Jose Rizal: Life, Works and Writings

Rizal and His Times

The World of Rizal's Times

February 19, 1861-the liberal Czar Alexander II (1855-1881), issued a proclamation

emancipating 22,500,000 serfs, to appease the rising discontent of the Russian masses.
1861-1865 - the American Civil War was raging furiously in the United States over the issue of
Negro slavery and eventually the conflict erupted on April 12, 1861.
September 22, 1863- President Lincoln issued his famous Emancipation Proclamation on
freeing the Negro slaves.
June 1, 1861- Benito Juarez, a full-blooded Zapotec Indian, was elected President of Mexico.
April 1862- Emperor Napoleon III of the Second French Empire, in his imperialistic desire to
secure a colonial stake in Latin America, sent French troops which invaded and conquered
Mexico.
President Juarez -owing to the raging American Civil War, could not obtain military aid from his
friend, President Lincoln, but he continued to resist the French invaders with his valiant Indian
and Mexican freedom fighters.
June 12, 1864 - Napoleon III, installed Archduke Maximilian of Austria as puppet emperor of
Mexico at Mexico City to consolidate his occupation of Mexico.
May 15, 1867- Juarez, with U.S. support, defeated Maximilian's French forces in the Battle of
Queretaro.
June 19, 1867- Juarez executed Emperor Maximilian. Thus fizzled out Emperor Napoleon III's
ambition to colonize Latin America.
Count Cavour and of Garibaldi and his Army of “Red Shirts” drove out the Austrians and
French armies from Italy and proclaimed the Kingdom of Italy under King Victor Emmanuel, with
Rome as capital city.
January 18, 1871- The Prussians led by Otto von Bismarck, the “Iron Chancellor”, defeated
France in the Franco-Prussian War and established the German Empire with King Wilhelm of
Prussia as first Kaiser of the German Empire.
England- emerged as the world's leading imperialist power during Rizal’s times.
1837-1901 - the glorious reign of Queen Victoria proudly asserted: “Britannia rules the
waves.”
1840-1842- She won the First Opium War against the tottering Chinese Empire under the
Manchu dynasty, she acquired the island of Hong Kong (Fragrant Harbor).
1856-1860 – she won the Second Opium War and forced the helpless Manchu dynasty to
cede the Kowloon Peninsula opposite Hong Kong.
1859 - after "suppressing the Indian Rebellion and dismantling the Mogul Empire, she imposed
her raj (rule) over the subcontinent of India (now consisting of India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh).
1824-26, 1852, and 1885 – she won the Three Anglo-Burmese Wars and conquered Burma.
British colonies in Asia- Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Maldives, Aden, Malaya, Singapore, and Egypt.
Australia and New Zealand in the South Pacific also became British colonies.
1858- 1863- France, with the help of Filipino troops under Spanish officers, conquered
Vietnam: annexed Cambodia (1863) and Laos (1893), and merged all these countries into a
federated colony under the name of French Indochina.
17th century - The Dutch, after driving away the Portuguese and Spaniards from the East
Indies colonized this vast and rich archipelago and named it the Netherlands East Indies
(now Indonesia).
Czarist Russia- turned eastward to Asia, conquering Siberia and later occupied Kamchatka,
Kuriles, and Alaska (which she sold in 1867 to the U.S. for 57,200,000).
1865 -1884 - she conquered the Muslim Khanates of Bokhara, Khiva, and Kokand in Central
Asia. Expanding towards (China, Czarist Russia joined England, France, and Germany in the
despoliation of the crumbling Chinese Empire, acquiring Manchuria as a “sphere of
influence,” thus enabling her to build the 5,800-mile Trans-Siberian Railway, reputed to be
“the world's longest railroad” linking Vladivostok and Moscow.

1
July 8, 1853- an American squadron under the command of Commodore Matthew C. Perry
re-opened Japan to the world which ended Japan's 214-year isolation (1639- 1853).
Emperor Meiji (Mutsuhito) - modernized the country by freely accepting Western influences,
including imperialism.
1894-1895 - Japan fought the weak China in the Sino-Japanese War and grabbed Formosa
(Taiwan) and Pescadores.
1910 - she annexed Korea.
January 1871 - Germany became a sovereign state.
August 25, 1885- a German warship, the Ilties, entered the harbor of Yap (an island in the
Carolines), landing the German marines who seized the island, hoisted the German flag and
proclaimed the Carolines and Palaus archipelagoes as colonies of Germany.
October 22, 1885- Pope Leo XIII issued his decision favoring Spain, recognizing Spain's
sovereignty over the Carolines and Palaus, but granting two concessions to Germany --- (1) the
right to trade in the disputed archipelagoes and (2) the right to establish a coaling station in Yap
for the German navy.
Spain - the “mistress of the world,” was stagnating as a world power.
Siglo de Oro (Golden Age) - the dalliance of the imperial glory of her vanished.
The former Spanish colonies that rose in arms against Spanish tyranny and achieved their
independence: In Latin America, Paraguay (1811), Argentina (1816), Chile (1817),
Colombia and Ecuador (1819), the Central American countries (Costa Rica, Honduras,
Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua) in 1821, Venezuela (1822), Peru (1824), and
Bolivia and Uruguay (1825). Evidently, Spain never learned a lesson from the loss of these
colonies, for she continued a despotic rule in her remaining overseas colonies, including Cuba,
Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.

The Philippines of Rizal's Times

Instability of Colonial Administration

1808-1833 - the turbulent reign of King Ferdinand VII marked the beginning of political chaos
in Spain.
1834 to 1862 -Spain had adopted four constitutions, elected 28 parliaments, and installed no
less than 529 ministers with portfolios, followed in subsequent years by party strifes, revolutions,
and other political upheavals.”
This political instability in Spain adversely affected Philippine affairs because it brought about
frequent periodic shifts in colonial policies and a periodic rigodon of colonial officials. For
instance, from 1835 to 1897, the Philippines was ruled by 50 governors general, each serving an
average term of only one year and three. months.” At one time -- from December 1853 to
November 1854 -- a period of less than a year, there were four governors-general.
The frequent change of colonial officials hampered the political and economic development of
the Philippines. Hardly had one governor-general begun his administration when he was soon
replaced by his successor. Naturally, no chief executive, no matter how able and energetic he
was, could accomplish much for the colony.
Corrupt Colonial Officials.
With few exceptions, the colonial officials (governors-general, judges, provincial executives, etc.)
sent by Spain to the Philippines in the 19th century were a far cry from their able and dedicated
predecessors of the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. They were either highly corrupt,
incompetent, cruel, or venal. Apparently, they symbolized the decadent Spain of the 19th
century -- not Spain of the Siglo de Oro which produced Miguel Cervantes, Lope .de Vega,
Calderon de la Barca, El Greco (Domenico Theotocopuli), Velasquez, St. Theresa de Avila, and
other glories of the Hispanic nation.
General Rafael de lzquierdo (1871-73) - a boastful and ruthless governor general, aroused
the anger of the Filipinos by executing the innocent Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and
Jacinto Zamora, the “Martyrs of 1872".
Admiral Jose Malcampo (1874-77) - was a good Moro fighter, but was an inept and weak
administrator. General Fernando Primo de Rivera - governor general for two terms (1890-83
2
and 1897-98), enriched himself by accepting bribes from gambling casinos in Manila which he
scandalously permitted to operate.
General Valeriano Weyler (1888-91) - a cruel and corrupt governor general of Hispanic-
German ancestry, arrived in Manila a poor man and returned to Spain a millionaire. He received
huge bribes and gifts of diamonds for his wife from wealthy Chinese who evaded the anti-
Chinese law. The Filipinos scornfully called him “tyrant” because of his brutal persecution of the
Calamba tenants, particularly the family of Dr. Rizal. The Cubans contemptuously cursed him as
“The Butcher” because of his ruthless reconcentration policy during his brief governorship in
Cuba in 1896, causing the death of thousands of Cubans.
General Camilo de Polavieja (1896-97) -an able militarist but heartless governor general,
was widely detested by the Filipino people for executing Dr. Rizal.
Tomas de Comyn (1810) - Spanish writer and government official, bewailed the obnoxious fact
that ignorant barbers and lackeys were appointed provincial governors, and rough sailors and
soldiers were named district magistrates and garrison commanders.”
Philippine Representation in Spanish Cortes. To win the support of her overseas colonies
during the Napoleonic invasion, Spain granted them representation in the Cortes (Spanish
parliament).
1810 to 1813 - the Philippines experienced her first period of representation in the Cortes.
Ventura de los Reyes- the first Philippine delegate, took active part in the framing of the
Constitution of 1812, Spain's first democratic constitution, and was one of its 184 signers.
This constitution was extended to the Philippines. Another achievement of Delegate De los
Reyes was the abolition of the galleon trade.
The second period of representation (1820-23) and the third period (1834-37) -were
less fruitful because the Philippine delegates were not as energetic and devoted in parliamentary
work as De los Reyes. Unfortunately, the representation of the overseas colonies (including the
Philippines) in the Spanish Cortes was abolished in 1837. Since then, Philippine conditions
worsened because there was no means by which the Filipino people could expose the anomalies
perpetrated by the colonial officials.
Graciano Lopez Jaena - the silver-tongued, implored in sonorous Castilian on October 12,
1883, during the 391st anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus in Madrid: “We
want representation in the legislative chamber so that our aspirations may be known to the
mother country and its government.”
Lamentably Spain ignored the fervent plea of Lopez Jaena and his compatriots. Their grievance
was embittered by the fact that Cuba and Puerto Rico were granted representation in the Cortes
by the Spanish Constitution of 1876. Until the end of Spanish rule in 1898, Philippine
representation in the Cortes was never restored. No wonder, Jose Rizal, M.H. del Pilar, Graciano
Lopez Jaena, and other youthful patriots launched the Propaganda Movement, which paved the
way for the Philippine Revolution of 1896.
Human Rights Denied to Filipinos. Since the adoption of the Spanish Constitution of 1812
and other constitutions in succeeding years, the people of Spain enjoyed freedom of speech,
freedom of the press, freedom of association, and other human rights (except freedom of
religion). The Spaniards ardently guarded these rights so that no Spanish monarch dared
abolish them. Strangely enough, the Spanish authorities who cherished these human rights or
constitutional liberties in Spain denied them to the Filipinos in Asia.
Sinibaldo de Mas- Spanish economist and diplomat lamented this inconsistency and wrote in
1843: “Why do we fall into an anomaly, such as combining our claim for liberty for ourselves, and
our wish to impose our law on remote peoples? Why do we deny to others the benefit which we
desire for our fatherland?
No Equality Before the Law. The Spanish missionaries, who introduced Christianity into the
Philippines as early as in the 16th century, taught that all men, irrespective of color and race, are
children of God and as such they are brothers, equal before God. However, the Spanish colonial
authorities, who were Christians, did not implement Christ's precept of the brotherhood of all
men under the fatherhood of God. Especially during the last decades of Hispanic rule, they
arrogantly regarded the brown-skinned Filipinos as inferior beings, not their Christian brothers to
be protected but rather as their majesty's subjects to be exploited. To their imperialist way of
3
thinking, brown Filipinos and white Spaniards may be equal before God, but not before the law
and certainly not in practice.
Maladministration of Justice. The courts of justice in the Philippines during Rizal's time were
notoriously corrupt. Verily, “they were courts of “injustice”, as far as the brown Filipinos were
concerned. The Spanish judges, fiscals (prosecuting attorneys), and other court officials were
inept, venal, and oftentimes ignorant of law. Wealth, social prestige, and color of skin were
preponderant factors in winning a case in court. Irrespective of the weight of evidence, a rich
man or a Spaniard, whose skin was white, easily achieved victory in any litigation. Dr. Rizal and
his family were victims of Spanish injustice. Twice, first in 1871 and second in 1891, Dofia
Teodora (Rizal's mother) was unjustly arrested and jailed on flimsy grounds. Rizal himself was
deported in July, 1892 to Dapitan without benefit of a trial. His brother Paciano and several
brothers-in-law were exiled to various parts of the archipelago without due process of law. Like
Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, Rizal was executed -- a noble victim of
Spanish miscarriage of justice.
Racial Discrimination. Spaniards and their mestizo satellites derisively called the brown-
skinned and flat-nosed Filipinos “Indios” (Indians). In retaliation, the Filipinos jealously
dubbed their pale-complexioned detractors with the disparaging term “bangus”
(milkfish). During Rizal's time a white skin, a high nose, and Castilian lineage were a badge of
vaunted superiority. Hence, a Spaniard or a mestizo, no matter how stupid or mongrel-born he
was, always enjoyed political and social prestige in the community.
Father Jose Burgos (1837-1872) bewailed the Spanish misconception that a man's merit
depended on the pigment of his skin, the height of his nose, the color of his hair, and the shape
of his skull, and com- - plained of the lack of opportunities for educated young Filipinos to rise in
the service of God and country. “Why for instance,” he lamented, “shall a young man strive to
rise in the profession of law or of theology, when he can vision no future for himself save that of
obscurity and jaunty unconcern? What Filipino will aspire to the seats of the wise and will devote
sleepless nights to such an ideal, when he clearly sees that his noblest feelings are crushed
down in the unwelcome atmosphere of contumely and oblivion, and when he knows that among
the privileged few only are dispensed the sinecures of honor and profit?”
Frailocracy. Owing to the Spanish political philosophy of union of Church and State, there arose
a unique form of government in Hispanic Philippines called “frailocracy” (frailocracia), so named
because it was “a government by friars”. History discloses that since the days of the Spanish
conquest, the friars (Augustinians, Dominicans, and Franciscans) controlled the religious and
educational life of the Philippines, and later in the 19th century they came to acquire
tremendous political power, influence, and riches.
Forced Labor - known as the polo, it was the compulsory labor imposed by the Spanish colonial
authorities on adult Filipino males. Originally, Filipino males from 16 to 60 years old were
obliged to render forced labor for 40 days a year. Later, the Royal Decree of July 12, 1883,
implemented by the New Regulations promulgated by the Council of State of February 3, 1885,
increased the minimum age of the polistas (those who performed the forced labor) from
16 to 18 and reduced the days of labor from 40 to 15. Falla- was a sum of money paid to the
government to be exempted from the polo.
Haciendas Owned by the Friars. During Rizal's times the Spanish friars belonging to different
religious orders were the richest landlords, for they owned the best haciendas (agricultural lands)
in the Philippines. The rural folks, who had been living in these haciendas and cultivating them
generation after gener- ation became tenants.

Advent of A National Hero

Name: José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda

Pen Names: Laong Laan and Dimasalang
Pets: Alipato(Pony) and Usman (Big black dog)
Nickname: Jose was called “Ute” by his brother and sisters and the townspeople of Calamba
called him “Pepe” or “Pepito.
CHILDHOOD
4
 • Jose – Body was frail and sickly
• At the age of 3 – learned Alphabet and prayers– Cartilla; began to join religious
processions and novena in the church
• At the age of 5 – could read and write; able to read the Spanish Bible; he began to make
sketches with his pencil and to mould in clay and wax objects which attracted his fancy.
 At the age of 6 -Rizal became adept at drawing, clay modeling and carving.

Animals named in his honor:

 Draco Rizali - a species of flying dragon. It is a small lizard with extended wing-like ribs
that allow it to glide up to nine meters.
• Apogonia Rizali – a small beetle
• Rhacophorus Rizali – a rare frog

Birth: Moonlit night of Wednesday, June 19, 1861, in the lakeshore town of Calamba, Laguna
Province, Philippines, between 11 pm and 12 am.
Baptized: June 22, 1861 in a Catholic Church by parish priest, Father Rufino Collantes, who
was a Batangueño.
Father Collantes was impressed by the baby's big head, and told the members of the family
who were present: “Take good care of this child, for someday he will become a great man.” His
words proved to be prophetic, as confirmed by subsequent events.
Lieutenant-General Jose Lemery- the governor general of the Philippines when Rizal was born
God Father: Father Pedro Casanas, native of Calamba and close friend of the Rizal family.
History of his name:
“Jose” was chosen by his mother who was a devotee of the Christian saint San Jose (St. Joseph).
Protacio – from St. Gervacio Protacio. Which come from a Christian calendar.
Rizal – from the word “Ricial” in Spanish means green field . The Rizal surname was obtained
by Francisco Mercado as suggested to him by a provincial governor after the Governor General
of the Philippines, Narciso Claveria, issued a decree in 1849 by which native Filipino and
immigrant families were to adopt Spanish surnames from a list of Spanish family names.
Mercado – adopted in 1731 by Domingo Lamco (the paternal great- great grandfather of Jose)
which the Spanish term “Mercado” means market in English.
y – and.
Alonso – old surname of his mother.
Realonda – The surname was the adapted surname of the Alonsos of Biñan due to the Claveria
Decree. Just like the Mercados, they continued to use the surname Alonso.
Father: Francisco Mercado Rizal- hardworking and independent-minded man, who talked less
and worked more, and was strong in body and valiant in spirit. Rizal affectionately called him “ a
model of fathers”. He was born in Binan, Laguna, on May 11, 1818. He studied Latin and
Philosophy at the College of San Jose in Manila. He was tenant-farmer of the Dominican-
owned hacienda. He died in Manila on January 5, 1898, at the age of 80.

Mother: Teodora Alonso Realonda - was born in Manila on November 8, 1826 and was
educated at the College of Santa Rosa, a well-known college for girls in the city. She was a
remarkable woman, possessing refined culture, literary talent, business. ability, and the fortitude
of Spartan women. She is a mathematician and has read many books.” Doña Teodora died in
Manila on August 16, 1911, at the age of 85. Shortly before her death, the Philippine
government offered her a life pension. She courteously rejected it saying, “ My family has
never been patriotic for money. If the government has plenty of funds and does not
know what to do with them, better reduce the taxes.” Such remarks truly befitted her as a
worthy mother of a national hero.

SIBLINGS OF RIZAL:
1. Saturnina (1850 - 1913) Her nickname is Neneng. She married Manuel T. Hidalgo of
Tanawan, Batangas and had five children together. Hidalgo and Rizal sent frequent
5
correspondence while the latter was in Europe. In 1909, Saturnina published Pascual Poblete’s
Tagalog translation of the Noli Me Tangere.
2. Paciano (1851-1930) -- older brother and confidant of Jose Rizal: after his younger brother's
execution, he joined the Philippine Revolution and became a combat general, after the
Revolution, he retired to his farm innLos Bafios, where he lived as a gentleman farmer and died
on April 13, 1930, an old bachelor aged 79. He had two children by his mistress (Severina
Decena) -- a boy and a girl. Rizal immortalized him in his first novel Noli Me Tangere as the
wise Pilosopo Tasio.
3. Narcisa (1852 - 1939) - She was the one who found the unmarked grave of her brother in the
abandoned Old Paco Cemetary. Her nickname is Sisa. She married Antonio Lopez (nephew of
Father Leoncio Lopez), a school teacher and musician from Morong.
4. Olimpia (1855 - 1887) - She married Silvestre Ubaldo, a telegraph operator from Manila and
together they had three children. Her nickname is Ypia. She died while giving birth when she was
only 32 years old.
5. Lucia (1857-1919) -- She married Mariano Herbosa of Calamba, who was a nephew of Father
Casanas. Herbosa died of cholera in 1889 and was denied Christian burial because he was a
brother-in-law of Dr. Rizal.
6. Maria (1859 - 1945) - She married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan, Laguna and together they
had 5 children. Her nickname is Biang. Mauricio Cruz, one of Maria's children became a student
of Jose Rizal in Dapitan and was known to be one of his uncle's favorites.
7. JOSE (1861-1896) -- the greatest Filipino hero and peerless genius: his nickname was Pepe:
during his exile in Dapitan he lived with Josephine Bracken, Irish girl from Hong Kong: he had a
son by her, but this baby-boy died a few hours after birth, Rizal named him “Francisco” after his
father and buried him in Dapitan.
8. Concepcion (1862 - 1865) - Concepcion did not live very long as she died of sickness at the
age of 3. Her pet name is Concha. Her death was Rizal's first sorrow in life.
9. Josefa (1865 - 1945) - She was unmarried and lived together with her younger sister Trinidad
until death. Her nickname is Panggoy. Josefa was said to have suffered from epilepsy.
10. Trinidad (1868 - 1951) - She remained unmarried and lived together with her sister Josefa.
Her nickname is Trining. Trinidad was the one who received an alcohol stove from brother Jose,
in which he secretly hid the "Last Farewell" better known as "Mi Ultimo Adios," a poem Rizal
wrote on the eve of his death in 1896. Trinidad died in 1951, outliving all her siblings.
11. Soledad (1870 - 1929) - She was the youngest of the Rizal siblings. Her nickname is
Choleng. She married Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba and together they had 5 children. She
became a teacher, is said to have been “the best educated” among Rizal’s sister. Soledad
passed away at the of 59.

