⚫ Sinister Shadows of Spain’s Decadence

During the times of Rizal, the sinister shadows of Spain’s decadence darkened the
Philippine skies. The Filipino people agonized beneath the yoke of Spanish misrule, for they
were unfortunate victims of the evils of an unjust, bigoted and deteriorating colonial power.
Among these evils were as follows:
1. Instability of colonial administration
The instability of Spanish politics since the turbulent reign of King Ferdinand VII
marked the beginning of political chaos in Spain. The Spanish government underwent frequent
changes owing to bitter struggles between the forces of despotism and liberalism and the
explosions of Carlist Wars. Spain had adopted four (4) constitutions, elected twenty eight (28)
parliaments and installed no less than five hundred twenty nine (529) ministers with portfolios;
followed in subsequent years by party strife, revolutions and other political upheavals. 
2. Corrupt Officialdom
With few exceptions, the colonial officials sent by Spain to the Philippines in the
19th century were a far cry from their able and dedicated predecessors of the 16th, 17th and 18th
centuries. They were highly corrupt, incompetent, cruel or venal.
3. No Philippine representation in the Spanish Cortes.
The first period of Philippine representation in the Spanish court was thus fruitful
with beneficent results for the welfare of the colony. However, the second period of
representation (1820-1823) and the third period (1834-1837) were less fruitful because the
Philippine delegates were not as energetic and devoted in parliamentary work as Ventura de los
Reyes (first Philippine delegate).
Unfortunately, the representation of the overseas colonies (including the
Philippines) in the Spanish court was abolished in 1837. Since then Philippine conditions
worsened because there was no means by which Filipino people could expose the anomalies
perpetrated by the colonial officials.
 
4. Human rights denied to Filipinos
Since the adoption of the Spanish Constitution of 1812 and other constitutions in
succeeding years, the people of Spain enjoyed freedom of speech, freedom of press, freedom of
association and other human rights (except freedom of religion). The Spaniards ardently guarded
these rights so that no Spanish monarch dared to abolish them.
Strangely enough, the Spanish authorities who cherished these human rights or
constitutional liberties in Spain denied them to the Filipinos in Asia. Such inconsistency was
lamented by Sinibaldo de Mas, a Spanish economist and diplomat, who wrote in 1843: “Why do
we fall into an anomaly, such as combining our claim for liberty for ourselves and our wish to
impose our law on remote peoples? Why do we deny to others the benefit which we desired for
our fatherland?”
5. No equality before the law
The Spanish Penal Code, which was enforced in the Philippines, particularly
imposed heavier penalties on native Filipinos or mestizos and lighter penalties on white-
complexioned Spaniards. This legal inequality was naturally resented by the Filipinos. As
Professor Ferdinand Blumentritt wrote to Dr. Rizal in 1887: “The provision of the Penal Code
that a heavier penalty will be imposed on the Indio or mestizo irritates me exceedingly, because
it signifies that every person not born white is in fact a latent criminal. This is a very great
injustice that seems enormous and unjust for being embodied in law.”
6. Maladministration of justice
Justice was costly, partial and slow. Poor Filipinos had no access to the courts
because they could not afford the heavy expenses of litigation. Wealth, social prestige and color
of skin were preponderant factors in winning a case in court. Irrespective of the weight of
evidence, a rich man or a Spaniard, whose skin was white, easily achieved victory in any
litigation.
To the Filipino masses, litigation in court was a calamity. The expenses incurred
even in a simple lawsuit often exceed the value of the property at issue, so that in many instances
the litigants found themselves impoverished at the end of the long tussle. Criminal cases dragged
on for many years during which period either the delinquents took flight or the documents were
lost.
7. Racial Discrimination
Racial prejudice was prevalent everywhere, in government offices, in the courts
of justice, in the armed forces, in social circles and even in the educational institutions and in the
ecclesiastical hierarchy.
8. Frailocracy
Like the Roman God Janus, frailocracy had two faces. Its bad face was darkly
portrayed by Rizal and his contemporaries by way of retaliation against certain evil-hearted friars
who persecuted them. For the sake of historical truth, the other face of frailocracy, its good face,
should be known. In the felicitous opinion of Dr. Jose P. Laurel, “it would be a gross ingratitude
on the part of the Filipinos to be conscious only of the abuses of the friars, and to close their eyes
to the beneficent influences of the ecclesiastical element on the life of the Filipinos”.

