RIZAL’S GIRLFRIENDS

HOW MANY ARE THEY REALLY?

 Julia Celeste Smith

Julia is a sixteen year old lady. She was the first

girlfriend of Rizal. Rizal was checking their tree
yard of atis, balimbing, macopa, santol, and
tampoy this tree yard end to the river side or river
shore and Rizal was only 15 when he first saw
Julia by accident in a river named Dampalit in
Los Baños a few days after Easter in 1877. She
was wearing a red wraparound skirt. Julia could
not catch the butterfly she was chasing. Rizal ever
gallant, caught two. Heart beating with strange
fondness, Rizal offered her the butterflies and
she laughed with innocent pleasure. He was
instantly attracted to her. But for lack of
subsequent contact, Rizal eventually forgot Julia
Celeste Smith.
Segunda is a pretty fourteen year old lady Bataqueña
from Lipa was the second girlfriend of Rizal. She was Segunda Katigbak
rather short, with eyes that were eloquent, ardent at
times, languid at others, rosy – cheeked, with an
enchanting and provocative smile that revealed very
beautiful teeth, and the air of a sylph; her entire self
diffused a mysterious charm. One Sunday Rizal visited
his maternal grandmother who lived in Trozo, Manila.
He was accompanied by his friend Mariano Katigbak.
His old grandmother was friend of the Katigbak
Family from Lipa. When he reached his grandmother’s
house, he saw other guest. One of whom was an
attractive girl, who was mysteriously caused his heart
to palpitate with strange ecstasy. She was the sister of
his friend Mariano, and her name was Segunda. Rizal
came to know Segunda more intimate during his
weekly visits at La Concordia College, where his sister
Olimpia was a boarding student. Olimpia was a friend
of Segunda. It was apparent that Rizal and Segunda
loved each other. Their was indeed “Love At First
Sight.” But It was hopeless since the very beginning
because Segunda was engaged toManuelLuz.
 Jacinta Ibardo Laza

Jacinta is a professor from Pakil Laguna the third

girlfriend of Rizal. Rizal shortly after losing
Segunda Katigbak, he paid court to a young
woman in Pakil, Laguna. Rizal called Jacinta
Ibardo Laza Miss L. Rizal describe Miss L. a fair
with seductive and attractive eyes. After visiting
her in her house several times for a tutor lesson
in the subject Rhetoric and Poetry, he suddenly
stopped his wooming, and the romance died a
natural death. Rizal gave reasons why the
romance with Miss L. died because 1. the sweet
memory of Segunda was still in his heart, and 2.
his father objected to the romance with Miss L.
because she is the professor of Rizal.
 Leonor “Orang”
Leonor Valenzuela the fourth girlfriend of Rizal. Several Valenzuela
months after during Rizal sophomore year at the
University Of Santo Tomas, he boarded in the house of
Doña Concha Leyvain Intramuros.The next door
neighbors of Doña Concha were Capitan Juan and
Capitana Sanday Valenzuela, parents of a charming girl
named Leonor. Rizal a medical student from
Calamba,was a welcomed visitor in theValenzuelahome,
where he was the life of the social parties
becauseofhiscleversleightofhandtricks. He courted
Leonor Valenzuela, who was a tall girl. Almost as tall as
Jose himself, and hadaregalbearing.Hesentherlovenotes
written in invisible ink.Thisink consisted of
commontablesaltandwater.Itleftnotrace on the paper.
Rizal , who knew his chemistry, taught Orang (pet name
of Leonor Valenzuela) the secret of reading any note
written in the invisible ink by heating itover acandle or
lamp sothatthe lettermayappear.ButaswithSegunda,he
stopped short of proposing marriage to Orang.
Leonor “Luntian” Rivera

Leonor Rivera the fifth girlfriend of Rizal. Rizal

next romance, which modern writers have
glamorized, was with another Leonor. – Leonor
Rivera (Luntian pet name Leonor Rivera) his cousin
from Camiling. In 1879, at the start of his junior
year at the university, he lived in “Casa Tomasina” a
boarding house managed by his Uncle, Antonio
Rivera, at No. 6 Calle Santo Tomas, Intramuros. His
land lord Uncle has a pretty daughter, Leonor, a
student at La Concordia College, where
Soledad(Rizal’s youngest sister) was then studying.
Leonor, born in Camiling, Tarlac, On April 11,
1867, was a frail, beautiful girl, tender as a budding
flower with kindly wistful eyes. Between Jose and
Leonor sprang a tenderly beautiful romance. They
became engaged. In her letters to Rizal, Leonor
signed her name as “Luntian” in order to
camouflage their intimate relationship from their
parents and friends.
 Consuelo Ortiga Y. Perez

Consuelo the sixth girlfriend of Rizal.

Consuelo Ortiga y Perez she is the prettiest of
don pablo ortiga’s two daughters, in madrid.
She fell in love with him after only a few dates.
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
Gertrude “Gettie” Beckette

Gertrude the seventh girlfriend of Rizal. 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 the eight girlfriend of Rizal. Rizal having
lost Leonor Rivera, entertained the thought of
Nellie Boustead
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, Juan's brother and also a
frequent visitor of the Boustead's, 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'
heir love affair unfortunately did not end in
marriage. It failed because Rizal refused to be
converted to the Protestant faith, as Nellie
demanded and Nellie's 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.
Seiko “O Sei San” Usui

Seiko the nineth girlfriend of Rizal. On his

second trip to Europe in 1888,Rizal stopped
by Japan where he met Seiko Usui a lovely
and intelligent daughter of a samurai. If all
he wanted was a good life, he would have
married O Sei San and stayed on in Japan
because a Spanish legation there was
offering him a well paying job. But he left
Japan because he thought he was destined
for a greater task in the Philippines and had
to go home. In a letter, he said of her: “O
Sei San”, O Sei San, sayonara. No woman,
like you, has ever loved me
 Suzanne Jacoby

Suzanne the tenth girlfriend of

Rizal. 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 to him when he
was in Madrid.
 Pastora Necessario
Carreon

Pastora Necessario the eleventh girlfriend

of Rizal. Pastoran Necessario Carreon is a
lady from Dapitan she is Pastor on a church
on Dapitan after Suzanne Jacoby. Rizal fell
deeply inlove in this girl from Dapitan but
this relationship did not last because
Necessario is a Pastora and she wants to
gave his full love on her church.
Josephine the twelveth girlfriend of Rizal. In Dapitan,
Zamboanga, In early February 1895, Rizal met an 18-year- Josephine
old petite Irish girl, with bold blue eyes, brown hair and a Leopaldine Bracken
happy disposition. She was Josephine Bracken, the adopted
daughter of George Taufer who had traveled to Dapitan
from Hong Kong to have his eye treated by Rizal. Rizal was
immediately attracted to Josephine. He called her “dulce
estranjera,” or sweet foreigner. The loneliness and boredom
of exile may have taken its toll as he found himself falling in
love quite easily. However, Rizal’s sisters suspected
Josephine of being a spy for the Spanish authorities and a
threat to his 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 Taufer's blindness
was untreatable, he left for Hon Kong on March1895.
Josephine stayed with Rizal’s 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
Josephine'sconsent took her as his wife even without the
Church blessings. Josephine later gives birth prematurely to
a still born baby, a result of some incidence, which might
have shocked or frightened her.