Rizal's Ancestry.

Father Side:
Domingo Lamco-Rizal's great-great. grandfather on his father's side, a Chinese immigrant from
the Fukien city of Changchow, who arrived in Manila about 1690.
-married a well-to-do Chinese Christian girl of Manila named Ines de la Rosa, and assumed in
1731 the surname Mercado which was appropriate for him because he was a merchant. The
Spanish term mercado means “market” in English.

Francisco Mercado -Domingo Mercado and Ines de la Rosa’s son, who resided in Biñan.
-married a Chinese-Filipino mestiza, Cirila Bernacha.
-elected gobernadorcillo (municipal mayor) of the town.

Juan Mercado- Francisco Mercado and Cirila Bernacha’s son and Rizal's grandfather.
-married Cirila Alejandro, a Chinese-Filipino mestiza.
-elected governadorcillo of Biñan.

Francisco Mercado (Rizal’s father)- the youngest of Juan and Cirila’s 13 children.
6
 -lost his father at the age of 8 and grew up to manhood under the care of his mother.
-married Teodora Alonso Realonda on June 28, 1848, after which they settled down in
Calamba, where they engaged in farming and business and reared a big family.

Mother Side:
Lakandula - the last native king of Tondo.
Eugenio Ursua - Teodora’s great-grandfather (Rizal's maternal great-great-grandfather) (of
Japanese ancestry)
-married a Filipina named Benigna (surname unknown).

Regina- daughter of Eugenio Ursua and Benigna

-married Manuel de Quintos, a Filipino-Chinese lawyer from Pangasinan.

Brigida - the daughter of Attorney Quintos and Regina

-married Lorenzo Alberto Alonso, a prominent Spanish-Filipino mestizo of Biñan. Their
children were Narcisa, Teodora (Rizal's mother), Gregorio, Manuel, and Jose.

The Rizal Home. -was one of the distinguished stone houses in: Calamba during Spanish times.
-It was a two-storey building, rectangular in shape, built of adobe stones and hard-woods, and
roofed with red tiles.
Behind the house were the poultry yard full of turkeys and chickens and a big garden of tropical
fruit trees -- atis, balimbing, chico, macopa, papaya, santol, tampoy, etc. By day, it hummed with
the noises of children at play and the songs of the birds in the garden. By night, it echoed with
the dulcet notes of family prayers.
A Good and Middle-Class Family. The Rizal family belonged to the principalia, a town
aristocracy in Spanish Philippines. It was one of the distinguished families in Calamba. Rizal's
parents were able to build a large stone house which was situated near the town church and to
buy another one. They owned a carriage, which was a status symbol of the ilustrados in Spanish
Philippines and a private library (the largest in Calamba) which consisted of more than 1,000
volumes.
Childhood Years in Calamba
Calamba, the Hero's Town. A hacienda town which belonged to the Dominican Order, which
also owned all the lands around it. It is a picturesque town nestling on a verdant plain covered
with irrigated ricefields and sugar-lands. A few kilometers to the south looms the legendary
Mount Makiling in somnolent grandeur, and beyond this mountain is the province of Batangas.
East of the town is the Laguna de Bay, an inland lake of songs and emerald waters beneath the
canopy of azure skies. In the middle of the lake towers the storied island of Talim, and beyond it
towards the north is the distant Antipolo, famous mountain shrine of the miraculous Lady of
Peace and Good Voyage. Rizal loved Calamba with all his heart and soul. In 1876, when he was
15 years old and was a student in the Ateneo de Manila, he remembered his beloved town.
Accordingly, he wrote a poem Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town).
Devoted Son of the Church. Rizal grew up a good Catholic. He loved to go to church, to pray,
to take part in novenas, and to join the religious processions. It is said that he was so seriously
devout that he was laughingly called Manong Jose by the Hermanos and Hermanas Terceras.
Father Leoncio Lopez - the town priest; One of the men Rizal esteemed and respected in
Calamba during his boyhood He used to visit this learned Filipino priest and listen to his
stimulating opinions on current events and sound philosophy of life.
Pilgrimage to Antipolo. June 6, 1868- Jose and his father left Calamba to go on a pilgrimage
to Antipolo, in order to fulfill his mother's vow which was made when Jose was born. Doña
Teodora could not accompany them because she had given birth to Trinidad.
The Story of the Moth – made profoundest impression on him; the metaphor of Jose Rizal’s
life.
The influences of Rizal:
(1) hereditary influence, (2) environmental influence, and (3) aid of Divine Providence.

7
Tio Jose Alberto -who had studied for eleven years in a British school in Calcutta, India, and had
traveled in Europe inspired him to develop his artistic ability.
Tio Manuel - a husky and athletic man, encouraged him to develop his frail body by means of
physical exercises, including horse riding, walking, and wrestling.
Tio Gregorio - a book lover, intensified his voracious reading of good books.
Father Leoncio Lopez -the old and learned parish priest of Calamba, fostered Rizal's love for
scholarship and intellectual honesty.

Early Education in Calamba and Binan.

Doña Teodora - The first teacher of Rizal, who was a remarkable woman of good character and
fine culture.
- first discovered that her son had a talent for poetry.
Maestro Celestino – Rizal’s first private tutor the second,
Maestro Lucas Padua- Rizal’s second private tutor
Leon Monroy – Rizal’s third private tutor, an old man, a former classmate of Rizal's father. This
old teacher lived at the Rizal home and instructed Jose in Spanish and Latin. Unfortunately, he
did not live long. He died five months later.
Sunday afternoon in June, 1869 - Jose, after kissing the hands of his parents and a tearful
parting from his sisters, left Calamba for Biñan.
Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz – a strict disciplinarian teacher of Rizal in Biñan. “He was tall,
thin, long-necked, with a sharp nose and a body slightly bent forward, and he used to wear a
sinamay shirt, woven by the skilled hands of the women of Batangas. He knew by heart the
grammars by Nebrija and Gainza.
Pedro- the son of Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz who bullied Rizal.
Andres Salandanan -challenged Rizal to an arm-wrestling match.
Juancho - an old painter, who was the father-in-law of the school teacher; freely gave him
lessons in drawing and painting.
Jose Guevarra -Rizal’s classmate, who also loved painting, became apprentices of the old
painter. They improved their art, so that in due time they became “the favorite painters of
the class”.
Saturnina- informed Rizal of the arrival of the steamer Talim which would take him from Biñan
to Calamba before the Christmas season in 1870.
December 17, 1870- Rizal left Biñan on Saturday afternoon, after one year and a half of
schooling.
Arturo Camps- a Frenchman on board the steamer Talim, a friend of his father, who took care
of him.

Daily Life in Bihan. Jose led a methodical life in Bifan, almost Spartan in simplicity. Such a life
contributed much to his future development. It strengthened his body and soul.

Martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za.
Night of January 20, 1872- about 200 Filipino soldiers and workmen of the Cavite arsenal
under the leadership of Lamadrid, Filipino sergeant, rose in violent mutiny because of the
abolition of their usual privileges, including exemption from tribute and polo (forced labor) by the
reactionary Governor Rafael de Izquierdo.
February 17, 1872- Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, were
executed at sunrise by order of Governor General Izquierdo.
The martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za in 1872 truly inspired Rizal to fight the evils of Spanish tyranny
and redeem his oppressed people.
Rizal dedicated his second novel El Filibusterismo to GOMBURZA.

Injustice to Hero's Mother.

Before June of 1872 - Doña Teodora was suddenly arrested on a malicious charge that she and
her brother, Jose Alberto, tried to poison the latter's perfidious wife.

8
Jose Alberto - Doña Teodora’s brother and a rich Biñan ilustrado, had just returned from a
business trip in Europe and found out that Teodora Formoso (his wife) was having an affair.
Antonio Vivencio del Rosario- Calamba's gobernadorcillo, a menial of the friars helped the
Spanish lieutenant of the Guardia Civil to arrest Doña Teodora.
After arresting Dofia Teodora, the sadistic Spanish lieutenant forced her to walk from Calamba to
Santa Cruz (capital of Laguna Province), a distance of 50 kilometers.
Doña Teodora - was incarcerated at the provincial prison, where she ianguished for two years
and a half until the Manila Royal Audiencia (Supreme Court) acquitted her of the alleged crime.
Messrs. Francisco de Marcaida and Manuel Marzan -the most famous lawyers of Manila
who defended Doña Teodora.

Scholastic Triumphs at Ateneo de Manila (1872-1877).

June 10, 1872 -Rizal accompanied by Paciano went to Manila.
College of San Juan de Letran- a Dominican-owned school and a bitter rival of Ateneo
Municipal; Rizal took the entrance examinations on Christian doctrine, arithmetic, and reading
and passed them.
Ateneo Municipal - a college under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits. It was formerly the
Escuela Pia (Charity School) a school for poor boys in Manila which was established by the city
government in 1817.
Escuela Pia -------Ateneo Municipal ----------------Ateneo de Manila.
Father Magin Ferrando - the college registrar, refused to admit him for two reasons: (1) he
was late for registration and (2) he was sickly and undersized, for his age.
Manuel Xerez Burgos, nephew of Father Burgos, because of his intercession Rizal was
reluctantly admitted at the Ateneo.
 Jose was the first of his family to adopt the surname “Rizal.” He registered under this
name at the Ateneo because their family name “Mercado” had come under the suspicion
of the Spanish authorities.
 He first boarded in a house outside Intramuros, on Caraballo Street, 25 minutes” walk
from the college. This boarding house was owned by a spinster named Titay who owed the
Rizal family the amount of P300.
Jesuit System of Education.
-It trained the character of the student by rigid discipline and religious instruction.
Students were divided into two groups, namely:
 Roman Empire -consisting of the internos (boarders)
 Carthaginian Empire- composed of the externos (non-boarders).
Each 0f these empires had its ranks:
1. emperor -The best student
2. tribune- the second best
3. decurion- the third best,
4. centurion - the fourth best,
5. the standard-bearer- the fifth best

The Ateneo students in Rizal's time wore a uniform which consisted of “hemp-fabric
trousers” and “striped cotton coat.” The coat material was called rayadillo, which later
became famous for it was adopted as the uniform for Filipino troops during' the days of
the First Philippine Republic.
Rizal's First Year in Ateneo (1872-73).
Fr. Jose Bech - Rizal's first professor in the Ateneo was, whom he described as a “tall, thin man,
with a body slightly bent forward, a harried walk, an ascetic face, severe and inspired, small
deep-sunken eyes, a sharp nose that was almost Greek, and thin lips forming an arc whose ends
fell toward the chin.

A Religious picture- Rizal’s first prize for being the brightest pupil in the whole class
9
 To improve his Spanish, Rizal took private lessons in Santa Isabel College during the noon
recesses. He paid three pesos for those extra Spanish lessons
 At the end of the school year in March, 1873, Rizal returned to Calamba for summer vacation
 When the summer vacation ended, Rizal returned to Manila for his second year term in Ateneo.
This time he boarded inside Intramuros at No. 6 Magallanes Street. His landlady was an old
widow named Doña Pepay

SECOND YEAR IN ATENEO (1873-1874)

-At the end of the school year, Rizal received excellent grades in all subjects and a gold medal
 The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas- the first favorite novel of Rizal which
made a deep impression on him
 Universal History by Cesar Cantu- Rizal persuaded his father to buy him this set of
historical work that was a great aid in his studies
 Dr. Feodor Jagor- a German scientist-traveler who visited the Philippines in 1859-1860 who
wrote Travels in the Philippines
-Rizal was impressed in this book because of (1) Jagor’s keen observations of the defects of
Spanish colonization (2) his prophecy that someday Spain would lose the Philippines and that
America would come to succeed her as colonizer

THIRD YEAR IN ATENEO (1874-1875)

-Rizal grades remained excellent in all subjects but he won only one medal—in Latin
-At the end of the school year (March 1875), Rizal returned to Calamba for the summer
vacation. He himself was not impressed by his scholastic work

FOURTH YEAR IN ATENEO

 June 16, 1875- Rizal became an interno in the Ateneo
 Padre Francisco de Paula Sanchez- a great educator and scholar, one of Rizal’s professors
who inspired him to study harder and to write poetry
-Rizal described this Jesuiot professor as “model of uprightness, earnestness, and
love for the advancement of his pupils”
 Rizal topped all his classmates in all subjects and won five medals at the end of the school term

LAST YEAR IN ATENEO (1876-1877)

-Rizal’s studies continued to fare well. As a matter-of-fact, he excelled in all subjects. The most
brilliant Atenean of his time, he was truly “the pride of the Jesuits”
 March 23, 1877- Commencement Day, Rizal, who was 16 years old, received from his Alma
Mater, Ateneo Municipal, the degree of Bachelor of Arts, with highest honors
 Marian Congregation- a religious society wherein Rizal was an active member and later
became the secretary
 Rizal cultivated his literary talent under the guidance of Father Sanchez
 Father Jose Vilaclara- advised Rizal to stop communing with the Muse and pay more
attention to more practical studies
 Rizal studied painting under the famous Spanish painter, Agustin Saez, and sculpture under
Romualdo de Jesus, noted Filipino sculptor
 Rizal carved an image of the Virgin Mary on a piece of batikuling (Philippine hardwood) with his
pocket-knife
 Father Lleonart- impressed by Rizal’s sculptural talent, requested him to carve for him an
image of Sacred Heart of Jesus

ANECDOTES ON RIZAL, THE ATENEAN

 Felix M. Roxas- one of Rizal’s contemporaries in the Ateneo, related an incident of Rizal’s
schooldays in Ateneo which reveals hero’s resignation to pain and forgiveness. “Neither
bitterness nor rancor towards the guilty party”
 Manuel Xerez Burgos- This anecdotes illustrates Rizal’s predilection to help the helpless at
the risk of his own life
10
POEMS WRITTEN IN ATENEO
-It was Doña Teodora who was first discovered the poetic genius of her son, and it was also she
who first encouraged him to write poems. However it was Father Sanchez who inspired Rizal to
make full use of his God-given gift in poetry
 Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration), 1874- the first poem Rizal probably wrote
during his days in Ateneo which was dedicated to his mother on her birthday; Rizal wrote it
before he was 14 years old

-In 1875, inspired by Father Sanchez, Rizal wrote more poems, as such:
1. Felicitacion (Felicitationi)
2. El Embarque: Himno a la Flota de Magallanes (The Departure: Hymn to Magellan’s
Fleet)
3. Y Es Espanol; Elcano, el Primero en dar la Vuelta al Mundo (And He is Spanish:
Elcano, the First to Circumnavigate the World)
4. El Combate: Urbiztondo, Terror de Jolo (The Battle: Urbiztondo, Terror of Jolo)

-In 1876, Rizal wrote poems on various topics-religion, education, childhood memories and war.
They were as follows:
1. Un Recuerdo a Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town)- a tender poem in honor of Calamba,
the hero’s natal town
2. Alianza Intima Entre la Religion y la Buena Educacion (Intimate Alliance Between Religion
and Good Education)- Rizal showed the importance of religion in education
3. Por la Educacion Recibe Lustre la Patria (Through Education the Country Receives Light)-
Rizal believed in the significant role which education plays in the progress and welfare of a
nation
4. El Cautiverio y el Triunfo: Batalla de Lucena y Prision de Boabdil (The Captivity and the
Triumph: Battle of Lucena and the Imprisonment of Boabdil)- this martial poem describes the
defeat and capture of Boabdil, last Moorish sultan of Granada
5. La Entrada Triunfal de los Reyes Catolices en Granada (The Triumphal Entry of the Catholic
Monarchs into Granada)- this poem relates the victorious entry of King Ferdinand and Queen
Isabel into Granada, last Moorish stronghold in Spain

-A year later, in 1877, Rizal wrote more poems. It was his last years in Ateneo. Among the poems
written that year were:
1. El Heroismo de Colon (The Heroism of Columbus)- this poem praises Columbus, the
discoverer of America
2. Colon y Juan II (Columbus and John II)- this poem relates how King Kohn II of Portugal
missed fame and riches by his failure to finance the projected expedition of Columbus to the
New World
3. Gran Consuelo en la Mayor Desdicha (Great Solace in Great Misfortune)- this is a legend in
verse of the tragic life of Columbus
4. Un Dialogo Aluviso a la Despedida de los Colegiales (A Farewell Dialogue of the Students)-
this was the last poem written by Rizal in Ateneo; it is a poignant poem of farewell to his
classmate

 Al Niño Jesus (To the Child Jesus)- this poem was written in 1875 when Rizal was 14 years
old; it was a brief ode
 A La Virgen Maria (To the Virgin Mary)- another religious poem which doesn’t have exact
date when it was written
 San Eustacio, Martir (St. Eustace, the Martyr)- a drama based on the prose story of St.
Eustace which he wrote in poetic verses during the summer vacation of 1876 and finished it on
June 2, 1876

MEDICAL STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS (1877-1882)

11
-After finishing the first year of a course in Philosophy and Letters (1877-1878), Rizal transferred
to the medical course
-“Don’t send him to Manila again; he knows enough. If he gets to know more, the
Spaniards will cut off his head.”- Doña Teodora, vigorously opposed the idea that Rizal
pursue higher learning in the university

