Jose Rizal was the seventh of the eleven children of Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonso Realonda. The Hero’s Father, Francisco Mercado(1818-1898) was born in Biñan, Laguna, on May 11, 1818. He Studied Latin and Philosophy at the College of San Jose in Manila. In early manhood, following his parent’s death, he moved to Calamba and became a tenant- farmer of the Dominican-owned hacienda. He was hardy and independent-minded man, who talked less and worked more, and was strong in body and valiant in spirit. He died in Manila on January 5, 1889, at the age of 80. In his student memoirs, Rizal affectionately called him “a model of fathers”.
Doña Teodora (1826-1911), the hero’s mother, was born in Manila on November 8, 1826 and was educated at the College of Santa Rosa, a well-known college for girls in the city. She was a remarkable woman, possessing refined culture, literary talent, business ability, and the fortitude of Spartan women. Rizal lovingly said to her: “My mother is woman of more than ordinary culture; she knows literature and speaks Spanish better than I. She corrected my poems and gave me good advice when I was studying rhetoric. She is a mathematician and has read many books.” Doña Teodora died in Manila on August 16, 1911, at the age of 85. Shortly before her death, the Philippine government offered her a life pension. She courteously rejected it saying, “My family has never been patriotic for money. If the government has plenty of ufnds and does not know what to do with them, better reduce the taxes.” Such remarks truly befitted her as a worthy mother of a national hero.
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