Jose Rizal's Life, Family, Childhood, and Early Education (PDF)

Lesson 3 – Rizal’s Life, Family, Childhood, and Early Education Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born on June 19, 1861 in Calamba, Laguna. The seventh of eleven children born to a relatively well-off family in a Dominican –owned tenant land in Calamba,...

Lesson 3 – Rizal’s Life, Family, Childhood, and Early Education Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born on June 19, 1861 in Calamba, Laguna. The seventh of eleven children born to a relatively well-off family in a Dominican –owned tenant land in Calamba, Laguna. Jose Rizal lived and died during the Spanish colonial era in the Philippines. In his early childhood, Jose had mastered the alphabet and learned to write and read. His early readings included the Spanish version of the Vulgate Bible. At a young age he already showed inclination to the arts. He amazed his family by his pencil drawings, sketches and moldings of clay. Later, in his childhood, he showed special talent in painting and sculpture, wrote a Tagalog play, which was presented in school).entered at a town fiesta (and later penned a short play in Spanish, which was presented in school.- Don Francisco Mercado Jose’s father, Francisco Engracio Rizal Mercado, was a productive farmer from Biñan, Laguna. He was an independent-minded, taciturn, but dynamic gentleman from whom Jose inherited his “free soul” Don Francisco became teniente gobernadorcillo (lieutenant governor) in Calamba and was thus nicknamed Tiniente Kiko (some students comical conjecture that the fictional character Kikong Matsing of Batibot was named after Don francisco is of course unfounded.) Francisco’s great grandfather was Domingo Lam-co, a learned pro-poor or maka-masa Chinese immigrant businessman who married a sophisticated Chinese mestiza of Manila named Ines dela Rosa. One of their two children, Francisco(also) resided in Biñan and married Bernarda Monicha. Francisco and Bernarda’s son Juan Mercado became the gobernadorcillo (town mayor) of Biñan, Laguna He married Cirila Alejandra, and they had 12 children, the youngest being Jose Rizal’s father. Don Francisco was born on May 11, 1818 in Biñan, Laguna. When he was eight years old, he lost his father. He was nonetheless educated as he took Latin and Philosophy at the College of San Jose in Manila  Where he met and fell in love with Teodora Alonzo, a student in the College of Santa Rosa. Married on June 28, 1848. they settled down in Calamba where they were granted lease of a rice farm. In the Dominican-owned haciendas. (for an article that focuses on Francisco Mercado’s life and deep relation with his son Jose. Read Appendix D. “Francisco Mercado Tiniente Kiko of Calamba, Laguna. -Doña Teodora Alonso Jose’s mother, Teodora Alonzo (also spelled “Alonso”), was an educated and highly cultured woman from Sta Cruz, Manila. Common biographies state that Doña Teodora Alonso Quintos Realonda also known as “Lolay”, was born on November 8, 1826 in Sta Cruz, Manila and baptized at the Sta Cruz Church.  Strangely however, the volume in the church books that supposedly contained Teodora’s baptismal records was the only one missing from the other otherwise complete records down to the eighteenth century(Ocampo,2012,p.39). Asuncion Rizal-Lopez Bantug, the granddaughter of Jose’s sister Narcisa, contrarily claims that Lola Lolay and all her siblings were born in Calamba, but (just) lived in Manila (Bantug & Ventura, 1997, p.18). Doña Lolay was educated at the College of Santa Rosa, an esteemed school for girls in Manila. She was usually described as a diligent business-minded woman, very graceful but courageous, well- mannered, religious and well-read. Very dignified, she disliked gossip and vulgar conversation Possessing refined culture and literary talents, she influenced her children to love the arts, literature, and music. Herself an educated woman. Lolay sent her children to colleges in Manila. To help in the economy of the family she ran sugar and flour mills and a small store in their house, selling home-made ham, sausages, jams, jellies, and many others. (Looking back, her business (Looking back, her business, in a way predated the meat-processing commerce of the Pampagueños today and the ube jam production ofsome nuns in Baguio.) It is believed that Doña Teodora’s family descended from Lakandula, the last native king of Tondo. (For young Filipino generations. Lakandula has to be distinguished from the unofficial Hari ng Tondo, Asiong Salonga, the Manila kingpin who was immortalized in the movie incidentally by Laguna’s own governor E.R.Ejercito).  