 April 1877- Rizal who was then nearly 16 years old, matriculated in the University of Santo
Tomas, taking the course on Philosophy and Letters because (1) his father like it (2) he was “still
uncertain as to what career to pursue”
 Father Pablo Ramon-Rector of Ateneo, who had been good to him during his student days in
that college, asking for advice on the choice of a career but unfortunately he was in Mindanao
 It was during the following term (1878-1879) that Rizal, having received the Ateneo Rector’s
advice to study medicine
 During Rizal’s first school term in the University of Santo Tomas (1877-1878), Rizal also studied
in Ateneo. He took the vocational course leading to the title of perito agrimensor (expert
surveyor)
 Rizal excelled in all subjects in the surveying course in Ateneo, obtaining gold medals in
agriculture and topography
 November 25, 1881- the title was issued to Rizal for passing the final examination in the
surveying course
 Liceo Artistico-Literario (Artistic-Literary Lyceum) of Manila- a society of literary men
and artists, held a literary contest in the year 1879
 A La Juventud Filipina (To the Filipino Youth)- Rizal, who was then 18 years old, submitted
this poem
-is an inspiring poem of flawless form. Rizal beseeched the Filipino youth to rise from
lethargy, to let genius fly swifter than the wind and descend with art and science to break the
chains that have long bound the spirit of the people
-this winning poem of Rizal is a classic in Philippine literature for two reasons: (1) it was
the great poem in Spanish written by a Filipino, whose merit was recognized by Spanish literary
authorities (2) it expressed for the first time the nationalistic concept that the Filipinos, and not
the foreigners, were the “fair hope of the Fatherland”
 The Board of Judges, composed of Spaniards, was impressed by Rizal’s poem and gave it the
first prize which consisted of a silver pen, feather-shaped and decorated with a gold ribbon
 El Consejo de los Dioses (The Councils of the Gods)- an allegorical drama written by Rizal
which he entered in the literary contest of Artistic-Literary Lyceum in 1880 to commemorate the
fourth centennial of the death of Cervantes
-was a literary masterpiece based on the Greek classics
 The prize was awarded to Rizal, a gold ring on which was engraved the bust of Cervantes
 D.N. del Puzo- a Spanish writer, who won the second prize
 Junto al Pasig (Beside the Pasig)- a zarzuela which was staged by the Ateneans on
December 8, 1880, on the occasion of the annual celebration of the Feats Day of the Immaculate
Conception, Patroness of the Ateneo
- Rizal wrote it as President of the Academy of Spanish Literature in Ateneo
 A Filipinas- a sonnet written by Rizal for the album of the Society of Sculptors; in this sonnet,
he urged all Filipino artists to glorify the Philippines
 Abd-el-Azis y Mahoma- Rizal composed a poem in 1879 which was declaimed by an Atenean,
Manuel Fernandez, on the night of December 8, 1879, in honor of the Ateneo’s Patroness
 Al M.R.P. Pablo Ramon- Rizal composed a poem in 1881, as an expression of affection to
Father Pablo Ramon, the Ateneo rector, who had been so kind and helpful to him
 Vicenta Ybardolaza- a pretty girl colegiala who skillfully played the harp at the Regalado
home, whom Rizal was infatuated in Pakil
 Rizal mentioned Turumba (wherein the people dancing in the streets during the procession in
honor of the miraculous Birhen Maria de los Dolores) in Chapter VI of Noli Me Tangere and
Pagsanjan Falls in his travel diary (united States—Saturday, May 12, 1888), where he said that

12
Niagara Falls was the “greatest cascades I ever saw” but “not so beautiful nor fine as
the falls at Los Baños, Pagsanjan”
 Compañerismo (Comradeship)- Rizal founded a secret society of Filipino students in
University of Santo Tomas in 1880
 Companions of Jehu- members of the society whose after the valiant Hebrew general
 Galicano Apacible-Rizal’s cousin from Batangas who is the secretary of the society

UNHAPPY DAYS AT THE UST

-Rizal found the atmosphere at the University of Santo Tomas suffocating to his sensitive spirit.
He was unhappy at this Dominican institution of higher learning because (1) the Dominican
professors were hostile to him (2) the Filipino students were racially discriminated against by the
Spaniards (3) the method of instruction was obsolete and repressive
-In Rizal’s novel, El Filibusterismo, he described how the Filipino students were humiliated and
insulted by their Dominican professors and how backward the method of instruction was,
especially in the teaching of the natural sciences. He related in Chapter XIII, “The Class in
Physics”

IN SUNNY SPAIN (1882-1885)

-After finishing the 4th year of the medical course in the University of Santo Tomas, Rizal decided
to complete his studies in Spain
-Aside from completing his studies in Spain, Rizal has his “secret mission”—was to observe
keenly the life and culture, languages and customs, industries and commerce, and government
and laws of the European nations in order to prepare himself in the mighty task of liberating his
oppressed people from Spanish tyranny
-This Rizalian secret mission was likewise disclosed by Paciano in his letter to his younger brother
dated Manila, May 20, 1892
-Rizal’s departure for Spain was kept secret to avoid detection by the Spanish authorities and the
friars
 Jose Mercado- Rizal used this name; a cousin from Biñan
 May 3, 1882- Rizal departed on board the Spanish streamer Salvadora bound for Singapore

SINGAPORE
 Donato Lecha- the ship captain from Asturias, Spain befriended Rizal
-Rizal described him as an affable man, “much more refined than his other
countrymen and colleagues that I have met.”
 Rizal played chess with his fellow passengers who were much older than he
 May 8, 1882- while the steamer was approaching Singapore, Rizal saw a beautiful island,
fascinated by its scenic beauty, he remembered “Talim Island with the Susong Dalaga”
 May 9, 1882- the Salvadora docked at Singapore
 Hotel de la Paz- Rizal registered here and spent two days on a sightseeing soiree of the city,
which was a colony of England

FROM SINGAPORE TO COLOMBO

 In Singapore, Rizal transferred to another ship Djemnah, a French steamer, which left
Singapore for Europe on May 11, 1882
 May 17, 1882- Djemnah reached Point Galle, a seacoast town in southern Ceylon (now Sri
Lanka)
 Rizal wrote on his travel diary: “The general appearance of Point Galle is picturesque
but lonely and quiet and at the same time sad”
 Colombo- capital of Ceylon
-Rizal was enamoured by Colombo because of its scenic beauty and elegant buildings
-“Colombo is more beautiful, smart and elegant than Singapore, Point Galle and
Manila”
 For the first time, Rizal sighted the barren coast of Africa, which he called an “inhospitable
land but famous”
13
 Aden- city hotter than Manila
-Rizal was amused to see the camels, for the first time
 City of Suez- the Red Sea terminal of the Suez Canal
-Rizal was impressed in the beautiful moonlight which reminded him of Calamba and his
family
 Suez Canal- canal which built by Ferdinand de Lesseps (French diplomat-engineer) which was
inaugurated on November 17, 1869
 Port Said- the Mediterranean terminal of the Suez Canal

NAPLES AND MARSEILLES

 June 11, 1882- Rizal reached Naples
-Rizal was pleased on this Italian city because of its business activity, its lively people, and
its panoramic beauty
 Night of June 12, 1882- the steamer docked at the French harbor of Marseilles
 Rizal visited the famous Chateau d’If, where Dantes, hero of the Count of Monte Cristo, was
imprisoned
 Rizal stayed two and a half days in Marseilles

BARCELONA
 Afternoon of May 15, 1882- Rizal left Marseilles by train for the last lap of his trip to Spain
 Rizal crossed the Pyrenees and stopped for a day at the frontier town of Port Bou
 June 16, 1882- Rizal finally reached his destination—Barcelona
 Rizal’s first impression of Barcelona, the greatest city of Cataluña and Spain’s second largest
city, was unfavorable
 Las Ramblas- the most famous street in Barcelona
 Amor Patrio (Love of Country)- nationalistic essay, Rizal’s first article written on Spain’s soil
-under his pen-name Laong Laan, appeared in print in Diariong Tagalog on August 20,
1882
-it was published in two texts—Spanish and Tagalog—the Spanish text was the one
originally written by Rizal in Barcelona, the tagalog text was a Tagalog translation made by M.H.
del Pilar
 Basilio Teodoro Moran- a friend of Rizal in Manila and the publisher of Diariong Tagalog
where Rizal sent this article
 Diariong Tagalog- the first Manila bilingual newspaper (Spanish and Tagalog)
 Los Viajes (Travels)- Rizal’s second article for Diariong Tagalog
 Revista de Madrid (Review of Madrid)- Rizal’s third article written in Madrid on November
29, 1882 but returned to him because the Diariong Tagalog had ceased publication for lack of
funds
 Rizal received sad news about the cholera that was ravaging Manila and the provinces
according to Paciano’s letter, dated September 15, 1882
 Another sad news from the Philippines was the chatty letter of Chengoy recounting the
unhappiness of Leonor Rivera
 In one of his letters (dated May 26, 1882), Paciano advised his younger brother to finish the
medical course in Madrid
 Rizal left Barcelona in the fall of 1882 and established himself in Madrid, the capital of Spain

LIFE IN MADRID
 November 3, 1882- Rizal enrolled in the Universidad Central de Madrid (Central University of
Madrid) in two courses—Medicine and Philosophy and Letters
 Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando- Rizal studied painting and sculpture
 Rizal’s only extravagance was investing a few pesetas for a lottery ticket in every draw of the
Madrid Lottery
 Rizal spent his leisure time reading and writing at his boarding house, attending the reunions of
Filipino students at the house of the Paterno brothers (Antonio, Maximo and Pedro) and
practicing fencing and shooting at the gymnasium
14
 Antigua Café de Levante-during the summer twilights, this is where Rizal sipped coffee and
fraternized with the students from Cuba, Mexico, Argentina, etc
 On Saturday evenings, Rizal visited the home of Don Pablo Ortiga y Rey who lived with his son
(Rafael) and daughter (Consuelo)
 Circulo Hispano-Filipino (Hispano-Philippine Circle)- a society of Spaniards and Filipinos
which Rizal joined shortly after his arrival in Madrid in 1882
 Me Piden Versos (They Ask Me For Verses)- upon the request of the members of this
society, Rizal’s wrote this poem which he personally declaimed during the New Year’s Eve
reception of the Madrid Filipinos held in the evening of December 31, 1882
-in this sad poem, Rizal poured out the cry of his agonizing heart
 Rizal economized on his living expenses, and with the money he saved, he purchased books
from a second-hand book store owned by a certain Señor Roses
 Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Eugene Sue’s The Wandering Jew- these two
books aroused Rizal’s sympathy for the oppressed and unfortunate people

FIRST VISIT TO PARIS (1883)

-During his first summer vacation in Madrid, Rizal went to Paris, gay capital of France
-The prices of food, drinks, theatre, tickets, laundry, hotel accommodations, and transportation
were too high for Rizal’s slender purse so that he commented in a letter to his family: “Paris is
the costliest capital in Europe.”
 June 17 to August 20, 1883- Rizal sojourn in Paris
 Hotel de Paris- located on 37 Rue de Maubange wherein Rizal billeted but later, he moved to
a cheaper hotel on 124 Rue de Rennes in the Latin Quarter
 Laennec Hospital- where Rizal observed Dr. Nicaise treating his patients
 Lariboisiere Hospital- where Rizal observed the examination of different diseases of women
 Rizal was impressed by the way the Spanish Mason openly and freely c riticized the
government policies and lambasted the friars, which could not be done in Philippines
 March 1883- Rizal joined the Masonic lodge called Acacia in Madrid
 Rizal’s reason for becoming a mason was to secure Freemansory’s aid in his fight against the
friars in the Philippines
 Lodge Solidaridad (Madrid) – Rizal transferred where he became a Master Mason on
November 15, 1890
 February 15, 1892- Rizal was awarded the diploma as Master Mason by Le Grand Orient de
France in Paris
 Science, Virtue and Labor- Rizal’s only Masonic writing; a lecture which he delivered in 1889
at Lodge Solidaridad, Madrid
 After Rizal’s departure for Spain, things turned from bad to worse in Calamba: (1) harvests of
rice and sugarcane failed on account of drought and locusts (2) the manager of the Dominican-
owned hacienda increased the rentals of the lands (3) a dreadful pest killed most of the turkeys.
Due to hard times in Calamba, the monthly allowances of Rizal in Madrid were late in arrival and
there were times when they never arrived
 June 24, 1884- a touching incident in Rizal’s life in Madrid wherein he was broke and was
unable to take breakfast
-Rizal attended his class at the university, participated in the contest in Greek language
and won the gold medal
 Evening of June 25, 1884- a banquet was sponsored by the Filipino community to celebrate
the double victory of the Filipino artist in the National Exposition of Fine Arts in Madrid—Luna’s
Spoliarium winning the first prize and Hidalgo’s Christian Virgins Exposed to the Populace
(Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas al Populacho), second prize
 November 20, 21, and 22, 1884- the serene city of Madrid exploded in bloody riots by the
students of the Central University
 These student demonstrations were caused by the address of Dr. Miguel Morayta, professor
of history, at the opening ceremonies of the academic year on November 20, in which he
proclaimed “the freedom of science and the teacher”

15
 The Rector, who also took the side of the students, was forced to resign and was replaced by
Doctor Creus, “a very unpopular man, disliked by everybody”
 November 26, 1884- Rizal wrote the recounting tumultuous riots to his family
 June 21, 1884- Rizal completed his medical course in Spain; he was conferred the degree of
Licentiate in Medicine by the Universidad Central de Madrid
 The next academic year (1884-1885), Rizal studied and passed all subjects leading to the
degree of Doctor of Medicine but he did not present the thesis required for graduation nor paid
the corresponding fees, he was not awarded his Doctor’s diploma
 June 19, 1885- on his 24th birthday, Rizal was awarded the degree of Licentiate in Philosophy
and Letters by the Universidad Central de Madrid with the rating of “Excellent”:
(Sobresaliente)
 November 26, 1884- a letter to Rizal’s family written in Madrid wherein he said “My doctorate
is not of very much value to me… because although it is useful to a university professor, yet, I
believe they (Dominican friars—Z) will never appoint me as such in the College of Santo Tomas. I
say the same thing of philosophy and letters which may serve also for a professorship, but I
doubt if the Dominican fathers will grant it to me.”

PARIS TO BERLIN (1885-1887)

-Rizal went to Paris and Germany in order to specialize in ophthalmology—Rizal chose this
branch of medicine because he wanted to cure his mother’s eye ailment

IN GAY PARIS (1885-1886)

 Maximo Viola- a medical student and a member of a rich family of San Miguel, Bulacan,
Rizal’s friend
 Señor Eusebio Corominas- editor of the newspaper La Publicidad and made a crayon sketch
of Don Miguel Morayta, owner of La Publicidad and a stasman
 Rizal gave Editor Corominas an article on the Carolines Question, then a controversial issue, for
publication
 November 1885, Rizal was living in Paris where he sojourned for about four months
 Dr. Louis de Weckert (1852-1906)- leading French ophthalmologist wherein Rizal worked as
an assistant from November 1885 to February 1886
 Paz Pardo de Tavera- was a pretty girl, who was engaged to Juan Luna
 At the studio of Luna, Rizal spent many happy hours. Rizal helped Luna by posing as model in
several paintings
 In Luna’s canvas “The Death of Cleopatra,“ Rizal posed as an Egyptian priest. In another of
Luna’s great paintings, “The Blood Compact,” he posed as Sikatuna, with Trinidad Pardo de
Tavera taking the role of Legazpi
 November 27, 1878- Rizal told Enrique Lete that he “learned the solfeggio, the piano,
the voice culture in one month and a half”
 By sheer determination and constant practice, Rizal came to play the flute fairly well. He was a
flutist in various impromptu reunions of Filipinos in Paris
 Alin Mang Lahi (Any Race)-a patriotic song written by Rizal which asserts that any race
aspires for freedom
 La Deportacion (Deportation)- a sad danza which Rizal composed in Dapitan during his exile

IN HISTORIC HEIDELBERG
 February 1, 1886- Rizal reluctantly left gay Paris fro Germany
 February 3, 1886- Rizal arrived in Heidelberg, a historic city in Germany famous for its old
university and romantic surroundings
 Chess Player’s Club- a club wherein the students made Rizal as a member because of being
a good chess player
 Dr. Otto Becker- distinguished German ophthalmologist where Rizal worked—University Eye
Hospital
 April 22, 1886- Rizal wrote a fine poem “A Las Flores de Heidelberg” (To the Flowers of
Heidelberg)
16
 In the spring of 1886, Rizal was fascinated by the blooming flowers along the cool banks of the
Neckar River. Among them was his favorite flower—the light blue “forget-me-not”
 Wilhelmsfeld- a mountainous village near Heidelberg where Rizal spent a three-month
summer vacation
 Dr. Karl Ullmer- a kind Protestant pastor where Rizal stayed, who became his good friend
and admirer
 June 25, 1886- Rizal ended his sojourn at Pastor Ullmer’s home
 May 29, 1887- Rizal wrote from Munich (Muchen) to Friedrich (Fritz), son of Pastor Ullmer
 July 31, 1886- Rizal wrote his first letter in German (which he had improved after his stay with
the Ullmers) to Professor Blumentritt, Director of the Ateneo of Leitmeritz, Austria
 Aritmetica (Arithmetic)-Rizal sent this book he mentioned and was published in two
languages—Spanish and Tagalog—by the University of Santo Tomas Press in 1868. the author
was Rufino Baltazar Hernandez, a native of Santa Cruz, Laguna
 August 6, 1886- the famous University of Heidelberg held its fifth centenary celebration

IN LEIPZIG AND DRESDEN

 August 9, 1886- Rizal left Heidelberg
 August 14, 1886- boarded by a train. Rizal arrived in Leipzig
 Professor Friedrich Ratzel- a famous German historian, Rizal befriend with him
 Dr. Hans Meyer- German anthropologist, a friend of Rizal
 In Leipzig, Rizal translated Schiller’s William Tell from German into Tagalog so that Filipino
might know the story of that champion of Swiss independence
 Rizal also translated into Tagalog for his nephews and niece Hans Andersen’s Fairy Tales
 Rizal found out that the cost of living in Leipzig was cheapest in Europe so that he stayed two
months and a half
 Because of his knowledge of German, Spanish, and other European languages, Rizal worked as
proof-reader in a publisher’s firm
 October 29, 1886- Rizal left Leipzig for Dresden where he met Dr. Adolph B. Meyer,
Director of the Anthropological and Ethnological Museum
 Rizal heard Mass in a Catholic church; evidently, this Mass impressed him very much, for he
wrote on his diary: “Truly I have never in my life heard a Mass whose music had greater
sublimity and intonation.”
 Morning of November 1, 1886- Rizal left Dresden by train reaching Berlin in the evening

BERLIN
 Rizal was enchanted by Berlin because of its scientific atmosphere and the absence of race
prejudice
 Rizal met for the first time Dr. Feodor Jagor, celebrated German scientist-traveler and author
of Travels in the Philippines, a book which Rizal read and admired during his student days in
Manila
 Dr. Rudolf Virchow- introduced to Rizal by Dr. Jagor; famous German anthropologist
 Dr. Hans Virchow- son of Dr. Rudolf Virchow, professor of Descriptive Anatomy
 Dr. W. Joest- noted German geographer
 Dr. Ernest Schweigger (1830-1905)- famous German ophthalmologist where Rizal worked
 Rizal became a member of the Anthropological Society, the Ethnological Society, and the
Geographical Society of Berlin, upon the recommendation of Dr. Jagor and Dr. Meyer
 Tagalische Verkunst (Tagalog Metrical Art)- Rizal wrote this scholarly paper in German
which he read before the society in April 1887
-this paper was published by the society in the same year, and elicited favorable
comments from all scientific quarters
 Rizal lived in Berlin, famous capital of unified Germany for five reasons: (1) to gain further
knowledge of ophthalmology (2) to further his studies of sciences and languages (3) to observe
the economic and political conditions of the German nation (4) to associate with famous German
scientists and scholars (5) to publish his novel, Noli Me Tangere

