Linggo, Hulyo 28, 2013

MEDICAL STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS (1877-1882)

-After finishing the first year of a course in Philosophy and Letters (1877-1878), Rizal transferred to the medical course
-“Don’t send him to Manila again; he knows enough. If he gets to know more, the Spaniards will cut off his head.”- Doña Teodora, vigorously opposed the idea that Rizal pursue higher learning in the university
· April 1877- Rizal who was then nearly 16 years old, matriculated in the University of Santo Tomas, taking the course on Philosophy and Letters because (1) his father like it (2) he was “still uncertain as to what career to pursue”
· Father Pablo Ramon-Rector of Ateneo, who had been good to him during his student days in that college, asking for advice on the choice of a career but unfortunately he was in Mindanao
· It was during the following term (1878-1879) that Rizal, having received the Ateneo Rector’s advice to study medicine
· During Rizal’s first school term in the University of Santo Tomas (1877-1878), Rizal also studied in Ateneo. He took the vocational course leading to the title of perito agrimensor (expert surveyor)
· Rizal excelled in all subjects in the surveying course in Ateneo, obtaining gold medals in agriculture and topography
· November 25, 1881- the title was issued to Rizal for passing the final examination in the surveying course
· Liceo Artistico-Literario (Artistic-Literary Lyceum) of Manila- a society of literary men and artists, held a literary contest in the year 1879
· A La Juventud Filipina (To the Filipino Youth)- Rizal, who was then 18 years old, submitted this poem
-is an inspiring poem of flawless form. Rizal beseeched the Filipino youth to rise from lethargy, to let 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 winning poem of Rizal is a classic in Philippine literature for two reasons: (1) it was the great poem in Spanish written by a Filipino, whose merit was recognized by Spanish literary authorities (2) it expressed for the first time the nationalistic concept that the Filipinos, and not the foreigners, were the “fair hope of the Fatherland”
· The Board of Judges, composed of Spaniards, was impressed by Rizal’s poem and gave it the first prize which consisted of a silver pen, feather-shaped and decorated with a gold ribbon
· El Consejo de los Dioses (The Councils of the Gods)- an allegorical drama written by Rizal which he entered in the literary contest of Artistic-Literary Lyceum in 1880 to commemorate the fourth centennial of the death of Cervantes
-was a literary masterpiece based on the Greek classics
· The prize was awarded to Rizal, a gold ring on which was engraved the bust of Cervantes
· D.N. del Puzo- a Spanish writer, who won the second prize
· Junto al Pasig (Beside the Pasig)- a zarzuela which was staged by the Ateneans on December 8, 1880, on the occasion of the annual celebration of the Feats Day of the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the Ateneo
- Rizal wrote it as President of the Academy of Spanish Literature in Ateneo
· A Filipinas- a sonnet written by Rizal for the album of the Society of Sculptors; in this sonnet, he urged all Filipino artists to glorify the Philippines
· Abd-el-Azis y Mahoma- Rizal composed a poem in 1879 which was declaimed by an Atenean, Manuel Fernandez, on the night of December 8, 1879, in honor of the Ateneo’s Patroness
· Al M.R.P. Pablo Ramon- Rizal composed a poem in 1881, as an expression of affection to Father Pablo Ramon, the Ateneo rector, who had been so kind and helpful to him
· Vicenta Ybardolaza- a pretty girl colegiala who skillfully played the harp at the Regalado home, whom Rizal was infatuated in Pakil
· Rizal mentioned Turumba (wherein the people dancing in the streets during the procession in honor of the miraculous Birhen Maria de los Dolores) in Chapter VI of Noli Me Tangere and Pagsanjan Falls in his travel diary (united States—Saturday, May 12, 1888), where he said that Niagara Falls was the “greatest cascades I ever saw” but “not so beautiful nor fine as the falls at Los Baños, Pagsanjan”
· Compañerismo (Comradeship)- Rizal founded a secret society of Filipino students in University of Santo Tomas in 1880
· Companions of Jehu- members of the society whose after the valiant Hebrew general
· Galicano Apacible-Rizal’s cousin from Batangas who is the secretary of the society

