TOPIC 3: EARLY EDUCATION IN CALAMBA AND BIÑAN

At the age of three, Rizal was first taught by his mother, who was a
remarkable woman of good character and fine culture. He learned from her the
alphabet and the prayers. At this sta,ge he demonstrated superior intelligence which
induced his parents to hire tutors for him. Maestro Celestino- Rizal’s first private tutor
and Maestro Lucas Padua- Rizal’s second tutor. Later, Leon Monroy- a former
classmate of Rizal’s father became Rizal’s tutor that instructed Jose in Spanish and
Latin. Unfortunately, he died five months later.
On June, 1869- Rizal left Calamba for Binan accompanied by Paciano.
Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz was Rizal’s teacher in a private school in Binan.
Jose was 9 years old at that time. The school was also the house of his teacher.
Rizal described him as a tall, thin, long-necked man with a body slightly bent
forward. As a teacher he was quick to discipline his students for any infractions with
a short thin stick, especially if the wrong answer is given. This was the old system of
education at that time. The infliction of pain was made to ensure that the student
remembers the lesson. Jose became an outstanding student surpassing his
classmates in Spanish, Latin, and other subjects. He was also very popular, that
some of his classmates spread rumors to discredit him. Many times he was punished
for his alleged wrongdoings. The day was unusual when Rizal was not laid out on a
bench and given five or six blows because of fighting. Rizal’s daily life in Biñan were
as follows: 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. At the end of his schooling, Maestro
Justiniano recommended that Jose should be sent to Manila. In December 17, 1870,
Rizal left Binan after one year and a half of schooling. He bade farewell to this school
and his teacher. He also collected pebbles from the river as souvenirs, knowing that
he will never return to Biñan. After the Christmas of that year Don Francisco decided
to send Jose to Manila to continue his studies.

MARTYRDOM OF GOM-BUR-ZA
Night of January 20, 1872- about 200 Filipino soldiers and workmen of the
Cavite arsenal under the leadership of Lamadrid, Filipino sergeant, rose in violent
mutiny because of the abolition of their usual privileges, including exemption from
tribute and polo (forced labor) by the reactionary Governor Rafael de Izquierdo. The
Spanish authorities, in order to liquidate Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and
Jacinto Zamora leaders of the secular movement to Filipinize the Philippine parishes,
and their supporters magnified the failed mutiny “into” a “revolt” for Philippine
independence. Fathers Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora were
executed at sunrise of February 17,1872, by order of Governor General Izquierdo.
The martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za in 1872 truly inspired Rizal to fight the evils of
Spanish tyranny and redeem his oppressed people. Rizal dedicated his second
novel, El Filibusterismo, to Gom-Bur-Za.
 INJUSTICE TO RIZAL’S MOTHER
Before June of 1872, tragedy struck the Rizal family. Dona Teodora was
suddenly arrested on a malicious charge that she and her brother, Jose Alberto, tried
to poison the latter’s deceitful wife. She was forced to walk from Calamba to Santa
Cruz (capital of Laguna province), a distance of 50 kilometers. Dona Teodora was
incarcerated at the provincial prison, where she languished for two years and a half.
Recounting this incidence of his mother’s imprisonment, Rizal said in his student
memoirs: “Our mother was unjustly snatched away from us and by whom? By some
men who had been our friends and whom we treated as honored guests.”
CHAPTER 3: EARLY EDUCATION IN CALAMBA AND BINAN
A typical schooling that a son of an ilustrado family received during his time, which
was characterized by the four R’s, reading, writing, arithmetic, and religion.
The Hero’s First Teacher,
 His first teacher was Doña Teodora (his mother).
 Doña Teodora was patient, conscientious, and understanding; she first to discover
his talent for writing, and encouraged Rizal to write poems.
 Private Tutors
1. First Tutor, Maestro Celestino
2. Second Tutor, Maestro Lucas Padua
3. Leon Monroy – former classmate of his father, and thought Rizal Spanish and
Latin.
 After the death of Monroy, Rizal’s parents decided to send him to a private school
in Biñan
Jose Goes to Biñan,
 Sunday afternoon in June, 1869, Jose left Clamba for Biñan with Paciano.
