Overview
Four months after the martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za and with Dona Teodora still in prison,
Jose who had not yet celebrated his eleventh birthday, was sent to Manila. He studied in
Ateneo Municipal, a college under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits. This college
was a bitter rival of the Dominican-owned college of San Juan de Letran. It was formerly the
Escuela Pia (Charity School) a school for poor boys in Manil a. E sc uela Pia , whose na me
wa s c ha nge d t o At ene o Munic ipal a nd lat e r bec am e t he At eneo de Mani la . T her e
we re sple ndi d e duca tors, so t hat At e ne o acquired prestige as an excellent college for boys.
At the end of this module yo u are exp ected to:
• Compare the Jesuit syst em o f education to our present system of
education.
• Describe the feeling of receiving high grades.
• Value the importance of being educated through making and reciting original written
poem
• Interpret the poems of Rizal in this chapter.
ACTIVATION
Have you ever been awarded in school? If yes, can you name some of it?
How about high grades? What is the highest grade you have received so far?
Can you share how you made it or what did you do to receive awards / high grades?
How did you feel upon receiving them?
Learning Experiences and Self-Assessment Activities
Before Jose reached his 11th birthday, he was sent to Manila four months after the
martyrdom of Gom-Bur-Za and with Dona Teodora still in prison. He studied in the Ateneo
Municipal, a college under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits.
Bitter rival of the Dominican-owned College of San Juan de Letran
Formerly the Escuela Pia(Charity School)- for poor boys in Manila established in
1817
In 1859- name was changed to Ateneo Municipal by the Jesuits and later became
the Ateneo de Manila.
Rizal Enters the Ateneo:
June 10, 1872- Jose, accompanied by Paciano, went to Manila to take the entrance
examinations on Christian Doctrine, arithmetic, and reading at the College of San Juan
de Letran, and passed them. His father was the first one who wished him to study at
Letran but he changed his mind and decided to send Jose at Ateneo instead.
Father Magin Ferrando, college registrar of Ateneo Municipal, refused to admit Jose
because:
He was late for registration and;
He was sickly and undersized for his age (11 years old).
Upon the intercession of Manuel Xeres Burgos, nephew of Father Burgos, he was
admitted at Ateneo. Jose adopted the surname “Rizal” at the Ateneo because their family
name “Mercado” had come under suspicion of the Spanish authorities.Ateneo was
located in Intramuros, within the walls of Manila. He boarded in a house on Caraballo
Street, 25 min walk from the college. The boarding house was owned by Titay, who owed
Rizal family P300. Jose boarded there to collect part of the debt.
Jesuits System of Education:
Jesuits trained the character of the student by rigid discipline, humanities and religious
instruction. They heard Mass early in the morning before the beginning of daily class.
Classes were opened and closed with prayers.Students were divided into two groups:
1. Roman Empire- consisting of the internos (boarders) with red banners
2. Carthaginian Empire- composed of the externos (non-boarders) with blue banners
Each of these empires had its rank. Students fought for positions. With 3 mistakes,
opponent’s position could lose his position.
• 1st best: “emperor”
• 2nd best: “tribune”
• 3rd best: “Decurion”
• 4th best: “centurion”
• 5th best: “Standard-bearer
Ateneo students uniform is consisted of “hemp-fabric trousers” and “striped cotton coat”.
The coat was called rayadillo, and was adopted as the uniform for Filipino troops during
the days of the First Philippine Republic.
Rizal’s First Year in Ateneo (1872-1873).
• Rizal’s first professor in Ateneo was Fr. Jose Bech.
• Rizal was placed at the bottom of the class since he was a newcomer and knows
little Spanish.He was an externo (Carthaginians), occupying the end of the line.
But at the end of the month, he become “emperor” of his Empire. He was the
brightest pupil in the whole class, and he was awarded a prize, a religious prize.
• Rizal took private lessons in Santa Isabel College during noon recesses to
improve his Spanish language paying three pesos for those extra lessons.
