years, thirteen days, and a few hours.”
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JOSE RIZAL: FROM DAPITAN TO BAGUMBAYAN
VARIOUS SIGNIFICANT EVENTS happened
during Rizal’s Dapitan-to-Manila trip.
Leaving Dapitan for Manila on July 31, 1896,
the steamer ‘España’ with Rizal as a passenger
made some stopovers in various areas. In
Dumaguete, Rizal had visited some friends like a
former classmate from Madrid and had cured a
sick Guardia Civil captain. In Cebu, he carried out
four operations and gave out prescriptions to other
patients. Going to Iloilo, he saw the historical
Mactan island. He went shopping and was
impressed by the Molo church in Iloilo. The ship then sailed to Capiz, to Romblon,
and finally to Manila.
IN MANILA
It is said that as the steamer approached Luzon, there was an attempt by
the Katipuneros to help Rizal escape (Bantug, p. 135). The Katipunero Emilio
Jacinto, disguising himself as a ship crew member, was supposed to have
managed to get close to Rizal, while another Katipunan member, Guillermo
Masankay, circled the ship in a boat. Firm in his aim to fulfill his mission in Cuba,
Rizal accordingly refused to be rescued by Katipunan’s envoys.
Rizal arrived in Manila on August 6, 1896, a day after the mail boat ‘Isla de
Luzon’ had left for Spain, and so he had to stay in Manila until the next steamer
arrived. Afraid that his one-month stay onboard the ship might bring him troubles,
he requested the governor general that he (Rizal) be isolated from everyone
except his family. The government reacted by transferring him near midnight of
the same day to the cruiser ‘Castilla’ docked at Cavite.
On August 19, the Katipunan plot to revolt against the Spanish authorities
was discovered through the confession of a certain Teodoro Patiño to Mariano
Gíl, Augustinian cura of Tondo. This discovery led to the arrest of many
Katipuneros. The Katipunan led by Bonifacio reacted by convening many of its
members and deciding to immediately begin the armed revolt. As a sign of their
commitment to the revolution, they tore their cedulas (residence certificates).
Katipunan’s first major assault happened on August 30 when the Katipuneros
attacked the 100 Spanish soldiers protecting the powder magazine in San Juan.
Because Spanish reinforcements arrived, about 150 Katipuneros were killed and
more than 200 were taken prisoner. This bloody encounter in San Juan and the
uprisings in other suburban Manila areas on that same day prompted the
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governor general to proclaim a state of war in Manila and other seven nearby
provinces.
On the same day (August 30), Blanco issued letters of recommendation on
Rizal’s behalf to Spanish Minister of War and Minister of Colonies with a cover letter
clearing Rizal of any connection to the raging revolution. On September 2, he was
transported to the ship ‘Isla de Panay.’
GOING TO SPAIN
The steamer ‘Isla de Panay’ left Manila for Barcelona the next day. Arriving
in Singapore on September 7, Rizal was urged by some Filipinos like his copassenger Don Pedro Roxas and Singaporean resident Don Manuel Camus to
stay in the British-controlled territory. Trusting Blanco’s words, Rizal refused to stay
in Singapore. Without his knowledge however, Blanco and the Ministers of War
and the Colonies had been exchanging telegrams, planning his arrest upon
reaching Barcelona.
As ‘Isla de Panay’ made a stopover at Port Said, Egypt on September 27,
the passengers had known that the uprising in the Philippines got worsen as
thousands of Spanish soldiers were dispatched to Manila and many Filipinos were
either killed in the battle, or arrested and executed. Rizal had the feeling that he
had already been associated to the Filipino revolution as his co-passengers
became aloof to him. A day after, he wrote a letter to Blumentritt informing him
that he (Rizal) received an information that Blanco had an order to arrest him.
Before reaching Malta on September 30, he was officially ordered to stay in his
cabin until further orders from Blanco come.
With Rizal as a prisoner onboard, the ‘Isla de Panay’ anchored at Barcelona
on October 3, 1896. He was placed under heavy guard by the then Military
Commander of Barcelona, General Eulogio Despujol, the same former governor
general who deported Rizal to Dapitan in 1892. Early in the morning of October 6,
he was transported to Monjuich prison-fortress. In the afternoon, he was brought
to Despujol who told him that there was an order to ship him (Rizal) back to Manila
in the evening.
