Module 2

GE009
Rizal’s Life, Works, and Writings

to your second module!

This module is a combination of

synchronous & asynchronous learning.

Pretest

COLLEGE OF ARTS AND

SCIENCES

Ms. Deirdre E. Blancaflor

Instructor
09467642843

Date Initiated
San Mateo Municipal College
Gen. Luna St. Guitnang Bayan I, San Mateo, Rizal
Date of Completion
Tel. No. (02) 997-9070
www.smmc.edu.ph
 I. OVERVIEW

Rizal had his early education in Calamba and Biñan. It was a typical schooling that the son of an Illustrator family
received during his time characterized by 4r’s- Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, And Religion. Rizal was able to acquire the
preparatory education for him to be able to have a higher level of learning.
We look in the factors that influence his childhood and his formation into a value oriented individual.

II. MODULE SCHEDULE

Asynchronous Meeting:
Synchronous Meeting:

III. LEARNING OBJECTIVES

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

1. identify the family background of Rizal
2. discuss the experiences of Rizal as a child
3. analyze the different experience of Rizal that made him a hero
4. describe the childhood days of Rizal
5. appreciate your own childhood experiences

IV. INPUT INFORMATION

History of Rizal's childhood years in Calamba

i. Jose Rizal had many beautiful memories of childhood in his native town. He grew up in a happy home, ruled by good parents
bubbling with joy and satisfied by God's blessings. His native town of Calamba, so named after a big native jar, was fitting cradle for a
hero. Its scenic beauties and its industrious, hospitable and friendly folks impressed him during his childhood years and profoundly
affected his mind and character.
Rizal had his early education in Calamba and Biñan. It was a typical schooling. Knowledge was forced into the minds of the
pupils by means of the tedius memomy method. It may be said that Rizal who was born a physical weakling, rose to become an
intellectual giant.

Calamba, the Heroes Town - Calamba is an enchanted town, it is situated between Laguna de Bay and Mt. Makiling.
Calamba was a hacienda town that belongs to the Dominican Order, who owned all the lands around it. It is a picturesque town
nestling on a verdant plain covered with the rice fields and sugar-lands. A few kilometers to the south is the legendary Mt.Makiling,
beyond its mountain is the Province of Batangas. East of the town is Laguna de Bay, towards north is the distant Antipolo, famous
mountains shrine of the Miraculous Lady of Peace and Good Voyage.

ii. The Birth of a Hero - Jose rizal was born on the moonlit night of Wedness, June 19,1861 in the lakeshore town of Calamba,
Laguna. 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, his godfather was Father Pedro Casanas. His name "Jose"
was chosen by his mother who was a devotee of the Christian Saint San Jose (St. Joseph). Rizal's complete name was Jose Protacio
Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda.

Rizal's Family -jose was the seventh of the eleven children of Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonso Realonda. The
hero's father was Francisco Mercado Rizal and his mother is Teodora Alonso Realonda.
Francisco was born in Biñan, Laguna on May 11, 1818. He studied Latin and Philosophy at the college of San Jose in
Manila. He was handy and independent-minded man who talked less and worked more. He died on January 5, 1895 at the age of 80.
Dona Teodora (1826-1911)- she was born in Manila on November 8, 1816 and was educated at the college of Santa Rosa.
She was a remarkable woman, possessing retained culture, literary, talent business ability and the fortitude of a Spartan Woman.

iii. Rizal parents were married on June 28 1848. At that time Don Francisco was 30 years old while Dona Teodora was 23. Jose
was the seventh child and second son in the family. Here are the siblings of Jose.
1. Saturnina (1850-1913) - oldest of the Rizal children, married to Manuel T. Hidalgo.
2. Paciano (1851-1930) - older brother and confidant of Jose Rizal.
3. Narcisa (1852-1939) - pet name was Sisa and she was married to Antonio Lopez, a School Teacher of Morong.
4. Olympia (1855 -1887) - Ypia was a pet name; she married Silvestre Ubaldo, a telegraph operator from Manila.
5. Lucia (1857 -1919) - She married Mariano Herbosa of Calamba. He denied christian burial because he was brother-in-law of Dr
Jose Rizal.
6. Maria (1859 to 1945) - Biang what's her nickname she married Daniel Cruz.
7. Jose (1861-1896)
8. Concepcion (1862 -1865) - pet name was Concha she died of sickness at the age of three, her death was Rizal's first sorrow in life.
9. Josefa (1865 -1945) - pet name was Panggoy, died an old maid at the age of 80.
10. Trinidad (1865 -1951) - Trining was her pet name, also died as old maid in 1951 at aged 83.
11. Soledad (1872-1929) - youngest of the Rizal children her pet name was Choleng.
Sibling relationship among the Rizal children was affectionality cordial - As a little boy, Rizal used to play games with his
sister. Rizal's relationship with his only brother Paciano, who was ten years his senior was more than of younger to older brother.
Paciano was called a Second Father to him. He immortalized him in his first novel Noli Me Tangere as the wise Pilosopo Tasio.