Doña Lolay’s great-grandfather was Eugenio Ursua (of Japanese descent) who married a Filipina named Benigna. Regina, their daughter married a Filipino-Chinese lawyer of Pangasinan, Manuel de Quintos. Lorenzo Alberto Alonso, a well-off Spanish Filipino mestizo of Biñan, took as his “significant other” Brigida Quintos, daughter of Manuel and Regina Quintos. The Lorenzo-Brigida union produced five children, the second of them was Jose Rizal’s mother, Teodora Alonso Quintos. Through the Claveria decree which changed the Filipino native surnames, the Alonsos adopted the surname Realonda, Jose Rizal’s mother thus became Teodora Alonso Quintos y Realonda. (For a lecture that concentrates on Teodora Alonso’s life and her love forJose, read Appendix C. “ Teodora Alonso Lola Lolay of Bahay na Bato”). Jose’s Siblings Saturnina Rizal (1850-1913) is the eldest child of Don Francisco and Doña Teodora Alonso. She and her mother provided little Jose with good basic education that by the age of three Pepe (Jose’s nickname) already knew his alphabet. Paciano Rizal, Jose’s only brother, was born on March 7, 1851 in Calamba, Laguna. He was fondly addressed by his siblings Ñor Paciano short for“Señor Paciano”. The 10-year older brother of Jose studied at San Jose College in Manila became a farmer, and later a General of Philippine Revolution (A detailed discussion on Paciano’s life and his influence on Jose is available in Appendix E Paciano Rizal; Pinoy Hero’s Big Brother.”) After Jose’s execution in December 30, 1896, Paciano joined the Katipunero in Cavite under General Emilio Aguinaldo. As Katipunero Paciano was commissioned as general of the revolutionary forces and elected as secretary of finance in the Department Government of the Central Luzon. Narcisa Rizal (1852-1939)or simply “Sisa” was the third child in the family. Later in history, Narcisa would help in financing Rizal’s studies in Europe even pawning her jewelry and peddling her clothes if needed. It was said she could recite from memory almost all of the poems of our national hero. Olympia Rizal (1855-1887) was 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 Olympia’s schoolmate at the La Concordia College. Rizal confided to Olympia about Segunda, and the sister willingly served as the mediator between the two teenage lovers. Lucia Rizal (1857-1919) was the fifth child in the family. She married Mariano Herbosa of Calamba, Laguna. Charge of inciting the Calamba townsfolk not to pay land rent and causing unrest, the couple Was once ordered to be deported along with some of Rizal family. (Lucia’s husband died of cholera epidemic in May 1989 and was refused a Catholic burial for not going to confession since his marriage to Lucia. In his article In La Solidaridad titled Una Profanacion he scorfully attacked the friars for declining to bury in “sacred ground” a “good Christian” simply because he was the brother-in-law of Rizal) Maria Rizal (1859-1945) was the sixth child in the family. It was to her whom Jose talked about wanting to marry Josephine Bracken. When the majority of Rizal’s family was not amenable to the idea. In his letter dated December 12, 1891, Jose had also brought up to Maria his plan of establishing a Filipino colony in North British Borneo. In his letter dated December 28, 1891, Jose wrote to Maria,” I am told that your children are very pretty ” Today we have a historical proof that Maria’s progenies were indeed nice looking. Maria and Daniel had five children Mauricio, Petrona, Prudencio, Paz and Encarnacion. Their son Mauricio married Conception Arguelles and the couple had a son named Ismael Arguelles Cruz, and the father of Gemma Cruz-Araneta, the first Filipina to win the Miss International title, also the first Southeast Asian to win international beauty- pageant title.(For more interesting discussions about Saturnina, Narcisa, Olympia, Lucia, and Maria Rizal read Appendix F, “Jose Rizal’s Older Sisters”). Also called “Concha” by her siblings, Concepcion Rizal (1862-1865) was the eight child of the Rizal family. She died at the age of three. Of his sisters, it was said that the young Pepe loved most little Concha who was a year younger than he. Jose played games and shared children stories with her, and from her he felth the beauty of sisterly love at a young age. Josefa Rizal’s nickname is “Panggoy” (1865-1945). She was the ninth child in the family, Panggoy died a spinster Among Jose’s letters to Josefa. The one dated October 26, 1893 was perhaps the most fascinating. Written in English the letter addressed Josefa as “Miss Josephine Rizal”. After Jose’s martyrdom, the epileptic Josefa joined the Katipunan and was even supposed to have beent elected president of its women section.  