He was then taken aboard the ship ‘Colon’ which left for Manila at 8 pm.
The ship was full of Spanish soldiers and their families who were under orders not
to go near or talk to Rizal. Though he was allowed to take walks on deck during
the journey, he was locked up and handcuffed before reaching any port.
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LAST HOMECOMING
Arriving in Manila as a prisoner on November 3, 1896, Rizal was detained in
Fort Santiago where he had been imprisoned four years ago. To gather pieces of
evidence against him, some of his friends, acquaintances, members of the ‘La
Liga,’ and even his brother Paciano were tortured and forcibly questioned. As a
preliminary investigation, Rizal underwent a series of interrogation administered
by one of the judges, Colonel Francisco Olive—the same military leader who led
the troops that forced the Rizal family to vacate their Calamba home in 1890.
Those who were coerced to testify against Rizal were not allowed to be crossexamined by the accused.
Rizal is said to have admitted knowing most of those questioned, “though
he would deny to the end that he knew either Andres Bonifacio or Apolinario
Mabini” (Bantug, p. 139).
Fifteen pieces of documentary evidence were presented—Rizal’s letters,
letters of his compatriots like Marcelo del Pilar and Antonio Luna, a poem
(Kundiman), a Masonic document, two transcripts of speech of Katipuneros
(Emilio Jacinto and Jose Turiano Santiago), and Rizal’s poem ‘A Talisay.’ The
testimonial evidence involved the oral testimonies of 13 Filipinos notably including
that of La Liga officers like Ambrosio Salvador and Deodato Arellano, and the
Katipunero Pio Valenzuela.
Olive submitted the reports to Blanco on November 26 and Captain Rafael
Dominguez was assigned as special Judge Advocate in Rizal’s case. Dominguez
made a summary of the case and delivered it to Blanco who subsequently sent
the papers to Judge Advocate General Don Nicolas Dela Peña. After examining
the case, Peña recommended that (1) Rizal be instantly brought to trial, (2) he
must be kept in jail, (3) an order of attachment be issued against his property, and
(4) a Spanish army officer, not a civilian lawyer, be permitted to defend him in
court.
On December 8, Rizal was given the restricted right to choose his lawyer
from a list of 100 Spanish army officers. He chose Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade who
turned out to be the younger brother of his bodyguard-friend in Calamba in 1887,
Jose Taviel de Andrade. Three days after (December 11), the formal charges
were read to Rizal in his prison cell, with Andrade on his side. In short, he was
accused of being the main organizer and the ‘living soul’ of the revolution having
proliferated ideas of rebellion and of founding illegal organizations. He pleaded
not guilty to the crime of rebellion and explained that ‘La Liga’, the constitution
of which he wrote, was just a civic organization.
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On December 13, the day Camilo G. de Polavieja replaced Blanco as
governor general, papers of Rizal’s criminal case were sent to Malacañang.
Concern about the welfare of his people, Rizal on December 15 wrote a
manifesto appealing to the revolutionaries to discontinue the uprising and pursue
to attain liberty instead by means of education and of labor. But de la Peña
interpreted the manifesto as all the more advocating the spirit of rebellion as it
ultimately willed the Filipino liberty. Polavieja thus disallowed to issue Rizal’s
manifesto.
THE RAT IN THE KANGAROO COURT
On December 26 morning, the Filipino patriot who was once figuratively
referred to by Spanish officials as a ‘trapped rat’ appeared in the kangaroo court
inside the military building, Cuartel de España. He was tried before seven
members of the military court with Lt. Col. Jose Togores Arjona acting as the
president.
Judge Advocate Dominguez presented Rizal’s criminal case followed by
the lengthy speech of Prosecuting Attorney Enrique de Alcocer. To appeal to the
emotions of the Spanish judges, Alcocer went as far as dramatically mentioning
the Spanish soldiers who had died in the Filipino traitorous revolt and discriminately
describing Rizal as “a typical ‘Oriental,’ who had presumed to rise from a lower
social scale in order to attain powers and positions that could never be his”
(Bantug, p. 144). At the end, Alcocer petitioned for a death sentence for Rizal
and an indemnity of twenty thousand pesos.
