Jose Rizal-Philippines National Hero and First Polymath

This is the first article on my series about the Philippines in connection with October's Filipino-American History Month Celebration. It's about Jose Rizal, Philippines National Hero and first Polymath.

Jose Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda was born on Jose Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda in Calamba, Laguna, Captaincy General of the Philippines, Spanish Empire.

He was a polymath, writer, and nationalist of the Philippines who was active at the conclusion of the Spanish colonial period and was also considered the national hero of the Philippines.

He became a key member of the Filipino Propaganda Movement, which advocated political reforms for the colony under Spain.

Following the start of the Philippine Revolution, which was sparked by his writings, he was put to death by the Spanish colonial authorities for the crime of insurrection.

Although he did not actively participate in its organization or execution, he ultimately supported its objectives, which led to the independence of the Philippines.

Rizal is widely regarded as one of the greatest Filipino heroes, and an official appointed National Heroes Committee has recommended that he be given this title.

He wrote the novels Noli Me Tángere (1887) and El filibusterismo (1891), along with several poetry and articles. Here are the first 5 out of 15 interesting facts about Jose Rizal.

1. His full name was Jose Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda

The Rizals were of mestizo origin. His patrilineal lineage could be traced to Fujian in China through his father’s ancestor Lam-Co.

On the advice of his brother Paciano and the Mercado family, he eliminated the last three names that made up his complete name before enrolling at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, changing his name to “José Protasio Rizal.”

The title made him look like an illegitimate child since his family never paid any attention to it but by 1891, his second surname had become so well known that his family carried the name Rizal instead of Mercado.

2. Rizal has a land surveyor and assessor’s degree

Before being brought to Manila, Rizal originally studied under Justiniano Aquino Cruz in Bian, Laguna. As his father had desired, he took the Colegio de San Juan de Letran admission exam.

Nonetheless, he enrolled at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila where he graduated as one of the nine students in his class declared sobresaliente or outstanding.

He continued his study at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, where he earned a degree in land surveying and assessment, and together at the University of Santo Tomas, where he completed a pre-law course with an excellent grade.

3. He joined medicine when he discovered his mother was going blind

He changed his major to medicine at the Santo Tomas Medical School after learning that his mother was losing her vision and eventually chose to focus on ophthalmology.

He traveled with the support of his brother to Madrid in May 1882 and studied medicine at the Universidad Central de Madrid where he earned a degree.

He completed his eye specialization in 1887 at Heidelberg under the renowned professor, Otto Becker and later used his skills to operate his mother’s eyes.

4. He wrote a lot of poetry, essays, and novels

Rizals most famous works were his two novels, Noli Me Tángere (1887) and its sequel, El filibusterismo (1891).

These societal commentaries written during the country’s Spanish colonial era served as the foundation of literature that encouraged both pacifist reformers and armed revolutionaries.

5. Rizal had the ability to master various skills and subjects

He was an eye doctor as well as a writer, sculptor, painter, educator, farmer, historian, and journalist.

In addition to poetry and creative writing, he was also immersed in a variety of subjects with varying degrees of proficiency.

These include architecture, cartography, economics, ethnology, anthropology, sociology, theater, martial arts, fencing, and pistol shooting.

Skilled in social settings, he became a Freemason and in 1884, he attained Master Mason status.

So Rizal was a polymath which means he knows a lot of topics and can talk you out senseless with his knowledge until you accede defeat. In case you’re wondering what a polymath is, simply put - when a person's knowledge covers many different areas, he or she is a polymath.

But Rizal was more than just a nerd of the tallest order, he oftentimes would wear the armor of a hopeless romantic especially with women, fumbling his way through while his wit and wisdom drove women to shake or go weak in the knees. Using what implement, you may ask? Poetry. For women those days, poetry was an aphrodisiac.

And yet all that knowledge in his head and the things he saw in other lands through his travels, things he never learned in schools, would put him on a direct trajectory with the purveyors of corruption and greed, and ultimately martyrdom.

Here's his famous poem-Mi Ultimo Adios- My Last Farewell- English Translation. The poem was originally written in Spanish.

https://youtu.be/qt9S-LP0W2E?si=nq6xt-mreoRIKw39

Note: I have received numerous positive comments from several non-Filipino readers of my blog. They informed me they learned a lot about the Philippines and encourage me to continue writings about Philippine history, culture and traditions and current news about the Philippines. I promised I will do it to the best of my ability. Thank you all for your encouraging comments.