9. Forced Labor
Known as polo, it was the compulsory labor imposed by the Spanish colonial
authorities on adult Filipino males in the construction of churches, schools, hospitals; building
and repair of roads and bridges; the building of ships in the shipyards; and other public works.
 Originally, Filipino males from 16 to 60 years old were obliged to render forced
labor for40 days a year. Later, the Royal Decree of July 12, 1883, implemented by the New
Regulations promulgated by the Council of State of February 3, 1885, increased the minimum
age of the polistas (those who performed the force labor) from 16 to 18 and reduced the days of
labor from 40 to 15.

10. Haciendas Owned by the Friars

During Rizal’s times the Spanish friars belonging to different religious orders
were the richest landlords, for they owned the best haciendas (agricultural lands) in the
Philippines. Rizal whose family and relatives were tenants of the Dominican Estate of Calamba,
tried to initiate agrarian reforms in 1887, but in vain. His advocacy of agrarian reforms ignited
the wrath of the Dominican friars, who retaliated by raising the rentals of the lands leased by his
family and other Calamba tenants.

11. Guardia civil

The last hated symbol of Spanish tyranny was the Guardia Civil which was
created by the Royal Decree of February 12, 1852 as amended by the Royal Decree of March 24,
1888, for the purpose of maintaining internal peace and order in the Philippines. It was patterned
after the famous and well-disciplined Guardia Civil in Spain. Rizal actually witnessed the
atrocities committed by the Guardia Civil on the Calamba folks. He himself and his mother had
been victims of the brutalities of the lieutenant of the Guardia Civil.

The Birth of a Hero

Jose Rizal was born on the moonlit night of Wednesday, June 19, 1861, in the
lakeshore town of Calamba, Laguna Province, Philippines. His mother almost died during the
delivery because of his big head. He was baptized in the Catholic church of his town on June 22,
aged three days old, by the parish priest, Father Rufino Collantes, who was a Batangueño. His
godfather was Father Pedro Cansanas, native of Calamba and close friend of the Rizal family.
His name “Jose” was chosen by his mother who was a devotee of the Christian saint San Jose
(Saint Joseph).
 Rizal’s Parents
Jose Rizal was the seventh of the eleven children of Francisco Mercado Rizal and
Teodora Alonzo Realonda.
⚫ Franciso Mercado Rizal- he was born in Biñan, Laguna on May 11, 1818. He studied
Latin and Philosophy at the College of San Jose in Manila. He died in Manila on January
5, 1898 at the age of 80.
 ⚫ Teodora Alonzo Realonda- was born in Manila on November 8, 1826 and was
educated at the College of Santa Rosa. She died in Manila on August 16, 1911 at the age
of 85.
The Rizal Children
God blessed the marriage of Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonzo
Realonda with eleven children, two boys and nine girls. These children were as follows:
 
⚫ Saturnina- oldest of the Rizal children, nicknamed Neneng; she married Manuel T.
Hidalgo of Tanawan, Batangas.
⚫ Paciano- older brother and confidant of Jose Rizal; after his younger brother’s execution,
he joined the Philippine Revolution and became a combat general; after the revolution, he
retired to his farm in Los Baños, where he lived as a gentleman farmer and died on April
13, 1930, an old bachelor aged 79.
⚫ Narcisa- her pet name was Sisa and she married Antonio Lopez (nephew of Father
Leoncio Lopez),a school teacher of Morong.
⚫ Olimpia- Ypia was her pet name; she married Silvestre Ubaldo, a telegraph operator
from Manila.
⚫ Lucia- She married Mariano Herbosa of Calamba, who was a nephew of Father
Cansanas. Herbosa died of cholera in 1889 and was denied Christian burial because he
was a brother-in-law of Dr. Rizal.
⚫ Maria- Biang was her pet name; she married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan, Laguna.
⚫ Jose- the greatest Filipino hero
⚫ Concepcion- her pet name was Concha; she died of sickness at the age of 3; her death
was Rizal’s first sorrow in life.
⚫ Josefa- her pet name was Panggoy; she died an old maid at the age of 80.
⚫ Trinidad- Trining was her pet name; she died also an old maid in 1951 aged 83.
⚫ Soledad- youngest of the Rizal children; her pet name was Choleng; she married
Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba.
RIZAL’S ANCESTRY

As a typical Filipino, Rizal was a product of the mixture of races. In his veins
flowed the blood of both East and West- Negrito, Indonesian, Malay, Chinese, Japanese and Spanish.
Predominantly, he was a Malayan and was a magnificent specimen of Asian manhood.

