JOSE RIZAL: A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

BY TEOFILO H. MONTEMAYOR
JOSE RIZAL, the national hero of the Philippines and pride of the Malayan
race, was born on June 19, 1861, in the town of Calamba, Laguna. He was the
seventh child in a family of 11 children (2 boys and 9 girls). Both his parents were
educated and belonged to distinguished families.
His father, Francisco Mercado Rizal, an industrious farmer whom Rizal called "a
model of fathers," came from Bian, Laguna; while his mother, Teodora Alonzo y
Quintos, a highly cultured and accomplished woman whom Rizal called "loving
and prudent mother," was born in Meisic, Sta. Cruz, Manila. At the age of 3, he
learned the alphabet from his mother; at 5, while learning to read and write, he
already showed inclinations to be an artist. He astounded his family and relatives
by his pencil drawings and sketches and by his moldings of clay. At the age 8, he
wrote a Tagalog poem, "Sa Aking Mga Kabata," the theme of which revolves on
the love of ones language. In 1877, at the age of 16, he obtained his Bachelor of
Arts degree with an average of "excellent" from the Ateneo Municipal de Manila.
In the same year, he enrolled in Philosophy and Letters at the University of Santo
Tomas, while at the same time took courses leading to the degree of surveyor
and expert assessor at the Ateneo. He finished the latter course on March 21,
1877 and passed the Surveyors examination on May 21, 1878; but because of his
age, 17, he was not granted license to practice the profession until December 30,
1881. In 1878, he enrolled in medicine at the University of Santo Tomas but had
to stop in his studies when he felt that the Filipino students were being
discriminated upon by their Dominican tutors. On May 3, 1882, he sailed for
Spain where he continued his studies at the Universidad Central de Madrid. On
June 21, 1884, at the age of 23, he was conferred the degree of Licentiate in
Medicine and on June 19,1885, at the age of 24, he finished his course in
Philosophy and Letters with a grade of "excellent."
Having traveled extensively in Europe, America and Asia, he mastered 22
languages. These include Arabic, Catalan, Chinese, English, French, German,
Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Malayan, Portuguese, Russian, Sanskrit,
Spanish, Tagalog, and other native dialects. A versatile genius, he was an
architect, artists, businessman, cartoonist, educator, economist, ethnologist,
scientific farmer, historian, inventor, journalist, linguist, musician, mythologist,
nationalist, naturalist, novelist, opthalmic surgeon, poet, propagandist,
psychologist, scientist, sculptor, sociologist, and theologian.
He was an expert swordsman and a good shot. In the hope of securing political
and social reforms for his country and at the same time educate his countrymen,
Rizal, the greatest apostle of Filipino nationalism, published, while in Europe,
several works with highly nationalistic and revolutionary tendencies. In March
1887, his daring book, NOLI ME TANGERE, a satirical novel exposing the
arrogance and despotism of the Spanish clergy, was published in Berlin; in 1890
he reprinted in Paris, Morgas SUCCESSOS DE LAS ISLAS FILIPINAS with his
annotations to prove that the Filipinos had a civilization worthy to be proud of
even long before the Spaniards set foot on Philippine soil; on September 18,
1891, EL FILIBUSTERISMO, his second novel and a sequel to the NOLI and more
revolutionary and tragic than the latter, was printed in Ghent. Because of his
fearless exposures of the injustices committed by the civil and clerical officials,
Rizal provoked the animosity of those in power. This led himself, his relatives and
countrymen into trouble with the Spanish officials of the country. As a
consequence, he and those who had contacts with him, were shadowed; the
authorities were not only finding faults but even fabricating charges to pin him
down. Thus, he was imprisoned in Fort Santiago from July 6, 1892 to July 15,
1892 on a charge that anti-friar pamphlets were found in the luggage of his sister
Lucia who arrive with him from Hong Kong. While a political exile in Dapitan, he
engaged in agriculture, fishing and business; he maintained and operated a
hospital; he conducted classes- taught his pupils the English and Spanish
languages, the arts.
The sciences, vocational courses including agriculture, surveying, sculpturing, and
painting, as well as the art of self defense; he did some researches and collected
specimens; he entered into correspondence with renowned men of letters and
sciences abroad; and with the help of his pupils, he constructed water dam and a
relief map of Mindanao - both considered remarkable engineering feats. His
sincerity and friendliness won for him the trust and confidence of even those
assigned to guard him; his good manners and warm personality were found
irresistible by women of all races with whom he had personal contacts; his
intelligence and humility gained for him the respect and admiration of prominent
men of other nations; while his undaunted courage and determination to uplift the
welfare of his people were feared by his enemies.
When the Philippine Revolution started on August 26, 1896, his enemies lost no
time in pressing him down. They were able to enlist witnesses that linked him
with the revolt and these were never allowed to be confronted by him. Thus, from
November 3, 1986, to the date of his execution, he was again committed to Fort
Santiago. In his prison cell, he wrote an untitled poem, now known as "Ultimo
Adios" which is considered a masterpiece and a living document expressing not
only the heros great love of country but also that of all Filipinos. After a mock
trial, he was convicted of rebellion, sedition and of forming illegal association. In
the cold morning of December 30, 1896, Rizal, a man whose 35 years of life had
been packed with varied activities which proved that the Filipino has capacity to
equal if not excel even those who treat him as a slave, was shot at Bagumbayan
Field.
The Mercado - Rizal Family

