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| Francisco C. Baltazar (Balagtas) ( 1788 - 1862 ) |
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Francisco Baltazar, was born in the barrio of Panginay, Bigaa, and Bulacan on April 2, 1788 to Juan de la Cruz. He was the fourth and youngest of the Balagtas children, the others being Felipe, Concha, and Nicolasa.
Francisco obtained his early education at the parochial school of Bigaa, where he was drilled in the cartilla, the prayers and the cathecism.
He enrolled at the Colegio de San Jose, where he took up humanities, theology, philosophy, and canon law. He continued his studies at the Colgeio de San Juan de Letran, where he got to be known as a poet, his reputation reinforce by the fact that he wrote love letters and poems for his friends. In truth, many people in Tondo sought him for his simple but beautiful verses. One of his professors in college influenced him to write poetry. He was Dr. Mariano Pilapil, a Latinist and the author of the famous Pasion.
During Balagta’s time, Tondo became the favorite rendezvous of many seasoned Tagalog poets. The most renowned among them was Jose de la Cruz, commonly called Huseng Sisiw, whom Balagtas admired. Since they were the best of friends, Balagtas would not hesitate to ask for Jose’s help in editing his youthful work. However, their friendship ended when Balagtas forgot to brin the customary chicken in exchange for his services. This incident marked the beginning of his way to independence as a poet.
In 1835, Balagtas transferred to Pandacan, a town of artist, where he lived in the residence of Pedro Sulit. He earned a living by writings awits, corridos, and moro-moros. As a result. His popularity grew not only as a poet but as a dramatist as well. He used to dress in style of those days the barong tagalog-piña embroidered from Hagonoy and pantalones from Baliwag, Bulacan.
In his cell, Balagtas lamented the cruelty of his fate. His grief became greater upon hearing of the marriage of his beloved “Celia” to Mariano Capuli. In the loneliness of his imprisonment. He wrote his greatest poem Florante at Laura which He dedicated to “Celia” indicated by her initials, M.A.R.
In 1860 an embittered old man of seventy-two, he was released from prison. He returned to Orion and spent the last years of his life writing poetry and copying Spanish documents in order to supports his poor family.
On February 20, 1862, Balagtas died on Orion at the age of seventy-four. Shortly before he died, he told his wife. “Don’t ever permit any of our children to became poet.” Two of his sons, however, became poets like him.
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| Achievements |
In 1840, after his release, Balagtas went to Balanga, Bataan. There he worked as an assistant to a justice of the peace and, later as an assistant to the clerk of court of Don Victor Figueroa.
Subsequently, he was appointed head lieutenant of the town and judge of the rice fields.
In 1856 Balagtas was appointed translator of the court. By this time, he was using the name Franco Narvaez Baltazar as shown by a record of his oath of office and the signature on it. According to his baptismal certificate, his family name was Balagtas and that of his mother was de la Cruz. He most like adapted the surname Baltazar (paternal) and Naraez (maternal) in 1849 when Governor General Narc iso Claveria decreed that all Filipinos should use Spanish surnames taken from Madrid directory.
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| Works / Contributions |
Better known by his pen name Balagtas, is the acknowledge ‘Prince of Tagalog Poets,” His masterpiece Florante at Laura is the greatest popular epic in Tagalog literature.
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Dr. Jose Rizal - National Hero of the Philippines
Dr. Jose Protacio Rizal Mercado Y Realonda Alonzo was born in the town of Calamba, Laguna on 19th June 1861. The second son and the seventh among the eleven children of Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonso.
With his mother as his first teacher, he began his early education at home and continued in Binan, Laguna. He entered a Jesuit-run Ateneo Municipal de Manila in 1872 and obtained a bachelor's degree with highest honors in 1876. He studied medicine at the University of Santo Tomas but had to stop because he felt that the Filipino students were being discriminated by their Dominican tutors. He went to Madrid at Universidad Central de Madrid and in 1885 at the age of 24, he finished his course in Philosophy and Letters with a grade of "Excellent".
He took graduate studies in Paris, France & Heidelberg, Germany. He also studied painting, sculpture, he learned to read and write in at least 10 languages.