Paternal Side:

Domingo Lamco- Rizal’s great great grandfather of Jose Rizal; a full-blooded Chinese, married Ines de la
Rosa.

Francisco Mercado- Domingo and Ines’ son; Rizal’s great grandfather; he married Cirila Bernacha a
Chinese- Filipino mestiza.

Juan Mercado- Rizal’s grandfather; he was elected governadorcillo of Biñan.

Maternal Side:

Eugenio Ursua- maternal great great grandfather of Rizal; belonged to a Japanese ancestry; married
Benigna.

Regina- Eugenio and Benigna’s daughter; she married Manuel de Quintos, a Filipino Chinese Lawyer

Brigida- Regina and Manuel’s daughter; she married Lorenzo Alberto Quintos, he is a prominent Spanish
Filipino

Martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za
On the 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 by the reactionary
Governor Rafael de Izquierdo. Unfortunately, this Cavite mutiny was suppressed two days later
by troop reinforcements from Manila. 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.

Accordingly, Gom-Bur-Za, despite the archbishop’s plea for clemency because of their
innocence, was executed at sunrise, February 17, 1872, by order of Governor General Izquierdo.
Their martyrdom was deeply mourned by the Rizal family and many other patriotic families in
the Philippines.
Paciano, enraged by the execution of Burgos, his beloved friend, teacher and housemate,
quit his studies at the College of San Jose and returned to Calamba, where he told the heroic
story of Burgos to his younger brother Jose, who was then nearly eleven years old.
The martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za in 1872 truly inspired Rizal, to fight the evils of Spanish
tyranny and redeem his oppressed people. And later in 1891, he dedicated his second novel, “El
Filibusterismo” to Gom-Bur-Za.
 
Injustice to Hero’s Mother
Before June of 1872, tragedy struck the Rizal family. Doña Teodora was suddenly
arrested on a malicious charge that she and her brother, Jose Alberto, tried to poison the latter’s
perfidious wife. Jose Alberto, a rich Biñan ilustrado, had just returned from a business trip in
Europe. During his absence his wife abandoned their home and children. When he arrived in
Biñan, he found her living with another man. Infuriated by her infidelity, he planned to divorce
her. Doña Teodora, to avert family scandal, persuaded him to forgive his wife. The family
trouble was amicably settled,and Jose Alberto lived again with his wife. However, the evil wife,
with the connivance of the Spanish lieutenant of the Guardia Civil, filed a case in court accusing
her husband and Doña Teodora of attempting to poison her.