The Rizals is considered one of the biggest families during their time.
Domingo Lam-co, the family's paternal ascendant was a full-blooded Chinese
who came to the Philippines from Amoy, China in the closing years of the
17th century and married a Chinese half-breed by the name of Ines de la
Rosa.

Researchers revealed that the Mercado-Rizal family had also traces of
Japanese, Spanish, Malay and Even Negrito blood aside from Chinese.

Jose Rizal came from a 13-member family consisting of his parents,
Francisco Mercado II and Teodora Alonso Realonda, and nine sisters and one
brother.
FRANCISCO MERCADO (1818-1898)
Father of Jose Rizal who was the youngest of 13 offsprings of Juan and Cirila
Mercado. Born in Bian, Laguna on April 18, 1818; studied in San Jose
College, Manila; and died in Manila.
TEODORA ALONSO (1827-1913)
Mother of Jose Rizal who was the second child of Lorenzo Alonso and Brijida
de Quintos. She studied at the Colegio de Santa Rosa. She was a business-
minded woman, courteous, religious, hard-working and well-read. She was
born in Santa Cruz, Manila on November 14, 1827 and died in 1913 in
Manila.
SATURNINA RIZAL (1850-1913)
Eldest child of the Rizal-Alonzo marriage. Married Manuel Timoteo Hidalgo of
Tanauan, Batangas.
PACIANO RIZAL (1851-1930)
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.
NARCISA RIZAL (1852-1939)
The third child. married Antonio Lopez at Morong, Rizal; a teacher and
musician.
OLYMPIA RIZAL (1855-1887)
The fourth child. Married Silvestre Ubaldo; died in 1887 from childbirth.
LUCIA RIZAL (1857-1919)
The fifth child. Married Matriano Herbosa.
MARIA RIZAL (1859-1945)
















The sixth child. Married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Bian, Laguna.

JOSE RIZAL (1861-1896)
The second son and the seventh child. He was executed by the Spaniards on
December 30,1896.

CONCEPCION RIZAL (1862-1865)
The eight child. Died at the age of three.
JOSEFA RIZAL (1865-1945)
The ninth child. An epileptic, died a spinster.

TRINIDAD RIZAL (1868-1951)
The tenth child. Died a spinster and the last of the family to die.

SOLEDAD RIZAL (1870-1929)
The youngest child married Pantaleon Quintero.

