1) Jose Rizal studied at the Ateneo Municipal in Manila under the supervision of Spanish Jesuits from 1872 to 1877. 2) He excelled as a student, often becoming the "emperor" or top student in his class. He received several gold medals for his academic performance. 3) While at the Ateneo, Rizal began writing poems that reflected his interest in history and nationalism. He was inspired by one of his Jesuit teachers to dedicate himself to his studies and writing. 4) Rizal had his first romantic experience with Segunda Katigbak while he was 16 years old, but his shyness prevented the romance from developing further.

1. Chapter 4
Scholastic Triumphs at Ateneo
de Manila

2. • 4 months after the execution of Gom-Bur- Za and with Doña
Teodora still in prison Jose, was sent to Manila
• He studied in the Ateneo Municipal
• Under the supervision of the Spanish Jesuits
• Bitter rival of the Dominican-owned College of San Juan de
Letran

3. • Formerly Escuela Pia (Charity School)
• Established by City Government in 1817 for poor boys in
manila
• 1768 Jesuits expelled from Philippines Returned to Manila in
1859
• Later, became Ateneo de Manila

4. • June 10, 1872 - Entrance Exam
• Father Magin Ferrando, College Registrar
• Manuel Xerez Burgos, (nephew of Father Burgos)
• He use “Rizal” as his surname instead of Mercado
• Boarded in a house outside Intramuros, on Caraballo Street,
(25 mins. away from college)
• Titay (a spinster) owned the boarding house, and owed the
Rizal’s family the amount of P300
Rizal Enters the Ateneo

5. • Promotes physical culture, humanities, and scientific studies
• Vocational courses on agriculture, commerce, mechanics
and surveying.
• Religiously operate the school - mass every morning -
classes/subjects are open & close with prayer
• Students were divided into two: Roman Empire – Internos
(boarders) Carthaginian Empire – Externos (non- boarders )
Jesuit System of Education

6. • Each empires had its Ranks:
• Best Student – Emperor;
• 2nd Best – Tribune;
• 3rd Best – Decurion;
• 4th Best – Centurion;
• 5th Best – Standard Bearer;
• Student could challenge any officer in his “empire” to answer
questions on the day’s lesson
• Failure to answer correctly (3) times, an officer could lose
his position
Jesuit System of Education

7. • June, 1872, first day of class in Ateneo
• Fr. Jose Bech, first professor of Rizal
• He was an externo and was assigned to Carthaginians
• At the end of the month he became "emperor"
• He was the brightness pupil in the whole class
• He took private lessons in Santa Isabel College and paid
three pesos for extra Spanish lessons
• He placed seconds at the end of the year although his grades
were marked "Excellent"
Rizal's First Year in Ateneo (1872 -
1873)

8. • March 1873, Rizal returned to Calamba for summer vacation.
• His sister Neneng (Saturnina) brought him to Tanawan to
cheer him up
• Visited his mother in prison at Santa Cruz without telling his
father
• After vacation, he returned to Manila for his 2nd year term in
Ateneo
• He boarded inside Intramuros at No. 6 Magallanes Street
• Dona Pepay was his landlady, an old widow with a widowed
daughter and 4 sons.
Summer Vacation (1873)

9. • He repented having neglected his studies the previous year
because he was offended by the teacher’s remarks.
• Rizal studied harder, and once more he became an “emperor”
after losing his class leadership
• He had 3 classmates from Binan who had also been his
classmates in the school of Maestro Justiniano
• At the end of the school year, he received excellent grades in
all subjects and a gold medal
Second Year in Ateneo (1873 –
1874)

10. • During the summer vacation in Calamba (1874)
• 1st favorite novel of Rizal “The Count of Monte Cristo” by
Alexander Dumas
• A voracious reader Cesar Cantu’s historical work entitled
“Universal History”
• “Travels in the Philippines” by Dr. Feodor Jagor, a German
scientist-traveler (1859 – 1860)
Teenage Interest in Reading

11. • Shortly after the opening of classes, his mother was
released from prison.
• In the previous years, Rizal did not make an excellent
showing in his studies
• He failed to win the medal in Spanish because his spoken
was not fluently sonorous
• March, 1875 Rizal returned to Calamba for summer vacation
3rd Year in Ateneo (1874 – 1875)

12. • June 16, 1875
• He became an interno in Ateneo
• Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez inspired him to study harder
and write poetry "model of uprightness, earnestness and
love for the advancement of his pupils"
• Rizal won five medals
4th Year in Ateneo (1875 – 1876)

13. • Felix M. Ramos – one of Rizal’s contemporaries in Ateneo
• Manuel Xerex Burgos – whose house Rizal boarded shortly
before he became an interno in Ateneo Poems Written in
Ateneo
• Mi Primera Inspiration (My First Inspiration) – the first poem
Rizal probably wrote during his days in Ateneo.
Anecdotes of Rizal

14. • In 1875, inspired by Father Sanchez, he wrote more poems
such as:
• Filicitacion (Felicitation)
• El Embarque: Himno a la Flota de Magallanes (The Departure
Hymn to Magellan’s fleet)
• Y Es Espanol: Elcano, the first to circumnavigate the world)
• El Combate: Urbiztondo Terror de Jolo (The Battle:
Urbiztondo, Terror of Jolo)
Poems written in Ateneo

15. • In 1876, Rizal wrote poems on various topics:
• Un Recuerdo a Mi Pueblu (In Memory of My Town)
• Alianza Intima Entre la Region Y La Buena Educacion
(Intimate Alliance Between Religion and Good Education)
• Por la Educacion Recibe Lustre La Patria (Through
Education the Country Receive Light)
• El Cultivero Y El Triunfo (The Captivity and the Triumph: Battle
of Lucena and the Imprisonment of Boabdil)
• La Entrada Triuntal de Los Reyes Catolices en Granada (The
Triumphal Entry of The Catholic Monarches into Granada)
Poems written in Ateneo

16. • A year later, in 1877 he wrote more poems:
• El Heroismo de Colon (The heroism of Colombus)
• Colony Juan II (Colombus and John II )
• Gran Consuelo en la Mayor Desdicha (Great Solace in Great
Misfortune)
• Un Diarogo Alusivo a la Despedida de los Colegiales (A
Farewell Dialogue of the Students)
Poems written in Ateneo

17. • 16 years old, experienced his first romance
• Segunda Katigbak, a pretty 14 years old Batanguena from Lipa
• Sister of his friend Mariano Katigbak
• His sister Olimpia was a close friend of Segunda in La Concordia
College
• Segunda was already engaged to Manuel Luz
• His first romance was ruined by his own shyness and reserve
• Segunda returned to Lipa and later married Manuel Luz
• Rizal remained in Calamba, a frustrated lover, cherishing
nostalgic memories of lost love. ***END***
First Romance of Rizal