Chapter 3:

EARLY EDUCATION
IN
CALAMBA AND
BIÑAN

Prepared by: Janelle Isidoro and Mitchel Isidoro

Jose had his early education in Calamba
and Biñan Laguna. He received an
education that is typically given to
ilustrado family, the type of education that
is characterized by the 4 R’s ( Reading,
wRiting, aRithmetic, and Religion. It is
where knowledge was forced into the
minds of the students by the use of the
tedius memory method aided by teacher’s
whip. It may be said that Rizal was born
physically weak and was raised to become
an intellectual giant.
THE HERO’S FIRST TEACHER
Doña Teodora, mother of Jose Rizal and
served as his first teacher. Where he
learned the alphabet and the prayers
the age of three. She was patient,
conscientious, and understanding , was
the one to discovers Rizal’s talent in
poetry and the one who encourage him
to write poems. As Rizal grows older his
parents employed private tutors that
gives him lessons at home.
Maestro Celestino
Maestro Lucas Padua
Maestro Leon Monroy
JOSE GOES TO BIÑAN
Jose left Calamba for Biñan on June 1869 he
was accompanied by Paciano riding carromata
the arrived at their destination where Rizal
lodge at his aunt’s house. And then went
sightseeing in the town at night with his
cousin Leonardo.

FIRST DAY IN BIÑAN

Paciano then introduced Rizal to Maestro
Justiniano Aquino Cruz who was also
once a teacher of Paciano. The school was
30 meters away from Rizal’s aunt house
and it was a small nipa hut where the
Maestro also lives.
FIRST SCHOOL BRAWL
Rizal have been laughed by the boys in the class especially Pedro
who happens to be the son of the teacher because of his answer
to the teachers question. Rizal met the bully Pedro and challenge
him to a fight, Pedro accepted believing that he could beat Rizal
that is smaller and younger than him. Rizal won because of his
knowledge about wrestling taught by his Tio Manuel.
Quarrelsome is not in Jose’s nature but he never ran away from
a fight
PAINTING LESSONS IN BIÑAN
Not far from school is the house of the old painter called
Juancho also the father in law of the school
teacher ,his studio is the place where Jose
spend his hours painting. He and his classmate Jose Guevarra
who also love’s to paint became the old painter’s apprentice
and they became the ‘favorite painter of the class’.
BEST STUDENTS IN SCHOOL
Jose maintained a meticulous existence in Biñan , almost
ascetic in simplicity. Such a living aided his future
development by strengthening both his body and soul. He
recorded his daily life in Biñan in his memoirs;
DAILY LIFE IN BIÑAN
Despite of all the punishments that Jose received from the
teachers because of the lies that others said to discredit Jose in
their teachers eyes caused by jealousy of his older clasmates,
Jose still managed to surpassed them in all Spanish, Latin and
all other subjects.
END OF BIÑAN SCHOOLING
In 1870 before the Christmas
season Jose receive a letter from his
sister Saturnina telling him the
arrival of the steamer that would
take him to Calamba from Biñan,
having the feeling that he might
not be able to be back in Biñan. He
left on December 17,1870 after
being a student in that town for a
year and a half he was also thrilled
to take the passage the steamer
Talim. On board he met a friend of
his father named Arturo Camps
that also took care of him.
MARTYRDOM OF GOM-BUR-ZA
On January 20, 1872, about 200 Filipino
soldiers and workers at the Cavite Arsenal
rose in violent mutiny in protest of the
reactionary governor Rafael de Izquierdo's
removal of their usual privileges, including
exemption from tribute and polo.
Unfortunately, his revolt in Cavite was put
down two days later by troop reinforcement
from Manila. In order to exterminate the
three fathers leaders of the secular
movement to filipinize the philippines
parishes and their sympathizers, the Spanish
government turned the unsuccessful
insurrection into a revolution for philippine
independence.
On February 17 1872 Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto
Zamora were executed at sunrise under the order of Governor
Izquierdo their martyrdom affected the family of Rizal to deeply
mourned their death. Paciano then quit his studies at College of
San Jose and returned to Calamba and tell the heroic story of
Gom-Bur-Za to his younger brother Jose that is only eleven years
old. This story inspired Rizal to fight against the spanish and
redeem independence after seventeen years on april 18 1889 he
send a letter to Paris to Mariano Ponce, and in 1891 he dedicated
his second novel El Filibusterismo to GomBurZa.
INJUSTICE TO HERO’S MOTHER
Before June 1872 Doña Teodora got arrested on malicious reason
that filed by the wife of his brother Jose Alberto, he is known as
rich ilustrado in Biñan just returned from Europe to find that
their home and children was abandoned by his wife to live with
another man. After knowing he planned to divorce his wife but
then Doña Teodora persuaded him to forgive his wife to avoid
creating a scandal. But with the help of Spanish lieutenant that
has ill feeling with Rizal Family and Gobernadorcillo of Calamba
Antonio Vivencio the wife of Jose Alberto filed a case accusing
them to poison her and got Doña Teodora arrested.