1.

TITLE OF THE MODULE- CHAPTER 3: Rizal’s life: Family, Childhood

and Early

Education (1861-1877)

2. INTRODUCTION

In this chapter we will discuss about Rizal’s Family, his childhood and early
Education. According to Gregorio Zaide, a Filipino historian, “Jose Rizal had
many beautiful memories of childhood in his native town. He grew up in a
happy home, ruled by good parents. His natal town of Calamba, so named
after a big native jar, was a fitting cradle for a hero. The happiest period of
Rizal’s life was spent in this lakeshore town, its scenic beauties and its
industrious, hospitable and friendly folks impressed him during his childhood
years and profoundly affected his mind and character. He had his early
education in Calamba and Biñan. During his time it was characterized by the
four R’s- reading, writing, arithmetic and religion. It was rigid and strict, the
manner of teaching was memory method aided by the teacher’s whip. He
continued his education at the Ateneo de Manila where he earned scholastic
triumphs. It was a college under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits an
excellent college for boys. It may be said that Rizal who was born a physical
weakling, rose to become an intellectual giant and was able to acquire the
necessary instruction preparatory for college work in Manila and abroad in
spite of the outmoded and backward system of instruction of the Spanish
regime in the Philippines. (Zaide, 2008).

3. LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:

 Analyze Rizal’s family, childhood and early education;
 Evaluate the People and events and their influence on Rizal’s early life.

4. LEARNING CONTENT
TOPIC 1 – BIRTH OF RIZAL
On the moonlit night of June 19, 1861, in the lakeshore town of
Calamba, Laguna, Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso was born. In his
autobiography, which he wrote when he was 17 years old, Rizal recounted that
his mother almost died during the delivery because of his big head.” It would
have cost my mother her life had she not vowed to the virgin of Antipolo to take
me her sanctuary by way of pilgrimage.”
Three days after his birth, Rizal was baptized in the Catholic church of
Calamba on June 22, 1861 by Fr. Rufino Collantes, a Filipino priest from
Batangas. His godfather was Pedro Casañas, a native of Calamba and friend
of Rizal’ family. He was named Jose in honor of St. Joseph, the patron saint
of laborers and soldiers. He was given a second first name, Protasio, after a 4th
century saint who was a bishop of Milan.

THE RIZAL’S PARENTS

His father, Francisco Mercado Rizal (1818-

1898), an industrious farmer whom Rizal called
“a model of fathers,” came from Biñan, Laguna.
He studied Latin and Philosophy at the College
of San Jose in Manila. In early manhood,
following his parent’s death, he moved to
Calamba and became a tenant farmer of the
Dominican-owned hacienda. He was a hardy
and independent-minded man, who talked less
and worked more, and was strong in body and valiant in spirit.

Her mother, Teodora Alonzo Quintos y

Realonda (1826-1911), was born in Sta. Cruz,
Manila. She was educated at the College of
Santa Rosa, a well-known college for girls in the
city. She was a remarkable woman, possessing
intelligence, refined culture, literary talent,
business ability and fortitude. Rizal loving said
to her: “My mother is a woman of more than
ordinary culture; she knows literature and
speaks Spanish better than I. She corrected my
poems and gave me good advice when I was
studying rhetoric. She is a mathematician and has read many books.
THE RIZAL CHILDREN
God blessed the marriage of Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso
Realonda with eleven children-two boys and nine girls. These children were as
follows:

1. Saturnina Rizal, 63 (1850-1913) “The Second Mother”

Born as Saturnina Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda or
simply Saturnina Hidalgo. She was the eldest sister of Jose
Rizal. She was married to Manuel T. Hidalgo, a native and one of the richest
persons in Tanauan, Batangas. She was known as Neneng. She died in
September 14, 1913.

2. Paciano Rizal, 79 (1851-1930) “The Big Brother”

Only brother of Jose Rizal and the second child.
Studied at San Jose College in Manila; became a farmer and
later a general of the Philippine Revolution. He devotedly
took care of Jose Rizal. As Nick Joaquin said, “Without
Paciano to back him up, it’s doubtful that Rizal would have
gotten as far as he reached.”

3. Narcisa Rizal, 87 (1852-1939) “The Hospital Sister”

The third child, her pet name was Sisa and she
married Antonia Lopez (nephew of Father Leoncio Lopez) at
Morong, Rizal; a teacher and musician. Like Saturnina,
Narcisa helped in financing Rizal’s studies in Europe, even
pawning her jewelry and peddling her clothes if needed. It is
said that Doña Narcissa could recite from memory almost all
the poems of Rizal. Narcisa was perhaps the most
hospitable among the siblings.
4. Olimpia Rizal, 32 (1855-1887) “The Go-Between”
The fourth child. Married Silvestre Ubaldo, a
telegraph operator from Manila. Olimpia died in August 1887
at age 32 due to childbirth. 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
Olimpia about Segunda and the sister willingly served as the
mediator between the two teenage lovers.

