Life of Rizal

Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado Y Alonzo Realona was born on Wednesday night, June 19, 1861 in Calamba, Laguna. His known parents are Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonzo. He was baptized after 3 days of his birth by Fr. Rufino Oriartes. His name was taken from the patron saint of workers, San Jose (Saint Joseph). When Rizal was 3 years old, his mother thought him Latin alphabet and began to pray Latin prayers. At 8 years old, he learned how to write poem. When he turned 9, he was enrolled in a school in Bian, Laguna. It was an informal education. Rizals tutors were Maestro Celestino, Maestro, Lucas Padua, Maestro Leon Monroy and Uncle Manuel. On the 1st day of school, Rizal got into a fight with Pedro and Andres Calundanan where he wins on the former and loses on the latter. On his elementary days, he learned how to paint under Maestro Juancho. On June 10 1872, Rizal took the entrance examination at San Juan De Letran College. He passed the entire qualifying exam which entitled him to enroll at Ateneo de Municipal, a college run by the Spanish Jesuits. Students were divided into two camps, the internos and externos. He was placed to externo because internos were full. Being an externo, he was assigned to the Carthaginians, and to the bottom of the class for not being proficient in Spanish, but Rizal worked his way up soon became an emperor, which proved his desire to learn and value education. Before his first year at the Ateneo ends, he was dubbed as the brightest in the class. He studied at Ateneo from 1872 to 1877 and obtained the degree of Bachelor of Arts, with the highest honors, that entitled him to admission to any university. After his graduation at the Ateneo, Rizal enrolled at the University of Sto. Tomas for higher studies. Rizal took Philosophy. At the same time that he was enrolled at the University of Sto. Tomas, he took vocational courses at Ateneo leading to the title of perito agrimensor (expert surveyor). He excelled in all subjects obtaining medals in agriculture and topography. He passed all the final exams in the surveying courses at the age of 17 and could not be given the title until he had reached the age of 20 because he was under age.

It was during Rizals stay at Santo Tomas that he met Segunda Katigbak. He was Rizals first love. She was the sister of Mariano Katigbak, Rizals friend. Unfortunately, the romance did not last, for Segunda is already engaged and to be married to Manuel Luz. After Jose Rizals fourth year in medical studies in Santo Tomas, the University of Higher Learning in the Philippines with which Rizal was said to be disgusted because of his primitive method of instruction and the racial prejudice of Dominican Professors against Filipino students, he was brought to realization that pursuing further studies abroad will be much better. He was conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine by the Universidad Central de Madrid on June 21, 1884. The next academic year, he studied and passed all subjects leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine. However, he did not submit the thesis required for graduation nor the corresponding fess. He was not awarded his Doctors Diploma. In 1882, Rizal left for Europe. He arrived at Barcelona, Spain in midst of June 1882. His departure in the Philippine was a secret. When he arrived in Spain, he enrolled in Universidad Central de Madrid and took Licenciado en Filosofia and Licenciado en Medecina. While studying in Universidad Central de Madrid, he is also studying in Ateneo de Madrid and took French, German and English. While studying in two universities, he enrolled in Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando and took sculpture and painting. Rizals first country to step in is Singapore. Rizal transferred in Madrid because fees in Spain were expensive. Rizals leisure time was spent with fencing, shooting and theater shows. His social life was spent with Filipinos at Caf de Pelayo and La Puerta del Sol. He used to visit Don Pablo Ortega Y Roy. He has two daughters, Consuelo and Pilar. Eduardo de Lete was the suitor of Consuelo. Rizal courts the two ladies but not so long. Another social life was joining in different organization in Spain. 1st half of Noli Me Tangere was finished in Madrid and the 2 nd finished in Paris, France and completed in Germany. It was finished on February 21, 1887. Rizal eliminated chapter 24 of the book due to financial scarcity.

Maximo Aviola lend P300 to Rizal for 2,000 copies of Noli Me Tangere. On March 29, 1887, Noli Me Tangere was released in the printing press. The first homecoming of Rizal in the Philippines Although his life is threatened because his Noli Me Tangere caused uproar especially the friars, he insists on returning home. He has his reasons of coming home, one is that he wants to operate his mothers eye and second is that he wants to know how hos novel affected the life of the Filipino. On August 5, the Haiphong arrived in Manila and he went ashore with a happy heart for he was once again in Filipino soil. He stayed in the city for a short time to visit some friends and observed that Manila was the same five years ago. Haunted by enemies and threatened by friars, Rizal was forced to leave the Philippines for the second time. It was February 1888. Then Rizal at 27 was an embittered victim of human iniquities, a disillusioned dreamer, and a frustrated reformer. This was the start of Rizals second travel. Rizals bold to returen in Manila in June 1892 was his 2 nd homecoming. At marked his re-entry into the hazardous reforms. He firmly believed that the fight for Filipino. It must be fought in the Philippines not in Spain. In the evening of July 17, 1892, he reached Dapitan. It is a remote town in Mindanao which was under the missionary jurisdiction of the Jesuits. From that day until July 31, 1896, Dapitan became the solitary witness to one of the most fruitful periods with varied achievements in Rizals life. His stay in the town was more than a life in exile. It was the period when Rizal had been more focused on serving the people and the society through his civic works. Rizal was dressed accordingly in black black coat, black pants, black bowler hat, and white shirt. As a condemned, he was tied elbow to elbow but he proudly held his head up. The muffled sound of the drums gave pulse to each of his step. There was a huge crowd lining the street from Fort Santiago to the Plaza del Palacio in front of the Manila Cathedral. Everybody seemed to be out in the streets of Manila just to witness the martyrdom at Bagumbayan. In the same place was where the three priests had been killed by garrote on February of 1872, and for dignity they were Rizals inspiration of the novel for which he was dying.

The captain was about to give the final blow. As he raised his saber up high, he ordered his men to prepare and aim their rifles, Preparen! Apunten!. People held their breath. But before the captain brought down his saber to order Fuego! or fire, Rizal, in the nick of time, shouted with all might the same last words of Christ, CONSUMMATUM EST!