In Calamba, Laguna

19 June 1861
JOSE RIZAL, the seventh child of Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonso y Quintos,
was born in Calamba, Laguna.

22 June 1861
He was baptized JOSE RIZAL MERCADO at the Catholic of Calamba by the parish priest
Rev. Rufino Collantes with Rev. Pedro Casaas as the sponsor.

28 September 1862
The parochial church of Calamba and the canonical books, including the book in which
Rizals baptismal records were entered, were burned.

1864
Barely three years old, Rizal learned the alphabet from his mother.

1865
When he was four years old, his sister Conception, the eight child in the Rizal family,
died at the age of three. It was on this occasion that Rizal remembered having shed real
tears for the first time.

1865 1867
During this time his mother taught him how to read and write. His father hired a
classmate by the name of Leon Monroy who, for five months until his (Monroy) death,
taught Rizal the rudiments of Latin.

At about this time two of his mothers cousin frequented Calamba. Uncle Manuel Alberto,
seeing Rizal frail in body, concerned himself with the physical development of his young
nephew and taught the latter love for the open air and developed in him a great
admiration for the beauty of nature, while Uncle Gregorio, a scholar, instilled into the
mind of the boy love for education. He advised Rizal: "Work hard and perform every
task very carefully; learn to be swift as well as thorough; be independent in thinking and
make visual pictures of everything."

6 June 1868
With his father, Rizal made a pilgrimage to Antipolo to fulfill the vow made by his mother
to take the child to the Shrine of the Virgin of Antipolo should she and her child survive
the ordeal of delivery which nearly caused his mothers life.

From there they proceeded to Manila and visited his sister Saturnina who was at the
time studying in the La Concordia College in Sta. Ana.

1869
At the age of eight, Rizal wrote his first poem entitled "Sa Aking Mga Kabata." The poem
was written in tagalog and had for its theme "Love of Ones Language."

Early Education in Calamba and Bian

Rizal had his early education in Calamba and Bian. It was a typical
schooling that a son of an ilustrado family received during his time,
characterized by the four Rs- reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion.
Instruction was rigid and strict. Knowledge was forced into the minds of the
pupils by means of the tedious memory method aided by the teachers whip.
Despite the defects of the Spanish system of elementary education, Rizal
was able to acquire the necessary instruction preparatory for college work in
Manila. It may be said that Rizal, who was born a physical weakling, rose to
become an intellectual giant not because of, but rather in spite of, the
outmoded and backward system of instruction obtaining in the Philippines
during the last decades of Spanish regime.

The Heros 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 the prayers. "My mother," wrote Rizal in his student
memoirs, "taught me how to read and to say haltingly the humble prayers
which I raised fervently to God."

As tutor, Doa Teodora was patient, conscientious, and understanding. It
was she who first discovered that her son had a talent for poetry.
Accordingly, she encouraged him to write poems. To lighten the monotony of
memorizing the ABCs and to stimulate her sons imagination, she related
many stories.

As Jose grew older, his parents employed private tutors to give him lessons
at home. The first was Maestro Celestino and the second, Maestro Lucas
Padua. Later, an old man named Leon Monroy, a former classmate of Rizals
father, became the boys tutor. This old teacher lived at the Rizal home and
instructed Jose in Spanish and Latin. Unfortunately, he did not lived long. He
died five months later.

After a Monroys death, the heros parents decided to send their gifted son to
a private school in Bian.

Jose Goes to Bian

One Sunday afternoon in June , 1869, Jose, after kissing the hands of his
parents and a tearful parting from his sister, left Calamba for Bian. He was
accompanied by Paciano , who acted as his second father. The two brothers
rode in a carromata, reaching their destination after one and one-half hours
drive. They proceeded to their aunts house, where Jose was to lodge. It was
almost night when they arrived, and the moon was about to rise.