iv. Rizal Ancestry- As typical filipino, Rizal was a product of the mixture of races. Rizal's great-great grandfather on his father's
side was Domingo Lameo, a chinese immigrant from Fukien City and married a well-to-do chinese girl of Manila named Ines Dela
Rosa and assumed in 1731 the surname "Mercado" which means market.
Francisco Mercado lost his father and grew up to manhood under the care of his mother. He studied Latin and Philosophy in
the College of San Jose in Manila, while studying he met and fell in love with Teodora Alonzo y Realonda, a student in the college of
Santa Rosa. They were married on June 28, 1848, they engaged in farming and business and had a big family.

v. It is said that Dona Teodora’s Family descended from Lakandula, the last native king of Tondo. His great-grandfather was
Eugenio Ursua married to a Filipina named Benigna. Their daughter Regina married Manuel de Quintos, a filipino-chinese lawyer from
Pangasinan. One of the daughter of Atty. Quintos and Regina was Brigida who married Lorenzo Alberto Alonzo, spanish-filipino in
Biñan. Their children were Narsisa, Teodora (Rizal's mother), Gregorio, Manuel and Jose. The name Rizal means Greenfield.

A Good and Middle-class family- Rizal family belong to the Principal, one of the distinguished families in Calamba. From the farm
which was rented from the Dominican Order, they harvested rice, corn and sugarcane. They raised pigs, chicken and turkey on the
backyard. Dona Teodora managed a general store and operated a small flour mill and a homemade ham press.

Evidences of Rizal's affluence:

1. Built a large stone house. (Asotea)
2. Owned a carriage.
3. Private library (largest in Calamba)
4. Their children were sent to colleges in Manila.
5. Participated prominently in all social and religious affairs in the community.

Homelife of Rizals
The Rizal family had a simple, contented and happy life. Rizal's family in consonance with filipino custom, family ties among
Rizal were intimately close, Don Francisco and Dona Teodora loved their children but they never spoiled them. they were strict
parents and they trained their children to love God to behave well, to be obedient and to respect people. They were given a sound
spanking evidently, they believed in the maxim " Spare the rod and spoil the child"
Every day they heard mass in the town church, they prayed together daily at home - the angelus at sunset and rosary before
retiring to bed at night. After family prayers, all children kiss the hands of their parents.

Childhood Memories
 Because he was frail, sickly and undersized child, he was given the tenderest care by his parents. His father built a little nipa
cottage in the garden.
 A kind old woman was employed as yaya of his sisters, Jose loved must, the little Concha (Concepcion). Unfortunately,
Concha died of sickness in 1868. The death of Concha brought him his first sorrow.
 The stories told by Dona Teodora to her favorite son, " The story of Moth" was his favorite.
 The first poem of Rizal was entitled "To my fellow children"

Influences on the Hero's Boyhood.

In lives of all men there are influences which caused some to be great and others not. The influences were the following :
1. Hereditary Influences
2. Environmental Influences
3. Aid of Divine Providence

1. Hereditary Influences- according to biological science there are inherent qualities which a person inherits from his ancestors and
parents. Rizal evidently inherited love for freedom, innate desire to travel and his indomitable courage, he derived his serious nature,
frugality, patience and love for children from his chinese ancestors. While elegance of bearing, sensitivity to insult and gallantry to
ladies where from spanish ancestors. From father profound sense of self respect, love of work, independent thinking, from his mother
sacrifice, passion for art and literature religious nature.

2. Environmental Influences- The scenic beauties of Calamba, and beautiful garden of the Rizal family. His brother Paciano instilled in
his mind the love for freedom and justice. From his sisters, he learned to be courteous and kind to women.His three uncles, brothers
of his mother, exerted a good influence to him, Too Jose Alberto, who studied for 11 years in a British school in Calcutta, India and
traveled in Europe inspired to develop his artistic ability. Tio Manuel a husky and athletic man encouraged to develop his frail body by
exercises, horse riding, walking and wrestling. Tio Gregorio, a book lover intensified his voracious reading of good books.

