Chapter 3: Rizal's Life Family Childhood Early Education - PDF

Okay, here's the conversion of the image and document into a structured markdown format. ### Chapter 3: Rizal's Life: Family, Childhood and Early Education #### Overview This chapter will discuss the life of the Philippine National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, focusing on his birth, family, and early ed...

Okay, here's the conversion of the image and document into a structured markdown format. ### Chapter 3: Rizal's Life: Family, Childhood and Early Education #### Overview This chapter will discuss the life of the Philippine National Hero, Dr. Jose Rizal, focusing on his birth, family, and early education. Rizal's paternal and maternal ancestors were people of substance and influence, far above average for their time. His lineage was regarded as one of the biggest families of their era. Jose Rizal was born into a 13-member family, including parents, Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso Realonda, nine sisters and one brother. His childhood memories were a mix of happy and sad. He enjoyed being with his siblings, playing and honing his skills. He was raised with Catholic virtues. Unhappy events included the death of his little sister, Concepcion or Concha, the execution of Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora and the imprisonment of his mother, Dona Teodora. The Gomburza's death and his mother’s incarceration left an imprint on him. This section will also discuss his early education and how he demonstrated academic ability from a young age. He was given tutors and later sent to Biñan for formal education. It was not an easy journey to get his education away from his family, but he finished with flying colors because of his perseverance. #### Learning Outcomes At the end of this chapter, students should be able to: * Examine the life, family, childhood, and early education of Dr. Jose P. Rizal. * Identify the people and events that influenced Rizal's early life. * Describe the characteristics that would later define Dr. Jose P. Rizal's character from his experiences. #### Birth * Our national hero was born in the lakeside town of Calamba, Laguna, on the moonlit night of June 19, 1861, between eleven and twelve o'clock in the morning. Pepe was the seventh child of Don Francisco Mercado and Dona Teodora Alonso. Father Rufino Collantes baptized the baby, who was named Jose Protacio in honor of Saint Joseph and Saint Protacio, three days later. Dona Teodora was a devout follower of Saint Joseph and commemorated him on the 19th of each month. Saint Protacio was martyred in Milan, Italy. His family referred to him as Pepe. Felice Prudente Santa Maria explained how Rizal got the nickname "Pepe" in his book "In Excelsis:" "Saint Joseph was Jesus Christ's putative (commonly accepted) father. San Jose's name is always followed by the letters 'P.P' for pater putativus in Latin. The letter 'P' is pronounced 'peh' in Spanish, giving rise to the nickname Pepe for Jose (Bagolong 2018, p4)." Rizal wrote in his diary, "Memoirs of a Student in Manila," that his mother had a difficult time giving birth to him. It is said that Dona Teodora made a pact with Antipolo's Patroness, Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage, that she would send the child she was carrying on a pilgrimage to her shrine once she had passed through the difficult birthing process. The baby was saved. Dona Teodora kept her promise. She sent her seven-year-old son on a journey from their hometown of Calamba to Antipolo, which was then part of the province of Morong. Don Francisco Mercado, the young Rizal's father, accompanied him. * Rizal was christened at the church on June 22, 1861, when he was only three days old. He was baptized by Reverend Father Rufino Collantes, and his godfather was Reverend Father Pedro Casanas. Reverend Father Collantes told Pepe's family that they should look after him because he predicted that Jose would become someone because he noticed the unusual size of his head. His prophecy became evident in the course of his life. * Pepe's baptismal certificate was unfortunately destroyed in a fire in 1862. It was only restored with the help of eyewitnesses and under the supervision of Father Leoncio Lopez, a Filipino priest and a friend of the Mercado family. Pepe loved going to see Father Lopez because he could talk to him about anything. The priest never tired of answering Pepe's questions and conversing with him in a rational manner. Father Lopez was the model for Pepe's portrayal of Father Florentino in "El Filibusterismo." #### Family * Despite their large family, Don Francisco and Dona Teodora found joy and happiness. They had a harmonious relationship. Their parents loved and cared for their children but did not spoil them. They disciplined their children whenever they committed wrongdoing or engaged in harmful activities. They were firm believers in the adage "spare the rod, spoil