She was one of the original 29 women admitted to the Katipunan along with Gregoria de Jesus, wife of Andres Bonifacio. They safeguarded the secret papers and documents of the society and danced and sang during sessions so that civil guards would think that the meetings were just harmless social gatherings. Trinidad Rizal (1868-1951) or Trining was the tenth child, Historicallyshe was the custodian of Rizal’s last and greatest poem. Right before Jose’s execution, Trinidad and their mother visited him in Fort Santiago prison cell. As they were leaving, Jose handed over to Trining an alcohol cooking stove, a gift from the Pardo de Taveras, whispering to her in a language, which the guards could not understand. “There is something in it,” That, something ‘ was Rizal’s elegy now known as “Mi Ultimo Adios” Like Josefa, Paciano and two nieces. Trinidad joined the Katipunan after Jose’s death Also called “Choleng” Soledad Rizal 1870-1929) was the youngest child of the family. Being a teacher, she was arguably the best-educated among Rizal’s sisters. In his long and meaty letter to Choleng dated June 6, 1890 Jose told her sister that he was proud of her for being a teacher. He thus counseled her to be a model of virtues and good qualities “ for the one who should teach should be better than the persons who need her learning.”  Rizal nonetheless used the topic as leverage in somewhat rebuking her sister for getting married to Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba without their parents consent “Because of you” he wrote “the peace of our family has been disturbed.” Cholengs union with Pantaleon, nonetheless, resulted in the Rizal’s family becoming connected by affinity to Miguel Malvar (the hero who could have been listed as the second Philippine President for taking over the revolutionary government after Emilio Aginaldo’s arrest in 1901). Soledad and Pantaleon had five children: Trinitario, Amelia, Luisa, Serafin and Felix. Their daughter Amelia married Bernabe Malvar, son of Gen. Malvar. ( for more fascinating discussions about Conception, Josefa, Trinidad, and Soledad Rizal, read Appendix G, Jose Rizal’s younger sisters. The Surname Rizal Had their forefathers not adopted other names, Jose and Paciano could have been known as “Lamco” (and not Rizal) brother’s. Their paternal great-great grandfather, Chinese merchant Domingo Lamco, adopted the name “Mercado” which means “market.” but, Jose’s father, Francisco who eventually became primarily a farmer; adopted the surname “Rizal” (originally “Ricial” which means “the green of young growth” or “green fields”) The name was suggested by a provincial governor who was a friend of the family. The new name however, caused confusion in the commercial affairs of the family. Don Francisco thus settled on the name Rizal Mercado” as a compromise and often just used his more known surname “Mercado.”  When Paciano was a student at the College of San Jose he used “Mercado’ as his last name. But because he had gained notoriety with his links to Father Burgos of the “Gomburza” he suggested that Jose use the surname “Rizal” for Jose’s safety. Commenting on using the name “Rizal” at Ateneo, Jose once wrote ”My family never paid much attntion (to our second surname Rizal but now I had to use it. Thus giving me an appearance of an illegitimate child” (as cited in Arriza, 2012 para. 8) But this very name suggested by Paciano to be used by his brother had become so well known by 1891, the year Jose finished his El Filibusterismo. As Jose wrote to a friend. “All my family now carry the name Rizal instead of Mercado because the name Rizal means persecution(Good) I too want to join them and be worthy of this family name.” (as cited Arriza, 2012, para.8)  Rizal’s Birth Dona Teodora was said to have suffered the greatest pain during the delivery of her seventh child, Jose. Her daughter Narcisa recalled “I was nine years of age when my mother gave birth to Jose. I recall it vividly because my mother suffered great pain. She labored for a long time. Her pain was later attributed to the fact that Jose’s head was bigger than normal” Jose Rizal was born in Calamba. In 1848, his parents decided to build a home in this town in Laguna, southern Luzon. The name Calamba was derived from kalan-banga, which means “clay stove” kalan and “water jar” banga. Jose’s adoration of its scenic beauty – punctuated by the sights of the Laguna de bay, Mount Makiling, palm-covered mountains, curvy hills and green fields- was recorded in the poem he would later write at Ateneo de Manila in 1876 Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of my Town). (if Rizal’s poem were written in today, he might mention the three-floor SM Mall, shopping centers, and the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) terminus in the place. A city since 2001, Calamba is said to have earned the nickname “Resort Capital of the Philippines” for its more than 600 resorts in the place today. The first massive stone house (or bahay na bato) in Calamba was the very birthplace of our national hero. It was a rectangular two-storey building built of adobe stones and solid wood, with sliding Capiz windows. Its ground was made of lime and stone, the second floor of hard wood except for the roof, which was of red tiles. There was an azotea and a water reservoir at the back. Its architectural style and proximity to the church implied Rizal family’s wealth and political influence.  