The Life of Rizal

Early Schooling

Aside from his mother, Jose was given further instruction by private tutors, such as
Maestro Celestino and later Maestro Lucas Padua. Later his father hired an old man, Leon
Monroy, who have been his classmate, to give Rizal the first lessons in Latin, he lived in the
Rizal home, but he died five months later.

Don Francisco was not discouraged by the loss of the old Latin teacher. He heard of
a good teacher who was running a private school in Biñan. He decided to send Jose to that
town and Doña Teodora agreed. Little Jose was then nine years old.

School Days in Biñan

The first formal schooling of Rizal was in Biñan, the natal town of his father. On the
Sunday afternoon is June 1870, Jose accompanied by Paciano, who
acted as his second father went to Biñan. The two rode in a
carromata. He attended a private school under Maestro Justiniano
Aquino Cruz, who was reputed to be a good teacher. Rizal studied in
this school from 1870 – 1871, a brief interlude in his boyhood which
was full of significant memories. It was an elementary education with
much religion and overly strict discipline. He was whipped by the
teacher to make him learn his lessons or to behave well.

Jose attended the first day in school, Paciano brought him to Maestro Justiniano
Aquino Cruz. The school was in the house of the teacher, as small nipa hut. Immediately,
Jose was assigned the seat in the class. The teacher asks him:

Teacher : Do you know Spanish?

Jose : A little sir.
Teacher : Do you know Latin?
Jose : A little sir.
Then a boy in the class, specifically Pedro, the teacher’s son, laughed at Jose’s
answers. Then the teacher sharply stopped all noises and begun the lesson of the day.
First School Brawl

In the afternoon of his first day in school, when the teacher was having his siesta,
Jose met the bully, Pedro. He was angry at this bully for making fun of him during the
conversation with the teacher in the morning. Jose challenged Pedro to a fight and the
latter easily accepted, thinking that he could easily beat Jose who was smaller and
younger.

The two boys wrestled furiously in the classroom, having learned the art of wrestling,
Jose defeated the bigger boy and he became popular among his classmates.

After the class in the afternoon, a classmate named Andres Lakundanan challenged
him to an arm-wrestling. They went to a sidewalk of a house to wrestle, Jose having a
weaker arm, lost and nearly cracked his head on the sidewalk.

He gets into a fight in the succeeding days. He is not quarrelsome by nature, but he
never ran away from a fight.

Best Student in School

Jose beat all Biñan boys. He surpassed them all in Spanish, Latin and other subjects.
Some older classmates were jealous of his intellectual superiority. They wickedly squealed to
the teacher whenever Jose had a fight outside the school and even told lies to discredit
him before the teacher’s eye. Consequently, the teacher had to punish Jose. Thus, Rizal,
years later said: “In spite of the reputation I had of being a good boy, the day was unusual
when I was not laid out on a bench and given five or six blows”.

The time came when Jose learned all that Maestro Justiniano could teach him.
Accordingly, the teacher informed his parents the he should be sent to college in Manila.

End of Biñan Schooling

He left Biñan on Saturday afternoon, December 17, 1871. He was thrilled to take
passaged on the steamer Talim for it was the first time he rode a steamer. On board a
Frenchman named Arturo Camps a friend of his father took care of him.

Upon arrival in Calamba, Jose was welcomed home by his parents, brother and
sisters. The Christmas of 1871 was the joyous and memorable one of him. He regaled with his
numerous tales, fights, escapes and triumphs in Biñan.
Secondary Education

Old Ateneo in Intramuros

On June 10, 1872 Jose Rizal accompanied by Paciano went to Manila. He took the
entrance exam at the College of San Juan de Letran and passed. But his father later
decided to let him enter Ateneo de Manila. He entered Ateneo, at the age of 11.

At the time Jose studied in the Ateneo, this college was located in Intramuros, within
the walls of Manila. The system of education given by the Jesuits in the Ateneo was
advance from that of other colleges in that period. It trained the character of the student
by rigid discipline and religious instruction.

