Rizal’s Life:

Higher Education
and Life Abroad
TOPIC 4P
 Rizal’s Life:
Higher Education and Life
Abroad

CORE IDEAS LEARNING OUTCOMES

Rizal’s higher education and life abroad 1. Explain the principles of assimilation
influenced his patriotism and allowed him propagated by the Propaganda
to take action and use his skills to spread movement;
nationalism 2. Appraise Rizal’s relationship with other
Propagandists; and
3. Analyze Rizal’s growth as a Propagandist
and disavowal of assimilation.

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 RIZAL’S LIFE

Ateneo de University of
Higher Education
Municipal Santo Tomas

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Ateneo de Municipal

In 1872, Rizal entered Ateneo de Municipal at eleven

years old.
• Rizal left Binan to pursue higher education in Manila. In
spite of his late registration, he was accepted at the
institution. He was 11 years old.
• Rizal was introduced to Rev. Father Minister Margi
Ferrando the school administrator. Due to his good
academic performance, Rizal was one of the top students
in class.
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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Ateneo de Municipal

Rizal longed for his family during his time in Ateneo de

Municipal.
• Rizal has just entered the school when his mother Teodora,
was arrested and jailed. He lived far from home and longed for
his mother.
• Rizal lived 25 minutes away from the school, in the house of an
unmarried woman called Titay.
• At the end of Rizal's first week, he was promoted and stayed at
Colegio de Sta Isabel with Pastor Millena, a boy of his own age.
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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Ateneo de Municipal

Rizal was teased by his classmates due to his small stature.

He was often teased due to his small stature. At one instance,

he replied to the teasing with, “Gentlemen, thanks.” which
surprised the bullies and prevented them from further teasing
Rizal.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Ateneo de Municipal

Rizal continued writing poems which sparked his creativity.

Under the guidance of one of his professor, Francisco de Paula
Sanchez, whom Rizal greatly admired, Rizal wrote the following poems:
• “The Tragedy of St. Eustace”
• “In the Memory of My Town”
• “Intimate Alliance Between Religion and Good Education”
• Through Education Motherland Receives Enlightenment

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Ateneo de Municipal

Rizal excelled both in academics and in the arts.

• Rizal learned how to write in Spanish. He also studied Mathematics, Rhetoric,
and Greek.
• Rizal excelled in the arts (drawing, writing).
o Rizal studied painting under Agustin Saez.
o He studied sculpture under Teodoro Romualdo de Jesus. Some of
Rizal's sculptures include and the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary on a batikuling
wood, and he image of the Sacred Heart.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Ateneo de Municipal

Rizal joined several organizations and underwent mentorships.

• He joined the following organizations:
o Marian Congregation (under the mentorship of Fr. Pablo
Pastells, S.J.)
o Academy of Spanish Literature
o Academy of Natural Sciences
• Rizal followed the advice of one of his mentors, Fr. Jose Villaclara S.J.
who encouraged him to take subjects on sciences and philosophy.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Ateneo de Municipal

Rizal graduated with honors.

• Rizal graduated as one of the top students in his class.
• He was one of the eight students declared sobresaliente or
outstanding.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education

Rizal studied in two institutions.

• Rizal returned to Ateneo in S.Y. 1877-1878 while studying at the
University of Sto. Tomas.
• He took up a vocational course on Land Surveying and Assessment
and was awarded the title perito agrimensor.
• However, he could not practice the profession since he was still
underage at the time. He completed the course in 1878 but was only
awarded the certificate in 1881 when he turned 21.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
University of Santo Tomas

Rizal continued writing about the social conditions in the

country.
• In 1879, Rizal participated in the Liceo Artistico Literario de Manila and
submitted his essay entitled A La Juventud Filipina or “To The Filipino
Youth” and won first prize. This was the first time Rizal used the phrase
“kabataan, pag-asa ng aking bayan”. The following year, he submitted El
Consejo de los Dioses or “Council of the Gods” and was again awarded
the grand prize.
• He also wrote Junto al Pasig and A Filipinas while in the university.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
University of Santo Tomas

Rizal shifted his field of study to help his mother.