The Childhood of a Phenom A phenom is someone who is exceptionally talented or admired, especially an up-and-corner. Rizal especially during his childhood, was none less tha a phenom. Jose Rizal’s first memory, in his infancy, was his happy days in their family garden, when he was three years old. Their courtyard contained tropical fruit trees, poultry yard, a carriage house, and a stable for the ponies. Because the young Pepe was weak, sickly and undersized, he was given the fondest care by his parents, so his father built a nipa cottage for Pepe to play in the daytime. Memory of his infancy included the nocturnal walk in the town, especially when there was a moon. Jose also recalled the “aya” (nurse maid) relating to the Rizal children some fabulous stories, like those about the fairies, tales of buried treasures, and trees blooming with diamonds. Another childhood memory was the daily Angelus prayer in their home. Rizal recorded in his memoir that by nightfall his mother would gather all the children in their home to pray the Angelus. At an early age of three, he started to take a prt in the family prayers. When Concha died of sickness in 1865, Jose mournfully wept at losing her. He later wrote in his memoir. “When I was four years old I lost my little sister Concha, and then for the first time I shed tears caused by love and grief” (Memoirs of a Student in Manila, n.d) At the age of five the young Pepe learned to read the Spanish family Bible, which he would refer to later in his writings,Rizal himself remarked that perhapsthe education he received since his early infancy was what had shaped his habits. (“Memoirs of a Student” n.d para.3)  As a child, Rizal loved to go to the chapel, pray participate in novenas and join religious processions. In Calamba, one of the men he esteemed and respected was the scholarly Catholic priest Leoncio Lopez, the town priest. He used to visit him and listen to his inspiring opinions on current events and thorough life views. Also at age of of five, Pepe started to make pencil sketches and mold in clay and wax objects, which attracted his fancy. When he was a bout six years old, his sisters once laughed at hm for spending much time making clay and wax images. Initially keeping silent, he then prophetically told them “All right laugh at me now! Someday when I die, people will make monuments and images of me.” When Jose was seven years old, his father provided him the exciting experience of riding a”casco” (a flat –bottomed boat with a roof) on their way to a pilgrimage to Antipolo.  The pilgrimage was to fulfill the vow made by Jose’s mother to take him to the Shrine of the Virgin of Antipolo should she and her child survive the ordeal of delivery, which nearly caused her life. From Antipolo, Jose and his father proceeded to Manila to visit his sister Saturnina who was at the time studying at the La Concordia College in Sta Ana As a gift, the child Jose received a pony named “Alipato” from his father (Bantug & Ventura 1997p.23). As a child, he loved to ride this pony or take long walks in the meadows and lakeshore with his black dog named “Usman” The mother also induced Jose to love the arts, lioterature, and the classics. Before he was eight years old he had written a drama (some sources say a “Tagalog” comedy) which was performed at a local festival and for which the municipal captain rewarded him with two pesos. “Some references specify that it was staged in Calamba festival and that it was a goberdorcillo from Paete who purchased the manuscript for two pesos). Contrary to the former common knowledge however, Rizal did not write the Filipino poem “Sa Aking Mga Kababata/Kabata” (To my Fellow Children). The poem was previously believed to be Rizal’s first written poem at the age of eight and was said to have been published posthumously many years after Rizal’s death. However, Jose had a preserved correspondence (letters) with his brother Paciano admitting that he (Jose) had only encountered the word kalayaan when he was already 21 years old. The term (kalayaan) was used not just once in the poem “Sa Aking Mga Kababata/Kabata” (Did Jose Rizal Write the poem sa Aking Mga Kabata”? In our happy School com.) The young Rizal was also interested in magic, he read many books on magic. He learned different tricks such as making a coin disappear and making a handkerchief vanish in thin air. Some other influences of Rizal’s childhood involved his three uncles, his Tio Jose Alberto who inspired him to cultivate his artistic ability.; his Tio Manuel who encouraged him to fortify his frail body through physical exercises and his Tio Gregorio who intensified Rizal’s avidness to read good books.  