At The University of Santo Tomas

What will you feel if you were heart broken? Would you still have the will to study hard?
Maybe not for some, others may delve into studying hard to show the person that they can manage to live successfully without that person beside them.
What about
you?
 Well its very different with our national hero. Rizal’s
tragic first romance, with its bitter disillusionment, did
not adversely affect his studies in the University of
Santo Tomas. During the years of his medical studies in
this university which was administered by the
Dominicans, rival educators of the Jesuits, he remained
loyal to Ateneo, where he continued to participate in
extra curricular activities and where he completed the
vocation course in surveying. As a student of Santo
Tomas, he won more literary laurels (honor of fame
given to some achievement), had other romances with
pretty girls, and fought against Spanish students.
Mother’s Opposition to Higher Education
Most mums will be proud when their kids acquire higher
education but not for Doña Teodora. For some reason she
opposed the idea that Rizal is going to be highly educated. She
feared that he might be likened to Gom-Bur-Za. She reasoned out
that if he will get to know more, the Spaniards will cut off his
head. Jose Rizal himself was surprised why his mother, who was a
woman of education and culture, should object to his desire for a
university education. Years later he wrote in his journal: “Did my
mother perhaps have a foreboding of what would happen to me?
Does a mother’s heart really have a second sight?”
Despite her opposition and tears, Don Francisco kept quiet and
told Paciano to accompany his younger brother to Manila.
Reasons why Jose Rizal had to go to University of
Santo Tomas for higher studies
• The Bachelor of Arts course he acquired in
Ateneo with highest honors, during Spanish
times was equivalent only to the high school
and junior college courses today.
• Both Don Francisco and Paciano wanted Rizal
to pursue higher learning in the university.
 Rizal Enters the University
• In April 1877, Rizal who was then nearly 16
years old, matriculated in the University of
Santo Tomas, taking the course on Philosophy
and Letters.
• He enrolled in this course for two reasons:
1. his father like it.
2. he was still uncertain as to what career to
pursue.
Reasons why Rizal took up Medicine on his 2nd
term in Santo Tomas

1. Pablo Ramos a priest from Ateneo who

has been good to him advise him to
study medicine as his response to his
letter.
2. Another reason why he choose medicine
for a career was to be able to cure his
mother’s growing blindness.
Finishes Surverying Course in Ateneo
1878
During his first school term in the University of
Santo Tomas (1877-78), Rizal also studied in the
Ateneo. He took the vocational course leading to
the title of perito, agrimensor (expert surveyor).
He excelled in all subjects in the surveying
course in the Ateneo, obtaining gold medals in
agriculture and topography. At the age of 17, he
passed the final examination in the surveying
course, but he was below age. The title was
issued to him on November 25, 1881.
 Romances with Other Girls
Notwithstanding his academic studies in the University of Santo
Tomas and extra-curricular activities in the Ateneo, Rizal had
ample time for love. He was a romantic dreamer who liked to sip
the “ nectar of love”. His sad experience with first love had made
him wiser in the ways of romance.
Shortly after losing Segunda Katigbak, he paid court to a young
woman in Calamba. In his student memoirs, he called her simple
“Miss L,” describing her as “fair with seductive and attractive
eye”. After visiting her in her house several times, he suddenly
stopped his wooing, and the romance died naturally. Nobody
today knows who this woman was. Rizal himself did not give her
name. Hence, her identity is lost to history.
Two reasons for his change of heart for “Miss
L”
1. The sweet memory of Segunda Katigbak was
still fresh in his heart.

2.His father did not like the family of “Miss L”.