the child." * **Family Tree:** The document included an image of a family tree, which can be described as follows: * **Parents:** Francisco Mercado (Father), Teodora Alonso Rizal (Mother) * **Children:** * Saturnina Hidalgo (Oldest sister) * Paciano Rizal (Only brother) * Narcisa Rizal * Olympia Rizal * Lucia Rizal * Maria Rizal * Jose Rizal * Concepcion Rizal * Josefa Rizal * Trinidad Rizal * Soledad Rizal (Youngest) *Don Francisco and Dona Teodora had eleven children. Saturnina was born in 1850, Paciano in 1851, Narcisa in 1852, Olimpia in 1855, Maria in 1859, Jose in 1861, Concepcion in 1862, Josefa in 1865, Trinidad in 1868, and Soledad in 1870. Paciano was ten years older than Jose, and more of a second father than an elder brother, especially since Don Francisco had entrusted him with the management of the family lands (Guerrero 1974, p.30). *Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado y Alejandra II was born as the youngest of 13 children to Cirila Alejandro and Juan Mercado on May 11, 1818, in Binan, Laguna. He was from the fourth generation of a Chinese immigrant named Domingo Lamco who arrived in the late 1600. During his early education in his hometown, he studied Latin, and later went on to study philosophy and Latin at the Colegio de San Jose in Manila. The people of Calamba held him in high regard after he was elected Cabeza de Barangay, or head of the Barangay. Don Francisco was a Dominican state tenant and landowner in Calamba, Laguna. His rented holdings increased as a result of his hard work and dedication, and he built a stone house in the town center. However, due to his failure in the agrarian case with the friars, he was evicted from his house in September 1899. He died in Manila on January 5, 1898, at the age of 80. *Jose Rizal considered his father to be a ‘model of fathers’ and had provided them with education. He believed that his father was a strong-willed, educated, and independent-minded individual; traits that he inherited. *Dona Teodora Morales Alonzo Realonda y Quintos On November 9, 1827, she was born in Manila as the second child of Lorenzo Alonso and Brigida de Quintos. She attended the College of Santa Rosa. She was a remarkable woman, with refined culture, literary talent, business acumen and the tenacity of Spartan women. Rizal penned a poem about his adoring mother. “My mother is a woman of higher culture; she is a mathematician who has read a lot of books.” She died on August 16, 1911, in Manila, at the age of 85, in her home at San Fernando Street in Binondo. The Philippine government offered her a life pension shortly before her death. She politely declined, saying, “My family has never been patriotic for money. If the government has a surplus of funds and is unsure what to do with them, it should lower taxes." Such a remark befitted her as a deserving mother of a national hero! Jose Rizal in his letter to Blumentritt which read as follows: "My mother is not a woman of ordinary culture. She is more knowledgeable about literature and speaks more fluently than I do. When I was studying rhetoric, she even corrected my poems and gave me sound advice. She is a mathematician who has read a lot of books. Her father, the Philippine delegate to the Cortes, had been her teacher." #### Siblings Dr. Jose Rizal’s parents, Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonzo, married on June 28, 1848. Teodora was from Meisik, Tondo, and Francisco was from Binan, Laguna. They had 11 children, with two boys and nine girls. * **Saturnina** (1850-1913) was the eldest of the siblings. She attended La Concordia College in Manila’s Sta. Ana. Manuel Hidalgo of Tanauan, Batangas, was her husband. In 1909, Dona Saturnina published Pascual Poblete’s Tagalog translation of *Noli Me Tangere*. She passed away in 1913, at the age of 63. * **Paciano** (1851-1930) was Rizal's elder and only brother. Prior to enrolling at the Colegio de San Jose in Manila, he studied Latin with Maestro Justiniano Cruz. Jose referred to him as "Uto" because, in addition to his uncle's assistance, his brother sent him a monthly allowance 50 pesos, which was later reduced to 35 pesos. He was an ardent and dynamic Katipunero. Many people thought he was the Pilosopong Tasio mentioned in Noli Me Tangere. On June 23, 1888, Jose Rizal wrote to Ferdinand Blumentritt and expressed regret for failing to introduce his brother to him. His dear friend Jose Taviel de Andrade said that whenever he thinks of him, he is more generous than today’s Spaniards. He was apprehended by American forces in 1900 as a result of his involvement as military commander of the Revolutionary forces in Laguna. Prior to his death, he led a simple life as a farmer. He married his common-law wife, Severina Decena, and they had two children. He died of tuberculosis at the age of 79. * **Narcisa** (1852-1939) was the second daughter and third child of Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso. She was