2. Ateneo
Municipal
A college under the
supervision of the Spanish
Jesuits
Bitter rival of the
Dominican-owned College
of San Juan de Letran
Escuela Pia
(Charity
School)
A school for poor boys in Manila
Established by the city government in 1817
Ateneo de
Manila
Acquired prestige as an excellent college for
boys
3. Rizal Enters the Ateneo
Father Magin Ferrando, who was the school registrar, refused to admit
him for two reasons:
1) He was late for registration
2) He was sickly and undersized for his age
However, upon the intercession of Manuel Xerez Burgos, nephew of
Father Burgos, he was reluctantly admitted at the Ateneo which was
located at Intramuros, outside the walls of Manila.
4. Jose was the first of his family to adopt the surname Rizal
First boarded at Caraballo Street
25-minute walk from the college
Owned by a spinster named Titay who owed Rizal family P300
Their family name Mercado had come under the suspicion of Spanish
authorities
5. Jesuit System of Education
The system of education given by the Jesuits in the Ateneo was more
advanced than that of other colleges in that period
It trained the student by rigid discipline and religious instruction
physical culture
humanities
scientific studies
agriculture
commerce
mechanics
surveying
6. Students were divided into two groups:
• The Roman Empire
- consisting of the internos (boarders)
• Carthaginian Empire
- composed of the externos (non-boarders)
Ranks
Best student - emperor
Second best - tribune
Third best - decurion
Fourth best - centurion
Fifth- best – standard-bearer
7. Red for the Romans and Blue for the Carthaginians
“Upon the first defeat, the banner of the losing party was transferred to the
left side of the room. Upon the second, it was placed in an inferior position
on the right side. Upon the third, the inclined flag was placed on the left.
Upon the fourth, the flag was reversed and returned to the right. Upon the
fifth, the reversed flag was placed on the left. Upon the sixth, the banner
was changed with a figure of a donkey.”
Uniform
hemp-fabric trousers
stripped cotton coat
The coat material was called rayadillo, which later became popular for it
was adopted as the uniform for Filipino troops during the days of the First
Philippine Republic
8. Rizal’s First Year in Ateneo (1872-1873)
Fr. Jose Bech
- first professor in Ateneo
- “Tall, thin man, with a body slightly bent forward, a harried walk,
an ascetic face, severe ad inspired, small seep-sunken eyes, a sharp nose
that was almost Greek, and thin lips forming an arc whose end fell toward
the chin.”
• Belonged to the Carthaginians in which he was an externo
• Became the “emperor” at the end of the month
• Took private lessons in Santa Isabel College during the noon recesses
to improve his Spanish, which was actually P3 per session
• Placed second at the end of the year
9. Summer Vacation (1873-1874)
• Went to Calamba
• Did not enjoy his vacation because his mother was in prison
• Brought to Tanawan by his sister Neneng (Saturnina) to cheer him up,
but did not cure his melancholy
• Went to Santa Cruz without telling his father in order to visit his mother
10. Second Year in Ateneo (1873-1874)
• Once more, he became “emperor”
• Three of his new classmates were boys from Biñan, who had been his
classmates in the school of Maestro Justiniano
• Received excellent grades in all subjects and a gold medal at the end
of the school year
11. Prophecy of Mother’s Release
In the course of Rizal and his mother’s conversation, Doña Teodora told
her son of her dream the previous night. Rizal, interpreting the dream, told
her that she would be released from prison in three month’s time.
Rizal’s prophecy became true. Barely three months passed, and Doña
Teodora was set free.
12. Teenage Interest in Reading
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
• First favorite novel
- made a deep impression on him. His boyish imagination
was stirred by the sufferings of Edmond Dantes (the hero)
in prison, his spectacular escape from the dungeon of
Chateau d’If, his finding a buried treasure on the rocky
island of Monte Cristo, and his dramatic revenge on his
enemies who had wronged him.
13. • Read not only fiction, but also non-fiction
• Persuaded his father to buy him a costly set of Universal History by
Cesar Cantu
• Read Travels in the Philippines by Dr. Feodor Jagor, a German
scientist-traveler who visited the Philippines in 1865-1890.
1) Jagor’s keen observations of the defects of Spanish
colonization
2) His prophecy that someday Spain would lose the Philippines
and that America would come to succeed her as a colonizer
14. Third Year in Ateneo (1874-1875)
• Rizal did not make an excellent showing in his studies as in the previous
year
• His grades remained in all subjects, but he won only one medal—in Latin
• He failed to win the medal in Spanish because his spoken Spanish was
not fluently sonorous and was beaten by a Spaniard who could naturally
speak fluently and with right accentuation
15. Fourth Year in Ateneo (1875-1976)
• Became an interno on June 16, 1875
Fr. Francisco de Paula Sanchez
- one of his professors
- a great educator and scholar
- inspired the young Rizal to study harder and to write poetry
- became and admirer and friend of the great Calamba lad
- considered by Rizal as his best professor in Ateneo
- “model of uprightness, earnestness, and love for the
advancement of his pupils”
• Topped all his classmates in all subjects and won five medals at the
end of the school term
16. Last Year in Ateneo (1876-1877)
• The most brilliant Atenean of his time
• “The pride of the Jesuits”
• Obtained the highest grades in all subjects—philosophy, physics,
biology, chemistry, languages, mineralogy, etc.
17. Graduation with Highest Honors
Rizal graduated at the head of his class. His scholastic records at the
Ateneo from 1872-1877 were as follows:
1872-1873
Arithmetic – EXCELLENT
Latin I – EXCELLENT
Spanish I – EXCELLENT
Greek I - EXCELLENT
1873-1874
Latin 2 – EXCELLENT
Spanish 2 – EXCELLENT
Greek 2 – EXCELLENT
Universal Geography - EXCELLENT
18. 1874-1875
Latin 3 – EXCELLENT
Spanish 3 – EXCELLENT
Greek 3 – EXCELLENT
Universal History – EXCELLENT
History of Spain and the Philippines – EXCELLENT
Arithmetic and Algebra – EXCELLENT
1875-1876
Rhetoric and Poetry – EXCELLENT
French I – EXCELLENT
Geometry and Trigonometry – EXCELLENT
19. 1876-1877
Philosophy I – EXCELLENT
Mineralogy & Chemistry – EXCELLENT
Philosophy 2 – EXCELLENT
Physics – EXCELLENT
Botany & Zoology - EXCELLENT
• Received from his Alma Mater, the Ateneo Municipal the degree of
Bachelor of Arts, with highest honors
20. Extra-Curricular Activities in
Ateneo• An “emperor” inside the classroom, a campus leader outside
• An active member, later secretary, of a religious society, the Marian
Congregation
• Devoted to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the college
patroness• Member of the Academy of Spanish Literature and the Academy of
Natural Sciences
• Continued to solicit Father Sanchez’ help in improving his poetry
• Devoted his spare time to fine arts
- Studied painting under the famous Spanish painter, Agustin Saez
- Studied sculpture under Romualdo de Jesus
• Engaged in gymnastics and fencing under his sports-minded Tio Manuel
21. Sculptural Works in Ateneo
• Carved an image of The Virgin Mary on a piece of batikuling
(Philippine hardwood) with his pocket knife
• Requested by Father Lleonart, who was impressed by his sculptural
talent, to carve him an image of the Sacred heart of Jesus
- Placed at the door of the dormitory of the Ateneo boarding
students
- Reminded all the Ateneans the greatest alumnus of their Alma
Mater, Dr. Jose Rizal
- Played a significant part in Rizal’s last hours at Fort Santiago
22. Anecdotes on Rizal, the Atenean
Felix M. Roxas
- Revealed the hero’s resignation to pain and forgiveness
Manuel Xerex Burgos
- Illustrated Rizal’s predilection to help the helpless at the risk of his own
life
23. Reference:
Zaide, Gregorio F. and Sonia M. Zaide. JOSE RIZAL: Life, Works and
Writings of a Genius, Writer, Scientist and National Hero (2nd ed.)
Philippines: All- Nations Publishing Co., Inc. 2014
