Rizal’s Life: Higher Education

and Life Abroad

 Objectives

• Explain the principle of

assimilation advocated by the
propaganda movement
• Appraise Rizal’s relationship with
other propagandists
• Analyze Rizal’s growth as a
propagandists

TREY
research
Educational Background
Early Education Background

Jose Rizal’s first teacher was his mother, who had

taught him how to read and pray and who had
encouraged him to write poetry. Later, private tutors
taught the young Rizal Spanish and Latin, before he was
sent to a private school in Biñan.

TREY
research
3
Higher Education
Ateneo Municipal, University of Santo Tomas, and
Abroad

TREY
research
 Ateneo Municipal
de Manila
• Jose's father had intended him to study at Letran, but changed his
mind and sent him to the Ateneo instead.
• At first, the college registrar, Fr. Magin Ferrando, refused Jose's
admission because the boy had registered late and he was sickly and
small for his age.
• Rizal was nonetheless admitted to the Ateneo with the help and
intercession of Manuel Xeres Burgos, a nephew of the martyred
priest.
• Jose adopted the name Rizal to escape suspicion. His brother
Paciano had used the name Mercado, and was now known to the
authorities as Jose Burgos' favorite student.
• Students were divided into two groups: the "Roman Empire"
(boarders) and the "Carthaginian Empire" (non-boarders).
• The best student in each empire was the emperor, followed by the
tribune, then the decurion, the centurion, and the fifth best was the
standard-bearer. TREY
research
 Ateneo Municipal de Manila (Ateneo de Manila)
Rizal entered Ateneo Municipal de Manila at the age of 11 (1872)
He was sent to Manila four months after the friars Gomez, Burgos, and Zamora were executed

• He belonged to the class composed of Spaniards, • To improve his Spanish Rizal took private lessons
mestizos and Filipinos in Santa Isabel College at noon breaks
• He was considered as an inferior and was placed at the • During his 4th year in Ateneo he received 5
bottom of the class medals and graduated as sobresaliente
• By the end of the month he became the emperor and • Rizal eventually earned a land surveyor’s and
received a prize, a religious picture assessor’s degree from the Ateneo Municipal
• He earned excellent marks in subjects like philosophy, while taking up Philosophy and Letters at the
physics, chemistry, and natural history. At this school, University of Santo Tomas. He graduated on
he read novels; wrote prize-winning poetry (and even March 23, 1877(16 years old)
a melodrama—“Junto al Pasig”); and practiced
drawing, painting, and clay modeling, all of which
remained lifelong interests for him.
TREY
research
 University of Santo
Tomas
• After graduating , he continued his education at
UST
• He enrolled in UST for two reasons: (1) to appease
his father, and (2) because he was still unsure of
what career he should pursue
• As a Thomasian he won more literary laurels
• During his first term in 1877-1878 in UST, he studied
Cosmology, Metaphysics , Theodicy and History of
Philosophy.

TREY
research
 University of Santo
Tomas
• He finished a year in Philosophy and Letters
• Upon learning that his mother was going blind,
Rizal opted to study ophthalmology at the UST
Faculty of Medicine and Surgery (1878-1879).
• He, however, was not able to complete the course
because “he became politically isolated by
adversaries among the faculty and clergy who
demanded that he assimilate to their system.”

TREY
research
Pre - Med

• Rizal took a Curso de Ampiacion or Advanced course in Physics, Chemistry

and Natural History
• Out of the 28 young men taking Ampliacion only four including Rizal were
granted the privilege of taking simultaneously the preparatory course and
the first year of medicine
• Rizal also received his four year practical training in medicine at the
Hospital de San Juan de Dios in Intramuros
• During his last year at the University, Rizal had obtained the global grade
of Notable(Very Good) in all of his subjects, and he was the second best
student in a decimated class of seven who passed the medicine course.
After which, Rizal decided to study in Spain.
TREY
research
Academic Journey To Spain
( 1882-1885 )

• His departure for Spain was kept secret from Spanish Authorities, friars and even his
parents especially his mother because she would not allow him to go
• To avoid detection , he used the name Jose Mercado
• On May 3, 1882 he boarded on Salvadora bound for Singapore where he was the
only Filipino passenger
• On November 3, 1882, he enrolled in Universidad Central de Madrid taking up two
courses: Philosophy an Letters and Medicine
• On June 21, 1884 , he conferred the degree of Licentiate in Medicine