Rizal’s defense counsel, Lt. Andrade, then took the floor and tried his very
best to save his client by reading his responsive defense, stressing too that it’s but
natural for anyone to yearn for liberty and independence. Afterward, Rizal was
allowed to read his complementary defense consisting of logical proofs that he
could have not taken part in the revolution and that La Liga was distinct from
Katipunan. He argued, among others, that he even advised the Katipunan
emissary (Valenzuela) in Dapitan not to pursue with the plan to revolt; the
revolutionists had used his name without his knowledge; he could have escaped
either in Dapitan or Singapore if he were guilty; and the civic group La Liga which
died out upon his exile did not serve the purpose of the uprising, and he had no
knowledge about its reformation.
Lt. Col. Arjona then declared the trial over. Expectedly, the entire defense
was indifferently disregarded in Rizal’s mock trial as it instantaneously considered
him guilty and unanimously voted for the death sentence.
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The trial ended with the reading of the sentence. Doctor Jose Rizal was found
guilty. The sentence was death by firing squad.
On December 28, Governor General Polavieja signed the court decision
and decreed that the guilty be executed by firing squad at 7 a.m. of December
30, 1896 at Bagumbayan (Luneta). Because Rizal was also required to sign the
verdict, he stoically signed his own death sentence.
RIZAL’S LAST 25 HOURS
Accounts on Rizal’s last hours vary and largely depend on the historian one
is reading. What happened in Rizal’s life from 6 a.m. of December 29, 1896 until
his execution was perhaps the most controversial in his biography, for the divisive
claims—like his supposed retraction and Catholic marriage with Bracken—
allegedly occurred within this time frame.
Standard biography nonetheless states that at 6 a.m. of December 29,
Judge Advocate Dominguez formally read the death sentence to Rizal. At about
7 a.m., he was transferred to either his ‘death cell’ or ‘prison chapel’. He was
visited by Jesuit priests, Miguel Saderra Mata and Luis Viza. They brought the
medal of the Ateneo’s Marian Congregation of which Rizal was a member and
the wooden statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus he had carved in the school. Rizal
put the wooden image on his table while he rejected the medal saying "Im little
of a Marian, Father.” (“Last Hours of Rizal”).
At 8 a.m., the priest Antonio Rosell arrived, after his co-priest Viza left. Rizal
shared his breakfast with Rosell. Later, Lt. Andrade came and Rizal thanked his
defense lawyer. Santiago Mataix of the Spanish newspaper ‘El Heraldo de
Madrid’ interviewed Rizal at about 9 a.m. Then came the priest Federico Faura at
about 10 a.m. He advised Rizal to forget about his resentment and marry
Josephine canonically. The two had heated discussion about religion as
witnessed by Rosell (“Last Hours of Rizal”).
Two other priests, Jose Vilaclara and Vicente Balaguer (missionary in
Dapitan) also visited Rizal at about 11 a.m. The Jesuits tried to convince Rizal to
write a retraction. Though still believing in the Holy Scriptures, Rizal supposedly
refused to retract his anti-Catholic views, exclaiming, “Look, Fathers, if I should
assent to all you say and sign all you want me to, just to please you, neither
believing nor feeling, I would be a hypocrite and would then be offending God.”
(Bantug, p. 148).
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At 12 noon, Rizal was left alone in his cell. He had his lunch, read the Bible,
and meditated. About this time, Balaguer reported to the Archbishop that only a
little hope remained that Rizal would retract (“Last Hours of Rizal”). Refusing to
receive visitors for the meantime, Rizal probably finished his last poem at this
moment. Rizal also wrote to Blumentritt his last letter in which he called the
Austrian scholar “my best, my dearest friend”.
He then had a talk with priests Estanislao March and Vilaclara at about 2
p.m. Balaguer then returned to Rizal’s cell at 3:30 p.m. and allegedly discussed
(again) about Rizal’s retraction (Zaide, p. 265). Rizal then wrote letters and
dedications and rested for short.
At 4 p.m., the sorrowful Doña Teodora and Jose’s sisters came to see the
sentenced Rizal. The mother was not allowed a last embrace by the guard
though her beloved son, in quiet grief, managed to press a kiss on her hand.