That same night, Jose, with his cousin named Leandro, went sightseeing in
the town. Instead of enjoying the sights, Jose became depressed because of
homesickness. "In the moonlight," he recounted, "I remembered my home
town, my idolized mother, and my solicitous sisters. Ah, how sweet to me
was Calamba, my own town, in spite of the fact that was not as wealthy as
Bian."

First Day in Bian School

The next morning (Monday) Paciano brought his younger brother to the
school of Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz.

The school was in the house of the teacher, which was a small nipa hut
about 30 meters from the home of Joses aunt.

Paciano knew the teacher quite well because he had been a pupil under him
before. He introduced Jose to the teacher, after which he departed to return
to Calamba.

Immediately, Jose was assigned his seat in the class. The teacher asked
him:

"Do you know Spanish?"
"A little, sir," replied the Calamba lad.
"Do you know Latin?"
"A little, sir."

The boys in the class, especially Pedro, the teachers son laughed at Joses
answers.

The teacher sharply stopped all noises and begun the lessons of the day.

Jose described his teacher in Bian as follows: "He was tall, thin, long-
necked, with sharp nose and a body slightly bent forward, and he used to
wear a sinamay shirt, woven by the skilled hands of the women of Batangas.
He knew by the heart the grammars by Nebrija and Gainza. Add to this
severity that in my judgement was exaggerated and you have a picture,
perhaps vague, that I have made of him, but I remember only this."

First School BrawlIn 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 his conversation with the teacher in
the morning.

Jose challenged Pedro to a fight. The latter readily accepted, thinking that he
could easily beat the Calamba boy who was smaller and younger.

The two boys wrestled furiously in the classroom, much to the glee of their
classmates. Jose, having learned the art of wrestling from his athletic Tio
Manuel, defeated the bigger boy. For this feat, he became popular among
his classmates.

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

In succeeding days he had other fights with the boys of Bian. He was not
quarrelsome by nature, but he never ran away from a fight.

Best Student in School

In academic studies, Jose beat all Bian boys. He surpassed them all in
Spanish, Latin, and other subjects.

Some of his 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 teachers eyes.
Consequently the teacher had to punish Jose.

Early Schooling in Bian

Jose had a very vivid imagination and a very keen sense of observation. At
the age of seven he traveled with his father for the first time to Manila and
thence to Antipolo to fulfill the promise of a pilgrimage made by his mother
at the time of his birth. They embarked in a casco, a very ponderous vessel
commonly used in the Philippines. It was the first trip on the lake that Jose
could recollect. As darkness fell he spent the hours by the katig, admiring
the grandeur of the water and the stillness of the night, although he was
seized with a superstitious fear when he saw a water snake entwine itself
around the bamboo beams of the katig. With what joy did he see the sun at
the daybreak as its luminous rays shone upon the glistening surface of the
wide lake, producing a brilliant effect! With what joy did he talk to his father,
for he had not uttered a word during the night!

When they proceeded to Antipolo, he experienced the sweetest emotions
upon seeing the gay banks of the Pasig and the towns of Cainta and Taytay.
In Antipolo he prayed, kneeling before the image of the Virgin of Peace and
Good Voyage, of whom he would later sing in elegant verses. Then he saw
Manila, the great metropolis , with its Chinese sores and European bazaars.
And visited his elder sister, Saturnina, in Santa Ana, who was a boarding
student in the Concordia College.

When he was nine years old, his father sent him to Bian to continue
studying Latin, because his first teacher had died. His brother Paciano took
him to Bian one Sunday, and Jose bade his parents and sisters good-bye
with tears in his eyes. Oh, how it saddened him to leave for the first time
and live far from his home and his family! But he felt ashamed to cry and
had to conceal his tears and sentiments. "O Shame," he explained, "how
many beautiful and pathetic scenes the world would witness without thee!"

