Lesson 2: Family and Early Life and Education PDF

LESSON 2: FAMILY AND EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION Family and Early Life The complete name of our hero is Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda. He was the seventh child of Francisco Rizal Mercado and his wife, Teodora Alonso Realonda....

LESSON 2: FAMILY AND EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION Family and Early Life The complete name of our hero is Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda. He was the seventh child of Francisco Rizal Mercado and his wife, Teodora Alonso Realonda. His mother gave birth to him on June 19, 1861, in Calamba, Laguna. Rizal's family was like any other 17th- century family in the Philippines. It was of mixed origins. Tracing back his bloodline, Rizal's forebearers came from Fujian, China. His grandfather, Domingo Lam - co, was an immigrant Chinese merchant who immigrated to the Philippines in the late 17th century. His mother's ancestry runs in the mixed blood of Chinese, Japanese, and Tagalog that originated from Doña Teodora's grandmother, Regina Ochoa, and Rizal's grandfather, Lorenzo Alberto Alonso, who was also a half - Spaniard engineer. In 1849, Governor - General Narciso Claveria ordered all Filipinos to use Spanish family names to facilitate the tax- census registry. Therefore, Lam - co, the father of Francisco, changed their family name to Spanish " Mercado, " which means " market, " to signify their merchant roots. The name " Rizal " was not actually found in the Catálogo Alfabetico de Apellidos. Instead, only the surname " Risal " was found in the catalog of surnames. Jose of three, he was taught the alphabet by his mother. When he turned five, our hero was able to read and write. However, Rizal's childhood was not all about happy memories. In 1870, just when Rizal was about to go to Manila to continue his education at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, he witnessed the unfair ordeal of his mother. Because of a false accusation of attempting to poison her sister - in - law, Doña became the first in their family to use Rizal instead of Mercado to avoid any association with the executed Fr. Burgos, who happened to have a connection with his older brother, Paciano Mercado. At such a young age, Jose showed an advanced intellect. At the age Teodora was arrested by the Spaniards and made to walk 50 kilometers around Laguna, more than a day of walking under the sun, Doña Teodora was charged and, without a trial, imprisoned in Santa Cruz for two years (Guerrero 1974). Another event that moved Rizal's sentiments was the devious execution of the Gomburza. They were falsely accused of leading the Cavite Mutiny of 1872. They were charged with sedition and treason and executed by means of garrote on February 17, 1872, at Bagumbayan. Fr. Mariano Gomez, Fr. Jacinto Zamora, and Fr. Jose Burgos, like other Indios and creole priests within the Catholic Church, were simply advocating reform for secular clergy. They were asking for equal rights for Filipino and Spanish priests. They demanded the assignment of the secular priests to the parishes and denounced the unfair removal of their assignment for the parishes to be taken over by the Spanish regular priests. The sentiments of the native priests fell on deaf ears, and the Spanish military tribunal denied their cause. Without hesitation, the Gomburza were publicly executed.  What is Rizal's ancestral history? It was mentioned earlier that our hero came from Chinese descent. The legal status of the inhabitants in the Philippines during the Spanish colony was associated with cultural identity. They were identified either as Chinese, mestizo, or Indio. The status was not a personal orientation or choice. It was based on the status of the parents, specifically that of the father. Thus, the child of a Chinese man and a native woman, or a mestiza, was labeled as a Chinese mestizo. On the other hand, if the offspring was from a female descendant, the classification determined by their marriages. If a mestiza married an Indio, the offspring would be classified as an Indio, by marrying a Chinese or mestizo, the mother and her children would be identified mestizos. Thus, through marriage, native women or mestizas could possibly change their status. This system was not obstinate, and changing the status of one's family could be done through legal procedures (Schumacher 1991). As to Rizal's lineage history, it is presumed that he is from the fourth generation of Chinese mestizos, considering that his grandfather, Domingo Lam - co, was married to a Chinese mestiza, and both his son and grandson married Chinese mestizas. With the acquired prestige, economic wealth, and status in their hometown, it enabled them to convert their family from the mestizo padron to Indios, therefore making Don Francisco Mercado and Jose Rizal Indios (Craig 2002). After the Galleon Trade ended in 1815, the economy of the Philippines grew, and it brought back prosperity to the Indios, including the Western, British, and American merchants (Schumacher 1991). In the mid - 1830s, when Manila was opened to foreign trade with fewer restrictions, the demand for Philippine sugar and abaca (hemp) grew. Relatively the volume of exports like books, magazines, and newspapers from Europe and America opened the minds of Filipino reformists like Jose Rizal. It was more intense when the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 was completed. Central Luzon, Batangas, parts of the Bicol Region, Negros, and Panay that were in control of the large rice, sugar, and abaca growing lands profited the most. Hemp and coffee were also exported to foreign markets, while imported goods from Europe found their way to the Philippine market. It also benefited the inquilinos and haciendas, as well as the Filipino hacienderos of Pampanga, Batangas, and Western Visayas, and the friars who owned the large haciendas of