This lieutenant happened to have an ax to grind against theRizal family, because one time Don
Francisco refused to give him fodder for his horse. Taking the opportunity to avenge himself, he
arrested Doña Teodora, with the help of Calamba’s gobernadorcillo, Antonio Vivencio del
Rosario, a menial of the friars. These two ungrateful men had been frequent guests at the Rizal
home.
After arresting Doña Teodora, the sadistic Spanish lieutenant forced her to walk from
Calamba to Santa Cruz,a distance of 50 kilometers. Upon arrival in Santa Cruz, she was
incarcerated at the provincial prison, where she languished for 2 years and a half until the Manila
Royal Audencia acquitted her for the alleged crime.
Scholastic Triumphs at Ateneo de Manila
Four months after the martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za and with Doña Teodora still in prison,
Jose, who had not yet celebrated his 11th birthday, was sent to Manila. He studied in the Ateneo
Municipal, a college under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits. This college was a bitter rival
of the Dominican-owned College of San Juan de Letran. It was formerly the Escuela Pia (Charity
School) a school for poor boys in Manila which was established by the city government in 1817.
On June 10, 1872 Jose, accompanied by Paciano, went to Manila. He took the entrance
examinations on Christian doctrine,a rithmetic and reading at the College of San Juan de Letran
and passed them. He returned to Calamba to stay a few days with his family and to attend the
town fiesta. His father, who first wished him to study at Letran, changed his mind and decided to
send him to Ateneo instead.
Thus, upon his return to Manila, Jose, again accompanied by Paciano, matriculated at the
Ateneo Municipal. Jose was first to adopt the surname “Rizal.” He registered under this name at
the Ateneo because their family name “Mercado” had come under the suspicion of Spanish
authorities.
Rizal’s first professor in the Ateneo was Fr. Jose Bech, whom he described as a “tall,
thin, man with a body slightly bent forward, a harried walk, an ascetic face, severe and inspired,
small deep-sunken eyes, a sharp nose that was almost Greek and thin lips forming an arc whose
ends fell toward the chin.
Rizal finished his last year at the Ateneo in a blaze of glory. He obtained the highest
grades in all subjects—philosophy, physics, biology, chemistry, languages and mineralogy. On
Commencement Day, March 23, 1877, Rizal who was 16 years old, received from his Alma
Mater, Ateneo Municipal, the degree of Bachelor of Arts, with highest honors.
First Romance of Rizal
Jose Rizal was only a young boy of sixteen (16) when he first fell in love, and it was with
Segunda Katigbak, a girl from Lipa, Batangas and two years his junior. According to Rizal, "She
was rather short, with eyes that were eloquent and ardent at times and languid at others, rosy-
cheeked, with an enchanting and provocative smile that revealed very beautiful teeth, and the air
of a sylph; her entire self-diffused a mysterious charm."
Rizal went to Trozo, Manila one day to visit his grandmother. His friend, Mariano
Katigbak, accompanied him. Mariano's family were close with Rizal's grandmother, and upon
arrival at Lipa, Mariano's sister Segunda was there at the old woman's house along with other
guests. Rizal was drawn to hear instantly. Some of the other guests knew that Rizal was a skilled
painter and asked him to draw a portrait of Segunda. He obliged, and reluctantly worked on a
pencil sketch of the girl. "From time to time, she looked at me, and I blushed." Rizal's sister
Olympia was a close friend of Segunda and a student at La Concordia College, and Rizal went to
visit her every week, during which he came to know Segunda more intimately. Their affection
for each other grew deeper with every meeting, one that began with "love at first sight."
Unfortunately, Segunda was already engaged to be married to her townmate, Manuel Luz, and
although Rizal had gotten hints of the lady's affection for him, he timidly decided to back away
and did not propose. Years later Segunda returned to Lipa and wed her betrothed, leaving a
frustrated Rizal to the mercy of his nostalgic memories. Rizal said while recording his first
romance three years later, "Ended, at an early hour, my first love! My virgin heart will always
mourn the reckless step it took on the flower-decked abyss. My illusions will return, yes, but
indifferent, uncertain, ready for the first betrayal on the path of love."