• Rizal initially enrolled a preparatory course for Law at the
Faculty of Philosophy and Letters and majored in Philosophy
(1877-1878).
• Upon learning that his mother was going blind, Rizal shifted to
medicine. He had excellent grades in most subjects, but also had
low grades in some subjects.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education

Determined to pursue his studies, Rizal decided to leave for

Europe.
• Without his parents' consent, but with the support of his brother
Paciano and his uncle Antonio Rivera, Rizal decided to continue his
studies in Spain.
• Rizal left Manila and traveled alone on Madrid, Spain on May 3, 1882.

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 RIZAL’S LIFE

LIFE ABROAD Spain France Germany

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Spain

Rizal immediately noticed the differences in the places he went

to.
• When he first arrived in Marseilles, France, Rizal noticed that the
Spanish immigration were indifferent compared to the French officers
who was courteous.
• Rizal arrived in Spain during the summer break of the students. His
first stop was in Barcelona where he noticed how the people enjoyed
freedom and liberalism.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Spain

Rizal wrote about his country and his travels.

He wrote the following essays for the Diariong Tagalog:
• Amor Patrio (Love of Country)
• Los Viajes (Travels)
• Revista de Madrid (Review of Madrid)

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Spain

Rizal continued to pursue studying medicine.

Rizal enrolled in Medicine and Philosophy and Letters at the
Universidad Central de Madrid on November 3, 1882.
• He later earned the degree Licenciado en Medicina on June 21, 1884.
He was unable to complete his thesis so he was instead awarded a
license that allows him to practice medicine but not teach it.
• He also finished as sobresaliente in his studies in Philosophy and
Letters and obtained the degree Licenciado en Filosofía y Letras.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Spain

Rizal met key individuals which helped him shape his

nationalism.
• Rizal met Dr. Miguel Morayta, a renowned advocate of freedom and
self-determination.
• Rizal also met Don Pablo Ortega y Rey, a Spanish liberal who used to
live in the Philippines.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Spain

Rizal joined organizations of like-minded nationalistic

individuals.
• Circulo Hispano Filipino - an organization with members who talked
about the needed reforms in the Philippines. They had events like
poetry reading and debates. Most members are those who were exiled
from the Philippines.
• Freemasonry - an organization which has been disallowed by the
Catholic church due to their conflicting views. Rizal's name here was
Dimasalang. Rizal adopted the masonic view that knowledge should be
achieved by the light of reason and the universal brotherhood of men.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Spain

Rizal supported and engaged with fellow ilustrados.

• On June 25, 1884, a Filipino, Juan Luna was awarded the top prize for
his painting Spoliarium. Another Filipino, Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo
won the second lace for his painting Las Virgenes Cristianas Expuestas
al Populacho (Christian Virgins Exposed to the Population).
• Jose Rizal delivered a speech honoring the achievements of the two
Filipinos. His speech was published in the newspaper El Liberal.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Spain

Rizal's novel was inspired by the context of 19th century

Philippines.
• On January 2, 1884, the Filipino expatriates agreed to write a novel
about the Philippines, but the plan did not materialize.
• Rizal was left to write the novel on his own. Rizal started writing Noli
Me Tangere when he was still a student. He was inspired after reading
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe which discussed the
hardships of the black slaves, which he related to the state of the
Philippines under the Spanish regime.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Spain

Rizal faced difficulty in publishing his novel.

• Rizal borrowed Php 5300 from his friend Maximo Viola so that he
could print the first 2,000 copies of the book.
• Noli Me Tangere which translates to “Touch Me Not” was lifted from
the Bible, from the Gospel of St. John.
• The book was printed in Berlin in March 29, 1887.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
France

Rizal worked in France and spent time with his fellow patriots.
• Rizal arrived in Paris on November 1885, where he worked as an
assistant to De. Louis Weckert, a leading French ophthalmologist so he
can learn how to treat his mother's blindness.
• Rizal composed songs such as “Alin Mang Lahi” and “La Deportacion”.
• He stayed in France for three months and spent time with Pedro de
Taveras, Juan Luna, and Felix Resurreccion Hidalgo. He even posed as a
model for some of Luna's paintings.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Germany

Rizal pursued his studies on the field of ophthalmology.