They arrived at Bian in the evening. His brother took him to the house of
his aunt where he was to stay, and left him after introducing him to the
teacher. At night, in company with his aunts grandson named Leandro, Jose
took a walk around the town in the light of the moon. To him the town
looked extensive and rich but sad and ugly.

His teacher in Bian was a severe disciplinarian. His name was Justiniano
Aquino Cruz. "He was a tall man, lean and long-necked, with a sharp nose
and a body slightly bent forward. He used to wear a sinamay shirt woven by
the deft hands of Batangas women. He knew by memory the grammars of
Nebrija and Gainza. To this add a severity which, in my judgement I have
made of him, which is all I remember."

The boy Jose distinguished himself in class, and succeeded in surpassing
many of his older classmates. Some of these were so wicked that, even
without reason, they accused him before the teacher, for which, in spite of
his progress, he received many whippings and strokes from the ferule. Rare
was the day when he was not stretched on the bench for a whipping or
punished with five or six blows on the open palm. Joses reaction to all these
punishments was one of intense resentment in order to learn and thus carry
out his fathers will.

Jose spent his leisure hours with Justinianos father-in-law, a master painter.
From him he took his first two sons, two nephews, and a grandson. His way
life was methodical and well regulated. He heard mass at four if there was
one that early, or studied his lesson at that hour and went to mass
afterwards. Returning home, he might look in the orchard for a mambolo
fruit to eat, then he took his breakfast, consisting generally of a plate of rice
and two dried sardines.

After that he would go to class, from which he was dismissed at ten, then
home again. He ate with his aunt and then began at ten, then home again.
He ate with his aunt and then began to study. At half past two he returned
to class and left at five. He might play for a short time with some cousins
before returning home. He studied his lessons, drew for a while, and then
prayed and if there was a moon, his friends would invite him to play in the
street in company with other boys.

Whenever he remembered his town, he thought with tears in his eyes of his
beloved father, his idolized mother, and his solicitous sisters. Ah, how sweet
was his town even though not so opulent as Bian! He grew sad and
thoughtful.


Philosophies in Life

PHILOSOPHY may be defined as the study and pursuit of facts which deal
with the ultimate reality or causes of things as they affect life.

The philosophy of a country like the Philippines is made up of the intricate
and composite interrelationship of the life histories of its people; in other
word, the philosophy of our nation would be strange and undefinable if we
do not delve into the past tied up with the notable life experiences of the
representative personalities of our nation.

Being one of the prominent representatives of Filipino personalities, Jose
Rizal is a fit subject whose life philosophy deserves to be recognized.

Having been a victim of Spanish brutality early in his life in Calamba, Rizal
had thus already formed the nucleus of an unfavorable opinion of Castillian
imperialistic administration of his country and people.

Pitiful social conditions existed in the Philippines as late as three centuries
after his conquest in Spain, with agriculture, commerce, communications
and education languishing under its most backward state. It was because of
this social malady that social evils like inferiority complex, cowardice,
timidity and false pride pervaded nationally and contributed to the decay of
social life. This stimulated and shaped Rizals life phylosophy to be to contain
if not eliminate these social ills.

Educational Philosophy

Rizals concept of the importance of education is clearly enunciated in his
work entitled Instruction wherein he sought improvements in the schools
and in the methods of teaching. He maintained that the backwardness of his
country during the Spanish ear was not due to the Filipinos indifference,
apathy or indolence as claimed by the rulers, but to the neglect of the
Spanish authorities in the islands. For Rizal, the mission of education is to
elevate the country to the highest seat of glory and to develop the peoples
mentality. Since education is the foundation of society and a prerequisite for
social progress, Rizal claimed that only through education could the country
be saved from domination.

Rizals philosophy of education, therefore, centers on the provision of proper
motivation in order to bolster the great social forces that make education a
success, to create in the youth an innate desire to cultivate his intelligence
and give him life eternal.