 After an hour and one half drive, they lodge at their Aunt’s house.
First Day in Biñan School,
 Paciona brought Rizal to the school of Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz.
 Rizal described Maestro Justiniano as “tall, thin, long-necked,and sharp-nosed
with a body slightly bent forward”.
First School Brawl,
 Jose met the bully, Pedro. He was angry at the bully for making fun of him during
the morning conversation
 Jose challenged Pedro to a fight, Rizal having learned the art of wrestling from his
Tio Manuel, defeated the bigger boy.
 A classmate Andres Salandanan also challenged him to an arm wrestling match;
Jose, having the weaker arm, lost and nearly cracked his head.
Painting Lessons in Biñan,
 Rizal received free painting lessons from his school teacher’sfather-in-law, called
Old Juancho.
 Rizal and his classmate named Jose Guevarra became apprenticesof the painter.
Daily Life in Biñan,
 Jose led a methodical life, almost Spartan simplicity.
 4:00 AM mass or studied lesson and went to mass afterwards. Went to orchard
to look for mabolo to eat breakfast whichconsist of rice and 2 dried small fish.
 Goes to school, and comes out at 5:00 PM.
 Prays with cousins and returns home
 Studies his lesson
 Draws a Little
 Supper consists of one or 2 cups of rice with an a young in
 Prays again and if there’s a moon, Rizal plays with his cousins.
Best Student in School,
 Jose surpassed all of his classmates in Spanish, Latin, and other subjects.
 Because of jealousy from his classmates, They wickedly squealed at the teacher
whenever Jose had a fight, and even told lies to discredit him before the teacher’s
eyes.
 Consequently, the teacher had to punish Jose, in spite of his reputation as a good
student.
End of Biñan Schooling,
 Jose left the place using the steamer Talim for Calamba on December 17, 1870.
During his trip, a Frenchman and a friend to his father, Arturo Camps took care of
him.
Martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za.
 January 20, 1872 – Cavite Mutiny.
 February 17, 1872 – Father Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora
were executed ordered by Gov. General Izquierdo.
 The secularization movement was headed by the GOMBURZA
 The martyrdom of the priests GOM-BUR-ZA, inspired Rizal to fight the Spanish
tyranny and redeem his oppressed people.
 The heroic story of Burgos was told to him by Paciano who quit his studies at the
College of San Jose and returned to Calamba
 1891 – Rizal dedicated his second novel El Filibusterismo to GOMBURZA
Injustice to Hero’s Mother,
 June, 1872 - Dona Teodora was suddenly Arrested on a malicious charge that she
and her brother tried to poison the latter’s wife for 2 and a half years.
 Because of the infidelity of Alberto’s wife, he planned to divorce her; subsequently,
his wife connived with the Spanish lieutenant of the Guardia Civil and filed a case
against Rizal’s mother.
 Antonio Vivencio del Rosario a gobernadorcillo of Calamba, helped the lieutenant
arrest Doña Teodora.
 Teodora was made to walk 50 kilometers from Calamba to the provincial prison in
Santa Cruz.
 She was defended in court by the two most famous lawyers in Manila, Don
Francisco de Mercaida and Don Manuel Marzan.

CHAPTER 4: SCHOLASTIC TRIUMPHS AT ATENEO DE MANILA (1872-1877)

Jose was sent to Manila four months after the Martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za and with
Doña Teodora still in prison. He studied in the Ateneo Municipal, a college under the
supervision of the Spanish Jesuits. The municipal is College of San Juan de Letran’s
bitter rival (Dominican-owned). It was establish in 1817 and was known as the
Escuela Pia (Charity School) for
the poor boys in Manila
Rizal Enters the Ateneo,
 June 10, 1872 - Rizal was accompanied by Paciano when they wentto Manila to
take the entrance examinations on Christan doctrine,arithmetic, and reading at
College of San Juan de Letran and passedthem.
 Rizal’s father wished to send Jose at Letran but later changedhis mind and
decided to send him at Ateneo instead.