• Rizal arrived in Heidelberg, Germany on February 1886. He worked
under renowned ophthalmology and professor Dr. Otto Becker.
• When he was in Berlin, Rizal also met:
o Dr. W. Joest, ophthalmologist
o Dr. Ernest Schweigger, ophthalmologist

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Germany

Rizal continued correspondence with like-minded individuals.

• Rizal corresponded with Prof. Ferdinand Blumentritt, the Director of
Ateneo of Letmeritz, Austria.
• Rizal also became a well-respected members of the following
organizations, to whose members he delivered his paper entitled
“Tagalische Verkunst”: Anthropological Society, Ethnographic Society,
and Geographic Society.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Germany

Rizal was inspired to study and write about the Filipino past .
• He met Prof. Friedrich Ratzel and Dr. Hans Meyer who wrote books
about the Philippines.
• He also met Dr. Feodor Jagor, author of Travels in the Philippines, and
Dr. Rudolf Virchow and his son Hans, anthropologists.
• Given the discussions from his meetings with these people, Rizal was
further inspired to study the Filipino past.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Germany

Rizal continued writing.

• During his stay in the town, he wrote “To the Flowers of Heidelberg.”
• Rizal translated a book by Schiller entitled “William Tell” to Tagalog. He
also translated Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales to Tagalog for his
nieces in the Philippines.

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 RIZAL’S LIFE

PHILIPPINES Establishing Protesta de

Departure
of a clinic Calamba

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Return to the Philippines

Upon returning, Rizal established a clinic.

• Upon returning to the Philippines, Jose Rizal established a clinic in his
town.
• Rizal's first patient was his mother who was going blind.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Return to the Philippines

Rizal was ordered to leave the country because of Noli Me

Tangere.
• At the time of his arrival, the first copies of Noli Me Tangere already
reached the Philippines and Rizal was called to Malacañang by then
Gov. Gen. Emilio Terrero. He was put under the surveillance of Lt. Jose
Taviel de Andrade.
• After the review of Noli Me Tangere, the government banned the
reproduction and distribution of Rizal's novel. Rizal was then requested
to leave the country.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Return to the Philippines

Rizal participated in the investigation of Protesta de Calamba.

• Gov. Gen. Terrero ordered the investigation of the Calamba estate,
suspecting that the landholdings might be evading taxes.
• Rizal became involved in the investigation upon helping create a
report on the situation of landholdings in Calamba, which stated that:
o The Dominican landholdings include not only the lands near
Calamba, but the whole town itself.
o The Dominicans increased the rent thereby increasing their
own income.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Return to the Philippines

(cont') Rizal participated in the investigation of Protesta de Calamba.

o The Dominicans did not contribute a single centavo to the town
festivities.
o The tenants were deprived of the lands that they cleared.
o The Dominicans charged high rates for late payment, and failure to
pay often resulted to confiscation of carabaos, tools, and homes of the tenants.
• The report was followed by a petition to the government questioning the rightful
ownership of the lands owned by the Dominicans.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Return to the Philippines

(cont') Rizal participated in the investigation of Protesta de Calamba.

• After careful investigation, some of the allegations from the report
were proved to be untrue.
o The Dominicans indeed owned large areas of lands in
Calamba and the nearby towns of Binan, San Pedro, and Santa Rosa.
These lands however, are legitimately titled to Dominicans.
o Many parts of these lands were provided rent-free for the
tenants.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Return to the Philippines

Rizal's family was affected by the results of Protesta de Calamba.

• When Rizal left Calamba in 1889, the tenants refused to pay rent for a full year.
The Dominicans filed a case against them, and the tenants lost the case in the
provincial, higher, and supreme court.
• Tenants were forcibly evicted from Calamba, including Rizal's family. Twenty-
five individuals were evicted to Mindoro including Rizal's brother Paciano, and his
brother-in-law, Silvester Ubando. His other brother-in-law, Manuel Hidalgo were
also deported Bohol.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Return to the Philippines

Rizal and his family received threats.

• Rizal was also rumored to be a sorcerer, a mason, and a spy of the
German Chancellor and that he placed a German flag atop Mt. Making
to claim the Philippines for Germany. His family received threats on his
life. With pressure from Gov. Gen. Terrero, other members of Rizal's
family decided to leave the country.
• Before departing Manila, he wrote a poem Himno al Trabajo or “Hymn
to the Labor” which honors the promotion of Lipa, Batangas to a villa.