17
 Madame Lucie Cerdole-Rizal’s professor of French in order to master the idiomatic intricacies
of the French language
 Unter den Linden- the most popular boulevard of Berlin wherein Rizal enjoyed promenading,
sipping beer in the city’s inns and talking with the friendly Berliners
 March 11, 1886- one of Rizal’s important letters written while he was in Germany that
addressed to his sister, Trinidad
-in this letter, Rizal expressed his high regard and admiration for German womanhood
-The German woman, said Rizal to his sister, is serious, diligent, educated, and friendly.
She is not gossipy, frivolous and quarrelsome
 Aside from the German women, Rizal admired the German customs which he observed well

NOLI ME TANGERE PUBLISHED IN BERLIN (1887)

-The bleak winter of 1886 in Berlin was Rizal’s darkest winter because no money arrived from
Calamba and he was flat broke. The diamond ring which his sister, Saturnina, gave him was in
the pawnshop. It was memorable in the life of Rizal for two reasons (1) it was a painful episode
for he was hungry, sick and despondent in a strange city (2) it brought him great joy after
enduring so much sufferings, because his first novel, Noli Me Tangere came off the press in
March, 1887

 Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin- inspired Dr. Rizal to prepare a novel that
would depict the miseries of his people under the lash of Spanish tyrants
 January 2, 1884- in a reunion of Filipinos in the Paterno residence in Madrid, Rizal proposed
the writings of a novel about the Philippines by a group of Filipinos
 Toward the end of 1884, Rizal began writing the novel in Madrid and finished about one-half of
it
 When Rizal went to Paris, in 1885, after completing his studies in the Central University of
Madrid, he continued writing the novel, finishing one half of the second half
 Rizal finished the last fourth of the novel in Germany. He wrote the last few chapters of the Noli
in Wilhelmsfeld in April-June, 1886
 In Berlin during the winter days of February, 1886, Rizal made the final revisions on the
manuscript of the Noli
 Maximo Viola- Rizal’s friend from Bulacan, arrived in Berlin at the height of Rizal despondency
and loaned him the needed funds to publish the novel; savior of Noli
 After the Christmas season, Rizal put the finishing touches on his novel. To save printing
expenses, he deleted certain passages in his manuscript, including a whole chapter—“Elias
and Salome”
 February 21, 1887- the Noli was finally finished and ready for printing
 Berliner Buchdruckrei-Action-Gesselschaft- a printing shop which charged the lowest
rate, that is, 300 pesos for 2,00 copies of the novel
 March 21, 1887- the Noli Me Tangere came off the press
 March 29, 1887- Rizal, in token of his appreciation and gratitude, gave Viola the galley proofs
of the Noli carefully rolled around the pen that he used in writing it and a complimentary copy,
with the following inscription: “To my dear friend, Maximo
Viola, the first to read and appreciate my work—Jose
Rizal”
 The title Noli Me Tangere is a Latin phrase which means
“Touch Me Not”. It is not originally conceived by Rizal, for he
admitted taking it from the Bible
 Rizal, writing to Felix Hidalgo in French on March 5, 1887, said:
“Noli Me Tangere, words taken from the Gospel of St. Luke,
signify “do not touch me” but Rizal made a mistake, it should be
the Gospel of St. John (Chapter 20 Verses 13 to 17)
 Rizal dedicated his Noli Me Tangere to the Philippines—“To
My Fatherland”

18
 The cover of Noli Me Tangere was designed by Rizal. It is a ketch of explicit symbols. A
woman’s head atop a Maria Clara bodice represents the nation and the women, victims of the
social cancer. One of the causes of the cancer is symbolized in the friar’s feet, outsized in
relation to the woman’s head. The other aggravating causes of oppression and discrimination are
shown in the guard’s helmet and the iron chains, the teacher’s whip and the alferez’s scourge. A
slight cluster of bamboo stands at the backdrop; these are the people, forever in the background
of their own country’s history. There are a cross, a maze, flowers and thorny plants, a flame;
these are indicative of the religious policy, the misdirected ardor, the people strangled as a
result of these all
 The novel Noli Me Tangere contains 63 chapters and an epilogue
 Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor- Filipino patriot and lawyer who had been exiled due to his
complicity in the Cavite Mutiny of 1872, read avidly the Noli and was very much impressed by its
author

CHARACTERS OF NOLI
1. Crisostomo Ibarra – Also known by his full name as Juan Crisostomo Ibarra y Magsalin, a
Filipino who studied in Europe for 7 years, the love interest of Maria Clara. Son of the deceased
Don Rafael Ibarra; Crisostomo changed his surname from Eibarramendia to Ibarra, from his
ancestor’s surname.
2. Elias – Ibarra’s mysterious friend, a master boater, also a fugitive. He was referred to at one
point as “the pilot.” He wants to revolutionize his country.
3. Maria Clara – Maria Clara de los Santos, Ibarra’s sweetheart; the illegitimate daughter of
Father Damaso and Pia Alba. She mirrored a woman of religion upbringing and orientation.
4. Father Damaso – also known in his full name as Damaso Verdoglagas, Franciscan friar and
Maria Clara’s biological father.
5. Sisa – the mother of Basilio and Crispin, who became insane after losing her sons.
6. Kapitan Tiago – also known in his full name as Don Santiago de los Santos the known father
of Maria Clara but not the real one; lives in Binondo.
7. Pilosopong Tasyo – also known as Don Anastasio, portrayed in the novel as pessimistic,
cynic, and mas by his neighbors.
8. Doña Victorina – Victorina delos Reyes De Espadaña, a woman who passes herself off as a
Peninsulares. Wife of Don Tiburcio de Espadaña known in the novel as a trying hard rich woman
who abhors anything that is Filipino
9. Pedro – abusive husband of Sisa who loved cockfighting.
10. Don Rafael Ibarra – known in the plot as a concerned citizen and property
owner who was the Father of Crisostomo Ibarra.
11. The School Master – A teacher at San Diego who’s view in the novel
represented the weak and useless education in the Philippines.
12. Tandang Pablo – The leader of the rebels, whose family was destroyed
because of the Spaniards.
13. Basilio – the elder son of Sisa.
14. Crispin – the younger son of Sisa who died from the punishment of the
soldiers from the false accusation of stealing an amount of money.
15. Padre Sibyla – Hernando de la Sibyla, a Filipino friar.
16. Padre Salvi – also known in his full name as Bernardo Salvi, a secret
admirer of Maria Clara.
17. The Alferez – chief of the Guardia Civil; mortal enemy of the priest for
power in San Diego.
18. Don Tiburcio – Spanish husband of Donya Victorina who was limp and
submissive to his wife; he also pretended to be a doctor.
19. Doña Consolacion – wife of the Alferez, another woman who passed herself
as a Peninsular; best remembered for her abusive treatment of Sisa.
20. Captain-General (No specific name) – The most powerful official in the
Philippines, a hater of secular priests and corrupt officials, and a friend of
Ibarra.
19
RIZAL’S GRAND TOUR OF EUROPE WITH VIOLA (1887)
 May 11, 1887- Rizal and Viola left Berlin by train
 Dresden- one of the best cities in Germany
 Prometheus Bound-painting wherein Rizal was deeply impressed
 Teschen (now Decin, Czechoslovakia)- next stopover after leaving Dresden

LEITMERITZ
 At 1:30pm of May 13, 1887- the train, with Rizal and Viola on board, arrived at the railroad
station of Leitmeritz, Bohemia
-for the first time, the two great scholars—Rizal and Blumentritt—met in person
 Professor Blumentritt- a kind-hearted, old Austrian professor
 May 13 to May 16, 1887- Rizal and Viola stayed in Leitmeritz
 Burgomaster- town mayor
 Tourist’s Club of Leitmeritz-which Blumentritt was the secretary; Rizal spoke
extemporaneously in fluent Germany to the officers and members
 Dr. Carlos Czepelak- renowned scientist of Europe
 Professor Robert Klutschak- an eminent naturalist
 May 16, 1887 at 9:45 AM- Rizal and Viola left Leitmeritz by train

PRAGUE
 Dr. Willkomm- professor of natural history in the University of Prague
 According to Viola, “nothing of importance happened” in this city

VIENNA
 May 20, 1887- Rizal and Viola arrived in the beautiful city of Vienna, capital of Austria-
Hungary
 Vienna was truly the “Queen of Danube” because of its beautiful buildings, religious images,
haunting waltzes and majestic charm
 Norfentals- one of the greatest Austrian novelists was favorably impressed by Rizal, and years
later he spoke highly of Rizal, “whose genius he so much admired.”
 Hotel Metropole- where Rizal and Viola stayed
 In Vienna, Rizal received his lost diamond stickpin

DANUBIAN VOYAGE TO LINTZ

 May 24, 1887- Rizal and Viola left Vienna on a river boat to see the beautiful sights of the
Danube River
 Rizal particularly noticed that the passengers on the river boat were using paper napkins
during the meals, which was a novelty to him. Viola, commented that the paper napkins were
“more hygienic and economical than cloth napkins”

FROM LINTZ TO RHEINFALL

 Munich- where Rizal and Viola sojourned for a short time to savor the famous Munich beer,
reputed to be the best in Germany
 Nuremberg- one of the oldest cities of Germany
 The Cathedral of Ulm- the largest and tallest cathedral in all Germany
 From Ulm, they went to Stuttgart, Baden and then Rheinfall (Cascade of the Rhine). At
Rheinfall, they saw the waterfall, “the most beautiful waterfall of Europe”

CROSSING THE FRONTIER TO SWITZERLAND

 June 2 to 3, 1887- stayed at Schaffhausen, Switzerland

GENEVA
 This Swiss city is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, visited by world tourists every year
 June 19, 1887- Rizal treated Viola to a blow-out. It was his 26th birthday
 Rizal and Viola spent fifteen delightful days in Geneva
20
 June 23, 1887- Viola and Rizal parted ways—Viola returned to Barcelona while Rizal continued
the tour to Italy
 Exposition of the Philippines in Madrid, Spain- Rizal was outraged by this degradation of
his fellow countrymen the Igorots of Northern Luzon

RIZAL IN ITALY
 June 27, 1887- Rizal reached Rome, the “Eternal City” and also called the “City of the
Caesars”
 Rizal was thrilled by the sights and memories of the Eternal City. Describing to Blumentritt, the
“grandeur that was Rome”, he wrote on June 27, 1887
 June 29, 1887- the Feast Day of St. Peter and St. Paul, Rizal visited for the first time the
Vatican, the “City of the Popes” and the capital of Christendom
 Every night, after sightseeing the whole day, Rizal returned to his hotel, very tired. “I am tired
as a dog,” he wrote to Blumentritt, “but I will sleep as a God”
 After a week of wonderful sojourn in Rome, Rizal prepared to return to the Philippines. He had
already written to his father that he was coming home

FIRST HOMECOMING (1887-1888)

-Because of the publication of the Noli Me Tangere and the uproar it caused among the friars,
Rizal was warned by Paciano (his brother), Silvestre Ubaldo (his brother-in-law), Chengoy (Jose M.
Cecilio) and other friends not to return home.
-Rizal was determined to return to the Philippines for the following reasons: (1) to operate on his
mother’s eyes (2) to serve his people who had long been oppressed by Spanish tyrants (3) to
find out for himself how Noli and his other writings were affecting Filipinos and Spaniards in the
Philippines and (4) to inquire why Leonor Rivera remained silent
 July 29, 1887- Rizal wrote to his father, announcing his homecoming, “on the 15th of July, I
shall embark for our country, so that from the 15 th to the 30th of August, we shall see
each other”

DELIGHTFUL TRIP TO MANILA

-Rizal left Rome by train for Marseilles, a French port, which he reached without mishap.
 July 3, 1887-Rizal boarded the steamer Djemnah, the same streamer which brought him to
Europe 5 years ago
 July 30, 1887-at Saigon, Rizal transferred to another steamer, Haiphong, which was Manila-
bounded
 August 2, 1887- the steamer left Saigon for Manila

ARRIVAL IN MANILA
 August 3, 1887- the moon was full and Rizal slept soundly the whole night. The calm sea,
illuminated by the silvery moonlight, was a magnificent sight to him
 Near midnight of August 5, 1887, the Haiphong arrived in Manila

HAPPY HOMECOMING
 August 8, 1887- Rizal returned to Calamba
 In Calamba, Rizal established a medical clinic. His first patient was his mother, who was almost
blind.
 Rizal, who came to be called “Doctor Uliman” because he came from Germany, treated their
ailments and soon he acquired a lucrative medical practice
 Rizal opened a gymnasium for young folks, where he introduced European sports
 Rizal suffered one failure during his six months of sojourn in Calamba—his failure to see Leonor
Rivera

STORM OVER THE NOLI

 Governor General Emilio Terrero (1885-1888)-requesting Rizal to come to Malacańang
Palace
21
 Don Jose Taviel de Andrade-a young Spanish lieutenant assigned by Governor General
Terrero to posed as bodyguard of Rizal
 Msgr. Pedro Payo (a Dominican)- sent a copy of Noli to Father Rector Gregorio
Echavarria of the University of Sto. Tomas for examination by a committee of the faculty
 The report of the faculty members of University of Santo Tomas stated that the Noli was
“heretical, impious, and scandalous in the religious order and anti-patriotic,
subversive of public order, injurious to the government of Spain and its function in
the Philippine Islands in the political order”
 Permanent Commission of Censorship-a committee composed of priest and laymen
 Fr. Salvador Font- Augustinian cura of Tondo, head of the committee
-found the novel to contain subversive ideas against the Church and Spain, and
recommended “that the importation, reproduction, and circulation of this pernicious
book in the islands be absolutely prohibited.”
 Fr. Jose Rodriguez- Augustinian priest, published a series of eight pamphlets under the
general heading Cuestiones de Sumo Interes (Questions of Supreme Interest) to blast the
Noli and other anti-Spanish writings
 Vicente Barrantes- Spanish academician of Madrid, who formerly criticized the Noli in an
article published in La Espańa Moderna (a newspaper of Madrid) in January, 1890
 What marred Rizal’s happy days in Calamba with Lt. Andrade were (1) the death of his older
sister, Olimpia, and (2) the groundless tales circulated by his enemies that he was “a German
spy, an agent of Bismarck, a Protestant, a Mason, a witch, a soul beyond salvation, etc.”
 Rev. Vicente Garcia-a Filipino Catholic priest-scholar, a theologian of the Manila Cathedral
and a Tagalog translator of the famous Imitation of Christ by Thomas A. Kempis
-writing under the penname Justo Desiderio Magalang, wrote a defense of the Noli
which was published in Singapore as an appendix to a pamphlet dated July 18, 1888, he blasted
the arguments of Fr. Rodriguez
 Rizal, himself defended his novel against Barrantes’ attack, in a letter written in Brussels,
Belgium in February 1880.

FAREWELL TO CALAMBA
 The friars asked Governor General Terrero to deport him, but latter refused because there was
no valid charge against Rizal in court.
 Rizal was compelled to leave Calamba for two reasons: (1) his presence in Calamba was
jeopardizing the safety and happiness of his family and friends (2) he could fight better his
enemies and serve his country’s cause with greater efficacy by writing in foreign countries
 Shortly before Rizal left Calamba in 1888, his friend from Lipa requested him to write a poem in
commemoration of the town’s elevation to a villa (city) by virtue of the Becerra Law of 1888
 Himno Al Trabajo (Hymn to Labor)- a poem written by Rizal dedicated to the industrious
folks of Lipa

IN HONGKONG AND MACAO (1888)

-Hounded by powerful enemies, Rizal was forced to leave his country for a second time in
February 1888. He was then a full-grown man of 27 years of age, a practicing physician, and a
recognized man-of-letters

THE TRIP TO HONGKONG

 February 3, 1888-Rizal left Manila for Hong Kong on board the Zafiro
 February 7, 1888- Zafiro made a brief stopover at Amoy
 Rizal did not get off his ship at Amoy for three reasons: (1) he was not feeling well (2) it was
raining hard (3) he heard that the city was dirty
 February 8, 1888- Rizal arrived in Hong Kong
 Victoria Hotel- Rizal stayed while in Hong Kong. He was welcomed by Filipino residents,
including Jose Maria Basa, Balbino Mauricio, and Manuel Yriarte (son of Francisco Yriarte (son of
Francisco Yriarte, alcalde mayor of Laguna)

22
 Jose Sainz de Varanda- a Spaniard, who was a former secretary of Governor General Terrero,
shadowed Rizal’s movement in Hong Kong
-it is believed that he was commissioned by the Spanish authorities to spy on Rizal
 “Hong Kong”, wrote Rizal to Blumentritt on February 16, 1888, “is a small, but very clean
city.”

VISIT TO MACAO
-Macao is a Portuguese colony near Hong Kong.
-According to Rizal, the city of Macao is small, low, and gloomy. There are many junks,
sampans, but few steamers. It looks sad and is almost dead.
 February 18, 1888- Rizal, accompanied by Basa, boarded the ferry steamer, Kiu-Kiang for
Macao
 Don Juan Francisco Lecaros- A filipino gentleman married to a Portuguese lady
-Rizal and Basa stayed at his home while in Macao
 February 18, 1888- Rizal witnessed a Catholic possession, in which the devotees were
dressed in blue and purple dresses and were carrying unlighted candles
 February 20, 1888- Rizal and Basa returned to Hong Kong, again on board the ferry steamer
Kiu Kiang

DEPARTURE FROM HONG KONG

 February 22, 1888- Rizal left Hong Kong on board the Oceanic, an American steamer, his
destination was Japan
 Rizal’s cabin mate was a British Protestant missionary who called Rizal “a good man”

ROMANTIC INTERLUDE IN JAPAN (1888)

-One of the happiest interludes in the life of Rizal was his sojourn in the Land of the Cherry
Blossoms for one month and a half (February 28-April 13, 1888)

 February 28, 1888- early in the morning of Tuesday, Rizal arrived in Yokohama. He registered
at the Grand Hotel
 Tokyo Hotel- Rizal stayed here from March 2 to March 7
 Rizal wrote to Professor Blumentritt: “Tokyo is more expensive then Paris. The walls are
built in cyclopean manner. The streets are large and wide.”
 Juan Perez Caballero-secretary of the Spanish Legation, who visited Rizal at his hotel who
latter invited him to live at the Spanish Legation
 Rizal accepted the invitation for two reasons: (1) he could economize his living expenses by
staying at the legation (2) he had nothing to hide from the prying eyes of the Spanish authorities
 March 7, 1888- Rizal checked out of Tokyo Hotel and lived at the Spanish Legation
 Rizal was favorably impressed by Japan. The things which favorably impressed Rizal in Japan
were: (1) the beauty of the country—its flowers, mountains, streams and scenic panoramas, (2)
the cleanliness, politeness, and industry of the Japanese people (3)the picturesque dress and
simple charm of the Japanese women (4) there were very few thieves in Japan so that the houses
remained open day and night, and in hotel room one could safely leave money on the table (5)
beggars were rarely seen in the city, streets, unlike in Manila and other cities
 Rickshaws-popular mode of transportation drawn by men that Rizal did not like in Japan
 April 13, 1888-Rizal left Japan and boarded the Belgic, an English steamer, at Yokohama,
bound for the United States
 Tetcho Suehiro- a fighting Japanese journalist, novelist and champion of human rights, who
was forced by the Japanese government to leave the country
-passenger which Rizal befriended on board the Belgic
 April 13 to December 1, 1888- eight months of intimate acquaintanceship of Rizal and
Tetcho
 December 1, 1888- after a last warm handshake and bidding each other “goodbye”, Rizal and
Tetcho parted ways—never to meet again

23
RIZAL’S VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES (1888)
 April 28, 1888- the steamer Belgic, with Rizal on board, docked at San Francisco on Saturday
morning
 May 4, 1888- Friday afternoon, the day Rizal was permitted to go ashore
 Palace Hotel- Rizal registered here which was then considered a first-class hotel in the city
 Rizal stayed in San Francisco for two days—May 4 to 6, 1888
 May 6, 1888-Sunday, 4:30PM, Rizal left San Francisco for Oakland
 May 13, 1888-Sunday morning, Rizal reached New York, thus ending his trip across the
American continent
 Rizal stayed three days in this city, which he called the “big town.”
 May 16, 1888- Rizal left New York for Liverpool on board the City of Rome. According to Rizal,
this steamer was “the second largest ship in the world, the largest being the Great
Eastern”
 Rizal had good and bad impressions of the United States. The good impressions were (1) the
material progress of the country as shown in the great cities, huge farms, flourishing industries
and busy factories (2) the drive and energy of the American people (3) the natural beauty of the
land (4) the high standard of living (5) the opportunities for better life offered to poor immigrants
 One bad impression Rizal had of America was the lack of racial equality: “America is the land
par excellence of freedom but only for the whites”

RIZAL IN LONDON (1888-1889)

-After visiting the United States, Rizal lived in London from May, 1888 to March, 1889 for three
reasons: (1) to improve his knowledge of the English language (2) to study and annotate Morga’s
Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, a rare copy of which he heard to be available in the British Museum
(3) London was a safe place for him to carry on his fight against Spanish tyranny

TRIP ACROSS THE ATLANTIC

 The trans-Atlantic voyage of Rizal from New York to Liverpool was a pleasant one.
 Rizal entertained the American and European passengers with his marvelous skills with the yo-
yo as an offensive weapon.
 Yoyo-is a small wooden disc attached to a string from the finger.
 May 24, 1888-Rizal arrived at Liverpool, England
 Adelphi Hotel-Rizal spend the night here while staying for one day in this port city
 According to Rizal, “Liverpool is a big and beautiful city and its celebrated port is
worthy of its great fame. The entrance is magnificent and the customhouse is quite
good.”

