Chapter 3 - POWERPOINT

Chapter 3 Early Education in Calamba and Biῆan

At what age did you learn the alphabet and the prayer?

Who taught you? Is it your handsome and supportive Dad?

Your pretty and loving Mom?

In your childhood years, have you try to write a poem?

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CHAPTER 3 Early Education in Calamba and Biῆan

The Ilustrados ( Spanish for "erudite," "learned," or "enlightened ones") constituted the Filipino educated class during the Spanish colonial period in the late 19th century. They were the middle class who were educated in Spanish and exposed to Spanish liberal and European nationalist ideals.

José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was one of the son of an ilustrado family. He had his early education in Calamba and Biῆan and it was a typical schooling that a son of an ilustrado family received during this time, characterized by the four R’s – reading, writing, arithmetic and religion.

The Hero’s First Teacher The first teacher of Rizal was his mother, Doῆa Teodora. A remarkable woman of good character and fine culture. In the age of three, he already learned the alphabet and the prayer.

Rizal wrote in his student memoirs that says,

“My mother taught me how to read and to say haltingly the humble prayers which I raised fervently t o God,”

Doῆa Teodora was patient, conscientious, and understanding. She was the one who first discovered that her son had a talent for poetry. Accordingly, she encouraged him to write poems and to lighten the monotomy of memorizing the ABC’s and to stimulate her son’s imagination, she related many stories.

When Jose grew older, his parent’s employed private tutors to give him lesson at home. The first was Maestro Celestino and the second, Maestro Lucas Padua. Later, an old man and a former classmate of Rizal’s father named Leon Monroy become the third tutor of Jose Rizal. This tutor lived at the Rizal’s home and instructed Jose in Spanish and Latin. Unfortunately, he did not live long and died five months later.

Jose Goes To Biῆan Sunday afternoon in June, 1969, after Jose kissed the hands of his parents and tearful parting from his sisters, left Calamba for Biῆan. He was accompanied by his brother, Paciano, who acted as his second father. The two brothers rode in a carromata, reaching their destination after one and one-half hours’ drive. They proceeded to their aunt’s house, where Jose has to lodge.

First Day In Biῆan School Paciano brought hi younger brother to the school of Maestro Justiniano Aquino Cruz. The school was in the house of the teacher, which was a small nipa hut about 30 meters from the home of Jose’s aunt.

Jose Rizal described his new teacher as “He tall, thin, long-necked, with sharp nose and a body slightly bent forward, and he used to wear a sinamay shirt, woven by the skilled hands of the women of Batangas. He knew by heart the grammars by Nebrija and Gainza. Add to this his severity, that in my judgement was exaggerated, and you have a picture, perhaps vague, that I have made of him, but I remember only this.”

First School Brawl Jose met the bully named Pedro, the teacher’s son. He was angry at this bully for making fun of him during his conversation with the teacher in the morning. So, he challenged him to a fight and latter readily accepted, thinking that he could easily beat the Calamba boy who was smaller and younger.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT?

The two brave boys wrestled furiously in the classroom, much to the glee of their classmates. Jose, having learned the art of wrestling from his athletic Tio Manuel, defeated the bigger boy. For this feat, he become popular among his classmates.

After the class in the afternoon, his classmate named Andres Salandaan challenged him to an arm-wrestling match. They went to a sidewalk of a house and wrestled with their arms. Jose, having the weaker arm, lost and nearly cracked his head on the sidewalk. In succeeding days he had other fights with the boys of Biῆan and he was not quarrelsome by nature, but he never run away from a fight.

Painting Lessons In Biῆan Jose met the old painter called Juancho. He was the father-in-law of his teacher and the house of it was near in their school. Rizal, lured by his love for painting, spent many leisure hours at the painter’s studio. Old Juancho gave him a lessons in drawing and painting for free and he was impressed by the artistic talent of the Calamba lad. Jose and his classmate, Jose Guevarra become apprentices of the old painter.

Daily Life In Biῆan Jose’s Daily Routine:  Hear mass at 4 a.m. or studies lesson before going to mass.  Goes to orchard to look for Mabolo to eat.  Breakfast  Goes to class at 10 a.m.  Lunch break  Goes back to school at 2 p.m.

 Goes home at 5 p.m.  Prays with cousin  Studies lessons, then draws a little  Has supper  Prays again  Plays in the street if moon is bright  Sleeps

Best Student In School In academic studies, Jose beat all Biῆan boys. He surpassed them all in Spanish, Latin and other subjects. Some of his older classmates were jealous of his intellectual superiority. They wickedly squealed to the teacher whenever Jose had a fight outside of the school. Consequently the teacher had to punish Jose.

Thus Rizal said that “In spite of the reputation I had of being a good boy, the day was unusual when I was not laid out on a bench and given five or six blows.”

End Of Biῆan Schooling On December 17, 1870 Jose Rizal left Biῆan after the one year and a half of schooling in that town. He was thrilled to take passage on the steamer Talim, for it was the first time he ever rode on a steamer. On board, was a Frenchman named Arturo Camps, a friend of his father, who take care of him.

Martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za On the 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 (Jose Ma. Basa, Attorney Joaquin Pardo de Tavera and Antonio Ma. Regidor, etc.) magnified the failed mutiny into a “revolt” for the Philippine independence.

Accordingly, Gom-Bur-Za despite the archbishop’s plea for clemency because of their innocence, were executed at sunrise, February 17, 1872, by the order of Governor General Izquierdo. Their martyrdom was deeply mourned by the Rizal family and many other patriotic families in the Philippines. The martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za in 1872 truly inspired Rizal to light the eyils of Spanish tyranny and redeem his oppressed people. And later, in 1891, he dedicated his second novel, El Filibusterismo, to Gom-Bur-Za.

Injustice To Hero’s Mother In June 1872, Doῆa Teodora was suddenly arrested on a malicious charge that she and her brother, Jose Alberto, tried to poison the latter’s perfidious wife.

Jose Alberto planned to divorce his wife because of her infidelity but Doῆa Teodora, to avert family scandal, persuaded him to forgive his wife. The family trouble was amicably settled, and Jose Alverto lived again with his wife. However, the evil wife, with the connivance of the Spanish lieutenant of the Guardia Civil, filed a case in court accusing her husband and Doῆa Teodora of attempting to poison her.

This lieutenant happened to have an ax to grind against the Rizal family, because at one time Don Francisco (Rizal’s father) refused to give him fodder for his horse. Taking the opportunity to revenge himself, he arrested Doῆa Teodora, with the help of Calamba’s gobernadorcillo, Antonio Vivencio del Rosario, a menial of the friars.

The sadistic Spanish lieutenant forced Doῆa Teodora to walk from Calamba to Santa Cruz (capital of Laguna Province), a distance of 50 kilometers. Upon arrival in Santa Cruz, she was incarcerated at the provincial prison, where she languished for two years and half until the Manila Royal Audiencia (Supreme Court) acquitted her of the alerged crime.

The two famous lawyer in Manila , Messrs. Francisco de Marcaida and Manuel Marzan depended Doῆa Teodora in court. After two and a half year , the Royal Audiencia acquitted Doῆa Teodora.

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