 The college registrar of Ateneo Municipal, Fr. Magin Fernando,refused to admit
Jose because:
1. He was late for registration
2. He was sickly and undersized for his age.
 Upon the intercession of Fr. Burgos’ nephew, Manuel Xerez Burgos, Rizal was
finally admitted at Ateneo.
 Jose used the surname Rizal instead of Mercado because it had come under
suspicion of the Spanish authorities
 Rizal boarded in a house on Caraballo Street which was owned by Titay who
owed 300 pesos from Rizal’s family
Jesuit System of Education,
 Ateneo trained the character of the student by rigid discipline and religious
instruction. Promoted physical culture, humanities and scientific studies.
 It also offered vocational courses, such as agriculture, commerce, mechanics, and
surveying.
 Before the beginning of the class, the students should hear the Mass in the
morning daily. Praying is done to open and close the classes
 There are two groups of students: Roman Empire, which consisted of internos
(boarders) with red banners; and Carthaginian Empire,consisted of the externos
(non-boarders) with blue banners.
 Losing part, upon the 6th loss, the banner was changed with a figure of a donkey.
 Students vied for position as each empire had its rank. Any student could
challenge any officer in his “empire” to answer questions on the day’s lesson. With 3
mistakes, opponents could lose his position.
1st – Emperor
2nd – Tribune
3rd – Decurion
4th – Centurion
5th – Standard-Bearer
 The uniform of the Ateneo students consisted of hemp-fabric trousers and striped
cotton coat. The coat was called rayadillo and was adopted as the uniform for
Filipino troops during the days of the First Philippine Republic.
Rizal’s First Year in Ateneo (1872-1873)
 The first day of class in Ateneo started in June 1872
 Fr. Jose Bech – First professor of Rizal
 Since Rizal was a newcomer and he only knows a little Spanish, he was placed at
the bottom of the class, Standard-Bearer. He was an externo and was assigned to
Carthaginians. At the end of the month, he became emperor of his Empire. He was
the brightest pupil in the whole class.
 Rizal took private lessons in Santa Isabel College which he paid 3 pesos for extra
lessons in Spanish.
 Rizal’s grades were marked excellent and he placed 2nd at the end of the year.
Summer Vacation (1873)
 Due to his mother in prison, he did not particularly enjoy his summer, so his sister
Neneng (Saturnina) brought him to Tanawan to cheer him up.
 Without telling his father, Rizal visited his mother in prison at Santa Cruz.
 Rizal boarded in Inramuros at No. 8 Magallanes Street; Doña Pepay was the
landlady and a widow with a widowed daughter and four sons
Second Year in Ateneo (1873-1874)
 When Rizal lost his leadership due to his teachers remarks, but then regained it
again after he studied harder.
 At the end of the year, he received excellent grades in all subjects and a gold
medal
Prophecy of Mother’s Release
 Doña Teodora told her son of her dream the previous night. Rizal, interpreting the
dream, told her that she would be released from prison in 3 months time.
 Barely three months passed, and suddenly Dona Teodora was set free.
 Doña Teodora likened his son to the youthful Joseph in the Bible in his ability to
interpret dreams.
Teenage Interest in Reading,
 The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas – Jose Rizal’s first favorite novel.
 Doña Teodora told her son of her dream the previous night. Rizal, interpreting the
dream, told her that she would be released from prison in 3 months time. It became
true.
 Also read non-fiction, Cesar Cantu’s historical work Universal History.
 He also read Travels in the Philippines by Dr. Feodor Jagor, German who visited
the Philippines in 1859-1860. In this book, he foretold that someday Spain would
lose the Philippines and that America would come to succeed here as colonizer.
Third Year in Ateneo (1874-75)
 Shortly after the opening of classes, his mother was released from prison.
 Despite the family happiness, Rizal did not make an excellent showing in his
studies.
 He failed to win the medal in Spanish because his spoken was not fluently
sonorous.
Fourth Year in Ateneo (1875-1876)
 On June 16, 1875 – Rizal became an inferno in Ateneo
 Rizal was inspired by Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez to study harder and write
poetry.