LIFE IN LONDON
 May 25, 1888- a day after docking at Liverpool, Rizal went to London
 Rizal stayed as guest at the home of Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor, an exile of 1872 and a
practicing lawyer in London. By the end of May, Rizal found a modest boarding place at No. 37
Chalcot Crescent, Primrose Hill
 Dr. Reinhold Rozt- librarian of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and an authority on Malayan
languages and customs
-He was impressed by Rizal’s learning and character and he gladly recommended him to
the authorities of the British Museum. He called Rizal “a pearl of a man” (una perla de
hombre)
 Both good and bad news from home reached Rizal in London. Of the bad news, were the
injustices committed by the Spanish authorities on the Filipino people and the Rizal Family
 The greatest achievement of Rizal in London was the annotating of Morga’s book, Sucesos
de las Islas Filipinas (Historical Events of the Philippine Islands), which was published in
Mexico, 1609.
 September 1888- Rizal visited Paris for a week in order to search for more historical materials
in the Bibliotheque Nationale

24
 Rizal was entertained in this gay French metropolis by Juan Luna and his wife (Pas Pardo de
Tavera), who proudly showed him their little son Andres (nickname Luling)
 December 11, 1888-Rizal went to Spain, visiting Madrid and Barcelona
 Rizal met, for the first time, Marcelo H. del Pilar and Mariano Ponce, two titans of the
Propaganda Movement
 December 24, 1888-Rizal returned to London and spent Christmas and New Year’s Day with
the Becketts
 Rizal sent as Christmas gift to Blumentritt a bust of Emperador Augustus and a bust of Julius
Caesar to another friend, Dr. Carlos Czepelak (Polish scholar)
 The Life and Adventures of Valentine Vox, the Ventriloquist-a Christmas gift from
Rizal’s landlady, Mrs Beckett

RIZAL BECOMES LEADER OF FILIPINOS IN EUROPE

 Asociacion La Solidaridad (Solidaridad Association)- a patriotic society, which cooperate
in the crusade fro reforms, was inaugurated on December 31, 1888, with the following officers:
Galicano Apacible (president); Graciano Lopez Jaena (vice-president); Manuel Santa Maria
(secretary); Mariano Ponce (treasurer) and Jose Ma. Panganiban (accountant)
 By unanimous vote of all members, Rizal was chosen honorary president
 January 28, 1889- Rizal wrote a letter addressed to the members of the Asociacion La
Solidaridad

RIZAL AND THE LA SOLIDARIDAD NEWSPAPER

 February 15, 1889- Graciano Lopez Jaena founded the patriotic newspaper called La
Solidaridad in Barcelona
 La Solidadridad-fortnightly periodical which served as the organ of the Propaganda
Movement
 Its aims were as follows: (1) to work peacefully for political and social reforms (2) to portray the
deplorable conditions of the Philippines so that Spain may remedy them (3) to oppose the evil
forces of reaction and medievalism (4) to advocate liberal ideas and progress (5) to champion
the legitimate aspirations of the Filipino people to life, democracy and happiness
 Los Agricultores Filipinos (The Filipino Farmers)- Rizal’s first article which appeared in La
Solidaridad which is published on March 25, 1889, six days after he left London for Paris

ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN LA SOLIDARIDAD

-Rizal wrote articles for La Solidaridad in defense of his oppressed people and to point out the
evils of Spanish rule in the Philippines

1. “A La Defensa” (To La Defensa), April 30, 1889- this was a reply to an anti-
Filipino writing of a Spanish author Patricio de la Escosura which was published by La Defensa
on March 30, 1889
2. “La Verdad Para Todos” (The Truth For All), May 31, 1889- Rizal’s defense
against the Spanish charges that the native local officials were ignorant and depraved
3. “Vicente Barrantes’ Teatro Tagalo”, June 15, 1889- in this article, Rizal
exposes Barrabtes’ ignorance on the Tagalog theatrical art
4. “Una Profanacion” (A Profanation), July 31, 1889- a bitter attack against the
friars for denying Christian burial to Mariano Herbosa in Calamba because he was a brother-in-
law of Rizal. Herbosa, husband of lucia died of cholera on May 23, 1889
5. “Verdades Nuevas” (New Truths), July 31, 1889- a reply to Vicente Belloc
Sanchez’ letter published in La Patria, Madrid newspaper, on July 4, 1889, which asserted that
the granting of reforms in the Philippines would ruin the “peaceful and maternal rule” of the
friars
6. “Crueldad” (Cruelty), August 15, 1889- a brilliant defense of Blumentritt from
the scutrillous attack of his enemies

25
 7. “Diferencias’ (Differences), September 15, 1889- a reply to a biased article
entitled “Old Truths” published in La Patria on August 14, 1889, which ridiculed those Filipinos
who asked for reforms
8. “Inconsequencias” (Inconsequences), November 30, 1889- a defense of
Antonio Luna against the attack of Pablo Mir Deas in the Barcelona newspaper El Puieblo
Soberano
9. “Llanto y Risas” (Tears and Laughter), November 30, 1889- a denunciation of
Spanish racial prejudice against brown Filipinos
10. “Ingratitudes” (Ingratitude), January 15, 1890- a reply to Governor General
Valeriano Weyler who, while visiting Calamba, told the people that they “should not allow
themselves to be deceived by the vain promises of their ungrateful sons.”

 Simultaneous with Rizal retirement from the Propaganda Movement, Rizal ceased writing
articles for La Solidaridad
 August 7, 1891- M.H. del Pilar wrote to Rizal begging forgiveness for any resentment and
requesting Rizal to resume writing for the La Solidaridad
 Rizal stopped writing for La Solidaridad, it was because of several reasons: (1) Rizal need to
work on his book (2) He wanted other Filipinos to work also (3) Rizal considered it very important
to the party that there be unity in the work (4) Marcelo H. del Pilar is already at the top and Rizal
also have his own ideas, it is better to leave del Pilar alone to direct the policy

WRITINGS IN LONDON
 While busy in research studies at the British Museum, Rizal received news on Fray Rodriguez’
unabated attack on his Noli
 La Vision del Fray Rodriguez (The Vision of Fray Rodriguez)-pamphlet wrote by Rizal
which published in Barcelona under his nom-de-plume Dimas Alang in order to defense his
novel
-In La Vision del Fray Rodriguez, Rizal demonstrated two things: (1) his profound
knowledge of religion (2) his biting satire
 Letter to the Young Women of Malolos- a famous letter wrote by Rizal on February 22,
1889 in Tagalog
-this letter is to praise the young ladies of Malolos for their courage to establish a school
where they could learn Spanish, despite the opposition of Fr. Felipe Garcia, a Spanish parish
priest of Malolos
 The main points of this letter were: (1) a Filipino mother should teach her children love of God,
fatherland, and mankind (2) the Filipino mother should be glad, like the Spartan mother, to offer
her sons in the defense of the fatherland (3) a Filipino woman should know how to preserve her
dignity and honor (4) a Filipino woman should educate herself, aside from retaining her good
racial virtues (5) Faith is not merely reciting long prayers and wearing religious pictures, but
rather it is living the real Christian way, with good morals and good manners
 Dr Reinhold Rost, editor of Trubner’s Record, a journal devoted to Asian studies, request Rizal
to contribute some articles. In response to his request, the latter prepared two articles—(1)
Specimens of Tagal Folklore, which published in the journal in May, 1889 (2) Two Eastern Fables,
published in June, 1889
 March 19, 1889- Rizal bade goodbye to the kind Beckett Family and left London for Paris

RIZAL’S SECOND SOJOURN IN PARIS AND THE UNIVERSAL EXPOSITION IN 1889

-In March, 1889, it was extremely difficult for a visitor to find living quarters in Paris

 Valentin Ventura- a friend of Rizal where he lived—No. 45 Rue Maubeuge, where he polished
his annotated edition of Morga’s book
 Rizal used most of his time in the reading room of the Bibliotheque Nationale (National Library)
checking up his historical annotations on Morga’s book

26
 Rizal was a good friend of the three Pardo de Taveras—Dr. Trinidad H. Pardo de Tavera, a
physician by vocation and philologist by avocation, Dr. Felix Pardo de Tavera, also physician by
vocation and an artist and sculptor by avocation, and Paz Pardo de Tavera, wife of Juan Luna
 June 24, 1889- a baby girl was born to Juan Luna and Paz Pardo de Tavera, she was their
second child
 Her baptismal godfather was Rizal, who chose her name “Maria de la Paz, Blanca, Laureana,
Hermenegilda Juana Luna y Pardo de Tavera”
 May 6, 1889- opening of Universal Exposition of Paris
 The greatest attraction of this exposition was the Eiffel Tower, 984 feet high, which was built by
Alexander Eiffel, celebrated French engineer

KIDLAT CLUB
 March 19, 1889-the same day when he arrived in Paris from London, Rizal organized his
paisanos (compatriots) into a society called Kidlat Club
 Kidlat Club-purely a social society of a temporary nature
-founded by Rizal simply to bring together young Filipinos in the French capital so that
they could enjoy their sojourn in the city during the duration of the Universal Exposition

INDIOS BRAVOS
 Rizal was enchanted by the dignified and proud bearing of the American Indians in a Buffalo
Bull show
 Indios Bravos (Brave Indians)- replaced the ephemeral Kidlat Club
-its members pledged to excel in intellectual and physical prowess in order to win the
admiration of the foreigners
-practised with great enthusiasm the use of the sword and pistol and Rizal taught them
judo, an Asian art of self-defense, that he learned in Japan

R.D.L.M SOCIETY
 Sociedad R.D.L.M. (R.D.L.M Society)- a mysterious society founded by Rizal in Paris during
the Universal Exposition of 1889
-its existence and role in the crusade reforms are really enigmatic
-Of numerous letters written by Rizal and his fellow propagandists, only two mentioned
this secret society, as follows (1) Rizal’s Letter to Jose Maria Basa, Paris, September 21, 1889 (2)
Rizal’s Letter to Marcelo H. del Pilar, Paris, November 4, 1889
 According to Dr. Leoncio Lopez-Rizal, grandnephew of the hero, the society has a symbol or
countersign represented by a circle divided into three parts by two semi-circles having in the
center the intwerlocked letters I and B meaning Indios Bravos and the letter R.D.L.M. placed
outside an upper, lower, left and right sides of the circle
 The letters R.D.L.M. are believed to be the initials of the society’s secret name Redencion de
los Malayos (Redemption of the Malays)—Redemption of the Malay Race
 It was patterned after Freemasonry. It had various degrees of membership, “with the
members not knowing each other.”
 The aim of the secret society, as stated by Rizal, was “the propagation of all useful knowledge
—scientific, artistic, and literary, etc.—in the Philippines. Evidently, there was another aim that
is, the redemption of the Malay race
 It must be noted that Rizal was inspired by a famous book entitled Max Havelaar (1860) written
by Multatuli (pseudonym of E.D. Dekker, Dutch author)

ANNOTATED EDITION OF MORGA PUBLISHED

 Rizal’s outstanding achievement in Paris was the publication in 1890 of his annotated edition of
Morga’s Sucesos, which he wrote in the British Museum. It was printed by Garnier Freres. The
prologue was written by Professor Blumentritt upon the request of Rizal
 Rizal dedicated his new edition of Morga to the Filipino people so that they would know of their
glorious past

27
 The title page of Rizal’s annotated edition of Morga reads: “Paris, Liberia de Garnier Hermanos,
1890”
 The Philippines Within a Century-article written by Rizal which he expressed his views on
the Spanish colonization in the Philippines and predicted with amazing accuracy the tragic end of
Spain’s sovereignty in Asia
 The Indolence of the Filipinos- other essay of Rizal is also a prestigious work of historical
scholarship. It is an able defense of the alleged indolence of the Filipinos
-Rizal made a critical study of the causes why his people did not work hard during the
Spanish regime. His main thesis was that the Filipinos are not by nature indolent
 International Association of Filipinologists-association proposed by Rizal to establish
taking advantage of world attention which was then focused at the Universal Exposition in 1889
in Paris and have its inaugural convention in the French capital
 Project for Filipino College in Hong Kong- another magnificent project of Rizal in Paris
which also fizzled out was his plan to establish a modern college in Hong Kong
 Por Telefono-another satirical work as a reply to another slanderer, Fr. Salvador Font, who
masterminded the banning of his Noli, in the fall of 1889
-it was published in booklet form in Barcelona, 1889, this satirical pamphlet under the
authorship of “Dimas Alang” is a witty satire which ridicules Father Font
 Shortly after New Year, Rizal made a brief visit to London. It may be due to two reasons: (1) to
check up his annotated edition of Morga’s Sucesos with the original copy in the British Museum
(2) to see Gertrude Beckett for the last time

IN BELGIAN BRUSSELS (1890)

-January 28, 1890- Rizal left Paris for Brussels, capital of Belgium
-Two reasons impelled Rizal to leave Paris, namely (1) the cost of living in Paris was very high
because of the Universal Exposition (2) the gay social life of the city hampered his literary works,
especially the writing of his second novel, El Filibusterismo

LIFE IN BRUSSELS
 Rizal was accompanied by Jose Albert when he moved to Brussels. They lived in a modest
boarding house on 38 Rue Philippe Champagne, which was run by two Jacoby sisters (Suzanne
and Marie). Later Albert, left the city and was replaced by Jose Alejandro, an engineering student
 Rizal was the first to advocate the Filipinization of its orthography
 Sobre la Nueva Ortografia de la Lengua Tagala (The New Orthography of the Tagalog
Language)-was published in La Solidaridad on April 15, 1890
-in this article, he laid down the rules of the new Tagalog orthography and with modesty
and sincerity, he gave credit for the adoption of this new orthography to Dr. Trinidad H. Pardo de
Tavera, author of the celebrated work El Sanscrito en la Lengua Tagala (Sanskrit in the tagalog
Language) which was published in Paris, 1884
** “I put this on record,” wrote Rizal, “so that when the history of this orthography is traced,
which is already being adopted by the enlightened Tagalists, that what is Caesar’s be given to
Caesar. This innovation is due solely to Dr. Pardo de Tavera’s studies on Tagalismo. I was one of
its zealous propagandists.”**

 Letters from home which Rizal received in Brussels worried him. (1) the Calamba agrarian
trouble was getting worse (2) the Dominican Order filed a suit in court to dispossess the Rizal
family of their lands in Calamba
 In his moment of despair, Rizal had bad dreams during the nights in Brussels when he was
restless because he was always thinking of his unhappy family in Calamba
 Rizal feared that he would not live long. He was not afraid to die, but he wanted to finish his
second novel before he went to his grave.
 In the face of the sufferings which afflicted his family, Rizal planned to go home. He could not
stay in Brussels writing a book while his parents, relatives, and friends in the distant Philippines
were persecuted

28
 July 29, 1890- another letter to Ponce written at Brussels by Rizal, he announced that he was
leaving Brussels at the beginning of the following month and would arrive in Madrid about the 3 rd
or 4th (August)
 “To my Muse’” (A Mi…)- 1890, Rizal wrote this pathetic poem, it was against a background
of mental anguish in Brussels, during those sad days when he was worried by family disasters

MISFORTUNES IN MADRID (1890-91)

-Early in August, 1890, Rizal arrived in Madrid
-Upon arrival in Madrid, Rizal immediately sought help of the Filipino colony, The Asociacion
Hispano-Filipina, and the liberal Spanish newspaper in securing justice for the oppressed
Calamba tenants

 El Resumen- a Madrid newspaper which sympathized with the Filipino cause, said: “To cover
the ear, open the purse, and fold the arms—this is the Spanish colonial policy
 La Epoca- an anti-Filipino newspaper in Madrid

1. Jose Ma. Panganiban, his talented co-worker in the Propaganda Movement, died in
Barcelona on August 19, 1890, after a lingering illness
2. Aborted Duel with Antonio Luna—Luna was bitter because of his frustrated
romance with Nellie Boustead. Deep in his heart, he was blaming Rizal for his failure to win her,
although Rizal had previously explained to him that he had nothing to do about it. Luna uttered
certain unsavory remarks about Nellie, Rizal heard him and angered by the slanderous
remarks, he challenged Luna, his friend, to a duel. Fortunately, Luna realized that he had made
a fool of himself during his drunken state, he apologized for his bad remarks about the girl and
Rizal accepted his apology and they became good friends again
3. Rizal challenges Retana to Duel —Wenceslao E. Retana, his bitter enemy of the
pen, a talented Spanish scholar, was then a press agent of the friars in Spain. He used to attack
the Filipinos in various newspapers in Madrid and other cities in Spain. Retana wrote an article
in La Epoca, asserting that the family and friends of Rizal had not paid their rents so they were
ejected from their lands in Calamba by the Dominicans. Such as insult stirred Rizal to action,
immediately he sent his seconds to Retana with his challenge to a duel
4. Infidelity of Leonor Rivera —Rizal received a letter from Leonor, announcing her
coming marriage to an Englishman (the choice of her mother) and asking his forgivefess
5. Rizal-Del Pilar Rivalry—toward the closing days of 1890 phere arose an unfortunate
rivalry between Rizal and M.H. del Pilar for supremacy. Because of this, the Filipinos were
divided ibto two hostile camps—the Rizalistas and the Pilaristas. The sitqation was
becoming explosive and critical. Despite of winning the votes, Rizal graciously declined the
coveted position
 Rizal wrote a brief note thanking his compatriots for electing him as Responsible. It was the last
time he saw Madrid