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 RIZAL’S LIFE

Abroad Asia U.S. England Paris Germany Spain Asia

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Travel through Asia

Rizal took the opportunity of studying Asian culture and arts.

• Rizal traveled to Hong Kong and studied Chinese language, arts,
culture, and values.
• Rizal then went to Yokohama, Japan where he also learned the
Japanese culture, language, and arts.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
United States

Rizal observed and witnessed discrimination.

• When Rizal's boat docked on April 28, 1888, it was quarantined
because of the supposed possibility of passengers having the infectious
disease cholera. He later learned that the “quarantine” was done there
where many Chinese workers who offers cheaper labor that could
possibly displace American workers.
• Rizal noticed that the U.S. was very progressive but only favored the
“whites” since discrimination against the “blacks” was rampant.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
England

Rizal's travel was key to him learning about the Filipino history.
• Rizal arrived in Liverpool, England on May 24, 1888 and later decided
to leave and transfer to London.
• He met:
o Dr. Antonio Ma. Regidor, an exile who practices law in
London.
o Dr. Reinhold Rost, librarian of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
in England and an expert in the Malay language.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Paris

Rizal pursued studying the Filipino heritage.

• Rizal frequented the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris to continue his
research on Philippine history.
• He annotated Antonio de Morga's Sucesos de las islas Fiilipinas and
published his work.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Paris

Rizal used his skills to share his knowledge and respond to

criticisms.
• He studied French and created a textbook for students who wishes to
learn French.
• Riza founded two clubs namely the Kidlat Club and the Indios Bravos.
• At the time, a Spanish friar attacked his work Noli Me Tangere, to
which Jose Rizal responded with an article, Por Telefono.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Germany

In his efforts to spark nationalism, Rizal continued writing.

• Rizal continued to work on his second novel, El Filibusterismo.
• He also continued to write for La Solidaridad, a publication which we
helped run. Among his works are: “The Truth for All People”; “A
Profanation”; “Differences”; “The Philippines: A Century Hence";
“Ingratitudes”; “Without Name”; “On the New Ethnography of the
Tagalog Language"; and “Things About the Philippines”.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Germany

Rizal struggled with the printing of his second book.

• Rizal finished his second novel El Filibusterismo but had no funds to
reproduce it.
• The printing of his book was sponsored by Valentin Ventura.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Spain

Rizal continued the agrarian case of his family in the supreme court.
• Rizal learned that his family lost the agrarian case so he decided to transfer to Madrid where
he can oversee the case in the Supreme Court.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Spain

Rizal was not in favor of dividing the Filipinos in Madrid.

• Asociacion Hispano Filipino was formed in the stance that the
previous organization Circulo Hispano Filipino favored accommodation
of Spaniards rather than reforms.
• Jose Rizal and Marcelo H. Del Pilar fought for leadership but when
Rizal won, he declined the position so as not to divide the Filipinos in
Madrid.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Hongkong

Due to conflict, Rizal was advised to go to Hong Kong.

• Rizal received a letter from his brother Paciano advising him not to
return to the Philippines, but to stay in a nearby country.
• Rizal went back to Hong Kong. Jose Ma. Basa paid for his fare. Rizal
focused on practicing medicine in Hong Kong with the help of his friend
Dr. Lorenzo P. Marquez. Rizal was able to reunite with his family.

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Hongkong

Rizal continued writing while advocating for the Calamba

tenants.
• Jose continuedt o write. He translated “The Rights of Man” to Tagalog
and tried to finish his third novel Makamisa but was not able to do so.
• Paciano translated Noli Me Tangere to Tagalog.
• Jose wrote A la Nacion Espanola or “To the Spanish Nation” which
called for justice to the displaced Calamba tenants.

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 RIZAL’S LIFE

Return to the
Philippines

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 Rizal’s Higher Education
Return to the Philippines

In spite of the many threats in his life, Rizal returned to Philippines.

• Rizal wanted to talk to Gov. Gen. Despujol and together with his sister
Lucia, Rizal returned to Manila.
• He started the formation of a group who wanted to attain freedom for
Filipinos. This was named La Liga Filipina.

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 RIZAL’S LIFE
SUMMARY

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 THANKS!

Any questions?

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