• He placed second at the end of the year, athough all his grades were still marked
“Excellent”
Summer Vacation (1873)
• Rizal didn’t enjoy his summer because his mother was in prison so
Neneng(Saturnina) brought him to Tanawan. But without telling his father,
he went to Santa Cruz to visit her mother in prison. He told her of his brilliant
grades.
• After summer, he returned to Manila and now boarded inside Intramuros at
No. 6 Magallanes Street. Dona Pepay, who had a widowed daughter and 4
sons, was his landlady.
Second Year in Ateneo (1873-74)
• Rizal lost the class leadership. But he repented and even studied harder, once
more became “emperor”. He received excellent grades in all subjects and a gold
medal.
Prophecy of Mother’s Release
• Dona Teodora told her son of her dream the previous night. Rizal, interpreting the
dream, told her that she would be released from prison in 3 month’s time. It became
true.
• Dona Teodora likened his son to the youthful Joseph in the Bible in his ability to
interpret dreams.
Teenage Interest in Reading
• The first favorite novel of Rizal was The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander
Dumas. His boyish imagination was stirred by the sufferings of Edmond Dantes
(the hero) in prison, his spectacular escape from the dungeon of Chateau d’If, his
finding a buried treasure in the rocky island of Monte Cristo, and his dramatic
revenge on his enemies who had wronged him.
• Rizal also read non-fiction. He persuaded his father to buy a costly set of Cesar
Cantu’s historical work entitled Universall History.
• He also read Travels in the Philippines by Dr. Feodor Jagor, a German scientist-
traveler who visited Phil in 1859-60.He was impressed by:
1. Jagor’s keen observations of the defects of Spanish colonization
2. His prophecy that someday Spain would lose the Phil and that Anerica
would come to succeed her as colonizer.
Third Year in Ateneo (1875-76)
• June 16, 1875- He became an interno in Ateneo.
• Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez, one of his professor, inspired him to study harder
and write poetry. Rizal’s best professor in Ateneo. Rizal described him as “model
of uprightness, earnestness, and love for the advancement of his pupils”.
• He returned to Calamba with 5 medals and excellent ratings.
Last Year in Ateneo (1876-77)
• Rizal- The most brilliant Atenean of his time, and was truly “the pride of the
Jesuits”.
Graduation with Highest Honors
• March 23, 1877- Rizal, 16 years old, received from his
Alma Mater, Ateneo Municipal, the degree of Bachelor of
Arts, with highest honors.
• The night before graduation, he could not sleep. Early
morning on the day of his graduation, he prayed to the
Virginto “commend his life and protect him as he step into
the world”.
Extra-Curricular Activities in Ateneo
• He was an active member, later secretary, of Marian Congregation, a religious
society. He was accepted because of his academic brilliance and devotion to Our
Lady of Immaculate Conception, the college patroness.
• He is also a member of the Academy of Spanish Literature and the Academy of
Natural Sciences.
• He studied painting under Agustin Saez, a famous painter, and sculpture under
Romualdo de Jesus.
• He continued his physical training under hi sports-minded Tio Manuel.
Sculptural Works in Ateneo
• He carved an image of The Virgin Mary on a piece of batikuling (Philippine
hardwood) with his pocket-knife. The Jesuits fathers were amazed.
• Father Lleonart requested him to carve for him an image of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus. He intended to take the image with him in Spain but forgot to do so. So,
the Ateneo boarders placed it on the door of their dormitory. It plays a significant
part in Rizal’s last hours at Fort Santiago.
Anecdotes on Rizal, the Atenean
1. Felix M. Roxas- He related an incident of Rizal’s schooldays in the Ateneo which
reveals the hero’s resignation to pain and forgiveness.
2. Manuel Xeres Burgos- his anecdote on Rizal illustrates his predilection to help the
helpless at the risk of his own life.