Rizal’s first professor is the Ateneo was Fr. Jose Bech. Being the new comer and know
little Spanish, Rizal was placed in the bottom of the class. But at the end of the month, he
became “emperor” for he was the brightest in the whole class and he was awarded a
prize. “How pleased I was” he said. The prize was a religious picture. He was proud of it
because it was the first prize, he ever won in Ateneo.

Teenage Interest in Reading

During the summer vacation in 1874, Rizal as a normal teenager became interested
in love stories and romantic tales.

The first favorite novel of Rizal was “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Alexander Dumas.
As a voracious reader, he persuaded his father to buy him a costly set of Cesar Cantus
historical work entitled “Universal History”.
 Later he read “Travels in the Philippines” by Dr. Feodor Jagor, German scientist-
traveler who visited the Philippines. What impressed him in this book were:

1. Jagor’s keen observation of the defects of Spanish colonization

2. Jagor’s prophecy that someday Spain would lose the Philippines and that
America would come to succeed her as colonizers.

On June 14, 1875, when he was fourth year in Ateneo, he became an internee. One
of his professors this time and became his close friend was father Francisco Sanchez, who
inspired him to study harder and write poetry. Some of the poems written by Rizal in Ateneo
are: “The Tragedy of St. Eustace”, “In Memory of My Town”, “Intimate Alliance between
Religion and Good Education”, “True Education Receives Light”.

While in Ateneo, he had excellent achievements and graduated highest in his class.
Some of his other activities in Ateneo are:

1. He studied painting under Agustin Saez.

2. He studied sculpture under Teodoro Romwaldo de Jesus.
3. He learned the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary and he carved the image of
Sacred Heart.
4. He also joined the Organization Marian Congregation
5. He was a member of the Academy of Spanish Literature.
6. He was also a member of the Academy of Natural Sciences.

• In 1877-1878, he attended two schools: Ateneo de Manila, and University of

Santo Tomas.
• He completed the surveyor’s course and was awarded the title “perito
agrimensor”.
• He passed the final examination.
• He was issued his certificate on November 25, 1881 at the age of 20.

First Romance of Rizal

Rizal who was sixteen years old experience his first romance.
The girl was Segunda Katigbak a pretty fourteen-year-old
Batangueña from Lipa. He came to know Segunda more intimately
during his weekly visit to La Concordia College, where his sister
Olimpia was a boarding student. Olimpia was a close friend of
Segunda. It was apparent that Rizal and Segunda love each other.
But it was hopeless since the very beginning because Segunda was
already engaged to be married to her town-mate, Manuel Luz.

Segunda and Manuel

 As a student of the University of Santo Tomas:

After graduating with the highest honors from Ateneo, Rizal had to go to the
University of Santo Tomas in order to prepare himself for a career. The Bachelor of Arts
degree during Spanish times was equivalent to a high school diploma today. It merely
qualifies its holder to enter a university. Both Don Francisco and Paciano wanted that Jose
should pursue the higher learning. But Doña Teodora did not want him to study more.
Evidently, she had a premonition that too much knowledge would imperil her son’s life.

She knew the fate of the Filipino intellectuals – Father Burgos, Dr. Antonio Ma.
Regidor, Jose Ma. Basa and other exiles of 1872. Who were either exiled or executed or
exiled by the Spanish authorities. Fearful of the Spanish authorities who seemed to frown on
those Filipinos who learned too much, she warned her husband; “Do not send Jose again to
Manila. If he gets to know too much, they will cut off his head!”.

Years later Rizal remembering his mother’s objection to his further studies, wrote in his
memoirs; “Did she have a presentiment of what was going to happen to me? Can it be that
a mother’s heart gives her double vision”.

Rizal Enters the University

In April 1877, Rizal who was nearly 16 years old, matriculated in the University of Santo
Tomas taking 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 follow. During the first term (1877-
1878) he studied Cosmology, Metaphysics, Theodicy and History of Philosophy.