UNHAPPY DAYS AT THE UST
-Rizal found the atmosphere at the University of Santo Tomas suffocating to his sensitive spirit. He was unhappy at this Dominican institution of higher learning because (1) the Dominican professors were hostile to him (2) the Filipino students
were racially discriminated against by the Spaniards (3) the method of instruction was obsolete and repressive
-In Rizal’s novel, El Filibusterismo, he described how the Filipino students were humiliated and insulted by their Dominican professors and how backward the method of instruction was, especially in the teaching of the natural sciences. He related in Chapter XIII, “The Class in Physics”

SCHOLASTIC TRIUMPHS AT ATENEO DE MANILA (1872-1877)

· Ateneo Municipal- a college under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits
· Escuela Pia (Charity School)- formerly name of Ateneo, a school for poor boys in Manila which was established by the city government in 1817
· Escuela Pia----> Ateneo Municipal---> Ateneo de Manila
· June 10, 1872- Rizal accompanied by Paciano went to Manila
· Father Magin Ferrando- was the college registrar, refused to admit Rizal in Ateneo for two reasons: (1)he was late for registration (2) he was sickly and undersized for his age
· Manuel Xerez Burgos-because of his intercession, nephew of Father Burgos, Rizal was reluctantly admitted at the Ateneo
· Jose was the first of his family to adopt the surname “Rizal”. He registered under this name at Ateneo because their family name “Mercado” had come under the suspicion of the Spanish authorities
· Rizal was first boarded in a house outside Intramuros, on Caraballo Street. This was owned by a spinster named Titay who owed the Rizal family the amount of 300 pesos

JESUIT SYSTEM OF EDUCATION
-it trained the character of the student by rigid discipline and religious instructions
-Students were divided into two groups:
· Roman Empire- consisting of internos (boarders); red banner
· Carthaginian Empire- composed of the externos (non-boarders); blue banner
· Emperor- the best student in each “empire”
· Tribune- the second best
· Decurion- the third best
· Centurion-the fourth best
· Stand-bearer- the fifth best
· The Ateneo students in Rizal’s time wore a uniform which consisted of “hemp-fabric trousers” and “striped cotton coat” The coat material was called rayadillo

FIRST YEAR IN ATENEO (1872-1873)
· Father Jose Bech- Rizal’s first professor in Ateneo 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
· A Religious picture- Rizal’s first prize for being the brightest pupil in the whole class
· To improve his Spanish, Rizal took private lessons in Santa Isabel College during the noon recesses. He paid three pesos for those extra Spanish lessons
· At the end of the school year in March, 1873, Rizal returned to Calamba for summer vacation
· When the summer vacation ended, Rizal returned to Manila for his second year term in Ateneo. This time he boarded inside Intramuros at No. 6 Magallanes Street. His landlady was an old widow named Doña Pepay

SECOND YEAR IN ATENEO (1873-1874)
-At the end of the school year, Rizal received excellent grades in all subjects and a gold medal
· The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas- the first favorite novel of Rizal which made a deep impression on him
· Universal History by Cesar Cantu- Rizal persuaded his father to buy him this set of historical work that was a great aid in his studies
· Dr. Feodor Jagor- a German scientist-traveler who visited the Philippines in 1859-1860 who wrote Travels in the Philippines
-Rizal was impressed in this book because of (1) Jagor’s keen observations of the defects of Spanish colonization (2)his prophecy that someday Spain would lose the Philippines and that America would come to succeed her as colonizer

THIRD YEAR IN ATENEO (1874-1875)
-Rizal grades remained excellent in all subjects but he won only one medal—in Latin
-At the end of the school year (March 1875), Rizal returned to Calamba for the summer vacation. He himself was not impressed by his scholastic work.

