Writing the Jose Rizal Biography is a nice deja vu for me. In the opera version of the controversial book “Noli Me Tangere”, I played  the opera’s lead character, Crisostomo Ibarra. I admire Dr. Rizal not only because I am Filipino but more so because he is my great great granduncle.

Fast Facts
Born: June 19, 1861
Father: Francisco Mercado Rizal
Mother: Teodora Alonzo y Quintos
Siblings: 1 brother, 9 sisters

He became my great granduncle because one of Teodora Alonzo’s sisters, Gabriela Alonzo, is my great great grandmother. As a great person, it is not enough to simply mention him as a great hero.

Sure he was born of a relatively wealthy family with prominent parents such as Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonzo y Quintos. But he was already gifted artistically at a young age. It started with clay moldings and pencil sketches until he found his love for writing. It was in his writings where his early signs of nationalism became evident. In his poem, “Sa Aking Mga Kabata” (loose translation: To My Childhood Friends), he preached the virtue of loving your own language. Often it is viewed as a response to how some kids at that time learn Spanish and end up almost forgetting how to speak their native tongue.

The nationalism sparked at an early age was even agitated more when he realized that he had to stop his medical studies at the University of Santo Tomas due to discrimination. When students are viewed by their race instead of their academic accomplishments, you know you have to go elsewhere when you want to finish your studies. He had to leave the Philippines for Spain and continue his studies at Universidad Central de Madrid, earning the degree and expertise to finally operate on his mother’s eyes.

As you see, by profession, he is an ophthalmologist. But by passion, he is a nationalist that expressed his views through his writings. He took pride in his roots by publishing “Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas”, a historical treatise on how the Philippines is already a civilized nation long before the Spaniards arrived. He then critiqued the constant interference in political affairs of the Spanish clergy in the country by publishing his first novel, “Noli Me Tangere”, a fictional account of the excesses of the Spanish government. He did not hesitate in mentioning how the friars often  spear-headed the maltreatment of his fellowmen – citizens whom the former often derogatorily referred to as “indios”.

While in “Noli”, his pacifist views were evident despite the need to call on the Spaniards for their excesses, he then shared his views on destabilizing the government through armed means in “El Filibusterismo”. He entertained the thought of an armed uprising in toppling the status quo at the time. The ending sometimes served as a supporting literary canon to his observation that the Filipinos are not yet ready for an armed uprising.

The Spanish government at that time punished him by exiling him to Dapitan, thinking that the desolate condition in that place would crush his nationalist spirit. It didn’t work. Instead, he taught the youth how to speak Spanish and English as well as the liberal arts. He contributed in improving the lives of the townsfolk by engaging in agriculture. It was also here where he met his common law wife (the then acceptable term for  “live-in partner”), Josephine Bracken. Here in Dapitan, he got the chance to escape with the help of emissaries from Katipunan, the revolutionary movement founded by Andres Bonifacio, in an effort to liberate the Philippines from the clutches of the Spanish inquisition through an armed uprising. Again, he reiterated his stance against the method, not the group, just so he could get himself clear about the issue.

Despite not wanting to have any of it, Rizal still ended up getting pinned for the revolution that exploded after his exile to Dapitan. A trial was staged despite everyone’s knowledge how the end is already predetermined at this point. He was condemned to death by firing squad on December 30, 1896.

Apparently, the only thing that died in him is his physical body. His ideas and literary works still remain to this day, the kind of nationalism that has sparked in me ever since I discovered my Filipino roots. I occasionally share the lessons I learned from him on my official Facebook page, Kuya Manzano Fan Club, and I would be more than thankful if you like it. Follow me as well on my Twitter account @kuyamanzano so we can interact in real time as well. I’d be expecting you. Gracias!