Fortunately, Rizal’s tragic first romance, with its bitter disillusionment, did not adversely affect
his studies in the University of Santo Tomas. After finishing the first year of a course in
Philosophy and Letters, he transferred to the medical course. During the years of his medical
studies in this university which was administered by the Dominicans, rival educators of the
Jesuits, he remained loyal to Ateneo, where he continued to participate in extra-curricular
activities and where he completed the vocation course in surveying. As a Thomasian, he won
more literary laurels, had other romances with pretty girls and fought against Spanish students
who insulted the brown Filipino students.
Mother’s Opposition to Higher Education
After graduating with the highest honors from Ateneo, Rizal had to go to the University
of Santo Tomas for higher studies. The Bachelor of Arts course during Spanish times was
equivalent only to the high school and junior college courses today. It merely qualified its
graduate to enter a university. Both Don Francisco and Paciano wanted Jose to pursue higher
learning in the university. But Doña Teodora, who knew what happened to Gom-Bur-Za,
vigorously opposed the idea and told her husband: “Don’t send him to Manila again; he knows
enough. If he gets to know more, the Spaniards will cut off his head.” Don Francisco kept ,quiet
and told Paciano to accompany his younger brother to Manila, despite their mother’s tears.
Jose Rizal himself was surprised why his mother, who was a woman of education and
culture, should object to his desire for a university education.
Rizal Enters the University
In April 1877, Rizal who was then nearly 16 years old, matriculated in the University of
Santo Tomas, taking the course on Philosophy and Letters. He enrolled in this course for two
reasons: (1) his father liked it and (2) he was still uncertain as to what career to pursue.
Consequently, during his first-year term in the University of Santo Tomas, Rizal studied
Cosmology, Metaphysics, Theodicy and History of Philosophy. It was during the following term
that Rizal, having received the Ateneo Rector’s advice to study medicine, took up the medical
course, enrolling simultaneously in the preparatory medical course and the regular first year
medical course. Another reason why he chose medicine for a career was to be able to cure his
mother’s growing blindness.
Romances with Other Girls
Shortly after losing Segunda Katigbak, he paid court to a young woman in Calamba and
called her simply, “Miss L,” describing her as fair with seductive and attractive eyes. After
visiting her in her house several times, he suddenly stop wooing and the romance died a natural
death. Nobody today knows who this woman was. Rizal himself did not give her a name. hence,
her identity is lost to history.
Several months later, during his sophomore year at the University of Santo Tomas, he
boarded in the house of Doña Concha Leyva in Intramuros. The next-door neighbours of Doña
Concha were Capitan Juan and Capitana Sanday Valenzuela from Pagsanjan, Laguna, who had a
charming daughter named Leonor. He courted Leonor Valenzuela, who was a tall girl with a
regal bearing. He sent her love notes written in invisible ink. But, as with Segunda, he stopped
short of proposing marriage to Orang (pet name of Leonor Valenzuela).
Rizal’s next romance was with another Leonor- Leonor Rivera, his cousin from
Camiling. In 1879, at the start of his junior year at the university, he lived in Casa Tomasina, at
No. 6 Calle Santo Tomas, Intramuros. His landlord-uncle, Antonio Rivera, had a pretty daughter,
Leonor, a student at La Concordia College, where Soledad (Rizal’s youngest sister) was then
studying. Between Jose and Leonor sprang a beautiful romance. They became engaged. In her
letters to Rizal, Leonor signed her name as “Taimis,” in order to camouflage their intimate
relationship from their parents and friends.
To the Filipino Youth (1879)
In the year 1879 the Liceo Artistico-Literario (Artistic-Literary Lyceum) of Manila, a
society of literary men and artists, held a literary contest. It offered a prize for the best poem by a
native or a mestizo. Rizal, who was then eighteen years old, submitted this poem entitled “A La
Juventud Filipina” (To the Filipino Youth). The board of Judges, composed of Spaniards, was
impressed by Rizal’s poem and gave it to the first prize which consisted of a silver pen, feather-
shaped and decorated with a gold ribbon. Young Rizal was happy to win the poetry contest. He
was sincerely congratulated by the Jesuits, especially his former professors at the Ateneo, and by
his friends and relatives.
The prize-winning poem, A La Juventud Filipina, is an inspiring poem of flawless form. In
exquisite verses, Rizal beseeched the Filipino youth to rise from lethargy, to let their genius fly
swifter than the wind and descend with art and science to break the chains that have long bound
the spirit of the people. This poem is as follows:

To the Filipino Youth

Hold high the brow serene,
O youth, where now you stand;
Let the bright sheen
Of your grace be seen,
Fair hope of my fatherland!
Come now, thou genius grand,
And bring down inspiration;
With thy mighty hand,
Swifter than the wind's violation,
Raise the eager mind to higher station.
Come down with pleasing light
Of art and science to the fight,
O youth, and there untie
The chains that heavy lie,
Your spirit free to blight.
See how in flaming zone
Amid the shadows thrown,
The Spaniard'a holy hand
A crown's resplendent band
Proffers to this Indian land.
Thou, who now wouldst rise
On wings of rich emprise,
Seeking from Olympian skies
Songs of sweetest strain,
Softer than ambrosial rain;
Thou, whose voice divine
Rivals Philomel's refrain
And with varied line
Through the night benign
Frees mortality from pain;
Thou, who by sharp strife
Wakest thy mind to life ;
And the memory bright
Of thy genius' light
Makest immortal in its strength ;
And thou, in accents clear
Of Phoebus, to Apelles dear ;
Or by the brush's magic art
Takest from nature's store a part,
To fig it on the simple canvas' length ;
Go forth, and then the sacred fire
Of thy genius to the laurel may aspire ;
To spread around the fame,
And in victory acclaim,
Through wider spheres the human name.
Day, O happy day,
Fair Filipinas, for thy land!
So bless the Power to-day
That places in thy way
This favor and this fortune grand !