Bulacan (De Viana et al. 2018). The growth of commercial agriculture in the Philippines was evident in the case of Domingo Lam - co, who came to Biñan in the mid - 18th century. An inquilino can have an average holding of 2.9 hectares at that time. It was during the 1890s when Don Francisco came to Calamba and rented a hacienda with over 390 hectares. With the engagement in commercial agriculture, another social class was created. The property of the church and the rice estates of the pre - Spanish haciendas were planted with coffee, hemp, and sugar, owned by Chinese - Filipino mestizo entrepreneurs. The Spanish and Chinese mestizos eventually became leaders in terms of education and finance after ascending to a position of power in society. The Dominican order that owned the land gave the inquilinos (native entrepreneurs) the right to use the land for farming or production in exchange for rent. This system began in the Philippines after the Galleon Trade ended and the Suez Canal opened in 1860, which allowed intensive cultivation of the land for mass production of crops. Furthermore, education in the 19th century was mandated by the monarchy. The Philippine government was ordered by King Philip II to educate and teach the natives Spanish, primarily for religious instructions. During the Roman Catholic era, the first formal schools were opened and established (Jesuits, Franciscans, Augustinians, and Dominicans). Reading, writing, arithmetic, and vocational subjects were also part of their curriculum. Secondary education was opened with boys and girls studying separately after Archbishop Domingo de Salazar ordered that every town have separate schools for boys and girls in 1582. Subjects included history, Latin, geography, mathematics, and philosophy (Aguinaldo 2011). In the 17th century, universities were only open to Spanish people and Spanish mestizos. Public education did not arrive in the Philippines until the 1860s. It was only during that period that schools for Filipino natives were opened. However, the curriculum was controlled by the Catholic Church. The center of the curriculum was on religion instead of science and mathematics. A royal decree was instituted in 1863 on the establishment of public schools in the Philippines to accommodate more students from different social classes like Spanish citizens, mestizos, and Indios. But the public schools only accommodated the sons of wealthy Indios. The growing numbers of educated Filipino natives resulted in the creation of a new social class called the ilustrados. Just like the Indios or the Filipino natives, the ilustrados were not safe from discrimination by the Spanish citizens. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1860 served as an opportunity for them to seek higher education in Europe. Hence, in 1880, the wealthy were able to send their sons to study in Europe. There, a sense of nationalism bloomed in the liberal atmosphere amongst.  Early Education Mothers are usually their children's first teachers. Our young hero had his first education at home under the mentorship of his mother, Doña Teodora. When he was three years old, he learned the alphabet and could recite prayers. At the age of five, Rizal was already capable of the basics of reading and writing. It was also Doña Teodora who discovered his talent for poetry. In one of his letters to Doña Teodora, he wrote, " My mother, " (written in his student memoirs), " taught me how to read and to say haltingly the humble prayers which I raised fervently to God " (quoted in Mañebog 2013). She encouraged Rizal to write poems, so Doña Teodora had to tell young Rizal many stories to stimulate his imagination and creativity. As he grew older, Rizal also acquired lessons from his three maternal uncles, who helped him develop his God - given talents. His Uncle Jose Alberto guided him in the wise direction of his studies and developed his artistic ability. Uncle Gregorio instilled a love for education into the mind of Jose and encouraged his nephew to be a wide reader. Lastly, Uncle Manuel Alberto, who was concerned with Jose's frail physique, made sure that Jose excelled in sports. Aside from the training he received from his uncles, his father, Don Francisco, hired some tutors. His first tutor was Maestro Celestino, who was followed by Maestro Lucas. His third tutor was Maestro Leon Monroy, who taught him Spanish and Latin. Unfortunately, after five months, Maestro Monroy passed away. To further Jose's education, Doña Teodora and Don Francisco sent their son to a private school in Biñan. This is where the formal schooling of our young hero began. Rizal's older brother, Paciano, brought him to Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz in Biñan. The school was within Maestro Cruz's house, in a nipa hut about half the distance from where Rizal's older brother walked an hour from the home of Jose's aunt, where he was staying. He described his teacher as " a tall man, lean and long - necked, with a sharp nose and body slightly bent forward. He used to wear a sinamay shirt woven by the deft hands of Batangas women. " Academically, Jose was the brightest of the pupils. The fact that he excelled in Spanish, Latin, and other subjects made his older classmates envious. After studying in Biñan, Jose went back to Calamba. After a few months of staying in Calamba, the 12 - year - old Jose Rizal was sent by his parents to the Ateneo Municipal de Manila (now, Ateneo de Manila) in Intramuros to study. However, because it was past the registration date, Rizal almost did not make it to the Ateneo. Initially, Rizal considered going to San Juan de Letran, where he had qualified in the entrance examination. But with Manuel Jerez's help, a nephew of Fr. Jose Burgos, he was accepted at Ateneo. The school was administered by the Spanish Jesuits, and it was also the most advanced school at that time. In his first year in Ateneo, Jose, who had crude or little knowledge of