FOURTH YEAR IN ATENEO
· June 16, 1875- Rizal became an interno in the Ateneo
· Padre Francisco de Paula Sanchez- a great educator and scholar, one of Rizal’s professors who inspired him to study harder and to write poetry
-Rizal described this Jesuiot professor as “model of uprightness, earnestness, and love for the advancement of his pupils”
· Rizal topped all his classmates in all subjects and won five medals at the end of the school term.

LAST YEAR IN ATENEO (1876-1877)
-Rizal’s studies continued to fare well. As a matter-of-fact, he excelled in all subjects. The most brilliant Atenean of his time, he was truly “the pride of the Jesuits”
· March 23, 1877- Commencement Day, Rizal, who was 16 years old, received from his Alma Mater, Ateneo Municipal, the degree of Bachelor of Arts, with highest honors
· Marian Congregation- a religious society wherein Rizal was an active member and later became the secretary
· Rizal cultivated his literary talent under the guidance of Father Sanchez
· Father Jose Vilaclara- advised Rizal to stop communing with the Muse and pay more attention to more practical studies
· Rizal studied painting under the famous Spanish painter, Agustin Saez, and sculpture under Romualdo de Jesus, noted Filipino sculptor
· Rizal carved an image of the Virgin Mary on a piece of batikuling (Philippine hardwood) with his pocket knife
· Father Lleonart- impressed by Rizal’s sculptural talent, requested him to carve for him an image of Sacred Heart of Jesus

Sabado, Hulyo 27, 2013

EARLY EDUCATION IN CALAMBA AND BIÑAN

· The first teacher of Rizal was his mother, who was remarkable woman of good character and fine culture—her mother
· Maestro Celestino- Rizal’s first private tutor
· Maestro Lucas Padua- Rizal’s second tutor
· Leon Monroy- a former classmate of Rizal’s father became Rizal’s tutor that instructed Jose in Spanish and Latin. He died five months later
· Sunday afternoon in June, 1869- Rizal left Calamba for Biñan accompanied by Paciano
· Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz- Rizal’s teacher in a private school in Biñan
-Rizal described his teacher as follows: He was thin, long-necked, with a sharp nose and a body slightly bent forward
· Pedro- the teacher’s son which Rizal challenged to a fight
· Andres Salandanan- challenged Rizal to an arm-wrestling match
· Juancho-an old painter who was the father-in-law of the school teacher; freely give Rizal lessons in drawing and painting
· Jose Guevara- Rizal’s classmate who also loved painting, became apprentices of the old painter
· “the favorite painters of the class”- because of his artistic talent
· Christmas in 1870-Rizal received a letter from his sister Saturnina, informing him of the arrival of the steamer Talim which would take him from Biñan to Calamba
· Saturday afternoon, December 17, 1870- Rizal left Biñan after one year and a half of schooling
· Arturo Camps- a Frenchman friend of Rizal’s father who took care of him on board

DAILY LIFE IN BIÑAN
-Heard the four o’ clock mass then at ten o’ clock went home at once and went at school at two and came out at five
-The day was unusual when Rizal was not laid out on a bench and given five or six blows because of fighting

RIZAL FAMILY


RIZAL’S PARENTS

Don Francisco Mercado (1818-1898)
-born in Biñan, Laguna on May 11, 1818
-studied Latin and Philosophy at the College of San Jose in Manila
-became a tenant-farmer of the Dominican-owned hacienda
-a hardy and independent-minded man, who talked less and worked more, and was strong in body and valiant in spirit
-died in Manila on January 5, 1898 at the age of 80
-Rizal affectionately called him “a model of fathers”

Doña Teodora Alonso Realonda (1826-1911)
-born in Manila on November 8, 1826
-educated at the College of Santa Rosa, a well-known college for girls in the city
-a remarkable woman, possessing refined culture, literary talent, business ability, and the fortitude of Spartan women
-is a woman of more than ordinary culture: she knows literature