5. Lucia Rizal, 62 (185-1919) “A Fellow-Sufferer”

The fifth child. Married Mariano Herbosa. Charged of inciting
the Calamba townsfolk not to pay land rent and causing
unrest, the couple was once ordered to be deported along
with some Rizal family members. Mariano died during the
cholera epidemic in May 1889. He was refused a Catholic
burial for not going to confession since his marriage to Lucia.
 In Jose’s article in La Solidaridad entitled Una profanacion (‘A
Profanation’), he scornfully attacked the friars for declining to
bury in ‘sacred ground’ a ‘good Christian’ simply because he
was the “brother-in-law of Rizal”.
6. Maria Rizal, 86 (1859-1945) “The Confidant”
The sixth child. Married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan
Laguna. Jose confided to Maria about his plans of marrying
Josephine Bracken when most of the Rizal family was not
open to the idea. He had also brought up to Maria his plans
of establishing a Filipino colony in North British Borneo. Jose
and Maria often wrote to each other particularly when Jose
was studying abroad.

7. Jose Rizal, 35 (1861-1896)

The second son and the seventh child. The greatest
Filipino hero and peerless genius. He was born on June 19,
1861. His nickname was Pepe. During his exile in Dapitan
he lived with Josephine Bracken, Irish girl from Hong Kong.
He was executed by the Spaniards on December 30, 1896.

8. Concepcion Rizal, 3 (1862-1865) “A Dear Loss”

The eighth child. Died at the age of three. She is fondly
called ‘Concha’ by her siblings. Jose loved most ‘Concha’
who was a year younger than him. Jose played games and
shared children stories with her. She was Jose’s first grief
as he mournfully wept when she died of sickness in 1865. In
Rizal’s memoir he wrote, “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.”
9. Josefa Rizal, 80 (1865-1945) “The Katipunera”
The ninth child. An epileptic, died a spinster. She is
nicknamed as “Panggoy”. After Jose was executed, Josefa
joined the Katipunan. She was one of the original 29 women
admitted to the Katipunan along with Gregoria de Jesus,
wife of Andres Bonifacio. They secured the secret papers
and documents of the society. The danced and sang during
meetings to confuse civil guards that the meetings were just
harmless social gatherings.
10. Trinidad Rizal, 83 (1868-1951) “The Steward”
The tenth child. Died a spinster and the last of the
family to die. “Trining” along with their mother, joined Jose
in Dapitan and resided with him in his square house during
his exile. A day before Jose’s execution, Trining and their
mother visited him at Fort Santiago prison cell. As they
were leaving, Jose handed over to Trining an alcohol
cooking stove, a gift from 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 and
two nieces, Trinidad joined the Katipunan after Rizal’s
death.
11. Soledad Rizal, 59 (1870-1929) “The Teacher”
The youngest child; married Pantaleon Quintero.
She was a teacher and was probably the best educated
among Jose’s sisters, which made Jose very proud of her.
However, Jose reprimanded her for getting married to
Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba without their parent’s
consent. Jose was very much against women who allow
themselves to be courted outside their homes. He said to
Choleng, “If you have a sweetheart, behave towards him
nobly and with dignity, instead of resorting to secret
meetings and conversations which do nothing but lower
woman’s worth in the eyes of man. You should value
more, esteem more your honor and you will be more
esteemed and valued.”
 FAMILY TREE OF JOSE RIZAL
(Ancestry of José Rizal)

Note:
This does not include all of the ancestor's siblings, only the notable ones.
 THE RIZAL HOME
The house of the Rizal family,where he was born, was one of the
distinguished stone houses in Calamba during the Spanish times. It was a
two-storey building,rectangular in shape, built of adobe stones and
hard-woods and roofed with red tiles. Behind the house were the poultry yard
full of turkeys and chickens and a big garden of tropical fruit trees- atis,
balimbing,chico, macopa, papaya, santol,etc.
It was a happy home where parental affection and children’s laughter
reigned. By day it hummed with the noises of children at play and the songs of
the birds in the garden. By night, it echoed with the soft notes of family prayers.
Such a wholesome home, naturally, reared a wholesome family, and such a
family was the Rizal family.