Dominguez is said to have been moved with compassion at the sight of Rizal’s
kneeling before his mother and asking forgiveness. As the dear visitors were
leaving, Jose handed over to Trinidad an alcohol cooking stove, a gift from the
Pardo de Taveras, whispering to her in a language which the guards could not
comprehend, “There is something in it.” That ‘something’ was Rizal’s elegy now
known as “Mi Ultimo Adios.”
The Dean of the Manila Cathedral, Don Silvino Lopez Tuñon, came to
exchange some views with Rizal at about 5:30 p.m. Balaguer and March then left,
leaving Vilaclara and Tuñon in Rizal’s cell. As Rosell was leaving at about 6 p.m.,
Josephine Bracken arrived in Fort Santiago. Rizal called for her and they
emotionally talked to each other (“Last Hours of Rizal”). At 7 p.m., Faura returned
and convinced Rizal to trust him and other Ateneo professors. After some quiet
moments, Rizal purportedly confessed to Faura (“Last Hours of Rizal”).
Rizal then took his last supper at about 8 p.m. and attended to his personal
needs. He then told Dominguez that he had forgiven his enemies and the military
judges who sentenced him to death. At about 9 or 9:30 p.m., Manila’s Royal
Audiencia Fiscal Don Gaspar Cestaño came and had an amiable talk with Rizal.
Historian Gregorio F. Zaide alleged that at 10 p.m. Rizal and some Catholic
priests worked on the hero’s retraction (Zaide & Zaide, pp. 265-266). Supposedly,
Balaguer brought to Rizal a retraction draft made by Archbishop Bernardino
Nozaleda (1890-1903) but Rizal did not like it for being long. A shorter retraction
made by Jesuit Pio Pi was then offered to Rizal which he allegedly liked. So it is
said that he wrote his retraction renouncing freemasonry and his anti-Catholic
ideas. Zaide nonetheless admitted that the supposed retraction is now a (very)
controversial document. For many reasons, Rizal’s assumed retraction and his
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supposed church marriage with Bracken have been considered highly dubious
by many Rizal scholars.
Rizal then spent the night resting until the crack of dawn of December,
perhaps praying and meditating once in a while. Zaide however alleged that at
3 a.m., Rizal heard Mass, confessed sins, and took Communion.
At about 4 a.m., he picked up the book ‘Imitation of Christ’ by Thomas a
Kempis, read, and meditated. At 5 a.m. he washed up, attended to his personal
needs, read the Bible, and contemplated. For breakfast, he was given three
boiled eggs. Rizal’s grandniece Asuncion Lopez-Rizal Bantug mentioned “three
soft-boiled eggs” and narrated that Rizal ate two of them (Bantug, pp. 151-152).
Known historian Ambeth R. Ocampo, on the other hand, wrote “three hard-boiled
eggs” and related that Rizal “did not have any breakfast” (Ocampo, p. 227). Both
historians however wrote that Rizal placed the boiled egg (or eggs) to a cell
corner, saying in effect, “This is for the rats, let them celebrate likewise!”
Afterward, Rizal wrote letters, one addressed to his family and another to
Paciano. To his family, he partly wrote, “I ask you for forgiveness for the pain I
cause you … I die resigned, hoping that with my death you will be left in peace…”
He also left this message to his sisters: “I enjoin you to forgive one another… Treat
your old parents as you would like to be treated by your children later. Love them
very much in my memory.” To Paciano, he partially wrote, “I am thinking now how
hard you have worked to give me a career … I know that you have suffered much
on my account, and I am sorry.”
Though some accounts state that Bracken was forbidden from seeing Rizal
on this fateful day, Zaide wrote that at 5:30 a.m., she and Rizal’s sister Josefa
came. The couple was said to have embraced for the last time and Rizal gave to
Josephine the book ‘Imitation of Christ’ on which he wrote the dedication: “To my
dear and unhappy wife, Josephine/ December 30th, 1896/ Jose Rizal”.
Before Rizal made his death march to Bagumbayan, he managed to pen
his last letters to his beloved parents. To Don Francisco, he wrote, “Pardon me for
the pain which I repay you … Good bye, Father, goodbye…”. Perhaps told by
the authorities that the march was about to begin, Rizal managed to write only
the following to his mother:
To my very dear Mother,
Sra. Dña. Teodora Alonso
6 o’clock in the morning, December 30, 1896.