THE RIZAL CHILDREN
-Eleven children—two boys and nine girls
1. Saturnina (1850-1913)
-oldest of the Rizal children
-nicknamed Neneng
-married Manuel T. Hidalgo of Tanawan, Batangas
2. Paciano (1851-1930)
-older brother and confident of Jose Rizal
-was a second father to Rizal
-immortalized him in Rizal’s first novel Noli Me Tangere as the wise Pilosopo Tasio
-Rizal regarded him as the “most noble of Filipinos”
-became a combat general in the Philippine Revolution
-died on April 13, 1930, an old bachelor aged 79
-had two children by his mistress (Severina Decena)—a boy and a girl
3. Narcisa (1852-1939)
-her pet name was Sisa
-married to Antonio Lopez (nephew of Father Leoncio Lopez), a school teacher of Morong
4. Olimpia (1855-1887)
-Ypia was her pet name
-married Silvestre Ubaldo, a telegraph operator from Manila
5. Lucia (1857-1919)
-married to Mariano Herbosa of Calamba, who was a nephew of Father Casanas
-Herbosa died of cholera in 1889 and was denied Christian burial because he was a brother-in-law of Dr. Rizal
6. Maria (1859-1945)
-Biang was her nickname
-married Daniel Faustino Cruz of Biñan, Laguna
7. Jose (1861-1896)
-the greatest Filipino hero and peerless genius
-nickname was Pepe
-lived with Josephine Bracken, Irish girl from Hong Kong
-had a son but this baby-boy died a few hours after birth; Rizal named him “Francisco” after his father and buried him in Dapitan
8. Concepcion (1862-1865)
-her pet name was Concha
-died of sickness at the age of 3
-her death was Rizal’s first sorrow in life
9. Josefa (1865-1945)
-her pet name was Panggoy
-died an old maid at the age of 80
10. Trinidad (1868-1951)
-Trining was her pet name
-she died also an old maid in 1951 aged 83
11. Soledad (1870-1929)
-youngest of the Rizal children
-her pet name was Choleng
-married Pantaleon Quintero of Calamba

· Rizal always called her sisters Doña or Señora (if married) and Señorita (if single)
· Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso Realonda married on June 28, 1848, after which they settled down in Calamba
· The real surname of the Rizal family was Mercado, which was adopted in 1731 by Domingo Lamco (the paternal great-great grandfather of Jose Rizal), who was a full blooded Chinese)
· Rizal’s family acquired a second surname—Rizal—which was given by a Spanish alcalde mayor (provincial governor) of Laguna, who was a family friend

RIZAL'S ANCESTRY

FATHER'S SIDE

MOTHER'S SIDE

DR. JOSE PROTACIO MERCADO RIZAL ALONZO Y REALONDA



MEANINGS OF NAME
· Doctor- completed his medical course in Spain and was conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine by the Universidad Central de Madrid
· Jose- was chosen by his mother who was a devotee of the Christian saint San Jose (St. Joseph)
· Protacio- from Gervacio P. which come from a Christian calendar
· Mercado- adopted in 1731 by Domigo Lamco (the paternal great-greatgrandfather of Jose Rizal) which the Spanish term mercado means ‘market’ in English
· Rizal- from the word ‘Ricial’ in Spanish means a field where wheat, cut while still green, sprouts again
· Alonzo- old surname of his mother
· Y- and
· Realonda- it was used by Doña Teodora from the surname of her godmother based on the culture by that time

· June 19, 1861- moonlit of Wednesday between eleven and midnight Jose Rizal was born in the lakeshore town of Calamba, Laguna
· June 22, 1861- aged three days old, Rizal was baptized in the Catholic church
· Father Rufino Collantes- a Batangueño, the parish priest who baptized Rizal
· Father Pedro Casanas- Rizal’s godfather, native of Calamba and close friend of the Rizal family
· Lieutenant-General Jose Lemery- the governor general of the Philippines when Rizal was born