Religious Philosophy

Rizal grew up nurtured by a closely-knit Catholic family, was educated in the
foremost Catholic schools of the period in the elementary, secondary and
college levels; logically, therefore, he should have been a propagator of
strictly Catholic traditions. However, in later life, he developed a life
philosophy of a different nature, a philosophy of a different Catholic practice
intermingled with the use of Truth and Reason.

Why the change?

It could have been the result of contemporary contact, companionship,
observation, research and the possession of an independent spirit.Being a
critical observer, a profound thinker and a zealous reformer, Rizal did not
agree with the prevailing Christian propagation of the Faith by fire and
sword. This is shown in his Annotation of Morgas Sucesos de las Islas
Filipinas.

Rizal did not believe in the Catholic dogma that salvation was only for
Catholics and that outside Christianity, salvation was not possible even if
Catholics composed only a small minority of the worlds religious groups. Nor
did he believe in the Catholic observation of fasting as a sacrifice, nor in the
sale of such religious items as the cross, medals, rosaries and the like in
order to propagate the Faith and raise church funds. He also lambasted the
superstitious beliefs propagated by the priests in the church and in the
schools. All of these and a lot more are evidences of Rizals religious
philosophy.

Political Philosophy

In Rizals political view, a conquered country like the Philippines should not
be taken advantage of but rather should be developed, civilized, educated
and trained in the science of self-government.

He bitterly assailed and criticized in publications the apparent backwardness
of the Spanish rulers method of governing the country which resulted in:

1. the bondage and slavery of the conquered ;

2. the Spanish governments requirement of forced labor and force military
service upon the n natives;

3. the abuse of power by means of exploitation;

4. the government ruling that any complaint against the authorities was
criminal; and

5. Making the people ignorant, destitute and fanatic, thus discouraging the
formation of a national sentiment.

Rizals guiding political philosophy proved to be the study and application of
reforms, the extension of human rights, the training for self government and
the arousing of spirit of discontent over oppression, brutality, inhumanity,
sensitiveness and self love.

Ethical Philosophy

The study of human behavior as to whether it is good or bad or whether it is
right or wrong is that science upon which Rizals ethical philosophy was
based. The fact that the Philippines was under Spanish domination during
Rizals time led him to subordinate his philosophy to moral problems. This
trend was much more needed at that time because the Spaniards and the
Filipinos had different and sometimes conflicting morals. The moral status of
the Philippines during this period was one with a lack of freedom, one with
predominance of foreign masters, one with an imposition of foreign religious
worship, devotion, homage and racial habits. This led to moral confusion
among the people, what with justice being stifled, limited or curtailed and
the people not enjoying any individual rights.

To bolster his ethical philosophy, Dr. Rizal had recognized not only the forces
of good and evil, but also the tendencies towards good and evil. As a result,
he made use of the practical method of appealing to the better nature of the
conquerors and of offering useful methods of solving the moral problems of
the conquered.

To support his ethical philosophy in life, Rizal:

1. censured the friars for abusing the advantage of their position as spiritual
leaders and the ignorance and fanaticism of the natives;

2. counseled the Filipinos not to resent a defect attributed to them but to
accept same as reasonable and just;

3. advised the masses that the object of marriage was the happiness and
love of the couple and not financial gain;

4. censured the priests who preached greed and wrong morality; and

5. advised every one that love and respect for parents must be strictly
observed.

Social Philosophy

That body of knowledge relating to society including the wisdom which
man's experience in society has taught him is social philosophy. The facts
dealt with are principles involved in nation building and not individual social
problems. The subject matter of this social philosophy covers the problems
of the whole race, with every problem having a distinct solution to bolster
the peoples social knowledge.

Rizals social philosophy dealt with;

1. Man in society;
2. Influential factors in human life;
3. Racial problems;
4. Social constant;
5. Social justice;
6. Social ideal;
7. Poverty and wealth;
8. Reforms;
9. Youth and greatness;
10. History and progress;
11. Future Philippines.