BIARRITZ VACATION
-To seek solace for his disappointments in Madrid, Rizal took a vacation in the resort city of
Biarritz on the fabulous French Riviera. He was a guest of the rich Boustead family at its winter
residence—Villa Eliada

 February, 1891- Rizal arrived in Biarritz

 Frustrated in romance, Rizal found consolation in writing. Evidently, while wooing Nellie and
enjoying so “many magnificent moonlight nights” with her, he kept working on his second
novel which he began to write in Calamba 1887
 March 29, 1891- the eve of his departure from Biarritz to Paris, he finished the manuscript of
El Filibusterismo
 March 30, 1891-Rizal bade farewell to the hospitable and friendly Bousteads and proceeded
to Paris by train

29
 April 4, 1891-Rizal wrote to his friend, Jose Ma. Basa, in Hong Kong from Paris, expressing his
desire to go to that British colony and practice ophthalmology in order to earn his living
 Middle of April, 1891- Rizal was back in Brussels
 Since abdicating his leadership in Madrid in January, 1891, owing to the intrigues of his jealous
compatriots, Rizal retired from the Propaganda Movement or reform crusade
 May 1, 1891-Rizal notified the Propaganda authorities in Manila to cancel his monthly
allowance and devote the money to some better cause
 Rizal’s notification was contained in a letter addressed to Mr. A.L. Lorena (pseudonym of
Deodato Arellano)
 May 30, 1891-revision of the finished manuscript of El Filibusterismo was mostly completed
 June 13, 1891-Rizal informed Basa that he was negotiating with a printing firm

EL FILIBUSTERISMO PUBLISHED IN GHENT (1891)

-Rizal was busy revising and polishing the manuscript of El Filibusterismo so that it could be
ready for the press
-Rizal had begun writing it in October, 1887, while practicing medicine in Calamba, the following
year (1888), in London; he made some changes in the plot and corrected some chapters already
written. He wrote more chapters in Paris and Madrid, and finished the manuscript in Biarritz on
March 29, 1891. It took him, therefore, three years to write his second novel

 July 5, 1891- Rizal left Brussels for Ghent, a famous university city in Belgium
 Rizal reasons for moving to Ghent were (1) the cost of printing in Ghent was cheaper than in
Brussels (2) to escape from the enticing attraction of Petite Suzanne
 Rizal met two compatriots while in Ghent, Jose Alejandro (from Pampanga) and Edilberto
Evangelista (from Manila), both studying engineering in the world-famed University of Ghent
 F. Meyer-Van Loo Press (No. 66 Viaanderen Street)-a printing shop that give Rizal the
lowest quotation for the publication of his novel, who was willing to print his book on installment
basis
 August 6, 1891-the printing of his book had to be suspended because Rizal could no longer
give the necessary funds to the printer
 Valentin Ventura- the savior of the Fili
-When Ventura learned of Rizal’s predicament and
immediately sent him the necessary funds
 September 18, 1891- El Filibusterismo came off the press
-Rizal immediately sent on this date two printed copies to
Hong Kong—one for Basa and other for Sixto Lopez
 Rizal gratefully donated the original manuscript and an
autographed printed copy to Valentin Ventura
 La Publicidad- a Barcelona newspaper, wherein it published a
tribute eulogizing the novel’s original style which “is comparable
only to the sublime Alexander Dumas” and may well be offered
as “a model and a precious jewel in the now decadent
literature of Spain”
 El Nuevo Regimen- the liberal Madrid newspaper that serialized
the novel in its issues of October, 1891
 Rizal dedicated El Filibusterismo to Gom-Bur-Za (Don Mariano
Gomez, 73 years old; Don Jose Burgos, 35 years old; Jacinto
Zamora, 37 years old)
 The original manuscript of El Filibusterismo in Rizal’s own
handwriting in now preserved in the Filipiana Division of the Bureau of Public Libraries, Manila. It
consists of 270 pages of long sheets of paper
 Two features in the manuscript do not appear in the printed book, namely: the FOREWORD
and the WARNING. These were not put into print to save printing cost
 The title page of El Filibusterismo contains an inscription written by Ferdinand Blumentritt

30
 El Filibusterismo is a sequel to the Noli. It has little humor, less idealism and less romance than
the Noli Me Tangere. It is more revolutionary, more tragic than the first novel
 The characters in El Filibusterismo were drawn by Rizal from real life. Padre Florentino was
Father Leoncio Lopez, Rizal’s friend and priest of Calamba; Isagani, the poet was Vicente Ilustre,
Batangueño friend of Rizal in Madrid and Paulita Gomez, the girl who loved Isagani but married
Juanito Pelaez, was Leonor Rivera

Characters in El Filibusterismo
1. Simoun – Crisostomo Ibarra disguised as a wealthy jeweler, bent on starting a revolution.
2. Basilio – Sisa’s son, now an aspiring doctor
3. Isagani – poet and Basilio’s best friend; protrayed as emotional and reactive; Paulita Gomez boyfriend
before being dumpped for fellow student Juanito Pelaez.
4. Kabesang Tales – Telesforo Juan de Dios, a former cabeza de barangay who resurfaced as the feared Luzon
Bandit Matanglawin (Hawkeye); his father,Tandang Selo, died eventually after his own son Tano, who became
a guardia civil, unknowingly shot his grandfather in an encounter.
5. Don Custodio – the Custodio de Salazary Sanchez de Monteredondo, a
famous journalist who was asked by the students about his decision for the
academia de castellano. In reality, he was quiet a ordinary fellow who
married a rich woman in order to be a member of Manila’s society.
6. Paulita Gomez – The girlfriend ofIsagani and the niece of Dona Victorina, the old India who passing (racial
Identity) passes herself as a PENINSULARES, who was a wife of the quack doctor Tiburcio de Espadana. In
the end, she and Juanito Pelaez were wed, and she dumped Isagani, believeing that she will have no future if she
marries him.
7. Father Florentino- Isagani’s godfather, and a secular priest; was engaged to
be married, but chose to be a priest after being pressured by his mother, the
story hinting at the ambivance of his decision as he chose an assignment to a
remote place, living in solitude near the sea.
8. Juli – Juliana de Dios, the girlfriend of Basilio, the youngest daughter of Kabesang Tales.
9. Ben Zayb- Abraham Ibanez is his real name. He is a Journalist who thought
he was the only one thinking in the Philippines.
10. Placido Penitente – a student of the University of Santo Tomas who was very intelligent and wise but did
not want, if not only by his mother’s plea, to pursue his studies. He also controls his temper against his Physics
teacher, Father Millon.
11. Quiroga- a Chinese businessman who dreamt of being a consul of a “Consulate of China” in the
Philippines. He kept Simoun’s weapons inside his house.
12. Tandang Selo – father of Kabesang Tales. He raised the sick and young
Basilio after his mother Sisa had died.
13. Father Fernandez- the priest-friend of Isagani. He promised Isagani that he
and other priests will give in to students’ demands.
14. Attorney Pasta- one of the great lawyers of mid-Hispanic Manila.
15. Captain-General- the powerful highest official in the Philippines.
16. Padre Sibyla- hernando de la Sibyla, a Filipino friar and now vice-rector of the University of Santo Tomas.

COMPARISON BETWEEN NOLI and FILI

NOLI ME TANGERE EL FILIBUSTERISMO

Date: March 21 1887 > September 18, 1891
Place: Berlin, Germany > Ghent, Belgium
English Trans: Touch Me Not (bible) > The Reign of Greed
The Social Cancer (Charles
Derbyshire) > Ang Paghahari ng Kasakiman
Filipino Trans: Huwag mo akong Salingin > a political novel
31
Genre: a romantic novel >it is a “work of the head”—a book of the
>it is a “work of the heart”—a book of feeling” thought
>it contains bitterness, hatred, pain, violence,
>it has freshness, color, humor, lightness, and and sorrow
wit GomBurZa
Valentin Ventura
Dedication: Motherland >it contains 38 chapters
Saved by: Maximo Viola
>it contains 64 chapters
Influenced by: Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet
Beecher Stowe

 The original intention of Rizal was to make the Fili longer than the Noli
 The friends of Rizal and our Rizalistas today differ in opinion as to which is the superior novel—
the Noli or the Fili. Rizal himself considered the Noli as superior to the Fili as a novel, thereby
agreeing with M.H. del Pilar who had the same opinion

 September 22, 1891-four days after the Fili came off the press, Rizal wrote to Blumentritt: “I
am thinking of writing a third novel, a novel in the modern sense of the word, but this time
politics will not find much space in it, but ethics will play the principal role.”
 October 18, 1891- Rizal boarded the steamer Melbourne in Marseilles bound for Hong Kong
-during the voyage, Rizal began writing the third novel in Tagalog, which he intended for
Tagalog readers
 The unfinished novel has no title. It consists of 44 pages (33cm x 21 cm) in Rizal’s handwriting,
still in manuscript form, it is preserved in the National Library, Manila
-The story of this unfinished novel begins with the solemn burial of Prince Tagulima. The
hero of the novel was Kamandagan, a descendant of Lakan-Dula, last king of Tondo
-It is said that Rizal was fortunate not to have finsihed this novel, because it would have
caused greater scandal and more Spanish vengeance on him
 Makamisa- other unfinished novel of Rizal in Tagalog written in a light sarcastic style and is
incomplete for only two chapters are finished. The manuscript consists of 20 pages, 34.2cm x
22cm
 Dapitan-another novel which Rizal started to write but it is unfinished, written in ironic
Spanish. He wrote it during his exile in Dapitan to depict the town life and customs. The
manuscript consists of 8 pages, 23cm x 16cm
 A novel in Spanish about the life in Pili, a town in Laguna, is also unfinished. The manuscript
consists of 147 pages, 8” x 6.5”, without title
 Another unfinished novel of Rizal, also without title is about Cristobal, a youthful Filipino
student who has returned from Europe. The manuscript consist of 34 pages, 8 ½” x 6 ¼”
 The beginnings of another novel are contained in two notebooks—the first notebook contains
31 written pages, 35.5 cm x 22 cm and second 12 written pages, 22cm x 17cm. this unfinished
novel is written in Spanish and style is ironic

OPHTHALMIC SURGEON IN HONG KONG (1891-1892)

-Rizal left Europe for Hong Kong, where he lived from November, 1891 to June, 1892. His reasons
for leaving Europe were (1) life was unbearable in Europe because of his political differences with
M.H. del Pilar and other Filipinos in Spain (2) to be near his idolized Philippines and family

 October 3, 1891-two weeks after the publication of Fili, Rizal left Ghent for Paris, where he
stayed a few days to say goodbye to the Lunas, the Pardo de Taveras, the Venturas and other
friends; Rizal proceeded by train to Marseilles
 October 18, 1891- Rizal boarded the steamer Melbourne bound for Hong Kong
 Father Fuchs- a Tyrolese, Rizal enjoyed playing chess. Rizal describe him to Blumentritt as
“He is a fine fellow, A Father Damaso without pride and malice”
 November 20, 1891-Rizal arrived in Hong Kong
32
 Rizal established his residence at No. 5 D’ Aguilar Street No. 2 Rednaxola Terrace, where he
also opened his medical clinic
 December 1, 1891- Rizal wrote his parents asking their permission to return home.
-On the same date, his brother-in-law, Manuel T. Hidalgo, sent him a letter relating the sad
news of the “deportation of twenty-five persons from Calamba, including father,
Neneng, Sisa, Lucia, Paciano and the rest of us.”
 The Christmas of 1891 in Hong Kong was one of the happiest Yuletide celebrations in Rizal’s
life: For he had a happy family reunion
 January 31, 1892- Rizal wrote to Blumentritt, recounting pleasant life in Hong Kong
 To earn a living for himself and for his family, Rizal practiced medicine
 Dr. Lorenzo P. Marques- a Portuguese physician, who became Rizal’s friend and admirer,
who helped him to build up a wide clientele. In recognition of Rizal’s skill as an ophthalmic
surgeon, he turned over to him many of his eye cases
 Rizal successfully operated on his mother’s left eye so that she was able to read and write
again.

BORNEO COLONIZATION PROJECT

 Rizal planned to move the landless Filipino families Filipino families to North Borneo (Sabah),
rich British-owned island and carve out of its virgin wildness a “New Calamba”
 March 7, 1892- Rizal went to Sandakan on board the ship Menon to negotiate with the British
authorities for the establishment of a Filipino colony
 Rizal looked over the land up the Bengkoka River in Maradu Bay which was offered by the
British North Borneo Company
 April 20, 1892- Rizal was back in Hong Kong
 Hidalgo- Rizal’s brother-in-law, objected to the colonization project
 Governor Valeriano Weyler- Cubans odiously called “The Butcher”
 Governor Eulogio Despujol- the Count of Caspe, a new governor general after Weyler
 December 23, 1891- first letter of Rizal to Governor Despujol
 March 21, 1892- Rizal’s second letter and gave it to a ship captain to be sure it would reach
Governor Despujol’s hand
-in this second letter, he requested the governor general to permit the landless Filipinos to
establish themselves in Borneo
 Despujol could not approve the Filipino immigration to Borneo, alleging that “the Philippines
lacked laborers” and “it was not very patriotic to go off and cultivate foreign soil.”

WRITINGS IN HONG KONG

 “Ang Mga Karapatan Nang Tao- which is a Tagalog translation of “The Rights of Man”
proclaimed by the French Revolution in 1789
 “A la Nacion Española” (To the Spanish Nation)- Rizal wrote in 1891, which is an appeal
to Spain to right the wrongs done to the Calamba tenants
 “Sa Mga Kababayan” (To my Countrymen)- another proclamation written in December,
1891 explaining the Calamba agrarian situation
 The Hong Kong Telegraph- a British daily newspaper whose editor is Mr. Frazier Smith, a
friend of Rizal
-Rizal contributed articles to this newspaper
 “Una Visita a la Victoria Gaol” (A Visit to Victoria Gaol)- Rizal wrote on March 2, 1892,
an account of his visit to the colonial prison of Hong Kong
-in this article, Rizal contrasted the cruel Spanish prison system with the modern and more
humane British prison system
 “Colonisation du British North Borneo, par de Familles de Iles Philippines”
(Colonization of British North Borneo by Families from the Philippine Islands)- an
article in French which Rizal elaborated on the same idea in aonther article in Spanish, “Proyecto
de Colonizacion del British North Borneo por los Filipinos” (Project of the Colonization of British
North Borneo by the Filipinos)

33
 “La Mano Roja” (The Red Hand)- Rizal wrote in June, 1892, which was printed in sheet form
in Hong Kong
-it denounces the frequent outbreaks of intentional fires in Manila
 Constitution of La Liga Filipina- the most important writing made by Rizal during his Hong
Kong sojourn, which was printed in Hong Kong, 1892
-to deceive the Spanish authorities, the printed copies carried the false information that
the printing was done by the LONDON PRINTING PRESS
 Domingo Franco-a friend of Rizal in Manila whom the copies of the printed Liga constitution
were sent

DECISION TO RETURN TO MANILA

 May, 1892- Rizal made up his mind to return to Manila.
 This decision was spurred by the following: (1) to confer with Governor Despujol regarding his
Borneo colonization project (2) to establish the La Liga Filipina in Manila (3) to prove that
Eduardo de Lete was wrong in attacking him in Madrid that he (Rizal), being comfortable and
safe in Hong Kong, had abandoned the country’s cause
 Lete’s attack, which was printed in La Solidaridad on April 15, 1892, portrayed Rizal as
cowardly, egoistic, opportunistic—a patriot in words only
 June 20, 1892- Rizal wrote two letters which he sealed, inscribed on each envelope “to be
opened after my death” and gave them to his friend Dr. Marques for safekeeping
 The first letter, addressed TO MY PARENTS, BRETHREN, AND FRIENDS. The second letter,
addressed TO THE FILIPINOS
 June 21, 1892- Rizal penned another letter in Hong Kong for Governor Despujol, incidentally
his third letter to that discourteous Spanish chief executive

 Immediately after Rizal’s departure from Hong Kong, the Spanish consul general who issued
the government guarantee of safety, sent a cablegram to Governor Despujol that the victim “is
in the trap”. On the same day (June 21, 1892), a secret case was filed in Manila against Rizal
and his followers “for anti-religious and anti-patriotic agitation”
 Luis de la Torre- secretary of Despujol, ordered to find out if Rizal was naturalized as a
German citizen

SECOND HOMECOMING AND THE LIGA FILIPINA

-Rizal’s bold return to Manila in June, 1892 was his second homecoming
-Rizal firmly believed that the fight for Filipino liberties had assumed a new phase: it must be
fought in the Philippines not in Spain. “The battlefield is in the Philippines,” he told
countrymen in Europe, “There is where we should meet… There we will help one
another, there together we will suffer or triumph perhaps.”

ARRIVAL IN MANILA WITH SISTER

 June 26, 1892- Sunday at 12:00 noon, Rizal and his widowed sister Lucia (wife of late Mariano
Herbosa) arrived in Manila
 In the afternoon, at 4:00 o’clock, he went to Malacañang Palace to seek audience with the
Spanish governor general, General Eulogio Despujol, Conde de Caspe
 June 27, 1892- at 6:00pm, Rizal boarded a train in Tutuban Station and visited his friends in
Malolos (Bulacan), San Fernando (Pampanga), Tarlac (Tarlac), and Bacolor (Pampanga)
 Rizal returned by train to Manila on the next day, June 28, at 5 o’clock in the afternoon

FOUNDLING OF THE LIGA FILIPINA

 July 3, 1892- on the evening of Sunday, following his morning interview with Governor General
Despujol, Rizal attended a meeting with patriots at the home of the Chinese-Filipino mestizo,
Doroteo Ongjunco, on Ylaya Street, Tondo, Manila
 Rizal explained the objectives of the Liga Filipina, a civic league of Filipinos, which he desired to
establish and its role in the socio-economic life of the people.