Rizal was a prolific writer and was anti-violence. He rather fight using his pen than his might. Rizal's two books "Noli Me Tangere" (Touch Me Not) which he wrote while he was in Berlin, Germany in 1887 and "El Filibusterismo" (The Rebel) in Ghent, Belgiun in 1891 exposed the cruelties of the Spanish friars in the Philippines, the defects of the Spanish administration and the vices of the clergy, these books told about the oppression of the Spanish colonial rule. These two books made Rizal as a marked man to the Spanish friars.
- In 1892 when Rizal returned to the Philippines, he formed La Liga Filipina ,an non violent reform society of patriotic citizen and a forum for Filipinos to express their hopes for reform, to promote progress through commerce, industry and agriculture and freedom from the oppressive Spanish colonial administration.
- On July 6, 1892, he was imprisoned in Fort Santiago, on the charge of instigating unrest against Spain, he was exiled to Dapitan, in northwestern Mindanao. He remained in exile for four years, while he was in political exile in Dapitan, he practice medicine, he established a school for boys, promoted community development projects, he applied his knowledge in engineering by constructing a system of waterworks in order to furnish clean water to the towns people. In Dapitan he also met, fell in love and lived with Josephine Bracken.
Books written by Jose Rizal
Source: MM del Rosario Photo Gallery
- In 1896, the Katipunan, a nationalist secret society launched a revolt against the Spaniards, although Jose Rizal had no connection with the organization, his enemies were able to linked him with the revolt. To avoid being involved in the move to start a revolution, he asked Governor Ramon Blanco to send him to Cuba but instead he was brought back to Manila and jailed for the second time in Fort Santiago.
Rizal Monument at Luneta Park
The Rizal monument was created by a Swiss sculptor named Richard Kissling. The site is guarded 24 hours a day 7 days a week by ceremonial soldiers known as Kabalyeros de Rizal.
On December 26, 1896, after a trial, Rizal was sentenced to die, he was convicted of rebellion, sedition, and of forming illegal association. On the eve of his execution while confined in Fort Santiago, Rizal wrote a poem Mi Ultimo Adios (My Last Farewell) and hid it inside the gas burner and gave the gas burner to his sister Trinidad and his wife Josephine.
He was executed on December 30, 1896 at the age of 35 by a firing squad at Bagumbayan, now known as Luneta Park in Manila.
Jose Rizal was a man of many accomplishments - a linguist, a novelist, a poet, a scientist, a doctor, a painter, an educator, a reformer and a visionary, he left his people his greatest patriotic poem, Mi Ultimo Adios to serve as an inspiration for the next generations.
Words of Wisdom
- Quotes from Dr Jose Rizal - A collection of wise words from Dr Jose Rizal from his various writings. I hope you will find this collection helpful if you are doing research for your assignments or projects in school.
Dr.Jose Rizal Monument - site of countless wreath-laying activities year round honouring the national hero.
Interesting Trivia About Dr Jose Rizal
- Rizal's Contribution to Science
Rizal found Mindanao a rich virgin field for collecting specimens. With his baroto (sailboat) and accompanied by his pupils, he explored the jungles and coasts seeking specimens of insects, birds, snakes lizards frogs shells and plants.
He sent these specimens to the museum of Europe especially the Dresden Museum. In payment for these valuable specimens, the European scientists sent him scientific books and surgical instruments.
On September 21, 1892 the mail boat “Butuan” arrived in Dapitan carrying lottery Ticket No. 9736 jointly owned by Captain Carnicero, Dr Jose Rizal and Francisco Equilior won the second prize of P20,000 in the government-owned Manila Lottery.
Rizal’s share of the winning loterry was P6,200. He gave P2,000 to his father and P200 to his friend Basa in Hongkong and the rest he invested well by purchasing agricultural lands along the coast of Talisay about one kilometer away from Dapitan.
Rizal Discovered Rare Specimens
For four years during his exile in Dapitan, Rizal discovered some rare specimens which were named in his honor by the scientists. Among these were :
- Draco Rizali—a flying dragon
- Apogonia Rizali -a small beetle
- Rhacophorus Rizali—a rare frog
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