Module 3: Rizal’s Life:

Higher Education and

Life Abroad
Prepared by: Ms. April Joy L. De La Cruz
Objectives:

1. expounded the principle of assimilation

advocated by the Propaganda Movement;
2. assessed Rizal’s relationship with his
fellow
propagandists;
3. analyzed Rizal’s growth as
a propagandist and
his contradiction towards assimilation;
and
Rizal’s Life: Higher Education
and Life Abroad
Propaganda Movement and La
Solidaridad
Jose Rizal’s Brindis Speech
The Mercado family enjoyed relative wealth as
landowners who rented the land of their
hacienda to the Dominican friars in Laguna.
Hence, education was a priority for the
Mercado family and young Jose Protacio was
sent to learn from Justiniano Aquino Cruz, a
tutor from nearby Binan, Laguna. But the
education of a small town and a tutor did not
sufficiently quench the young man’s thirst for
knowledge and soon, the family began to
make preparations for his admission to the
Ateneo Municipal de Manila, in the capital of
the Philippines.
Prior to his enrollment in this prominent
learning institution, his older brother
Paciano Rizal Mercado, insisted that
Jose drop the surname “Mercado”,
to ensure that the younger Mercado
would be disassociated with the
outspoken and borderline
subversive reputation of his older
brother. As such, the young man known
as Jose Protasio Rizal enrolled at the
Ateneo Municipal de Manila.
 Jose
Rizal decided to study for a
degree in Land Surveying and
Assessment at the Ateneo de
Municipal de Manila where he
graduated on March 14, 1877, with
honors or sobresaliente.

 He took and passed the licensure exam

for land surveying and assessment in
1878 but was not given a license until
1881 when he turned 21.
 1878- enrolled at the Faculty of Arts
and Letters for a degree in Philosophy
at the University of Santo Tomas
 1878-Faculty of Medical Sciences at
University of Santo Tomas to specialize
in ophthalmology.
 1882- left the medical program as he
witnessed discrimination against
Filipino students by the Dominican
professors in Medicine
Believing that education in the
country was limited, he boarded a
ship to Spain with the support of his
older brother Paciano but without
informing his parents. The ten years
he would spend on the European
continent would leave an indelible
mark on his personality and open his
eyes to the world, develop his
natural talents and strengthen his
devotion to his motherland.
Rizal’s Departure for Spain
 May 3, 1882- Rizal departed for
Spain onboard a Spanish
steamer, Salvadora, where he
was the only Filipino. To avoid
detection, he used Jose Mercado
on his travel documents. He
aged 21 then.
 May 8, 1882- he reached
Singapore, in an island
considered by him as “Talim
Island with the Susong Dalaga”.
 May 9, 1882 - Rizal registered at
Hotel de la Paz and spent two days
on a sightseeing soiree of the city.

 May11,1882 -Rizal transferred to a

French streamer, Djemnah. He met
other Filipinos like Mr. and Mrs.
Salazar, and Vicente Pardo
 May14, 1882- Rizal had a terrible
dream. On his way to Marseilles, he
dreamed he was travelling with
Neneng (Saturnina) and their path
was blocked by snakes

 May 15, 1882- He dreamed he

returned to Calamba, but his parents
did not talk to him because he left
without telling them about his first
trip abroad. He was sad and broken
hearted. He woke up and found
 May17, 1882 – Djemnah reached Punta de
Gales, a seacoast town in southern Ceylon
(now Sri Lanka).

 May 18,1882-He left at 7:30 a.m. from

Punta de Gales to Colombo. He reached
Colombo in the afternoon that day and in
the evening the trip was resumed.
June2, 1882- He arrived at the
Suez Canal en route to Marseilles.

June3, 1882- He was quarantined

on board the Djemnah.
June6, 1882- Fourth day at
Suez Canal and he was still
quarantined on board the boat.

June 7, 1882- Rizal arrived in

Port Said (Egypt)
June 11, 1882 – Rizal reached
Naples (Italy). He was pleased
on this Italian City because of its
business activity, its lively
people and its panoramic
beauty. This was the first
European ground he set foot on.

June12, 1882 – the steamer

docked at the French harbor of
Marseilles (France).
 June 15, 1882 – Rizal left Marseilles by
train for Barcelona, the last lap of his
trip to Spain.