Jose Rizal
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At 6:30 a.m., Rizal in black suit and black bowler hat, tied elbow to elbow,
began his slow walk to Bagumbayan. He walked along with his defense lawyer,
Andrade, and two Jesuit priests, March and Vilaclara. In front of them were the
advance guard of armed soldiers and behind them were another group of
military men. The sound of a trumpet signaled the start of the death march and
the muffled sound of drums served as the musical score of the walk.
Early in that morning, plenty of people had eagerly lined the streets. Some
were sympathetic to him, others—especially the Spaniards—wanted nothing less
than to see him die. Some observed that Rizal kept keenly looking around and “it
was believed that his family or the Katipuneros would make a last-minute effort to
spring him from the trap” (Ocampo, p. 228).
Once in a while, Rizal conversed with the priests, commenting on things like
his happy years in the Ateneo as they passed by Intramuros. Commenting on the
clear morning, he was said to have uttered something like, “What a beautiful
morning! On days like this, I used to talk a walk here with my sweetheart.”
After some minutes, they arrived at the historic venue of execution. Filipino
soldiers were deliberately chosen to compose the firing squad. Behind them stood
their Spanish counterparts, ready to execute them also should they decline to do
the job.
There was just a glitch in the proceeding as Rizal refused to kneel and
declined the traditional blindfold. Maintaining that he was not a traitor to his
country and to Spain, he even requested to face the firing squad. After some
sweet-talk, Rizal agreed to turn his back to the firing squad but requested that he
be shot not in the head—but in the small of the back instead.
When agreement had been reached, Rizal thankfully shook the hand of his
defense lawyer. The military physician then asked permission to feel the pulse of
the man who had only a few minutes to live and the doctor was startled to find it
normal. Before leaving Rizal in his appointed place, the priests offered him a
crucifix to kiss “but he turned his head away and silently prepared for his death”
(Ambeth Ocampo, p. 228).
When the command had been given, the executioners’ guns barked at
once. Rizal yelled Christ’s two last words “Consummatum est!” (“It is finished!”)
simultaneously with his final effort to twist his bullet-pierced body halfway around.
Facing the sky, Jose Rizal fell on the ground dead at exactly 7:03 in the
morning of December 30, 1896.
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THE DEATH OF JOSE RIZAL: AMBETH OCAMPO’S VERSION
Editor’s note: The following is the article written by today’s most famous Filipino
historian Ambeth R. Ocampo on Jose Rizal’s death. Simply entitled, “The Death of
Jose Rizal,” this historical piece by the current head of the National Historical
Institute (of the Philippines) could be deemed refreshing and controversial, as it
offers several unpopular and unorthodox accounts of what (presumably)
transpired on the day of Rizal’s execution. For one thing, it virtually proclaims that
Rizal refused to kiss the crucifix before he was executed, thereby negating the
claim of other historians (like Zaide) that the national hero even asked for this
Catholic sacramental. Happy reading!
"THE OBSERVANT WILL NOTICE metal footprints on the pavement running
from Fort Santiago to the Luneta in seafront Manila. They resemble dancing
patterns, but actually trace the last steps of Jose Rizal as he walked from his prison
cell to the site of his execution on December 30, 1896. The Rizal Centennial
Commission claims that the footprints are based on Rizal’s actual shoe size. When
people ask why the steps are so small, the quick reply is: “If you are walking to
your death, would you hurry?”
The slow walk to Bagumbayan field (as Rizal Park or the Luneta was once
called) began at 6:30 a.m. on a cool, clear morning. Rizal was dressed in black
coat and trousers and a white shirt and waistcoat. He was tied elbow to elbow,
but held up his head in a chistera or bowler hat. A bugler signaled his passage,
while the roll of drums muffled in black cloth gave cadence to his gait.