The Council of the God (1880)

The following year (1880) the Artistic-Literary Lyceum opened another literary contest
to commemorate the fourth centennial of the death of Cervantes, Spain’s glorified man-of-letters
and famous author of Don Quixote. Many writers participated in the contest- priests,
newspapermen, scholars and professors. Rizal inspired by his poetical triumph the previous year,
entered the literary joust, submitting an allegorical drama entitled “El Consejo de los Dioses
(The Council of the Gods).
After a long and critical appraisal of the entries, they awarded the first prize to Rizal’s
work because of its literary superiority over the others. For the first time in history, an Indio, a
nineteen year old Filipino medical student at that, excelled in a national literary contest,
defeating several Spanish writers of his time in Manila.

Other Literary Works

Aside from two prize-winning works mentioned above, Rizal although studying
medicine, produced other poems and a zarzuela, this zarzuela was Junto al Pasig (Beside the
Pasig), which was staged by the Ateneans on December 8, 1880 on the occasion of the annual
celebration of the Feast Day of the Immaculate Concepcion, Patroness of Ateneo. He wrote it as
President of the Academy of Spanish Literature in the Ateneo.
In the same year, he wrote a sonnet entitled, “A Filipinas” for the album of the Society of
Sculptors. In this sonnet, he urged all Filipino artists to glorify the Philippines.
The year before, in 1879, he composed a poem entitled Abd-el-Aziz y Mahoma, which
was declaimed by Manuel Fernandez, on the night of December 8, 1879 in honor of the Ateneo’s
Patroness.

 The Surname Rizal

The real surname of Rizal family was Mercado, which was adopted in 1731 by Domingo Lamco.
They acquired a second surname- Rizal- which was given by Spanish “alcalde mayor” of Laguna
who was a family friend.
 The Rizal Home

The house of the Rizal family, where the hero was born, was one of the distinguished stone
houses in Calamba during 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, tampoy,
etc.
 A Good and Middle Class Family

The Rizal family belonged to the principalia (a town aristocracy during Spanish regime).
It was one of the distinguished families in Calamba. By dint of honest and hard work and frugal
living, Rizal’s parents were able to live well. From the farms, which were rented from the
Dominican Order, they harvested rice, corn and sugarcane. They raised pigs, chickens and
turkeys in their backyard. In addition to farming and stock raising, Doña Teodora managed a
several goods store and operated a small flour-mill and a home-made ham press.
As evidence of their affluence, Rizal’s parents were able to build a large stone house
which was situated near the town church and to buy another one. they owned a carriage, which
was a status symbol of illustrados (Filipinos who are educated during Spanish regime) and a
private library (the largest in Calamba) which consisted of more than 1,000 volumes
 Calamba, the Hero’s Town

Calamba was an hacienda town which belonged to the Dominican Order, which also
owned all the lands around it. It is a picturesque town nestling on a verdant plain covered with
irrigated rice fields and sugar lands. A few kilometres to the south looms the legendary Mount
Makiling in somnolent grandeur and beyond this mountain is the province of Batangas. East of
the town is the Laguna De Bay, an inland lake of songs and emerald waters beneath the canopy
of azure skies. In the middle of the lake towers the storied island of Talim and beyond it towards
the north is the distant Antipolo, famous mountain shrine of the miraculous Lady of Peace and
Good Voyage.
Rizal loved Calamba with all his heart and soul. In 1876, when he was 15 years old and
was a student in the Ateneo de Manila, he remembered his beloved town. Accordingly, he wrote
a poem entitled “In Memory of My Town”.
In Memory of My Town And on your river banks
A pleasant fun I found;
At your rustic temple I prayed
When I recall the days
With a little boy's simple faith
That saw my childhood of yore
Beside the verdant shore And your aura's flawless breath
Of a murmuring lagoon; Filled my heart with joy profound.
When I remember the sighs Saw I God in the grandeur
Of the breeze that on my brow Of your woods which for centuries stand;
Sweet and caressing did blow Never did I understand
With coolness full of delight; In your bosom what sorrows were;
While I gazed on your azure sky
When I look at the lily white Neither love nor tenderness
Fills up with air violent Failed me, 'cause my happiness
And the stormy element In the heart of nature rests there.
On the sand doth meekly sleep;
When sweet 'toxicating scent Tender childhood, beautiful town,
From the flowers I inhale Rich fountain of happiness,
Which at the dawn they exhale Of harmonious melodies,
When at us it begins to peep; That drive away my sorrow!
Return thee to my heart,
I sadly recall your face, Bring back my gentle hours
Oh precious infancy, As do the birds when the flow'rs
That a mother lovingly Would again begin to blow!
Did succeed to embellish. But, alas, adieu! E'er watch
I remember a simple town; For your peace, joy and repose,
My cradle, joy and boon, Genius of good who kindly dispose
Beside the cool lagoon Of his blessings with amour;
The seat of all my wish. It's for thee my fervent pray'rs,
It's for thee my constant desire
Oh, yes! With uncertain pace Knowledge ever to acquire
I trod your forest lands, And may God keep your candour
!