 June1882- Rizal’s absence was known

at Sto. Tomas University, which owned
the Calamba Estate
Spain
Barcelona Spain
 June 16, 1882 – Rizal finally reached his destination –
Barcelona.
 June 23, 1882- Rizal related to his parents his
experiences during his trip from Port Said to Barcelona
in a letter. He requested them to send him a birth
certificate and statement showing that he had parents
in the Philippines.
 August 18, 1882- P. Leoncio Lopez of Calamba issued a
certified copy of Rizal’s Birth certificate.
 August 20, 1882- His article “Amor Patrio” was
published in the Diarong Tagalog, a Manila newspaper
edited by Basilio Teodoro. This was the first article
Spain
Madrid, Spain
 September 2, 1882- Rizal enrolled In the Universidad
Central de Madrid (Central University of Madrid) and took
the following subjects: medical clinic, surgical clinic, legal
medicine and obstetrical clinic.
 October 4, 1882- He was asked to deliver a poem by the
member of Circulo Hispano-Filipino, there together in the
effort to save the association from disintegration, he
recited “Me piden verses”.
 November 2, 1882- Rizal wrote the article “Revista de
Madrid” intended for publication in Diarong Tagalog but,
it was not published because the newspaper stops its
Madrid, Spain
 November 3, 1882 –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.
 November 7, 1882- He wrote an article
entitled “Las Dudas” using his pen name
Laong-Laan.
 June
15, 1883-Rizal left Madrid for Paris to
spend his summer and to observe the big
Spain
Paris, France
 June 17, 1883-Rizal arrived in Paris.
 June 18, 1883-He visited the Leannec Hospital
with Felipe Zamora and Cunanan and observed
how Dr. Nicaise treated his patients who in the
next day showed him the technique of
operation.
 June 20, 1883- Rizal visited the Lariboisiere
Hospital where Felix Pardo de Tavera was an
extern. He observed the different diseases of
women.
Back to Madrid

 August 20, 1883- Rizal was back in

Madrid.

 September 28, 1883- Rizal enrolled at

the central Universidad de Madrid for
the second course in medicine.
 March 1883 - Rizal was impressed by the
way the Spanish Mason openly and freely
criticized the government policies and
lambasted the friars, which could not be
done in Philippines. He joined the Masonic
lodge called Acacia in Madrid.

 November 15, 1890- Lodge Solidaridad

(Madrid) – Rizal transferred where he
became a Master Mason.

 February15, 1892 - Rizal was awarded the

diploma as Master Mason by Le Grand
Orient de France in Paris.
 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.
 June 25, 1884 – In the evening, 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.
 June21, 1884 - Rizal completed his medical
course in Spain with the grade of aprobado by
Central Universidad de Madrid.

 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)
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.”
 June19, 1885 - on his 24th birthday,
Rizal was awarded the degree of
Licentiate in Philosophy and Letters
with the grade of sobresaliente and the
degree of Licentiate in Medicine with
honors by the Universidad Central de
Madrid
Paris
 [Link] de Weckert led French ophthalmologist
to whom Rizal worked as an assistant from
November 1885 to February 1886.
 InLuna’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.
 He was a flutist in various impromptu reunions
of Filipinos in Paris.
Heidelberg (Germany)
 February 1, 1886 - Rizal reluctantly left
Paris for Germany.
 February2, 1886-Rizal arrived in
Strasburg, Germany.
 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).
Leipzig and Dresden (Germany)
 August 9, 1886 - Rizal left Heidelberg
 August 14, 1886 - boarded by a train. Rizal
arrived in Leipzig.
 In Leipzig, Rizal translated Schiller’s William Tell
from German into Tagalog
 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.
 Morning of November 1, 1886 - Rizal left Dresden
by train reaching Berlin in the evening.
Berlin (Germany)
 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.
 [Link] Virchow - introduced to Rizal by
Dr. Jagor; famous German anthropologist.
 Dr.
Ernest Schweigger (1830-1905) - famous
German ophthalmologist where Rizal
worked.
 Noli Me Tangere Published in Berlin (1887)
Berlin (Germany)

 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.
 March 21, 1887- the Noli Me Tangere
came off the press. Rizal’s Grand Tour
of Europe With Maximo Viola (1887)
Berlin (Germany)

May 11, 1887 - Rizal and Viola

left Berlin by train
Teschen (now Decin,
Czechoslovakia) - next stopover
after leaving Dresden.
Leitmeritz (Czech Republic)

 May 13, 1887 - At 1:30pm 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 Ferdinand
Blumentritt, met in person.
• May 13 to May 16, 1887 - Rizal and
Viola stayed in Leitmeritz
• May 16, 1887 at 9:45 AM - Rizal and
Viola left Leitmeritz by train
Prague (Czech Republic)

Dr. Willkomm - professor of natural

history in the University of Prague

Accordingto Viola, “nothing of

importance happened” in this city.
Vienna (Austria)

 May20, 1887 - Rizal and Viola arrived in the

beautiful city of Vienna, capital of Austria-
Hungary

• 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.”
Lintz to Rheinfall (Switzerland)