called Sisa by her siblings. She supported her brother Jose’s studies abroad and perhaps the only amongst the siblings that could narrate the poems of Jose. She was married to Antonio Lopez, a teacher and musician and one of the family members who visited Jose Rizal in prison the day before his execution on December 30, 1896. Rizal's remains were buried in an unmarked grave in the Cementerio General de Paco. After a two-day search, his sister Narcisa discovered it. To mislead authorities, she placed a marble marker given by Doroteo Ongjunco with the initials R.P.J., the inverted initials of Jose Protacio Rizal. This original sculptural work by I. Gallemit was created in 1935 (as stated in the inscription) and donated to the Rizal Shrine Fort Santiago by Leoncio Lopez-Rizal (Memorandum of Receipt, 1957), son of Narcisa Rizal. * **Olimpia** (1855-1887) She was married to Silvestro Ubaldo, a telegraph operator from Manila. She is the fourth child in the Rizal family. Jose loved to tease her, sometimes good-humoredly describing her as his stout sister. Jose’s first love, Segunda Katigbak, was Olimpia's schoolmate at the La Concordia College. Rizal confided to Olympia about Segunda and the sister willingly served as the mediator between the two teenage lovers. It was thus unclear whether it was Olympia or Segunda whom Jose was frequently visiting at La Concordia at the time. * **Lucia** (1857-1919) She married Mariano Herbosa and they had five children. Mariano died in 1889 as a result of an epidemic, but he was denied a Christian burial because he was Jose Rizal's brother-in-law. This marked the beginning of the Rizal family’s persecution by Spanish friars. Lucia passed away in 1919. * **Maria** (1859-1945) She married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Binan, Laguna, and they had five children together. One of Maria’s children, Mauricio Cruz, became a student of Jose Rizal in Dapitan and was known to be one of his uncle’s favorites. During Jose’s lifetime, Maria was a known recipient of many of his letters. Maria passed away in 1945. * **Concepcion** (1862-1865) She died at the age of three. * **Josefa**(1865-1945) She was unmarried and lived with sister Trinidad until death. Josefa had suffered from epilepsy. She died in 1945. * **Trinidad** (1868-1951) She remained single and shared a home with her sister Josefa. Trinidad was the one that received from Jose an alcohol in which he secretly hid, ‘"Last Farwell" poem. Trinidad died in 1951 having outlived all of her siblings. * Soledad (1870-1929) She married Pantaleon Quintero and they had five children. Soledad passed away in 1929. *Rizal's sisters, for the most part, did not become prominent in government. They were largely responsible for the family's unity, providing Rizal with moral and spiritual support that made him accomplish the heroic mission that dominated their lives There was never a resistant voice in the family of 13, advising Rizal to stop his political activities. According to Weyler, Manuel Hidalgo was deported to Bohol solely because he was Rizal's brother-in-law. Despite the fact that the entire family was deported and persecuted, there was not a single suggestion in the hundreds of family letters that Jose abandon his mission. The care and attention that Rizal's sisters lavished on him during his deportation in Dapitan and his stay in Hongkong are difficult to match. And one can't help but notice Narcisa's unwavering determination to find her brother's tomb in the afternoon of his execution. *Rizal was close to all of his siblings. His relationship with his only brother, Paciano, was more than that of an older brother. Paciano took on the role of Rizal's second father. Rizal admired him and valued all of his advice. Paciano accompanied Rizal to his first day of school in Binan. Paciano also persuaded Rizal to pursue higher education in Europe. He was sending Rizal his allowance while he was studying abroad (Obias 2018, p43). #### Ancestors The Rizal family was a mix of races. Jose had Chinese ancestors on his father's side and Japanese ancestors on his mother's side. According to a recent study, his mother is from Rajah Lakandula. His ancestry can also be traced back to Malayan and Indonesian genes. Domingo Lamco, a native Chinese of Sionggue, City of Changchow, Province of Fukien, was Jose Rizal's great-great-grandfather on his patrilineal side. He arrived in Manila around 1690, possibly due to scarcity and political upheaval in his home country. Lamco became a Christian, married Ines de la Rosa, a wealthy Chinese Christian lady from Manila, and changed his surname to Mercado in 1731. **Mercado** which translates to ‘market’. Their union produced two children. One was Francisco Mercado who was Jose's grandparent and married Cirila Bernacha (Chinese- Filipino mestiza). Juan Mercado; Jose's grandfather was elected three times, in 1808, 1813, and 1823, and served as Hermano Mayor on several occasions. Jose