So Hi, It’s been a very long time since I last posted my blog here. Yap, It’s been a couple of months since I last expressed and scrutinized something. Personally, I’ve been very weak in a sense that I get easily create decisions without thinking about the outcome and what other people might think of me. Maybe it was just brought by my emotion, I think? So the story goes like this.
The candles had already been put out.
One late night, when Dona Teodora was teaching Rizal how to read in a quite rare book and an old copy. Spanish reader called "The Children's Friend" (El Amigo de los Ninos). She soon noticed that Rizal was not interested anymore so she stopped reading.
"I am going to read you a very pretty story. Now pay attention." She said then.
The story told that the young moth was attracted to the flame and thought that it could conquer it, it pushed itself to the burning flame and got burned.
Rizal watched it with his whole soul. It had died a martyr to its illusions. As Dona Teodora put me him to bed, she said: "See that you do not behave like the young moth. Don't be disobedient, or you may get burnt as it did."
It is like a temptation for a wrong relationship. Though fully aware of it being wrong. It is not impossible to conquer insurmountable odds and be a martyr in reality but never in illusion. Ignoring the risk of getting deeper into it thinking that they are in control, they continue with it. And then got burned later as expected.
1.) Segunda Katigbak: "The Puppy Love"
Rizal's Age: 16
Where they met: Lipa, Batangas
Description: "She was rather short, with eyes that were eloquent and ardent at times and languid at others, rosy-cheeked, with an enchanting and provocative smile that revealed very beautiful teeth, and the air of a sylph; her entire self diffused a mysterious charm." -
Rizal
Reason of Separation: Segunda was already engaged to be married to her townmate, Manuel Luz.
2.) Leonor Valenzuela
Rizal's Age: 17
Where they met: House of Dona Concha Leyva in Intramuros, as his neighbor.
How Rizal courted her: Wrote letters using invisible ink. He then taught her how to read the letters.
Reason of Separation: Leonor married another man.
3.) Leonor Rivera
- Inspiration for the character of Maria Clara in Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo
Rizal's Age: 18
Description: "Tender as a budding flower with kindly, wistful eyes."
Reason of Separation: In the autumn of 1890, Rizal received a letter from Leonor telling him of her coming marriage to a man whom her mother chose to be her mate.
4.) Consuelo Ortiga y Perez
Rizal's Age: 21 - 22
Where they met: Rizal frequented to the home of Don Pablo Ortiga y Rey, the former city mayor of Manila.
Reason of Separation: Rizal's romance with Consuelo did not turn into a serious affair; he decided to take a step back for two reasons; First, he was still engaged to Leonor Rivera; Second, he was aware of his friend's affection to Consuelo.
Rizal's dedication to her: A La Senorita C.O.y.P
5.) O-Sei-San
Rizal's Age: 27
Description:"You have the color of Camelia, its freshness, its elegance" -
Rizal
Where they met: Tokyo, Japan
Reason of Separation: Rizal was offered a position at the Spanish Legation during that time. He then decided to leave Japan and forget his romance which pained him gravely because he truly loved O-Sei-San.
6.) Gertrude Beckett
Rizal's Age: 27
Date They Met: May 1888
Description: A blue-eyed and buxom girl.
Where they met: Boarding house of the Beckett Family in London
Reason of Separation: Rizal withdrew his feelings before having a relationship with Gertrude, realizing that he had a greater mission to fulfill.
7.) Suzanne Jacoby
Rizal's Age: 29
Date they met: January 28, 1890
Place they met: Brussels, Belgium
How they met: Rizal boarded with Suzanne and her aunts during his stay in Brussels.
Reason of Separation: Rizal realized that he could not deceive her. Suzanne fell in love with Rizal and wept when he left for Madrid in July 1890.
8.) Nellie Boustead
Description: Mestiza daughter of a Filipina and a wealthy French-English merchant whose house was frequented by Filipinos in France.
Year they met: 1891
Where they met: Boustead family's winter residence, Villa Eliada (Biarritz, France)
Reason of Separation: Rizal's marriage proposal failed because Nellie demanded that Rizal give up his Catholic faith and convert to Protestanism.
9.) Josephine Bracken
Description: an 18-year-old petite Irish girl, with bold blue eyes, brown hair and a happy disposition.
Date they met: February 1895
Where they met: Dapitan
How it ended: Rizal regarded Josephine as her wife until his last breath.
MANILA, Philippines — Whenever conversations center on national hero Jose Rizal’s manliness, loose tongues wag about his bevy of local and international girlfriends.
Undoubtedly, Rizal was never a boor who would kiss-and-tell on his amorous affairs, now called “casual dating.” Rarely do we find these women mentioned by name in his diaries or letters, and often their identities are concealed in the first letters of their given names and surnames.
What made Rizal “tick” with these women? Was it his good looks? An endearing wit? Perhaps, it was pure animal magnetism, which we refer to as “malakas ang dating” (strong appeal)? Whatever the reason, women were so charmed by Rizal that they yearned for him.
Many were amazed that even though Rizal was in exile, he didn’t mind the fact that he was sent to Dapitan to live like a prisoner and yet he still manages to accomplish many things.
He has taught the poor Mindanao folk to unite for trading so that they may become independent and free themselves from the Chinese and thus become less exploited, in the sense that he organized a cooperative even in exile. While many people would be in panic, despair or lose hope for any success in their lives because of being exiled Jose Rizal continued to serve his country. This is what made Jose Rizal stand out of the others as a hero to a nation. He was truly a man of action. He always put his countrymen first before him.
He truly was a man of action, he did not only looked over the people nor just tell people what to do, he helped them in their everyday work. Rizal was intelligent and yet very humble.
Right now I wish that the tree he planted would somehow magically make Rizal appear in this time of ours so that I can praise him for what he did for us.
Rizal truly was a person for his countrymen, he truly was a patriot and nationalistic for he never wanted to see his fellow countrymen being oppressed and being exploited.
Still, we see the injustice in our country, as well as the widespread poverty. Because of that poverty, there is injustice and oppression.
When you go to Mindanao, you see the most poverty stricken areas in our country. It is sad since Mindanao is a “paradise.” If this is fully developed, this could feed another 60 more million Filipinos. That is how rich Mindanao is.
But what do we see in Mindanao? Poverty and deprivation. So, what Rizal said still applies. During Jose Rizal’s time, the oppression came from the political structure. Now, we have a constitutional and liberal democracy, but we still have poverty because of economic misplanning. This poverty will produce oppression, injustice and a great amount of unhappiness. Thus, Rizal’s dream has not yet materialized.
When we look at the miserable conditions of the great majority of our country, we feel self conscious. If you have so much and see the rest of your countrymen have so little, you feel guilty.
One quote from the Bible, “Those to whom much is given, much is expected.” Thus if you have a social conscience, you start asking, why is this happening to our Mother Filipinas? What have I not done that I can do? This should be asked by all Filipinos.
One quote from the Bible, “Those to whom much is given, much is expected.” Thus if you have a social conscience, you start asking, why is this happening to our Mother Filipinas? What have I not done that I can do? This should be asked by all Filipinos.
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