From Fort Santiago he took a right turn, and walked along the Paseo Maria
Cristina (now Bonifacio Drive), which gave him a view lifting the darkness over
Manila Bay on the right, and a last glimpse of Intramuros, shadowed by the missing
sun, on his left. He walked between two Jesuits, Father Estanislao March and
Father Jose Villaclara. They too were in black – the trademark black hats, tunics,
and heavy coats that made the young Rizal and his Ateneo schoolmates refer to
them as paniki (bats, or colloquially perhaps, batmen). Behind Rizal walked the
brother of his former bodyguard, Lieutenant Luis Taviel de Andrade, who had
vainly defended him in a farce masquerading as a trial.
The streets were lined with people who wanted to see the condemned
man, since Rizal was many things to different people: “leader of the revolution,”
physician, novelist, poet, sculptor, heretic, subversive. Rizal was a person one
could not be neutral about. Like him or hate him, he was a celebrity.
Although he was walking to his death, eyewitnesses describe Rizal as
serene – a bit pale, not because of fear of his fate, but because he had not had
any breakfast. All he had been given were three hard-boiled eggs, which he took
to a corner of his prison cell, saying, “This is for the rats; let them have a fiesta, too.”
Then he left his cell.
Rizal is said to have nodded left and right to acknowledge familiar faces
in crowd. From time to time he smiled, and is said to have made a few jokes, and
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laughed at these himself because the Jesuits flanking him remained somber.
Others noticed his eyes dart quickly from left to right, and some believed that
members of his family or the Katipuneros would make a last-ditch effort to save
him from death. Was Rizal waiting for help that never came? And perhaps for an
opportunity to spurn that help? Had he expected to see his family by the
roadside? We will never know more than the fact that he was walking to his
destiny.
In the clear morning Rizal could probably see as far as Susong Dalaga, and
appreciate the silhouette of a naked woman on the mountain range across from
Manila Bay. “What a beautiful morning!” he said, “On mornings like this I used to
take walks here with my sweetheart.” Before reaching Bagumbayan, he glanced
at Intramuros, sighed, and seeing the spires of the church of San Ignacio, said: “Is
that the Ateneo? I spent many happy years there.” The Jesuits’ response is not
recorded.
Someone had the foresight to take a photograph of the execution. The
scene looked like a box, lined, three or four people deep, on three sides. The
empty fourth side faced the bay, and the executioners’ line of fire. Eight Filipino
soldiers armed with Remingtons formed the firing squad. Behind them stood the
drummers and another line of Spanish soldiers with Mausers, ready to shoot the
Filipinos if they refused to shoot, or purposely missed their target.
When everyone was in place, there was a slight delay because Rizal
refused the customary blindfold, and asked to face the firing squad. The Spanish
captain who had guided Rizal to the site insisted that he be shot in the back as
ordered, because he was a traitor to Spain. Rizal declared that he had never
been a traitor to the country of his birth or to Spain. After some coaxing, Rizal
finally turned his back, but again refused the blindfold, and furthermore refused
to kneel.
After all this haggling he made one last request: that the executioners
spare his head, and shoot him in the back towards the heart. When the captain
agreed, Rizal clasped the hand of Lieutenant Taviel de Andrade and thanked
him once more for the vain effort of defending him before the military court that
sentenced him to death.
Meanwhile, a curious Spanish military doctor felt Rizal’s pulse, and was
surprised to find it regular and normal. The Jesuits were the last to leave the
condemned man. They raised the crucifix to his face and lips, but he turned his
head away and silently prepared to meet death.
The captain raised his saber in the air, ordered his men to get ready, and
barked the order: “Preparen!” This was followed by the order to aim the rifles:
“Apunten!” In the split second before the saber was brought down with the order
to fir – “Fuego!” – Rizal shouted the last two words of the crucified Christ:
“Consummatum est!” (It is done).
The shots rang out, the bullets hit their mark, and Rizal executed that
carefully choreographed twist that he had practiced years before, which made
him fall faced up on the ground. People held their breath as soldiers came up to
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the corpse and gave Rizal the tiro de gracia, one last merciful shot in the head at
close range to make sure he was really dead.
A small dog, the military mascot, ran around the corpse whining, and the
crowd moved in for a closer look, but were kept at bay by the soldiers who stood
in the first row of spectators.
After a short silence, someone shouted:
“Long live Spain! Death to the traitor!” The
crowd did not respond. An officer approached
the person who had shouted, and berated him.
To fill in the gap, the military band played
the Marcha de Cadiz.
It was 7:03 a.m. The show was over."
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