Continuation of his romance with other
girls……….
Several months later, during his sophomore year at the University of Santo
Tomas, he boarded in the house of Doña Concha Leyva in Intramuros. The next –
door neighbors were Capitan Juan and Capitana Sanday Valenzuela from
Pagsanjan Laguna, who had charming daughter named Leonor. Rizal was a
welcome visitor in the Valenzuela.
He courted Leonor Valenzuela, who was tall girl with regal bearing. He sent
Orang(her pet name) love notes written in invisible ink. This ink consisted of
common table salt and water, that can only be read by heating it over a candle or
lamp. But as with Segunda, he stopped short of proposing marriage to Orang.
His next romance was with another Leonor---Leonor Rivera—his cousin from
Camiling. His landlord-uncle Antonio Rivera was the father of Leonor. She was a
schoolmate of Rizal’s youngest sister Soledad. They became engaged. In her
letters to Rizal, Leonor signed her name as “Taimis” inorder to camouflage their
intimate relationship from their parents and friends.
Victim of Spanish Officer’s Brutality
During the summer vacation in 1878 from freshman medical
student in Santo Tomas, Rizal was walking in the street,
because it is dark he dimly perceived the figure of a man while
passing him. He did not salute nor say a courteous “Good
Evening”. It turned out to be the Lieutenant of the Guardia
Civil. With a snarl, he turned upon Rizal, whipped up his sword
and brutally slashed the latter on the back.
When he recovered he reported the incident to General Primo
de Rivera, the Spanish governor-general of the Philippines at
that time. But nothing came up to his complaint, because he
was an Indio and the abusive was a Spaniard.
 “To the Filipino Youth”
(1879)
• In the year 1879 the Liceo Artistico, Literario (Artistic Literary
Lyceum) of Manila, a society of literary men and artists, held
a literary contest. It offered a prized for the best poem by a
native or by a meztizo. Rizal, who was then 18 years old,
submitted his poem entitled A La Juventud Filipina ( To the
Filipino Youth).
• The board of judges, composed of Spaniards, was impressed
by Rizal’s poem and give it a first prize which consisted of a
silver pen, feather- shaped and decorated with a gold ribbon.
• The prize winning poem, A La Juventud Filipina (To the
Filipino Youth,) is an inspiring poem of flawless form.
 Content of “The Filipino Youth”
Theme: “Grow, O Timid Flower”
Hold high the brow sin,
O youth, where now you stand.
Let the bright sheen
Of your grace be seen,
Fair hope of my fatherland.
Thou, who now wouldst rise
On wings of rich emprise,
And the memory bright
Come now, thou genious grand, Of thy geniu’s light
And bring down inspiration; Makest immortal in its strength.
With the mighty hand,
Swifter than the winds volation,
Raise the eager mind to higher station.
And thou, in accents clear
Of Phoebus, to Apollos dear;
Or by the brush’s magic art
Come down with pleasing light Takest from nature’s store a part
Of art and science to the flight, To fix it on the simple canvas’ length.
O youth, and there untie
The chains that heavy lie,
Your spirit free to bright
Go forth, and then the sacred fire
Of thy genius to the laurel may aspire;
To spread around the flame,
See how in flaming zone And in victory acclaim,
Amid the shadows thrown, Through wider spheres the human name.
The Spaniard’s holy hand
 Two reasons that his poem was a
classic Philippine literature:
1. It was a first great poem in Spanish written by
a Filipino, whose merit was recognized by
Spanish literary authorities.
2. It expressed for the first time the nationalistic
concept that the Filipinos, not the foreigners,
were the “Fair hope of the Fatherland”.
 Rizal’s visit to Pakil Pagsanjan
When he was still a student of medicine in
Santo Tomas he visited Pakil Pagsanjan with
his three sisters Saturnina, Maria and Trinidad
and their female friends.
He was infatuated by a pretty girl colegiala,
Vicenta Ybardolaza. Who skillfully played the
harp at the Regalado home.
 Champion of Filipino Students
• Rizal was champion of the Filipino students in
their frequent fights against the arrogant Spanish
students, who were often surpassed by the
Filipinos in classwork and who insultingly called
their brown classmates----”Indio, chonggo”.
• In retaliation, the Filipino students called them
“Kastila , bangus!”
• Hostility between these two groups of student
often exploded in angry street rumbles.
 Unhappy days at the UST
Rizal found the atmosphere at the University
suffocating to his sensitive spirit. He was
unhappy at this Dominican institution of higher
learning because:
1. The Dominican professor was hostile to him
2. The Filipino students were racially discriminated
against by the Spaniards
3. The method of instruction was obsolete and
repressive.
Scholastic records in UST
 Final part of the year in UST
• He decided to study in Spain after finishing the
fourth year of the medical course as was
discussed last meeting
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