Rizal's First Trip Abroad

3 May 1882
Rizal left Philippines for the first time Spain. He boarded the Salvadora using a
passport of Jose Mercado, which was procured for him by his uncle Antonio Rivera,
father of Leonor Rivera. He was accompanied to the quay where the Salvadora was
moored by his uncle Antonio, Vicente Gella, and Mateo Evangelista.

4 May 1882
He got seasick on board the boat.

5 May1882
He conversed with the passengers of the ship; he was still feeling sea-sick.

6 May 1882
He played chess with the passengers on board.

8 May 1882
He saw mountains and Islands.

9 May 1882
Rizal arrived at Singapore.

10 May 1882
He went around the town of Singapore and maid some observations.

11 May 1882
In Singapore, at 2 p.m., Rizal boarded the boat Djemnah to continue his trip to
Spain. He found the boat clean and well kept.

12 May 1882
He had a conversation with the passengers of the boat.

13 May 1882
Rizal was seasick again.

14 May 1882
On his way to Marseilles, Rizal had a terrible dream. He dreamed he was traveling
with Neneng (Saturnina) and their path was blocked by snakes.

May 15 1882
Rizal had another disheartening dream. He dreamed he returned to Calamba and
after meeting his parents who did not talk to him because of not having consulted
them about his first trip abroad, he returned traveling abroad with one hundred
pesos he again borrowed. He was so sad and broken hearted. Soon he woke up and
found himself inside his cabin.


17 May 1882
Rizal arrived at Punta de Gales.

18 May 1882
At 7:30 a.m., he left Punta de Gales for Colombo. In the afternoon, Rizal arrived at
Colombo and in the evening the trip was resumed.

26 May 1882
Rizal was nearing the African coast

27 May 1882
He landed at Aden at about 8:30 a.m. He made observation at the time.

2 June 1882
He arrived at the Suez Canal en route to Marseilles.

3 June 1882
He was quarantined on board the Djemnah in the Suez Canal.

6 June 1882
It was the fourth day at Suez Canal and was still quarantined on board of the boat.

7 June 1882
Rizal arrived at Port Said. In a letter to his parents, He described his trip en route
to Aden along the Suez Canal.

11 June 1882
Rizal disembarked and, accompanied by a guide, went around the City of Naples for
one hour. This was the first European ground he set foot on.

12 June 1882
At ten oclock in the evening, the boat anchored at Marseilles. He sleptn board.

13 June 1882
Early on the morning he landed at Marseilles and boarded at the Noalles Hotel.
Later he around for observation.