Poems Written in Ateneo
• Mi Primera Inspiracion (My First Inspiration)- first written poem of Rizal, which was
dedicated to his mother on her birthday. He wrote it when he was 14 years old.
• In 1875, inspired by Fr. Sanchez, he wrote more poems, as such:
1. Felicitacion (Felicitation)
2. El Embarque: Himno a la Flota de Magallanes ( The Departure: Hymn to
Magellan’s Fleet)
3. Y Es Espanol: Elcano, el Primero en dar la Vuelta al Mundo (And He is
Spanish: Elcano, the Fist to Circumnavigatethe World)
4. El Combate: Urbiztondo, Terror de Jolo (The Battle: Urbiztondo, Terror
of Jolo)
• In 1876, he wrote poems on religion, education memories and war. (e.g. In Memory
of my Town)
Rizal’s Poem on Education
• Through Education Our Motherland Recieves Light- education plays in the
progree and welfare of a nation
• The Intimate Alliance Between Religion and Good Education- showed that
‘Education without God is not true education.’
Rizal’s Religious Poem
• Al Nino Jesus (To the Child Jesus)- written when he was 14 years old,
expressing his Catholic faith devotion.
• A La Virgen Maria (To the Virgin Mary)
Dramatic Work in Ateneo
• Father Sanchez requested him to write a drama based on the prose story of St.
Eustace the Martyr. He finished that request on June 2, 1876 entitled San
Eustacio, Martir (St. Eustace, the Martyr).
First Romance of Rizal
• He experienced his first romance with Segunda Katigbak, a pretty 14 year old
Batanguena from Lipa.
• One Sunday Rizal visited his maternal grandmother in Trozo, Manila with his friend
Mariano Katigbak. One of whom was an attractive girl, who mysteriously caused
his heart to palpitate with strange ecstasy was Segunda. His grandmothers guests
ureged him to draw Segunda’s portrait. “From time to time,” he reminisced,”she
looked at me and I blushed”
• Rizal came to know Segunda more intimately during weekly visits to La Concordia
College, where his sister was boarding student. Olimpia and Segunda was a close
friend. Theirs was indeed “a love at first sight”. But Segunda was already engaged
to be married to Manuel Luz.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Activity 1.
Compare the Jesuit system o f education to o ur pr esent system o f
education.
Jesuit system of education Present system of education
Activity 2.
Poem Making
Guidelines and instruction:
1. Poem must be original (can be done in English or Filipino)
2. Content must depict the importance of education and the necessity of being
educated
3. A soft copy will be submitted thru messenger (DM).
Activity 3.
Submit a video that contains yourself reciting your own poem.
Activity 2 and 3 Rubrics:
Content 50 %
Originality 30 %
Creativity 20 %
Total 100 %
Activity 4.
Read the poem written by Rizal entitled “Through education Our Motherland
receives light” and make a reflection in a form of an essay.
Quiz…
Name___________________________________Score______Course/year/section: ___________
Direction: Give what is asked for:
1-2. Reasons why Rizal was almost denied admission in Ateneo.
3. The meaning of Mercado.
4-6. Jesuit System of education
7-8. Two groups of students in the classroom
9. The favorite novel of Rizal.
10. The first person to discover the poetical genius of Rizal.
SELF AND MODULE CHECK
How was your experience? Telle me about it. (Draw your response below)
SELF-EVALUATION MODULE EVALUATION
Module is learner-friendly,
comprehensive, and easy to
I learned a lot from this module
understand
learned just right. Module is clear but lack few details
Module has vague points that require
I still need guidance on certain
revision.
topics.
Module does not cater my learning
needs.
I don’t understand anything
discussed
References:
Rizal ; The Greatest Filipino Hero
The Life and Works of Rizal
https://dokumen.tips/documents/chapter-4-summary-rizal.html
https://www.google.com/search?q=through+education+motherland+receives+light+poe
m&oq=T&aqs=chrome.2.69i57j69i59l3j0i131i433j0i131i395i433j69i60l2.6040j1j7&sourc
eid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