34
 The officers of the new league were elected, as follows: Ambrosio Salvador (President);
Deodato Arellano (Secretary); Bonifacio Arevalo (Treasurer); and Agustin de la Rosa (Fiscal)
 Unus Instar Omnium (One Like All)- the motto of the Liga Filipina
 The governing body of the league was the Supreme Council which had jurisdiction over the
whole country. It was composed of a president, a secretary, a treasurer, and a fiscal. There was a
Provincial Council in every province and a Popular Council in every town
 The duties of the Liga members are as follows (1) obey the orders of the Supreme Council (2)
to help in recruiting new members (3) to keep in strictest secrecy the decisions of the Liga
authorities (4) to have symbolic name which he cannot change until he becomes president of his
council (5) to report to the fiscal anything that he may hear which affect the Liga (6) to behave
well as befits a good Filipino (7) to help fellow members in all ways

RIZAL ARRESTED AND JAILED IN FORT SANTIAGO

 July 6, 1892- Wednesday, Rizal went to Malacañang Palace to resume his series of interviews
with governor general
 Pobres Frailles (Poor Friars)- incriminatory leaflets which allegedly found in Lucia’s pillow
cases; it is under the authorship of Fr. Jacinto and printed by the Imprenta de los Amigos del Pais,
Manila
 Rizal was placed under arrest and escorted to Fort Santiago by Ramon Despujol, nephew and
aide of Governor General Despujol
 July 7, 1892- the Gaceta de Manila published the story of Rizal’s arrest which produced
indignant commotion among the Filipino people, particlarly the members of the newly organized
Liga Filipina
 The same issue of the Gaceta (july 7, 1892) contained Governor General Despujol’s decree
deporting Rizal to “one of the islands in the South”
 July 14, 1892, shortly after midnight (that is 12:30 am of July 15, 1892) – Rizal was
brought under heavy guard to the steamer Cebu which was sailing for Dapitan. This steamer
under Captain Delgras departed at 1:00 AM, July 15, sailing south, passing Mindoro and Panay
and reaching Dapitan on Sunday, the 17th of July at 7:00 in the evening
 Captain Ricardo Carnicero- Spanish commandant of Dapitan whom Captain Delgras handed
Rizal
 July 17, 1892- July 31, 2896- Rizal began his exile in lonely Dapitan, a period of four years

EXILE IN DAPITAN, 1892-1896

-Rizal lived in exile far-away Dapitan, a remote town in Mindanao which was under the
missionary jurisdiction of the Jesuits, from 1892 to 1896
-Rizal practiced medicine, pursued scientific studies, continued his artistic and literary works,
widened his knowledge of languages, established a school for boys, promoted developments
projects, invented a wooden machine for making bricks, and engaged in farming and commerce

BEGINNING OF EXILE IN DAPITAN

 The steamer Cebu which brought Rizal to Dapitan carried a letter from Father Pablo Pastells,
Superior of the Jesuit Society in the Philippine, to Father Antonio Obach, Jesuit parish priest of
Dapitan
 Rizal lived in the house of the commandant, Captain Carnicero
 A Don Ricardo Carnicero- Rizal wrote a poem on August 26, 1892, on the occasion of the
captain’s birthday
 September 21, 18792- the mail boat Butuan was approaching the town, with colored
pennants flying in the sea breezes
 Butuan- the mail boat, brought the happy tidings that the Lottery Ticket no. 9736 jointly
owned by Captain Carcinero, Dr. Jose Rizal, and Francisco Equilior (Spanish resident of Dipolog, a
neighboring town of Dapitan) won the second prize of P20,000 in the government-owned Manila
Lottery
 Rizal’s winning in the Manila Lottery reveals an aspect of his lighter side. He never drank hard
liquor and never smoked but he was a lottery addict—this was his only vice
35
 During his exile in Dapitan, Rizal had a long and scholarly debate with Father Pastells on
religion.
 In all his letters to Father Pastells, Rizal revealed his anti-Catholic ideas which he had acquired
in Europe and embitterment at his persecution by the bad friars
 According to Rizal, individual judgment is a gift from God and everybody should use it like a
lantern to show the way and that self-esteem, if moderated by judgment, saves man from
unworthy acts
 Imitacion de Cristo (Imitation of Christ)- a famous Catholic book by Father Thomas a
Kempis which Father Pastells gave to Rizal
 Mr. Juan Lardet- a businessman, a French acquaintance in Dapitan, Rizal challenge in a duel
—this man purchased many logs from the lands of Rizal
 Antonio Miranda- a Dapitan merchant and friend of Rizal
 Father Jose Vilaclara- cura of Dipolog

 Pablo Mercado-friar’s spy and posing as a relative, secretly visited Rizal at his house on the
night of November 3, 1891
-he introduced himself as a friend and relative, showing a photo of Rizal and a pair of
buttons with the initials “P.M.” (Pablo Mercado) as evidence of his kinship with the Rizal family
 Captain Juan Sitges- who succeeded Captain Carnicero on May 4, 1893 as commandant of
Dapitan, Rizal denounced to him the impostor
 Florencio Namanan- the real name of “Pablo Mercado”
-a native of Cagayan de Misamis, single and about 30 years old. He was hired by the
Recollect friars to a secret mission in Dapitan—to introduce himself to Rizal as a friend and
relative, to spy on Rizal’s activities, and to filch certain letters and writings of Rizal which might
incriminate him in the revolutionary movement.
 As physician in Dapitan—Rizal practiced Medicine in Dapitan. He had many patients, but
most of them were poor so that he even gave them free medicine.
-As a physician, Rizal became interested in local medicine and in the use of medicinal
plants. He studied the medicinal plants of the Philippines and their curative values.
 August 1893- Rizal’s mother and sister, Maria, arrived in Dapitan and lived with him for one
year and a half. Rizal operated on his mother’s right eye
 Rizal held the title of expert surveyor (perito agrimensor), which obtained from the
Ateneo
-In Dapitan, Rizal applied his knowledge of engineering by constructing a system of
waterworks in order to furnish clean water to the townspeople
 Mr. H.F. Cameron-an American engineer who praised Rizal’s engineering

COMMUNITY PROJECTS FOR DAPITAN

 When Rizal arrived in Dapitan, he decided to improve it, to the best of his God-given talents
and to awaken the civic consciousness of its people
(1) Constructing the town’s first water system
(2) Draining the marshes in order to get rid of malaria that infested Dapitan
(3) Equip the town with its lighting system—this lighting system consisted of coconut oil
lamps placed in the dark streets of Dapitan
(4) Beautification of Dapitan—remodeled the town plaza in order to enhance its beauty

 Rizal as Teacher—Rizal exile to Dapitan gives him the opportunity to put into practice his
educational ideas. In 1893 he established a school which existed until the end of his exile in July,
1896. Rizal taught his boys reading, writing, languages (Spanish and English), geography,
history, mathematics (arithmetic and geometry), industrial work, nature study, morals and
gymnastics. He trained them how to collect specimens of plants and animals, to love work and to
“behave like men”
 Hymn to Talisay (Himno A Talisay)- Rizal wrote this poem in honor of Talisay for his pupils
to sing

36
 Contributions to Science—during his four-year exile in Dapitan, Rizal built up a rich
collection of concology which consisted of 346 shells representing 203 species. Rizal also
conducted anthropological, ethnographical, archaeological, geological, and geographical studies,
as revealed by his voluminous correspondence with his scientists friends in Europe.
 Linguistic Studies—In Dapitan, he learned the Bisayan, Subanum, and Malay languages. He
wrote Tagalog grammar, made a comparative study of the Bisayan and Malayan languages and
studied Bisayan (Cebuan), and Subanum languages
-By this time, Rizal could rank with the world’s great linguists. He knew 22 languages—
Tagalog, Ilokano, Bisayan, Subanun, Spanish, Latin, Greek, English, French, German, Arabic,
Malay, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Dutch, Catalan, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Swedish, and
Russian
 Artistic works in Dapitan—Rizal continued his artistic pursuits in Dapitan. Rizal made
sketches of persons and things that attracted him in Dapitan.
-The Mother’s Revenge- a statuette made by Rizal representing the mother-dog killing
the crocodile, by way of avenging her lost puppy
-Other sculptural works of Rizal in Dapitan were a bust of Father Guerrico (one of his
Ateneo professors), a statue of a girl called “the Dapitan Girl”, a woodcarving of Josephine
Bracken (his wife) and a bust of St. Paul which he gave to Father Pastells
 Rizal as Farmer—In Dapitan, Rizal devoted much of his time to agriculture. Rizal introduced
modern methods of agriculture which he had observed in Europe and America. He encouraged
the Dapitan farmers to discard their primitive system of tillage and adopt the modern agricultural
methods
 Rizal as Businessman—Rizal engaged in business in partnership with Ramon Carreon, a
Dapitan merchant, he made profitable business ventures in fishing, copra, and hemp industries
-January 19, 1893-Rizal wrote a letter to Hidalgo expressing his plan to improve the
fishing industry of Dapitan
-The most profitable business venture of Rizal in Dapitan was in the hemp industry. May
14, 1893-Rizal formed a business partnership with Ramon Carreon in lime manufacturing
-January 1, 1895-Rizal organized the Cooperative Association of Dapitan Farmers to
break the Chinese monopoly on business in Dapitan
 Rizal’s Inventive Ability—Rizal invented a cigarette lighter which he sent as a gift to
Blumentritt. He called it “sulpukan”. This unique cigarette lighter was made of wood. “Its
mechanism”, said Rizal “is based on the principle of compressed air.”
-During his exile in Dapitan, he invited a wooden machine for making bricks
 My Retreat (Mi Retiro)- Rizal wrote this beautiful poem about his serene life as an exile in
Dapitan and sent it to her mother on October 22, 1895, which acclaimed by literary critics as one
of the best ever penned by Rizal.

RIZAL AND THE KATIPUNAN

 Andres Bonifacio- the “Great Plebeian”, sowing the seeds of an armed uprising—the secret
revolutionary society, called Katipunan, which he founded on July 7, 1892
 May 2, 1896- a secret meeting of the Katipunan at a little river called Bitukang Manok near
the town of Pasig, Dr. Pio Valenzuela was named emissary to Dapitan, in order to inform Rizal of
the plan of the Katipunan to launch a revolution for freedom’s sake
 June 15, 1896-Valenzuela left Manila on board the steamer Venus
 To camouflage Valenzuela’s real mission, he brought with him a blind man Raymundo Mata and
a guide, ostensibly going to Dapitan to solicit Rizal’s expert medical advice
 June 21, 1896-evening, Dr. Pio Valenzuela arrived in Dapitan
 Rizal objected to Bonifacio’s audacious project to plunge the country in bloody revolution
because he was of sincere belief that it was premature, for two reasons: (1) the people are not
ready for a revolution (2) arms and funds must first be collected before raising the cry of
revolution

37
 Rizal had offered his services as military doctor in Cuba, which was then in the throes of a
revolution and a ranging yellow fever epidemic. There was a shortage of physicians to minister to
the needs of the Spanish troops and the Cubans people
 December 17, 1895- Rizal wrote to Governor General Ramon Blanco, Despujol’s successor,
offering his services as military doctor in Cuba
 July 30, 1896- Rizal received the letter from Governor General Blanco dated July 1, 1896
notifying him of acceptance of his offer.
 “The Song of the Traveler” (El Canto del Viajero) -Rizal wrote this heart-warming poem
because of his joy in receiving the gladsome news from Malacañang
 July 31, 1896- Rizal’s four-year exile in Dapitan came to an end
-Midnight of that date, Rizal embarked on board the steamer España
 As farewell music, the town brass band strangely played the dolorous Funeral March of
Chopin. Rizal must have felt it deeply, for with his presentment of death, it seemed an obsequy
or a regimen
 Rizal wrote in his diary, “I have been in that district four years, thirteen days and a few
hours”

LAST TRIP ABROAD (1896)

-No longer an exile, Rizal had a pleasant trip from Dapitan to Manila, with delightful stopovers in
Dumaguete, Cebu, Iloilo, Capiz, and Romblon

 Isla de Luzon-a regular steamer that Rizal missed which sailed to Spain the day before he
arrived in Manila Bay
 Castilla- a Spanish cruiser wherein Rizal was kept as a “guest” on board
 August 26, 1896- Andres Bonifacio and the Katipunan raised the cry of revolution in the hills
of Balintawak, a few miles north of Manila
 September 3, 1896- Rizal left for Spain on the steamer Isla de Panay
 July 31, 1896- Rizal left Dapitan at midnight on board the España sailed northward
 August 1, 1896- at dawn of Saturday, it anchored at Dumaguete, capitan of Negros Oriental
-“Dumaguete” wrote Rizal in his travel diary “spreads out on the beach. There are big
houses, some with galvanized iron roofing. Outstanding are the house of a lady, whose name I
have forgotten, which is occupied by the government and another one just begun with many ipil
post
 Herrero Regidor- Rizal friend and former classmate, who was the judge of the province,
Dumaguete
 The España left Dumaguete about 1:00pm and reached Cebu the following morning
“In Cebu, Rizal wrote in his diary “I did two operations of strabotomy, one
operation on the ears and another of tumor.”
 In the morning of Monday, August 3, 1896, Rizal left Cebu going to Iloilo. Rizal landed at Iloilo,
went shopping in the city and visited Molo. From Iloilo, Rizal’s ship sailed to Capiz. After a brief
stopover, it proceeded towards Manila via Romblon
 August 6, 1896- morning of Thursday, the España arrived in Manila Bay
 Rizal was not able to catch the mail ship Isla de Luzon for Spain because it had departed the
previous day at 5:00pm
 Near midnight of the same day, August 6, Rizal was transferred to the Spanish cruiser Castilla,
by order of Governor General Ramon Blanco. He was given good accommodation by the gallant
captain, Enrique Santalo
 August 6 to September 2, 1896 , Rizal stayed on the cruiser pending the availability of Spain-
bound steamer

OUTBREAK OF PHILIPPINE REVOLUTION

 August 19, 1896- the Katipunan plot to overthrow Spanish rule by means of revolution was
discovered by Fray Mariano Gil, Augustinian cura of Tondo
 August 26, 1896- the “Cry of Balintawak” which raised by Bonifacio and his valiant
Katipuneros
38
 August 30, 1896- sunrise, the revolutionists led by Bonifacio and Jacinto attacked San Juan,
near the city of Manila
-in the afternoon, after the Battle of San Juan, Governor General Blanco proclaimed a state
of war in the first eight provinces for rising in arms against Spain—Manila (as a province),
Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, and Tarlac
 Rizal learned of the eruption of the revolution and raging battles around Manila through the
newspapers he read on the Castilla. He was worried for two reasons: (1) the violent revolution
which he sincerely believed to be premature and would only cause much suffering and terrible
loss of human lives and property had started (2) it would arouse Spanish vengeance against all
Filipino patriots
 August 30, 1896- Rizal received from Governor General Blanco two letters of introduction for
the Minister of War and Minister of Colonies, which a covering letter which absolved him from all
blame for the raging revolution
 September 2, 1896- the day before Rizal departure for Spain, Rizal, on board the Castilla,
wrote to his mother
-At 6:00pm, Rizal was transferred to the steamer Isla de Panay which was sailing for
Barcelona, Spain
 The next morning, September 3, this steamer left Manila Bay
 The Isla de Panay arrived at Singapore in the evening of September 7
 Don Pedro Roxas- rich Manila creole industrialist and Rizal’s friend that advised him to stay
on Singapore and take advantage of the protection of the British law
 Don Manuel Camus- headed several Filipino residents in Singapore, boarded the steamer,
urging Rizal to stay in Singapore to save his life
 The Isla de Panay, with Rizal on board, left Singapore at 1:00pm, September 8
 September 25, 1896- Rizal saw the steamer Isal de Luzon, leaving the Suez Canal, crammed
with Spanish troops
 September 27, 1896- Rizal heard from the passengers that a telegram arrived from Manila
reporting the execution of Francisco Roxas, Genato and Osorio
 September 28, 1986- a day after the steamer had left Port Said (Mediterranean terminus of
the Suez Canal), a passenger told Rizal the bad news that he would be arrested by order of
Governor General Blanco and would be sent to prison in Ceuta (Spanish Morocco), opposite
Gibraltar
 September 29, 1896- Rizal wrote in his travel diary: There are people on board who do
nothing but slander me and invent fanciful stories about me. I’m going to become a legendary
personage
 September 30, 1896- at 4:00pm, Rizal was officially notofied by Captain Alemany that he
should stay in his cabin until further orders from Manila
-about 6:25pm, the steamer anchored at Malta. Being confined to his cabin, Rizal was not
able to visit the famous island-fortress of the Christian crusaders
 October 3, 1896- at 10:00am, the Isla de Panay arrived in Barcelona, with Rizal, a prisoner on
board
 The trip from Manila to Barcelona lasted exactly 30 days. Rizal was kept under heavy guard in
his cabin for three days
 General Eulogio Despujol- military commander of Barcelona who ordered his banishment to
Dapitan in July 1892
 October 6, 1896- at 3:00am, Rizal was awakened by the guards and escorted to the grim and
infamous prison-fortress named Monjuich
 About 2:00 in the afternoon, Rizal was taken out of prison by the guards and brought to the
headquarters of General Despujol
 Colon- a transport ship back to Manila
 Rizal was taken aboard the Colon, which was “full of soldiers and officers and their
families.”
 October 6, 1896- at 8:00pm, the ship left Barcelona with Rizal on board

LAST HOMECOMING AND TRIAL

39
-Rizal’s homecoming in 1896, the last in his life, was his saddest return to his beloved native
land. He knew he was facing the supreme test, which might mean the sacrifice of his life, but he
was unafraid
-The trial that was held shortly after Rizal’s homecoming was one of history’s mockeries of
justice

A MARTYR’S LAST HOMECOMING

 October 6, 1896- Tuesday, Rizal leaved Barcelona, Rizal conscientiously recorded the events
on his diary
 October 8, 1896- a friendly officer told Rizal that the Madrid newspaper were full of stories
about the bloody revolution in the Philippines and were blaming him for it
 October 11, 1896- before reaching Port Said, Rizal’s diary was taken away and was critically
scrutinized by the authorities
 November 2, 1896-the diary was returned to Rizal
 Attorney Hugh Fort-an English lawyer in Singapore
-his friends (Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor and Sixto Lopez) dispatched frantic telegrams to Fort
to rescue Rizal from the Spanish steamer when it reached Singapore by means of writ of habeas
corpus
 Chief Justice Loinel Cox- denied the writ on the ground that the Colon was carrying Spanish
troops to the Philippines
 November 3, 1896- the Colon reached Manila, where it was greeted with wild rejoicings by
the Spaniards and friars because it brought more reinforcements and military supplies
 November 20, 1896- the preliminary investigation on Rizal began
 Colonel Francisco Olive-the judge advocate
 Two kinds of evidence were presented against Rizal, namely documentary and testimonial. The
documentary evidence consisted of fifteen exhibits, as follows:
(1) A letter of Antonio Luna to Mariano Ponce, dated Madrid, October 16, 1888, showing Rizal’s
connection with the Filipino reform campaign in Spain
(2) A letter of Rizal to his family, dated Madrid, August 20, 1890, stating that the deportations
are good for they will encourage the people to hate tyranny
(3) A letter from Marcelo H. del Pilar to Deodato Arellano, dated Madrid, January 7, 1889,
implicating Rizal in the Propaganda campaign in Spain
(4) A poem entitled Kundiman, allegedly written by Rizal in Manila on September 12, 1891
(5) A letter of Carlos Oliver to an unidentified person dated Barcelona, September 18, 1891,
describing Rizal as the man to free the Philippines from Spanish oppression
(6) A Masonic document, dated Manila, February 9, 1892, honoring Rizal for his patriotic
services
(7) A letter signed Dimasalang (Rizal’s pseudonym) to Tenluz (Juan Zulueta’s pseudonym),
dated Hong Kong, May 24, 1892, stating that he was preparing a safe refuge for Filipinos who
may be persecuted by the Spanish authorities
(8) A letter of Dimasalang to an unidentified committee, dated Hong Kong, June 1, 1892,
soliciting the aid of the committee in the “patriotic work”
(9) An anonymous and undated letter to the Editor of the Hong Kong Telegraph, censuring the
banishment of Rizal to Dapitan
(10) A letter of Idefonso Laurel to Rizal, dated Manila, September 3, 1892, saying that the
Filipino people look up to him (Rizal) as their savior
(11) A letter of Idefonso Laurel to Rizal, dated Manila, September 17, 1893, informing an
unidentified correspondent of the arrest and banishment of Doroteo Cortes and Ambrosio
Salvador
(12) A letter of Marcelo H. del Pilar to Don Juan A. Tenluz (Juan Zulueta), dated Madrid, June 1,
1893 recommending the establishment of a special organization, independent of Masonry, to
help the cause of the Filipino people
(13) Transcript of a speech of Pingkian (Emilio Jacinto), in reunion of the Katipunan on July 23,
1893, in which the following cry was, uttered “Long Live the Philippines! Long live Doctor Rizal!
Unity!”
40
 (14) Transcript of a speech of Tik-Tik (Jose Turiano Santiago) in the same Katipunan reunion,
where in the katipuneros shouted: “Long live the eminent Doctor Rizal! Death to the oppressor
nation!”
(15) A poem by Laong Laan (Rizal), entitled A Talisay in which the author makes the Dapitan
schoolboys sing that they know how to fight their rights