Spanish, became a source of laughter for his classmates and professors. There, he experienced discrimination from his professors and classmates, mainly because he was from Calamba, Laguna. For this reason, Jose was ranked last in his class but made significant advancement in it. During break time, he took private lessons at Santa Isabel College to improve his Spanish. As the second semester closed, he got the position of class emperor. After five years of studying in Ateneo, Rizal, at 16 years old, graduated with the highest grades in all subjects, including philosophy, physics, biology, chemistry, and language. He obtained his degree in Bachelor of Arts with a grade of sobresaliente, which means excellent, in all his subjects. However, Rizal did not graduate as valedictorian. Our hero was not the only one who had intellectual talent during his time. It was Rizal's unselfish exploit of his mental gift that profited the Filipino people. Rizal was only 16 when he experienced his first romance with a girl named Segunda Katigbak. Rizal saw her as a lady with " eloquent eyes, rosy cheeks, and smile that reveals very beautiful teeth. " Unfortunately, the lady was already engaged to another man, whom her parents had chosen for her. But since he was shy and timid, despite her expressed interest in him, he failed to propose. Shortly after losing Segunda Katigbak, he found his heart beating for another lady named Miss L, a professor from Pakil, Laguna. After visiting her for a tutor lesson in the subject of rhetoric and poetry, he suddenly stopped pursuing his feelings because Rizal was still in love with Segunda, and his father objected mainly because she was a professor. After several months, Rizal met Leonor Valenzuela at Doña Concha Leyva's home in Intramuros. Sadly, like in his past relationship, Leonor had to marry another man her parents chose for her. After earning a degree at Ateneo, Don Francisco knew that his son was gifted with exceptional intelligence, so he decided to send Rizal to pursue his higher education in Manila. But Doña Teodora was hesitant about the idea. She knew the fate of the Filipinos who acquired more education. They would either be executed or exiled by the Spanish authorities in the Philippines. Don Francisco and Paciano, however, were convinced of the future that awaited Rizal, whose intelligence at that time was the best, and supported Jose's decision to pursue his higher education at the University of Santo Tomas (UST). Rizal started studying at UST in 1877, where he enrolled in Philosophy and Letters and pursued medicine at the same school. While studying at UST, Rizal also enrolled in the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, where he took a course surveying. He showed interest in the said course that he was able to finish in one year. His medical studies lasted from 1878 to 1882. He showed eagerness in finishing his course in ophthalmology with the hope that the c could save his mother's failing eyesight. However, Rizal was not able to obtain impressive grades in his medical course but performed well in Philosophy Letters. It was also during that time when Rizal met Leonora Rivera, the daughter c his landlord - uncle, Antonio Rivera. Their relationship went on for 11 years. Jose Rizal displayed his and of literary intelligence while at UST. In 1879, the Literario of Manila Liceo - Artistico sponsored a poetry writing contest, where Rizal joined and got the first prize for the poem, " To the Filipino Youth. " The same society sponsored another literary contest the following year in honor of the 264th death anniversary of " Spain's most glorified man - of - letters. " Rizal yet again submitted a metaphorical drama titled " The Council of the Gods. " Despite the protests of the Spanish critics, Rizal won the first prize. While Rizal was considered a Thomasian, he was unhappy with his stay at UST for three reasons: (1) the Dominican professors were hostile to him; (2) racial discrimination among the Filipino students was apparent; and (3) the instructional approach was old - fashioned and autocratic (Zaide 1992). Since he could no longer endure the discrimination and hostility he experienced in UST, Rizal decided to continue his medical studies in Europe. Before leaving, he consulted his two siblings, Paciano and Saturnina, about his decision, and the two supported Rizal's plans. However, part of his plan was not to seek permission from his parents, for he knew that they would disapprove of it. He believed that the professors in Spain were more liberal than those in UST. Before leaving for Europe, the Royal Economic Society of Friends awarded him a diploma and a silver medal for his wax model of a face that was used in commemorating the first centennial anniversary of the said society. Activity: Read the poem below and reflect. After reading, choose only one topic provided below and write a Short Poem. Your poem shall be presented during our face- to-face class next week. Historical Events: EDSA Revolution Philippine Revolution Cultural Aspects: Filipino food Filipino music Filipino values Filipino traditions Personal Experiences: My favorite Filipino holiday A Filipino hero I admire Why I am proud to be Filipino SA AKING MGA KABATA Kapagka ang baya’y sadyang umiibig Sa kanyang salitang kaloob ng langit, sanlang Kalayaan nasa ring masapit katulad ng ibong nasa himpapawid. Pagkat ang salita’y isang kahatulan Sa bayan, sa nayo’t mga kaharian At ang isang tao’y katulad kabagay Ng alin mang likha noong Kalayaan Ang hindi magmahal sa kanyang salita Mahigit sa hayop at malansang isda , Kaya ang marapat pagyaamanin kusa Tulad ng inang tunay na nagpala. Ang wikang tagalog tulad din sa latin, Sa ingles, kastila at salitang anghel Sa pagkat ang Poong maalam tumingin Ang syang nag-gawad, nag- bigay sa atin. Ang salita natin tulad din sa iba Na may alfabeto at sariling letra, Na akaya nawala’y dinatnan ng sigwa Ang lunday sa lawa noong dakong una.