TREY
research
Academic Journey To Spain
( 1882-1885 )

• The Following academic year , he studied and passed all subjects leading to the
degree of doctor of medicine
• Unfortunately, he was not able to submit the thesis required for graduation nor paid
the corresponding fees
• With that, he was not awarded his Doctor’s Diploma
• Jose Rizal also finished his studies in Philosophy and Letters with higher grades
• He was awarded the Degree of Licentiate in Philosophy and Letters by the
Universidad Central de Madrid June 19, 1885 with the rating of excellent.
• It was in Madrid that he began writing Noli Me Tangere

TREY
research
Studies and travels in
Europe
• In 1885, after studying at the Universidad Central de Madrid, Rizal, who was then 24
years old, went to Paris to acquire more knowledge in ophthalmology
• Among all branches, he chose this specialization because he wanted to cure his
mother’s failing eyesight.
• On February 3, 1886, after gathering some experience in ophthalmology, he left
Paris and went to Heidelberg, Germany
• He worked at the University Eye Hospital under the direction of Dr. Otto Becker, a
distinguished German ophthalmologist
• On April 22, 1886, Rizal wrote a poem entitled A Las Flores de Heidelberg (To the
Flowers of Heidelberg) because he was fascinated by the blooming flowers along
the Neckar River, which was the light blue flower called “forget-me-not”.
TREY
research
Studies and travels in
Europe
• In 1885, after studying at the Universidad Central de Madrid, Rizal, who was then 24
years old, went to Paris to acquire more knowledge in ophthalmology
• Among all branches, he chose this specialization because he wanted to cure his
mother’s failing eyesight.
• On February 3, 1886, after gathering some experience in ophthalmology, he left
Paris and went to Heidelberg, Germany
• He worked at the University Eye Hospital under the direction of Dr. Otto Becker, a
distinguished German ophthalmologist

TREY
research
Studies and travels in
Europe
• On April 22, 1886, Rizal wrote a poem entitled A Las Flores de Heidelberg (To the
Flowers of Heidelberg) because he was fascinated by the blooming flowers along
the Neckar River, which was the light blue flower called “forget-me-not”.
• On August 14, 1886, Rizal arrived in Leipzig. There, he attended some lectures at the
University of Leipzig on history and psychology

TREY
research
Rizal’s Friends in
Europe

Maximo Viola (1857-1933)

a propagandist, writer, revolutionary leader
and doctor from Bulacan, Philippines
He is known as the best friend of Jose
Rizal in Europe. He met Rizal at
Barcelona, Spain and both involved in
Propaganda Movement.
He also one of the leaders of the
Propaganda Movement.
He also financed the Noli Me Tangere of
Rizal.

TREY
research
Rizal’s Friends in
Europe
Dr. Louis de Weckert
a French ophthalmologist born
in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
Dr. José Rizal (1861-1896), martyr
and national hero of the Philippines,
completed his ophthalmological
training under Professor Louis de
Wecker in Paris in 1885.

Add a footer TREY

research
16
Rizal’s Friends in
Europe
Señor Eusebio Corominas
• Editor of the
newspaper La
Publicidad and
made a crayon
sketch of Don
Miguel Morayta,
owner of La
Publicidad and a
stasman

Add a footer TREY

research
17
Rizal’s Friends in
Europe
Don Miguel Morayta
a supporter of the
Propaganda Movement
and founder of the
Asociacion Hispano-
Filipino. Born on Sept. 3,
1834, Morayta became
Jose Rizal’s professor at
the Universidad Central de
Madrid.

Add a footer TREY

research
18
Travels of Rizal

TREY
research
19
Travels of Rizal
May 1882
Jose Rizal left the country to pursue further studies abroad. He enrolled in a course in medicine at the
Universidad Central de Madrid in Spain.
June 1883
Jose Rizal traveled to France to observe how medicine was being practiced there.
After his three-month sojourn in France, Rizal returned to Madrid and thought about publishing a
book that exposed the colonial relationship of Spain and the Philippines.
March 1887
Idea was realized in, with the publication of the novel Noli Me Tangere in Germany.
August 1887
Rizal returned to Manila after five years in Europe.
However, his homecoming was met by the friars’ furor over Noli Me Tangere. The Archbishop of
Manila issued an order banning the possession and reading of the novel, an order that was later
reinforced by the governor-general.