TOPIC 2: CHILDHOOD YEARS IN CALAMBA

Calamba was named after a big native jar. A hacienda town which
belonged to the Dominican Order, which also owned all the lands around it. It
is a beautiful town covered with irrigated rice fields and sugar lands.
CHILDHOOD MEMORIES
The first memory of Rizal, was his happy days in the family garden
when he was three years old. Because he was a frail, sickly and undersized
child, he was given the most loving care by his parents. Another childhood
memory was the daily Angelus prayer, by nightfall, his mother gathered all the
children at the house to pray the Angelus. Rizal also remembered the night-
time walk in the town, especially during moonlit nights. The Rizal children were
bound together by ties of love and companionship. They were well-bred, for
their parents taught them to love and help one another. Of his sisters, Rizal
loved most Concepcion (the little Concha). He was a year older than her, he
played with her and from her he learned sisterly love. Unfortunately, Concha
died of sickness in 1865. The death of little Concha brought Rizal his first
sorrow.
At the age of three, Rizal began to take part in the family prayers. When
Rizal was five years old, he was able to read haltingly the Spanish family bible.
One of the memorable anecdotes between the young Jose was when his
mother was reading to him a Spanish reader entitled El Amigo de los Niños
(The Children’s Friend). She noticed him not paying attention to her as she
was reading the contents of the book in Spanish. Jose instead was attracted to
a pair of moths circling the flame of the oil lamp. The smaller moth got so
attracted to the flame that if flew too close, its wings got burned and fell into the
oil and died. The Story of the Moth- made the profoundest impression on
Rizal“died a martyr to its illusions”
At the age of five, Rizal began to make sketches with his pencil and to
mould in clay and wax objects which attracted his fancy. Sa Aking Mga Kabata
(To My Fellow Children) - Rizal’s first poem in native language at the age of
eight. This poem reveals Rizal’s earliest nationalist sentiment. At the age of
eight, Rizal wrote his first dramatic work which was a Tagalog comedy.
INFLUENCES ON RIZAL’S BOYHOOD
In the lives of all men there are influences which cause some to be great
and others not. In the case of Rizal, he had all the favorable influences, few
other children in his time enjoyed. Aside from his immediate family, Rizal’s
three uncles added to Rizal’s inspiration. Tio Jose Alberto- studied for eleven
years in British school in Calcutta, India and had traveled in Europe. He
inspired Rizal to develop his artistic ability. Tio Manuel- a husky and athletic
man, encouraged Rizal to develop his frail body by means of physical
exercises. Tio Gregorio- a book lover, intensified Rizal’s voracious reading of
good book. Father Leoncio Lopez- the old and learned parish priest of
Calamba, fostered Rizal’s love for scholarship and intellectual honesty.

TOPIC 3: EARLY EDUCATION IN CALAMBA AND BIÑAN

At the age of three, Rizal was first taught by his mother, who was
remarkable woman of good character and fine culture. He learned from her the
alphabet and the prayers. At this stage he demonstrated superior intelligence
which induced his parents to hire tutors for him. Maestro Celestino- Rizal’s first
private tutor and Maestro Lucas Padua- Rizal’s second tutor. Later, Leon
Monroy- a former classmate of Rizal’s father became Rizal’s tutor that
instructed Jose in Spanish and Latin. Unfortunately, he died five months later.
On June, 1869- Rizal left Calamba for Binan accompanied by Paciano.
Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz was Rizal’s teacher in a private school in
Binan. Jose was 9 years old at that time. The school was also the house of his
teacher. Rizal described him as a tall, thin, long-necked man with a body
slightly bent forward. As a teacher he was quick to discipline his students for
any infractions with a short thin stick, especially if the wrong answer is given.
This was the old system of education at that time. The infliction of pain was
made to ensure that the student remembers the lesson. Jose became an
outstanding student surpassing his classmates in Spanish, Latin, and other
subjects. He was also very popular, that some of his classmates spread
rumors to discredit him. Many times he was punished for his alleged
wrongdoings. The day was unusual when Rizal was not laid out on a bench
and given five or six blows because of fighting. Rizal’s daily life in Biñan were
as follows: Heard the four o’ clock mass then at ten o’ clock went home at once
and went at school at two and came out at five. At the end of his schooling,
Maestro Justiniano recommended that Jose should be sent to Manila. In
December 17, 1870, Rizal left Binan after one year and a half of schooling. He
bade farewell to this school and his teacher. He also collected pebbles from
the river as souvenirs, knowing that he will never return to Biñan. After the
Christmas of that year Don Francisco decided to send Jose to Manila to
continue his studies.

MARTYRDOM OF GOM-BUR-ZA
Night of January 20, 1872- about 200 Filipino soldiers and workmen of
the Cavite arsenal under the leadership of Lamadrid, Filipino sergeant, rose in
violent mutiny because of the abolition of their usual privileges, including
exemption from tribute and polo (forced labor) by the reactionary Governor
Rafael de Izquierdo. The Spanish authorities, in order to liquidate Fathers
Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora leaders of the secular
movement to Filipinize the Philippine parishes, and their supporters magnified
the failed mutiny “into” a “revolt” for Philippine independence. Fathers Mariano
Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora were executed at sunrise of
February 17,1872, by order of Governor General Izquierdo. The martyrdom of
Gom-Bur-Za in 1872 truly inspired Rizal to fight the evils of Spanish tyranny
and redeem his oppressed people. Rizal dedicated his second novel, El
Filibusterismo, to Gom-Bur-Za.
 INJUSTICE TO RIZAL’S MOTHER
Before June of 1872, tragedy struck the Rizal family. Dona Teodora
was suddenly arrested on a malicious charge that she and her brother, Jose
Alberto, tried to poison the latter’s deceitful wife. She was forced to walk from
Calamba to Santa Cruz (capital of Laguna province), a distance of 50
kilometers. Dona Teodora was incarcerated at the provincial prison, where she
languished for two years and a half. Recounting this incidence of his mother’s
imprisonment, Rizal said in his student memoirs: “Our mother was unjustly
snatched away from us and by whom? By some men who had been our
friends and whom we treated as honored guests.”