RIZAL'S FAMILY, CHILDHOOD.

AND EARLY EDUCATION

ANCESTRY
Jose Rizal was of mixed origin. He descended from a hardworking and intelligent
Chinese (mestizo), merchant, Domingo Lamco, who married Inez dela Rosa, a Chinese
mestiza. They migrated to Binan, Laguna in 1783, and became tenants of the
Dominican friars. Lamco's son, Francisco, who was to be Jose Rizal;s great
grandfather, was appointed Municipal Captain of Binan in 1783. The family adopted the
surname Mercado (marketplace) in compliance with the Claveria's Decree, which
mandated that all Filipinos should use Spanish Spanish surnames.
Francisco Mercado married Bernarda Monicha and they were blessed with two children:
Juan and Clemente. Juan married Alejandra Cerila, also a Chinese mestiza and they
bore fourteen (14) children, one of them was Francisco who happened to be Rizal's
father.
Rizal's father, Francisco Mercado studied Latin and Philosophy at the College of San
Jose in Manila. Rizal described him as "a model of fathers". From his father, he
inherited a profound sense of dignity and self-respect, seriousness, and self-
possession.
Rizal's mother, Teodora Alonzo belongs to a prominent family composing of engineers,
lawyers, priests, and government officials. Doña Teodora Alonzo was born on
November 9, 1826, in Sta Cruz, Manila. She obtained her education at Sta Rosa
College. She was not a woman of ordinary culture for she knows literature and speaks
Spanish fluently, showing that she was talented, religious, good housewife, good in
Mathematics, poetry lover, and truly a remarkable woman. Rizal admired and adored
her:
"My mother is not a woman of ordinary culture. She knows literature and speaks
Spanish better than I do. She even corrected my poems and gave me wise advice when
I was studying rhetorics. She is a mathematician and has read many books."

The family of Rizal's mother came from the clan of Lakandula, the last Malay King of
Tondo. Her great great grandfather was Eugenio Ursua of Japanese roots who married
Benigna. They have a daughter named Regina who got married to Manuel Quintos, a
Chinese Filipino lawyer from Pangasinan. One of their daughters was Brigida who
became the wife of Lorenzo Alonzo, a well-known Spanish Filipino from Biñan. They
have five children, Narcisa, Teodora (Rizal's mother), Gregorio, Manuel, and Jose.

Francisco Mercado Rizal was born on April 18, 1818, in Biñan, Laguna. He was
described by Rizal as a serious looking man with prominent forehead, big black eyes,
sturdy built and taller than an average Filipino. He studied Latin and Philosophy at the
Colegio de San Jose, Manla. Being industrious and interested in farming, he migrated to
Calamba, Laguna. He rented and occupied lands owned by the Dominican Friars,
where he met and fell in love with Teodora Alonzo, whom he married on June 28, 1848.

DON FRANCISCO AND TEODORA ALONZO WERE BLESSED WITH ELEVEN.

CHILDREN
1. Saturnina (1850-1913) She was the eldest of the Rizal children. Her husband was
Manuel Timoteo Hidalgo of Tanawan, Batangas. Her nickname is "Neneng".
2. Paciano (1851-1930) - He was the older brother of Dr. Jose Rizal. He studied at San
Jose College in Manila. After the execution of Dr. Jose Rizal, he joined the
Spanish-Philippine Revolution and became a general. After the Revolution, he retired to
his farm and became a farmer in Los Banos. He died an old bachelor though he has a
common-law wife, Severina Decena. They had two children, a boy and a girl.
3. Narcisa (1852-1939) She was married to Antonio Lopez, (a nephew of Father
Leoncio Lopez) a schoolteacher of Morong Rizal. Her pet name is Sisa.
4. Olympia (1855-1887) She was married to Silvestre Ubaldo, a telegraph operator from
Manila, her nickname is "Ypia".
5. Lucia (1857-1919) She was married to Mariano Herbosa of Calamba. Herbosa died
of cholera in 1889 and was denied Christian burial because he was a brother of Dr.
Jose Rizal.
6. Maria (1859-1945) She was married to Daniel Faustino Cruz of Binan, Laguna. Her
nickname is "Biang".
7. Jose (1861-1896) - He was considered as the" lucky seven" in the family. He lived
with Josephine Bracken, a pretty Irish girl from Hong Kong. Rizal had a son by her by
the name of "Francisco" who was named after his father but died after a few hours after
birth and was buried in Dapitan. Rizal's nickname is Pepe.
8. Concepcion (1862-1865) Died at the age of three because of illness. Her death was
the first sorrow of Rizal. Her pet name is Concha.
9. Josefa (1865-1945) - She remained single an epileptic, an old maid. Her pet name is
"Panggoy". She died at the age of 80.
10. Trinidad (1868-1951) - Like Josefa she died an old maid at the age of 83. Her pet
name is "Trining".
11. Soledad (1870-1929) She was the youngest of the Rizal children. She married
Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba. Her pet name is "Choleng".

BIRTHPLACE OF THE NATIONAL HERO

The province of Laguna was a first class "Alcaldia" during the Spanish regime. One of
its towns is Calamba which is situated on a verdant plane by the side of Laguna de Bay
and a few kilometers away is Mt. Makiling. Being a lakeshore town, it was a prosperous
agricultural community devoted to the production of sugar, owned by the Dominican
Friars who also owned the whole town, so most of its people were their tenants.
According to some authors, Calamba is also called the "cradle of a genius".

The seventh child of the Mercado-Alonzo couple was born on the night of Wednesday,
June 19, 1861, after a painful and difficult labor of Dona Teodora. On June 22, 1861,
three days after his birth, he was christened by Rev. Father Rufino Collantes, a Filipino
priest and Father Pedro Casartas also a Filipino priest stood as his godfather in
Calamba catholic church. He was named "Jose" in honor of of San Jose (St. Joseph)
because his mother was a devotee to the saint. The baby boy, who was destined to
become a great man and national hero of his native land Philippines was named Jose
Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonzo Realonda.

A. CHILDHOOD MEMORIES
He was given the most tender care by his parents, sisters, and his brother due to his
being frail, sickly and small for his age at three. So, his father built a nipa cottage where
he loved to stay watching the fowls, birds and the plants in the garden From his azotea,
he watched the moon in the sky after their nightly rosary. He used to walk during
moonlight night in the town plaza by the river and lakes accompanied by his Aya (maid).

Short stories about fairies, imaginary tales, legs and joined religious ends and folklores
were told to him by his yaya which he loved to listen to very much. Often times, he goes
with his mother to the church to take part in novena and join religious procession. Doña
Teodora Alonzo, his mother and first teacher, taught him the Catholic prayers, read the
alphabets that induce him to participate in the family prayers and oftentimes he was
called Manong Jose at the age of three due to his fun of going to church and joining
religious processions. The town priest, Father Leoncio Lopez was the man whom Rizal
esteemed and respected so much in Calamba for his stimulating opinions and sound
philosophy of life.

His mother's vow to go on a pilgrimage to the Virgin of Antipolo, which was made by her
when he was born was fulfilled when he went with his father to Antipolo riding in a casco
(barge) on June 6, 1868. Doña Teodora was not able to accompany them because she
had just given birth to his younger sister Trinidad. For Jose, it was an amazing
experience to be sailing towards the Pasig River, feeling, and witnessing the
magnificence of the watery expanse and the silence of the night and he did not sleep
the whole night. Jose and his father went to Manila after praying to the Shrine of Virgin
of Antipolo to visit her sister Saturnina who was a boarding student at La Concordia
College in Sta. Ana. It was Jose's first-time seeing Manila.
One of his profound memories was a tale of his mother narrated to him one evening.
The fable "The Story of The Moth" was about the mother moth warning its offspring of
the danger of fluttering too close to the flame. The young moth did not heed the advice
and was then burned by the flame. Rizal would not forget this tale because it gave him
the moral lesson: "that if one must have to succeed, he must take risks, prepare for the
worst consequences, without courage, there will be no glory". My mother finished the
fable. "I was not listening, all my attention, all my mind, and thoughts were concentrated
of illusions." The light seemed to be more beautiful, dazzling, and attractive. I
understand why the moth fluttered around the lights, what preoccupied me most was
the death of the moth, but from the bottom of my heart I did not blame it."

B. RIZAL'S SORROWS AND TRAGEDIES

1. The untimely death of his younger sister Conception (Concha) at the age of three.
Rizal was very fond of her sister.
2. The malicious charge against his mother that caused a tremendous impact on the life
of Rizal. Dona Teodora was suddenly charged that, and his brother Jose Alberto
attempted to poison the latter's wife. Jose Alberto, a rich Binan Illustrado has just
returned from a business trip in Europe and during his absence, his wife abandoned
their home and children and was found living with another man. Angered by his wife's
infidelity, he planned to divorce her. To avert the family scandal, Doña Teodora
persuaded Jose Alberto to forgive his wife resulting in an amicable settlement, and so
Jose Alberto left again with his wife. But the evil wife, with the connivance of the
Spanish lieutenant of the Guardia Civil, filed a case in court.

The lieutenant had an ax to grind against the Rizal family because at one time Rizal's
father refused to give him fodder for his horse. Taking advantage of the situation, and
with the help of Antonio Vivencio del Rosario, Calamba's gobernadorcillo, Doña Teodora
was arrested and was forced to walk from Calamba to Santa Cruz (capital of Laguna) a
distance of 50 kilometers. Upon arrival in Santa Cruz, she was incarcerated and stayed
in prison for two(2) years until the Manila Royal Audiencia (Supreme Court) acquitted
her of the alleged crime. Rizal's mother was defended by two famous lawyers of Manila,
Atty. Francisco de Mercado and Atty. Manuel Marzan.

"Our mother was unjustly snatched away from us, and by whom? By some men
who have been our friends and whom we treated as honored guests. We learned later
that our mother got sick far from us and at an advance age....he finally succeeded to be
acquitted and vindicated in the eyes of her judges, accusers, and even her enemies, but
after how long? After two and a half years."

C. THE CAVITE UPRISING IN 1872 (Cavite Mutiny)

A protest among the laborers at the Cavite Arsenal against the withdrawal of their
privilege of exemption from tribute and personal services. Fathers Gomez, Burgos and
Zamora were implicated, and they were executed at sunrise on February 17, 1872 by
order of Governor General Izquierdo despite the plea of clemency by the Archbishop.
They were accused of as instigators of the leaders in the uprising revolt. The harsh
treatment of Rizal's townmates at the hands of the guardia civil. They were struck with
bayonets by the guardia civil for failure to bow to them properly and for passing by them
without doffing off their hats.

The rude treatment to children and women. These sorrows, injustices and atrocities
committed by the Spanish authorities though isolated served as eye opener that
influence Rizal in setting the direction and goal of his life. Rizal's mother was patient,
conscientious, and understanding that she was able to teach him the alphabet and
prayers. The young Rizal learned to read and write from his tutors, Maestro Celistino
and Maestro Lucas Padua. His third tutor Leon Moroy, who was his father's classmate
lived at the Rizal's house and taught Rizal Latin and Spanish. The town parish priest
Father Leoncio Lopez was often visited by Rizal to listen to his stimulating opinions on
current events and sound philosophy of life.

One of his profound memories was a tale related by his mother was the fable "The Story
of the Moth". It was about the mother moth warning his offspring of the danger of
fluttering too close to the flame. The little moth did not heed the advice and was burned
by the flame. This tale taught a moral lesson to Rizal which he cannot forget. "If one
must have to succeed, he must take risks and be prepared for the worse
consequences, without courage there will be no glory".

EARLY EDUCATION IN BIÑAN

Accompanied by his brother Paciano, in June 1869, Rizal left for Biñan riding a
carromata for one and a half hours to reach their destination, their aunt's house where
Rizal is going to lodge. He was only nine years old at that time. The next day, Rizal was
brought by Paciano the the school of Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz, who was his
former teacher. Maestro Cruz was tall, thin, long necked, with a sharp nose, wore a
sinamay shirt, and he was a disciplinarian and a tough teacher. He learned Spanish,
Latin, and other subjects from Maestro Cruz.

Rizal had a furious wrestling fight with Pedro, the son of Maestro Cruz who was bigger
than him. He was able to defeat him though he was smaller he won in the fight because
Rizal learned the art of wrestling from his uncle Manuel, an athlete. The second brawl
that Rizal encountered was with Andres Salandanan, who challenged Rizal to an
arm-wrestling match or "bunong braso".
They wrestled with their arms at the sidewalk of a house, but Rizal lost because he has
a weaker arm, and he nearly cracked his [Link] the sidewalk. Jose, being small for his
age, always finds himself being bullied by his classmates.

In addition to the languages that he learned, he got interested in learning painting and
drawing from Maestro Cruz's father-in-law. Rizal beat all Binan boys in academic
subjects proving his intellectual superiority. After one and a half years of schooling,
Rizal returned to his hometown through the steamship "Talim", accompanied by his
father's friend'Arturo Campus.

CHAPTER 5.1 LEARNING ACTIVITIES

I. Define or give the meaning of the words or terms.

1. Baptize
2. Connivance
3. Devotee
4. Incarcerated
5. Tragedy

II. Make a Graphic Organizer showing the Jose Rizal's Family Tree, together with
their pictures.

III. Answer the following questions.

1. Compare and contrast Rizal's's early education in Calamba and in Binan.
2. Describe the injustice done by the Spanish government to Rizal's mother.
3. Explain the moral lesson of the fable "The Story of the Moth". "If one must have to
succeed, he must take risks and prepare for the worst consequences, without courage,
there will be no glory.

RIZAL AT ATENEO
For further schooling, Rizal was sent by his parents to Manila in 1872. He took and
passed the entrance examination on Christian Doctrine, Arithmetic and Reading at the
College of San Juan de Letran, a Dominican owned school. After taking the examination
he returned home to Calamba to attend the town fiesta.

Don Francisco's first decision to send Rizal to study at Letran did not push through,
instead he decided to send Rizal to Ateneo. The college registrar rejected Rizal
because he was late for registration, sickly and undersized of his age of 11 years.
However, his brother Paciano, a former aid of the martyred Father Jose Burgos,
pleaded to Fáther Manuel Xerex Burgos to intercede. Fortunately, Jose was admitted to
the school, but he was assigned to sit in the last row of the class. Ateneo was in
Intramuros during that time and Rizal boarded in a house at Caraballo st owned by a
spinster, Titay to collect a part of the P300 debt of Titay. During that period the Jesuit
system of education at the Ateneo was more advanced than other colleges. The training
was rigid on religious instruction, physical culture, humanities, and scientific studies.
Courses that were offered were Bachelor of Arts and Vocational courses. Students were
required to hear mass in the morning before the start of classes. Classes in every
subject were opemed and closed with prayers. Father Jose Bech, a tall, thin man and
ascetic- faced and with a sharp nose like a Greek was the first professor of Rizal at the
Ateneo.

In June 1872, Rizal's first day in his class, he had to hear mass at the college before
attending his class subjects. Students were divided into two groups, the Roman empire
consisting of the internos (boarders) and the Carthaginians Empire composed of
externos (non-boarders). For the Romans they have red banners, and for the
Carthaginians they have blue banners. They were in constant competition for
supremacy in the class. The students wore a school uniform made of hemp-fabric
trousers and stripe cotton coat.

At first, Rizal was an externo, a Carthaginian occupying the end line but after one month
he became the emperor, the brightest pupil in the class and he was awarded a religious
picture as a prize- the first prize he ever won at the Ateneo. He only placed second in
ranked during his second term at Ateneo because he resented some of the remarks of
his professors, but still all his grades were excellent.

In March 1873 Rizal spent his summer vacation in Calamba, but he did not enjoy his
vacation because his mother was in prison. Without a second thought, he went to Şanta
Cruz to visit his mother in the provincial jail bringing good news about his scholastic
performance at Ateneo which made her mother very happy.

During their conversation, his mother told him about her dream the previous night and
Rizal interpreted his mother's dream that there is a possibility that his mother will soon
be released from prison. Three months after, Doña Teodora was released from prison
and happily went home to Calamba. Rizal's prophecy about his mother became true.

While spending his summer vacation, Rizal got interested in reading romantic tales, love
stories, romantic novels, fiction, and non-fiction stories. He was impressed with the
novel "The Mount of Monte Cristo and he also read "Travel in the Philippines", written by
Dr. Feodor Jagor.

Jose returned to Ateneo for his junior year. Although all his grades remained excellent
at the end of the year, he was dissatisfied because he failed to earn a gold medal in
Spanish. He was not able to speak Spanish in its accent fluently compared to his
classmates. He only received one medal in Latin.

Rizal returned to Ateneo as a fourth-year student and one of his professors in Literature
was Father Francisco de Paula Sanchez, Rizal's favorite subject. Rizal described him
as a model of rectitude, solitude, and devotion to his student's progress. He was the
inspiration of Rizal to study harder and write poetry. Through the fatherly guidance of
Father Sanchez, Jose progressed much and at the end of the school year he obtained
five medals.

When he returned to Manila for his last year (fourth year), one of his professors was
Father Jose Villaclara handling Science and Philosophy. He then advised Rizal to major
in Science and Philosophy, but Jose declined because he preferred Literature under the
direction of the old Father Sanchez.

Rizal finished his schooling at the age of 16 at the top of his class and he was indeed
the pride of the Jesuits, their crowning glory. He graduated with the degree of Bachelor
of Arts with highest academic honors in March 23, 1877.

RIZAL'S LITERARY WORKS AT ATENEO

The following are the literary pieces Rizal had written during his Ateneo days:
Year 1875
1. Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration) It was a poem dedicated to his mother
on her birthday. He was 14 years old when he wrote the poem.
2. Al Niño Jesus (To the Child Jesus
3. A La Virgin Maria (To the Virgin Mary)

Year 1875
1. Felicitacion (Felicitation)
2. El Embarque: Himno A La Flota de Magallanes (The Departure: Hym to Magellan's
Fleet)

Year 1876
1. La Tragedia de San Eustaquio (The Tragedy of St. Eustace)
2. Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo (In Memory of My Town)
3. Aliansa Intima Entre La Religion y La Buena Educacion (Intimate Alliance Between
Religion and Good Education)
4 Por La Educacion Recibe Lustre La Patria (Through Education Our Motherland
Receives Light). It is a poem which reflects his highest regard for education. Education
has a significant role which plays in the molding of a nation, the attainment of progress
and welfare.

Year 1877
1. El Heroismo de Colon (The Heroism of Columbus)
2. Un Dialogo Alusivo A la Despedida delos Colegiales (A Farewell Dialogue of the
Students) This was the last poem written by Rizal in Ateneo. A farewell to all his.
Classmates, the joy, pain and memories they shared together in the institution.
3. Gran Consuelo en la Mayor Descicha (Great Comfort in Great Misfortune).

CHAPTER 5.2 LEARNING ACTIVITIES

I. Define or give the meaning of the words or terms according to your own words
or understanding.
1. ascetic
2. commencement
3. emperor
4. externo
5. fiction

II. Multiple Choice: Encircle the letter of the correct answer.

1. Ateneo de Municipal was managed by
a. competent educators
b. strict friars
c. Spanish officials
d. old teachers
2. The Surname "Rizal" was used by Jose while studying at Ateneo because:
a. easy to remember
b. symbolizes farming
c. sounds impressive
d. to avoid suspicion from Spanish authorities
3. Ateneo stúdents were required to wear their uniform called:
a. kimono
b. terno
c. rayadillo
d. kanisedentro
4. The position that every student wants to attain and maintain.
a. chairman
b. emperor
c. champion
d. A-1 leader
5. Rizal described his first professor Father Jose Bech as:
a. lunatic
b. democratic
c. thin and handsome
d. ascetic-faced with sunken eyes
6. Rizal improved his knowledge and fluency in Spanish by:
a. taking private lessons in Colegio de Santa Isabel
b. reading book in Spanish
c. hiring a private tutor
d. memorizing Spanish poems
7. The course taken by Jose Rizal at the Ateneo de Municipal.
a. Philosophy and Letters
b. Bachelor of Arts
c. Linguistics
d. Agriculture
8. Rizal described this professor as a model of rectitude.
a. Pedro Bech
b. Fr, Francisco de Paula Sanchez
c. Maestro Lucas Padua
d. Maestro Celistino
9. The religious society that Rizal became the secretary.
a. Carthaginians
b. Romans
c. La Virgin Maria
d. Marian Congregation
10. A poem written by Rizal which he dedicated to his mother.
a. Al Nino Jesus
b. El comsate
c. Un Recuerdo A Mi Pueblo
d. Mi Premira Inspiracion
11. At the age of 16, Rizal graduated with the highest honors that made him.
a. Academically competent
b. the pride of the Jesuits
c. professional
d. all of the above
12. The lady whom Rizal had fallen in love with at first sight.
a. Segunda Katigbak
b. Leonor Valenzuela
c. Leonor Rivera
d. none of the above
13. Student's qualification to become a member of the Academy for Spanish Literature
and Natural Science.
a. outstanding academic performance
b. excellent communication skills
c. brave and competent
d. scholar
14. Rizal failed to propose to his sister's lady friend because.
a. he was shy and timid
b. being a close friend of her sister
c. the lady was already engaged to another man.
d. he felt jealous
15. Reasons of Rizal in taking up fencing and gymnastics.
a. to become popular
b. to improve his frail and weak body
c. to compete in sports
d. a requirement for graduation

III. Essay: Select one of the poems written by Rizal while he was studying at the
Ateneo and make your own interpretation.