Rizal's matrilineal descent can be traced back to Lakandula, the last native king of Tondo and a Bornean Muslim. Eugenio Ursua, Dona Teodora's great-grandfather, was of Japanese ancestry and married Filipina named Benigna. They had a daughter named Regina, who married a Chinese lawyer named Manuel de Quintos from Pangasinan. Brigida, one of their daughters, married Lorenzo Alberto Alonso. Narcisa, Teodora, Gregorio, Manuel, and Jose were born to Brigida and Lorenzo. There were reasons why Jose's parents' descendants did not use the surnames Lamco and Mercado. According to Craig, the Lamco family was not used to taking their godparents' names. He named his son Sangley, which translates to the same thing in that Mercado. The surname would relieve him of the discrimination caused by those Chinese names, but he still believes it will remind him of his ancestors. According to Russell and Rodriguez, Governor-General Claveria issued a decree changing the last names of each family in order to survey the number of people in his encomendero and tax them. He provided a list of Spanish names taken f Francisco Mercado evaded the decree and instead used a Spanish term that sounded like a sleaze word racial that means a green field or grazing land. In a letter to his friend Blumentritt, Jose explained why he used Rizal's last and why others continued to use Mercado. Perhaps because of his brother's(Paciano)attachments to Father Burgos who was then thought to be the cause of Cavite Mutiny. Paciano advised Jose to use Rizal, because it is safe and will not interfere with his studies. However, Because there was a family friend An Alcalde Mayor and numerous others using the name Rizal, perhaps Jose used this name to stand, In fact, Jose is the only one who used the surname Rizal and this could explain why Jose appeared to be an Illegitimate child. #### Childhood Jose Rizal's childhood comprised happy memories. He lived along Laguna Lake's shore and at the foot of Mt. Makiling. His eagerness to learn characterized his childhood. He was an amiable, thoughtful, and loving son, brother, and sibling. Because he was frail and sickly, his parents cared for him tenderly. Despite his physique, he could do things like any other young man. He was well guided by his mother, his first teacher. When he was three years old, his mother taught him the alphabet and how to pray. His mother noticed that he could write poems at a young age and encouraged him to keep writing. He wrote a poem about his hometown, "In Memory of My Town,when he was a young boy (Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo). His father built him a small nipa hut to play in and as a resting place. An Aya also attended to him(nurse maid) was hired by his father to look after his needs. His nurse maid also told him ghost stories, legends and folktales. He enjoyed playing alone and listening to the different birds singing such as the culiawan’ maya’ maria capra, martini, and pipit. His mother taught him how to write poetry and he also prayed daily including the recitation of the holy rosary. His Mothers brothers had also influenced him on the teachings. Manuel has worked on physique until he had a silk and brace body. His uncle Gregorio instilled in him the desire to accomplish much in his future. Jose also owened a pony, which he used to ride around his beautiful hometown and scenery. He was able to draw a bird flying, and draw Animals molding out of clay One memory he enjoyed and remembered was a Noctournal walk with Usman he also performed magic tricks and when his sisters giggled, he told them that on his death peopled would build monumnets and images. Jose's happiest memory was when he traveled with his father to Antipolo to visit his Mothers to visit his mother's vow. He boarded a barge and sailed the Pasig river. Upon seeing Manilla he viewed their sister. and upon being 4 years old jose experienced his first grief when his Ssister had conceived(conchea). Jose exibitied a poetic mind. #### EARLY EDUCATION ##### First teacher his mother thedora Rizals mother Thedora was a amazing woman who had served as his very teacher. and as a tutoring mother she has taken the time in teaching him the alphabet and the prayers. Also the holy bible, and told many stories to feul a strong interest in her. However of all the stories the story of the month, had moved his soul dearly. Rizal was first educated at home by his mother, Dona Teodora, who was a remarkable and educated woman in her own right. She was Rizal's first teacher. As a loving mother and tutor, she would sit the three-year-old Pepe on her lap and devotedly taught him the alphabet and the prayers. He also taught Pepe to read the Holy Bible. In their moments together, Doña Teodora would tell him many stories which later fuelled his strong interest in poetry. But of all the stories that his mother told him, the Story of the Moth touched him so deeply that he recorded it in his diary ##### Dona Thedora Dona Teodora always held story telling sessions with the Young Rizal in order to import important life lessons . She always enjoyed reading stories. In our house, as in all other families in our town, Keresone Oil was unknown. Nor carriages on our street. Yet Kalamba has always been a lively town. The candles had blown Out by a curved tube, it has seemed to been a wonderful day my mother taught me to read a spanish reader. and had scolded for creating funny pictures. She began reading and recites well when her sight has become amazing, She could retell well and she has stated what her verse making Is too. Always corrected and had made valuable criticisms.she told me to listen and she began to read When her sight was food , she read very well She could recite well. and she understood verse -making.too Many times during Christmas vacations , my mother corrected my poetical compositions and she always made critical criticisms I listened to her, full of childish enthusiasm . I marvelled at the night soundting phrases which the read from those same pages the phases she read to easily stopped me at every breath, perhaps I grew tired of listening to sounds lhat had ns meaning for me, perhays I lacked sel -control. anyway I paid little attention tothe reading I Was Watchin0 the cheerful tlame About little moths Mere circle in playful hghts By chance.too, 1 Yavmed Mv molher soon noticed that | Was nol interested She slomped reading Then she Sa00 me am going to read youa very pretty slory y Now play attentionl on hearing the yword Wory I al once opened n eye Vide The ord slom pronoised new and bondeiful h watched my mother Vhie he turned the leaNes ot he book ds lh she tere looking ol sornethng 7henI settled down I listened I Was hl ol curiosity ano wonoer I ad Dever even dreamed hat ere were slories n the o0 book vhich f read Without UnderstanOng my mother began to ead me he able ol he young moth ane he oi0 one he hansiate0 Tagalog tite al a tIme My alention increased lom he lirst sentence I looked oyard he lght and hed my gae on he moth which ere circling voundl te stoy could not have been belter timed My moh repeateo he warning ol he oi0 moth She dyeit upon tan0 dilecled It to me I heard her bul Is a curious hing hat he ogh seened to me tach time more beaulllhe flaoe more alactive really envted the forune ol he nsecls 7hey rolicked so o vouslyin ss enchanhng splen0or hat he ones vhich ha0 tallen an0 been oYed in he oi0 di0 nol cause me anl dread My mother kepl on readng an0 I islened breathlessiy he ate ot he No insets terested me grealy Me lame rolled is golen longne to ore soe and moth which thi ymovement had singed el nt he oil itereo or m e hen became quie Ihal becane lor me areal event A cvous haoge carne over ne bhich ave aluays ndice0 n mySel yhenever annhng has sitfed my heglings he flanme and he noth seetned lo 0 laer ayy 3n0 my molhes toice sounded slange an0 yncarny I 0i not notice When she en0ey The lable Ah my attento Was tixe0 on he tale olte inser I valcheo il rny yhole soul l gae i my eery hought 4 hao oe a nartyi lo ls ilusons as she Dul re to bed, my mother said see thal wou do not behave he young moth. dont become 0isoeeienl or You nay 4el burt ds I did do not hoy heler ansveree or nol n h0 know heher pronsed anythingor #### The Private Tutors Jose's parents hired private tutors to teach him at home when he grew older. First was Maestro Celestino. The first and last names of his tutors were Maestro Lucas Padua and Leon Monroy. #### Rizal's First Formal Schooling in Binan When did Jose leave for Calamba for Binan on a Sunday afternoon in June 1869, kissing his parents' hands and saying goodbye to his sister with tears in his eyes. Paciano, who acted as his second father, accompanied him. His father sent him to Binan to continue his Latin studies when he was nine years old, because his first teacher had died. Oh, how it broke his heart to leave for the first time and live far away from his home and family! But he was ashamed to cry and had to hide his tears and emotions. "How many beautiful and pathetic scenes the world would witness without thee!" he exclaimed. After an hour and a half of driving, the two brothers arrived at their destination in a carromata. His brother drove him to his aunt's house, where he was to stay, and then dropped him off after introducing him to the teacher Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz's, school, the next morning (the school was a nipa hut) . To him, the town appeared vast and prosperous, also sad and unappealing.His teacher in Biñan was a strict disciplinarian, Justiniano Aquino Cruz. He was asked by his teacher: "Are you fluent in Spanish?" “A little sir” Calamba kid replied. "Are you familiar with Latin?" "A little sir, says the Narrator"(Craig 1918). Jose answers made the boys in class laugh(pedro) Jose meets bully pedro in the afternoon of his first day of school, while the was taking a siesta, and they go to a challenge.