 Munich - where Rizal and Viola

sojourned for a short time
Crossing the Frontier to
Switzerland
 June 2 to 3, 1887- stayed at Schaffhausen,
Switzerland GENEVA (Switzerland)
 June 19, 1887 - Rizal treated Viola to a blow-
out.
 Rizal and Viola spent fifteen delightful days in
Geneva.
 June 23, 1887 - Viola and Rizal parted ways.
 Exposition of the Philippines in Madrid, Spain
- Rizal was outraged by this degradation of his
fellow countrymen the Igorots of Northern
Italy
 June27, 1887 - Rizal reached Rome, the
“Eternal City” and also called the “City of
the Caesars”
 June29, 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.
 Aftera 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.
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.

 July29, 1887 - Rizal wrote to his father,

announcing his homecoming, “on the 15th of
July, I shall embark for our country, so that
from the 15th to the 30th of August, we shall
Trip to Manila
 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.
 August
5, 1887- Near midnight, the
Haiphong arrived in Manila.
 The
Propaganda
Movement and
La Solidaridad
The Propaganda Movement

 The Propaganda movement was a

cultural organization formed in 1872 by
Filpino expatiates in Europe.

 Composed of the filipino elite called

“ilustrados”, exiled liberals and students
attending Europe’s universities
gravitated to the movement.
 La Solidaridad
 LaSolidaridad (the Solidarity) was an
organization created in Spain on
December 13, 1888.
 Composed of Filipino liberals exiled in
1872 and students attending Europe’s
universities
 theorganization aimed to increase
Spanish awareness of the needs of its
colony, the Philippines, and to
propagate a closer relationship between
La Solidaridad

 Headed by Jose Rizal’s cousin, Galicano

Apacible, the organization also issued a
newspaper of the same name which was
published in Barcelona, Spain.
 The first issue of La Solidaridad came out
on February 15, 1889.
 Itwas first edited by Graciano Lopez Jaena
(starting Feb. 1889) and later on by
Marcelo H. del Pilar (starting Dec. 1889).
La Solidaridad

 It became a fortnightly and a bi-weekly

newspaper. It published the social,
cultural, political, and economic
conditions of the colonial Philippines. It
also fetured the speeches of the Spanish
liberals about the Philippines.
 La Solidaridad served as the principal
organ of the Propaganda Movement to
express the goal of achieving
assimilation with Spain.
 Comitede Propaganda in the Philippines
funded the publication of the La Solidaridd.
 The editorship of the newspaper was first
offered to Rizal. However, he refused
because during that time he was
annotating Antonio Morga’s Sucesos de las
Islas Filipinas in London.
 The editorship of the newspaper was first
offered to Rizal. However, he refused
because during that time he was
annotating Antonio Morga’s Sucesos de las
 April 25, 1889- La Solidaridad publishd
the letter entitled “The aspirations of the
Filipinos” which was written by the
Asociacion Hispano-Filipina de Madrid

 December 15, 1889, Marcelo H. del Pilar

replaced Graciano Lopez Jaena as the
editor of La Solidaridad. Under his
editorship, the aims of the newspaper
expanded. His articles caught the
attention of Spanish leaders and
 After years of publication from 1889
to 1895, funding of La Solidaridad
became scarce. Comite de Propaganda’s
contribution to the newspaper stopped
and del Pilar funded the newspaper
almost on his own.
 Pennilessin spain, del Pilar stopped
the publication of la Solidaridad on
November 15, 1895, after 7 volumes
and 160 issues.

 In
del Pilar’s farewell editorial, he said:
“we are persuaded that no sacrifice are
too little to win the rights and liberty of
a nation that is oppressed by slavery.”
The propaganda movement did
not succeed in its pursuit of
reforms. The colonial
government did not agree to
any of its demands
 Many of the reformists showed a deep love
for their country, although they still failed
to maintain a united front. Because most of
them belonged to the upper middle class,
they had to exercise caution in order to
safeguard their wealth and other private
interests. Personal differences and petty
quarrels, apart from the lack of funds, were
also a hindrance to the movement’s
success. Lastly, no other strong and
charismatic leader emerged from the
group aside from Jose Rizal.
 Jose Rizal’s Brindis Speech
A toast delivered by Jose Rizal at a
banquet in the Restaurant Ingles,
Madrid, on the evening of June 25,
1884, in honor of Juan Luna, winner of
the gold medal for his painting “El
Expoliarium,” and Félix Resurección
Hidalgo, winner of a silver medal for
his painting “Virgenes Cristianas
Expuestas al Populacho” at la
Exposición Nacional de Bellas Artes de
Read the full Jose
Rizal’s Brindis Speech
and make a video
delivering the speech