The Story of the Moth To impart essential life lessons, Lolay held regular storytelling sessions with young Rizal. Doña Teodora loved to read to Pepe stories from the book. Amigo de los Niños (The Children Friend)One day she scolded his son for making drawings on the pages of the book, to teach the value of obedience to one’s parents, she afterward read him a story in it. Lolay chose the story about a daughter moth who was warned by her mother against going too near a lamp flame. Though the young moth promised to comply, she later succumbed to the pull of the light’s mysterious charm, believing that nothing bad would happen if she approached it with caution. The moth then flew close to the flame. Feeling comforting warmth at first, she drew closer and closer bit by bit until she flew too close enough to the flame and perished. Incidentally Pepe was watching a similar incident while he was listening to the storytelling. Like a live enactment, a moth was fluttering too near to the flame of the oil lamp on their table. Not merely acting out, it did fall dead as a consequence. Both moths in the two tales paid the price of getting near the fatal light. Many years later, Rizal himself felt that the moths tale could serve as an allegory of his own destiny. ( A good summary of Rizal’s life is presented in Appendix B. Jose Rizal: A Biographical Outline0 About himself he wrote; Years have passed since then, The child has become a man, Steamships have taken him across seas and oceans. He has received from experience bitter lessons, much more bitter than the sweet lessons that his mother gave him. Nevertheless, he has preserved the heart of a child. He still thinks that light is the most beautiful thing in creation and that it is worthwhile for a man to sacrifice his life for it.”(as cited in “My First Reminiscence” n.d)  Education In Calamba Then familiar atatement that Doña Teodora was Rizal’s first teacher is not just a sort of” venerating” his mother who sacrificed a lot for our hero. It was actually a technical truth. In his memoirs. Rizal wrote “My mother taught me how to read and to say haltingly the humble prayers which I raised fervently to God.” In Rizal’s time, seldom would one see a highly educated woman of fine culture, like Doña Teodora who had the capacity to teach Spanish, reading poetry and values through rare story books. Lolay indeed, was the first teacher of the hero – teaching him Spanish, correcting his composed poems, and coaching him in rhetoric. On her lap, Jose learned the alphabet and Catholic prayers at the age of three, and learned to read and write at age of 5. Aside from his mother, Jose’s sister Saturnina and three maternal uncles also mentored him.  His Uncle Jose Alberto thought him painting, sketching, and sculpture. Uncle Gregorio influenced him to further love reading. Uncle Manuel, for his part developed rizal’s physical skills in martial arts, like wrestling and fencing. To further enhance what Rizal had learned, Private tutors were hired to give him lessons at home. Thus Maestro Celestino tutored him and Maestro Lucas Padua later succeeded Celestino. Afterward a former classmate of Don Francisco, Leon Monroy lived at the Rizal home to become the boy’s tutor in Spanish and Latin. Sadly, Monroy died five months later. Education in Biñan Rizal was subsequently sent to a private school in Biñan. In June 1869, his brother Paciano brought him to the school of Maestro Justiano Aquino Cruz.  The school was in the teacher’s house, a small nipa house near the home of Jose’s aunt where he stayed. In Rizal’s own words his teacher “knew by heart the grammars by Nebrija and Gainza” During Rizal’s first day at the Biñan school, the teacher asked him: “Do you Know Spanish?” “ A little sir, replied Rizal “Do you know Latin?” “A little, sir” Because of this his classmates, especially the teacher’s son Pedro, laughed at the newcomer. So later in that day, Jose challenged the bully Pedro to a fight. Having learned wrestling from his Uncle Manuel, the younger and smaller Jose defeated his tormentor. After the class, he had an arm-wrestling match with his classmate Andrew Salandanan. In that match, however, Jose lost and even almost cracked his head on the side walked. In the following days, Jose was said to have some other fights with Biñan boys. For his scuffles, he nonetheless, received many whippings and blows on the open palm from his disciplinarian teacher Rizal might not have won all his brawls but he, nevertheless, beat all Biñan boys academically In Spanish, Latin, and many other subjects. After sometime, Jose told his father that he had already learned all there was to be taught in Biñan. Don Francisco firmly scolded jose and hustled him back to the school. Maestro Cruz, Jose’s teacher in Biñan later confirmed, however, that Jose had indeed finished already all the needed curricular works. So despite his wife’s reluctance, Don Francisco then decided to send him to a school in Manila. Class Activities: 1. Create a timeline of Rizal’s childhood and early education 2. Write a short biographical essay that compares your early childhood education with Rizal’s own Prepared by: Evangelina Lapid-Navarro Course Professor Thoughts to Ponder: