2. INTRODUCTION
A multifaceted intellectual and political activist, Jose Rizal
was best known for his advocacy for reforms in the Philippines
under Spanish colonizers and soul-stirring writings that inspired
the Philippine revolution and eventually led to his execution.
Aside from being the epitome of greatness and nationalism,
he was also famous for having a long list of old flames. It is not a
secret that women played a big part in Rizal's patriotic journey.
4. • The first who captured Rizal’s
romantic imagination.
• A fourteen-year old that Rizal meet in
Los Banos, Laguna.
• Rizal was only 15 when he first saw
Julia by accident in a river in Los
Banos a few days after Easter in 1877.
• She was wearing a red wraparound
skirt.
• She was vibrant yet modest, oval-
shaped and olive-skinned and blessed
with simple beauty that attracted
Rizal.
JULIA
5. JULIA
• She was not timid nor afraid of
boys and, eyes sparkling,
conversed easily with Rizal.
• Rizal offered Julia and her
grandmother a ride home in his
rented carromata.
• He was instantly attracted to her
but for lack of subsequent
contact, Rizal eventually forgot
Julia whose surname was never
known.
7. SEGUNDA
KATIGBAK
• Katigbak was Rizal’s “puppy love”.
Coming from a wealthy clan in Lipa,
Batangas, she was a close friend of
Rizal’s sister, Olympia Mercado.
• Katigbak was just 14 years old when
she met Rizal who was then 16.
• They didn’t end up together. Our
hero was not able to confess his true
feelings and she was promised to
Manuel Luz y Metra, a member of a
wealthy family in Lipa.
8. Jose Rizal about Segunda Katigbak
“May mga matang kung minsan ay makislap at
nangungusap, may ngiting nakagagayuma… Hindi siya
ang pinakamagandang babaeng nakita ko, ngunit hindi
ako nakasilay kailanman nang higit na kaakit-akit.”
9. Jose Rizal about Segunda Katigbak
“She has eloquent eyes and an enchanting smile; she is
not the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my
eyes on, but I have never seen someone as enticing.”
13. LEONOR RIVERA-KIPPING
● was the daughter of Antonio Rivera
and Silvestra Bauzon.
● her father (whom Rizal calls "Uncle
Antonio" in his letters) is a cousin of
Rizal's father, Francisco Mercado.
● was a talented, mature, and intelligent
lady who played the piano and was
gifted with a “charming singing voice”
14. RELATIONSHIP WITH RIZAL
• Leonor Rivera and Rizal first met in Manila when Rivera was only 14
years old. When Rizal left for Europe on May 3, 1882, Rivera was 15 years
of age.
• This all began when Rizal left a poem for Rivera saying farewell, and
their letters to each other slowly became romantic in nature.
• In his letters, Rizal called Leonor “Taimis” to hide her identity (code
letters)
15. RELATIONSHIP WITH RIZAL
In 1888, Rizal stopped receiving letters
from Rivera for a year, even as he kept sending
letters to her.
16. CHALLENGES OF THEIR
RELATIONSHIP
● Distance due to Rizal's studies
● Family opposition (code letters)
● Rizal's Return and Missed Opportunities
17. MARRIAGE TO
HENRY KIPPING
● Rivera met Kipping at the house of Doña Carmen Villamil, who was
a former classmate of hers at La Concordia College.
● Mother's influence
● In 1890, Leonor wrote a letter to Rizal saying that she was engaged
to be married to a British engineer named Henry Kipping. That
same year, the wedding pushed through.
18. LATER LIFE AND DEATH
● Rivera's death shortly after giving birth to her second child with
Kipping.
● Her last wish to be buried with Rizal's letters.
20. LEONOR
VALENZUELA
● was the daughter of Capitan Juan
and Capitana Sanday Valenzuela,
who were from Pagsanjan, Laguna.
● commonly described as a tall girl
with regal bearing who was Rizal’s
province-mate.
21. RELATIONSHIP WITH RIZAL
• They met when Rizal was a sophomore medical student at the
University of Santo Tomas, during which time he also lived at Doña
Concha Leyva’s boarding house in Intramuros, Manila. Orang, who was
then 14 years old, was his neighbor.
• During the courtship, Rizal was said to have sent Leonor private and
secret love letters, which he wrote using invisible ink made with water and
salt—he was adept in chemistry, too.
22. RELATIONSHIP WITH RIZAL
• When Rizal left for Spain in 1882, it was said that he did say goodbye to
Orang, but kept in touch with the help of Rizal’s close friend, Jose
“Chenggoy” Cecilio.
• On one of Chenggoy’s letters to Rizal, he wrote, “…nagpipilit ang munting
kasera (Leonor Rivera) na makita si Orang, pero dahil natatakpan ng isang belong puti,
hindi naming nakilala nang dumaan ang prusisyon sa tapat ng bahay. Sinabi sa akin ni
O(rang) na sabihin ko raw sa munting kasera na hindi siya kumakaribal sa pag-iibigan
ninyo. Que gulay, tukayo, anong gulo itong idinudulot natin sa mga dalagang ito!”
(Manebog 2013)
23. RELATIONSHIP WITH RIZAL
• Rizal was pursuing the two Leonors while in Europe taking courses in
medicine and painting.
• Orang didn’t feel much sorrow upon Rizal’s departure. She was said to
have accepted other suitors, attended social parties, and ended up
marrying an employee of a trade house.
25. CONSUELO ORTIGA Y REY
While Rizal was in Madrid, he would hang out at Don
Pablo’s house, which became a place where Filipino students
would often get together. Through one of these gatherings, Rizal
met Consuelo.
Rizal, age 23, courted Consuelo Ortiga, age 18, the daughter
of Pablo Ortiga y Rey, who was once mayor of Manila and who
owned the apartment where the Circulo Hispano Filipino met
regularly.
26. CONSUELO ORTIGA Y REY
He showed affection towards Consuelo but was not serious
in his pursuit as he was still engaged to Leonor Rivera at the time.
Yes, he loved the company of women, but during that brief period,
he, too, was lonely and yearning for the physical void left by
Leonor.
Rizal gave Rey gifts and accepted all of it, but played Lete
against Rizal. She finally rejected Rizal’s attention in favor of Lete,
a Filipino-Spanish mestizo from Leyte.
27. CONSUELO ORTIGA Y REY
Although most accounts say the dalliance didn’t turn
serious, Rizal wrote a poem for her titled, “A la Señorita C.O. y R.”
The main message or idea of the poem is about pain, grief,
bitter past and truth that are addressed to an innocent lover who
wishes to know about her lover's endeavors. The truth will be
revealed once his mission was done, when there are bodies piled up
along with his and freedom was claimed by the Filipinos.
28. CONSUELO ORTIGA Y REY (1862 – unknown)
In the end, Consuelo got engaged to
Rizal’s friend, Eduardo de Lete. It is said that
Eduardo’s love for Consuelo was also the reason
Rizal didn’t pursue the mestiza.
30. SEIKO USUI (1867 – 1947)
In many of his diary entries, Rizal wrote about how he was
charmed by Japan’s beauty, cleanliness, and peace and order. But if
there was one thing that almost kept him in the country where
cherry blossoms bloom most beautiful, it was a woman named
Seiko Usui, a Japanese samurai’s daughter, who was affectionately
called O-Sei-San.
31. SEIKO USUI (1867 – 1947)
It was in 1888. Rizal had just arrived in Japan from
Hongkong upon an invitation to take a job offer at the Spanish
Legation. One day, while he was in the office grounds, he saw O-
Sei-San walk past the legation’s gate and was immediately
enthralled by her beauty. With the help of a Japanese gardener, he
asked to be introduced to the woman who captured his eyes. After
finding out that they both spoke English and French, they started
to build a relationship.
32. SEIKO USUI (1867 – 1947)
O-Sei-San served as Rizal’s interpreter during his stay in
Japan. She also helped him to be accustomed to the Japanese
culture, taught him how to read and write Nihonggo, and taught
him the Japanese art of painting also known as su-mie. Together,
they visited The Imperial Art Gallery, The Imperial Library, various
universities, the Shokubutsu-en (Botanical Garden), the Hibiya
Park, and various shrines.
33. SEIKO USUI (1867 – 1947)
In many accounts, it was written that Rizal almost moved
to Japan permanently to spend his remaining days with O-Sei-San.
However, his patriotic responsibilities kept him from doing this.
He moved to San Francisco and never met the Japanese woman
again.
Eventually, O-Sei-San went on with her life and later
married Alfred Charlton, a British chemistry teacher in Tokyo. She
died on May 1, 1947 at the age of 80.
35. • In the same year, he began and ended his
relations with O-Sei-San, Rizal, who was
then 27, went to London and met a
woman named Gertrude Beckett, the
eldest daughter of his landlord, Charles
Beckett.
• Beckett showered Rizal with all the love
and attention of a girl who is hopelessly in
love.
• Despite having pet names for each other
(Rizal calls Beckett “Gettie” while
Beckett calls Rizal “Pettie”) the feelings
Beckett had for Rizal were not
reciprocated.
36. • In 1889, Rizal left London and left her
a composite carving of the heads of
the Beckett sisters.
• Marcelo del Pilar, Rizal’s friend, said
Rizal left London to move away from
Beckett, whose idea of their
relationship was more than what it
really was – the most tormenting
kind: an unrequited love. Basically,
Beckett was friend-zoned by Rizal.
38. • When he arrived in Belgium in 1890, he lived at a boarding
house that was run by two sisters whose last name was Jacoby.
The sisters had a niece named Suzanne. In his six-month stay in
Brussels, Rizal and Jacoby had a transitory romance.
• In August 1890, Rizal left Belgium but he left the young Jacoby
a box of chocolates, which the latter did not eat nor touch.
Many historians believed that the affair was one-sided, as
evident in the letters sent by Jacoby to Rizal.
• Rizal may have replied once. In 1891, Rizal went back to
Belgium – not for Jacoby – but to finish writing “El
Filibusterismo”. He stayed for a few months, left and never
returned. Maybe Jacoby got the point after that.
40. ● Nellie “Nelly” Boustead (Jose Rizal's Almost
Wife)
● Youngest daughter of a Filipina, Marie
Boustead and a wealthy French-English
merchant, Eduardo Boustead.
● Highly educated, cheerful, athletic, beautiful,
and morally upright
● Their relationship status back then was a
crazy love triangle and a secret affair.
● Rizal was 28 years old when they first met
41. RELATIONSHIP WITH RIZAL
• In 1891, Rizal took a vacation in Biarritz, France in order to find reprieve
from his troubles in Madrid. He was a guest of the Boustead family in their
winter residence, Villa Eliada. Mr. and Mrs. Boustead had two beautiful
daughters, Adelina and Nellie.
• Rizal had befriended the family back in 1889-1890, and used to fence
with the Anglo-Filipino Boustead sisters at the studio of Juan Luna.
• During his stay Biarritz, Rizal learned of Leonor Rivera’s engagement to
Charles Henry Kipping and thought of pursuing a romantic relationship
with Nellie.
42. RELATIONSHIP WITH RIZAL
• Antonio Luna felt that he has the first claim on Nelly.
• Nelly was deeply infatuated with Rizal.
43. THE LOVER BOY’S WAYS
• He wrote to some of his friends about his affection for Nelly and
his idea of proposing marriage to her.
• Rizal's friends were delighted to hear that he had found a
suitable girl whom he at last wished to settle down with. Even
Antonio Luna, who had previously loved Nellie, encouraged Rizal
to court her and ask for her hand in marriage. With all the
encouragement from the friends he held dear, Rizal wooed Nellie.
44. BROKEN ENGAGEMENT
• Nellie’s mother did not think Rizal had the resources to be a
good provider for her daughter.
• Nellie wanted Rizal to convert to Protestantism.
• However, Jose and Nellie ended up being friends after all the
drama.
45. Before Rizal left Paris in 1891,
Nellie wrote him a letter:
“Now that you are leaving I wish you a happy trip and may
you triumph in your undertakings, and above all, may the
Lord look down on you with favor and guide your way
giving you much blessings, and may your learn to enjoy!
My remembrance will accompany you as also my prayers.”
46. And that, ladies and
gentlemen, is how you
become friends with
your ex.
48. JOSEPHINE BRACKEN
(October 3, 1876 – March 15, 1902)
● Youngest child of James Bracken and
Elizabeth Jane McBride
● Adopted daughter of her godparents,
Mr. and Mrs. George Taufer. Mr.
Taufer was a German-American — a
boiler engineer by profession.
50. RELATIONSHIP WITH RIZAL
• Josephine needed to seek help from an ophthalmologist due to her
stepfather's blindess. A friend in Hong Kong recommended Dr. Jose Rizal,
who was already exiled in Dapitan, Zamboanga Del Norte at the time.
• In the last days of February 1895, Rizal met the 18 year old Josephine
Bracken with her stepfather. Rizal at the very moment got physically
attracted to her. She also fell for him.
• Taufer’s eye condition was beyond treatment. This reason plus his
daughter’s relationship with Rizal prompted him to go back to Hong
Kong. Josephine accompanied her back to Hong Kong still.
51. RELATIONSHIP WITH RIZAL
• While in Manila Josephine brought with her Rizal’s letter to his
family, and she introduced herself to them. His parents and his
siblings however were not viewing her with favor. In Manila,
Josephine had to stay in the house of Rizal’s sister Narcisa, who
was the one closest to her in the Rizal family.
52.
53.
54. RELATIONSHIP WITH RIZAL
• After a while Josephine returned to Dapitan to continue her life with
Rizal.
• Rizal tried to arrange with Father Antonio Obach for their marriage, but
the priest wanted a retraction as a precondition before marrying them.
• Living in one roof, Josephine became pregnant. While Jose played prank
with her, she got startled and she fell to an iron stand. The accident
resulted to the premature birth of a son. Rizal was deeply saddened with
the incident. He named the still born child Francisco in honor of his father.
55. THE LAST GOODBYE?
• A day before his execution, Rizal gave a stove to his sister
Trinidad and whispered to her that there was something in it. He
also summoned Josephine and the two had their last time together.
• It was said that before his execution Rizal renounced masonry
and reverted to Catholicism. It was also reported that two or one
hour before the execution, he and Josephine Bracken were married
in a Catholic ceremony officiated by Fr. Vicente Balaguer.
56. THE LAST GOODBYE?
• The cooking stove given by Rizal to Trinidad was later found out
to contain a piece of paper with a poem entitled “Mi Ultimo Adios”
or “My Last Farewell”. On the last line of the poem were the words:
“Adios mi dulce stranjera, mi amiga, mi alegria” or “Farewell my
sweet foreigner, my friend, my joy”. That line is believed to be dedicated
to Josephine Bracken.
57. THE LAST GOODBYE?
After the death of Rizal, Josephine joined the revolutionaries. She was
reported to have witnessed the Tejeros Convention. But after receiving advises
from the American consul, she voluntarily left for Hong Kong to join her father
who died shortly after their reunion.
In Hong Kong Josephine met Vicente Abad, a Filipino-Spanish
mestizo. He married her on December 15, 1898. They later went to Cebu where
he set up a bicycle store while she spent her spare time tutoring English. On
April 17, 1900, she gave birth to a daughter which the couple named Dolores.
After a few years Josephine returned to Hong-Kong where she died of
tuberculosis on March 15, 1902. She was only 25 years old.
