PACIANO: THE HERO’S HERO

De Castro, Sharlene Mae B.

Penales, Janyn P.
 PACIANO RIZAL
• Born on March 7, 1851 in Calamba, Laguna.
• Second of the 11 children of of Don
Francisco Mercado and Doña Teodora
Alonso known as “Ciano.”
• Elder and only brother of Pepe.
• Studied at Colegio de San Jose.
• Married to Severina Decena and had 2
children.
• Paciano studied Latin under Maestro
Justiniano Cruz before attending the Colegio
de San Jose in Manila. While in the city, he
lived and worked with Fr. Jose A. Burgos,
who earned the ire of the Spanish friars by
campaigning for the secularization
movement.
• Paciano had a very fair complexion and rosy cheeks.
His descendants were quick to add that their lolo was
more handsome than the national hero, and much
taller, about 5’7” to 5’9. “When he died and the body
was brought to the funeraria, his feet stuck out of
the coffin, which was too small for him”
• This description though was neither relative nor one-
sided, for it was confirmed by Jose Rizal himself. In a
letter to Blumentritt, he wrote: "Paciano is more
refined and serious than I, taller, more slender, and
fairer in complexion than I with a nose that is fine,
beautiful and sharp pointed, but he is bow-legged”
• Acting as Jose’s caring guardian,
Paciano brought him to Biñan to study
under the tutelage of Justiniano Aquino
Cruz. Paciano also accompanied the
young Rizal in taking the entrance exam
at the College of the San Juan de Letran
and in matriculating instead at the
Ateneo Municipal. Paciano even looked
for Jose’s boarding house in the Walled
City.
• Paciano took care of Jose’s education as
their parent’s were aging. Paciano had
to take responsibility of informing their
parents of Jose’s departure and at the
same time to comfort them because of
grief as an effect of Jose’s departure.
Above all Paciano sought the means to
augment the financial expenses of his
brother.
PACIANO A REVOLUTIONARY LEADER
AND A FREEDOM FIGHTER
• After his brother’s execution in December
1896, Paciano joined the Katipuneros in
Cavite under General Emilio Aguinaldo. He
was not new to reform and revolutionary
organizations. He had been an avid member
of Propaganda Movement, soliciting funds
to finance the organization and the
nationalist paper ‘Diariong Tagalog’. He also
supported the Katipunan by recruiting
members in Laguna.
• As Katipunero, Paciano was later commissioned as
general of the revolutionary forces. He was said to
have been elected too as secretary of finance in the
Department Government of Central Luzon. Assigned
as revolutionary commander in Laguna.
• During the Philippine-American War, Paciano
continued to fight for Philippine independence in his
area of jurisdiction in Laguna. During the revolution,
he was said to have had several meetings with
Apolinario Mabini. He was released soon after on the
power of his promise that he would lead a peaceful
life.
• When peace was restored, Paciano devoted
himself to farming his land in Calamba.
• December 1896, the heaviest sacrifice he
made to protect his brother. While Rizal was
detained in Fort Santiago, Paciano was
arrested and subjected to severe torture in
an attempt by the Spanish authorities to
extract any statement that would link his
brother to clandestine struggle for
independence.
• On April 30, 1930 Paciano died of
tuberculosis at the age of 79 and buried
in Cementerio del Norte in Manila.
• On 1895 his bones were transferred to
his home in Los Baños, here he was
given complete military honors while
the trumpet played “Taps.”
His life exemplifies that ‘a brother is a
brother’ and reminds us that siblings
must stand united and remain loyal
to each other.