 Inspired by Father Sanchez, Rizal Studied harder. Because of that, Rizal returned
to Calamba with 5 medals and excellent ratings
Last Year in Ateneo (1876-1877)
 June 1876 – Rizal’s last year in Ateneo
 He was called as “The Pride of the Jesuits” because he is the most brilliant
Atenean of his time; he obtained the highest grades in all subjects
Graduation with Highest Honors
 1872-1877 – Rizal received excellent scholastic records
 March 23, 1877 – The Commencement Day was held and the 16- year-old Rizal
received the degree of Bachelor Arts with highest honors from his Alma Mater.
Extra-Curricular Activities
Rizal’s extra-curricular activities
 An emperor inside the campus; campus leader outside. He was the secretary of
the Marian Congregation
 Active member of Academy of Spanish Literature and the Academy of Natural
Sciences
 He studied painting under the famous Spanish painter, Agustin Saez, He studied
under Romualdo de Jesus, noted Filipino sculptor.
 He was also engaged in gymnastics and fencing.

Sculptural Works in Ateneo

 Rizal was sculpted an image of The Virgin Mary on a piece of bat i kuling
(Philippine hardwood).
 With this, Father Lleonart requested him to carve an image of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus. Ateneo students placed the image on the door of the dormitory and remained
there for many years.
Anecdotes on Rizal, the Atenean
 Felix M. Ramos – one of Rizal’s contemporaries in Ateneo.
 Manuel Xeres Burgos – whose house Rizal boarded shortly before he became an
inferno.
Poems Written in Ateneo
 Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration) – first poem he wrote for his mother’s
birthday.
 In 1875, inspired by Father Sanchez, he wrote more poems such as:
 Filicitacion (Felicitation),
 El Embarque: Himno a la Flota de Magallanes (The Departure Hymn to Magellan’s
fleet),
 Y Es Espanol: Elcano, el Primero en dar la Vuelta al Mundo (And He is Spanish:
Elcano, the first to circumnavigate the world), and
 El Combate: Urbiztondo Terror de Jolo (The Battle: Urbiztondo, Terror of Jolo).
 In 1876, Rizal wrote another poems such as;
 un Recuerdo a Mi Pueblo (In Memory of my Town),
 Alianza Intima Entre la Region Y La Buena Educacion (Intimate Alliance Between
Religion and Good Education),
 Por la Educacion Recibe Lustre La Patria (Through Education the Country
Receive Light),
 E Cultivero y El Triunfo (The Captivity and the Triumph: Battle of Lucena and the
Imprisonment of Boabdil),
 and La Entrada Triuntal de los Reyes Catolices en Granada (The Triumphal Entry
of the Catholic Monarchs into Granada).
 He wrote more poems in 1877;
 El Heroismo de Colon (The Heroism of Columbus),
 Colon y Juan II (Columbus and John II),
 Gran Consuelo en la Mayor Desdicha (Great Solace in Great Misfortune),
 and Un DiaragoAlusivo a la Despedida de los Colegiales (A Farewell Dialogue of
the Students)
Rizal’s Religious Poems
 The religious poems written by Rizal were;
 entitled Al Niño Jesus (To the Child Jesus),
 a brief ode written in 1875 when he was 14 years old;
 and A La Virgen Maria (To the Virgin Mary)
Dramatic Work in Ateneo
 Rizal’s favorite teacher, Father Sanchez, asked him to write a drama based on the
prose story of St. Eustace the Martyr;
 He wrote it in the form of poetic verses in the summer of 1876
 In his last academic year in Ateneo, Rizal submitted the manuscript entitled “San
Eustacio, Martir” (St. Eustace, the Martyr)
First Romance of Rizal
 Rizal experienced his first love when he was 16 years old. It was with Segunda
Katigbak, a pretty 14-year-old Batangueña from Lipa.
 Rizal’s sister, Olimpia, was a close friend of Segunda in La Concordia College.
 Rizal’s first romance, which was hopeless since the very beginning Segunda was
already engaged, but because of his own shyness and reserve failed to propose to
Segunda.
 Rizal remained in Calamba, a frustrated lover who cherished his nostalgic
memories of lost love. Meanwhile, Segunda returned to Lipa and later married
Manuel Luz.