1. Jose Rizal was born on June 19th, 1861 in Calamba, Philippines to a middle class family in the
Province of Laguana. His parents were Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonzo. Jose was also
the seventh child of their eleven children. Throughout his life, Rizal fought to free the
Philippines from Spain. He was known as a poet, an educator, and a journalist. He was also
Asia’s first modern non-violent political leader. Jose even has his own special holiday, "Rizal
Day," which is celebrated on the anniversary of his death. Jose was very smart; he mastered 23
languages, knew how to work 20 different jobs, and actually studied medicine because his
mother was going blind. He later became an eye surgeon.
Rizal is most known for his political involvement. Since Spain was controlling the Philippines,
he wanted to have the Filipinos rule their own country. He wanted to do that peacefully-without
war or fighting. In 1892, Jose formed a civic movement called La Liga Filipina. This league
spoke of social reforms through legal means, but was disbanded by the governor. Jose was
declared an enemy of the state by the Spanish authorities because his writings were against the
Dominican Friars. In 1892, he was exiled to the remote Philippine island of Mindanao. Then, the
Katipunan, a new secret organization devoted to independence from Spain through armed
revolution, named Rizal its honorary president. They used his name to attract supporters. Rizal
brought attention to the Philippines.
There are many qualities that can describe every hero in the world. Some qualities that would
describe Jose Rizal are being open-minded, intelligent, and hardworking. Jose really wanted to
have freedom in the Philippines from Spain, so that the Filipinos did not have to be controlled by
another country. He did not care about himself. He cared more about helping his country. He
really wanted his country to be proud of him. Jose also was very smart. He knew how to work
many jobs and had mastered 23 languages. He also helped other people who needed help. Jose
was hardworking in all that he tried to accomplish. He once said, "It’s a useless life that is not
concentrated to a great ideal. It’s like a stone wasted on the field without becoming a part of any
edifice."
In conclusion, heroes can be personal or famous. They are helpful, open-minded, and fair. There
are many different types and kinds of heroes in the world. Jose did many good deeds and tried to
accomplish his goals; he wanted to free his country. He was well-known enough to even have his
own special holiday which celebrates the anniversary of his death. Few people have had a leader
who so entirely gave of himself as he did, and who asked so little for himself in return. He is a
hero

2. In Calamba, Laguna
19 June 1861
JOSE RIZAL, the seventh child of Francisco Mercado Rizal and Teodora Alonso y Quintos, was
born in Calamba, Laguna.
22 June 1861
He was baptized JOSE RIZAL MERCADO at the Catholic of Calamba by the parish priest Rev.
Rufino Collantes with Rev. Pedro Casañas as the sponsor.
28 September 1862
The parochial church of Calamba and the canonical books, including the book in which Rizal’s
baptismal records were entered, were burned.
1864
Barely three years old, Rizal learned the alphabet from his mother.
1865
When he was four years old, his sister Conception, the eight child in the Rizal family, died at the
age of three. It was on this occasion that Rizal remembered having shed real tears for the first
time.
1865 – 1867
During this time his mother taught him how to read and write. His father hired a classmate by the
name of Leon Monroy who, for five months until his (Monroy) death, taught Rizal the rudiments
of Latin.
At about this time two of his mother’s cousin frequented Calamba. Uncle Manuel Alberto, seeing
Rizal frail in body, concerned himself with the physical development of his young nephew and
taught the latter love for the open air and developed in him a great admiration for the beauty of
nature, while Uncle Gregorio, a scholar, instilled into the mind of the boy love for education. He
advised Rizal: "Work hard and perform every task very carefully; learn to be swift as well as
thorough; be independent in thinking and make visual pictures of everything."
6 June 1868
With his father, Rizal made a pilgrimage to Antipolo to fulfill the vow made by his mother to
take the child to the Shrine of the Virgin of Antipolo should she and her child survive the ordeal
of delivery which nearly caused his mother’s life.
From there they proceeded to Manila and visited his sister Saturnina who was at the time
studying in the La Concordia College in Sta. Ana.
1869
At the age of eight, Rizal wrote his first poem entitled "Sa Aking Mga Kabata." The poem was
written in tagalog and had for its theme "Love of One’s Language."