 The testimonial evidence consisted of the oral testimonies of Martin Constantino, Aguedo del
Rosario, Jose Reyes, Moises Salvador, Jose Dizon, Domingo Franco, Deodato Arellano, Ambrosio
Salvador, Pedro Serrano Laktaw, Dr. Pio Valenzuela, Antonio Salazar, Francisco Quison, and
Timoteo Paez
 November 26, 1896- after the preliminary investigation, Colonel Olive transmitted the
records of the case to Governor Dominguez as special Judge Advocate to institute the
corresponding action against Rizal
 After studying the papers, Judge advocate General, Don Nicolas de la Peña, submitted the
following recommendations: (1) the accused be immediately brought to trial (2) he should be
kept in prison (3) an order of attachment be issued against his property to the amount of one
million pesos as indemnity (4) he should be defended in court by an army officer, not by a
civilian lawyer
 The only right given to Rizal by the Spanish authorities was to choose his defense counsel
 December 8, 1896- Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception, a list of 100 first and second
lieutenants in the Spanish Army was presented to Rizal
 Don Luis Taviel de Andrade- 1st Lieutenant of the Artillery, chosen by Rizal to defend him
-brother of Lt. Jose Taviel de Andrade, Rizal’s “bodyguard” in Calamba in 1887
 December 11, 1896- the information of charges was formally read to Rizal in his prison cell,
with his counsel present
 Rizal was accused of being “the principal organizer and the living soul of the Filipino
insurrection, the founder of societies, periodicals, and books dedicated to fomenting
and propagating ideas of rebellion.”
 December 13, 1896- Dominguez forwarded the papers of the Rizal case to Malacañang
Palace
 December 15, 1896- Rizal wrote the Manifesto to His People in his prison cell at Fort
Santiago, appealing to them to stop the necessary shedding of blood and to achieve their
liberties by means of education and industry
 December 25, 1896- a dark and cheerless Christmas for Rizal, his last on earth, was the
saddest in Rizal’s life
 December 26, 1896- at 8:00am, the court-martial of Rizal started in the military building
called Cuartel de España
 Lt. Col. Togores Arjona- considered the trial over and ordered the hall cleared. After a short
deliberation, the military court unanimously voted for the sentence of death
 December 28, 1896- Polavieja approved the decision of the court-martial and ordered Rizal to
be shot at 7:00 in the morning of December 30 at Bagumbayan Field (Luneta)

MARTYRDOM AT BAGUMBAYAN
-After the court-martial, Rizal returned to his cell in Fort Santiago to prepare his rendezvous with
destiny
-During his last 24 hours on earth—from 6:00am December 29 to 6:00am December 30, 1896—
he was busy meeting visitors
 Santiago Mataix- Spanish newspaper correspondent
 Pearl of the Orient Sea- Rizal called the Philippines
 Pearl of the Orient- Rizal’s last poem in an article entitled “Unfortunate Philippines”
published in The Hong Kong Telegraph on September 24, 1892

LAST HOURS OF RIZAL

DECEMBER 29, 1896

41
 6:00am
=Captain Rafael Dominguez, who was designated by Governor General Camilo Polavieja to
take charge of all arrangements for the execution of the condemned prisoner, read the death
sentence to Rizal—to be s December 15, 1896 shot at the back by a firing squad at 7:00am in
Bagumbayan (Luneta)
 7:00am
=Rizal was moved to the prison chapel, where he spent his last moments. His first visitors
were Father Miguel Saderra Mata (Rector of Ateneo Municipal), and Father Luis Viza, Jesuit
teacher
 7:15am
= Rizal, in a jovial mood, reminded Fr. Viza of the statuette of the Sacred Heart of Jesus which
he had carved with his pen knife as an Ateneo student. Fr. Viza, got the statuette from his
pocket and gave it to Rizal. The hero happily received it and placed it on his writing table
 8:00am
= Fr. Antonio Rosell arrived to relieve Father Viza. Rizal invited him to join him at breakfats,
which he did. After breakfast, Lt. Luis Taviel de Andrade (Rizal’s defense counsel) came, and
Rizal thanked him for his gallant services
 9:00am
= Fr. Federico Faura arrived. Rizal reminded him that he said that (Rizal) would someday lose
his head for writing the Noli. “Father”, Rizal remarked, “You are indeed a prophet.”
 10:00am
= Father Jose Vilaclara (Rizal’s teachet at the Ateneo) and Vicente Balaguer (Jesuit missionary
in Dapitan who had befriended Rizal during the latter’s exile) visited the hero. After them
came Spanish journalist, Santiago Mataix, who interviewed Rizal for his newspaper El Heraldo
de Madrid
 12:00am (noon) to 3:30pm
= Rizal was left alone in his cell. He took lunch after which he was busy writing. It was
probably during this time when he finished his farewell poem and hid it inside his alcohol
cooking stove which was given to him as a gift by Paz Pardo de Tavera (wife of Juan Luna)
during his visit to Paris in 1890. at the same time, he wrote his last letter to Professor
Blumentritt in German
 3:30pm
= Father Balaguer returned to Fort Santiago and discussed with Rizal about his retraction of
the anti-Catholic ideas in his writings and membership in Masonry
 4:00pm
= Rizal’s mother arrived. Rizal knelt down before her and kissed her hands, begging her to
forgive him. Trinidad entered the cell to fetch her mother. As they were leaving, Rizal gave to
Trinidad the alcohol cooking stove, whispering to her in English; “There is something inside”
This “something” was Rizal’s farewell poem. After the departure of Doña Teodora and
Trinidad, Fathers Vilaclara and Estanislao March entered the cell, followed by Father Rosell
 6:00pm
= Rizal received a new visitor, Don Silvino Lopez Tuñon, the Dean of the Manila Cathedral.
Fathers Balaguer and March left, leaving Vilaclara with Rizal and Don SIlvino
 8:00pm
= Rizal had his last supper. He informed Captain Dominguez who was with him that he
forgave his enemies, including the military judges who condemned him to death
 9:30pm
= Rizal was visited by Don Gaspar Cestaño, the fiscal of the Royal Audiencia of Manila. As a
gracious host, Rizal offered him the best chair in the cell. After a pleasant conversation, the
fiscal left with a good impression of Rizal’s intelligence and noble character
 10:00pm
=The draft of the retraction sent by the anti-Filipino Archbishop Bernardino Nozaleda (1890-
1903) was submitted by Father Balaguer to Rizal for signature, but the hero rejected it
because it was too long and he did not like it.

42
DECEMBER 30, 1896
 3:00am
=Rizal heard Mass, confessed his sins, and took Holy Communion
 5:30am
=Rizal took his last breakfast on earth. After this, he wrote two letters, the first addressed to
his family and the second to his older brother Paciano.
=Josephine Bracken, accompanied by a sister of Rizal (Josefa), arrived. Josephine, with tears
in her eyes, bade him farewell. Rizal embraced her for the last time and before she left, Rizal
gave her a last gift—a religious book, Imitation of Christ by Father Thomas a Kempis
 6:00am
= As the soldiers were getting ready for the death march to Bagumbayan, Rizal wrote his last
letter to his beloved parents.
 About 6:30am
=a trumpet sounded at Fort Santiago, a signal to begin the death march to Bagumbayan, the
designated place for the execution
=Rizal was dressed elegantly in black suit, black derby hat, black shoes, white shirt and black
tie. His arms were tied behind from elbow to elbow. But the rope was quite loose to give his
arms freedom of movement
 Dr. Felipe Ruiz Castillo- a Spanish military physician, asked Rizal permission to feel his pulse
and was amazed to find it normal showing that Rizal was not afraid to die
 7:03am
=Rizal died in the bloom of manhood—aged 35 years, five months and 11 days

 Mi Ultimo Adios (Last Farewell)- farewell poem of Rizal that originally was without title and
was unsigned.
 Father Mariano Dacanay- a Filipino priest-patriot, who gave the title Ultimo Adios (Last
Farewell) and under such title the poem was published for the first time in La Independencia
(General Antonio Luna’s newspaper) on September 25, 1898
 Immediately after Rizal’s execution the Spanish spectators shouted “Viva España!” “Muerte
a los Traidores’ (“Long Live Spain! “Death to the Traitors!”) and the Spanish Military
Band, joining the jubilance over Rizal’s death, played the gay Marcha de Cadiz
 By Rizal’s writings, which awakened Filipino nationalism and paved the way for the Philippine
Revolution, he proved that “pen is mightier than the sword”

WHY IS RIZAL OUR GREATEST NATIONAL HERO

(1) Rizal is our greatest hero because, as a towering figure in the Propaganda Campaign, he
took an “admirable part” in that movement which roughly covered the period from 1882-1896
(2) Rizal’s writings contributed tremendously to the formation of Filipino nationality
(3) Rizal becomes the greatest Filipino hero because no Filipino has yet been born who could
equal or surpass Rizal as “a person of distinguished valor or enterprise in danger, or fortitude in
suffering.”
(4) Rizal is the greatest Filipino hero that ever lived because he is “a man honored after death
by public worship, because of exceptional service to mankind”

WHO MADE RIZAL THE FOREMOST NATIONAL HERO OF THE PHILIPPINES

=No single person or groups of persons were responsible for making the Greatest Malayan the
Number One Hero of his people. Rizal himself, his own people, and the foreigners all together
contributed to make him the greatest hero and martyr of his people. No amount of adulation
and canonization by both Filipinos and foreigners could convert Rizal into a great hero if he did
not possess in himself what Palma calls “excellent qualities and merits”

ROMANCES OF RIZAL
First romance—“that painful experience which comes to nearly all adolescents”
43
 Julia
-from Dampalit, Los Baños, Laguna
 Segunda Katigbak
-Rizal first romance that was then sixteen years old
-a pretty fourteen-year old Batangueña from Lipa
-In Rizal’s own words: “She was rather short, with eyes that were eloquent and
ardentat times and languid at others, rosy-cheeked, with an enchanting and
provocative smile that revealed very beautiful teeth and the air of a sylph; her
entire self diffused a mysterious charm.”
-she was the sister of Rizal’s friend, Mariano Katigbak
-close friend of Rizal’s sister Olimpia, was a boarding student in La Concordia College
-engaged to be married to her town mate, Manuel Luz
*The love of Rizal and Segunda was indeed “a Love at first sight”
*The last time they talked to each other was one Thursday in December, 1877 when the
Christmas vacation was about to begin
*Rizal returned home, dazed and desolate, with his first romance “ruined by his own shyness
and reserve.”
 Miss L (Jacinta Ibardo Laza)
-young woman in Calamba
-Rizal describe her as “fair with seductive and attractive eyes
*After visiting her in her house several times, Rizal suddenly stopped his wooing, and the
romance died a natural death
*Rizal gave two reasons for his change of heart namely (1) the sweet memory of Segunda
was still fresh in his heart (2) his father did not like the family of “Miss L”
 Leonor Valenzuela
*During Rizal sophomore year at the University of Santo Tomas, he boarded in the house of
Doña Concha Leyva in Intramuros wherein the next-door neighbors of Doña Concha were
Capitan Juan and Capitana Sanday Valenzuela
-charming daughter of Capitan Juan and Capitana Sanday Valenzuela from Pagsanjan, Laguna
-a tall girl with a regal bearing
-Rizal sent her love notes written in invisible ink—ink consisted of common table salt and
water—the secret of reading any note written in the invisible ink by heating it over a candle
or lamp so that the words may appear
-Orang was her pet name
-Rizal stopped short of proposing marriage to Orang
 Leonor Rivera
-Rizal’s cousin from Camiling, Tarlac
*In 1879, at the start of his junior year at the university, Rizal lived in “Casa Tomasina” at No.
6 Calle Santo Tomas, Intramuros owned by his uncle Antonio Rivera
-a student at La Concordia College, where Soledad, youngest sister, was then studying
-born in Camiling, Tarlac on April 11, 1867
-she was a frail, pretty girl “tender as a budding flower with kindly, wistful eyes
-in her letters to Rizal, she signed her name as “Taimis” in order to camouflage their intimate
relationship from their parents and friends
-died on August 28, 1893
 Consuelo Ortiga y Perez
- a young woman in Madrid
-prettier of Don Pablo Ortiga y Rey’s daughters
-Rizal was attracted by Consuelo’s beauty and vivacity
-Rizal composed a lovely poem on August 22, 1883 dedicated to her, entitled A La Señorita
C.O.y.P (to Miss C.O.y.P) expressing his admirations for her
*Before Rizal romance with Consuelo could blossom into a serious affair, he suddenly backed
out for two reasons: (1) he was still engaged to Leonor Rivera (2) his friends and co-worker in

44
 the Propaganda Movement, Eduardo de Lete, was madly in love with Consuelo and he had no
wish to break their friendship because of a pretty girl
 Seiko Usui
-Rizal affectionately called her O-Sei-San
-a pretty Japanese girl that Rizal saw walking past the legation gate
-Rizal was attracted by her regal loveliness and charm
-a lonely samurai’s daughter of 23 years old and had never yet experienced the ecstasy of
true love
-Rizal saw in her the qualities of his ideal womanhood—beauty, charm, modesty and
intelligence
*The beautiful romance between Rizal and O-Sei-San inevitably came to a dolorous ending.
Sacrificing his personal happiness, Rizal had to carry on his libertarian mission in Europe,
leaving behind the lovely O-Sei-San
-married Mr. Alfred Charlton, a British teacher of chemistry, and was blessed by only one child
—Yuriko
-died on May 1, 1947 at the age of 80
 Gertrude Beckett
-oldest of the three Beckett sisters
-called Gettie or Tottie by her friends
-a buxom English girl with brown hair, blue eyes, and rosy cheeks
-Rizal affectionately called her “Gettie”, in reciprocation; she fondly called him “Pettie”
*Rizal suddenly realized that he could not marry Gettie for he had a mission to fulfill in life
 Petite Suzanne Jacoby
-pretty niece of his landladies
*Rizal found certain bliss in the company of this pretty Belgian girl
*Rizal might flirted with Petite Suzanne, but he could not stoop low to a deceptive amorous
relationship
-she fell in love with Rizal and cried when Rizal left toward the end of July, 1890 for Madrid,
stopping for a few days in Paris
 Nellie Boustead
-the prettier and younger daughter of Eduardo Boustead
-Rizal found her to be a real Filipina, highly intelligent, vivacious in temperament, and morally
upright
-also called Nelly
*Rizal wrote to his intimate friends, except Professor Blumentritt, of his love for Nellie and his
intention to propose marriage to her
*Rizal’s marriage proposal failed for two reasons: (1) he refused to give up his Catholic faith
and be converted to Protestantism, as Nelly demanded (2) Nelly’s mother did not like Rizal as
a son-in-law
 Josephine Bracken
-an Irish girl of sweet eighteen, “slender, a chestnut blond, with blue eyes, dressed with
elegant simplicity, with an atmosphere of light gayety.”
-born in Hong Kong on October 3, 1876 of Irish parents—James Bracken, a corporal in the
British garrison and Elizabeth Jane Macbride
-she was adopted by Mr. George Taufer, who later became blind
*Rizal and Josephine fell in love with each other at first sight
*After a whirlwind romance for one month, they agreed to marry but Father Obach, the priest
of Dapitan, refused to marry them without the permission of the Bishop of Cebu
*Since no priest would marry them, Rizal and Josephine held hands together and married
themselves before the eyes of God. They lived as man and wife in Dapitan
-Rizal wrote a poem for Josephine
*In the early part of 1896, Rizal was extremely happy because Josephine was expecting a
baby
*Unfortunately, Rizal played a prank on her, frightening her so that she prematurely gave
birth to an eight-month baby boy who loved only for three hours
45
 *The lost son of Rizal was named “Francisco” in honor of Don Francisco (hero’s father) and
was buried in Dapitan

RIZAL AS BOY MAGICIAN

-Since early manhood Rizal had been interested in magic. With his dexterous hands, he learned
vicarious tricks, such as making a coin appear or disappear in his fingers and making
handkerchief vanish in thin air. He entertained his town folks with magic-lantern exhibitions. He
also gained skill in manipulating marionettes (puppet shows)
-In later years when he attained manhood, he continued his keen predilection for magic. He
read many books on magic and attended the performances of the famous magicians in the
world. In Chapter XVII and XVIII of his second novel, El Filibusterismo (Treason), he revealed his
wide knowledge of magic

RIZAL AS LOVER OF BOOKS

-A favorite pastime of Rizal in Madrid was reading. Instead of gambling and flirting with women,
as many young Filipino did in Spanish metropolis, he stayed at home and read voraciously until
midnight. Since early childhood, he liked to read
-Rizal economized on his living expenses, and with the money he saved, he purchased books
form a second-hand book store owned by certain Señor Roses. He was able to build a fair-sized
private library
-Rizal was deeply affected by Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Eugene Sue’s The
Wandering Jew. These books aroused his sympathy for the oppressed and unfortunate people

RIZAL AS A MASON
-In Spain, Rizal came in close contact with prominent Spanish liberal and republican Spaniards,
who were mostly Mason.
-Rizal was impressed by the way the Spanish Masons openly and freely criticized the
government policies and lambasted the friars, which could not be done in Philippines
-Rizal’s reason for becoming a mason was to secure Freemasonry’s aid in his fight against the
friars in the Philippines. Since the friars used the Catholic religion as a shield to entrench
themselves in power and wealth and to persecute the Filipino patriots, he intended to utilize
Freemasonry as his shield to combat them
-As a mason, Rizal played a lukewarm role in Freemasonry

RIZAL AS MUSICIAN
-Rizal had no natural aptitude for music, and this he admitted. But he studied music because
many of his schoolmates at the Ateneo were taking music lessons.
-By sheer determination and constant practice, Rizal came to play flute fairly well. He was a
flutist in various impromptu reunions of Filipinos in Paris.

RIZAL AS HISTORIAN
-Rizal’s research studies in the British Museum (London) and in Bibliotheque Nationale (Paris)
enriched his historical knowledge. His splendid annotations to Morga’s book showed his
familiarity with the basic principles of historiography.
-As Rizal once told Isabelo de los Reyes: “A historian ought to be rigorously imparted… I never
assert anything on my own authority. I cite texts and when I do, I have them before me.”
-His knowledge of foreign languages enabled Rizal to read historical documents and books in
languages in which they were originally written.

46