3. Aid of Divine Providence-The fate of man is the Aid of Divine Providence . God had endowed him with versatile gift of a genius, the
vibrant spirit of a nationalist.

Early Education in Calamba and Biñan

The Hero's first teacher was his mother, he learned at the age of the alphabet and prayers. She encourages him to write
poem and she discovered that her son had a talent for poetry. As Jose grew older his parents employed private tutor, his first was
Maestro Celestino and Maestro Lucas Padua and later an old man named Leon Monroy.
After the tutoring his parents decided to send him to Biñan. In June 1869, Jose with his brother Paciano went to Biñan. Living
in their Aunt's house where Jose was the lodge. He met his cousin Leonor.

First Day in Biñan School

Rizal attended to the school of Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz. His brother Paciano was a pupil of Teacher Cruz before.
First schooling brawling happened when the teacher having his siesta Jose met the bully Pedro. He was angry for making fun of him
during conversation with the teacher. Jose challenged Pedro to a fight, Jose was smaller and younger than the two boys wrestled
furiously, Jose having learned the art of wrestling from his Tio Manuel defeated the bigger boy.
Another classmate Andres Salandana challenged him to an arm-wrestling match, Jose having the weaker arm lost. In some
succeeding days he had other fights with the boys of Binan. Rizal was not a quarrelsome by nature but never ran away from a fight.

Best Student in School- In academic studies, Jose beat all of Binan boys. He surpassed them in all Spanish, Latin and other subjects.
Some of his older classmates were jealous of his intellectual superiority. Thus, Rizal said that “in spite of the reputation I had of being
a good boy, the day was unusual when I was not laid out on bench and given five or six blows.”

End of Binan Schooling- Before the Christmas season in 1870, December 17, 1880 after one year and a half of schooling in Binan, he
left and fake a passage on the streamer Talim with Frenchman Arturo Camp, friend of his father.

Important Incident happened during Rizal’s schooling

A. Martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za
by order of Gov. Gen. Izquirdo, February 17,1872 executed the three priests for their secular movement to Filipinize
the Philippine Parishes. Just before this happened on January 20, 1842, 200 Filipino soldiers and workmen in Cavite under
the leadership of Lamadrid, Filipino Sergeant rose to violent military because of the abolition of their visual privileges
including exemption from tribute and polo.Paciano was Father Burgos' assistant to his religious activities. When the
execution happened, Rizal was nearly 11 years old.
B. Injustice to Hero's Mother
June of 1872, Rizal was 11 years old when Dona Teodora was suddenly arrested on a malicious charge that she
and her brother Jose Alberto tried to poison her (Formasa).
The arresting officer had an ill feeling towards the Rizal when his request was not granted by giving him a horse by
Don Francisco.
Dona Teodora had a sadistic arrest by forcing her to walk from Calamba to Sta. Cruz, Laguna, a distance of 50
kilometers. Dona Teodora was imprisoned for 2 years and a half. Dona Teodora was acquitted Francisco de Marcaida and
Manuel Marzan the most famous lawyers of Manila.

V. LEARNING ACTIVITIES

I. Qualities and values that Rizal learned from his parents

1. 6.
2. 7.
3. 8.
4. 9.
5. 10.
 II. What are the evidences of the Affluence of Rizal’s Family?
11.___________________________________________
12.___________________________________________
13.___________________________________________
14.___________________________________________
15.___________________________________________

III. Identify the different experiences that Rizal had during his early education with his classmates and family.
16.___________________________________________
17.___________________________________________
18.___________________________________________
19.___________________________________________
20.___________________________________________

Points to Ponder: Reflection

1. Rizal had experienced a lot of tragic experiences, if you where Rizal how would you face them?
2. Are the childhood experiences of Rizal was just normal or not? Why?
3. What part of Rizal childhood has been your experience too?
4. What have you learned from the module?

VI. ASSIGNMENT

1. Explain “Spare the rod and spoil the child.”

2. Summarize the story of the Moth.
3. What does this mean,’ what a person is, results from the interplay of nature and nurture.

VII. LEARNING RESOURCES

Books
Carlito O. Garcia; et.al. (2005) Rizal and the Development of Filipino Nationalism
J.A Lopez; et.al. (2010) Rizal Life, Works and Writing of the Greatest Malayan.