14 June 1882
His second in Marseilles.

15 June 1882
He left Marseilles for Barcelona in an express train.






Rizal, the Romantic

There were at least nine women linked with Rizal; namely Segunda Katigbak,
Leonor Valenzuela, Leonor Rivera, Consuelo Ortiga, O-Sei San, Gertrude Beckette,
Nelly Boustead, Suzanne Jacoby and Josephine Bracken. These women might have
been beguiled by his intelligence, charm and wit.
Segunda Katigbak and Leonor Valenzuela
Segunda Katigbak was her puppy love. Unfortunately, his first love was engaged to
be married to a town mate- Manuel Luz. After his admiration for a short girl in the
person of Segunda, then came Leonor Valenzuela, a tall girl from Pagsanjan. Rizal
send her love notes written in invisible ink, that could only be deciphered over the
warmth of the lamp or candle. He visited her on the eve of his departure to Spain
and bade her a last goodbye.
Leonor Rivera
Leonor Rivera, his sweetheart for 11 years played the greatest influence in keeping
him from falling in love with other women during his travel. Unfortunately, Leonors
mother disapproved of her daughters relationship with Rizal, who was then a
known filibustero. She hid from Leonor all letters sent to her sweetheart. Leonor
believing that Rizal had already forgotten her, sadly consented her to marry the
Englishman Henry Kipping, her mothers choice.
Consuelo Ortiga
Consuelo Ortiga y Rey, the prettier of Don Pablo Ortigas daughters, fell in love with
him. He dedicated to her A la Senorita C.O. y R., which became one of his best
poems. The Ortiga's residence in Madrid was frequented by Rizal and his
compatriots. He probably fell in love with her and Consuelo apparently asked him
for romantic verses. He suddenly backed out before the relationship turned into a
serious romance, because he wanted to remain loyal to Leonor Rivera and he did
not want to destroy hid friendship with Eduardo de Lete who was madly in love with
Consuelo.
O Sei San
O Sei San, a Japanese samurais daughter taught Rizal the Japanese art of painting
known as su-mie. She also helped Rizal improve his knowledge of Japanese
language. If Rizal was a man without a patriotic mission, he would have married
this lovely and intelligent woman and lived a stable and happy life with her in Japan
because Spanish legation there offered him a lucrative job.
Gertrude Beckett
While Rizal was in London annotating the Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, he boarded
in the house of the Beckett family, within walking distance of the British Museum.
Gertrude, a blue-eyed and buxom girl was the oldest of the three Beckett
daughters. She fell in love with Rizal. Tottie helped him in his painting and
sculpture. But Rizal suddenly left London for Paris to avoid Gertrude, who was
seriously in love with him. Before leaving London, he was able to finish the group
carving of the Beckett sisters. He gave the group carving to Gertrude as a sign of
their brief relationship.
Nellie Boustead
Rizal having lost Leonor Rivera, entertained the thought of courting other ladies.
While a guest of the Boustead family at their residence in the resort city of Biarritz,
he had befriended the two pretty daughters of his host, Eduardo Boustead. Rizal
used to fence with the sisters at the studio of Juan Luna. Antonio Luna, Juans
brother and also a frequent visitor of the Bousteads, courted Nellie but she was
deeply infatuated with Rizal. In a party held by Filipinos in Madrid, a drunken
Antonio Luna uttered unsavory remarks against Nellie Boustead. This prompted
Rizal to challenge Luna into a duel. Fortunately, Luna apologized to Rizal, thus
averting tragedy for the compatriots.
Their love affair unfortunately did not end in marriage. It failed because Rizal
refused to be converted to the Protestant faith, as Nellie demanded and Nellies
mother did not like a physician without enough paying clientele to be a son-in-law.
The lovers, however, parted as good friends when Rizal left Europe.
Suzanne Jacoby
In 1890, Rizal moved to Brussels because of the high cost of living in Paris. In
Brussels, he lived in the boarding house of the two Jacoby sisters. In time, they fell
deeply in love with each other. Suzanne cried when Rizal left Brussels and wrote
him when he was in Madrid.
Josephine Bracken
In the last days of February 1895, while still in Dapitan, Rizal met an 18-year old
petite Irish girl, with bold blue eyes, brown hair and a happy disposition. She was
Josephine Bracken, the adopted daughter of George Taufer from Hong Kong, who
came to Dapitan to seek Rizal for eye treatment. Rizal was physically attracted to
her. His loneliness and boredom must have taken the measure of him and what
could be a better diversion that to fall in love again. But the Rizal sisters suspected
Josephine as an agent of the friars and they considered her as a threat to Rizals
security.
Rizal asked Josephine to marry him, but she was not yet ready to make a decision
due to her responsibility to the blind Taufer. Since Taufers blindness was
untreatable, he left for Hon Kong on March 1895. Josephine stayed with Rizals
family in Manila. Upon her return to Dapitan, Rizal tried to arrange with Father
Antonio Obach for their marriage. However, the priest wanted a retraction as a
precondition before marrying them. Rizal upon the advice of his family and friends
and with Josephines consent took her as his wife even without the Church
blessings. Josephine later give birth prematurely to a stillborn baby, a result of
some incidence, which might have shocked or frightened her.