 Artistic Talents
 Since early childhood Rizal revealed his God-given talent for art. At the age of five, he
began to make sketches with his pencil and to mould in clay and wax objects which attracted his
fancy. It is said that one day, when Jose was a mere boy in Calamba, a religious banner which
was always used during fiesta was spoiled. Upon the request of the town mayor, he painted in oil
colors a new banner that delighted the town folks because it was better than the original one.
Jose had the soul of a genuine artist. Rather an introvert child, with a skinny physique and
sad dark eyes, he found great joy looking at the blooming flowers, the ripening fruits, the
dancing waves of the lake and the milky clouds in the sky and listening to the songs of the birds,
the chirpings of the cicadas and the murmurings of the breezes. He loved to ride on a spirited
pony which his father bought for him and take long walks in the meadows and lakeshore with his
black dog named Usman.
 Artistic Talents

Since early childhood Rizal revealed his God-given talent for art. At the age of five, he
began to make sketches with his pencil and to mould in clay and wax objects which attracted his
fancy. It is said that one day, when Jose was a mere boy in Calamba, a religious banner which
was always used during fiesta was spoiled. Upon the request of the town mayor, he painted in oil
colors a new banner that delighted the town folks because it was better than the original one.
Jose had the soul of a genuine artist. Rather an introvert child, with a skinny physique and
sad dark eyes, he found great joy looking at the blooming flowers, the ripening fruits, the
dancing waves of the lake and the milky clouds in the sky and listening to the songs of the birds,
the chirpings of the cicadas and the murmurings of the breezes. He loved to ride on a spirited
pony which his father bought for him and take long walks in the meadows and lakeshore with his
black dog named Usman.

Sa Aking Mga Kabatà Kayâ ang marapat pagyamaning kusà

Na tulad sa ináng tunay na nagpalà.
Kapagka ang baya'y sadyáng umiibig
Sa kanyáng salitáng kaloob ng langit, Ang wikang Tagalog tulad din sa Latin
Sanlang kalayaan nasa ring masapit Sa Inglés, Kastilà at salitang anghel,
Katulad ng ibong nasa himpapawid. Sapagka't ang Poong maalam tumingín
Ang siyang naggawad, nagbigay sa atin.
Pagka't ang salita'y isang kahatulan
Sa bayan, sa nayo't mga kaharián, Ang salita nati'y huwad din sa iba
At ang isáng tao'y katulad, kabagay Na may alfabeto at sariling letra,
Ng alin mang likha noong kalayaán. Na kaya nawalá'y dinatnan ng sigwâ
Ang lunday sa lawà noóng dakong una.
Ang hindi magmahal sa kanyang salitâ
Mahigit sa hayop at malansáng isdâ,
 Influences on the Hero’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.
These influences were the following;
 Hereditary Influences

-Malayan Ancestors- whom he inherited his love for freedom, innate desire to travel and his
indomitable courage.
-Chinese Ancestors-. whom he derived his serious nature, frugality, patience, and love for
children
- Spanish Ancestors- whom he got his elegance of bearing, sensitivity to insult and gallantry to
his ladies.
 Environmental Influences

 Aid of Divine Providence

 The Hero’s First Teacher

The first teacher of Rizal was his mother, who was a remarkable woman of good character and
fine culture. On her lap, he learned at the age of three the alphabet and prayers.
As Jose grew older, his parents employed private tutors to give him lessons at home. The
first was Maestro Celestino, the second Maestro Lucas Padua and then an old man named Leon
Monroy, the latter lived at the Rizal home and instructed Jose in Spanish and Latin.
Unfortunately the latter did not live long. He died five months later. After Monroy’s death, the
hero’s parents decided to send their gifted son to a private school in Biñan.