It was during the second year (1878-1879) that Rizal took up medicine, enrolling
simultaneously in the preparatory medical course and the regular first year medical course.
The reason why he studied medicine were; 1) He wanted to be a physician so that he might
cure his mother’s failing eyesight and 2) Father Pablo Ramon the Rector of Ateneo, whom
he consulted for a choice of career has recommended medicine.

During the first school term in the University of Santo Tomas, Rizal also studied in the
Ateneo, He took the vocational course leading to the title of “perito agrimensor” (expert
surveyor). Rizal as usual, excelled in all subjects in surveying course, with gold medals in
agriculture topography. At the age of 17, he passed the final examination in the surveying
course but he could not be granted the title as surveyor because he was below age. The
title was issued to him on November 25, 1881.

Romances with the other Girls

Not with standing his academic studies in the University of Santo Tomas and extra-
curricular activities in Ateneo, Rizal had ample time for love.

Shortly after losing Segunda Katigbak, he aids to court a young woman in Calamba,
he called her simply Miss L. After visiting her several time, he suddenly stops because the
memory of Segunda was still in his heart and his father objected the match.

During his sophomore year, he courted Leonor Valenzuela. Rizal was

a welcome visitor in Valenzuela home. But as with Segunda, he stopped
short of proposing marriage to Orang (pet name of Leonor).

Rizal’s next romance was with Leonor Rivera. They

became engaged but they never got married because Rivera’s
mother who favored a railway engineer for Leonor.
Some Literary Works of Rizal

He submitted an entry in the Liceo Artistico Literario de Manila in 1879, entitled “A La

Juventud Filipina” (“To the Filipino Youth”);

• He won first prize in the contest.

• He was awarded a silver quill.
• For the first time, he used the phrase “the youth, the fair hope
of my country”; (“kabataan pag-asa ng aking bayan”)

He submitted an entry in the Liceo Artistico Literario de Manila in 1880, entitled “El
Consejo de los Dioses” (“The Council of the Gods”);

• He won the first price a Gold Ring with the engraving of a

Spanish author Cervantes.

◼ Other Literary Works

a. “Junto al Pasig” 1880
b. “A Filipinas” 1880
c. “Add-el-Azis y Mahoma” 1879
d. “Al M.R.P. Pablo Ramon” 1881

Champion of the Filipino Students

Rizal was the champion of the Filipino students in their frequent fights against the
arrogant Spanish students, who were often surpassed by the Filipinos in class work. Insultingly
called their brown classmate “Indio Chongo”, the latter retaliated by calling them
“Kastilang Bangus”. These two groups of students often exploded in hectic street brawls.
Rizal participated in these brawls. Owing to his skills in fencing, wrestling and his domitable
courage.

In one of the fierce encounters between the Filipinos and the Spanish near the
streets of Escolta. Rizal was wounded on the head. His friends brought his bleeding and
covered with dust to his boarding house “Casa Tomasina”. Leonor Rivera tenderly washed
and dressed his wound.

Rizal’s Unhappy Days at the University of the Philippines

Rizal, Anteneo’s boy wonder, found the atmosphere at the university suffocating to
his sensitive spirit. He was unhappy at this Dominican institution because; 1) the Dominican
professors were hostile to him, 2) the Filipino students were racially discriminated and 3) the
method of instruction was obsolete and repressive. Rizal failed to win high scholastic honors.

Decision to Study Abroad

After finishing the fourth year of his medical course, Rizal decided to study in Spain.
He could no longer endure the rampant bigotry, discrimination and hostility in the University
of Santo Tomas. His uncle Antonio Rivera, “Leonor’s father, encouraged him to go abroad.
Paciano and Saturnina whom he contacted secretly also agreed.

Rizal for the first time, did not seek his parent’s permission and blessing to go abroad,
because he knew that they would disapprove specially his mother. He did even told Leonor
that he will leave. Spanish authorities knew nothing of his decision to go abroad in order to
finish his medical studies in Spain, where the professors were more tolerant and
understanding than those of the University of the Philippines.

Morning of May 3, 1882, Jose Rizal left Manila and he went to Spain.