Add a footer TREY

research
20
Travels of Rizal
Six months later, pressured by the Spanish authorities as well as by his family and friends to leave the
country and avoid further persecution, Rizal left Manila for Hong Kong.
April 1888
From Hong Kong, Rizal traveled to Macau and Japan before going to America. Entering San Francisco,
California, in, he visited the states of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Illinois, and New York. He
jotted down his observations of the landscape in his diary.
May 1888
Rizal arrived in England in. In August, he was admitted to the British Museum, where he copied
Antonio de Morga’s massive study of the Philippines, Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas, which Rizal later
annotated for publication “as a gift to the Filipinos.”
From 1888 to 1890
He shuttled between London and Paris, where he wrote ethnographic and history-related studies, as
well as political articles. He also frequently visited Spain, where he met with fellow Filipino intellectuals
like Marcelo H. del Pilar, Mariano Ponce, and Graciano Lopez-Jaena.

Add a footer TREY

research
21
Travels of Rizal

March 1891
Rizal finished writing his second novel, El Filibusterismo, in France. He planned to publish the book in
Belgium, but was financially hard up. His brother’s support from back home was delayed in coming, and
he was scrimping on meals and expenses.
September 1890
El Filibusterismo was published in Ghent using donations from Rizal’s friends.
Meanwhile, a rivalry had ensued between Rizal and Del Pilar over the leadership of the Asociación
Hispano Filipino in Spain. Rizal decided to leave Europe to avoid the worsening rift between the
Rizalistas and Pilaristas, and to help maintain unity among Filipino expatriates. After staying for some
time in Hong Kong, where he practiced medicine and planned to build a “New Calamba” by relocating
landless Filipinos to Borneo,
June 1892
Rizal came home to the Philippines.

Add a footer TREY

research
22
La Liga Filipina
Propaganda Movement

TREY
research
La Liga Filipina

In 1892, Jose Rizal returned to the Philippines and proposed the establishment of a
civic organization called “La Liga Filipina.”
On July 3, 1892, the following were elected as its officers:
• Ambrosio Salvador, president
• Agustin dela Rosa, fiscal
• Bonifacio Arevalo, treasurer
• Deodato Arellano, secretary
• Rizal functioned as its adviser.

Add a footer TREY

research
24
La Liga Filipina aimed to:

▪ Unite the whole country

▪ Protect and assist all members
▪ Fight violence and injustice
▪ Support education
▪ Study and implement reforms

Add a footer TREY

research
25
La Liga Filipina

• La Liga Filipina had no intention of rising up in arms against the government; but the Spanish
officials still felt threatened.
• On July 6, 1892 only three days after La Liga Filipina’s establishment, Jose Rizal was secretly
arrested.
• The next day, Governor General Eulogio Despujol ordered Rizal’s deportation to Dapitan, a
small, secluded town in Zamboanga.
• La Liga Filipina's membership was active in the beginning; but later, they began to drift apart.
The rich members wanted to continue supporting the Propaganda Movement; but the others
seemed to have lost all hope that reforms could still be granted.
• Andres Bonifacio was one of those who believed that the only way to achieve meaningful
change was through a bloody revolution.

Add a footer TREY

research
26
La Liga Filipina failed
The propaganda movement did not succeed in its pursuit of reforms. The
colonial government did not agree to any of its demands. Spain itself was
undergoing a lot of internal problems all that time, which could explain why the
mother country failed to heed the Filipino’s petitions.
The friars, on the other hand, were at the height of their power and displayed
even more arrogance in flaunting their influence. They had neither the time nor
the desire to listen to the voice of the people.
Many of the reformists showed a deep love for their country, although they still
failed to maintain a united front. Because most of them belonged to the upper
middle class, they had to exercise caution in order to safeguard their wealth
and other private interests. Personal differences and petty quarrels, apart from
the lack of funds, were also a hindrance to the movements success. Lastly, no
other strong and charismatic leader emerged from the group aside from Jose
Rizal.

Add a footer TREY

research
27
La Solidaridad
The Solidarity

TREY
research
28
La Solidaridad
• In order to help achieve its goals, the
Propaganda Movement put up its own
newspaper, called La Solidaridad. The
Soli, as the reformists fondly called their
official organ, came out once every two
weeks. The first issue saw print was
published on November 15, 1895.
• The Solidaridad’s first editor was
Graciano Lopez Jaena. Marcelo H. del
Pilar took over in October 1889. Del Pilar
managed the Soli until it stopped
publication due to lack of funds.

Add a footer TREY

research